You know how I said I'm addicted to predicting my own and others' game traits and stats back in my alignment post? Well, here are my ability scores this time.
Quick Review on D&D Ability Scores
Because my mom didn't fully understand what “chaotic neutral" meant.D&D ability scores are broad representations of how skilled a character is in particular physical and mental attributes.
Strength (STR) is self-explanatory—a character with high Strength can lift heavier weights, punch harder, etc.
Classes that utilize brute-force physical attacks, like Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger, use Strength.
Dexterity (DEX) measures agility, reflexes, grace of movement, and accuracy with throwing and shooting. A character with high Dexterity can perform acrobatic stunts, dodge out of harm's way, sneak past enemies, and hit difficult targets.
Dexterity (DEX) measures agility, reflexes, grace of movement, and accuracy with throwing and shooting. A character with high Dexterity can perform acrobatic stunts, dodge out of harm's way, sneak past enemies, and hit difficult targets.
Classes that attack with speed and finesse, like Fighter, Monk, Ranger, and Rogue, use Dexterity.
Ironically, I still have noodle arms...unless I either flex them or have an intense workout. I imagine, if I wore a tank top in public and a bad guy saw me and prepared to attack, he'd laugh at first at my noodle arms then be utterly surprised when I hit him hard.
I guess I need more protein.
No claim of big strength is complete without feats to back it up, right?
I regularly bench-press 30 lbs (not counting the barbell's weight) for 2 sets and 12 reps each, though sometimes I step it up to 3 sets while raging or thinking of romance.
I regularly carry two metal doors that are 8 feet tall. I'm wild-guessing they're 10 kg.
I've carried 25 lbs in my backpack while jogging on a treadmill.
On the first day of my family's second Singapore trip, I carried a total of 5.75 kg on my shoulders for hours while we were making our way to the hotel—that weight included my tablet, DSLR camera, and Nintendo 3DS.
I need to work on being strong enough to carry a 45 kg sack of rice by myself—I still need help from a second person (usually an average Joe) to do so.
I can't beat my younger brother Ivann in arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, and sumo wrestling. When doing WWE-style wrestling, I rely more on quick strikes than grapples, which Ivann specializes in.
I think I'm the second strongest in the family. I beat Dad in a bench press competition where Dad lifted 20 kg at 5 reps while I lifted the same weight for 7 reps. All of us know the proper technique for boxing, but I hit the punching bag the hardest. I can do up to 6 pull-ups while my other family members can only do 1. When transporting groceries, I can carry up to 4 full grocery bags while my other family members typically carry 2.
Ivann is stronger than me though because he can bench-press 30 lbs for 3 sets and 15 reps each, plus the aforementioned wrestling domination. On the other hand, he openly complains about carrying heavy weights that I can lift without complaining.
If I were to punch an average Joe as hard as I could without using the techniques I learned in martial arts, the average Joe would most likely scream in pain.
But punching with technique allows me to hit harder and with more finesse, which is where the next ability score comes in:
It's no surprise that most of my Dexterity comes from my experience in boxing and, to a lesser extent, gaming. Quick reactions are important to dodge punches, exploit weaknesses in opponents' defenses, and stealth-kill that one annoying player.
It is taught in boxing that a punch's power comes not only from the arm, but also the hips and legs, so twisting the hips is important when throwing a punch. Because the legs are far stronger and thicker than the arms, I'm able to punch fast and hard while keeping my arms relatively relaxed, and why I use Dexterity as my damage-dealing ability with finesse weapons, monk weapons, and unarmed strikes.
Besides punching and typing, I can perform several other feats associated with Dexterity.
I can perform cartwheels and diverolls.
On a bicycle, I think the longest I've moved without holding the handlebars is 3 seconds—I need to work on that. Besides that, I can perform sharp turns.
I once "planted" a cardboard sword inside my former crush's mom's bag.
When holding onto the change I predict for a customer, I can keep it hidden by only showing the back of my palm while keeping a loose grip to create the illusion of a relaxed hand.
As stated in "How I Kill Mosquitoes, Flies, and Cockroaches", I mainly use my bare hands to kill bugs rather than insecticide. I've gotten better at killing flies since I wrote that post--they used to be impossible for me to kill.
I've snuck up on my mom while she was cooking. I frequently sneak behind the Gold's Gym trainers and playfully "stab" them with an imaginary dagger, and they're chill with it.
I think I have the highest Dexterity in my family. As far as I know, I'm the only one who regularly sneaks around or does stunts. I once blocked both of my mom's arms...with one arm. I punch the fastest in the family.
Many of my family members have Dexterity scores between 10 (0) and 13 (+1). Mom and my brothers have quick hands so, when I'm not paying attention, they easily sneak-attack me or swipe my stuff. Aside from being a former basketball player, I haven't seen Dad perform any feats of agility or accuracy. My big brother moves the slowest and throws the least accurately in dodgeball, so dodging his throws was not challenging for me at all while I pummeled him to the max.
By extension, I also have the highest Armor Class of all my family members while unarmored...even without the barbarian's Unarmored Defense. (If I'm forced to use the monk's Unarmored Defense, my Armor Class would be on par with my other family members.)
However, I need to work on quickly counting money or dealing cards. I have atopic dermatitis, which makes my hands dry and difficult to use for sliding motions like flipping book pages. Along with not being able to pickpocket, these are why I didn't give myself proficiency in Sleight of Hand.
I also need to work on my aim. I can't properly do 3-point shots or free throws in basketball, I still completely miss the target in archery and darts, and I got "killed" in all my Nerf wars.
Right now, I'm practicing speed-multitasking, mostly by making my two hands do different things simultaneously. I can easily move one hand in a circular motion and the other in a square motion, for example, but I need to work on playing Fire Emblem Heroes while blogging.
