The problem is that while D&D's three physical stats are at least somewhat quantifiable, the mental stats are just too abstract and the definition of what each of them are has changed with every edition.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A person being wise is automatically better at hearing, smelling, seeing, and remembering how to do open heart surgery (but not remembering something that happened in the past. Only an intelligent person could do that). Of course the mental stats don't make any sense. They are completely arbitrary and pertain to a set of skills utterly unrelated to each other or the name they were given.
Charisma is actually the most clear, because being charismatic makes you a better performer, better liar, more persuasive, and (maybe a little straw-graspy) better at intimidation (though I still argue that physical stats can be used for intimidation). What is even the difference between nature and survival, and how many games realistically enforce that difference?
Well, all knowledge retention is partially covered under proficiency in 5e and things like skill points in prior systems. I can be a Druid with History prof and be relatively effective in the role, though of course having strong retention helps with non-trivial tasks- aka ones that should call for a roll. WIS covers more intuitive activities- spotting details in your environment, the behavior of others, etc. I’d say it’s a fit for medicine since the first step can often be interpreting signs and symptoms to deduce the cause. Obviously not all activities covered under the skills slot perfectly with the default abilities, which is presumably why the rules specifically acknowledge that a DM may choose to ask for or allow a different ability/proficiency pairing in a given instance.
A person being wise is automatically better at hearing, smelling, seeing, and remembering how to do open heart surgery (but not remembering something that happened in the past. Only an intelligent person could do that). Of course the mental stats don't make any sense.
Forgetting that a 10 stat is slightly above average. So a good number doctors would just have a 10 INT. An 18-20 is like an Einstein level figure. So the idea that someone with a 10 INT isn't remembering history is really exaggerated.
A person being wise is automatically better at hearing, smelling, seeing, and remembering how to do open heart surgery (but not remembering something that happened in the past. Only an intelligent person could do that). Of course the mental stats don't make any sense. They are completely arbitrary and pertain to a set of skills utterly unrelated to each other or the name they were given.
Charisma is actually the most clear, because being charismatic makes you a better performer, better liar, more persuasive, and (maybe a little straw-graspy) better at intimidation (though I still argue that physical stats can be used for intimidation). What is even the difference between nature and survival, and how many games realistically enforce that difference?
Well, healing being wisdom-based is at least because the two classes most likely to actually have the skill, clerics and druids, have Int as a dump stat. So healing is wisdom-based because the wisdom classes are supposed to be good healers.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A person being wise is automatically better at hearing, smelling, seeing, and remembering how to do open heart surgery (but not remembering something that happened in the past. Only an intelligent person could do that). Of course the mental stats don't make any sense. They are completely arbitrary and pertain to a set of skills utterly unrelated to each other or the name they were given.
Charisma is actually the most clear, because being charismatic makes you a better performer, better liar, more persuasive, and (maybe a little straw-graspy) better at intimidation (though I still argue that physical stats can be used for intimidation). What is even the difference between nature and survival, and how many games realistically enforce that difference?
Well, healing being wisdom-based is at least because the two classes most likely to actually have the skill, clerics and druids, have Int as a dump stat. So healing is wisdom-based because the wisdom classes are supposed to be good healers.
mechanically that is likely why. but as all the stats are defined by the game(which admittedly in 2024 is so short as to be useless) it can make some sense. Like int with medicine might be reflecting more like your ability to google it. And like googling symptoms you always get cancer as your answer. Wisdom is perception and mental fortitude supposedly. But that also includes things like insight. So like a lot of skills functions of them can logically fall under different stats. Like surgery for example there are arguments for dexterity as you need the high level of coordination to not make mistakes, though at the D&D level its not brain surgery so it probably of less import. But perceiving and understanding their condition can be seen as a blend of perception and insight so you know where to sew up to best effect so wisdom can work, and at the D&D level of science the amount they probably have to memorize for medicine is likely fairly small.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Wisdom? You mean Willpower? (which is what, I think, charisma is more closely tied to than any other "stat" I've seen in RPGs)
The problem is that while D&D's three physical stats are at least somewhat quantifiable, the mental stats are just too abstract and the definition of what each of them are has changed with every edition.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A person being wise is automatically better at hearing, smelling, seeing, and remembering how to do open heart surgery (but not remembering something that happened in the past. Only an intelligent person could do that). Of course the mental stats don't make any sense. They are completely arbitrary and pertain to a set of skills utterly unrelated to each other or the name they were given.
Charisma is actually the most clear, because being charismatic makes you a better performer, better liar, more persuasive, and (maybe a little straw-graspy) better at intimidation (though I still argue that physical stats can be used for intimidation). What is even the difference between nature and survival, and how many games realistically enforce that difference?
Well, all knowledge retention is partially covered under proficiency in 5e and things like skill points in prior systems. I can be a Druid with History prof and be relatively effective in the role, though of course having strong retention helps with non-trivial tasks- aka ones that should call for a roll. WIS covers more intuitive activities- spotting details in your environment, the behavior of others, etc. I’d say it’s a fit for medicine since the first step can often be interpreting signs and symptoms to deduce the cause. Obviously not all activities covered under the skills slot perfectly with the default abilities, which is presumably why the rules specifically acknowledge that a DM may choose to ask for or allow a different ability/proficiency pairing in a given instance.
I'm actually not against Con sorcerers, but I'd rather we get Int warlocks first personally speaking
Forgetting that a 10 stat is slightly above average. So a good number doctors would just have a 10 INT. An 18-20 is like an Einstein level figure.
So the idea that someone with a 10 INT isn't remembering history is really exaggerated.
Well, healing being wisdom-based is at least because the two classes most likely to actually have the skill, clerics and druids, have Int as a dump stat. So healing is wisdom-based because the wisdom classes are supposed to be good healers.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
mechanically that is likely why. but as all the stats are defined by the game(which admittedly in 2024 is so short as to be useless) it can make some sense. Like int with medicine might be reflecting more like your ability to google it. And like googling symptoms you always get cancer as your answer. Wisdom is perception and mental fortitude supposedly. But that also includes things like insight. So like a lot of skills functions of them can logically fall under different stats. Like surgery for example there are arguments for dexterity as you need the high level of coordination to not make mistakes, though at the D&D level its not brain surgery so it probably of less import. But perceiving and understanding their condition can be seen as a blend of perception and insight so you know where to sew up to best effect so wisdom can work, and at the D&D level of science the amount they probably have to memorize for medicine is likely fairly small.