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Old 02-10-2018, 06:41 AM   #12
tbeard1999
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Tyler, Texas
Default Re: The Fourth Attribute...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Rice View Post
Each of the original three Attributes had two main functions:

ST governed both weapon use and ability to take damage (health/con).
DX governed hit chance and many skill checks.
IQ governed difficulty of skills to learn and number known.

The system was fairly balanced between the value of the three attributes. By splitting one (ST) into two parts by creating a Health attribute you devalue both ST and Health and imbalance the system. If you're going to split them, then it makes more sense to split all three, thus preserving the relative balance between the attributes.

Although this might seem more complex you're really just assigning a different name and number to an already existing function. As far as monsters go, it's not necessary under normal circumstances to split them, so they can be described just with the original three attributes.

This is a long winded way of saying I don't want a separate Health attribute, unless the other attributes are also split.
At the risk of mass condemnation, I agree with you. I don’t really think splitting ST is any more useful than splitting DX into agility and manual dexterity for instance. Personally, I think equating those two qualities is at least as much of an abstraction.
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