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<blockquote data-quote="ECMO3" data-source="post: 8811641" data-attributes="member: 7030563">I find gameplay is a lot better and more diverse if you roll abilities individually.&nbsp; This avoids the tropes of the 8 strength Archers and Rogues and 8 intelligence Sorcerers etc.&nbsp; This makes the game a lot more flavorful in my experience.The PHB doesn't let you do that because you can move stats around, so even if you use the 4d6 method you still have a dump stat.We have used several different homebrew methods, one modified from the 1E &quot;Uneathed Arcana&quot; book (which was official rules in 1E) and leads to very high stats in general.A second alternative I use and really like is start off by picking your primary and secondary stat -&nbsp; For your primary roll 9d6 keep 3 with a minimum score of 14 (this gives you an average of 16), pick your secondary stat and roll 8d6 keep 3 with minimum of 12 (average 14), then roll 4d6 for your other 4 stats and you roll them in order-roll 4d6 for strength, write that in strength, roll 4d6 for dexterity, write that in dexterity......&nbsp; If your total for all 6 stats is less than 72 you raise your lowest stat by 1.&nbsp; You keep raising the lowest stat by 1 until the total equals 72, if you have 2 stats tied for lowest you choose the one you raise. Then&nbsp; you apply your racial and feat bonuses where you want.This results in an average a little above point buy and a floor that is very close to point buy and since you have a minimum 14 raw score in your main stat you can always apply the +2 and start with 16.&nbsp; Even though the average is higher than point buy the characters are not usually any stronger because you can't strategically optimize, your archer can't choose to dump strength and intelligence to have a 12 Wisdom for a good perception.&nbsp; You might end up with a 6 wisdom, a 12 strength and a 17 Intelligence.&nbsp; With racial bonuses, this also results in a character that can get any 2 stats automatically high enough to multiclass.Finally this can make Standard Humans very attractive if you have a lot of odd rolls.&nbsp; I do prefer averages for hit points though.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ECMO3, post: 8811641, member: 7030563"] I find gameplay is a lot better and more diverse if you roll abilities individually. This avoids the tropes of the 8 strength Archers and Rogues and 8 intelligence Sorcerers etc. This makes the game a lot more flavorful in my experience. The PHB doesn't let you do that because you can move stats around, so even if you use the 4d6 method you still have a dump stat. We have used several different homebrew methods, one modified from the 1E "Uneathed Arcana" book (which was official rules in 1E) and leads to very high stats in general. A second alternative I use and really like is start off by picking your primary and secondary stat - For your primary roll 9d6 keep 3 with a minimum score of 14 (this gives you an average of 16), pick your secondary stat and roll 8d6 keep 3 with minimum of 12 (average 14), then roll 4d6 for your other 4 stats and you roll them in order-roll 4d6 for strength, write that in strength, roll 4d6 for dexterity, write that in dexterity...... If your total for all 6 stats is less than 72 you raise your lowest stat by 1. You keep raising the lowest stat by 1 until the total equals 72, if you have 2 stats tied for lowest you choose the one you raise. Then you apply your racial and feat bonuses where you want. This results in an average a little above point buy and a floor that is very close to point buy and since you have a minimum 14 raw score in your main stat you can always apply the +2 and start with 16. Even though the average is higher than point buy the characters are not usually any stronger because you can't strategically optimize, your archer can't choose to dump strength and intelligence to have a 12 Wisdom for a good perception. You might end up with a 6 wisdom, a 12 strength and a 17 Intelligence. With racial bonuses, this also results in a character that can get any 2 stats automatically high enough to multiclass. Finally this can make Standard Humans very attractive if you have a lot of odd rolls. I do prefer averages for hit points though. [/QUOTE]

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