Generation: rolling vs. point buy

[Dracomeander]

Rolling would give you sufficient stats but point-buy doesn't? If true, that's a problem with the number of points your DM gives you, not with the point-buy system.

How high are these stats you need, and do you get them when rolling? With what system?

You are focussing too much on just one aspect of my original post. I can have fun with any character. I just don't think the standard point buy emulates the epic style of game our group was used to playing in previous editions.

But, to answer your question, our group uses the 4d6 drop lowest and arrange to suit method. One player tends to roll lower than the rest of the group so we give him a break with an option to try again. But most of the group would average a 36-42 point buy equivalent character with stats all over the spectrum.

 

[Darkness]

But most of the group would average a 36-42 point buy equivalent character with stats all over the spectrum.

Comparing a 25- to 28-point point-buy to that is not very useful if you want similar (or even same) effectiveness, is it? Of course such a character wouldn't be as useful/flexible/powerful/whatever as what you're used to - he's quite a bit weaker.

Thus, settling for so few points doesn't even begin to make sense if you still want the:

epic style of game our group was used to playing in previous editions

As I said: Point-buy is not your problem - using not enough points is.

 

[Thanee]

Yeah, try PB 36+ for a more epic feel.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Dracomeander]

Comparing a 25- to 28-point point-buy to that is not very useful if you want similar (or even same) effectiveness, is it? Of course such a character wouldn't be as useful/flexible/powerful/whatever as what you're used to - he's quite a bit weaker.

Thus, settling for so few points doesn't even begin to make sense if you still want the:

As I said: Point-buy is not your problem - using not enough points is.

But I was not commenting for advice for our group. Our group had already come to the concensus to use 36 points for those games using point buy.

My original comment was for the general discussion in comparison to the point buy totals recommended in the book.

 

[sfedi]

IME, Rolling stats lead to munchkinism.
Players whinning about poor rolls,
and characters dying "accidentaly"
so the player could reroll a new char.

That sucked.

 

[Ibram]

We use a base of 8 in all stats, then 28 point buy (none over 18 before racial modifiers). There are a few reasons for this....

1) it gives everyone the same baseline to work from, including the DM (me). There is no chance that one character is going to get a bunch of 18s while another is stuck with a high score of 14 (an extreme case) and it allows me to build balanced NPCs. I use basicly the same stat line for NPCs with 25 for chumps 28 for "named" villians and 32 for someone I want to be realy tough.

2) It allows my players to plan their characters in advance, and allows for character generation to occur away from the table (not that I expect anyone to cheat... but it helps eliminate the possiblity).

3) It allwos players to chose what kind of character to play, not have one given to them by the dice. random characters are fun for one shots, but for an extended campaign I feel that the more customisation players have the better.

4) Finaly it eliminates possible arguments over character generation. I dont have to watch people roll their stats, then see that they have some low rolls and give them two rerolls instead of one.... then go tell another player that he can only have one reroll.

 

[Ysgarran]

This is what we do. We roll 4d6 drop the lowest, 6 times, arranged in any order. The only difference is that we have a different floor.

later,
Ysgarran.

We usually do 4d6 drop the lowest. But one of my players thought up a variant where you do 4d6dl but the set has to be at a mimimu equivalent to a certain point buy (in our case 32).

 

[Bad Paper]

IME, Rolling stats lead to munchkinism.
Players whinning about poor rolls,
and characters dying "accidentaly"
so the player could reroll a new char.

That sucked.

yeah, but when the new chars always come up two or three levels behind the party, you'll find that this practice drops off.

I forgot to mention: for all my bluster about rolling characters, I should say that I use either a 27pb or the array 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9 for my elite NPCs (other than prefab module NPCs). So there. I'm guilty of something even worse than point-buy: flat NPCs, but hey, it's quick, dirty, and automatic.

 

[Telas]

I should say that I use either a 27pb or the array 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9 for my elite NPCs (other than prefab module NPCs).

The standard array 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 "prices out" at 21 points. I use that and 15, 14... that "prices out" at 28 points for more powerful NPCs. BBEGs get 32 points, just like the PCs do. Once I remembered that NPCs get that stat bump at every 4 levels, just like PCs, I made even better NPCs. :\

I use the HeroForge spreadsheet for "five minute monsters". It calculates your point buy for you, and you can gauge the power of the NPC off of that, before racial mods.

Telas

 

[KarinsDad]

We used to use best 3 dice of 5D6, place them as you roll them.

This sometimes gave us, for example, a Rogue with a 15 Dex who rolled later on a 17 and ended up putting it somewhere else. We had several "non-traditional" characters that way.

However, we stopped using that method after one player rolled 2 16s, 2 17s, and 2 18s. That's the equivalent of 78 point buy.