This skill could eventually be useful when I practice dual-wielding in real life. Two tree branches are better than one.
Funny thing is, the Intimidation skill is normally associated with Charisma, and the variant rule for skills with different abilities mentions using Strength for Intimidation. But guess what I use for Intimidation? Dexterity.
Yes, I unintentionally scare people off with my above-average agility, usually the elderly, but also my former crush who's one year younger than me.
Funny thing is, I've had asthma before and I still get the occasional common cold, so I thought I'd have awfully low stamina...at least until I got used to sneakily jogging to the gym instead of taking public transport. I hate spending money.
Nowadays, I can jog 1 km under bright sunlight while carrying my 1 kg sling bag (including contents) without stopping...except for when I have to cross the road. Bad drivers be everywhere, lads.
Heck, when I was 15 years old, I was once dropped off by a jeepney (a Philippine public vehicle that resembles a World War II jeep but longer, with a roof, and often with drawings) on a location that was approximately 6 km away from my home. I didn't want to spend any more money, so I walked all the way home.
Being frequently subjected to physical pain throughout my life, from accidentally bumping a wall to being intentionally slapped with a belt to being held in a rage-powered chokehold to even being bumped by a bicycle, has probably contributed to my increased resistance to damage, combined with my boxing training. I'm the only family member with noticeable six-pack abs even when not flexing, so I react very little when punched in the gut.
I don't let pain get in the way of my tasks, so when I hit something like a wall, instead of screaming and stopping to grasp the bruised body part, I just let out a small grunt (or sometimes not make any sound) then continue doing my task as if nothing happened, and others don't notice I got hurt. Heck, when I drafted this, no one knew that my knuckles hurt for about a month because I accidentally punched the thick metal chain holding up my punching bag. (They're okay now.)
This is why I multiclassed into Barbarian: besides my bad anger issues, I am surprisingly durable for my weight. I am difficult to hit thanks to my high Dexterity, and when I do get hit, I hardly feel it. (Barbarians' Unarmored Defense lets them add their Constitution modifier to their Armor Class.)
I hated eating eggs on their own since childhood. When I was 15 years old, I was given a punishment of being forced to eat scrambled eggs for lunch. I resisted the urge to vomit and was able to finish my plate. (I like pancakes, though, which have eggs as part of the ingredients. Don't judge me--jk you can (intentional bad grammar))
I attended a wedding where we ate at a fancy restaurant that served bitter-tasting sauce in the food...and unfortunately, I rage quit. I did get at least 3 spoonfuls though, so no one can accuse me of "not eating the food".
But probably my worst experience of eating unpleasant-tasting food was...eating rotten eggplants. I once forgot to put the eggplants in the fridge while Mom and Dad were away, so to attempt to cover up the evidence like the rogue I am, I ate about half of them in 2 servings before giving up and throwing them in the trash. I didn't get sick afterwards...and I never got caught.
As a result, I have the highest Constitution score in the family. None of my family members can take a punch, at least from me. (At least YoSquid can do so to a small extent.) I beat my dad in a 5 km race with stationary bikes. Perhaps, alongside my loyalty, responsibility, and roguish handiness, my high Constitution is the reason why I'm given many physical tasks by my family members. (Note: I'm only loyal and responsible for my family because I want to be left alone.)
I rarely complain nowadays about feeling hot or cold (unless asked) but still show obvious signs of discomfort such as blowing inside my shirt when feeling hot or shivering when feeling cold. Fortunately, mildly unpleasant temperatures rarely interfere with my work...unless it's firetrucking school work where I require an absolutely perfect temperature.
Ivann never complains about being hot or cold and never shows signs except sweating in the heat. However, he's often the first to end a workout session--he often goes high-intensity for just 30 minutes while I go medium-intensity for 2 hours or more.
In one sitting, I can eat up to 5 slices of a 14-inch pizza, while, if I'm not mistaken, Ivann can eat a whole pizza. My parents get stuffed after eating 2 or 3 slices.
What I need to work on are holding my breath underwater (which I usually do for 5 seconds casually and 15 seconds competitively) and enduring cold temperatures. I'm used to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, so 25 or less is enough to "freeze" me.
My family members are able to touch the tips of flames, but I don't dare.
When I stand still like a member of the Queen's Guard, my niece tickles me, causing me to jump.
I've played video games so much that I've become near-sighted. While Mom relies on me to read the words on her smartphone when she doesn't have glasses, I have difficulty seeing important and distant objects like street signs while others spot them easily.
My sense of hearing has also been damaged from wearing headphones too often, so I sometimes mistake a woman's distant mumbling voice for my mom calling me. When not wearing headphones, I often rely on subtitles in videos (especially considering how our house is so small and adjacent to a busy road that noises from the road can easily be heard from the bedrooms).
Then again, when wearing headphones during video games, I am often the first to alert my teammates to threatening noises which could indicate the presence of an enemy or environment hazard.
Also, because I'm a light sleeper, I'm attentive to outside events even though I haven't fully awakened. Sometimes, I get disturbed because of a light bulb being turned on near me or the mention of my name.
I generally dislike non-human animals—I find them gross and I get paranoid of them potentially biting or scratching me.
The only reason why I can scare our family dog by raising my flip-flop in the air is because my parents have actually spanked our dog with flip-flops. Other than that, she always tries to play with me by biting my flip-flop or grabbing my waist with her paws.
I don't know much about diseases in general, but thankfully, I know several frequently-mentioned ways to treat symptoms of illness or prevent diseases, including drinking lots of water, washing hands with soap and water, wearing a mask, and covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Usually, when someone gets sick, I am quick to search resources like the Internet. I also installed the Offline Survival Manual app by ligi.
I always carry anti-itch ointment, insect repellent, moisturizing cream, and bandages in my bag...even in situations where I'm unlikely to encounter an injury.
