Amazing how many suuper geniouses, bodybuilders, wisemen and super athletes we got around!
We already have had others come in here and make similar smart-ass comments. Keep it to yourself, please. Funny how we can all complain about how the media makes us have no self-confidence, and a bad image, and then turn right around and start insulting people for daring to have any form of self-esteem.
It's not insulting, what insulting is there about being realist?
HAH! If you had said "hey guys you should try to be a little more realistic, think about it ... like above (whatever) strength would be like a body builder, you know?" then it would be fine. But you didn't, did you? You made a smart-ass, insulting comment. Don't play dumb with me, acting like what you said was totally legit and thoughtful ... it wasn't. I thought it was funny, but on the other hand too many people deal with self-esteem issues to be making smart-ass remarks like that. Food for thought.
STR 8 - Only good at arm wrestling and carrying groceries. DEX 13 - Can climb a wall, do some acrobatics, get into small places to hide. CON 7 - I don't mind pain, but I'm sick all the time. INT 8 - Always feel like the retard in the room, especially when I start talking, though I get an incredibly genius idea every blue moon. I'm good at learning things that has to do with my hands. WIS 6 - Don't know anything and what I do know, is completely useless. CHA 6 - I'm a massive social failure. I'm not scared, but everyone quickly thinks I'm a douche bag, if they're ages between 18-30, I guess. In rare cases, I get a along really well with someone, usually a woman.
Please, note that, as the opener pointed out, 18 is the maximum available to best champions in their stats. (ie : Einstein for Intelligence, Strength for Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...).
Above 18 in a stat in only available to magic beeings like giants, dragons, ..., or by the use of magical items ... Then, Einstein had a 18 in intelligence. Are you as intelligent as Einstein ?
So please, if you were really with "18 in intelligence" or whatever, why the fuck are you still here ? Go out and use your brains ...
So what I mean guys, if your were really with 18 in intelligence, you would have already been recruited bt the NASA, CIA, MIT or whatever you want instead of writting in this forum...
Be modest at least. You can have a 15 or 16 in intelligence, and that's really great already !
The same apply for the other stats...
Modesty and a honnest level of self esteem is the key, even more when talking about ourselves ...
Please, note that, as the opener pointed out, 18 is the maximum available to best champions in their stats. (ie : Einstein for Intelligence, Strength for Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...).
Above 18 in a stat in only available to magic beeings like giants, dragons, ..., or by the use of magical items ... Then, Einstein had a 18 in intelligence. Are you as intelligent as Einstein ?
So please, if you were really with "18 in intelligence" or whatever, why the fuck are you still here ? Go out and use your brains ...
So what I mean guys, if your were really with 18 in intelligence, you would have already been recruited bt the NASA, CIA, MIT or whatever you want instead of writting in this forum...
Be modest at least. You can have a 15 or 16 in intelligence, and that's really great already !
The same apply for the other stats...
Modesty and a honnest level of self esteem is the key, even more when talking about ourselves ...
So : do not overestimate yourselves !
Regardless of what people have listed, one's ability scores--more realistically acknowledged as potential--has nothing to do with accomplishments or success. There are plenty of people in the world with genius level IQs who either do not apply themselves or lack the opportunities to make the best use of their abilities. Think of all the potential Mozarts whose families either couldn't afford lessons or discouraged their children from learning an instrument. Think of all the potential Einsteins whose parents never encouraged their bright and curious children to pursue academic interests. Just because you have a high IQ doesn't mean you'll apply yourself. On the other hand, just because you have an average IQ doesn't mean your accomplishments will be mediocre--it just means that you'll have to work harder than the person who has a higher IQ. How many people actually make the most out of their potential? I'm sure there are some very gifted people on this forum who would rather play video games than apply themselves toward achieving "real world" goals. And I'm sure there are those here who are able to maintain a balance between pursing our careers and taking care of our responsibilities while also playing games and spending time on this forum.
Possessing ability does not equal the application of that ability.
