Optimizing vs role playing

[Solaris]

Whenever I create a new character my first instinct is to try to optimize the ability scores, skills and spells towards power. However, I cannot however bring myself to lower my fighters intelligence to a minimum in order to make him more powerful in combat, although that score doesn't matter for combat, and charisma, not intelligence, is needed for persuation and such. I guess I don't want to be stupid.

On the other hand, I don't want to sacrifice too much to role play, like making a stupid wizard or a physically weak fighter. Both fighting and role playing seem to be a big part of the game play so I want to keep things balanced.

I hope the full game will reward good role play. What are your priorities in this regard? Could you play a weak but otherwise interesting character or do you just want to be ready for any monster the game throws at you?

[Yojo0o]

I min/max my builds so that I can focus on RP, rather than making up for build deficiencies.

[Recjawjind]

In actual pen and paper dnd, roleplay >>> optimization, any day of the week. Sure, I want my character to not be dead weight in combat, but I ABSOLUTELY won't try my hardest to build the mathmatically highest DPR character possible, or one that will just shatter my dms will to live, and takes away all the spotlight from my fellow players. ♥♥♥♥ that.

In a videogame format, where its just me, myself and I, I'm gonna powergame and minmax at every chance i get and build an absolute monster :)

[katzenkrimis]

Originally posted by Solaris:

Fighter.

I cannot however bring myself to lower my fighters intelligence to a minimum in order to make him more powerful in combat.

Suck it up and do it.

Strength and Constitution matter most to Fighters.

I'll be playing as a Fighter. I will likely make Charisma my third best attribute, because this game is chock-full of dialogue checks.

---

Fighters primary ability is Strength, their saving throw proficiencies are Strength & Constitution.

[Morsk]

I will never understand how RPG players fell for this meme against "min-maxing". Building a character is normal. Designers who had to create a slur term for building a character were bad designers, and should have been replaced.

Pick the stats you need for your character to be effective in combat and other encounters, according to your character concept. Roleplay the character the way you want. If those are incompatible, too bad for the developer and their precious stat system.

[Recjawjind]

Originally posted by katzenkrimis:

Originally posted by Solaris:

Fighter.

I cannot however bring myself to lower my fighters intelligence to a minimum in order to make him more powerful in combat.

Suck it up and do it.

Strength and Constitution matter most to Fighters.

I'll be playing as a Fighter. I will likely make Charisma my third best attribute, because this game is chock-full of dialogue checks.

---

Fighters primary ability is Strength, their saving throw proficiencies are Strength & Constitution.

Ooooooooooooor yknow... you play a ranged fighter. Which is at the very least just as good as a strength melee one. A strength fighter sucks with a bow, but a dex ranged one can still rock a rapier. Only thing the str one has going for them is heavy armor, which is slightly better than studded leather.

Archery is an S tier fighting style.

[Jibzoo]

When I created my fighter in EA he was focused mainly in strength and had a little bit of charisma and it didn't affect persuasion that much since you'll roll for it each time you need it so I'd say it's pretty optimized

[kitsune87]

A CRPG will never 'reward good roleplay' its a machine that just sees numbers and an "if then" tree of mechanics.

[Des]

I always RP over min maxing to the annoyance of my friends lol Oh god.. I remember that one Session we had I played a High Elf who was... always high. Fun times.

[Recjawjind]

Originally posted by Des:

I always RP over min maxing to the annoyance of my friends lol Oh god.. I remember that one Session we had I played a High Elf who was... always high. Fun times.

That's an odd table if people prefer minmaxing over roleplay. Though, wargaming is still a valid way to play dnd :)

[kitsune87]

Originally posted by Recjawjind:

Originally posted by Des:

I always RP over min maxing to the annoyance of my friends lol Oh god.. I remember that one Session we had I played a High Elf who was... always high. Fun times.

That's an odd table if people prefer minmaxing over roleplay. Though, wargaming is still a valid way to play dnd :)

what if I told you, you could Min Max AND Rp

[Des]

Originally posted by Recjawjind:

Originally posted by Des:

I always RP over min maxing to the annoyance of my friends lol Oh god.. I remember that one Session we had I played a High Elf who was... always high. Fun times.

That's an odd table if people prefer minmaxing over roleplay. Though, wargaming is still a valid way to play dnd :)

Uhh odd is an understatement and Wargaming is an over statement. We're a bunch of nerds and some of our group takes the numbers side way to seriously and likes to argue about failed rolls while the other half would be happy murder hobing the next towns because lawl... big lootz and I'm stuck in the middle like O_O guysssssss the warehouse is burning can we go now?

[Recjawjind]

Originally posted by Des:

Uhh odd is an understatement and Wargaming is an over statement. We're a bunch of nerds and some of our group takes the numbers side way to seriously and likes to argue about failed rolls while the other half would be happy murder hobing the next towns because lawl... big lootz and I'm stuck in the middle like O_O guysssssss the warehouse is burning can we go now?

To be entirely honest, that does not sound like a table that the DM is having a lot of fun with. I'd probably have a stroke if I ran that game.

[Jolly Devil]

I’ve never been a huge fan of min-maxing. I always felt it takes away some of the adventure in a game by trying to play it in a tailored way. The role playing aspect of these games is always more important to me than being the Pokémon master. Though I do think it’s important to pay attention to stats and other aspects of your character but I’m much more loose in that regard than others. I just like whatever looks cool lol

[kitsune87]

Originally posted by Jolly Devil:

I’ve never been a huge fan of min-maxing. I always felt it takes away some of the adventure in a game by trying to play it in a tailored way. The role playing aspect of these games is always more important to me than being the Pokémon master. Though I do think it’s important to pay attention to stats and other aspects of your character but I’m much more loose in that regard than others. I just like whatever looks cool lol

why is there this assumption that it has to be One or the other? How is playing a character who doesn't have the stats for their classes role in the game "roleplaying"

[Des]

Originally posted by Recjawjind:

Originally posted by Des:

Uhh odd is an understatement and Wargaming is an over statement. We're a bunch of nerds and some of our group takes the numbers side way to seriously and likes to argue about failed rolls while the other half would be happy murder hobing the next towns because lawl... big lootz and I'm stuck in the middle like O_O guysssssss the warehouse is burning can we go now?

To be entirely honest, that does not sound like a table that the DM is having a lot of fun with. I'd probably have a stroke if I ran that game.

Not really, Our DM rolls with whatever. We have strict rules but mostly anything goes outside of just full on stupidity. Like if you argue a roll and he lets you re roll, You take a hit to hp or something. It depends on how witty he's feeling.