Side note: I imagine that I rely more on Intelligence than Wisdom for making Medicine checks since I try to remember medical techniques, but I guess Medicine uses Wisdom in D&D because Wisdom is associated with Cleric, a class that's built for healing.
Actually, I'm still gullible even now, especially during social interaction.
When I was 10 years old, I think I fell for some misinformation related to the Facebook game Pet Society, but I can't remember exactly what the statement was.
I am often quick to accept statements made by who I consider reputable sources, usually those whose political beliefs align with mine.
I still get pranked by my younger brother, like when he poked me and immediately hid while I was gaming.
Unsurprisingly, I have the lowest Wisdom score in my family. Sometimes, my family members would point me to the approximate location of an object but I can't find it even if it's just a few inches away. Besides my big brother who doesn't count because he doesn't live with us, I can't discipline our "crazy dog".
Ivann and Mom are both dog persons. Mom had many dogs as a kid, and our crazy dog loves Ivann the most--she often licks him, while she escapes all my attempts to carry her using her strong flailing and sharp claws.
I admit that Ivann almost always wears glasses and can barely see anything without them, but he often notices tiny details that everyone else misses.
I'll lazily assume Dad has average Wisdom. He's taken ROTC and he's had fieldwork in the middle of the ocean, so he may have some Survival skill. On the other hand, he's gullible--he's easier to troll than Mom since he's more prone to fits of strong emotion, and he can't see when I'm unwilling to do him a favor unless someone else, usually my mom, explicitly says so.
Then again, I know a decent amount about book, movie, and video game tropes to the point where, 50% of the time, I accurately predict what would happen about a minute or a few pages later. But does that mean I use Intelligence instead of Wisdom since I rely on memory?
Less "refined" strangers have a bad habit of asking me sensitive questions like where I live or if I have a girlfriend, to which I reply the simple yet powerful question every scientist and journalist should ask: "Why?"
And no, I don't have a girlfriend...but I want one. But before I call it official, I have to study as much of a girl's life and personality as I legally can.
BoltOLightnin often comes to me for life advice, and while I am far from even being an amateur life coach, I just echo Mark Manson's "don't give a fuck" advice. (I know he isn't a psychologist, but he's crazy smart nonetheless. He reads a ton and has a degree in international relations, something which still boggles my brain.)
During my preschool graduation, kids were made to dance in costumes. I was dressed as a butterfly for some reason, and instead of dancing, I wandered around the stage in a boring walk, completely unaware of what's going on.
The only "charismatic" skill I knew I had as a kid was the ability to mimic a lot of different voices, but that had no helpful effect other than my parents often telling me to "stop imitating".
I improved my Charisma very slowly at first, but I learned faster and faster afterwards.
My first true attempt at public speaking was at 5th grade when I forgot to bring my script but accurately memorized it without cracking my voice or showing signs of shyness.
At 8th grade, I tutored my former crush in math after being inspired by my big brother's use of video game concepts in teaching me algebra.
At 9th grade, I was almost always the first to raise my hand during class. Every time, I explained my answer with a strong, clear voice to give the impression of confidence.
On my 2nd year of college, I founded my Minecraft team, Lunatic Blade. As leader, I often motivated my teammates, gave them tips, and subtlely mocked the enemy with honorable statements like "gg".
On late 2019, I made two friends in college, one of which is a girl I will give the fake name "Allison", and the other being Ghean, who introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons. Sometimes, I'm the Dungeon Master for YoSquid and my younger brother.
Thanks to my acting ability, I can maintain realistic body language and voice even when telling lies. I once told my mom I couldn't find her glasses, complete with a quiet, bored, and tired voice, when I actually had the glasses behind my back.
If I ever get asked again how rich I am, I'll try acting like I get tired of helping my "jobless" parents. (Actually, my dad is a government employee. My mom is self-employed.)
I admit, though, that I've screwed up a recent public speaking attempt. I'm taking a short course on game development, and one of the activities was to form groups to conceptualize our own video games and present our ideas to the rest of the class. I let my partner do most of the talking since he built most of the foundation of the game concept while I added a few supporting ideas, so I wasn't confident that I could properly describe the game. Funny thing is, I agreed to be the one to start the presentation thanks to a dice roll.
His idea was to make a typing practice game, but I thought that idea was overdone, so I gave it a twist: instead of words in a natural language, we make the words resemble a programming language. The main gameplay was about "re-programming" the environment and monsters to suit the player's needs, like entering a function called mindGlitch(); to instantly make a monster stupid. In the middle of the presentation, we were asked, "How do you defeat an enemy?" and I was able to state the mind-glitching idea decently well. "You could make an enemy bump into a wall all day or make it do a 360 dance to get it out of your way," I said.
Some may argue that I have high Charisma (maybe a +2 modifier) because, again, I'm a blogger and I'm usually not shy to share my thoughts in public. I once built up the courage to message Shadrok on Twitter and advertise my Hytale gang wars series. Afterwards, he said he loves my passion. (Permission to say this was obtained from Shadrok.)
Then again, it might be just me. Ability scores can be subjective, especially the mental ones (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).
Regardless, I think I'm tied with my dad for the lowest Charisma score in the family. I'm deceptive, but not as deceptive as my younger brother. All my other family members are intimidating with their voice, authority, and body language, while I rely heavily on my Strength and Dexterity to intimidate. I don't know how to play any musical instruments, and I don't have any actual acting experience while my younger brother has done short films in school. For Persuasion, I rely more on my Intelligence because I prefer to state facts, and unlike opinions, facts are infallible.
As far as I know, my dad never tells lies—he avoids them like the plague (unless he's misinformed). He never pulls pranks. Even though he can easily intimidate strangers, he can't scare any of his family members with his words (even though he insults and swears excessively when angry), so he instead relies on Strength by breaking things.