I don't see why 18 should necessarily be the maximum. If someone with 18 strength (or 18/00) is the strongest someone can be, what happens when a weightlifting world record is broken, and then that record is broken, etc. How strong are those people on a D&D scale?
@ryuken87 Since D&D is based on static rules, there's a pretty big gap between 18/00 and 19 Strength in terms of how much one can lift, so they could plausibly still have an 18/00 score. IRL, obviously this doesn't apply. The maximum possible human strength will always increase as long as we continue to document world records.
It's not insulting, what insulting is there about being realist?
HAH! If you had said "hey guys you should try to be a little more realistic, think about it ... like above (whatever) strength would be like a body builder, you know?" then it would be fine. But you didn't, did you? You made a smart-ass, insulting comment. Don't play dumb with me, acting like what you said was totally legit and thoughtful ... it wasn't. I thought it was funny, but on the other hand too many people deal with self-esteem issues to be making smart-ass remarks like that. Food for thought.
You are being overly hysterical about absolutely nothing, you "see" trouble when there's none.
@ryuken87 Since D&D is based on static rules, there's a pretty big gap between 18/00 and 19 Strength in terms of how much one can lift, so they could plausibly still have an 18/00 score. IRL, obviously this doesn't apply. The maximum possible human strength will always increase as long as we continue to document world records.
Very true, although one day, someone will eventually have strength which would be classed as a 19, if it hasn't already happened. As the human race develops, its constantly pushing its own boundaries, and people are generally becoming stronger, more intelligent etc., therefore I think the system is flawed by putting limits on things. Personally, I think all the exceptional cases such as Steven Hawking, Arnie, Olympians etc. are just that - exceptional, in that they fall above the normal human range. I view the 3-18 rating as being the range that the average human will have, not of every human in the world. Here's a different spin on things - the heaviest weight ever lifted was over 1000 lbs. I think we could assume that the guy who managed it would be able to quite happily carry 400 lbs. Even if this was 'heavy' for him, it would still seem to class as a 20 (maybe even 21) strength on a D&D strength table, which is obviously outside the 3-18 range. Yet, I think we could also say this guy was one of the aforementioned 'exceptional cases'.
Correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm no expert, but this is the way I've always seen these stats. Seeing all these comments has left me very confused, so someone please enlighten me!
It's not insulting, what insulting is there about being realist?
HAH! If you had said "hey guys you should try to be a little more realistic, think about it ... like above (whatever) strength would be like a body builder, you know?" then it would be fine. But you didn't, did you? You made a smart-ass, insulting comment. Don't play dumb with me, acting like what you said was totally legit and thoughtful ... it wasn't. I thought it was funny, but on the other hand too many people deal with self-esteem issues to be making smart-ass remarks like that. Food for thought.
You are being overly hysterical about absolutely nothing, you "see" trouble when there's none.
Yeah @Quartz perhaps you just misinterpreted his post, it wasn't in the slightest bit offensive ... I can't even begin to see how it can actually be perceived as insulting. @HexHammer does have a point regardless of whether or not people have low or high self-esteem, it wasn't as if Hex was saying the opposite; naive morons, weaklings, outcasts etc. A lot of the posters on here have rated themselves in crazy figures that (probably) wouldn't translate in the slightest if they were to be hypothetically teleported into the Forgotten Realms campaign.
Well, f**k it then. I've said stupid snarky stuff like that in mixed company and people have shat down my throats. I guess you're in the clear here HexHammer, congrats I wish I could make snarky comments and get away with it. I envy you.
And yeah @Jaxsbudgie please don't lecture me on his actual point, I understood his actual point in fact I agree with it. Please go look at @Aasimar069 's post, he decided to be polite about the exact same opinion, and elaborate on his view point. Notice also that I agreed with his post. Thank you.
