Author: Torben Mogensen (---.diku.dk)
Date: 07-11-2005 06:18
I was surprised that you consider perception to be subsumed by dexterity and constitution. I can see no relation at all between perception and constitution, and the closest link between perception and dexterity I can see is hand/eye coordination, which determine how well you can combine perception and dexterity in one act.
Also, I don't really think it is productive to classify attributes as physical, psychological or both. As you say, you often get borderline cases, and it isn't clear to what purpose you would use such a classification (apart from requiring a minumum or maximum number of attributes in each category).
I think it is much more fruitful to take a step back and consider what you use attributes for. Depending on game, I have seen it used for:
- Modifiers for skill use or learning.
- Defense (saving throws, etc.)
- Default skill when no trained skill applies.
- Calculating hit points, speed, lifting ability, healing rate, etc.
Some of these uses suggest that an attribute can be considered a basic talent for a specific group of skills, while other uses suggest general physical condition. The latter does not really help learning new skills, but they may affect the outcome of using them: A person with high strength will perform better at brawling than a weaker opponent with the same amount of training. But a talent for, say, languages affects learning as much as (or more than) use of a skill.
Furthemore, physical condition is not constant: A weak or clumsy person can be trained to be strong or agile, but some talents seem to be inborn rather than trained (though you can argue that childhood stimulation plays a role too). So I would suggest dividing attributes into talents, that are inborn and affect both training and use of skills, and physical forms that can be trained and which affects skill usage only.
You might consider, though, whether to classify intelligence as a talent or a physical form, buying into the notion that mind and body are the same and that intelligence is as much a matter of training as of genetics.
Note that with this division, you can have talents for physical forms.
|
|
