Design behind the CHA mod to IR?

[Crazy Jerome]

When applying the CHA mod to Improvement Rolls, it seems to be glaringly rough in the granularity, with the DEX/INT mod to CA being the only other thing even close. I can see the need with the CA mechanic, and at least having two stats averaged mitigates it somewhat.

However, the only apparent purpose of the CHA mod to IR was to make CHA matter in the equation? So was it considered to maybe have the CHA score added into the mechanics of the IR (or averaged with INT instead of adding it), instead of altering the number of IRs? That would seem to simulate, roughly, the same kind of thing over the life of the campaign. Charismatic people would get the 2d4+1% improvement instead of only 1% more often, like the intelligent people do now.

Or was there a specific desire to make high CHA act mechanically different, in order to make high INT characters develop high skill faster, but give high CHA characters a broader/easier road in areas where number of IRs are more important?

I admit I'm asking the kind of question that usually bugs me--game design with inadequate experience of the system at hand. But the coarseness of the CHA affect on the modifier rather stands out in the system, to my eyes.

 

[Loz]

The design intention was to put all characteristics to work in determining attributes.

The reason why INT+CHA aren't used in combination to determine additional Improvement Rolls is because INT already figures in both SR and CA calculation. So we opted to leave CHA as the sole characteristic involved here, although INT comes into play when making an Improvement Roll as it is added to the 1D100 roll.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Sorry, I meant was it considered to use Cha the way Int was used with the IR, not to use Int in giving bonus IRs. That is, instead of having any modifier to the number of IR rolls at all, a character would get either:

A. Average of Int and Cha added to the d100 roll, or
B. Just add Int and Cha to the d100 roll, or (I guess)
C. Just use Cha instead of Int, since Int is already well represented.

On the grounds that this is still Cha affecting the improvement rate of characters. Instead of an extra IR, they get (on average) better results from the IRs they get, through knowing more people, being more social, etc.

I rather like the rationale and the design intent of making Cha matter in this way. It's the precise implementation that I'm finding hard to swallow.

Thanks

 

[RosenMcStern]

Think about it in this way: if you have CHA as a +something modifier to IRs, you will, most likely, end up with a higher weapons skill - which is convenient but not very realistic. If you have an extra IR, the chances are that you will use it to advance a Lore skill, or to purchase a new Common magic spell - "The village Spirit Talker likes me and teaches me Bladesharp" - which makes more sense and yields more three-dimensional characters.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

I considered that option, but surely we don't want to say:

A. Cha 3-6, especially not well-rounded characters.
B. Cha 7-12, average characters, no particular penalties or advantages at being well-rounded.
C. Cha 13-18, get to be well-rounded characters.

Yeah, nothing is stopping the lower Cha guys from spending IRs on being well-rounded. Nothing is encouraging them, either. Thing is, though, if I'm going to buy your argument, then I might as well award everyone a bonus IR, encourage (via social pressure) well-rounded characters, and use the Cha effect some other way.

The only way I can sort of see it making sense is along the lines of: We have characters with stats generated randomly. Some of those characters will have a really good Cha. These guys naturally get a broad range of skills. This is just one of those things you play up, like having a low Con or a big Siz or any other such situation.

That would seem to speak against the fixed point buy method of stat generation, though.