DMs - What is your point buy method?

[Carbon]

The DM I run with gives us 84 points, lets us only have one 8 in any ability score, and any stat can only be maxed to 18, plus gets sad if we try to minmax.

I think him getting sad is good reason not to abuse the system, we love the guy!

 

[Aluvial]

Here is my current character creation rules. We are playing a modified Pathfinder game. The point buy comes in step 1.F. I put these together from many places.

2.0 Character Creation


1) For Ability Scores Generation, the campaign uses the 4d6, six times method described in the Player's Handbook, with a slight modifier. You may re-roll any one, once, to obtain a better result per set of four dice. If the re-roll is a one, you may not roll it again.

1) Ability Score Generation. This new alternative will be used in place of the above method for character creation. This is a modified 3x3 grid method. This method allows for player choices to be made during creation, but limits blatant min-maxing of statistics. Follow these steps in order

A) Roll 3d6, rerolling any 1, once. If the re-roll is a one, you may not roll it again. Do this nine times and fill in a 3x3 grid starting in the top-left corner, filling the grid left to right, top to bottom. Across the top of the grid, write in Str, Dex, Con, across the side, Int, Wis, Chr. Ability scores must be rolled in front of the DM. Ability scores rolled outside of the DM’s presence will not be counted. Good luck! The chart should look like this:


...........STR.....DEX.....CON
INT

WIS

CHR


B) You may then pick your 6 stats following these rules. Your STR score, must come from one of the three in the STR column. DEX from the DEX column, INT from the INT row, and so forth. Each number can only be chosen once! The three remaining numbers will be discarded.

C) If you do not care for your first set of 6 scores, you may discard them (permanently) and start over. If you dislike the second set, you may discard these also for another attempt. Your third try is your last try. You MUST take the third set, regardless of the other two. Be very careful when discarding your first and second set of scores. You cannot go back!

D) Pick a Race (from Pathfinder) and apply any Racial Modifiers you have. Following the Pathfinder model, this is usually +2 to a Body score (Str, Dex, Con), +2 to a Mental score, and -2 to a weakness ability for that race. Note that this is the only step where an Ability Score can be raised over 18! See Races below for available Races.

E) Players may now decrease any Body Ability Score by 2, to raise any Body Ability Score by 1, one time. The same can be done for Mental Ability Scores, one time. Note, this step always comes after Racial Adjustment AND cannot raise a score above 18 nor drop a score below 3.

F) Now, using the Standard Point Buy system, add 6 build points to your character anywhere you would like. Again, you cannot raise a score above an 18 in this step. Use the following guidelines for build point costs per increase in Ability Scores. When raising an Ability Score between 3 and 13 by 1, use one build point; raising between 14 and 15 by 1, use two build points; raising between 16 and 17 by 1, use three build points.

2) Choose one Flaw, one Talent, and one Trait. Characters must pick a Flaw, a Talent, and a Trait from the Pathfinder system.

3) Roll for a Random Profession. I will pick a chart and you will roll. This is what your caregiver did, and what you picked up in childhood. You will get one skill rank in this Profession. If, at a later time the class you pick has Profession as a Class skill, you will NOT get the +3 Class bonus! You will need to take another rank in that skill to get the Class Skill bonus.

4) Choose Class and Favored Class. Characters then choose their class at first level from the Pathfinder system. 3.5 classes will be approved on a case by case basis and may need to be adjusted to work in the new system. Then pick your Favored Class which is often your first class, but does not have to be.


5) Choose Feats. Level 1 characters receive one feat. Race (Human) and Class (Fighter) can give bonus feats at 1st level.

6) Favored Class Bonus. If you have taken your 1st level in your Favored Class (and most will), choose if you will receive one extra HP, or one extra Skill point for that level. Make note of this choice on your character sheet.

7) Make Note of Class Skills. Mark your class skills down on your character sheet. Note that when you make take the first rank in a class skill, you will receive a +3 bonus in that skill.

8) Pick Skills. Now pick your skills. Your class will note the number of skill points that you will receive. Humans add 1 skill point. Those who choose a Favored Class bonus for skills also add an additional one skill point. You may add one skill point in any skill that you choose. Make note if this is a class skill (which adds the above mentioned +3 bonus) and then make note of any Racial Modifiers or for any adjustments due to Talents, Flaws, Traits, or Feats. Add your appropriate Ability Modifier. Add up the Total Bonus. Make note of any racial or class specific skill attempts with appropriate bonuses. This is usually done under the Skill section by making note of the special application of the skill.

