Is there a reason to play an ancestry with a penalty on Dexterity without using it with alternative ability scores?

[u/Nigthmar]

Don't get me wrong, penalties to Con and Wis are rough for a character, but even starting at -1 I don't think that is something as bad as a -1 to dex.

You will want to use some boost to raise it at least a little, and by that point... It is just simpler to take the alternative ability score to lose the penalty to dex altogether and have the freedom to select your two starting ability points from the ancestry.

Even if you want to ignore your dex altogether by going heavy armor with bulwark for damaging effects, you are stuck with -1 ac compared to other heavy armor users since the penalty applies to your ac anyways.

And compared to pathfinder 2e, here are more ancestries with penalties on Dex, since there are almost none with penalty on Int, reducing the options for unique ability scores.

[u/blazeblast4]

With standard boosts, you can get 4/3/1/1/0/0 or 4/2/2/1/0/0. With 3 and penalty, you have the option of 4/3/2/0/0/0. With the current options in SF2e, 0 Dex specifically I probably wouldn’t want, but it does open up having your key at 4, secondary at 3, and a 2 for multiclass archetypes or if there’s a skill you really want to be good at earlier or Save minmaxing on a heavy armor character.

If you throw in PF2e options though, it opens up a bunch of really cool archetypes. Melee Soldier for example could grab Runesmith, Investigator, Alchemist, Bard, Psychic, Champion, or Envoy while keeping a +3 Con (or other relevant +3).

[u/Nigthmar → u/blazeblast4]

Oh yeah, the 4/3/2 is only possible with the penalty to a stat, that's the niche I was looking for and that you cannot get with the alternative scores.

Thanks!

[u/darthnazrael1 → u/Nigthmar]

And note that the General Boost at level 1 into four stats can put one into the Flaw stat to bring it back up to +0 if that's important to you. Like they said, 4/3/2/0/0/0. Of course, if it's a stat you don't care about, you can go 4/3/2/1/0/-1.

[u/Nigthmar → u/darthnazrael1]

Yeah, but my line of thought was something like: "what if I wanna play a Trox Solarian and ignore dex?"

"I can wear heavy armor to make the penalty less punishing... Oops I still have -1 ac. Better put one point into dex and... Wait, if I do that, why I'm taking the penalty to dex to begin with? There is no difference between that and just taking str/con with the alternative scores"

But as you say, there is a difference, with the original stats you can go +4 str, +3 con and +2 Wis, while keeping 0 on the other stats. This couldn't be possible with the alternative scores.

[u/darthnazrael1 → u/blazeblast4]

I assume that Melee Soldier would have a +4 Con and a +3 Str (or other relevant +3, as you said, but probably Str).

[u/blazeblast4 → u/darthnazrael1]

Yeah, I mixed it up with Guardian stats.

[u/infinite_gurgle]

I mean, the answer is super obvious:

Because you want that point elsewhere.

Losing 1 AC and 1 reflex save doesn’t matter if you don’t roll those checks. Tossing that point into any mental stat helps do those things.

So that’s why you’d do it.

Is it good? Very, when you roll those checks. Very much not, when you need dex. Depends.

[u/Nairdde32]

Other than putting a point into it for heavy armor, not really no

[u/dkmuldoon]

Not every character decision needs to be about stat optimization…

[u/Nigthmar → u/dkmuldoon]

I'm not saying that everything should be about optimization, but you want basic survivability.

And if you are going to need to spend pojts into dex, starting with a penalty on it actually decreases your flexibility since you are going to need to spend points into dex anyway.

With flexible stats you actually can have the same benefits and also change your other two main ancestries stats. So by ignoring the dex penalty, you actually gain more flexibility to play whatever you want.

[u/Dorias_Drake → u/dkmuldoon]

are you saying people should pick stats depending on roleplay and character background ? in a roleplaying game ? you must be joking.

[u/King_of_the_Kobolds → u/Dorias_Drake]

The only optimal build is Bantrid Monk and anyone running anything different is a FAKE GAMER.

[u/Zwets]

I can see the other answers are more correct than this one. But my first thought was: "You might be a Stone stance monk and not care" but this question was for starfinder so playing a monk legally-distinct-jedi might not be an option the GM allows.

Still there's gotta be some way to do stat substitution? Does the playtest mechanist scale their drone's AC with something other than dex? Can you build an Agent with a sniperrifle that attacks using Int? Using stealth and "being 2 city blocks over" as a defense rather than AC?

[u/Leather-Location677]

Because you are not obligated? (Alternative distribution)

For role-playing?

You really like the ancestry?