D&D 5E A Proper Ability Score Generation Preference Poll

[Satyrn]

1. Lets you roll for abilities right in front of everyone. If something is out of line the group and DM will decide, something like 6 roles with nothing higher than 12. There wont be any complaints and no one will get upset if you get blessed with a a good set, you did it right in front of them,

I wonder how many times someone has to say "the person who's upset I was 'blessed with a good set' is me" before everyone in the conversation notices.

 

[Caliban]

I have said many this many times, but the most important way to generate PCs is at game session 1 with the whole group there. We use 4d6-L, but that's from old habit. If everyone shows up with a PC idea and theme, which you should, it take just a few minutes to generate your abilities and get the level 1 sheet worked out. Doing so:

1. Lets you roll for abilities right in front of everyone. If something is out of line the group and DM will decide, something like 6 roles with nothing higher than 12. There wont be any complaints and no one will get upset if you get blessed with a a good set, you did it right in front of them,

2. You start building a group dynamic right there. With life cleric and a Paladin you will see that you can play a Valor Bard. With a rogue in the group your fighter can see that Shield Master will be useful to get those sneak attacks in with advantage. Things like that.

3. Your DM can see what you are doing and then adjust from there. He can fit the adventures right around the group.

4. After the first session, where you will be level 2 or 3 after, then you can go home and fill out your PC with your group in mind. The email chain starts for the group discussing how to integrate everyone's abilities.

We have always done this so we never have to worry about rolling 4d6-L. If you think a player would cheat that I wouldn't play with that player, but that's me. But with unknown players I can see it, but rolling in front of everyone eliminates the problem. Sometimes you will get an average PC, with just a few 14's while someone else gets an 18 and 2 17's, that's ok. You can feel happy for another player, next time it could be you.

Or just use point buy and everyone shows up with their characters ready to go...

 

[Caliban]

I wonder how many times someone has to say "the person who's upset I was 'blessed with a good set' is me" before everyone in the conversation notices.

People have trouble seeing things that don't agree with their preconceptions.

 

[Lanefan]

What DM doesn't show up with adventures ready to go and then adjust on the fly? You shouldn't be DM if you don't come prepared.

Adjust on the fly based on what the party chooses to do once it gets into the field, sure. Adjust on the fly because nobody decided to play a front-liner and they didn't recruit an NPC for the job, no.

First level is a blow through, the xp to get to second level is so low its hard not to advance if you do anything and live. Second isn't much either, but usually we get built out and ready to go and then get through first level.

Yeah...sad, isn't it?

Two sessions and you've already gone through 1/10 of the levels the game is in theory designed for...

 

[Satyrn]

Two sessions and you've already gone through 1/10 of the levels the game is in theory designed for...

Have you ever played the Borderlands videogames? They zoom you up to 5th level within 10 minutes of starting, and that's 1/10th of levels in that game. Indeed, it's sorta like 1/6th of the levels since after 30 or so you're replaying the game from the start. (Ignoring DLC)

Yet the games are awesome. So is D&D.

 

[Lanefan]

Have you ever played the Borderlands videogames? They zoom you up to 5th level within 10 minutes of starting, and that's 1/10th of levels in that game. Indeed, it's sorta like 1/6th of the levels since after 30 or so you're replaying the game from the start. (Ignoring DLC)

Different type of game, different expectations, different goals of play.

With a videogame the expectation is usually a short game, played on one's own and sometimes played through repeatedly. Also, oftentimes the main goal of play is to do whatever you need to do to reach the highest level - the destination is more important than the journey. Therefore, if the game has level advancement it kinda has to be very fast in order to fit in with the expectations of a replayable game and being able to reach the highest level in a reasonable amount of time.

With D&D the expectation is (in theory) a long game, possibly open-ended in duration, and only intended to be played through once.* Also, the goal isn't necessarily to reach the highest level but to experience what happens along the way - the journey is more important than the destination and the 'destination' might not even exist at all. Therefore, level advancement needs to be slow enough to allow the duration - the journey - to be as long or as short as desired.

* - with this particular combination of characters/players/DM/setting.

Lanefan

 

[Hussar]

But, be fair [MENTION=29398]Lanefan[/MENTION]. Most people don't mean what you mean by long. Most people don't play in multi-year campaigns. Most people play in campaigns that last less than 2 years in real time.

If you look at hours played, something like Borderlands isn't all that terribly far off what most people play in an RPG campaign. And, the notion that "the journey is the thing" is very, VERY much a playstyle choice that is not shared by all tables. The popularity of Adventure Paths proves that. The notion of open ended campaigns that last 3+ years is something that is exceedingly rare in RPG play.

 

[Satyrn]

I was just jokingly implying that 5e was built like a videogame.

But nobody laughed

 

[Satyrn]

 

[cbwjm]

I think in my two games I'm currently playing in that everyone has used a mixture of stat generation methods. I know there is a cleric with a 6 strength so likely they rolled stats. I used point buy, no idea what others used.