Regardless of what people have listed, one's ability scores--more realistically acknowledged as potential--has nothing to do with accomplishments or success. There are plenty of people in the world with genius level IQs who either do not apply themselves or lack the opportunities to make the best use of their abilities. Think of all the potential Mozarts whose families either couldn't afford lessons or discouraged their children from learning an instrument. Think of all the potential Einsteins whose parents never encouraged their bright and curious children to pursue academic interests. Just because you have a high IQ doesn't mean you'll apply yourself. On the other hand, just because you have an average IQ doesn't mean your accomplishments will be mediocre--it just means that you'll have to work harder than the person who has a higher IQ. How many people actually make the most out of their potential? I'm sure there are some very gifted people on this forum who would rather play video games than apply themselves toward achieving "real world" goals. And I'm sure there are those here who are able to maintain a balance between pursing our careers and taking care of our responsibilities while also playing games and spending time on this forum.
Possessing ability does not equal the application of that ability.
I completely agree with your post, but check the previous pages, it seems that we have a lot of genius (INT), hunks (charisma), Ghandis (WHIS) and schwarzies (STR) around ...
Of course some personn can be above the normal stats, but they won't be everywhere.
I just repeat : for the second and 2,5 edition of ad&d, having more than 18 (or 18/100) in a stat, exception to racial bonuses, for a "normal" - non magic (and not mythic) - living creature is impossible !
the only way to improve this is with magical items, magic spells. and then you cease to be a *normal* mortal and become a magic creature.
The traditional way to generate D&D ability scores is to roll 3d6. This gives a mean average of 10.5 and a standard deviation of 4.8, which means a score of 10-11 puts you around the 50th percentile (higher than about half the population) and a score of 16 puts you in about the 95th percentile. A score of 17 puts you in the 98th percentile and an 18 is in the top 99.5% Presumably, these scores apply to normal adults (people who can become player characters) and the range for the infirm and young children extends even further down.
If you have, say, an intelligence of 13, it means you score above over 74% of the population. If you take intelligence to be roughly analogous to IQ, a score of 115 on most standard IQ tests would correspond to an intelligence score of about 12.5, an IQ of 130 to an intelligence of not quite 16, and IQ 140 (genius classification) to about 18.
Not that this means much of anything; just that statistics and probability are interesting. Also that most people believe that they are above average in an above average number of traits.
If you have, say, an intelligence of 13, it means you score above over 74% of the population. If you take intelligence to be roughly analogous to IQ, a score of 115 on most standard IQ tests would correspond to an intelligence score of about 12.5, an IQ of 130 to an intelligence of not quite 16, and IQ 140 (genius classification) to about 18.
Not that this means much of anything; just that statistics and probability are interesting. Also that most people believe that they are above average in an above average number of traits.
I wouldn't equate a 140 IQ to an 18 INT, since a 140 IQ is pretty much just within the gates of genius. Granted, a 140 IQ would be in the 99.5th percentile if I recall correctly, but it wouldn't allow for higher IQ's to be represented. I would think that a 140 IQ would be somewhere between a 14-16 INT.
As for people's alleged stats, I would be willing to bet money that the average IQ of people that play games such as this is higher than the average IQ of the general population. When I was younger and in high school, some of the people that I knew that played PnP were some of the brightest kids in the school.
ok well tried not to post in this thread but here goes, its difficult not to come accross as a nob-end blowing your own trumpet so to speak.
STR 13 - 6 foot 1, 15 stone and used to play a lot of sport although now I'm much more lazy. DEX 11 - Good at darts and repairing but can't play music or anything. CON 14 - Had about 3 days off sick in the last 5 years. INT 14 - Have a degree and write software for a living, gotta be worth something? WIS 12 - Have read up a fair bit on history and the world but i'm no dali-lama. CHA 10 - Got a bunch of friends and don't make enemies.
I'm glad I don't have to pick myself for a game as my attributes would suit no class in particular.
