Mongoose has sort of moved in that direction already in regards to using the Athletics Skill. Athletics (Dex) is generally a better reflection of acrobatic ability than raw Dex, and isn't used for manipulation style Dex tasks.
However, they are LARGE creatures. Yes, "descended from pouncers", but neither are they housecats or leopards. Generally, bigger means less ability to change direction rapidly; Aslan do alright in that regards, but they seem to be designed for that rapid burst of straight line speed culminating in teeth and claws in prey. Melee (Natural) is the skill and STR is the stat.
The original stat division (one of a handful of things inherited from D&D) which is largely retained in Mongoose, is Strength for hitting, Dex for shooting. Mongoose does allow for Dex to be used for attacking in melee, but Aslan are in no way disadvantaged here. Quite the opposite.
If Aslan were arboreal pouncers, or much smaller, no Dex penalty would make more sense.
From a game balance point of view, it works. They're the bruiser aliens to the Vargr's finesse ones.
This is true.Also, there is ample evidence that Traveller is in no way attempting "game balance" in it's alien stat mods (hello, Bwaps!)
We can set up a poll to bring it back.What happened to the pom pom on the tail??![]()
I don't actually have a problem with Aslan having lower Dex. They always have. I am more concerned about how the current rules make stats mods substantially more significant than they were when those values were originally chosen. This may not be a problem. But I wonder if anyone has actually thought about it.This is true.
The -2 DEX penalty is mechanically brutal in Traveller.I don't actually have a problem with Aslan having lower Dex. They always have. I am more concerned about how the current rules make stats mods substantially more significant than they were when those values were originally chosen. This may not be a problem. But I wonder if anyone has actually thought about it.
It is nasty, but it is not quite that nasty. You almost never test Dex directly so the -2 to Dex is not the same as a -2 DRM. Traveller's stat bonuses are adjusted in increments of 3. It happens that an average stat changing from 7 to 5 is a -1. But changing an 8 to a 6 is no change to the DRM.The -2 DEX penalty is mechanically brutal in Traveller.
In a 2d6 system, a -2 modifier is huge - it drops your success chance by roughly 28%. And the DEX DM gets used constantly for shooting, stealth, piloting, Athletics, and initiative, while STR mostly just affects melee damage and carrying capacity. So Aslan get +2 to a stat they rarely use and -2 to one of the most important stats in the game.
For agile pouncing predators, that just doesn't make sense. The dewclaw might justify penalties on fine manipulation tasks, but not on their general coordination and reflexes. It's a design choice that mechanically punishes them for what should be a natural strength.
It's a modifier to the initially rolled stat, not the current Dex mod. Even the average starting Dex of 5 only gives a -1 Dex mod.The -2 DEX penalty is mechanically brutal in Traveller.
In a 2d6 system, a -2 modifier is huge - it drops your success chance by roughly 28%. And the DEX DM gets used constantly for shooting, stealth, piloting, Athletics, and initiative, while STR mostly just affects melee damage and carrying capacity. So Aslan get +2 to a stat they rarely use and -2 to one of the most important stats in the game.
For agile pouncing predators, that just doesn't make sense. The dewclaw might justify penalties on fine manipulation tasks, but not on their general coordination and reflexes. It's a design choice that mechanically punishes them for what should be a natural strength.