Points

[Legal Rose]

So, what if everyone had tangible, real-world stat points that determine their different abilities, like you see in some RPGs? People are aware that these points exist, and they can be gifted, traded, and sold between people. So if someone gives you some of their Strength Points, you instantly become physically stronger and they instantly become weaker.

Here are my main questions:
- What attributes should these points determine? Strength, beauty, intelligence, etc?
- Are the points visible to other people? Do you know how many points you, personally, have?
- Can the points be stolen? And if so, how?
- Where do your initial starting points come from? Are they inherited genetically? What are the implications of this?

And the big one:
- How would human society adapt to these changes?


I have some ideas of my own, but I'll wait to see what other people think first.

 

[ThinkerX]

Already been done. 'Runelords?' by Farland? In that series, some characters stole 'strength', 'health' ect from others. A few took these things from substantial populations, becoming near demigods.

Strength is probably the easiest to determine; the old AD&D PLayers Handbook had tables comparing amounts lifted in overhead press with strength.

Intelligence...arguably ones IQ score.

Gets more probematic after this.

 

[Legal Rose]

Already been done. 'Runelords?' by Farland? In that series, some characters stole 'strength', 'health' ect from others. A few took these things from substantial populations, becoming near demigods.

Good to know, I'll check it out. Although I don't think that should prevent others from using a similar idea. Also, it seems like the system in those stories is designed with limitations to prevent really insane things from happening. For instance (according to Wikipedia), in those stories a person can only give one 'endowment' during their entire lifetime.


Well anyways, here are the attributes I have so far :
- Fitness: Stamina, endurance, flexibility, etc.
- Arm Strength: Controls melee attacks, lifting, etc.
- Leg Strength: Controls running, jumping, etc.
- Eyesight: Obvious.
- Hearing: Obvious.
- Vigor: Controls your involuntary functions eating, sleeping, drinking, using toilet, blinking
- Luck: Sort of intangible and bizarre. Affects any random events.
- Beauty: Based on your personal opinions of beauty. At the lowest levels you tend to look deformed and grotesque, like The Elephant Man. At the highest levels you can have an inhuman appearance, with otherwise impossible physical attributes.

I think that it would be problematic to have intelligence be controlled by it. I'm not sure why, I guess because I always imagine that it's hard to accurately measure real intelligence and I think it's linked so closely with someone's personality. Although maybe memory would work.

 

[Glaurung]

I'm not sure you need to separate arm and leg strength, as the activities you mention alargely require a combination of both, and of general whole body strength/flexibility. Lifting, and swinging weapons, for example, both need input from the legs for maximum effectiveness, and similarly look at any top jumps athlete and you will see they have pretty strong arms and upper body as well as legs. One thing missing from your list is some measure of charisma - not physical beauty as such, but presence, force of personality, oratory skill etc.

 

[shangrila]

Good to know, I'll check it out. Although I don't think that should prevent others from using a similar idea. Also, it seems like the system in those stories is designed with limitations to prevent really insane things from happening. For instance (according to Wikipedia), in those stories a person can only give one 'endowment' during their entire lifetime.

I was going to point that out; that system is different from the one you're talking about. Assuming you have actual "points" instead of just a general attribute like Runelords used. So, someone can give up a point in strength but it wouldn't force them to give up ALL of their strength.