D&D General How Do You "Roll Up" Ability Scores?

[Maxperson]

No, not really. It just seems people like to gamble to get good stats.

This is not the primary reason for rolling for everyone, or probably even most people. The fun of seeing what you get is very big reason. The lack of everyone having identical numbers before racial bonuses is a big one. The mini game of everyone rolling strength to see who does best there is a big one. Tradition is a huge one. There are lots of reasons people like to roll and just trying to get good stats, especially in an edition where stats don't matter much, isn't why everyone(or even most people) rolls stats.

Like I said, if gaining power was not part of it, you could just randomise between balanced arrays.

Nope. That does not accomplish any of the reasons I stated above.

 

[Horwath]

Arrays are not balanced, either. Consider the following two rogues.

S:12
D: 13
C:8
I:10
W:14
CH:15

S:14
D: 15
C:12
I:13
W:8
CH:10

Those are not balanced characters. Rogue #1 has decided to focus on social skills, so put high stats into wisdom(for insight) and charisma(deception and diplomacy). Rogue #2 wants the traditional rogue skills. The thing is, the stats are not equal. Some are better than others.

It's 100% in players hands.
There is no luck roll to force you taking one array over the other.

And having Con 8 is premeditated suicide.

Also, Con should be deleted, point array loses stat 13, point buy loses 5pts, everyone gets +2 HP/level. Con saves moved to STR.
about 80% of PCs in 5E that I saw had CON 14

 

[Parmandur]

Being the same is not what entails balance in 5E. Having 6 attributes that fall within a 46dl bell curve is what is balanced.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Being the same is not what entails balance in 5E. Having 6 attributes that fall within a 46dl bell curve is what is balanced.

Six threes and six eighteens fall within that curve.

 

[Xamnam]

No, not really. It just seems people like to gamble to get good stats. Like I said, if gaining power was not part of it, you could just randomise between balanced arrays.

Rolling dice is fun. The tension of uncertain results and slowly parceled out release thereof is fun. The figuring out how to adapt your goals to the things beyond your control is fun. Seeing high numbers is fun, I won't deny that, but so too is seeing low ones, in the same way that some people see critical failures as exciting.

 

[Horwath]

People have also stated they want the possibility of bad states.

Still do not see any sense in rolling,
If you want a bad stat, just take a bad stat.
And for adventurers, 8 is a bad stat. In that lifestyle, 10 is a BAD stat.

best character that I saw was a half-elf barbarian, we played with bonus 1st level feat(as it should have been from 2014, but some hairbrain decided that feats are "optional").

Bonus feat: skill expert

stats:
Str: 13+2+1(skill expert)
dex: 13+1
con: 13+1, because OFC if was 14, there is no other score for Con beside 14
int: 12
wis: 12
cha: 12

7 skills, 1 expertise at 1st level, with a barbarian.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

And having Con 8 is premeditated suicide.

Is it though?

Anecdote: I had a Kenku GOO Warlock make it to 6th level with a 9 CON in our Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd campaign. Unfortunately, he also had a 6 INT and thought the best way to defeat a shambling mound (with just two other allies at that session, mind you), was to climb on top of it and stab it with his spear. He was consumed.


EDIT: just checked... actually 6th level!

 

[Horwath]

If they didn't, WotC would not have included them as an option.

WotC included them as they are THE sacred cow that they can get themselves to kill already.
same with ability scores, just use modifiers.

here, a simple point buy:
no racial, background, class or whatever ASIs for character creation:

-2 mod: -3 pts(optional)
-1 mod: -1 pt
+0 mod: 0 pts
+1 mod: 1 pt
+2 mod: 2 pts
+3 mod: 4 pts
+4 mod: 7 pts(optional)

pool: 10 pts

 

[Horwath]

Is it though?

Anecdote: I had a Kenku GOO Warlock make it to 5th level with a 9 CON in our Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd campaign. Unfortunately, he also had a 6 INT and thought the best way to defeat a shambling mound (with just two other allies at that session, mind you), was to climb on top of it and stab it with his spear. He was consumed.

6 int and 9 con?
that character should have died before 1st class level as teenager, stupidly getting cut on a rusty nail and with 9 con die from tetanus.

 

[nevin]

a 9 con is just a bit below average.