I have a friend who swears by random, but he almost always rolls considerably better than the average for the number of dice given.
I've tried stat arrays, one thing which was interesting was the fortune telling method in Dragon Magazine using 3 Dragon Ante Cards. It was a stat array system with random stat prioritization. it was interesting as well.
Personally I tend to favor point buy with a lower minimum attribute value It works out to being equivalent to 30 point point buy, with extra points given to offset the starting score of 6 instead of 8 (for a total of 42 points) and with the condition that no score be below six. If a score is below that after racial mods they have to buy it up to 6.
The method I see most commonly (at least, in the groups I've played in) was 4d6, reroll 1s, drop the low die, and arrange as desired. Course, it doesn't always guarantee good scores - when I started with my current group, my highest score was 12. The DM let me reroll, and I ended up with much better scores (an 18, and the rest 11+).
It really depends on what kind of campaign you're running, too - for high fantasy, the above is good; if you're doing a mid-power game, the standard PHB method (4d6, drop the low die) would probably would just fine. I never much cared for point buy, personally, but it does enable better control over things - everyone's on the same level, which is why they use it for RPGA.
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I've used all the standard methods and a few I've come up with over the years. I like the customization of point buy but its inherent logic--you are going to be weak in an area or two if you are going to be truly exceptional in one--never sat well with me. And then the random rolls, while fun and exciting, are often as much a major let down if the rolls don't measure up to the concept.
That said, one of the methods I've liked is a hybrid between rolling and point buy.
1) Start with 8 in each ability.
2) Assign 15 points as desired. A min of 1 must be placed in each score, with no more than 9 points assigned to a single score. This provides a range from 9-17 for all stats.
3) Roll 1d6 6 times, assign one die to each score. No score can have a total greater than 18. This gives a range of 10-18 for all stats (before racial mods).
I've got a question for you guys:
What do you think of class-based ability modifiers?
I was thinking of something like:
Bard: Str -1, Cha +1.
Barbarian: Con +1, Int -1.
Cleric: Dex -1, Wis +1.
Druid: Int -1, Wis +1.
Fighter: +1 to any physical score, -1 to any mental.
Monk: Dex +1, Int -1, Wis +1, Cha -1.
Paladin: Dex -1, Cha +1.
Ranger: Dex +1, Int -1.
Rogue: Dex +1, Wis -1.
Sorcerer: Str -1, Cha +1.
Wizard: Str -1, Int +1.
It could be kind of an early training thing, but I was thinking just as something to represent their class training, and outside of the game, to mitigate some of the dissatisfaction with dice rolls. You could easily rule that the bonus cannot increase a score beyond 18, and if that stat with the bonus is at 18, the +1 goes to a different score (like Con, perhaps).
All things being equal (race, stats, etc), a cleric is going to be wiser than a bard, who is going to be more charming and personable than a monk, etc., etc.
A +1 isn't enough of a difference to change the game, but its significant enough to give that character an edge. I would also give the bonus only at 1st level, not just when a character takes a new class.
To illustrate, two humans (all stats = 10) are training in their respective professions; fighter and rogue. The rogue would be quicker and more agile (Dex of 11) and would need only half as long (4 levels instead of 8), to significantly improve that speed and accuracy. While a Fighter that trains with all the weapons and armor available, has become stronger (Str +1) and because of this foundation, he would be able to improve his strength much sooner (4 levels instead of 8) than the rogue would.
What are people's opinions of this? Do you make people roll for stats, use point buy or some other system.
Sorry... I've seen too many people cheat. Even if there is no cheating, the character that starts with 75-80 stat points will have a great advantage over the character that starts with 60-65 stat points. The game is skewed against some players from the start.
Random rolling often generates all stats between 10 and 14... how boring.
I prefer to give everyone an 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 08... which is equal to a 22 point buy-in with the two highest stats each getting a +2.
That way characters have high stats to make them the best of their class (aka an adventurer), and low stats for interesting flaws.
Depends on how long you want your game to last before it breaks.
Random character generation bakes in the brokenness before play even starts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylrae
I have a friend who swears by random, but he almost always rolls considerably better than the average for the number of dice given.
LMAO... I've seen characters with randomly rolled hit points that exceed maximum die values.
For HP, I give characters the maximum at first level, and the average dice roll, rounded up afterward.
I had a friend whose dwarf fighter had an 18 Con and rolled four consecutive 10s for HP. I saw all dice rolls, but if I hadn't I would've expected some funny business. I also witnessed a fighter that rolled consecutive 1s of HP. The character died, and that player indicated they would rater start over than keep it alive. Randomness in character generation and development is not IMVHO good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylrae
Personally I tend to favor point buy with a lower minimum attribute value It works out to being equivalent to 30 point point buy, with extra points given to offset the starting score of 6 instead of 8 (for a total of 42 points) and with the condition that no score be below six. If a score is below that after racial mods they have to buy it up to 6.
I threw out racial mods, because it pidgeonholed players into only running certain race/class combinations.
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