TL;DR summary:
Strength: 13 (+1). I've done some crazy physical challenges like running with 25 lbs on my back.
Dexterity: 15 (+2). I'm difficult to hit and I attack with speed and finesse.
Constitution: 12 (+1). Being punched barely hurts me. I can withstand being under direct sunlight.
Intelligence: 14 (+2). I can do mental math easily and I know too many things about Hytale.
Wisdom: 8 (-1). I have a hard time seeing or hearing obvious details and I'm gullible.
Charisma: 12 (+1). I am usually not shy in public speaking and I often troll my parents.
Constitution (CON) measures stamina and resistance to bodily harm. A character with high Constitution can jog or hold their breath for a long time and can endure strong hits, poisons, diseases, and less ideal temperatures.
All classes benefit from Constitution since it increases their max HP, but barbarians and spellcasters usually benefit the most. Barbarians become much harder to kill while spellcasters are able to maintain their concentration on spells even in the face of distractions.
Intelligence (INT), also called book smarts, determines scientific and historical knowledge and memory recall. A character with high Intelligence can easily remember what influences a natural or cultural event based on science and history, respectively. They can also do mental math quickly.
Classes that use their study and memory to cast spells, like Artificer and Wizard, use Intelligence.
Wisdom (WIS), also called street smarts, is a broad ability that determines perception, animal handling skill, and knowing when someone is lying. A character with high Wisdom can spot small details like a hidden object or the source of a faint sound, get along with animals, aid an injured creature, diagnose diseases and injury, and detect signs of lying through body language.
Classes that commune with gods or nature to cast spells, such as Cleric, Druid, and Ranger, use Wisdom.
Charisma (CHA) determines a character's force of personality. A character with high Charisma can be deceptive, intimidating, persuasive, and skilled at arts like music, dance, and acting.
Classes that use influence or devotion to a cause or patron to cast spells, such as Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Warlock, use Charisma.
Classes that use influence or devotion to a cause or patron to cast spells, such as Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Warlock, use Charisma.
The number after an ability score is called a modifier. This is added to the number rolled on a d20 whenever a character makes a corresponding ability check, potentially increasing or decreasing the chance of success. For example, if a character with 12 (+1) Strength gets a 10 on the d20 roll, the player can add +1, making the total 11.
The modifier is determined by the formula (Ability score - 10) / 2, rounded down. Therefore, ability scores of 6 and 7 have a -2 modifier, 8 and 9 have -1, 10 and 11 have 0, 12 and 13 have +1, and so on.
The modifier is determined by the formula (Ability score - 10) / 2, rounded down. Therefore, ability scores of 6 and 7 have a -2 modifier, 8 and 9 have -1, 10 and 11 have 0, 12 and 13 have +1, and so on.
The lowest ability score is 1 (-5).
The human average is 10 (0).
The highest for most D&D adventurers is 20 (+5).
A few adventurers, like Lv. 20 barbarians, can have scores of up to 24 (+7).
The highest for any given creature is 30 (+10).
Okay, enough introduction because I suck at it. Let's go.
The human average is 10 (0).
The highest for most D&D adventurers is 20 (+5).
A few adventurers, like Lv. 20 barbarians, can have scores of up to 24 (+7).
The highest for any given creature is 30 (+10).
Okay, enough introduction because I suck at it. Let's go.
Strength: 13 (+1)
It's no surprise that I have a positive modifier on my Strength—I regularly go to the gym. I focus mainly on strength workouts like the bench press because I'm kinda thin (59 kg) for my height (174 cm).Ironically, I still have noodle arms...unless I either flex them or have an intense workout. I imagine, if I wore a tank top in public and a bad guy saw me and prepared to attack, he'd laugh at first at my noodle arms then be utterly surprised when I hit him hard.
I guess I need more protein.
No claim of big strength is complete without feats to back it up, right?
I regularly bench-press 30 lbs (not counting the barbell's weight) for 2 sets and 12 reps each, though sometimes I step it up to 3 sets while raging or thinking of romance.
I regularly carry two metal doors that are 8 feet tall. I'm wild-guessing they're 10 kg.
I've carried 25 lbs in my backpack while jogging on a treadmill.
On the first day of my family's second Singapore trip, I carried a total of 5.75 kg on my shoulders for hours while we were making our way to the hotel—that weight included my tablet, DSLR camera, and Nintendo 3DS.
I need to work on being strong enough to carry a 45 kg sack of rice by myself—I still need help from a second person (usually an average Joe) to do so.
I can't beat my younger brother Ivann in arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, and sumo wrestling. When doing WWE-style wrestling, I rely more on quick strikes than grapples, which Ivann specializes in.
I think I'm the second strongest in the family. I beat Dad in a bench press competition where Dad lifted 20 kg at 5 reps while I lifted the same weight for 7 reps. All of us know the proper technique for boxing, but I hit the punching bag the hardest. I can do up to 6 pull-ups while my other family members can only do 1. When transporting groceries, I can carry up to 4 full grocery bags while my other family members typically carry 2.
Ivann is stronger than me though because he can bench-press 30 lbs for 3 sets and 15 reps each, plus the aforementioned wrestling domination. On the other hand, he openly complains about carrying heavy weights that I can lift without complaining.
If I were to punch an average Joe as hard as I could without using the techniques I learned in martial arts, the average Joe would most likely scream in pain.
But punching with technique allows me to hit harder and with more finesse, which is where the next ability score comes in:
Dexterity: 15 (+2)
I am very proud to have Dexterity as my ability with the highest ability score. It has saved my life many times, including but not limited to dodging out of the way of a bus while I was on a pedestrian lane, breaking the falls of fragile objects, blocking the crooked fingers of beggars, and submitting school work whose deadlines were a few minutes away.It's no surprise that most of my Dexterity comes from my experience in boxing and, to a lesser extent, gaming. Quick reactions are important to dodge punches, exploit weaknesses in opponents' defenses, and stealth-kill that one annoying player.
