D&D General How Did You Generate Your Most Recent Character's Stats?

[CleverNickName]

I chose "I used a fixed array, either the one in the book or a custom version of it," because it is closest to what we did this past Monday night to make new characters for a game a friend is starting up (his first real attempt at DMing!), but what we actually did was a STAT DRAFT!

I've always wanted to do one of those.

 

[Charlaquin]

For me it really depends on the system. Some of them it matters little, others can be unplayable with rolled stats. I'll roll in DCC and have a hoot, but if im playing PF2 there is no way im rolling.

I figured we were talking about D&D.

 

[el-remmen]

I've always wanted to do one of those.

I ended up with a barbarian whose CON is too low to benefit from Unarmored Defense!

 

[Aurel Guthrie]

I voted "I used a fixed array, either the one in the book or a custom version of it." but there's more to it.

This isn't technically one of my characters, but my players in the game I run. I wanted the characters to be extra strong for the setting, to set them even further apart from other adventuring groups, and so I wanted them to have higher stats than normal. At the same time, I personally dislike rolling for stats and enjoy static arrays, but I know my players prefer to roll for stats.

I asked everyone to roll normally, using 4d6 drop lowest, then record the array they got and send it on our group chat.
When everyone posted their arrays, they got to vote to see which stat array they liked the most, and they got to use that array for their characters (voting for multiple arrays allowed).

They actually voted for two arrays, so they got to choose between them. Both of these got five votes:

17 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10
15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12

A couple of them ended up going with the more balanced one, and the ones that love to power game went with the double 17s one. We're 40 sessions in and everyone's been very satisfied with this, there's been no complaints, they all still got to roll dice like they wanted and it seemed like everyone had fun during the whole process, like a mini party game before character creation, and I'm content as a DM that everyone is around the same power level stat-wise. It's also allowed to throw harder stuff at them, which was part of my goal.

 

[CleverNickName]

I figured we were talking about D&D.

Yep, this poll is specific to D&D (but not to a specific edition of it).

 

[Clint_L]

When I play (seldom), it’s whatever the DM wants. When I DM it’s always point buy or standard array. I’m never going back to rolls; they create too much inequity that unfairly impacts the rest of the campaign.

I made the mistake of using rolls for D&D Club exactly once. One player, who had mediocre rolls, asked why another player’s character, who had lucked out, got to be so much better at basically everything than hers. I had no good answer and we immediately switched to standard array.

 

[CreamCloud0]

It's interesting how little folks truly value random results, but really like the idea of random results.

i wonder for out of the people who voted 'rolled' how many of them are 'i'll roll and accept it if i get bad results' VS 'i'll roll until i get results i'm satisfied using'

 

[CleverNickName]

i wonder for out of the people who voted 'rolled' how many of them are 'i'll roll and accept it if i get bad results' VS 'i'll roll until i get results i'm satisfied using'

I remember reading a paper or something about games of chance, and how people square randomness with reward. The gist of it was that people don't necessarily want random results; they want good results that feel random. They are trying to capture the feeling that a higher power, the universe, the Fates, whatever, is smiling upon them personally.

That's why rolling up stats and getting an 18 feels so much better than point-buying an 18, or selecting an 18 from an array. It's still the same 18, but how you came to get that 18 matters. It can make a big difference for some folks.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

We employed 4d6 dropped lowest for our current campaign.
One player rolled three 8s.
Another rolled a 7, a 9, and nothing else higher than 13.
Neither minded, both chose to play clerics (one Knowledge and one Twilight), and the characters have been effective contributors to their respective parties for 40+ sessions.
Another rolled two 7s and basically threatened to throw a tantrum and disrupt the game if a check or save was failed because of it. Granted, I'm glad the player was being honest about what could happen so we could then discuss the issue and come to the realization they weren't a good fit for our table.

 

[saviirkad]

i wonder for out of the people who voted 'rolled' how many of them are 'i'll roll and accept it if i get bad results' VS 'i'll roll until i get results i'm satisfied using'

I'll often keep the bad results, long as the table itself is fine with it. I had a rogue PC whose only positive modifier was a +0 Dex, as an example of the worst roll I stuck with. An adventurer by circumstance, not by choice, who still had his share of wild successes.

But I think there's sometimes a disconnect for people who don't do randomized rolls who see rejecting bad rolls as examples of not really wanting random rolls. I think there's an assumption that if the person just tried an array or other method that guarantees the kind of stats they would accept if rolled, that it'd fix the problem for them and they'd switch.

Just something to consider, but imagine that same person seeing that array as being granted instead of rolled, and feeling that same sense of disappointment and regret if if it was the rolled range they would normally reject and reroll. In my experience, playing with others and many I've seen express similar feelings online, that's been the case.