Let me preface this discussion by saying that, imvho, there is no "right" or "wrong" playstyle for this game regarding "powergaming" versus "roleplaying." It's each individual's game to enjoy as he or she sees fit. Some folks feel a need to "roleplay" more than others. And some peeps appreciate the game more squarely from a mechanics standpoint, and are not terribly interested in trying to imagine this or that when engaging with a game engine. One approach isn't "better" or more "valid" than the other.
But that said, I'm curious as to what you all think or feel about arriving at some sort of ideal game balance... with respect to the Player-Character's ability scores.
Do you think it harms game balance to have an astonishingly powerful PC? (We don't need to spoil newbies, but suffice it to say there's a good reason why the PC would or should be uber powerful.) Especially if this involves some heavy min-maxing, such that ability scores that aren't crucial to the class are waaaay low?
And if so, do you ever "roleplay" the character according to low stats? Eg, a Wisdom 5 character actually shows incredibly bad judgment all the time? My guess is that most min-maxers aren't likely to do that, but just curious if anyone does...
Or do you feel that having, say, just a couple maximum ability scores... and maybe one or two 'high normal'... with the rest average (perhaps even low average)... actually produces a better game balance in terms of difficulty overall? This isn't necessarily 'gimped', but not every vital stat is maxed. This is a somewhat more in line with the rest of the population in the gameworld.
Do you seek some sort of ideal balance in your PC's stats for the best possible balance of difficulty? Or just create a balls out, sheerly devastating character purely for pleasure of it? (Even if that means he or she has massive deficits that don't show up meaningfully in the game. Eg, an IQ of 40.)
And remember, "it's your world,"
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But that said, I'm curious as to what you all think or feel about arriving at some sort of ideal game balance... with respect to the Player-Character's ability scores.
Do you think it harms game balance to have an astonishingly powerful PC? (We don't need to spoil newbies, but suffice it to say there's a good reason why the PC would or should be uber powerful.) Especially if this involves some heavy min-maxing, such that ability scores that aren't crucial to the class are waaaay low?
And if so, do you ever "roleplay" the character according to low stats? Eg, a Wisdom 5 character actually shows incredibly bad judgment all the time? My guess is that most min-maxers aren't likely to do that, but just curious if anyone does...
Or do you feel that having, say, just a couple maximum ability scores... and maybe one or two 'high normal'... with the rest average (perhaps even low average)... actually produces a better game balance in terms of difficulty overall? This isn't necessarily 'gimped', but not every vital stat is maxed. This is a somewhat more in line with the rest of the population in the gameworld.
Do you seek some sort of ideal balance in your PC's stats for the best possible balance of difficulty? Or just create a balls out, sheerly devastating character purely for pleasure of it? (Even if that means he or she has massive deficits that don't show up meaningfully in the game. Eg, an IQ of 40.)
And remember, "it's your world,"
