At first I was going to pick 25 intelligence, but then I thought "what would a person with 25 int pick?" The answer of course was constitution. Regeneration coupled with longevity!
There's not a single ability score that wouldn't have stuff to do in lovin'. Dex deals with how well you can find all the good bits to poke at, yes - but then there's charisma for how you look and what sort of way of words you have, wisdom to gauge on reactions and see what works and what doesn't, intelligence in knowing, learning, and remembering all these special tricks, strength in how much force you can put in when push comes to shove, and constitution is how long you last.
Having 25 in any one of those stats would help a lot - except maybe strength, where it might go over the edge into too much - but having that in DEX or anywhere else won't help you if all your other stats are cruddy.
It strikes me that an intelligent person would vote for intelligence, but a wise person would vote for wisdom
Well, I consider myself intelligent, became a member of Mensa once (though I didn't like it, the people I met felt themselves too special and sorry for themselves for not being understood), but I'd much rather have more Wisdom to top it off.
Being very intelligent without having wisdom means knowing far too much about what's wrong in the world and what might go wrong if we go on steering on this destructive course of economic and population growth. I'd rather be wise and know how to deal with the feeling of helplessnes, and being able to control my own life more in such a way I don't slip into exhaustion and despair for wanting to take on more than I can handle.
Best of all would be not to have 25 Wisdom myself, but sharing the Wisdom around so that say, the average Wisdom for people in this world would be like 14-15.
There's not a single ability score that wouldn't have stuff to do in lovin'. Dex deals with how well you can find all the good bits to poke at, yes - but then there's charisma for how you look and what sort of way of words you have, wisdom to gauge on reactions and see what works and what doesn't, intelligence in knowing, learning, and remembering all these special tricks, strength in how much force you can put in when push comes to shove, and constitution is how long you last.
Having 25 in any one of those stats would help a lot - except maybe strength, where it might go over the edge into too much - but having that in DEX or anywhere else won't help you if all your other stats are cruddy.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure having 25 strength would make you accidentally destroy just about anything in your way.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure having 25 strength would make you accidentally destroy just about anything in your way.
Unless your dexterity is absolutely terrible, you can probably expect to be able to control that strength reasonably well, although accidents can still happen.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure having 25 strength would make you accidentally destroy just about anything in your way.
Unless your dexterity is absolutely terrible, you can probably expect to be able to control that strength reasonably well, although accidents can still happen.
It's possible... depends just how strong 25 strength turns out to be.
I'd view 25 strength as amazingly godlike, far too much to be capable of anything remotely resembling gentleness. A character with 25 strength can carry up to 1600 pounds without slowing down... the strongest of the strong that mankind has to offer doesn't come near that. The dexterity needed to control those muscles would probably be similarly godlike, by my evaluation.
@Chow In addition to what @AHF said, I might add a few more thoughts.
Firstly, I'm not sure just how tough 25 Constitution is. There's no real human comparison to draw from. How immortal are you? For all we know, it would be impossible to actually kill yourself if your body is so superhumanly resilient. Hell, it might even open you up to the possibility of eventually getting stuck: By your 600's or 700's, you're bound to have some extreme misfortune, right? Fall down a big hole or get caught under a falling building, and you might survive indefinitely, stuck in place. At least, until 25 strength guy comes and helps out.
Secondly, for an immortal to maintain normalcy in terms of relationships, they'd have to do something along the lines of maintaining different circles of friends in each generation, or at least shifting between different circles every time a new generation cohort is present. So if you're a baby boomer, you'd have to make a close circle of friends within the baby bust generation. Then gen X, gen Y, etc. Cultivating meaningful long-term relationships would be impossible. I value the friendship of the guys I've known since we were toddlers and I hope to remain friends with them my entire life, but there's no way to keep a friendship like that if you're immortal.
This too! But instead of a hole in the ground, how about a supermassive black hole in space. Our local super-massive black hole "Sagittarius A*" is just right over there. Earth won't be around forever.
I would have gone for intelligence, but I thought for a moment, and realised I am of at least adequate intelligence already, and with godlike charisma, I could coax secrets and knowledge from others, using that to better my intelligence and other stats in the long run. Brains are good, but having people always on your side is preferable to start off with.
Wisdom so that I can live a very insightful, helpful life. I would probably be a very awesome, good person. If I had chosen Charisma, then I would undoubtedly live a life of self-indulgence and I'd end up being a selfish douchebag. So I decided not to go that route.
Choosing Intelligence just sounds arrogant and rather foolish to me.
My parents raised me saying intelligence is the best, the rest of the world isn't smart, you're smart isn't that great blah blah blah.
Then I learned that Wisdom is far more important than Intelligence. Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you won't be miserable. Or make foolish decisions. Et cetera.
Interestingly, the achievement of "Zen" is to separate the body from conditions that affect it. How it's done? Apparently by boosting the monk's Constitution- score.
If meditation can neglect the effects of mental stress and is achieved by physical activities I assume that mental enduring is dependent from a person's overall healthiness.
Just because he was exposed to physical hardship at some point doesn't mean that's what he was talking about. But it's been a long time since I played the game, so I guess I shouldn't be arguing about what exactly he meant.
Going through physical hardship without collapsing is one thing. Taking all that, mind flayers eating up the brains of his friends, and being generally a lower-class being, without breaking - is another thing entirely, and more mental than physical.