It is taught in boxing that a punch's power comes not only from the arm, but also the hips and legs, so twisting the hips is important when throwing a punch. Because the legs are far stronger and thicker than the arms, I'm able to punch fast and hard while keeping my arms relatively relaxed, and why I use Dexterity as my damage-dealing ability with finesse weapons, monk weapons, and unarmed strikes.
Besides punching and typing, I can perform several other feats associated with Dexterity.
I can perform cartwheels and diverolls.
On a bicycle, I think the longest I've moved without holding the handlebars is 3 seconds—I need to work on that. Besides that, I can perform sharp turns.
I once "planted" a cardboard sword inside my former crush's mom's bag.
When holding onto the change I predict for a customer, I can keep it hidden by only showing the back of my palm while keeping a loose grip to create the illusion of a relaxed hand.
As stated in "How I Kill Mosquitoes, Flies, and Cockroaches", I mainly use my bare hands to kill bugs rather than insecticide. I've gotten better at killing flies since I wrote that post--they used to be impossible for me to kill.
I've snuck up on my mom while she was cooking. I frequently sneak behind the Gold's Gym trainers and playfully "stab" them with an imaginary dagger, and they're chill with it.
I think I have the highest Dexterity in my family. As far as I know, I'm the only one who regularly sneaks around or does stunts. I once blocked both of my mom's arms...with one arm. I punch the fastest in the family.
Many of my family members have Dexterity scores between 10 (0) and 13 (+1). Mom and my brothers have quick hands so, when I'm not paying attention, they easily sneak-attack me or swipe my stuff. Aside from being a former basketball player, I haven't seen Dad perform any feats of agility or accuracy. My big brother moves the slowest and throws the least accurately in dodgeball, so dodging his throws was not challenging for me at all while I pummeled him to the max.
By extension, I also have the highest Armor Class of all my family members while unarmored...even without the barbarian's Unarmored Defense. (If I'm forced to use the monk's Unarmored Defense, my Armor Class would be on par with my other family members.)
However, I need to work on quickly counting money or dealing cards. I have atopic dermatitis, which makes my hands dry and difficult to use for sliding motions like flipping book pages. Along with not being able to pickpocket, these are why I didn't give myself proficiency in Sleight of Hand.
I also need to work on my aim. I can't properly do 3-point shots or free throws in basketball, I still completely miss the target in archery and darts, and I got "killed" in all my Nerf wars.
Right now, I'm practicing speed-multitasking, mostly by making my two hands do different things simultaneously. I can easily move one hand in a circular motion and the other in a square motion, for example, but I need to work on playing Fire Emblem Heroes while blogging.
This skill could eventually be useful when I practice dual-wielding in real life. Two tree branches are better than one.
Funny thing is, the Intimidation skill is normally associated with Charisma, and the variant rule for skills with different abilities mentions using Strength for Intimidation. But guess what I use for Intimidation? Dexterity.
Yes, I unintentionally scare people off with my above-average agility, usually the elderly, but also my former crush who's one year younger than me.
Constitution: 12 (+1)
This is also weird, again considering my light weight. One would think there's not enough fat to cushion my bones when I take damage, but they'd be wrong—I make up for it in muscle mass.Funny thing is, I've had asthma before and I still get the occasional common cold, so I thought I'd have awfully low stamina...at least until I got used to sneakily jogging to the gym instead of taking public transport. I hate spending money.
Nowadays, I can jog 1 km under bright sunlight while carrying my 1 kg sling bag (including contents) without stopping...except for when I have to cross the road. Bad drivers be everywhere, lads.
Heck, when I was 15 years old, I was once dropped off by a jeepney (a Philippine public vehicle that resembles a World War II jeep but longer, with a roof, and often with drawings) on a location that was approximately 6 km away from my home. I didn't want to spend any more money, so I walked all the way home.
Being frequently subjected to physical pain throughout my life, from accidentally bumping a wall to being intentionally slapped with a belt to being held in a rage-powered chokehold to even being bumped by a bicycle, has probably contributed to my increased resistance to damage, combined with my boxing training. I'm the only family member with noticeable six-pack abs even when not flexing, so I react very little when punched in the gut.
I don't let pain get in the way of my tasks, so when I hit something like a wall, instead of screaming and stopping to grasp the bruised body part, I just let out a small grunt (or sometimes not make any sound) then continue doing my task as if nothing happened, and others don't notice I got hurt. Heck, when I drafted this, no one knew that my knuckles hurt for about a month because I accidentally punched the thick metal chain holding up my punching bag. (They're okay now.)
This is why I multiclassed into Barbarian: besides my bad anger issues, I am surprisingly durable for my weight. I am difficult to hit thanks to my high Dexterity, and when I do get hit, I hardly feel it. (Barbarians' Unarmored Defense lets them add their Constitution modifier to their Armor Class.)
I hated eating eggs on their own since childhood. When I was 15 years old, I was given a punishment of being forced to eat scrambled eggs for lunch. I resisted the urge to vomit and was able to finish my plate. (I like pancakes, though, which have eggs as part of the ingredients. Don't judge me--jk you can (intentional bad grammar))
I attended a wedding where we ate at a fancy restaurant that served bitter-tasting sauce in the food...and unfortunately, I rage quit. I did get at least 3 spoonfuls though, so no one can accuse me of "not eating the food".
But probably my worst experience of eating unpleasant-tasting food was...eating rotten eggplants. I once forgot to put the eggplants in the fridge while Mom and Dad were away, so to attempt to cover up the evidence like the rogue I am, I ate about half of them in 2 servings before giving up and throwing them in the trash. I didn't get sick afterwards...and I never got caught.
