D&D 5E 4d6 Drop the Lowest Etiquette

[Rya.Reisender]

I just don't allow rolled stats. Standard array / point buy all the way.

 

[Yunru]

I was on a table of 5 players. Our lowest score was 13.
And that's us rolling in front of each other.

 

[delericho]

So basically how do you handle rolling for stats and what do you do if you roll very well or poorly?

Agree the method with the group beforehand, including any rules for rerolls. Then roll, once, and keep what you get - good or bad. Oh, and play the character in good faith - no 'suiciding' a PC because you didn't get the stats you wanted!

(My current group offers a choice between three options: roll, point-buy, or standard array. Turns out all my players went for the standard array.)

 

[Shiroiken]

Depends on my type of game.

Current game is adventure path style, where I expect the characters to become heroes over the course of the campaign. I use roll, followed by option to default to Standard Array. This keeps the poor rollers from being too weak for the campaign.

Next campaign is likely to be more old school sword & sorcery, where characters are more everyman. I will allow choice of roll or standard array, but once rolled the scores must be kept.

 

[Yunru]

When I DM players who roll have to keep it. Otherwise there's no reason not to roll: you either get higher than whatever alternative they can take, or they get the alternative.

But it do let the reroll if they don't have one 14 or higher.

 

[CapnZapp]

I am convinced the gameplay is simply better if PCs start out with no higher than 15 in their prime stat. (We use Feats)

Despite this, I have been persuaded to allow random rolls, since my players love the idea of starting out with an 18.

So my answer is "I allow rolling but desperately and secretly hope noone rolls any 17s or 18s."

 

[Remathilis]

Point buy. I'm tired of having parties full of demi gods who can't roll less than 13...

 

[Halivar]

I have players re-roll if they have nothing below 17. Stats are not as much an issue as they were in previous editions. On the plus side, however, if gives players confidence to go out and actually do stuff. Also, I am reasonably sure I can still drop a paladin with x3 18's. But then, I run pretty merciless combats. Last session's end-game combat saw every PC in the party drop to zero HP at least once.

EDIT: My preferred DM style is "give them the illusion of bad-ass, then disabuse them"

 

[Guest 6801718]

Our group rolls one set, 4d6 drop the lowest. We can take what we roll or the standard array. When I DM, I usually use point buy or the standard array. Simply because there is always one person in the group who doesn't roll well and then feels weaker than the rest of the party. I don't mind if the players have stats higher than the average but I do like everyone in the group to be on par with each other. I'm currently playing in my group and I used the standard array. Others rolled and had some really great rolls while others were more mixed. The rolling one set and taking that or the standard is new for our group though. We usually used point buy. For some reason, when we switched to 5e everyone was all into rolling again. Maybe there was a little nostalgia there that caused it.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Here's my take on ability scores:

The players can generate their ability scores however they want to, including picking them arbitrarily, so long as the scores fall within what is assumed to be possible by the game (so no going above 20 without the things which normally allow for that).

I used to play with people who I knew cheated, and I hadn't played with most of them in years. Then I went to a pathfinder game with them and I just picked my stats.... as I ecpected I showed up with about average for the group and everyone braging about rolling those 18's they all had. When asked I honestly said "Nope, just picked what I wanted."