D&D General Having your players roll their stats

[Demetrios1453]

I've been experimenting with 4d6 in order, but you can swap two stats. This allows players to still be able to place the highest stat where they need it, but it also often results in some quirky randomness in other stats like a wizard with a relatively high strength score.

 

[Croesus]

I've given up worrying about stats, as I can always adjust the opposition. So in my last campaign (Dragon of Icespire Peak), I told my players to come up with their character concept or hook, then just pick their stats to match (max 18, no racial adjustments, no bonus feat for alt human).

Sure, the characters tended to be noticeably above average, but not absurdly so. In the end, we had fun and no one complained about stats.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

I use my own house-rule hybrid system:

Roll 3d6 for each ability score, in order, to set the minimum scores. Characters can then increase those scores until the total of the six reach a campaign-specific value (85 for my Brotherhood of Rangers game), with 18 being the maximum for any score. Racial adjustments get applied after this.

I'll note that I belong to the old school of "no 18 equals no fun" and so am willing to hand out what many would consider very high ability scores. Although the "Brotherhood of Rangers" game was on the high side even by my standards with average scores of 14-1/6.

What I see as advantages of this system are

• Players can get an 18 in a desired ability score if they want, due to the high scores overall. Alternatively, they can (usually) take above-average scores overall, without a very high one.
• Players might be able to get a dump stat if they desire one, but it's not either required or guaranteed that they do so. I dislike "Every character has a dump stat" and this allows dump stats sometimes while keeping them from being ubiquitous.
• Players will sometimes be "stuck" with an unexpected and possibly undesired high ability score. If the player wants to play a Barbarian, and rolls a 17 for INT, then the character can be a Barbarian with a 17 INT.

 

[Flights of Fancy]

Does the player have to replace the 8 or could they choose to replace the 12?

Either.

 

[Bupp]

I offer a choice. If you know what character you want, standard array or point buy.

If you don't know what character you want, 4d6 drop lowest in order.

 

[ad_hoc]

I offer a choice. If you know what character you want, standard array or point buy.

If you don't know what character you want, 4d6 drop lowest in order.

I'm with you on that only I would say Con is min 12 so the character doesn't just die.

 

[DammitVictor]

Poll isn't multiple choice, so I couldn't vote both Always and Never.

Standard Point Buy, maximum 15, and then 5d4 in order; take the higher result for each individual score.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I guess we've had different experiences.

Bear in mind I also switched these kids to Shadowdark at the same time, so it may be that the system itself supports/encourages a different mindset.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I wasn't aware that the standard array was a thing. Is that a 5E thing (which I don't play) or has it been around longer and I just ignored or missed it? While that seems to go a long way towards achieving balance it seems really boring to me but, of course, your mileage on that may vary.

I didn’t play 2e or 3e, and I don’t remember it being a 1e thing, but it was definitely in 4e.

I do remember reading about it being a 3e thing with options for different arrays for different powers levels you wanted. But I don’t know that from experience

 

[Lanefan]

I didn’t play 2e or 3e, and I don’t remember it being a 1e thing, but it was definitely in 4e.

Array - and point buy - weren't in 1e. They might have reared their heads in later-era 2e in some splatbook or other, I wouldn't have seen them if they did. Point buy was an option in 3e but I forget whether array was also; and different options for points totals were given to vary the power level if desired.