D&D General Which order do you prefer for Ability Scores?

[Tallifer]

This poll is just for fun and a bit of light discussion.

These days I play and run 4E; I also play in a 5E game and a retroclone of 1980 Basic D&D. It is interesting how the order of stats differs between editions, and how it can even matter at times.

For example, in campaigns which allow rolling for stats, the players often get confused. "Awesome. 12, 10, 13, 16, 9. That should make a sweet wizard." "No, in this edition, the 10 is your INT. You could make a decent thief." (Of course, if the player declares what each roll is for, the problem is avoided. I am simply amused by how many times this happens.) For another example, I always find it quicker to parse a player's character sheet when the stats are written in the order I expect. Silly, I know, but interesting to me.

As for me, I prefer the 4E order since I think in terms of Fortitude, Reflex and Will defenses, and therefore I also think of the order of stats as Fightery, Thiefy, Wizardy, Clericy and Bardy.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I'd prefer to vote for: "It doesn't matter. At all."

But if I had to choose I'll go with the order I have always been most familiar with - 1E.

 

[jgsugden]

It took me a looooong time to transition my hand written character sheets from SIWCDC to SDCIWC, but once I made the move I was stuck on it - although my current character sheet design is more of a circle with the character's primary attribute at the top and all the derivative impacts of it listed in spirals around it.

 

[cbwjm]

I prefer 2e just because it groups the stats by physical/mental which just makes more sense to me. I guess the order of them in those two groupings probably doesn't matter too much but I like this way as it just feels right to me.

 

[RangerWickett]

Personally I'd like to frame it as:

Power
Strength (physical power)
Charisma (mental power)

Finesse
Dexterity (physical finesse)
Intelligence (mental finesse)

Resilience
Constitution (physical resilience)
Wisdom (mental resilience)

In a social encounter, you can just brute force your way through the problem by being more charming and persuasive, or you can come up with some clever way to outwit the other side. When someone tries to mess with you, your wisdom lets you resist.

---

I'd hate to miss a chance to mention a cowboy RPG I wrote where the stats were, in alphabetical order:

Awareness
Brawn
Cunning
Daring
Education
Fanciness
Grit
Health
Initiative
Justice
Killing
Luck

It was an unwieldy system.

 

[the Jester]

1e style, but for a... rather odd... reason. Check this out:

STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA

Now look at those first three. But read them from bottom to top, and right to left:

STR
INT
WIS

 

[Charlaquin]

Personally I'd like to frame it as:

Power
Strength (physical power)
Charisma (mental power)

Finesse
Dexterity (physical finesse)
Intelligence (mental finesse)

Resilience
Constitution (physical resilience)
Wisdom (mental resilience)

Very WhiteWolf-esque

I voted for 4e, only because there was a specific reason for them to be in that order - placing abilities together that could be chosen from to determine a defense value. In other editions though, the order doesn’t matter to me at all.

 

[Charlaquin]

1e style, but for a... rather odd... reason. Check this out:

STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA

Now look at those first three. But read them from bottom to top, and right to left:

STR
INT
WIS

SIWTNIRTS?

 

[the Jester]

SIWTNIRTS?

Bottom to top. And right to left.

To spell it out- you get STR, INT, WIS all over again!

 

[Zardnaar]

Voted for the last one. 2E, 3E,5E.