STR 9 / what can I say? I hated excersise when I was younger and still do, but since I've started taekwon-do it's increasing a bit so it'll drastically change. DEX 11 / Same as above, except I have a very good balance which push this up a bit CON 11-12 / I'm very resistant to getting sick in general, and when I am sick it doesn't last very long, also hardly notice cold temperature. INT 17 / based on opinions from psychologists anyways I personally see myself as an 18 WIS 9-12 / Really depends on how absent-mindness is taken into account with this one, and how knowledge factor into it and so forth. CHA 14-15 / I'm good at using rhetorics and more often then not the spokesperson around my friends, doh I tend to dislike talking at all. -- If I was to make a character based on me I'd go for more "extrems" and up int to 18, con to 12, cha to 16 or 18(depending), doh to balance that "cheating" a bit I'd possibly push for a wis of 9 or 10, and roll a socerer(favorite class followed by mage naturally).
Str: 12 / Taekwondoka and Weightlifter (I'm pretty small though 1.78m) Dex: 12 / Due to Martial Arts my coordination is pretty good. Con: 10 / average I barely get sick and I workout. Int: 13 / I'm basing this off how stupid some people are. Wis: 15 / I had a tough youth and I know how to handle in many kind of situations. Cha: 9 / I'm not that kind of guy that gets along with everyone. It's not that I'm bad in communicating but most people seem pretty stupid if you ask me.
I completely agree with your post, but check the previous pages, it seems that we have a lot of genius (INT), hunks (charisma), Ghandis (WHIS) and schwarzies (STR) around ...
Of course some personn can be above the normal stats, but they won't be everywhere.
I just repeat : for the second and 2,5 edition of ad&d, having more than 18 (or 18/100) in a stat, exception to racial bonuses, for a "normal" - non magic (and not mythic) - living creature is impossible !
the only way to improve this is with magical items, magic spells. and then you cease to be a *normal* mortal and become a magic creature.
I agree with you that a few people's scores seem unrealistically high, but most people are reporting their scores from tests they took online. Some of those tests intentionally inflate the scores by a couple of points to reflect what a D&D character would likely have. So, it's not that everyone is posting what they think their scores are, they're just posting what the quiz results say.
If you look at the test questions on some of these quizzes, they're often very narrow and subjective in their measurement of ability. Only two tests I know of actually have some sort of quantitative evaluation of strength (in terms of weight one can lift, push ups, pull ups, sit ups, etc.). And most measurements of intelligence are based on how smart one thinks one is, instead of requiring one to demonstrate one's problem solving ability.
Those who would like to get a reliable estimate of what their IRL ability scores would be should take as many different online tests as possible and average out the scores. Some are definitely more rigorous than others. Another problem is that tests aren't consistent in terms of the (A)D&D edition on which the scores are based.
When I get more time (or someone else is more than welcome to do so), I'll put together a list of the various online ability score tests and post it to this thread. It'll be interesting to see what people's average scores are.
STR: 12 / I can carry a month's worth of groceries up three flights of stairs in one trip. DEX: 8/ I have really good balance, but I am pathetically slow and clumsy when it comes to just about everything else. I am constantly getting bruises from bumping into things by accident. CON: 9/ I get tired out easily, and if a bad cold's going around, I'm usually one of the first to get it. INT: 16/ Straight-A honors student in college, always looking to learn more. WIS: 16/ At least that's what people tell me. Apparently I'm very insightful about myself, other people, and the world around me. I suppose I've gained some wisdom in the last few years. CHA: 10/ I'm a decent actress and can be persuasive when I want to, but I'm a bit socially awkward in most situations, so I guess it evens out.
I wouldn't equate a 140 IQ to an 18 INT, since a 140 IQ is pretty much just within the gates of genius. Granted, a 140 IQ would be in the 99.5th percentile if I recall correctly, but it wouldn't allow for higher IQ's to be represented. I would think that a 140 IQ would be somewhere between a 14-16 INT.
