Alternate Ability Score Generation by Rolling

[MeepoTheMighty]

I read about an interesting nature/nurture style that I've been thinking about trying out:

-Each ability starts at 6
-Add 1d6 to each ability, in order
-Take each die that you rolled in step 2, and flip it over, so a 1 becomes a 6, a 3 becomes a 4, etc. Arrange these six numbers as desired among your stats.

Seems like it would make interesting characters with a balance between randomness (nature) and player's desires (nurture).

 

[scholz]

balanced randomness

Out of all the above, I actually prefer the Organic Method from the 3.5 DMG: best 3 of 4d6, in order, for six abilities. Reroll one score taking the highest result. Then switch any two totals. I would further require that all characters have at least one score that is 15 or higher and/or bonuses totalling +3 or better though YMMV on this.

I like this system. I do have one question. It has to do with the very lucky and very unlucky rollers. I ran a game where some people rolled a couple 17+s (nothing below 10) and one sad person rolled one 15 and a bunch of lower than 10 scores. Now, back in the day, we would just play the sad character until he or she died. But in 1st edition low scores were not necessarily so bad. In 3rd ed, I think low scores really suck and big differences in stats can really play a big difference in performance in the game. So what can we do?
I suggested an experience bonus to the low score person, that drew the ire of the lucky ones. I ended up trying to tailor magic items to the unlucky persons character, but it felt a little odd doing so. I wish there was some sort of balance and randomness.

 

[RedShirtNo5]

I like this system. I do have one question. It has to do with the very lucky and very unlucky rollers. ... I wish there was some sort of balance and randomness.

In my view, the following system has the best of both worlds:

1. Take a deck of cards. Remove 24 cards - four aces, four 2s, four 3s, four 4s, four 5s, four 6s.
2. Shuffle the 24 cards into 6 stacks of 4 each.
3. Turn over, in order, taking best 3 of 4.
4. Switch any two.

Same average results as the standard 3 of 4, random stats, but very small variance in point total between characters (typically a 27-29 point buy). Also, you can fiddle with the card distribution to affect the point total.

-RedShirt

 

[Tuzenbach]

Oh dying Jesus! Why can't you people just do what I do and assign numbers based upon personal preference? If I want a high INT, I'll give the character a 15 or 16 or 17 or whatever. If I'm a wizard, there's no reason in the world to have a strength over 9. If I decide before hand that I want an ugly character, I'm going to give him Charisma of no more than 7. I refuse to believe that I'm the only one who does things this way! LoL

 

[Squire James]

To answer the last post, some of us love these little psudo-gambling number-crunching things. For example...

My current character creation scheme involves a game of draw poker. Draw 5 cards, toss as many as you want and draw replacements. Then each player can go through and replace one of his cards with a card someone else threw away (the replaced card goes away). Continue around until someone wants to quit, then run one more round for the remaining players (obviously stop if no cards are left in the kitty).

Start each score at 6. Black cards go to physical scores and red cards go to mental scores. 2's and 3's add to all three scores, 4's and 5's add to two scores, 6's thru 10's add to one score. Face cards and aces have special effects, usually resulting in balanced characters rather than terribly high scores (for high scores, a 10 is better than any face card). Scores are (usually) limited to 18, but all racial adjustments occur after everything's over.

The poker hand determines the background of the character. The better the hand, the more unusual the background. A pair means you have a normal peasant background until Something Happens to make you an adventurer. A royal flush means you're literally in some royal family (again, until Something Happens to make you an adventurer). Flushes ignore the red-black restrictions on ability adds (because 18-18-18-6-6-6 is boring). Generally the higher the hand the better "perks" the character gets - the perks are usually mixed blessings.

It is a bit complex, but it brings on some interesting character choices. I have seen players deliberately toss out some high ability cards in hopes of getting a good poker hand. They MIGHT be able to recover the goodies if the draw doesn't pan out, but then again someone else might get it first!

 

[ichabod]

Oh dying Jesus! Why can't you people just do what I do and assign numbers based upon personal preference?

Mmmmm . . . dice.

 

[AlphaOmega]

I've used a method that been somewhat mentioned here...

In the past, I've had players conduct what I've labled a notecard draft. I have each attribute in a seperate piles and depending on the number of players I create the spectrum of numbers I need. Using 4 players as an example:

I would have cards saying, 18, 15, 12, and 9 for each attribute. Roll to see who goes first and the draft is serpentine. After spycraft was released with action dice I added them into my game I my next idea was to give people an option. If they randomly pick from each pile they gain a "Fated" template where they'll get more action dice/pts to off set the randomness of their scores. Those who pick knowingly are be labeled "Focused" and they'll get the minimum in action die.

I just like drafts overall (i love fantasy football for that reason) and the symbolic cheesy-ness of the "hand you're dealt in life".

 

[redkobold]

We often do 4d6, drop lowest. Roll this 7 times, pick highest 6, and arrange as desired.

This is what we did for 1e and 2e but with 3e+ a 12 now gives the same modifier as a 16 used to.

 

[redkobold]

I've calculated the odds for the following variants: d16, 2d8+2, 2d10, 3d6, 3dK (d6 with 1's counting as 6's), 3d6 reroll all ones,3d6 twice take best, d5+d6+d7, 2d6+dK, d6+2dK, d5+d6+dK+1, d4+d6+d8, 3d7, 3d8, 4d6 drop, 3d6+dK drop, 3d6+dA drop (dA is d6 numbered 2,3,3,4,4,5), 2d6+dA+dK drop, 4d6 drop twice take best, 13+5dF (dF is a fudge die, a d6 numbered -1,-1,0,0,1,1), 5d6 drop, 6d6 drop, 7d6 drop, 8d6 drop, 9d6 drop

My shrink has this strange idea that I obsess too much.

Where at? Your site did not seem to have any links. I may want to collect some of these and post them on my site with some stat analysis of them. Would you be willing to help out?

 

[ichabod]

Where at? Your site did not seem to have any links. I may want to collect some of these and post them on my site with some stat analysis of them. Would you be willing to help out?

Send me an email (ick at xenomind dot com), and I can send you the excel file that has all this stuff (plus some more).