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

[Vaalingrade]

I will say that I kind of reject Point Buy out of hand as I just don't want to do the math. Not super excited about raw numbers themselves, so I'd rather use arrays that pick the PB results one would usually go for anyway.

 

[Oofta]

I explained a bit more. I also give back feedback to you. Please take the post at face value, don't make it a question of who is superior to someone else.

I meant no offense. I was trying to be helpful because intent is not always clear, what we say is often easily misconstrued. Like you seem to be taking offense at my trying to be clear that I don't doubt your intent but that doesn't change how you stated things could easily be taken the wrong way. Forums can be terrible at subtlety, messages can be easily misread, intent is not always clear.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I meant no offense. I was trying to be helpful because intent is not always clear, what we say is often easily misconstrued. Like you seem to be taking offense at my trying to be clear that I don't doubt your intent but that doesn't change how you stated things could easily be taken the wrong way. Forums can be terrible at subtlety, messages can be easily misread, intent is not always clear.

I totally agree here! I also edited my first post to be hopefully a bit clearer.

 

[Oofta]

What tends to happen with point buy is that there becomes one way to build a hex blade and one way to build a Wizard, and so on (with two ways to build a Fighter - str-based and dex-based). The samey-ness isn't that all characters look the same, it's that all characters of the same class look the same.

Indeed. That's why I proposed allowing placement of two scores and then random placement of the rest.

Why do you know the ability score of other PCs? If you make cookie cutter PCs and it bothers you, that's on you not the system. I knew a guy that in every edition played 1 of 2 PCs, either a female (drow if allowed) elf sorcerer or a halfling rogue. Over multiple editions. Not my cup of tea, sometimes I optimize for combat, most of the time I try to make sure my PC has decent ability scores for out of combat as well.

I don't think you can get away from the fact that some people will always put the +2 to maximize their primary ability and prioritize secondary combat abilities next. Randomness just shifts the results a bit, I don't think it really changes the mindset.

 

[payn]

I will say that I kind of reject Point Buy out of hand as I just don't want to do the math. Not super excited about raw numbers themselves, so I'd rather use arrays that pick the PB results one would usually go for anyway.

Right. PB mattered a lot in 3E/PF1 because there was a lot more variance in mechanics and feats. With design based around bounded accuracy and typical class output, PB wont really net you anything different in 5E than an array.

 

[delericho]

Why do you know the ability score of other PCs?

I'm the DM. I know the ability scores of all the PCs.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Why do you know the ability score of other PCs? If you make cookie cutter PCs and it bothers you, that's on you not the system.

I half agree to this statement. You don't have to make a cookie curter pc, but sometimes it feels like deliberately shooting in your own foot if you do otherwise.
Of course it is always on yourself if you feel that way, but (partially) randomized creation in my opinion at least helps me not to feel that way when creating a not cookie cutter PC.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Right. PB mattered a lot in 3E/PF1 because there was a lot more variance in mechanics and feats. With design based around bounded accuracy and typical class output, PB wont really net you anything different in 5E than an array.

Also, not included in the poll, but there was the 3.5/4e option of having a number of available arrays to choose from.

 

[payn]

Also, not included in the pool, but there was the 3.5/4e option of having a number of available arrays to choose from.

PF2 came up with a seemingly clever "ABC" system. Start with a baseline all 10s. Pick you ancestry (formerly race) get a few stat bumps, pick your background get a few more bumps, pick your class and get your final bumps. It all works out to basically 2-4 different arrays and everyone just skips to it that way.

 

[DarkCrisis]

4D6 the way god intended.