What are your preferred Str values in 6e FH?

[assault]

Assuming human characters, and stressing that this is for 6e - with no figured characteristics!

What STR do you typically give your PCs? What do you give different types of characters? (Casters, warriors, etc.) What are the most efficient values, if those aren't what you give them? (And if you don't give them the most efficient values, why not?) In general, what criteria do you use?

I'm asking because STR minimums seem to point towards values other than the traditional 10/15/20 sequence, and trying to do the analysis myself is hurting my brain. There is also the question of how common unarmed combat is.

Let's avoid the term "character concept" as much as possible, since it's usually just a smoke screen for "my character is as optimized as heck, but I'm a Real Roleplayer, so I pretend it isn't".

[LoneWolf]

It really depends on the character.  For a melee focused martial character I tend to go 5 points above the STR minimum of the weapon they will use.  For a ranged martial character, you usually only need to STR equal to the STR minimum of the weapon they will use.   For a caster who will be using a weapon occasionally I go for the STR minimum of the weapon they will be using.  For the full caster who will probably never use a weapon I usually leave it at 10 or occasionally buy it down to 8. There will be some variance because of the weapon used.  If the weapon used has a very high STR minimum it will usually go with that.   If the character uses unarmed attacks, then 15 is the go-to number.  

 

If the character is going to be using armor, I might buy it up from there based one the armor they intend to use.  If the character is going to be using heavy armor, they are going to need more STR to avoid penalties, but I am more willing to take the DCV penalty because the character will have better DEF.  If the character is going to be using light    armor, then I will buy the STR up high enough to avoid the DCV penalty because those characters tend to rely more on avoiding hits then soaking up the damage. 
 

[assault]

This is exactly the kind of stuff I want. Thanks!

[archer]

I don't play FH in 6e.

 

But I usually have a character who can carry plenty of loot (whether that loot is cash, weapons & armor, dry firewood, or food and water).

 

I expect plenty of loot, even if I have to create the loot myself.

 

That's mostly a matter of taste. You can certainly have a wizard with 8 STR.  But I figure anyone who carries a pack and goes on adventures regularly will put some muscle on their frame. I've never seen a hiker or mountain biker IRL and thought to myself, "Gee that person looks like he sold some of his starting STR back".

 

Though I could see a wizard buying STR with a limitation "can't be used for attacks" or something similar.

[Ockham's Spoon]

3 hours ago, archer said:

That's mostly a matter of taste. You can certainly have a wizard with 8 STR.  But I figure anyone who carries a pack and goes on adventures regularly will put some muscle on their frame. I've never seen a hiker or mountain biker IRL and thought to myself, "Gee that person looks like he sold some of his starting STR back".

 

Though I could see a wizard buying STR with a limitation "can't be used for attacks" or something similar.

 

I agree that unless the character is frail for some specific reason, anyone who adventures regularly is going to be in decent shape.

 

I would be leery of letting someone buy STR with a limitation like that unless they had in in-game justification.  Otherwise it smacks of meta-gaming.  That said, I have had wizards with spells like "Feather-Pack" which is bought as STR, only to offset Encumbrance, or "Phantom Servant" which is purchased as a Persistent Telekinesis and often used as a pack-horse.

[assault]

4 hours ago, archer said:

Though I could see a wizard buying STR with a limitation "can't be used for attacks" or something similar.

 

I'd never allow that.