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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Agback" data-source="post: 2639170" data-attributes="member: 5328">Since ability increases with level come as +1s, not +2s, the benefit is not without penalty. True, the penalty may be delayed, but it is still there. If I had a +1 adjustment to my most important ability , and my best roll were even, I would put that best roll in the most-important slot anyway, with a view to getting an outstanding value sooner. I'd gladly give up a +1 ability modifier on an ability of secondary importance to get a +1 ability modifier from my most important ability at 4th instead of 8th, +2 at 12th instead of 16th, +3 at 20 instead of never at all. Sure, your minimaxer gets a +1 to some unimportant ability mod through levels 1 to 3, but I [eventually--at fourth level] get a +1 to my most important ability, and I'm going to use that a lot more.And under point-buy systems, there is a benefit-without-penalty anyway. -2 to a low ability is worth -2 ability points, and +2 to a high stat is worth at least +6 ability points. That's good for +1 to each of two ability modifiers of secondary importance. That is, under a point-buy system an elf with 18, 16, 14, 14, 10, 8 can be worth the same points as a human with 18, 16, 12, 12, 10, 8. I wouldn't fuss about a potential gain of +1 and blink at a +2.I just don't think that a +1/-1 pair of ability adjustments is all that abusive. Under point-buy is is the same as +2/-2 except less so. In the case of random-roll methods I think it is only even a potential abuse if the character's best roll is odd and he or she has a low roll that is also odd, and if the adjustments fall on just the right abilities. Suppose that you were building a fighter in a half-orc race with a +1 ST, -1 CHA, and you rolled 18, 15, 15, 12, 10, 8. You would take ST 19 CHA 7, not waste a 15 in CHA to get an 'abusive' 16 CON. Even with the default array this 'abuse' produces an advantage that vanishes at fourth level.Finally, the supposed problem of odd ability scores would be even much diminished if ability enhancement items were available with odd modifiers, and to a maximum of say +5 instead of +6. This would, of course, mean that some magical items would be of less advantage to some characters than to others (perhaps even of no practical advantage in the case of +1 ability enhancement items) and that some would be able to get bonuses cheaper than others. But I think that that price would be worth paying to reduce the current small value of odd abilities scores. As is stands, a rule that seems designed to cope withteh problem of odd ability scores actually exacerbates that problem.</blockquote>

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