From a probability distribution point of view, that's how the distribution works. The standard deviation of standard IQ tests is usually 15, with a mean of 100. IQ distributions follow a normal curve, meaning 50% will have a score of 100 or higher; 16% will have a score of 115 or higher; 2% will have a score of 130 or higher and 0.2% will have a score of 145 or higher. In theory, 0.1% would have a score of 160 or higher, but I believe that most tests can't score IQs higher than 150 or so.
Because a score of 18 on 3d6 accounts for 0.46% of all dice rolls, it would translate roughly to IQ of about 140 and up. It is not surprising that a game mechanic does not have the same level of granularity as real IQ measurements, since it's not actually meant to model real-world abilities. But, since we're asking what-if questions about how our abilities would translate into D&D ability scores, that seems as good a measure as any.
Interestingly, IQ scores much above 140 are probably not all that relevant, because at some point you are "smart enough" to handle the task at hand. In much the same way that a super-strong individual is not able to lift a pillowcase full of feathers any better or more easily than a person of average strength, beyond a certain level of intelligence it probably isn't any easier for you to master any particular intellectual concept.
Alright, we all know that our own view of our stats are biased, but it can still be an enjoying thread. I haven't read all of it, but will try to give my stats. What PlasticGolem said is very true, but it is also true that we still aren't sure IQ tests are a very precise measure of the concept we know as intelligence. The certain thing about IQ tests is that they measure how good we are at IQ tests.
Anyway, assuming 10-11 is the human average (I think it is in 3rd edition anyway):
Str - 12 (don't work out much, but I'm very tall and naturally large, which I believe raises it a bit) Dex - 9 (My current lifestyle stiffens me :P) Con - 11 (I try to get at least a bit of exercise, and I think my overall health is pretty good) Int - 13 (This is largely a subjective appreciation of my own intelligence. For what it's worth, I have done an IQ test performed by a psychologist with a result of around 130, which, if IQ tests are to be trusted, is a fair bit over average) Wis - 14 (Ah, a good, subjective stat. The school of life has taught me lots) Cha - 10 or 11 (Sometimes higher, sometimes lower, depending on how relaxed and content I am with myself at the moment)
As we all know, this is all fun and games! Remember that it's healthy to be humble, but it's also healthy to acknowledge and appreciate that you have strengths.
PlasticGolem said: "Interestingly, IQ scores much above 140 are probably not all that relevant, because at some point you are "smart enough" to handle the task at hand. In much the same way that a super-strong individual is not able to lift a pillowcase full of feathers any better or more easily than a person of average strength, beyond a certain level of intelligence it probably isn't any easier for you to master any particular intellectual concept."
Cool, I didn't know that! That's very interesting.
Comments
Str 8
dex 7
Con 10
Int 14 (c'mon, I has a degree!)
Wis 12
Cha 3.
STR 8 - Only good at arm wrestling and carrying groceries.
DEX 13 - Can climb a wall, do some acrobatics, get into small places to hide.
CON 7 - I don't mind pain, but I'm sick all the time.
INT 8 - Always feel like the retard in the room, especially when I start talking, though I get an incredibly genius idea every blue moon. I'm good at learning things that has to do with my hands.
WIS 6 - Don't know anything and what I do know, is completely useless.
CHA 6 - I'm a massive social failure. I'm not scared, but everyone quickly thinks I'm a douche bag, if they're ages between 18-30, I guess. In rare cases, I get a along really well with someone, usually a woman.
STR 8
DEX 16
CON 8
INT 16
WIS 14
CHA 16
I guess I would be a good bard or thief
Dexterity - 25
Constitution - 25
Intelligence - 25
Wisdom - 25
Charisma - 25
Of course, I'm so great !
Please, note that, as the opener pointed out, 18 is the maximum available to best champions in their stats.
(ie : Einstein for Intelligence, Strength for Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...).
Above 18 in a stat in only available to magic beeings like giants, dragons, ..., or by the use of magical items ...
Then, Einstein had a 18 in intelligence. Are you as intelligent as Einstein ?
So please, if you were really with "18 in intelligence" or whatever, why the fuck are you still here ?
