D&D 5E Ability Score Increases (I've changed my mind.)

[Yaarel]

Serious question:
Why not just let players pick ability scores for their characters?

For example, if player #1 wants to have a 20 dex and 20 strength and 18 charisma, why not just let them? If player #2 wants to have a 20 intelligence but an 8 strength, 6 dex, and 10 con, why not just let them?

I get you might need to not let this happen for the 12 or 14 year old players out there that will always put 20 in everything, but why not let mature players just pick their attribute scores?

This is what the array is for in the Players Handbook. It is calibrated for the low tier (levels 1 to 4), and allows the player to simply pick what goes where according to character concept. If specific nuance is necessary, the Players Handbook also offers point buy.

Your suggestion seems to be a new array that includes the higher numbers that include the race improvements. That is fine in the sense of picking whatever one wants, but problematic because certain races lack a +2/+1 bonus, so would apply unevenly across the races. Moreover, players often use the +2/+1 strategically depending on whether their character concept will be SAD (single ability dependent) or BAD (bi ability dependent). An array would make every character SAD, even if adverse to the need of the concept.

 

[DEFCON 1]

To be fair, it's not only the player characters that use the +2 ability modifier to Dexterity as it's also reflected in monster stat blocks. The Monster Manual depicts drow as having a 14-15 Dex.

Except the issue generating all the arguments aren't about monster statblocks, they are strictly about racial write-ups for PCs. And PC write-ups and monster statblocks in 5E do not match and never will match for any specific creature type.

 

[mrpopstar]

Except the issue generating all the arguments aren't about monster statblocks, they are strictly about racial write-ups for PCs. And PC write-ups and monster statblocks in 5E do not match and never will match for any specific creature type.

Perhaps, but it's not outside the bounds of this conversation to simply note that all of the elves player characters will encounter are particularly dextrous.

 

[dave2008]

To be fair, it's not only the player characters that use the +2 ability modifier to Dexterity as it's also reflected in monster stat blocks. The Monster Manual depicts drow as having a 14-15 Dex.

Hard to read into that based on the PC write-ups. The Drow in the MM are clearly not average Drow (per the PC write-up) or the Dex would be 12-13, not 14-15.

 

[MGibster]

Because so many races already get darkvision we should just give everyone darkvision. Several races also have powerful build, perhaps that should be given to everyone too?

So many characters in my games have darkvision that I rarely make lighting an issue. It's just not worth the effort to keep track of.

 

[Yaarel]

Regarding Strength, Constitution, size, and Powerful Build.

Consolidating the ability scores to four helps the game in many ways.
• Strength (big and tough)
• Dexterity (athletically agile)
• Intelligence (perceptive)
• Charisma (willful, empathetic, and socially skilled)

Here Strength correlates with and is a minimal requirement for size.

Strength Score: Possible Size
• 25: Gargantuan
• 21: Huge
• 17: Large
• 13: Heavyweight (Medium)
• 9: Lightweight (Medium)
• 5: Small
• 1: Tiny

In this context, perhaps everyone who is "Heavyweight", meets the requirement to gain the Powerful Build feature.

 

[Yaarel]

So many characters in my games have darkvision that I rarely make lighting an issue. It's just not worth the effort to keep track of.

I keep track of lighting, but ignore the distance of the radius. If it is bright anywhere, then it is bright everywhere. (Observing something in the far distance is an exception.)

 

[Yaarel]

To be fair, it's not only the player characters that use the +2 ability modifier to Dexterity as it's also reflected in monster stat blocks. The Monster Manual depicts drow as having a 14-15 Dex.

So far, 5e imposed Dexterity on elf, even when inappropriate.

At least, the winter eladrin elf is nondexterous.

Hopefully, the elf too will be part of the wider diversification of races, going forward. So we can see more examples of superhuman Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom, who are highly magical full casters.

 

[abirdcall]

Earlier in the thread somebody compared floating ASIs to GURPS. Or, at least, the parade of horrible would end with something "that might as well be GURPS".

Which I find funny, because I specifically don't like GURPS, and in general I don't like a la carte games. Heck, I don't even like multiclassing...especially "dipping"...for the same reason.

But, in my opinion, floating ASIs have nothing to do with a la carte. It doesn't change the steps in character creation, and doesn't result in any more options, in an absolute sense, than with fixed ASIs. It's just that many of those choices no longer force a trade-off between character concept and optimization. Because I, personally, want both flexibility in character concept and optimization. And I would also like to see other people show up to the table with non-standard characters.

The thing is, the thing that made them non-standard was the ASIs. Now those are gone and there will be a new norm of character creation and I think it will be worse.

 

[Aldarc]

Serious question:
Why not just let players pick ability scores for their characters?

For example, if player #1 wants to have a 20 dex and 20 strength and 18 charisma, why not just let them? If player #2 wants to have a 20 intelligence but an 8 strength, 6 dex, and 10 con, why not just let them?

I get you might need to not let this happen for the 12 or 14 year old players out there that will always put 20 in everything, but why not let mature players just pick their attribute scores?

I likely wouldn't do this, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.