Dex over Str for attacks

[Motionmatrix]

Wouldn't dexterity be a better stat to determine attack bonuses for all attacks? I know this would exterminate weapon finesse, but it seems like the stat that deals with hand-eye coordination would be the one that naturally be used for targeting.

What are your thoughts?

[Adamantine Dragon]

It's a balance issue. Dex is already the most overloaded attribute in the game.

[Seranov]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

It's a balance issue. Dex is already the most overloaded attribute in the game.

This.

Requiring martial characters to have a decent Strength to do damage, and a decent Dexterity to hit anything would make them weaker than they already are.

[Rynjin]

Well think of it this way, if you have high Str your weapons/attacks:

1.) Move faster.

and

2.) Hit harder.

Both help you hit people (faster = negating dodge/deflect/etc. bonuses and hitting harder bypasses armor/shield bonuses by smashing through them).

There you go. Logical justification for a purely mechanical balancing aspect.

[Marthian]

I think that having more strength would mean instead of brushing off their armor, that it instead pierces the armor and does damage.

Ninja'd... Sigh...

[Adamantine Dragon]

There are any number of ways to rationalize any of the attributes as making it easier to hit someone:

Str - Crash through defenses
Dex - Finesse through defenses
Con - Sheer superior stamina (OK, maybe THIS one is a stretch)
Int - Knows where to hit
Wis - Perceives opponents weaknesses
Cha - "Look, boobs!" *smack!*

Many of these, in fact, have feats to allow exactly this.

So, in the end, the current rules attempt to achieve some balance.

[Rynjin]

Jeez, all we need is a Feat that lets you use Con to-hit and the Scarred Witch Doctor really WOULD be the SADdest clown in all of SADsville.

[+5 Toaster]

Rynjin wrote:

Jeez, all we need is a Feat that lets you use Con to-hit and the Scarred Witch Doctor really WOULD be the SADdest clown in all of SADsville.

there's a 3rd party feat that lets air elemental sorcerers use dex as their caster stat.

[Atarlost]

Rynjin wrote:

Well think of it this way, if you have high Str your weapons/attacks:

1.) Move faster.

and

2.) Hit harder.

Both help you hit people (faster = negating dodge/deflect/etc. bonuses and hitting harder bypasses armor/shield bonuses by smashing through them).

There you go. Logical justification for a purely mechanical balancing aspect.

Dex as an attack stat makes more sense with armor as DR. Armor as DR makes a lot more sense than armor as evasion.

Dex to make the blow connect at the proper angle. Str to get through the armor DR. The MAD actually reduces the attack/defense scaling problem.

[Motionmatrix]

Thanks for the answers, the balance issue makes the most sense. A feat cost is not that big a deal then.

[Darklone]

Besides balance... when I was young and didn't fight with real weapons, I thought as well: Dex would be better as to hit attribute.

The more I used real steel... the more I understood how realistic D&D rules with AC and Str to hit are. It's about control. Strength means controlled strikes. Dex means speed and speed isn't controlled but might break your weapon.

I used to fight with two weapons against guys in platemail with greatswords... that helps :)