[RPG] How to you describe a character with low Constitution but high Dexterity and Strength?

ability-scoresdnd-5enarration

I just rolled up stats for a new campaign, and ended up with the following:

  • 15 Strength
  • 13 Dexterity
  • 6 Constitution
  • 18 Intelligence
  • 8 Wisdom
  • 6 Charisma

I'm going to be playing a wizard, but I'm stuck on how to describe my character. Normally with a high-INT low-CON wizard I'd go with the standard Raistlin trope – physically weak, but strong in arcane power. However, if I describe my character as physically weak, it'll seem really weird when he has higher STR than the rest of the party and a decent DEX score.

How can I describe a character with very low health (I'll have 4hp at level 1, all the way up to 42 at level 20) who is yet able to lift 225 pounds or jump a fifteen foot gap?

Best Answer

As the stats describe

From PHB Chapter 7:

  • Strength measures bodily power, athletic training, and the extent to which you can exert raw physical force.
  • Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance.
  • Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force.

Your character has the musculature of a bodybuilder, the reflexes of a cat but the cardio-vascular system of a terminal heart patient. You can exert raw power and dance beautifully ... just not for very long.

Indeed, perhaps you have an adult congenital heart defect, or stable angina or a respiratory disease like tuberculosis or asthma (not subject to magical cure for whatever reason).