D&D 5E How does your group determine ability scores?

[JEB]

Based off the tangent in this thread... if you play 5E, what's the primary method among members of your group for choosing ability scores at character creation? Mind, this isn't a question about what options you allow, it's about what options get chosen in practice.

Although the poll allows for multiple answers, please only choose one, unless you play in more than one group and each group has a different preference. (Also, if you pick a mix, that means all the options listed are about equally popular.)

 

[OB1]

I give my players the choice of all three individually. Current campaign has 2 rollers, 2 standards and 1 point buy. I do require those who roll to also roll for HPs when they level.

 

[el-remmen]

Stat Draft.

 

[Thomas Rainsborough]

27 point buy of course. That and Std array are the only fair ways.

 

[BookTenTiger]

One of my groups prefers default / point buy, the other prefers 4d6 drop the lowest.

I find the first is good for a group that discusses their character concepts a lot before the campaign starts. This group really likes to have their characters figured out in advance: their class & race, motivations, connections. Point Buy or default give you a lot of control over your character concept.

The second is good for groups who want to figure out their characters during Session 0. The random stat array makes some character concepts possible, others more difficult. Character generation is more spontaneous and surprising.

I've enjoyed playing in both groups, but liked making characters in the second group more. I enjoy surprises!

 

[iserith]

I pick ability score generation methods based on what I feel best supports the campaign theme. In my current zero-to-hero hexcrawl campaign (soon to complete), it was 3d6 in order since it was very much about making do with what you have. In my next campaign, it's 4d6 drop the lowest (with scrap and reroll if too low) as that game will have some callbacks to D&D 3e and that's the default method in that game. In games like my street level hero/D&D mash up, I wanted players to be able to build to a specific superhero concept so a lot more options were open to them and point buy was used.

As with any options and variants, there's no need to keep them the same in every campaign or adventure in my view. It's good to mix them up to reinforce what you're going for, even down to stat generation methods.

 

[Maxperson]

I picked 4d6 and other. I play in one group where we rolled 4d6-L, and then in my game I have the players roll two stats at 3d6(dump stats that may or may not actually be dump), two stats at 4d6-L, and two stats at 5d6-2L(usually in the classes best stats). Then just because the luck gods can be fickle and I want the players to be able to play the class they have envisioned for their PC, I allow one pair of stats to be swapped. That means that if the Fighter's strength with the 5d6-2L roll is 11 and the 4d6-L wisdom roll ended up a 16, he can swap that pair and be the strength Fighter he was picturing.

 

[Blue]

I'm in a couple of different groups. And one group has rotating DMs every 6-9 months and they have different requirements.

I do point buy. I like the Faustian bargain of ASI vs. feat being a meaningful choice. Plus when one character is much higher or lower than everyone else it causes issues and this avoids it. I like the customization a bit better than the Standard Array because some concepts are more MAD than others.

In the mixed DM group, the "primary DM" does standard array, but with permission allows point buy. He also only allows Tasha's reorganization of ability scores by permission. He has a 3.x history and it feels like he's doing this to prevent minmaxing, but no one in the group really is into that.

Another DM in that group does rolled, and really expects everyone to have high scores. He personally loves feats as interesting and doesn't want people to have to take ASIs. Considering that I've never seen a significantly-lower-than-average set of rolled scores when he's running, I'm wondering if he has people reroll those.

 

[Maxperson]

27 point buy of course. That and Std array are the only fair ways.

If everyone in the group rolls, the result is fair no matter what it is. All had an equal chance at good or bad stats, which is fair. You are probably thinking of equitable, not fair(though very similar in meaning). Rolling can provide stats that are fair, but not equitable.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The theory is fair, the results aren't. Because Chaos is inherently unfair. That's the point of gambling.

Standard Array all day.