Go out and use your brains ...
So what I mean guys, if your were really with 18 in intelligence, you would have already been recruited bt the NASA, CIA, MIT or whatever you want instead of writting in this forum...
Be modest at least.
You can have a 15 or 16 in intelligence, and that's really great already !
The same apply for the other stats...
Modesty and a honnest level of self esteem is the key, even more when talking about ourselves ...
So : do not overestimate yourselves !
DEX 12
CON 9
INT 15
WIS 14
CHA 10
Possessing ability does not equal the application of that ability.
Personally, I think all the exceptional cases such as Steven Hawking, Arnie, Olympians etc. are just that - exceptional, in that they fall above the normal human range. I view the 3-18 rating as being the range that the average human will have, not of every human in the world.
Here's a different spin on things - the heaviest weight ever lifted was over 1000 lbs. I think we could assume that the guy who managed it would be able to quite happily carry 400 lbs. Even if this was 'heavy' for him, it would still seem to class as a 20 (maybe even 21) strength on a D&D strength table, which is obviously outside the 3-18 range. Yet, I think we could also say this guy was one of the aforementioned 'exceptional cases'.
Correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm no expert, but this is the way I've always seen these stats. Seeing all these comments has left me very confused, so someone please enlighten me!
And yeah @Jaxsbudgie please don't lecture me on his actual point, I understood his actual point in fact I agree with it. Please go look at @Aasimar069 's post, he decided to be polite about the exact same opinion, and elaborate on his view point. Notice also that I agreed with his post. Thank you.
I completely agree with your post, but check the previous pages, it seems that we have a lot of genius (INT), hunks (charisma), Ghandis (WHIS) and schwarzies (STR) around ...
Of course some personn can be above the normal stats, but they won't be everywhere.
I just repeat : for the second and 2,5 edition of ad&d, having more than 18 (or 18/100) in a stat, exception to racial bonuses, for a "normal" - non magic (and not mythic) - living creature is impossible !
the only way to improve this is with magical items, magic spells. and then you cease to be a *normal* mortal and become a magic creature.
If you have, say, an intelligence of 13, it means you score above over 74% of the population. If you take intelligence to be roughly analogous to IQ, a score of 115 on most standard IQ tests would correspond to an intelligence score of about 12.5, an IQ of 130 to an intelligence of not quite 16, and IQ 140 (genius classification) to about 18.
Not that this means much of anything; just that statistics and probability are interesting. Also that most people believe that they are above average in an above average number of traits.
As for people's alleged stats, I would be willing to bet money that the average IQ of people that play games such as this is higher than the average IQ of the general population. When I was younger and in high school, some of the people that I knew that played PnP were some of the brightest kids in the school.
STR 13 - 6 foot 1, 15 stone and used to play a lot of sport although now I'm much more lazy.
DEX 11 - Good at darts and repairing but can't play music or anything.
CON 14 - Had about 3 days off sick in the last 5 years.
INT 14 - Have a degree and write software for a living, gotta be worth something?
WIS 12 - Have read up a fair bit on history and the world but i'm no dali-lama.
CHA 10 - Got a bunch of friends and don't make enemies.
I'm glad I don't have to pick myself for a game as my attributes would suit no class in particular.
DEX 11 / Same as above, except I have a very good balance which push this up a bit
CON 11-12 / I'm very resistant to getting sick in general, and when I am sick it doesn't last very long, also hardly notice cold temperature.
INT 17 / based on opinions from psychologists anyways I personally see myself as an 18
WIS 9-12 / Really depends on how absent-mindness is taken into account with this one, and how knowledge factor into it and so forth.
CHA 14-15 / I'm good at using rhetorics and more often then not the spokesperson around my friends, doh I tend to dislike talking at all.
--
If I was to make a character based on me I'd go for more "extrems" and up int to 18, con to 12, cha to 16 or 18(depending), doh to balance that "cheating" a bit I'd possibly push for a wis of 9 or 10, and roll a socerer(favorite class followed by mage naturally).
