Re: Wizards: Best way to min/max etc etc

On Thu, 27 May 2004 05:12:12 GMT, Shalon Wood <dstar@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>rgormannospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (David Johnston) writes:
>
>> On 26 May 2004 09:38:16 -0700, copeab@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Brandon Cope) wrote:
>>
>>>rgormannospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (David Johnston) wrote in message
news:<40b401c6.41023929@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>...
>>>> On 25 May 2004 19:12:03 -0700, copeab@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Brandon Cope) wrote:
>>>> >> 
>>>> >> Err, yeah.  You are full of ****, Brandie.  He has the Will of an
11 IQ
>>>> >> person, and the senses of one.  He also has 17 or so Mental
Skills.  There
>>>> >> is absolutely no reason to build him this way
>>>> >
>>>> >Unless you actually roleplay rather than roll play, in which case
>>>> >building to a concept trumps optimizing.
>>>> 
>>>> Having IQ 10 is not what I think of as a concept.
>>>
>>>Having average attributes can be part of a concept, however.
>>
>> It can, but in this case I don't think it's a really plausible, or at
>> least not very evocative part of this concept.  Designing a 
>> character so that he has average attributes but performs in every
>> way that matters as if his attributes are higher strikes me as an
>> internally contradictory concept. 
>
>Not if the concept is that of someone who didn't _have_ natural
>advantages, and got to where they are by blood, sweat and tears. 

Attributes are not automatically natural advantages (in GURPS).  
Blood sweat and tears doesn't just raise skills.  It also raises
attributes.  The record holding weight lifter is not some kind of
alien rocketed from a far off planet.  He trained to get that strength
of his.