Level Up (A5E) Do Player Characters Have Average Population Stat Distributions?

[Crimson Longinus]

Yeah, I suggested the same thing a while go, but some people didn't like it. I don't know, it seemed like a reasonable trade-off to me, too.

It's pointless. Either have the species to matter for abilities or allow point buy with more points. Any needlessly convoluted methods that pretend to be the former but in effect achieve the latter except with pointless extra steps are just a waste of time.

 

[Cadence]

We discussed this yesterday in our game. It was done in Basic D&D and worked fine then, why not now?

To be fair, you also got to raise scores in a prime requisite by 1 for every two points other abilities went down (never lowered below 9). And also got to have hope the DM would declare it a hopeless character if they were below average in every ability score, or who has more than one very low (3-6) ability score.

We somehow made do, but I can't imagine going back to it. It was nice that it forced folks to recognize that not everyone was above average on everything.

The 1e DMG certainly tried to avoid getting "marginal characters" that "tend to have short life expectancy" or forcing them to play "a race and/or class which he or she really can't or won't identify with."

Method 1: Common 4d6-L in desired order
Method 2: 12 sets of 3d6, choose the best 6 in the order desired
Method 3: Roll six sets of 3d6 for each ability and keep the best one
Method 4: Roll 12 sets of characters using 3d6 and keep the one they want.

 

[FrogReaver]

It's pointless. Either have the species to matter for abilities or allow point buy with more points. Any needlessly convoluted methods that pretend to be the former but in effect achieve the latter except with pointless extra steps are just a waste of time.

There is a middle option. Make racial ASIs matter but have less impact than they currently do. That’s what that suggestion accomplishes.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Tolkien's orcs are more like goblins and hobgoblins in D&D.

Which makes me think that perhaps this whole idea of normal distributions per species is based on the false, or at least unnecessary, assumption that you are considering all variants. If you need a reason to break the “rules” just will into existence a sub-species with different averages.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Which makes me think that perhaps this whole idea of normal distributions per species is based on the false, or at least unnecessary, assumption that you are considering all variants. If you need a reason to break the “rules” just will into existence a sub-species with different averages.

D&D has massive number or creatures and species and this kind of limits the design space (both mechanically and thematically) if one want to keep them distinct. One could easily imagine a setting where goblins, hobgoblins and orcs were all just one varied species, and the same could be done with halflings with gnomes etc. In the setting I'm currently working on the gnomes and dwarfs are combined into one species (so they're smart and tough) and elves and halflings into another (so they're small elves like in Elf Quest.)

 

[Guest 6801328]

D&D has massive number or creatures and species and this kind of limits the design space (both mechanically and thematically) if one want to keep them distinct. One could easily imagine a setting where goblins, hobgoblins and orcs were all just one varied species, and the same could be done with halflings with gnomes etc. In the setting I'm currently working on the gnomes and dwarfs are combined into one species (so they're smart and tough) and elves and halflings into another (so they're small elves like in Elf Quest.)

Yeah, exactly. So if somebody wants to make a halfling with 17 strength, instead of saying it's impossible because that number falls outside of the permissible range, just make an on-the-spot ruling that there's a sub-race of super-strong halflings. Maybe they found a glowing meteorite that made them all strong or something. Ask the player to flesh out the details.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Yeah, exactly. So if somebody wants to make a halfling with 17 strength, instead of saying it's impossible because that number falls outside of the permissible range, just make an on-the-spot ruling that there's a sub-race of super-strong halflings. Maybe they found a glowing meteorite that made them all strong or something. Ask the player to flesh out the details.

Yes, you could do that, though I don't think the GM is obligated to go along with everything the players come up with.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Yes, you could do that, though I don't think the GM is obligated to go along with everything the players come up with.

Obligated, no. Just saying that what "makes sense" is 100% what the participants decide they want to make sense.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Obligated, no. Just saying that what "makes sense" is 100% what the participants decide they want to make sense.

Sure. And under my proposed system you could easily create such a hulk-halfling subrace. (Not that you should because it is a silly idea...)

 

[Guest 6801328]

Sure. And under my proposed system you could easily create such a hulk-halfling subrace. (Not that you should because it is a silly idea...)

Pretty much our entire hobby is about as silly as it gets.