Crappy stats

[Anonymous]

You know what I hate? I hate it when your pc is a ranger who lives off of hunting, yet he has such shitty stats he cant even pull the shittiest of bows or lift a fricking pick for that matter....

[Natalie]

I agree, but I've only had it happen to me once. My current character in fact, can't hold anything larger then a knife in one hand. How am I mean't to hunt with  a measly knife? But no worries, as this is the first time I'm just putting it down to bad  luck and a bad start stat and reroll too  

[Plazgoth]

We have all experienced it and learned to live with it. Stats are one thing you have to learn to live with. Just like in the real world someone has to be great and someone has to be crappy in orther that there is someone who is average. I think I am wording this wrong so I am confusing even myself. What I am trying to say is that there need to be both good and bad stats, what is the point of everyone haivng awsome stats? I feel lucky that the re-roll system was implemnted, prior to that we were stuck with whatever initial roll we got.

[Sanvean]

Most of us have been there. I've found this gripe coming up the most with people running desert elves, who don't realize that the crappy strength of desert elves is a trade-off for their speed and ability to run long distances.  At least, 9 times out of 10, when I see a complaint about this phenomenon, I find desert elf strength is at the root of it. Are there other races that hit this?

[Vositus]

My d-elf had some poor strength but I re-rolled and it was a lot better

But Yeah I remember my third and best character who was a human warrior hunter with below average strength stats

[Angela Christine]

If you can't use a bow, try a slingshot.  The slingshot gets a bad rap, but they are cheap and you can find the ammunition for free.  You can also hold a weapon in your other hand, which is handy if the thing you are shooting at decides to charge at you.  Eventually you may find a bow with a very light pull.

As for weapons, there are some light ones out there.  Even a dagger isn't awful, the 'rinthers seem to love 'em.  In the long run your skills will matter more than your strength.

Good luck,

AC

[Nineveh]

Yep, this can be pretty bad. Best thing to do is suck it up. If you survive you'll get better.

[creeper386]

I think I've yet to have a character with anything better then average strength. It's sad when you see people clubbing each other to near unconciousness and you can hardly tap them when you hit. Very very sad, BUT lived through it, and even my warriors have had some minor success with poor strength and sometimes made up for it with other stats, or just a the right combination of other things. Sometimes with stats you have to adjust things slightly like how your character fights and all that, but normally I think there is something for most any combination of stats.


Creeper

[Rindan]

Nothing off sets stats more then just living a long time.  For raw killing power, I would trade a 5 day warrior with good strength for a 25 day warrior with poor strength any day of the week.  Try and roll with the punches and just out live everyone else.  The longer you go, the less those stats will mean.

[Pale Horse]

Poor stats are a pain many a time, I admit, but think of the advantages.  With such abysmal scores, I doubt that you'll be very eager to solo your character when hunting or such.  This may make it extreamly difficult to earn a living or even to leave the city(outpost for those d-elfs out there) for hunting, assuming you're a ranger, but when you do you leave with backup.  "Safety in Numbers" is very much in affect.

Pale Horse, who is now going to go see about getting some wake up juice....

[witchman]

My tip for playing with bad stats>
Focus on your strengths, defend against your weaknesses.

In RL, I'm much smarter than I am strong.  When I enter a confrontation, I choose the avenue of approach so that it favors me.

A warrior can do the same thing, if you're a physical wuss, use your brain.  That's what makes thinking creatures so dangerous, anyway.

[Delerak]

Maybe some changes should be made to the system.  Like the ability to pick your stats in order to what you would want highest, etc.
strength, agility, endurance, wisdom.
I'm not saying now that the guy will get exceptional strength, but if he gets very good strength, agility cannot be higher then that, if agility is good then endurance will be above average and wisdom below average...these stats are good stats for any race and class I think.

The stat ranking system has been gone over time and time again.. it just doesn't seem like it's going to go in though, unless someone thinks of something radical about it. Sorry to be a spoil sport D:

[Anonymous]

Heck, even a 'primary' stat would be good.  It could take a random percentage (between 10%-20%) of a random stat's value and apply that to your primary stat.

[Dazed and Confused]

Why do stats matter when the true purpose of this game is role-play?

[Anonymous]

To me the answer is in the question.  The game is about *role* playing.  Sometimes people want to play a specific role and having stats that don't fit that role is frustrating.

I've played inept PCs.  I've also wanted to play an elf who can fire a bow.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to play a big buff sword swinger or a sharp-witted merchant.  The problem is when the role you created is handicapped by your stats.  You're strapping young man is weak, your elf couldn't pull a rubber band or your tank of a dwarf could lose an arm to a paper cut.

FWIW, I didn't start this thread.

[Delerak]

because the code makes stats matter. If I want to play a big strong human dude who is really slow but strong, and I get average strength and exceptional agility and very good wisdom, I'm mad because I didn't want that, even though those stats are awesome, I wanted to play a big huge guy who is really strong and uses a five foot long sword.  The only way you can do this is special app it, which is kind of pointless if all you wanted was high strength.  Stats reinforce your roleplay.

