What Ability Score Generation Method do you use?

[Henry]

...They just don't get it - they still seem to think they are being cheated out of stats. Sigh.

This is the 2E Mentality talking. Under 2E, a character with a 15,14,12, 11, 10, and 8 would almost be considered a hopeless character. Now, it's different, but it's hard to let old habits die.

 

[Dave G]

I don't get the point buy. If you give your players 25 points that seems lame and cruel because their average stat would be a 4!!! Can someone explain?

 

[Henry]

I also use a variant of sayburr's character creation guidelines.

I have seen the same or something very similar on at least 7 web sites. None ever credit the original author.

Unless someone can prove otherwise, Arcady is the original author. It bugs me when someone doesn't get credit for an idea. He first mentioned this method sometime between August and December of 2000, unless someone has an earlier mention.


BTW - I have used anything from the standard PHB method, to a 36-point buy variant for a d20 Star Wars game. I experiment from campaign to campaign, just to see if anything works particularly well for us.

One method our group has been using is 4d6, drop lowest, 7 times, and discard the lowest of the 7. Then, arrange scores in any order. We seem to like it.

 

[Gez]

I don't get the point buy. If you give your players 25 points that seems lame and cruel because their average stat would be a 4!!! Can someone explain?

If it ain't a joke (sorry, I failed my Sense Motive check), here is the explanation: you don't distribute the point (it's not point distribution), but you buy scores.

You have a chart like this:
07 or lower: not allowed.
08: 0
09: 1
10: 2
11: 3
12: 4
13: 5
14: 7
15: 9
16: 11
17: 13
18: 16

This is IIRC, so I may be mistaken. 25 points allows you (provided I'm not wrong in my figute) to have 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 8.

 

[spinjammer]

I let my players choose their attributes according to what they want to play. But until now, they all declined and took the 4d6 best three, free arangement. Their credo is: the dice are what nature has given me. The fighter in the group has more charisma then strength!

Spinjammer

 

[G.A. Donis]

Lately it seems we've been using point buy with more than 25 points (32 lately). I'm thinking next time someone wants our group to roll up characters, I'm going to suggest 4d6 drop the lowest. Rolled in order (OLD SCHOOL!). After you get your stats then you figure out what kind of character you can play. That might be a good way to get out of a rut "I always play a *****".

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

4d6 drop lowest. If the stats are too horrible I'll let them roll one more time but they have to take the new results. Point buys take all the fun out of making a character.

 

[Fenes]

Pick your scores, often with a max total, and DM's approval.

 

[kyuss]

ability score generation

I'm probably in the minority, but I try and convince every Dm to let me use the handy die chart in the back of Unearthed Arcnana. Nothing like rolling 9d6 for strength.

 

[DwarvenBrew]

30 or 32 pt buy

I like a 30 or 32 buy. It allows everyone to have "heroic" characters without it getting out of hand, and everyone then starts on an even field.

I REALLY like the point system because in my old 2e gaming group, we sometimes had issues because because someone would roll ridiculous scores and all hell would break loose when that person became an elven duel wielding blinder of death with the mightly composite bow that could topple towers from a mile away (well a bit of an exaggeration but it generally wasn't fun none-the-less).

The point buy system seems to keep the whiners away, yet at the same time it gives players a lot of room to work with.