9) Hit Points at 1st Level. All classes get the maximum number of Hit Points for their Class at 1st level, plus their Constitution Ability Modifier, for the total. Additional Talents, Flaws, Traits, and Feats (like Toughness) can increase this total. Those who choose a Favored Class bonus for HP also add an additional one HP.

10) Make note of any Race or Class Features. Record all of your Race and Class Features in an appropriate spot on your character sheet. Combat abilities should highlighted on the front of the sheet to speed up game play.

11) Determine Starting Money and Pick Equipment. Starting Wealth is based on your class. You may roll or take the average. Equipment must come from the PHB to start.

12) Calculate your AC, CMB, and CMD. See the appropriate sections in the rules to calculate these.

13) Determine Starting Height, Weight, Age, Birthday, Weight Capacity, and God. Characters can choose or roll their Height and Weight, must roll for Age, and choose their Birthdays. Characters should also choose a main Deity of worship, or pick none. The world is VERY cognizant of the divine realm and only the crazy are atheists. Atheists may find issues with Divine Magic if they insult the Gods, especially when being brought back from Death!

14) Determine Personality, Appearance, and Choose a Miniature. Players can fill out a character description form for bonus XP, and bring a painted mini for bonus XP. Otherwise, fill out what your character looks like, and make note of any personality traits.

15) Do anything else I forgot to mention here…

Aluvial

 

[LadyLexi]

Normally I'm so game starved that I'll take anything, but some of these are just aweful.

I let people roll 4d6 drop the lowest 7 times, keep the best 6 rolls. I don't make people do this in front of me because I trust them not to cheat and I don't like it when DM's do that because I like having a back up character pre-rolled and ready in case I perish early in a session.

Afterwords they show me the numbers and if there is something glaringly uneven, such as a player managed to roll bad enough to have multiple stats below 10 then I'll usually offer a reroll.

I guess it fits in with my DM ideology that the game world exists to make the players feel good and positive about their characters. NPCs usually never outshine the players except major world players and they remain static so the players have a feeling of bypassing the "important" people of the world. I also try to allow ways to reward player effort and give reminders of what a player just said if they are doing something that seems off (I assume I didn't describe accurately the first time.)

Generally this is fun for 95% of gamer types I run into. Big powergamers don't seem to care for my game because I make steps to give an extra bit of luck to weaker characters, sometimes that 20 from the BBEG gets changed into a 2, darn it missed.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

We've been using a 32 point buy, using the DMG method.

However, in the future, the plan is that players will roll three sets of scores using the 4d6 drop the lowest method, for future characters.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I allow my players to assign any number between 3 and 18 to their abilities.

 

[frankthedm]

17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12. Arrange as desired. Characters can be aged up to old age for their race.

 

[Nellisir]

First of all, I ignore ability scores* and just use ability bonuses. Characters get 8 points to assign as they wish. No bonus can be higher than +3 except humans may have one +4 of their choice, and demihumans can have a +4 in whatever ability they ordinarily get a bonus in. Demihumans have a +2 cap in the ability they ordinarily get a penalty in. They get a +1 at 4th level, and every 4-8 levels thereafter, depending on the campaign. The cap increases by 1 to match.

*Yes, no ability scores. I don't use encumberance very much, and ability damage just gets halved. It does not break the game. Really.

 

[Mr Eko]

I can never decide whether to use the 4d6 or point buy methods .... On one hand, using point buy makes characters feel so artificial, on the other, I feel rolling allows too much difference in power levels of characters. So I wrote a computer program that makes a random set of scores that are equivalent to a set made with 3.5 DMG point buy(you can choose the number of points). I have never actually used it for a campaign but you can download it here if you want.

 

[PrinceAngore]

Our group has always allowed for pretty high statted characters, but nothing can go above an 18 (unless racially modified, and then only to 19) so we do the 24d6 divided 6 ways..Roll for each stat (dropping lowest of course)..say I want a thief I may divide it 4d6, 5d6, 4d6,3d6,3d6,5d6....and then just hope I get the stats I need/want...it usually works out for us, how ever I did that exact roll up last time and ended with a 16 dex and a 17 wis. so I ended up a cleric..lol