As a result, I have the highest Constitution score in the family. None of my family members can take a punch, at least from me. (At least YoSquid can do so to a small extent.) I beat my dad in a 5 km race with stationary bikes. Perhaps, alongside my loyalty, responsibility, and roguish handiness, my high Constitution is the reason why I'm given many physical tasks by my family members. (Note: I'm only loyal and responsible for my family because I want to be left alone.)
I rarely complain nowadays about feeling hot or cold (unless asked) but still show obvious signs of discomfort such as blowing inside my shirt when feeling hot or shivering when feeling cold. Fortunately, mildly unpleasant temperatures rarely interfere with my work...unless it's firetrucking school work where I require an absolutely perfect temperature.
Ivann never complains about being hot or cold and never shows signs except sweating in the heat. However, he's often the first to end a workout session--he often goes high-intensity for just 30 minutes while I go medium-intensity for 2 hours or more.
In one sitting, I can eat up to 5 slices of a 14-inch pizza, while, if I'm not mistaken, Ivann can eat a whole pizza. My parents get stuffed after eating 2 or 3 slices.
What I need to work on are holding my breath underwater (which I usually do for 5 seconds casually and 15 seconds competitively) and enduring cold temperatures. I'm used to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, so 25 or less is enough to "freeze" me.
My family members are able to touch the tips of flames, but I don't dare.
When I stand still like a member of the Queen's Guard, my niece tickles me, causing me to jump.
Intelligence: 14 (+2)
This ability used to have my highest ability score—maybe 12 (+1)—when I was a kid. I was considered a "prodigy" by my pediatrician because I was able to read by 2 years old, I intuitively learned how to use a computer and how to play video games (with some help from my big brother), and I fiddled with people's cellphones. Math was my favorite school subject at the time—I loved numbers and we had a poster with multiplication tables at home. I was able to accurately draw the letters that my preschool teacher drew, which is why I had surprisingly legible handwriting. (My handwriting is still very legible--perhaps more than most adults. I don't write in cursive, which I struggle to read. Instead, my handwriting looks like something straight out of a computer, as I was told back in 4th grade when my handwriting became much closer to my current handwriting.)
Prepare for some present-day brain flexing.
I almost always do mental math when processing transactions at my family store since I want to flex my math skills on the customers. (Picking up a calculator would be too much extra work for my laziness.)
I've always helped the family with technical problems as a kid, and I still do it now. Can't beat a boss? Use this attack. Not sure what formula to use in Microsoft Excel? Gotcha covered. Can't find a file? Lucky for you, I remember the file name so I can easily search it.
I often remember frequent customers' usual orders, even if I haven't asked them their names. I just rely on their facial features, hair, clothing, and phone models to jog my memory, then they get surprised when I ask them if they're gonna order what I thought they'd order.
I memorize...too many juicy details about Hytale, including the team's Tweets. Yeah, Simon, I remember you posted that meme of frogs representing the Fire Emblem weapon triangle.
Some readers might guess immediately that I'd have high Intelligence judging by how long my blog posts are, but it's mostly just me. I enjoy acting like a teacher when I write blog posts—I mean, just look at all my posts with the "strategy" or "tactics" tags.
I still have many memories of my childhood.
The earliest memory I can recall is when I, as a baby, enjoyed staring at the label of a bottle of prune juice.
I still have vague photographic representations of the house we lived in before moving to my paternal grandma's house when I was 8 years old. I also remember the approximate positions of the furniture and how we used them—I can visualize me and my younger brother jumping off the top of a drawer or side table while wrestling on a bed.
I'd state more but doing so would make this post far too long.
I'm usually lazy to take notes, especially in school work. Instead, I write graffiti on my textbooks and PDF files to represent my reaction to a particular piece of text or how I would interpret the text differently. The rest of the information gets "saved" in my brain.
I only take notes for huge piles of information (usually those unrelated to school work) like tactical plans. This is another reason why I started this blog: it serves as a repository for the intricate tactics I've built over many months.
As the Dungeon Master, I only take notes when running Dynasty Warriors-size encounters. The rest of the notes I placed on my DM screen are mainly for other DMs.
Unfortunately, there are several things about my intelligence which I need to work on.
I often forget the exact statements of others and myself, so I often have to make a rough paraphrase. This is annoying when I get told to say "exactly what you/they said".
Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with multiple commands or personal agenda to the point that, upon completing one task, I forget about all other tasks. Combined with my chaotic neutral alignment causing me to focus more on working for myself than what society or authority expects me to do, I often get figurative "wanted levels" for laziness.
Worst of all, I HATE school work, so I often "dispose" of information from prescribed educational materials—many of them are big walls of text flooded with jargon and, as one of the traits in the sage background says, "use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition." I get that professors want to teach the values of "hard work" and "reading comprehension" to their students, but fudge it all! I'd rather play D&D or multiplayer games to teach me those things!
All my family members have high Intelligence scores, but I'm not entirely sure how I'd rank myself. I know most about tech and grammar, my younger brother knows most about law, history, politics, and religion, my dad and older brother are engineers, and my mom knows most about business.
If I had to guess, I'm probably in the middle. When I put my mind into something, I can learn it easily...with the help of a friendly and smart teacher, of course. I am often tasked to find something that a family member lost, and I often find the lost items successfully. On the other hand, while I often remember complex details and forget simple ones, my parents remember simple details and forget many complex ones except those related to their jobs or faith. I dislike debates which I often lose because #1, I can't remember the sources of my counterarguments; #2, I'm not in authority, so even if I have the superior narrative, I can still lose because I have to "submit to authority", and #3, I don't care about winning; I just want to be left alone.
Prepare for some present-day brain flexing.
I almost always do mental math when processing transactions at my family store since I want to flex my math skills on the customers. (Picking up a calculator would be too much extra work for my laziness.)
