Opinions on this article about stats.

[killem2]

I was surfing and found this article:

http://dmingwithcharisma.com/2011/10/dd-stats-in-simple-language/


I put together this list a few years ago to try to put this in simple language. Below are some quick descriptions of every stat, from 1 (a modifier of -5, or as low as a character can get without being undead or a construct) to 25 (a modifier of +7, or as high as a PHB character can get without magic):

I mean over all, it seems to be on the right track, at least on the higher end of the scores.

Would anyone use this as a guideline? :mitd:

[TuggyNE]

It's not too bad on the whole, although it assumes a world in which the scores are normalized for a 1-20 population, and a fairly significant number of characters are at least level 8. This is not a good match for our own world, so some of its descriptions are unintuitive for that reason.

Also, the descriptions are not useful for reverse-engineering a desired score from an idea of the character; how, for example, to tell the difference between "Makes reasoned decisions most of the time", "Able to tell when a person is upset", "Can get hunches about a situation that doesn’t feel right", "Reads people and situations fairly well", and "Often used as a source of wisdom or decider of actions"?

(Incidentally, Wis is a very poor match, since it would seem I have at least 18 Wis. Yeah, see, no. 12 or even 14, maaaybe; 18, not a chance.)

[Greenish]

It seems to entirely ignore the cap between 1-2 Int and 3+ Int. Less than 3 Int, you'd be Animal or Magical Beast, quite non-sentient (forget Diplomacy, Handle Animal is how people would have to deal with you).


Also, I have a positive Con modifier. Yay!

[Sir Chuckles]

It doesn't appear to realize that 10-11 is a basic stat spread for a Human Commoner 1, and that "heroic" puts 15 as the highest stat.
I bench 220lbs and and can free lift triple that while , but I am definitely not "visibly toned", as 14-15 would imply. I'm short and built like a wrestler.

My opinion? It's...well I wouldn't use it or show it to my group. I definitely do not have a 20-22 in Wisdom.

[Eladrinblade]

Would I use it as a guideline? No, but that's because I think I understand ability scores (and alignment) way better than other people. Because I'm knowingly arrogant.

That said, it is usable. If you and your players are relatively new to the game, you'd be just fine in using this.

Also, people tend to forget that a score of 21 in a mental stat on a 1st level human is totally viable...if you're venerable in age. Otherwise, you have human paragons and people with the prodigy template (and people who are 4th level).

[TuggyNE]

Also, people tend to forget that a score of 21 in a mental stat on a 1st level human is totally viable...if you're venerable in age. Otherwise, you have human paragons and people with the prodigy template (and people who are 4th level).

And, of course, venerable prodigy 4th-level human paragons. :smallwink:

Let's see, that's 18, +3, +1, +2, +2, for a total of 26. Might actually be more than Einstein.

[Emperor Tippy]

Considering that a 19 is the highest score that a real life human can get before variants or aging and that 24 is the absolute highest a real life human could get (18 base, 1 level up in a mental stat, Human Paragon 3 for +2, +3 from Venerable), the numbers aren't that great.

10 is the average.
12 is the "I work out/I'm quite smart/I'm a real people person" level. Notably better but not something super rare.
14 is the "I'm the strongest guy in the gym/I'm a MENSA member with a doctorate/I'm a congressmen" level. Rarer still but out of a large enough population it still isn't abnormal enough to get you accolades for the score.
16 is the "I'm a NFL linemen/I'm a Nobel prize winner/I'm the President" level. Very rare and abnormal enough that your ability does get you public recognition.
18 is the "I'm Arnold in his prime or an Olympic medal level lifter/I'm Einstein or Hawking/I'm Clinton/Regan/Hitler". You have a base score of 18 when you are pretty much held up as the standard for which other humans are judged against.

19-23 is when you start hitting people like Da Vinci. These aren't the "a few times in a generation" that an 18 is but the few times every couple thousand years at the highest end.

Now in a D&D world its slightly different because individuals can become, by most definitions, demigods; but by the same token the population tends to be smaller.