"Zerthimon labored many turnings for the *illithid* Arlathii Twice-Deceased and his partnership in the cavernous heavens of the False Worlds. His duties would have broken the backs of many others, but Zerthimon labored on, suffering torment and exhaustion." "It came to pass that the *illithid* Arlathii Twice-Deceased ordered Zerthimon before him in his many-veined galleria. He claimed that Zerthimon had committed slights of obstinance and cowardice against his partnership. The claim had no weight of truth, for Arlathii only wished to *know* if flames raged within Zerthimon's heart. He wished to *know* if Zerthimon's heart was one of a slave or of a rebel." "Zerthimon surrendered to the *illithid* punishment rather than reveal his new-found strength. He *knew* that were he to show the hatred in his heart, it would serve nothing, and it would harm others that felt as he. He chose to endure the punishment and was placed within the Pillars of Silence so he might suffer for a turning." "Lashed upon the Pillars, Zerthimon moved his mind to a place where pain could not reach, leaving his body behind. He lasted a turning, and when he was brought before Arlathii Twice-Deceased, he gave gratitude for his punishment to the *illithid* as was custom. In so doing, he proved himself a slave in the *illithid* eyes while his heart remained free." "By enduring and quenching the fires of his hatred, he allowed Arlathii Twice-Deceased to think him weak. When the time of the Rising came, Arlathii was the first of the *illithid* to *know* death by Zerthimon's hand and die a third death."
I considered the message of the third circle for a long while, and realized its essence could be summed up in a saying I had heard Dak'kon use. I told him I had come to *know* the third circle.
"Endure. In enduring, grow strong."
So yes, the punishment was largely physical, but the point of the exercise was not to endure the punishment: it was to endure his own hatred and desire for vengeance, which is definitely based on wisdom rather than constitution.
Still, mental endurance is strongly affected by the Constitution- score. It's easier to break morale of beings which are hungry, sleepy, fatigued, or exposed to extreme temperatures. It is more likely that one's thoughts will focus on retreating from harmful conditions rather than focus on anything else. Imagine to resolve elaborate mathematical equations while exercising physically, or to stay calm while being flooded by severe physical pain. Then try to do the same thing when your imaginative Constitution- stat's boosted. Can you see the difference?
Withstanding is not only owed by the mental strength which would be not sufficient not to wither while being affected by the destructive forces. Even 3rd edition's Concentration skill was based on Con- attribute rather than Wis- one.
And since the Alrathii Twice-Deceased was deceived by Zhertimon, he clearly had succeeded in his Charisma- check. His whole Wisdom- would've been useless if the Illithid® saw through his elaborate bluff. So maybe the meaning of Zherthimon's "enduring" is to efficiently hide your *true* motives?
Well... Which would be *definitely* based on Charisma- rather than Wisdom- attribute.
Comments
Having 25 in any one of those stats would help a lot - except maybe strength, where it might go over the edge into too much - but having that in DEX or anywhere else won't help you if all your other stats are cruddy.
Being very intelligent without having wisdom means knowing far too much about what's wrong in the world and what might go wrong if we go on steering on this destructive course of economic and population growth. I'd rather be wise and know how to deal with the feeling of helplessnes, and being able to control my own life more in such a way I don't slip into exhaustion and despair for wanting to take on more than I can handle.
Best of all would be not to have 25 Wisdom myself, but sharing the Wisdom around so that say, the average Wisdom for people in this world would be like 14-15.
The others are all things I struggle with, but constitution would allow me the fortitude to deal with it.
I'd view 25 strength as amazingly godlike, far too much to be capable of anything remotely resembling gentleness. A character with 25 strength can carry up to 1600 pounds without slowing down... the strongest of the strong that mankind has to offer doesn't come near that. The dexterity needed to control those muscles would probably be similarly godlike, by my evaluation.
Brains are good, but having people always on your side is preferable to start off with.
25 Dexterity = Legolas
25 Constitution = Wolverine
25 Intelligence = Tony Stark
25 Wisdom = The Buddah
25 Charisma = Helen of Troy
I choose Hercules.
I would be willing to change my vote to 25 Constitution on the condition it came with an adamantium skeleton and claws.
Choosing Intelligence just sounds arrogant and rather foolish to me.
My parents raised me saying intelligence is the best, the rest of the world isn't smart, you're smart isn't that great blah blah blah.
Then I learned that Wisdom is far more important than Intelligence. Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you won't be miserable. Or make foolish decisions. Et cetera.
I am indeed in quite a "quoty" mood today, so prepare:
If meditation can neglect the effects of mental stress and is achieved by physical activities I assume that mental enduring is dependent from a person's overall healthiness. He was saying it. Zerthimon was surely exposed to physical activities by being a slave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerthimon
Edit: Actually, I'll let the game speak it all. So yes, the punishment was largely physical, but the point of the exercise was not to endure the punishment: it was to endure his own hatred and desire for vengeance, which is definitely based on wisdom rather than constitution.
Withstanding is not only owed by the mental strength which would be not sufficient not to wither while being affected by the destructive forces. Even 3rd edition's Concentration skill was based on Con- attribute rather than Wis- one.
And since the Alrathii Twice-Deceased was deceived by Zhertimon, he clearly had succeeded in his Charisma- check. His whole Wisdom- would've been useless if the Illithid® saw through his elaborate bluff. So maybe the meaning of Zherthimon's "enduring" is to efficiently hide your *true* motives?
Well... Which would be *definitely* based on Charisma- rather than Wisdom- attribute.