D&D General Normal Distribution Ability Scores

[tetrasodium]

I'm not a fan of point buy but I do want my PCs to have good scores. The eternal 18 bothers me less than the" eternal 9 dump stat.

One idea I've considered is giving the PCs a pool of dice that they can assign to each stat. Then they roll the mini-pools and take the top 3. You have to put 3 minimum in every stat of course. That means primary stats will often be very good and there won't really be a dump stat.

An example: Take 6 stats and 4d6 for every stat on average. So you give them 24d6 to arrange how they want. You might also be generous and just say 30d6 for a high heroic fantasy game.

You consider a 9 to be a "dump sta"t? 3-6ish is more in line with the term imo

 

[Emerikol]

You consider a 9 to be a "dump sta"t? 3-6ish is more in line with the term imo

I wouldn't allow anyone to lower a stat below 8. I think at least some editions actually require that with point buy.

 

[tetrasodium]

I wouldn't allow anyone to lower a stat below 8. I think at least some editions actually require that with point buy.

Serious question here... "Why not?".

Ime a low score or two that is low enough to make the spread between highest and lowest scores relevant enough to matter in play actually improves the game for everyone by giving players reasons to care about each other's primary and secondary scores in ways that manifest in setting each other up for splashy successes.

 

[Emerikol]

Serious question here... "Why not?".

Ime a low score or two that is low enough to make the spread between highest and lowest scores relevant enough to matter in play actually improves the game for everyone by giving players reasons to care about each other's primary and secondary scores in ways that manifest in setting each other up for splashy successes.

Because such a score is so debilitating. You are unable to function in society with a 6 INT let alone be an adventurer. Your fellow adventurers would rob you blind and you'd never know. You'd rarely be able to discern even who the bad guys are if facing a mix of foes and allies.

Maybe strength or constitution but you are still very debilitated. You could get by with a super bad Charisma but your group would realistically drop you from the party pretty quick.

 

[TwoSix]

Because such a score is so debilitating. You are unable to function in society with a 6 INT let alone be an adventurer. Your fellow adventurers would rob you blind and you'd never know. You'd rarely be able to discern even who the bad guys are if facing a mix of foes and allies.

Maybe strength or constitution but you are still very debilitated. You could get by with a super bad Charisma but your group would realistically drop you from the party pretty quick.

I think that's an overly punitive assessment on the meaning of a 6 INT. Assuming the usual "3d6 describes the bell curve of distribution across the normal population" that simulationist-types prefer, 6 INT is someone at the top of the bottom 5% in intelligence. Almost certainly uncurious and easily persuaded, but definitely not at the point of not being able to tell friend from foe.

6 Str is your standard sedentary type that doesn't work out, or on the small side, not someone physically crippled.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Because such a score is so debilitating. You are unable to function in society with a 6 INT let alone be an adventurer. Your fellow adventurers would rob you blind and you'd never know. You'd rarely be able to discern even who the bad guys are if facing a mix of foes and allies.

Maybe strength or constitution but you are still very debilitated. You could get by with a super bad Charisma but your group would realistically drop you from the party pretty quick.

that's kind of the point of letting them get that low, they give you vulnerabilities and force your team to come together as a team, that guy might have 6 INT but you can't talk with your 6 DEX, but they also have 18 STR and you have your 18 WIS, and there's that other person with 8 CHA and 18 DEX so it all balances out

 

[Horwath]

I think that's an overly punitive assessment on the meaning of a 6 INT. Assuming the usual "3d6 describes the bell curve of distribution across the normal population" that simulationist-types prefer, 6 INT is someone at the top of the bottom 5% in intelligence. Almost certainly uncurious and easily persuaded, but definitely not at the point of not being able to tell friend from foe.

6 Str is your standard sedentary type that doesn't work out, or on the small side, not someone physically crippled.

6 CON in an adventurers life is suicidal.

 

[TwoSix]

6 CON in an adventurers life is suicidal.

I don't disagree. But that's a reason I'm generally against "Con" as a base stat. If one does have to keep the classic 6 for tradition's sake, I'd rather see Con be less of a factor in overall hit point calculation.

 

[Horwath]

I don't disagree. But that's a reason I'm generally against "Con" as a base stat. If one does have to keep the classic 6 for tradition's sake, I'd rather see Con be less of a factor in overall hit point calculation.

yeah, I would rather ax the CON stat alltogether. give everyone +2 HP per level and move all CON saves to STR.
remove 13 from array, or 5 pts from point buy and remove +1 ASI from generation.

it's basically "the 14" stat. then give or take 2.
in what I played 5e, about 80% had 14 CON, 10% 12 CON, 10% 16 CON and rest is probability error.

might see 13 or rarely 15 if caster is planning for Resilient CON ASAP, but that is 14 in the making.

 

[Emerikol]

that's kind of the point of letting them get that low, they give you vulnerabilities and force your team to come together as a team, that guy might have 6 INT but you can't talk with your 6 DEX, but they also have 18 STR and you have your 18 WIS, and there's that other person with 8 CHA and 18 DEX so it all balances out

That would be at 8. At 6, they are literally in a special school in today's world. They would be the sort of person sold as a slave in the middle ages. And one super high score and one super low score is incredibly rare in reality.