Lyxen
Great Old One
Hi, the recent thread about rolled stats vs. Point-buy has revived a half-cooked idea based on what happens in Runequest.
In Runequest, you have to roll your stats, because you do not roll the same dices for all your stats, and different races roll different dices for stats anyway, for example:
total more than 18 after you have allocated these extra points."
Of course, like in D&D, you can allow a character to roll multiple arrays of stats and choose, but it's harder to swap stats around because you don't roll the same dices.
We already do this in 5e, roll for stats, because the point-buy / standard array are way too predictable, and don't give surprises and ideas about how your character could be built and developed. And it also prevents our few powergamers from using standard builds, they at least have to think a bit for themselves.
However, one of the reasons for which Runequest works well is that, although there are no levels, you can get ASIs from adventuring (when you use a relevant stat) or training (when you decide to train a specific stat). Where it's clever is the fact that , the closest the ability is to the racial maximum, the hardest it is that the ASI will succeed. RQ does this by making it a roll, (maximum racial stat + minmum racial stat - current stat) x 5% to succeed.
So if you have a STR of 10, and you train, you have (18 + 3 -10) x 5 = 55% chance to succeed, but if you already have 15, it's only 30%.
The nice thing about this is that even if you start with an adventurer with lower stats, it's easier for you to catch up. But 5e does not allow this, there are few ASIs, and they will very often be used on stats that are very high already. Moreover, when you use ASIs for stats, you are not getting feats that provided more than bonuses, but usually widen your play, so it's even worse for people with low initial stats.
So, how about, instead of giving out 2 complete points to be used on any stat every 4 levels, regardless of the level of the stat, how about giving 200 points instead, that can be spent (it's an example, I have not done real computations like this:
You can of course tailor this as you want, but the idea is that if you have already 18, you can only buy 2 points to get to 20, but if you have a 13, you can get 3 points in one increase and have a bit left over. You can also tinker with the table so that it's even harder to get to 20, but much easier with middle stats, etc.
Just as an aside, the reason for having a greater point cost below 9 is that these are real weaknesses in your character, and it's harder for you to train (it encourages people to live with their dumped stats, they are part of what defines your character). But of course, you can create any table you like.
As an option, instead of giving it all at once, you could give 50 points per level, that way people wanting to raise middling stats can do it earlier.
As an additional option, for those who like to roll, instead of giving 50 points, you can give 40+1d20 instead.
And everyone gets to have feats at the proper level and widen their play, or you can say that a feat equals 200 points, etc.
What do you think ? Criticism ? Suggestions ?
In Runequest, you have to roll your stats, because you do not roll the same dices for all your stats, and different races roll different dices for stats anyway, for example:
- Human: Str 3d6 / Con 3d6 / Siz: 2d6+6 / Dex: 3d6 / Int: 2d6+6 / Pow: 3d6 / Cha: 3d6
- Elf: Str 2d6+2 / Con 3d6 / Siz: 2d4+4 / Dex: 3d6+3 / Int: 3d6+6 / Pow: 3d6 / Cha: 3d6
- Troll: Str 3d6+6 / Con 3d6 / Siz: 3d6+8 / Dex: 3d6 / Int: 2d6+6 / Pow: 3d6 / Cha: 3d6
total more than 18 after you have allocated these extra points."
Of course, like in D&D, you can allow a character to roll multiple arrays of stats and choose, but it's harder to swap stats around because you don't roll the same dices.
We already do this in 5e, roll for stats, because the point-buy / standard array are way too predictable, and don't give surprises and ideas about how your character could be built and developed. And it also prevents our few powergamers from using standard builds, they at least have to think a bit for themselves.
However, one of the reasons for which Runequest works well is that, although there are no levels, you can get ASIs from adventuring (when you use a relevant stat) or training (when you decide to train a specific stat). Where it's clever is the fact that , the closest the ability is to the racial maximum, the hardest it is that the ASI will succeed. RQ does this by making it a roll, (maximum racial stat + minmum racial stat - current stat) x 5% to succeed.
So if you have a STR of 10, and you train, you have (18 + 3 -10) x 5 = 55% chance to succeed, but if you already have 15, it's only 30%.
The nice thing about this is that even if you start with an adventurer with lower stats, it's easier for you to catch up. But 5e does not allow this, there are few ASIs, and they will very often be used on stats that are very high already. Moreover, when you use ASIs for stats, you are not getting feats that provided more than bonuses, but usually widen your play, so it's even worse for people with low initial stats.
So, how about, instead of giving out 2 complete points to be used on any stat every 4 levels, regardless of the level of the stat, how about giving 200 points instead, that can be spent (it's an example, I have not done real computations like this:
- 20: 100 points
- 18-19: 90 points
- 16-17: 80 points
- 14-15: 70 points
- 13-14: 60 points
- 9-12: 50 points
- 7-8 : 60 points
- 5-6: 70 points
- 3-4: 80 points
You can of course tailor this as you want, but the idea is that if you have already 18, you can only buy 2 points to get to 20, but if you have a 13, you can get 3 points in one increase and have a bit left over. You can also tinker with the table so that it's even harder to get to 20, but much easier with middle stats, etc.
Just as an aside, the reason for having a greater point cost below 9 is that these are real weaknesses in your character, and it's harder for you to train (it encourages people to live with their dumped stats, they are part of what defines your character). But of course, you can create any table you like.
As an option, instead of giving it all at once, you could give 50 points per level, that way people wanting to raise middling stats can do it earlier.
As an additional option, for those who like to roll, instead of giving 50 points, you can give 40+1d20 instead.
And everyone gets to have feats at the proper level and widen their play, or you can say that a feat equals 200 points, etc.
What do you think ? Criticism ? Suggestions ?
