My personal opinion is that charisma defines and establishes the soul pool, therefore it seems an appropriate measure of "soul". Without enough "soul", how then can you obtain a holy weapon?

Simply my take.


Madigan

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.

Arthur Ashe

I tend to think of it from a RP angle as well. Paladins are supposedly leaders and therefore should be charismatic. Not a reason I'd run out and train a stat but really, over fiftieth circle and a 13 charisma? Eesh.

Leucius

Never argue with an idiot, they bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

The whole soul pool thing is silly to my mind. Charisma is your ability to influence others. I never understood it's role in the spirit. Why does someone who has 50 charisma have more "soul" than someone who has 10?

It's almost as if having more charisma alone makes you more righteous. Spirit is a very internal thing, and yet the most external of stats has the most influence over it. I don't think soul pool should be tied to charisma or any other stat. It should be it's own entity which grows with the paladin.

Dandon

Sam provided a good perspective.

Bottom line, this isn't changing. Primarily because it's been around for so long, it's just part of the guild. And many development GMs have stayed with this tradition.

~Maece

"You thought it was me gnawing on the passengers? Nah, I'm a vegetarian."

Flight of the Living Dead, 2007

<<Another way to envision charisma is ones sense of Self. Such a thing I think would be vital to our abilities and quests.>>


One really doesn't need to go further than the dictionary to see why charisma is a vital part of any system or ability that involves leadership, influencing others, or spirituality (spirit health, spirit combat). Or, in this case, something like a holy weapon.

1. Theology. a divinely conferred gift or power.
2. a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people.
3. the special virtue of an office, function, position, etc., that confers or is thought to confer on the person holding it an unusual ability for leadership, worthiness of veneration, or the like.

or...

1.
A. A rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm.
B. Personal magnetism or charm.

2. Christianity An extraordinary power, such as the ability to perform miracles, granted by the Holy Spirit.


- GM Dartenian

"So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried, he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled that thing
That couldn't be done and he did it."
- Edgar Guest

My point was this...

While training a stat for certain desired results is deffinetly recomended,
I can think of no spell or ability that requires a stat to a certain minimum to be able to obtain it. You may not be able to cast that spell because you didn't have enough discipline to augemt your skills to enable you to cast it... but you can get it... you may not have enough charsima to successfully do something... But it should not stop you from being able to attain it... The only prerequsites I've seen for spells dances roars enchants etc. is level... certain ranks... or pre-earned abilities... I felt this was the way it is because forcing someone to train stats a certain way to obtain abilities and other earnings creates a cookiecutter effect of every person with a certain ability having the same in something
(even a minimum same in something).

Abilities can be very limited even to the point of noneffective... But not restricted from being attained...

A good example is the Shadow Servant spell... The guildleader even warns you that you will need to be well versed in harness to utilize it... so choose at yer own risk...

so possibly the monomage could only cast it if say all three moons were out due to their stats ranks and boosters... but they still get a chance to try.



I may not have enough soul pool to summon the power to trace the glyph of renew successfully...
But I should be able to try... and maybe I trained other stats and abilities that help aid the size of my soul pool... maybe levels even... the fact is even a 100th paladin could not quest for the glyph of renew right now if they chose not to train charisma...

>The only prerequsites I've seen for spells dances roars enchants etc. is level

Ranger companions have a charisma requirement as well, and I believe beseeches do as well. Bard voice throws have stat reqs that are secret. I believe cleric spells like rezz and mof have a stat req, but I'm not 100% sure. Barbarian dances can be hindered by training discipline. Weapon feats (like crossbow RT reduction or reduced load from quiver) have a stat requirement. In addition, many abilities have a soft stat requirement (stat + skill).

In short, a modest charisma requirement is not unreasonable for a paladin ability.

>I can think of no spell or ability that requires a stat to a certain minimum to be able to obtain it.


Recall. Voice Throws.


- GM Dartenian

"So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried, he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled that thing
That couldn't be done and he did it."
- Edgar Guest