Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Listener 03-30-05, 10:30 PM	I had a game recently where my character, due to various poisons over a course of a day, went from a 18 Dex to a 5 Dex. I roleplayed the character as still being able to walk and move if he takes his time, and being unable to walk on wierd terrain without the aid of someone's sholder. He can stand straight, but wobbles if someone taps him. Does this sound appropriate for a 5 dex?
Xantel 03-30-05, 10:41 PM	thats how he would be at first, as he ajusts to the new dex score, but a dex of 5 is i think approximately the dex of a 4th-6th grader so he wouldnt just tip over if you tapped him and he dowesnt need to concentrate all the time to walk. the would be a dex of 2-3, thats the toddler-ish range
Deflare 03-30-05, 11:14 PM	A Dex of 5 is half that of the average human; not even 5th/6th graders are that clumsy. With a Dex of 5, you're basically tripping over your shadow's shadow. You should be able to walk fairly well; however, anything even remotely difficult will probably require a check of you.
Maniacal_Cackle 03-30-05, 11:22 PM	Despite it being obvious, I'm going to put in that rules-wise, all it means is a -3 (?) penalty to all things dex-based. Roleplaying wise, I'm not sure. I would guess take the clumsiest person you know, and make the character about two-three times as clumsy.
BW0222 03-31-05, 04:30 AM	Image you have two captains picking teams of dodge ball players. The last person to be picked likely has an 8 dex. A 5 dex would be equal to that of a zombie. Imagine some guys in the drama club acting as zombies and showing up for your dodge ball game.
Callista 03-31-05, 08:18 AM	MMh, well, if you figure the standard distribution for dex, same as INT, I would say that a 5 is likely enough for an average person to have. Think a teenage boy, during the time that he's just grown a foot in less than a year... that sort of clumsiness.
Dargan Griess 03-31-05, 09:06 AM	Have you ever seen the 1970s english TV series "Some Mothers Do Ave Em"? The main character Frank Spencer has around 3-5 Dex and immense DR A 5 in Dex would mean the person couldn't take 10 steps without causing havoc from knocking things over, Clumsy is the opposite of Dexterous, so have fun getting up from the table while your coat is caught on the tablecloth and dont forget to spill small objects and liquids all over the place. PS. be careful of Mirrors.
Thoronmir 03-31-05, 09:51 AM	Rather than impose arbitrary rules on the character (e.g., he always falls down if not supported), I would have simply imposed Balance checks ... some he'll make and some he'll miss.
snowlynx 03-31-05, 10:05 AM	Keep in mind that, in addition to being a klutz while moving around, the dexterity in your hands is also affected. You might decide that your character has developed shaky hands (and maybe legs) since this is a poison. Since you're not used to moving around while your body is acting up like this, you're more of a klutz (and certain actions, like using silverware, suddenly become a pain to attempt.)
olshanski_home 03-31-05, 10:31 AM	I would say you could walk and run just fine. You would be indistinguishable from any other person unless presented with a task that required dexterity: However, you'd have problem walking on ice (this is reflected in your balance skill, which is dependent on Dex). In modern day terms, you'd probably have trouble throwing or catching a frizbee (this is reflected in the DEX modifiers to ranged attack). In modern day terms, you'd use only one finger at a time on a keyboard rather than using all 10 fingers (this is reflected in skills like disable device; open lock, sleight of hand). In modern day terms, you'd be terrible at pool, pinball machines, video games, darts, rollerblades, skiing... so much that you would probably not play them at all... if people were splitting up teams you'd likely be the last one picked out of a group of 25. If there were 50 people, there would probably at least one person worse than you though. This whole idea of not being able to walk unless supported and crap like that is ridiculous. You are clumsy, sure, mathematically you are at the bottom 3% of the population. Do you really think that 3 out of 100 people have trouble walking or jogging? Maybe 3 in 100 have a little trouble stepping on to a moving escalator... but not walking. If you are a high-school student with 1000 people in your school, are 30 of those people so incompetent that they have trouble just walking?
The Listener 03-31-05, 01:32 PM	I would say you could walk and run just fine. You would be indistinguishable from any other person unless presented with a task that required dexterity: However, you'd have problem walking on ice (this is reflected in your balance skill, which is dependent on Dex). In modern day terms, you'd probably have trouble throwing or catching a frizbee (this is reflected in the DEX modifiers to ranged attack). In modern day terms, you'd use only one finger at a time on a keyboard rather than using all 10 fingers (this is reflected in skills like disable device; open lock, sleight of hand). In modern day terms, you'd be terrible at pool, pinball machines, video games, darts, rollerblades, skiing... so much that you would probably not play them at all... if people were splitting up teams you'd likely be the last one picked out of a group of 25. If there were 50 people, there would probably at least one person worse than you though. This whole idea of not being able to walk unless supported and crap like that is ridiculous. You are clumsy, sure, mathematically you are at the bottom 3% of the population. Do you really think that 3 out of 100 people have trouble walking or jogging? Maybe 3 in 100 have a little trouble stepping on to a moving escalator... but not walking. If you are a high-school student with 1000 people in your school, are 30 of those people so incompetent that they have trouble just walking? Yeah, good points. I didn't say that he couldn't walk if he wasn't supported, I said that he would have trouble walking on wierd terrain such as goopy mud and ice. I did over-exaggerate a little since it was such a huge jump for my character (loss of 13 Dex points has to phase you at least a little).
FriendoftheDork 03-31-05, 04:16 PM	Colossal Animated Object= dex 4-5. That is really slow and clumsy, but still able to stand and walk in a fashion. Even an Ogre Zombie have better dex than that. When I say slow, I don't really mean speed, but acceleration and the ability to change direction rapidly.
Shima 03-31-05, 06:55 PM	I agree with Dork, under exemple is that having 0 dex is being unable to move. Think about someone who has a mechanical claw instead of hand; when he tries to grasp an object it takes effort . It means that simple movement you take dont happen the way you intended them unless you take them slowy and with concentration. Maybe thats how you could describe dexterity, as to how much effort it takes to move about freely. The nimbleness of a gymnast certainly provides freedom because increadibly precise action with ease. On the other hand, someone lacking agility is limited to rudimentary, simple or brutal actions and would have difficulty doing 2 simple things at the same times. (like walking and chewing gum...) I'm sorry for you loss, but dex is pretty important for an adventurer. Any dangerous situation is no time to be clumbsy. If you cant pick your nose without poking your eye out, this may be the death of you!
hughman 03-31-05, 07:14 PM	Watch the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" not only is it a funny flick, but I would say that the main character (sorry haven't watched it in ages and don't remember the names) whenever he gets near the ingenoux (lead woman) has about a 5 dex. Makes for some rather funny secenes, like when he takes 5 minutes to put a cup on to a table that he had knocked off. Hughman
trapspringer 03-31-05, 09:11 PM	This should ONLY impact role-play. I have seen many games lately where role-play impacts combat to the degree that there is no combat.