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Recently one of the players of the group I belong to asked what does it matter if you have an 7 stat or if you have a 14 stat, because you don't get bonuses for either so what does it matter. I was at a loss to be able to answer that question. Can anyone help me with an answer?

SpiritInterface wrote:Recently one of the players of the group I belong to asked what does it matter if you have an 7 state or if you have a 14 stat, because you don't get bonuses for either so what does it matter. I was at a loss to be able to answer that question. Can anyone help me with an answer?

There is a whole write up in R:UE (I presume you are using R:UE?) on having low ability scores. Flip around the ability score section and keep an eye out for a big guy offering a kid a balloon. In a lot of interesting ways having a 7 is actually better than having a 14.

It affects the role playing aspect but mechanically no, there is no difference.

Most people have a house rule in regards to "attribute checks".

Ours is currently just roll D20 under you attribute, 20 is always a fail. Although I m looking at attribute x 4 as a % to reflect skill rolls.

I believe I may have just threadjacked to people posting their own attribute check house rules. Sorry.

Certain attributes have specific effects tied to them, such as PE as minutes of endurance, and many classes and abilities have stat requirements.
Also, RUE has optional rules for particularly low stats. Since those rules has bonuses as well, I offer them to players as a choice: Did they spend development growing up on mitigating their weaknesses (ie: no extra benefits or weaknesses), or did they instead focus their energies on strengthening other areas to off-set their weaknesses (ie: the optional RUE rules)?

Somewhere there was an official source or Q&A that suggested 'roll under' attribute rolls for a chance at various things without skill. I suspect it was a Q&A buried somewhere since some people tend to recall it but can't find it easily.
My version has been roll under on a D20 for easy tasks, and roll under with percentile for difficult tasks (like those you should have an actual skill for). One of these was one I had actually read in print before, the other I believe I tacked on. I don't recall which was which anymore though.

SpiritInterface wrote:Recently one of the players of the group I belong to asked what does it matter if you have an 7 state or if you have a 14 stat, because you don't get bonuses for either so what does it matter. I was at a loss to be able to answer that question. Can anyone help me with an answer?

Tell you what.
Next time one of them rolls a PS of 14, have them bump it down to 7.
Then keep track of encumberance.

Officially: In the newer rule books, lower attributes have penalties; in the section right after how to generate attributes is explained. Also Officially in Rifter #48 you can use skills that you do not know, but are 'common/easy' at rolling % under the attribute. I say official, because KS wrote it and said it. So at 14 you would have a 14% chance and the guy with a 7 would have 7%. The 2 alternative 'official rules' from #48 are 2x attribute as % or half attribute and roll a d20 under it. He goes on and explains easy skills are like balancing, climbing, things anyone can try and might succeed. Things that may seem common/easy to those who know have to do it are not covered in this. No driving cars without the skill, no swimming. You might like to think you could do it, but you can't. in the allowed situations, a 14 would be double a chance at doing something than a 7

As KC put it, there are derivitives for certain attributes. P.S. to carry, lift. P.E. for time you can run. etc.

Unofficially, I think many of us use/used a simple d20 vs the attribute for things like P.P to catch the cliff edge as you are falling, I.Q to remember some clue. etc. because Palladium was built on the D&D framework and that is what D&D used. I remember using this before the internet, when my whole group just did it without thinking or even noticing the rule was missing. Side note KC wrote an excellent post on why the internet has divided PB fans moreso than uniting them. Happened the same with almost all systems, D&D included.

The Dark Elf wrote:I believe I may have just threadjacked to people posting their own attribute check house rules. Sorry.

Actually, there's a canonized optional rule for attribute checks in one of the Rifters... #38, I think? It's the one with the Nightbane Q&A that was cut from the Survival Guide.

Save vs Attribute.

A 14 gives you a better chance than a 7.

I like how something (save vs attribute) off in one of them rifters somewhere is as legitimate a rule as, say, a save vs magic rule or such.

Really without the edge cases, no, 7 to 14 don't matter (though maybe speed does).

Think of it like rolling to hit - if you need an 8 to hit, 1-7 don't matter. With attributes, it's like rolling to see if you get something unusual - anything below 14 is a 'miss' (actually, isn't it anything on or below 16, IIRC?).

If you want to simulate a world, roleplay the stats. But that's for a particular focus of play which might not be for your group (ie, don't just try forcing in roleplaying of low stats as if that's what you have to do if you roleplay. You don't and it may not suit what your group actually enjoys).