You don’t get to say, “I have a high charisma because I’m not very good at roleplaying.” My response to that is, “Then, you should get better at it. And you wo

You don’t get to say, “I have a high charisma because I’m not very good at roleplaying.” My response to that is, “Then, you should get better at it. And you won’t get any better by just rolling dice. You’ll only get better by roleplaying.” No. Some people are both not good at speaking under pressure, but want to be part of a story where their character is a good diplomat. I have a player like that. Telling her, "sorry, you don't get to roll, suck it up and get better at talking" is a surefire way to lose a player and a friend. Must she select the topic of discourse? Of course; players are expected to make decisions for their own characters. Must she come up with an eloquent convincing ex temporaneous speech? Hell no. That's as stupid as forcing your players to solve a real-life puzzle or riddle to progress in the story. ----- On another note, combat statistics serve a very important purpose in a roleplaying game: they serve as a neutral referee, a "higher authority". Call it a crutch if you will, but allowing the combat to progress as the dice dictate precludes me (the GM) from unconsciously projecting unfair biases onto the outcome of combat actions. A player will often have one idea what their weapons can do, while the GM has another. (Other players may even have a third opinion!) Mismatch in these expectations is a sure way to kill player morale. Fixed statistics eliminate this potential source of GM-player friction by codifying agreement of weapon capabilities. Note that impromptu skill checks follow a similar code: if the player proposes their character do something "creative", the GM can fall back to the system of skill checks and situational bonuses to derive a reasonable DC for the die roll(s). Often this may be negotiated with the player. Like weapon statistics, this method eliminates (perceived or real) favoritism and helps the game progress more smoothly.