-4 Str

-4 Str is a meme and trollbait from /tg/. The term is used as a shorthand way of saying that all women -- especially adventurers -- are significantly weaker than men, and ought to take a -4 modifier to their strength score. One can guarantee that by invoking these words, a musclegirl image dump or a stupid argument on whether or not real-life sexual dimorphism is significant enough to stat out will ensue (sometimes both). In any case, it's not worth taking seriously, whether the offending (haw) poster actually thinks it should be or not.

History

Though its origins are shrouded in mystery, some evidence has come along to point to -4 Str's beginnings, or at least a very similar concept.

An oldfag says: "This meme is at least as old as 1978. Check page 15 of 1st ed. AD&D: a table for racial min/max for each stat and gender, but the only real difference is -1 Str for femme Dwarves, -2 Str for femme Elves, -3 Str for femme Gnomes and Halflings. All the other stats -- Int, Wis, Dex, Con, Chr -- are the same for both genders. Cue feminazi bashing of Gary Gygax."

See Also:

• Women are Underpowered in d20
• List of world records in athletics
• Comparable weight classes in the list of world records in weightlifting
• Female Fantasy Armor

Gallery

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  1st Ed D&D; the origin of the meme?