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<blockquote data-quote="Fifth Element" data-source="post: 5549842" data-attributes="member: 48135"><p>I think you'll find this is a very unusual situation, and certainly is not the assumption in AD&D. I was talking about the incongruity of the AD&D rules, where you can choose everything about your character, including things that you have no control over in "real life" (such as your race or your name), but you roll your stats randomly. It strikes me as odd that that part of your character should be determined randomly, while so much else you can simply decide yourself.</p><p></p><p>I'd say it's very unusual for a DM to assign character backgrounds and names to the players. It can work for your group, but I think very few groups do it that way.</p><p></p><p></p><p>You say usually, I'd say "sometimes." Non-random character determination allows you to begin developing your character before you have determined any of the mechanical aspects. You might have a great idea for a fighter, but if you roll a 5 for Strength, he wouldn't be a fighter, so there goes that idea.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That sort of thing is pretty common, I think, and means that stat determination is not, in fact, random. The specific numbers are not set beforehand, but especially when you used 4d6 drop one, typically the range of numbers you get is fairly narrow. The player doesn't have complete control over the stats, but it's far from fully random determination. You can choose whether your character is strong or not, for example.</p><p></p><p> </p><p>If stats are the only thing that separates the fighters mechanically, then I'd agree with you. In recent editions of the game, however, there are enough other mechanical choices to make that it's rare to get two very similar characters of the same class, especially as levels increase.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Fifth Element, post: 5549842, member: 48135"] I think you'll find this is a very unusual situation, and certainly is not the assumption in AD&D. I was talking about the incongruity of the AD&D rules, where you can choose everything about your character, including things that you have no control over in "real life" (such as your race or your name), but you roll your stats randomly. It strikes me as odd that that part of your character should be determined randomly, while so much else you can simply decide yourself. I'd say it's very unusual for a DM to assign character backgrounds and names to the players. It can work for your group, but I think very few groups do it that way. You say usually, I'd say "sometimes." Non-random character determination allows you to begin developing your character before you have determined any of the mechanical aspects. You might have a great idea for a fighter, but if you roll a 5 for Strength, he wouldn't be a fighter, so there goes that idea. That sort of thing is pretty common, I think, and means that stat determination is not, in fact, random. The specific numbers are not set beforehand, but especially when you used 4d6 drop one, typically the range of numbers you get is fairly narrow. The player doesn't have complete control over the stats, but it's far from fully random determination. You can choose whether your character is strong or not, for example. If stats are the only thing that separates the fighters mechanically, then I'd agree with you. In recent editions of the game, however, there are enough other mechanical choices to make that it's rare to get two very similar characters of the same class, especially as levels increase. [/QUOTE]
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