Training your stats.

[TheCrowing1432]

Im sure this idea has been suggested before, I also think this is what adding a stat point every 4 levels is supposed to represent. But here goes.


What if you could train your stats to be higher?


Work out to gain muscle mass, gives you strength?
Running and cardio makes you faster and gives you dexterity.
Eating healthy like vegetables and fruits and drinking water makes you healthier, giving you constitution
Studying certain subjects gives you intelligence, while studying others gives you wisdom.
Wearing makeup gives you charisma? (Ok this one I had trouble figuring out how to "train" I might need help here)



Most other ways of stat increases are you put on a magic hat, or read a magic book and BAM, your stats increase. Which is cool, for the like the first couple of times.

But there are only so many times you can watch the wizard strap a headband of intelligence to his forehead before you get bored.

[Curmudgeon]

If this is just a new way of looking at things, and it still costs the same as those Manuals and Tomes, then it's all fine and dandy. If you're trying to get ability boosts for nothing but role-playing, then this is a terrible idea.

[TheCrowing1432]

If this is just a new way of looking at things, and it still costs the same as those Manuals and Tomes, then it's all fine and dandy. If you're trying to get ability boosts for nothing but role-playing, then this is a terrible idea.

Obviously, I was thinking it costing experience and time. And maybe some gold. But doing pushups doesnt cost any gold.

I suppose for the studying, you'd have to pay for books? Or just use public ones? Hmm.

[Elric VIII]

Obviously, I was thinking it costing experience and time. And maybe some gold. But doing pushups doesnt cost any gold.

I suppose for the studying, you'd have to pay for books? Or just use public ones? Hmm.

Pushups also don't really help your gains beyond a certain point. If you're at the point of 18+ str, your bodyweight is nothing compared to what you can achieve. You'd need workout equipment like a bench and a monolift, weights, maybe pay someone to spot you.

Basically, I'd say make it cost the equivalent gold and exp of crafting a tome. Sure, this gives everyone a limited form of Craft Wondrous Item, but that's not a big deal. I'd also say let the bonuses stack up to +5, because tome price scales linearly, unlike every other magic item that grants a +x bonus.

[Sagetim]

Talking with people. Being sociable. Acting, singing, playing instruments to a crowd. Observing others while you do these things and learning how they react and how the successful people who have the kind of impact you want to have do what they do. This is how you train charisma.

Intelligence would be trained by reading, exercising logic, and learning various memory tricks (since int is also supposed to be about remembering).

Wisdom could be trained by being repeatedly subjected to a trickster. To a certain degree, learning how argumentation works and learning to apply it regularly. Learning how to read body language and what it means. Learning how to say no.

DnD doesn't model this kind of personal growth very well because it doesn't fit into the theme of levels and xp the same neat little way that one point per 4 levels does, or adjusting stats for aging. GURPS at least has it written in as possible in it's system, but we're not here to talk about GURPS.

I would have training be a matter of making will saves to keep doing it to completion, with higher stats requiring higher saves. Time and either an appropriate knowledge check or instruction from someone who can make the right knowledge check (and thus money) would also be required. That said, I think it's fair to say that any military worth a damn in a dnd setting would probably drill it's soldiers up to having certain minimum stats using these rules (thus even conscripted commoners could become above average through training).

I assume that any dnd military worth it's salt is going to physically train it's soldiers until they have at least 13 strength and 13 con, if nothing else. Elven armies would likely also have a minimum training regimen to bring dex up to 13 or better.

A setting with widespread militancy and trained militias for every town would probably also net players some bonus feats like improved unarmed strike and maybe light armor proficiency from learning how to brawl, and having their stats raised to a minimum of 13 in their physical scores (no matter what they assigned there points or roll wise).

[NevinPL]

Studying certain subjects gives you intelligence, while studying others gives you wisdom.
No. You gain wisdom by confronting the theory you learned (intelligence), with practice you experience (wisdom).


Wearing makeup gives you charisma? (Ok this one I had trouble figuring out how to "train" I might need help here)
Learning to speak the right way, body language (all that PR stuff), makes you more charismatic.

As for costs, DMG has bits about learning by training skills and feats, so you could use that as a "template", just bump the costs.

[Orderic]

Another way to handle this is not to require gold and xp but simply time. A lot of time. An hour each day for a 1 point boost to a single ability, needing at least a week to get the bonus. And if you stop training, you lose it.

[Psyren]

I would say you need a whole new system to approximate this. Either it will be the same speed as leveling normally (in which case, there's no point), you can raise your stats more/faster than leveling (which is abusive), or it will be slower (in which case, you end up with stunted characters.) I'm not seeing an upside other than being able to say "hey cool guys, we're doing that thing from Elder Scrolls!"

[Hal0Badger]

To be honest, I always thought my character "trains" to his abilities.
Like, if my physical scores are high, my character works out 1-2 hour per day in our down time, and when it is not down-time, we are already adventuring so that muscles do work. Same thing goes for high mental scores. Your "+1 ability score" per 4 level actually shows this to me.Eventhough I would agree that +1 per 4 level is a bit low to my liking, it would be certainly abused if it were more easily achievable.

[Psyren]

I personally like the 5e approach - you can do +2 to a single stat every 4 levels, or +1 to two different stats.

I think what you could do if you really wanted to implement this is a hybrid approach. You get the +1 every 4 levels automatically (which helps set your baseline effectiveness) and then you can have the PCs spend GP and time to train up a second stat or add to the first one. You can even choose to make it an inherent bonus rather than an untyped one this way - making it functionally identical to paying for a wish/miracle, except purchased throughout the character's life rather than having them buy a bunch of castings at high levels. This keeps their stats from ballooning out of control, but rewards them for devoting downtime to these pursuits.

[Sagetim]

I would scale the requirements for stat bumps such that going above a 14 would be difficult and time consuming. Not the kind of thing that one can accomplish with a casual time investment.

[charcoalninja]

I would scale the requirements for stat bumps such that going above a 14 would be difficult and time consuming. Not the kind of thing that one can accomplish with a casual time investment.

Only casters can have that amirite?

Edit: in all seriousness I would simply use the crafting times for the Tomes, doubke them and have the character use those to gain inherent bonuses to their stats. It takes longer, but it's free.