D&D 5E Point Buy vs Rolling for Stats

[Oofta]

Not 'only,' no, (not that it was 'only' back at the height of the fad), but you can still play those sorts of characters...

The point is we ignore many, many things from previous editions.

'easiest' sounds good.

Resolving combat with the flip of a coin would also be easier. What's simpler than "heads you win, tails you're dead"? That doesn't make it better.

Fine.

Got a better one?

One that models a somewhat generic but still randomized population and that - to mirror what the game uses for its PCs - gives a 3-18 range?

If yes, let's hear it!

Why would I ever need it? I don't bother with ability scores for 99% of my NPCs, if I do bother most of the time it's "stronger than average" or "dimwitted". Beyond that I'll just assign scores as I see fit or base it on an NPC from the book. If I want to randomize it I'll just use the guidelines from the DMG page 89.

It's a much better model than point buy, though. If it's not a good model, then point buy is horrible for modeling it.

Yep, keep insisting on your one true way. You prefer rolling, I prefer point buy. What else is there to discuss?

 

[Wulffolk]

I am just waiting for this thread to finally sputter off and die so that I can post a new thread on this exact same subject in a couple of weeks, once this thread falls far enough that somebody too lazy to scroll a little or do a search won't see it immediately.

;-)

 

[Oofta]

I am just waiting for this thread to finally sputter off and die so that I can post a new thread on this exact same subject in a couple of weeks, once this thread falls far enough that somebody too lazy to scroll a little or do a search won't see it immediately.

;-)

I should have quit with my canned response on page 1. I know the way this thread always goes.

 

[Hussar]

Fine.

Got a better one?

One that models a somewhat generic but still randomized population and that - to mirror what the game uses for its PCs - gives a 3-18 range?

If yes, let's hear it!

Why would we need one? What purpose is served? How does it improve the game to presume that the population falls on this 3-18 bell curve that is never actually used?

/edit

ninja'd by Oofta.

 

[Hussar]

And one more point about looking to published works for proof. Tell you what, for every ADnD book you can find examples where all npcs are created on a 3-18 curve, I'll point to five that don't.

Let's see who runs out first. I'll start:

B1-13
A1-4
100 issues of Dungeon magazine.
Every setting book for every TSR setting.

So, now, in order to show similar levels of support that I've shown, you only need to find about 100 works.

I'll be over here having a donut while I wait.

 

[Yardiff]

Pages 26-32 of the B1 In Search of the Unknown for D&D basic has lots of stated NPCs.

 

[Yardiff]

This is from B2...

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCs)
Whenever the players encounter a person, it is helpful to have the characteristics of that person at ready. Before play, roll the Strength, Intelligence, etc. for each NPC. Make the adjustments as permitted in the D&D BASIC SET, select a personality, and equip the character (if details are not already given).

 

[Yardiff]

B3 room 7 lists 2 thiefs to encounter with full stats listed.

 

[Maxperson]

Yep, keep insisting on your one true way. You prefer rolling, I prefer point buy. What else is there to discuss?

You can't point to a single instance of my saying you have to do things my way or that my way is the only way, yet I can point to multiple instances of my saying point buy and arrays are okay. Not as realistic as rolling, but okay. Engaging in accusations that you know to be false does little to improve my opinion of you.

 

[Maxperson]

Pages 26-32 of the B1 In Search of the Unknown for D&D basic has lots of stated NPCs.

He qualified it as "All NPCs" so that he could disingenuously be right. He knows very well that NPCs were statted out all over the place.