Level Up (A5E) Do Player Characters Have Average Population Stat Distributions?

[DND_Reborn]

Yeah, I'm out. The goalposts have reached space.

Good for you. Get some sleep tonight!

 

[Guest 6801328]

EDIT2: I also can't think of any way to continue this without using irl politics,

I've been hesitant to offer this, but I think it's safe because I'm not taking any sides: in America today we have two factions each of which thinks the other side is batshit crazy and totally wrong in every way, and the evidence proving it is so blindingly obvious that you'd have to be a moron to not see it. And good luck talking anybody from either side out of this belief.

So, um, yeah...do I find believable a world without telecommunications in which all of the elves (for example) believe all the orcs (for example) are good at one thing, and bad at another thing, and are completely wrong in this belief? Sure.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Which means that if I want to tell the story I want to tell, for example’s sake the story of a half-orc wizard, then I do not get a 16. So that’s what the game is making me choose between. Those are the two options.

I believe someone suggested rolling your stats. The chance of getting at least a 16 somewhere is pretty good. Every player I've ever gamed with did exactly that.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I believe someone suggested rolling your stats. The chance of getting at least a 16 somewhere is pretty good. Every player I've ever gamed with did exactly that.

The exact same logic still applies, except now it's probabilistic rather than deterministic.

Let's say you roll 4d6-L, and your highest roll is N. It doesn't matter what N is, you're still looking at N+2 if you pick the "right" race, or N if you don't.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think floating is better than background, but I far prefer background to race. Floating means you get to choose ASIs. Though I'll reserve most of my judgement on tying ASIs to the background system until the heritage playtest packet releases and I get the chance to try it out. Remove [from race] is just the shorthand we'd settled on at some point during conversation. Most everyone got what I meant.

And I mean that second definition of floating.

Since you can make your own background, doesn't that just make it a floating ASI too?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The exact same logic still applies, except now it's probabilistic rather than deterministic.

Let's say you roll 4d6-L, and your highest roll is N. It doesn't matter what N is, you're still looking at N+2 if you pick the "right" race, or N if you don't.

They said they wanted a 16 in int. Rolling stats, they has a good chance of getting it naturally, no matter where their ASIs go.

 

[Guest 6801328]

They said they wanted a 16 in int. Rolling stats, they has a good chance of getting it naturally, no matter where their ASIs go.

So can I ask you something? Given what has been explained about the "problem" in 5e, do you honestly think your solution solves that problem? Just looking for a simple yes or no; I won't argue with you either way.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So can I ask you something? Given what has been explained about the "problem" in 5e, do you honestly think your solution solves that problem? Just looking for a simple yes or no; I won't argue with you either way.

No, but.

 

[Lanefan]

Let's say you roll 4d6-L, and your highest roll is N. It doesn't matter what N is, you're still looking at N+2 if you pick the "right" race, or N if you don't.

Which means all that's really needed is to roll a 14, which on six tries at 4d6k3 is reasonably close to guaranteed.

And dunno 'bout you, but I'd usually want to get those stats rolled before I even think much about what race, class, or anything else this character will be; as those rolls are to a great extent going to inform what I can and can't do with it.

 

[CapnZapp]

3e is the only edition of D&D where PCs and NPCs are built in the same way. Even in 3e there are classes intended only for NPCs, such as the commoner and expert. It's impossible for NPCs to gain XPs the same way PCs do as a player can get a bonus for good roleplaying (DMG pgs 40-41).

Well, NPC classes solve nothing.

The point is that creating a mid- to high-level player character is a massive effort.

Not having to do that for NPCs who often stay alive only for two, three combat rounds is essential.
So NPC classes does not help, like, even a little. The point is that NPCs can't and should not have to abide by the rules for PCs.