Yup, just based on looks alone, I'd peg her as an 8 Str and Con as well.
She's willowy, pale, and delicate looking. No discernible muscle structure of any kind, her arms look like tubes.
There is a category mistake being made here. The crunch is not there to describe the fluff. "STR 18" is not a description of appearance, nor is a description of past nutrition, training exercise and so on.
What it implies is stuff like +4 to hit and damage in melee.
RPG rules are not theories of nature.
And how much you can carry, your ability to hold on to something (so you don't fall down during your climb) and pull yourself up (so you actually make progress), your ability to swim, your ability to knock doors down, not being blown about by storm-level winds... tug-o-war, trying to keep a door shut as someone is trying to force it open from the other side, you name it.
I'd agree with 8-10 max if we're being realistic.
And how much you can carry, your ability to hold on to something (so you don't fall down during your climb) and pull yourself up (so you actually make progress), your ability to swim, your ability to knock doors down, not being blown about by storm-level winds... tug-o-war, trying to keep a door shut as someone is trying to force it open from the other side, you name it.There is a category mistake being made here. The crunch is not there to describe the fluff. "STR 18" is not a description of appearance, nor is a description of past nutrition, training exercise and so on.
What it implies is stuff like +4 to hit and damage in melee.
RPG rules are not theories of nature.
All of which can be explained with traditional muscle mass, or alternate sources of extraordinary (or poor) strength. "I grew up on a farm", "I studied the mystical ways of Wang-Fei" and "I made a pact with Nerxaze, Lord of the Underworld" are all viable character backgrounds and equally able to explain a high strength score. I don't expect every character with an above average strength to look like a mountain, truth be told I'd find that boring.
I agree that if I saw this woman in real world I wouldn't expect her to be unusually strong, but in Pathfinder we're lucky enough to be able to ignore the limitations of reality when we deem it appropriate. As a GM I wouldn't limit character illustrations based on their ability scores. As long as the point buy adds up correctly and there's no problem created by the character, I'm happy. :)
I did say "if we're being realistic" :)
Especially considering that she's supposed to be a monk, it'd be very easy to explain the to hit and damage with knowing exactly where and how to strike, and with her small frame, it'd be easier for her to climb simply because she's got less body mass to weigh her down. The other applications aren't as easily explicable, but maybe they don't have to. It could be neat for her to have a decent bluff so she can really play the weak and frail part, and then blow everyone away with her strength when it's needed.
I did say "if we're being realistic" :)
I didn't mean to pick on you in particular, my point was just that "high strength score" does not necessarily translate to "looks strong". The typical skeleton has both 15 strength and what I think most people would consider an underwhelming visible muscle mass. :)
I absolutely agree that 'realistically' she's probably at average or lower strength, I just don't think "realism" is a very good point to draw in the line in a high fantasy roleplaying game that has androids as a playable race. The player wants to play a str 19 monk and (I'm guessing) the character he has in mind isn't built like a linebacker. I guess I don't really see the problem?
And how much you can carry, your ability to hold on to something (so you don't fall down during your climb) and pull yourself up (so you actually make progress), your ability to swim, your ability to knock doors down, not being blown about by storm-level winds... tug-o-war, trying to keep a door shut as someone is trying to force it open from the other side, you name it.
"stuff like"
i.e. effects defined and measured within the rules.There is no rule relating strength with muscle mass, appearance or even weight/height ratio. In fact, the de facto independence of weight/height and ability scores in general implies conceptual irrelevance.
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First woman to complete the American Ninja Warrior course:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_5 70x321/2014/08/kacy_catanzaro.jpg
Tiny (5 feet), slender, not a ton of muscle definition noticeable when she's relaxed. And yes, mostly she's only lifting herself and she's tiny, but she's still throwing 100 lbs around like it's nothing.
Strong doesn't necessarily look like a bodybuilder. Heck, some of those tiny, ethereal-looking Cirque du Soleil performers are regularly lifting more than their own weight, and they look like they're made of dandelion fluff.
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Female gymnasts, Kacy included, work off high strength to low body weight ratio. Not overall high strength. The video below shows a woman is is simply strong. She could not win ninja warrior, but Kacy can't lift what this woman can.
