D&D 5E Point Buy vs Rolling for Stats

[Maxperson]

Why don't we roll to see if wizards get a new spell slot, or if the rogue gets to add an extra sneak attack die? It's boring that everyone gets the same abilities too. Better yet, since random is teh bestest, why don't we roll to see what die type you use for ability checks? I mean, isnt it kind of lame everyone rolls a d20 for attacks! YAY RANDOM.

I like randomness in play. Not in character resources.

LOL Wow! Go overboard much?

 

[Caliban]

Rolling for HP was how it was done until 4e, so that means about 30 years of rolling for HP for me and the guys I play with. We used to role at first level too, I have seen plenty of wizards with less than 4 hp at level 1, or about 30 HP at level 10.

Getting assigned HP takes the fun out of it, I want to roll that 12 for HP with that barbarian.

We do play with a house rule that durable applies to your HP roll also, now durable is a feat people take sometimes. Toughness was never taken much anyway

Cool story bro. Just because you do it a certain way doesn't mean it's the only way to enjoy the game. I've been using point buy and average HP since the beginning of 3e, so about 17 years now.

But you should keep rolling your dice if you find that enjoyable. I personally do not, but I'm glad that you enjoy playing that way. Just please don't try to tell me how I should play the game, or that how I prefer to play the game is somehow wrong or inferior just because it is different from how you do it.

Because that's just being rude.

 

[Caliban]

However, and be honest, is the issue you are afraid to roll for HP because you might be lower than someone else or be below expectation i.e that you got screwed? I think that's a bigger issue.

Translation: "I've already decided what the answer is and will not believe anything you say that might contradict my preferred narrative."

 

[Tony Vargas]

most of us have been dealing with the same or similar problems for so long that it's not really a matter of 'compensating' anymore, it's business-as-usual

I don't compensate for it, though.

Sure, just business as usual.

Why don't we roll to see if wizards get a new spell slot,

We used to roll to see if a magic-user could 'know' a new spell ...

 

[Maxperson]

We used to roll to see if a magic-user could 'know' a new spell ...

I almost replied with that, but he didn't seem to want to actually have a discussion.

 

[Lanefan]

Why don't we roll to see if wizards get a new spell slot,

For many many years we used a spell point system for all casters, and guess what?

Rolled, just like hit points.

Now I'm back to a modified slot system, with both a base and a random element to it. The reason for the random element is specifically to make it that not all casters of a given level will be exactly the same.

Nothing is worse than a metagaming player counting an opponent's spells-cast and saying "That it! He's out of 3rd's - no more fireballs! Get him!"

I like randomness in play. Not in character resources.

The most important character resources you can get in the long term are - like it or not - magic items. These are often quite random, particularly if the DM is running pre-packaged modules stock and just giving out what's in them.

Lanefan

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Sure, just business as usual.
We used to roll to see if a magic-user could 'know' a new spell ...

But you still GOT a new spell slot. So if not flaming sphere then odds are another damage spell. On the other hand, a frontline fighter who rolls a few 1's for their early HP is severely hampered in doing their desired function. HP are a character resource. They shouldn't be randomly determined.

 

[Oofta]

But you still GOT a new spell slot. So if not flaming sphere then odds are another damage spell. On the other hand, a frontline fighter who rolls a few 1's for their early HP is severely hampered in doing their desired function. HP are a character resource. They shouldn't be randomly determined.

I remember reading the 1E(?) PHB about rolling for HP and something along the line of "If your fighter rolls low for HP, then you should stay in the back out of the fight."

I thought that was one of the dumbest thing ever written in the book and still do. We always had a house rule before average ability scores was the default that when you rolled you got half or more of your HP.

But I'm glad the game has evolved from and improved upon it's roots. If you want to be like my friend who thinks the last good song was released edition was published when they were in high school, go for it.

 

[Tony Vargas]

But you still GOT a new spell slot. So if not flaming sphere then odds are another damage spell.

Odds were no flaming sphere because it hadn't hit print yet. In fact, level 2 was decidedly light on damaging spells in 1e. Random chance determined all sorts of things about your character back in the day, not 'just' your stats and hps. Especially if the DM was rolling randomly for magic items, since those could really shape your character.

The idea of 'building' a character didn't exist in D&D until much later, we'd've said, back then, that we were 'rolling up' a character.

Of course, point-buy, fixed hp, choosing 'free' spells just for gaining a level, wealth/level & make/buy, &c is much better if you're going to take the build approach and evoke 3e rather than the classic game. But, if you're going old-school, the more random, the merrier...

...personally, I had enough of that back in the day and am happy to build my character.

 

[ddaley]

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you!

Opinions vary greatly.

Personally, I hate rolling for stats. I always prefer point buy. (Mainly because dice hate me and if there is one person at the table who will roll below average stats, it will usually be me.)

Other people feel the opposite.

My group has rolled up characters at the table. We use the 4d6 and drop the lowest. After they roll up a set of 6 stats, I look it over and if it turns out to be too powerful or too weak, I tell them to roll again. Most of the re-rolls seem to be due to low stats.

I think part of the problem with 5e stems from the racial bonuses. They are higher than with older versions of D&D... and bonuses for stats start at lower values. So, it is easy to end up with characters with +5 to hit at level 1.

With that said, most of the chars in my group have some low stats. One fighter type character has an Int of 6.

To me, rolling up characters is half the fun of getting started. I'll tell you, my group had a great time rolling up chars for DCC... and laughing at how awful most of the chars were.