redrick
First Post
I'm an old school grognard person and we rolled using Gary Gaygax suggestions then and now.
1e DMG pg 11 "As AD&D is an ongoing game of fantasy adventuring, it is important to allow participants to generate a viable character of the race and profession which he or she desires. While it is possible to generate some fairly playable characters by rolling 3d6, there is often an extended period of attempts at finding a suitable one due to quirks of the dice. Furthermore, these rather marginal characters tend to have short life expectancy - which tends to discourage new players, as does having to make do with some character of a race and/or class which he or she really can't or won't identify with. Character generation, then, is a serious matter, and it is recommended that the following systems be used."
1e PHB pg 9 "Furthermore, it is usually essential to the character's survival to be exceptional (with a rating of 15 or above) in no fewer than two ability characteristics."
What it really comes down to is what you think is good enough for a 'heroic adventurer', standard array and 27-point buy doesn't work for me. 35+ point buy with an 18 cap and also a max starting stat of 18 would work. 5e is very flexible so higher starting stats can be readily adjusted for.
Interesting, I'd never heard this particular Gygax. So much of the conversation I see positions the "roll 3d6 in a row; live and die by the results" as the most Old Skool method.
Once you factor in the species modifiers, most characters using the standard array are going to have at least two ability scores of 15 or above, so 5e meets that Gary maxim.
I came up playing in the early and mid 90s, so Gygax was less of a direct influence on what we played. I get the sense that the game most of us play today is a very different style of game from the one Gary played at his table. "Survivability" just isn't a major concern; it's more about the strengths (and weaknesses) that tend to give a character a chance to shine at the table.
I'll also add that, in my opinion, weaknesses are way more effective scene stealer than strengths. Sure, whatever, your character always hits because they have a +5 STR at level 1, but my character always falls down the stairs because they have a -3 DEX. Nothing says spotlight like spectacular failure!