[Rindan]

I find that it tends to be better (safer) to base my characters more on personality and proficiency.  Making a character who you have flat out decided I going to use a two handed hunk of death rock tied to a tree to kill people is probably asking for trouble because stats will matter.  Making a character that just likes being flashy and being intimidating is probably safer and more reasonable.  If you end up with the stats to support wielding a tree, then you are fine.  If you don't end up getting the stats, then you just find some other flashy weapon that fits your personality, like a nasty looking spiked knife.  Basing a character off personality makes it so that you are not tied to being able to do a coded thing, just a general personality.

If you just shoot for personality traits instead of stats based traits, you won't have to worry so much if you come away with poor stats.  In a sense, I actually like this.  If we could pick our stats, I think that people would be far more homogenous in their abilities.  All d-elves would want more strength, all dwarves want more wisdom or agility, and all giants would want more agility.  Random stats preserve variations and keeps people from falling into the stereotype for their class.

Choosing some stats has its advantages, but personally, I prefer the variation random stats offer.  I like how they force me to focus more on personality and less on physical characteristics.  I like how they keep people honest and stop everyone from making a pure stereotype.

[Dazed and Confused]

The only way you can do this is special app it,

You answered your own question on how to solve your problem.
SPECIAL APPLICATION.

If I want to play a big strong human

Some kids when they grow up wanted to be the President, a fireman, or maybe an actor. When we grow up, sometimes things do not work out exactly the way we wanted them.

In my real life, when I was real young perhaps 12 or 13 I wanted to be a lawyer.  Then in High School, I wanted to be an engineer because I was good in science.  In College, I graduated as an engineer. Then I went to graduate school and realized that I didnt want to be an engineer.  After a while, I decided to try Law, went to law school and became a lawyer.

NOW, I might of been a much better lawyer if I did not spend all that time pursuing other interests and perhaps I would of made a great engineer. I certainly had all the "STATS" for it.  But that was not really what made me happy.  So perhaps I am not the "STRAPPING" lawyer that I could of been if I had trained my whole life to be a lawyer.  However, I am a lawyer and very competent. I get the job done that my clients want and almost all are happy with my performance.

My point is: Perhaps your character holds himself out to be a "strapping warrior" who can beat everyone else with 2 hands and on his knees.  Only his closest friends will know the truth. And to them it doesnt really matter because they will like him for who he is no matter how big of a bow he carries. And if you really want specific stats place an application for it explaining why you feel you should have it and how it will help the role-play in Armageddon.

[Ouch.]

Gee...

When I was weak I joined a weigt training class.  I didn't follow through with it completely, but it made me a lot stronger.  It seems kind of stupid that while flailing big (or small) swords, maces, daggers, etc.  that you would only gain "skill" and not strength.  If you pick up a huge poll everyday and swing it around, I bet my bottom dollar you will eventually get stronger.  Do you think all world class athletes were born and branded with outstanding agility? No.  They trained. I think its overly rediculous that you can't raise your stats through training or just simply by waving a big sword around.  I mean come on.

[Dazed and Confused]

When I was weak I joined a weigt training class. I didn't follow through with it completely, but it made me a lot stronger.

It made you stronger, but maybe the level you reached was it for you?
Do you think you get to ever become Arnold? or The Rock? or XXX? I mean come on, some people have it and some dont.

Lesson: You can only train so much as to reach your potential.

[Ouch.]

In terms of physical possibilities, I could be very strong, the same goes for almost everyone.  However it takes willpower as well as sheer training, something I don't really have in terms of weight training.  However if your character is ambitious enough, and works hard enough at it, you should be able to go from below average to good or at least average.  And you aren't right if you think that the rock is like he is just because "god and mother nature" willed it to be so.  He probably worked his ASS off to be where he is today, same goes for every single good athlete.  Nobody just has it.  I'm sorry, but you are utterly wrong.  And please, type a response in English next time.

"Do you think you get ever become Arnold?"

and who could forget,

"It made you stronger, but maybe the level you reached was it for you?"

What does that mean? And as for,

"Lesson: You can only train so much as to reach your potential"

Alright Confucius, do you carry a potential meter around?   You can't really measure human potential considering if people work their hardest their entire lives they continue to get stronger and better at what they do.  They don't just reach a point and stop.  When old age settles in, that's a different story.  I really want to insult you, but I won't.

He means Genetics, some people have the body type to become exceptionally strong. Our character's ability scores kind of represent the potential of our characters. In the beginning, our actual levels are actually below our potential, hence our skills are bad. And as you improve your skill, you actually become a little bit stronger. You can look at it that way.

But anyway, back to the genetics thing, some people have potential to be Arnold (Sort of like Arnold has that potential, well, you know, 'cause he's Arnold) but someone like myself, does not have that potential. The most I've ever been able to bench (Admittedly, I didn't follow through my weight training either, nor am I fully developed, still 16 yet) has been 150, and that was after a lot of work. (Of course benching is not the only means of measuring strength, but you know what I mean) But I have a concaved chest, long limbs, and an overall thin frame. Arnold, I'm sure, without much of his mucle, still looks pretty imposing.

I'm sorry, that went down the tubes after the first two sentences. Eesh.

[Dazed and Confused]

I guess that I can sum up why the person above me is wrong.

If YOU want to play ARNOLD or THE ROCK, submit an APP.

Wait.. how does that make me wrong? ::boggles:: I don't think I even had a point to be proved or disproved.