Dex: 12 / Due to Martial Arts my coordination is pretty good.
Con: 10 / average I barely get sick and I workout.
Int: 13 / I'm basing this off how stupid some people are.
Wis: 15 / I had a tough youth and I know how to handle in many kind of situations.
Cha: 9 / I'm not that kind of guy that gets along with everyone. It's not that I'm bad in communicating but most people seem pretty stupid if you ask me.
If you look at the test questions on some of these quizzes, they're often very narrow and subjective in their measurement of ability. Only two tests I know of actually have some sort of quantitative evaluation of strength (in terms of weight one can lift, push ups, pull ups, sit ups, etc.). And most measurements of intelligence are based on how smart one thinks one is, instead of requiring one to demonstrate one's problem solving ability.
Those who would like to get a reliable estimate of what their IRL ability scores would be should take as many different online tests as possible and average out the scores. Some are definitely more rigorous than others. Another problem is that tests aren't consistent in terms of the (A)D&D edition on which the scores are based.
When I get more time (or someone else is more than welcome to do so), I'll put together a list of the various online ability score tests and post it to this thread. It'll be interesting to see what people's average scores are.
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 15
Wisdom: 15
Intelligence: 11
Charisma: 11
DEX: 8/ I have really good balance, but I am pathetically slow and clumsy when it comes to just about everything else. I am constantly getting bruises from bumping into things by accident.
CON: 9/ I get tired out easily, and if a bad cold's going around, I'm usually one of the first to get it.
INT: 16/ Straight-A honors student in college, always looking to learn more.
WIS: 16/ At least that's what people tell me. Apparently I'm very insightful about myself, other people, and the world around me. I suppose I've gained some wisdom in the last few years.
CHA: 10/ I'm a decent actress and can be persuasive when I want to, but I'm a bit socially awkward in most situations, so I guess it evens out.
10 Str
16 Dex
10 Con
12 int
14 wis
14 cha
Because a score of 18 on 3d6 accounts for 0.46% of all dice rolls, it would translate roughly to IQ of about 140 and up. It is not surprising that a game mechanic does not have the same level of granularity as real IQ measurements, since it's not actually meant to model real-world abilities. But, since we're asking what-if questions about how our abilities would translate into D&D ability scores, that seems as good a measure as any.
Interestingly, IQ scores much above 140 are probably not all that relevant, because at some point you are "smart enough" to handle the task at hand. In much the same way that a super-strong individual is not able to lift a pillowcase full of feathers any better or more easily than a person of average strength, beyond a certain level of intelligence it probably isn't any easier for you to master any particular intellectual concept.
Anyway, assuming 10-11 is the human average (I think it is in 3rd edition anyway):
Str - 12 (don't work out much, but I'm very tall and naturally large, which I believe raises it a bit)
Dex - 9 (My current lifestyle stiffens me :P)
Con - 11 (I try to get at least a bit of exercise, and I think my overall health is pretty good)
Int - 13 (This is largely a subjective appreciation of my own intelligence. For what it's worth, I have done an IQ test performed by a psychologist with a result of around 130, which, if IQ tests are to be trusted, is a fair bit over average)
Wis - 14 (Ah, a good, subjective stat.
Cha - 10 or 11 (Sometimes higher, sometimes lower, depending on how relaxed and content I am with myself at the moment)
As we all know, this is all fun and games! Remember that it's healthy to be humble, but it's also healthy to acknowledge and appreciate that you have strengths.
PlasticGolem said: "Interestingly, IQ scores much above 140 are probably not all that relevant, because at some point you are "smart enough" to handle the task at hand. In much the same way that a super-strong individual is not able to lift a pillowcase full of feathers any better or more easily than a person of average strength, beyond a certain level of intelligence it probably isn't any easier for you to master any particular intellectual concept."
Cool, I didn't know that! That's very interesting.