I've always helped the family with technical problems as a kid, and I still do it now. Can't beat a boss? Use this attack. Not sure what formula to use in Microsoft Excel? Gotcha covered. Can't find a file? Lucky for you, I remember the file name so I can easily search it.
I often remember frequent customers' usual orders, even if I haven't asked them their names. I just rely on their facial features, hair, clothing, and phone models to jog my memory, then they get surprised when I ask them if they're gonna order what I thought they'd order.
I memorize...too many juicy details about Hytale, including the team's Tweets. Yeah, Simon, I remember you posted that meme of frogs representing the Fire Emblem weapon triangle.
Some readers might guess immediately that I'd have high Intelligence judging by how long my blog posts are, but it's mostly just me. I enjoy acting like a teacher when I write blog posts—I mean, just look at all my posts with the "strategy" or "tactics" tags.
I still have many memories of my childhood.
The earliest memory I can recall is when I, as a baby, enjoyed staring at the label of a bottle of prune juice.
I still have vague photographic representations of the house we lived in before moving to my paternal grandma's house when I was 8 years old. I also remember the approximate positions of the furniture and how we used them—I can visualize me and my younger brother jumping off the top of a drawer or side table while wrestling on a bed.
I'd state more but doing so would make this post far too long.
I'm usually lazy to take notes, especially in school work. Instead, I write graffiti on my textbooks and PDF files to represent my reaction to a particular piece of text or how I would interpret the text differently. The rest of the information gets "saved" in my brain.
I only take notes for huge piles of information (usually those unrelated to school work) like tactical plans. This is another reason why I started this blog: it serves as a repository for the intricate tactics I've built over many months.
As the Dungeon Master, I only take notes when running Dynasty Warriors-size encounters. The rest of the notes I placed on my DM screen are mainly for other DMs.
Unfortunately, there are several things about my intelligence which I need to work on.
I often forget the exact statements of others and myself, so I often have to make a rough paraphrase. This is annoying when I get told to say "exactly what you/they said".
Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with multiple commands or personal agenda to the point that, upon completing one task, I forget about all other tasks. Combined with my chaotic neutral alignment causing me to focus more on working for myself than what society or authority expects me to do, I often get figurative "wanted levels" for laziness.
Worst of all, I HATE school work, so I often "dispose" of information from prescribed educational materials—many of them are big walls of text flooded with jargon and, as one of the traits in the sage background says, "use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition." I get that professors want to teach the values of "hard work" and "reading comprehension" to their students, but fudge it all! I'd rather play D&D or multiplayer games to teach me those things!
All my family members have high Intelligence scores, but I'm not entirely sure how I'd rank myself. I know most about tech and grammar, my younger brother knows most about law, history, politics, and religion, my dad and older brother are engineers, and my mom knows most about business.
If I had to guess, I'm probably in the middle. When I put my mind into something, I can learn it easily...with the help of a friendly and smart teacher, of course. I am often tasked to find something that a family member lost, and I often find the lost items successfully. On the other hand, while I often remember complex details and forget simple ones, my parents remember simple details and forget many complex ones except those related to their jobs or faith. I dislike debates which I often lose because #1, I can't remember the sources of my counterarguments; #2, I'm not in authority, so even if I have the superior narrative, I can still lose because I have to "submit to authority", and #3, I don't care about winning; I just want to be left alone.
Wisdom: 8 (-1)
Where do I even start? Wisdom is associated with a wide variety of skills.I've played video games so much that I've become near-sighted. While Mom relies on me to read the words on her smartphone when she doesn't have glasses, I have difficulty seeing important and distant objects like street signs while others spot them easily.
My sense of hearing has also been damaged from wearing headphones too often, so I sometimes mistake a woman's distant mumbling voice for my mom calling me. When not wearing headphones, I often rely on subtitles in videos (especially considering how our house is so small and adjacent to a busy road that noises from the road can easily be heard from the bedrooms).
Then again, when wearing headphones during video games, I am often the first to alert my teammates to threatening noises which could indicate the presence of an enemy or environment hazard.
Also, because I'm a light sleeper, I'm attentive to outside events even though I haven't fully awakened. Sometimes, I get disturbed because of a light bulb being turned on near me or the mention of my name.
I generally dislike non-human animals—I find them gross and I get paranoid of them potentially biting or scratching me.
The only reason why I can scare our family dog by raising my flip-flop in the air is because my parents have actually spanked our dog with flip-flops. Other than that, she always tries to play with me by biting my flip-flop or grabbing my waist with her paws.
I don't know much about diseases in general, but thankfully, I know several frequently-mentioned ways to treat symptoms of illness or prevent diseases, including drinking lots of water, washing hands with soap and water, wearing a mask, and covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Usually, when someone gets sick, I am quick to search resources like the Internet. I also installed the Offline Survival Manual app by ligi.
I always carry anti-itch ointment, insect repellent, moisturizing cream, and bandages in my bag...even in situations where I'm unlikely to encounter an injury.
Side note: I imagine that I rely more on Intelligence than Wisdom for making Medicine checks since I try to remember medical techniques, but I guess Medicine uses Wisdom in D&D because Wisdom is associated with Cleric, a class that's built for healing.
Actually, I'm still gullible even now, especially during social interaction.
When I was 10 years old, I think I fell for some misinformation related to the Facebook game Pet Society, but I can't remember exactly what the statement was.
I am often quick to accept statements made by who I consider reputable sources, usually those whose political beliefs align with mine.
I still get pranked by my younger brother, like when he poked me and immediately hid while I was gaming.
Unsurprisingly, I have the lowest Wisdom score in my family. Sometimes, my family members would point me to the approximate location of an object but I can't find it even if it's just a few inches away. Besides my big brother who doesn't count because he doesn't live with us, I can't discipline our "crazy dog".
