D&D 5E (2014) How do you determine your initial Attributes?

[Maxperson]

Of the three characters I've been playing recently, one is rolled, one is standard array, and one is point buy.

So... all three.

Sounds like there may be commitment issues.

 

[TwoSix]

I refuse to point buy or do arrays. Rolling is the way I generate stats and if that's a deal breaker, then I won't play in that game.

Although we do point-buy normally in our games, we do have one guy who refuses to do anything except 3d6 in order. Doesn't matter how underpowered he is, that's his thing and he doesn't deviate.

 

[schneeland]

For newer D&D editions always standard array these days (same for PbtA games like Dungeon World) . For OSR and adjacent games, rolling is also fine (and e.g. in DCC, not rolling your stats somehow feels wrong).

 

[Maxperson]

Although we do point-buy normally in our games, we do have one guy who refuses to do anything except 3d6 in order. Doesn't matter how underpowered he is, that's his thing and he doesn't deviate.

I've never liked 3d6. I've done 4d6-L or some variant of that since I started playing.

 

[TwoSix]

I've never liked 3d6. I've done 4d6-L or some variant of that since I started playing.

Same. Guy's a great roleplayer, but he's got his.... idiosyncrasies.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Always point-buy, if I'm given the option.

My problem is that I always roll one of three things:
1) Insanely overpowered stats, which I worry will cause other players to resent me,so I feel guilty;
2) Insanely underpowered stats, so bad that the DM goes out of his or her way to fix them for me, so I feel guilty;
3) Literally exactly on the line of "well this technically passes muster..." (e.g. in 3.5e, you have at least a 14 in one stat and at least a net +1 modifier before racial stats), leaving me frustrated and feeling a bit cheated.

There's a reason I call it "ability roulette." I really, really don't like rolling for stats. Because the odds are pretty good that at least one person in a five-man group will end up with either crap-awful or insanely-high stats, and that's an un-fun result for me. If I could have a reasonable assurance that everyone would get similarly decent stats (e.g. "everyone rolls, but you can choose to use any set rolled by the group"), it wouldn't bother me nearly as much.

Arrays are kind of a middle-of-the-road option for me. They're neither good nor bad, since there's no ambiguity.

 

[Charlaquin]

When I DM I allow the players to choose whichever method they prefer. As a player I do whatever the DM says to do for the campaign. If multiple options are available, I’ll do point buy if I have an idea of what I want to play, or roll in order if I don’t.

 

[Umbran]

Sounds like there may be commitment issues.

Nope. Just three different GMs.

 

[R_J_K75]

As a DM I give my players the option to roll 4d6 and drop the lowest roll and assign the rolls as they want. I let them roll 2 sets and pick one of the 2 or roll a third set which must be kept. I make them roll in front of me because I cant stand when players roll up a character then bring it to the table with higher than what could realistically be rolled. I had a player email me a 6th level character they "rolled" up last week thats a 1/2 orc fighter with 18 str, 16 Dex, 18 Con, 14 Int, 14 Wis, 16 Cha. Its not worth questioning because theyre not going to admit to just filling in the ability scores they wanted but Im highly skeptical that they rolled scores high enough before ASI to come out those numbers.

 

[Scribe]

I had a player email me a 6th level character they "rolled" up last week thats a 1/2 orc fighter with 18 str, 16 Dex, 18 Con, 14 Int, 14 Wis, 16 Cha.

Thats one of those 'the RNG blessed me' type events.