Back in the day, playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, we never used the Deities and Demigods rulebook as a “Monster Manual of gods” (though this apparently happened in other groups). We got way more use out of the extended ability scores tables in the front of the book.

Usually it wasn’t due to characters having inherent ability scores above 18 (though those amazing magic tomes got used more than once), but more often to reference temporary ability boosts from magic items, like Giant Strength potions. It was so fun opening the DDG to find what your over-18 abilities were.

Strength was fairly simple, being a logical progression of the table in the Player’s Handbook, with no new special abilities. But, wow, talk about being a juggernaut in melee and a threat to doors and gates everywhere!

Intelligence, in addition to boosting magic users in their spellcasting, also conveyed increasing…