Ivann and Mom are both dog persons. Mom had many dogs as a kid, and our crazy dog loves Ivann the most--she often licks him, while she escapes all my attempts to carry her using her strong flailing and sharp claws.
I admit that Ivann almost always wears glasses and can barely see anything without them, but he often notices tiny details that everyone else misses.
I'll lazily assume Dad has average Wisdom. He's taken ROTC and he's had fieldwork in the middle of the ocean, so he may have some Survival skill. On the other hand, he's gullible--he's easier to troll than Mom since he's more prone to fits of strong emotion, and he can't see when I'm unwilling to do him a favor unless someone else, usually my mom, explicitly says so.
Then again, I know a decent amount about book, movie, and video game tropes to the point where, 50% of the time, I accurately predict what would happen about a minute or a few pages later. But does that mean I use Intelligence instead of Wisdom since I rely on memory?
Less "refined" strangers have a bad habit of asking me sensitive questions like where I live or if I have a girlfriend, to which I reply the simple yet powerful question every scientist and journalist should ask: "Why?"
And no, I don't have a girlfriend...but I want one. But before I call it official, I have to study as much of a girl's life and personality as I legally can.
BoltOLightnin often comes to me for life advice, and while I am far from even being an amateur life coach, I just echo Mark Manson's "don't give a fuck" advice. (I know he isn't a psychologist, but he's crazy smart nonetheless. He reads a ton and has a degree in international relations, something which still boggles my brain.)
Charisma: 12 (+1)
Funny thing is, this was my dump stat when I was a kid—I think it was 6 (-2). I was very shy around kids my age and had no idea what to say or how to adapt to their personality quirks—I only talked to adults. I almost always told the truth even if it was unnecessary.During my preschool graduation, kids were made to dance in costumes. I was dressed as a butterfly for some reason, and instead of dancing, I wandered around the stage in a boring walk, completely unaware of what's going on.
The only "charismatic" skill I knew I had as a kid was the ability to mimic a lot of different voices, but that had no helpful effect other than my parents often telling me to "stop imitating".
I improved my Charisma very slowly at first, but I learned faster and faster afterwards.
My first true attempt at public speaking was at 5th grade when I forgot to bring my script but accurately memorized it without cracking my voice or showing signs of shyness.
At 8th grade, I tutored my former crush in math after being inspired by my big brother's use of video game concepts in teaching me algebra.
At 9th grade, I was almost always the first to raise my hand during class. Every time, I explained my answer with a strong, clear voice to give the impression of confidence.
On my 2nd year of college, I founded my Minecraft team, Lunatic Blade. As leader, I often motivated my teammates, gave them tips, and subtlely mocked the enemy with honorable statements like "gg".
On late 2019, I made two friends in college, one of which is a girl I will give the fake name "Allison", and the other being Ghean, who introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons. Sometimes, I'm the Dungeon Master for YoSquid and my younger brother.
Thanks to my acting ability, I can maintain realistic body language and voice even when telling lies. I once told my mom I couldn't find her glasses, complete with a quiet, bored, and tired voice, when I actually had the glasses behind my back.
If I ever get asked again how rich I am, I'll try acting like I get tired of helping my "jobless" parents. (Actually, my dad is a government employee. My mom is self-employed.)
I admit, though, that I've screwed up a recent public speaking attempt. I'm taking a short course on game development, and one of the activities was to form groups to conceptualize our own video games and present our ideas to the rest of the class. I let my partner do most of the talking since he built most of the foundation of the game concept while I added a few supporting ideas, so I wasn't confident that I could properly describe the game. Funny thing is, I agreed to be the one to start the presentation thanks to a dice roll.
His idea was to make a typing practice game, but I thought that idea was overdone, so I gave it a twist: instead of words in a natural language, we make the words resemble a programming language. The main gameplay was about "re-programming" the environment and monsters to suit the player's needs, like entering a function called mindGlitch(); to instantly make a monster stupid. In the middle of the presentation, we were asked, "How do you defeat an enemy?" and I was able to state the mind-glitching idea decently well. "You could make an enemy bump into a wall all day or make it do a 360 dance to get it out of your way," I said.
Some may argue that I have high Charisma (maybe a +2 modifier) because, again, I'm a blogger and I'm usually not shy to share my thoughts in public. I once built up the courage to message Shadrok on Twitter and advertise my Hytale gang wars series. Afterwards, he said he loves my passion. (Permission to say this was obtained from Shadrok.)
Then again, it might be just me. Ability scores can be subjective, especially the mental ones (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).
Regardless, I think I'm tied with my dad for the lowest Charisma score in the family. I'm deceptive, but not as deceptive as my younger brother. All my other family members are intimidating with their voice, authority, and body language, while I rely heavily on my Strength and Dexterity to intimidate. I don't know how to play any musical instruments, and I don't have any actual acting experience while my younger brother has done short films in school. For Persuasion, I rely more on my Intelligence because I prefer to state facts, and unlike opinions, facts are infallible.
As far as I know, my dad never tells lies—he avoids them like the plague (unless he's misinformed). He never pulls pranks. Even though he can easily intimidate strangers, he can't scare any of his family members with his words (even though he insults and swears excessively when angry), so he instead relies on Strength by breaking things.
TL;DR summary:
Strength: 13 (+1). I've done some crazy physical challenges like running with 25 lbs on my back.
Dexterity: 15 (+2). I'm difficult to hit and I attack with speed and finesse.
Constitution: 12 (+1). Being punched barely hurts me. I can withstand being under direct sunlight.
Intelligence: 14 (+2). I can do mental math easily and I know too many things about Hytale.
Wisdom: 8 (-1). I have a hard time seeing or hearing obvious details and I'm gullible.
Charisma: 12 (+1). I am usually not shy in public speaking and I often troll my parents.
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