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<blockquote data-quote="Majoru Oakheart" data-source="post: 5903483" data-attributes="member: 5143">The problem is that the more randomness in a game, the WORSE it is for the PCs.&nbsp; It means that bad luck compounds making them worse and worse.&nbsp; It doesn't have the same effect on monsters for a number of reasons.Probability means that rolls tend to end up towards the average over time.&nbsp; But in the short run, rolls can be anything.So, if you come across a run of bad luck, you could have poor: stats, hitpoints, starting gold.Depending on what these numbers affect, they can snowball:&nbsp; Stats not high enough to take the good classes?&nbsp; Now you have a poor class.&nbsp; Not enough gold to afford Full Plate?&nbsp; Now your defenses are lower.&nbsp; Maybe you don't qualify for the feats or theme you want.Because your stats, hitpoints, class, feats, and equipment are all poor you now go into the beginning of the game with a disadvantage on every roll you make.&nbsp; If you need to make an attack roll, your bonus to the attack is lower than everyone else, so you miss more often than everyone else in every combat for the rest of the game.&nbsp; You get hit more often.&nbsp; You can take less damage before you die.Probability means that it's likely that overall the group with have average stats, which means someone in your group likely rolled higher than average on their stats.&nbsp; This means the opposite effect happened to them.&nbsp; They hit more often, they were able to take the best feats adding more to their already lucky roll.&nbsp; They have better equipment too.When you put both of these characters into the same group the difference becomes even more apparent.The more benefit you get from high stats, the more of a disadvantage it is to roll.&nbsp; If they made it so the best benefit you could have from any stat was +2....or if they at least decoupled stats from direct combat benefits(no bonuses to hit or damage or defenses from stats) then I'd be up for rolling.&nbsp; If the worst thing that happened because I rolled a 14 for strength on my fighter was that I couldn't jump as far or carry quite as much, I'd be in favor of rolling.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Majoru Oakheart, post: 5903483, member: 5143"] The problem is that the more randomness in a game, the WORSE it is for the PCs. It means that bad luck compounds making them worse and worse. It doesn't have the same effect on monsters for a number of reasons. Probability means that rolls tend to end up towards the average over time. But in the short run, rolls can be anything. So, if you come across a run of bad luck, you could have poor: stats, hitpoints, starting gold. Depending on what these numbers affect, they can snowball: Stats not high enough to take the good classes? Now you have a poor class. Not enough gold to afford Full Plate? Now your defenses are lower. Maybe you don't qualify for the feats or theme you want. Because your stats, hitpoints, class, feats, and equipment are all poor you now go into the beginning of the game with a disadvantage on every roll you make. If you need to make an attack roll, your bonus to the attack is lower than everyone else, so you miss more often than everyone else in every combat for the rest of the game. You get hit more often. You can take less damage before you die. Probability means that it's likely that overall the group with have average stats, which means someone in your group likely rolled higher than average on their stats. This means the opposite effect happened to them. They hit more often, they were able to take the best feats adding more to their already lucky roll. They have better equipment too. When you put both of these characters into the same group the difference becomes even more apparent. The more benefit you get from high stats, the more of a disadvantage it is to roll. If they made it so the best benefit you could have from any stat was +2....or if they at least decoupled stats from direct combat benefits(no bonuses to hit or damage or defenses from stats) then I'd be up for rolling. If the worst thing that happened because I rolled a 14 for strength on my fighter was that I couldn't jump as far or carry quite as much, I'd be in favor of rolling. [/QUOTE]

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