There isn't a definite threshold where your character becomes a clutz if you dump Dexterity, but that doesn't mean a character with 8 Dexterity and a character with 20 don't have differences in how careful/graceful they are. Same for Intelligence. If it influences language skills, there should be differences between high- and low-stat characters.
Yup i worded that poorly ...
There could be difference (i still dont think it should be forced by rules, it seems better as "advised" but left for people to roleplay the way they want to ... i mean if you know Big Bang Theory, Sheldon is clearly 20Int character ... maybe even more ... and often he is stupidest of them all) ...
I was trying to say that they both should be able of "basic functions".
Simmilar as Dex 8 character dont trip over his own leg with every step, Str 8 character dont have so atrophied muscles so he dont even carry his own weight, as Con 8 doesnt need machines to keep his inner organs working, ... and i dont have any examples for Wis and Cha
... the simmilar Int 8 should not be unable to create full sentence, or use any longer words.
I mean just out of rules, Int 8 character have much less chance of remembering things, or solving puzzles based on this stat ... it allone should be enough. :-/
This is more of a matter with implementation and resource allocation than what the stat represents. Resources are not infinite, and rewriting every line of dialogue based on different levels of Intelligence is simply not a realistic goal.
Seems like waste to be completely honest ...
Last game i remember that implemented changing dialogue options based on your Intelligence was old Fallout (first one, but you were able to get on Int 1 there) ... and while it was funny at first sight, it quite fast become pure obstacle for player and actualy adds nothing to your experience. :-/
I mean if your dialogue options are "hmmm", "ug ug" and "gyah" ... how would you choose?
Ideally, speech patterns should change both for you and your companions who have dumped the stat, and I see no problem with this. If you're dumping a stat, you're saying your character is worse than average in some way. If your character is worse than average, it should be reflected with an appropriate penalty/drawback. If you don't want to be penalized, don't dump the stat. It's possible to play without min-maxing.
That is certainly one way to see it ...
In my honest opinion your character is allready penalized enough by the fact that s/he will most likely fail in almost every situation tied to rolling on your dumped stat.
I mean character with Cha 8 is totally able to yell "Fear my blade, foul beast!" on goblin ... just as Cha 20 ...
The only difference is that Cha 20 will seem to that goblin to be so certain about his own power, so he will concider him actual threat ... while Cha 8 will just make him laugh.
Coming back to Intelligence ... i believe Nettie is perfect example here.
While your 20 Int character is able to recognize the plant, and remembered that it is very dangerous for its poison ... your 8 Int character recognize only that Nettie is holding some kind of plant ... hardly surprising, since she is a Druid.
If i wanted to be mean, i would say that people who play low-intelligence characters like stupid morons often lack a sense for complex ideas themselves. :-/
Its easy way, sure ... but certainly not the only way.
Ogres have Intelligence of 5, and their languages are Common and Giant. Although I don't know if BG3's ogres' ability scores follow the official statblock, there is no reason to believe one of their languages was excluded.
You are right, i was looking at wrong row.
Still ... we both know that there is difference between "knowing" the language ... and "using it corectly".
Sometimes even for native speakers.
You are using magic to communicate with animals, that changes things. When a bird chirps at you and you cast Speak with Animals to talk to it, the spell doesn't translate the chirping into Common or vice versa. It's a completely different process, or else you'd be able to use Comprehend Languages to understand animals, which you can't. What the animal says to you when you're under the influence of the spell is not a literal translation of the noises it makes, it's magic supplying you with the closest approximation of whatever the animal is trying to express (what it saw, how it feels, et cetera) in a form most natural to you, speech.
True ...
It would still feel better if the Squirrel would complain by saying "head hurt" instead of "our brains are melting" tho. :-/
But im not the only one who complained that in this game animals are suprisingly intelligent and able to build quite complex sentences. :-/
Weighing X kg does not necessarily mean you're able to carry X kg on your back.
I think you took it completely other way around.
But yes, I do agree that being able to lug around more than your own weight when you dumped Strength is silly. As I said before, dumping a stat should be penalized accordingly.
That is not exactly what i was trying to say ...
Personaly i believe that "minimum 8" that is included in point buy system, is there exactly to make sure that we will (no matter what) be properly working human(oid) being ... meaning able to carry some extra weight (Str), able to ballance on slippery surface (Dex), will be regulary healthy (Con), able to compele full sentence (Int), will have all or at least most our senses working (Wis), and theoreticaly be able to at least try to represent oureself (Cha) ...
Meaning that if you would like to get under that "basic" level of abilities ... your score (again in my eyes) would need to get under 8.
Raistlin Majere (if you know Dragonlance) is perfect example for some incredibly unlucky person who (despite all rules of probability) rolled 4x 1 on Constitution. xD
None of the carrying capacities are sensible. You can carry multiple sets of armor and a small militia's worth of weapons on you like it's nothing. Where are you putting this stuff? How are you able to fight or stealth in this state? And so on, it's all been said before. Inventory management has been a difficult balancing act for as long as CRPGs existed.
That is different topic.
Agreed, a character with 8 Intelligence shouldn't speak like a troglodyte. Intelligence 5 Ogres are a good reference point for caveman speak in my opinion.
Im glad we understand each other.
So the character who have 8 Intelligence should certainly be able to speak exactly the same as character who have 20 Intelligence
which I disagree with. Compared to a character with 20 Intelligence, a character with 8 should have a smaller vocabulary at their disposal, or if they have the vocab, they tend to use the more complicated words incorrectly. Or some other quirk, the specifics don't matter that much as long as the dumped ability score is reflected.
Yup ...
I indeed worded that poorly.
