PC Creation: Pointbuy or Roll?

[wayne62682]

Point buy, but not the method in the DMG: We typically use a 78 point spread (our latest campaign was high power so we got a whopping 90) with a one-for-one basis: In other words an 18 costs you 18 poinits, a 17 costs 17 and so on. We find it much more balanced than the DMG's "the higher you want a stat the more it screws you" method.

 

[Thanee]

Other, hybrid between point buy and rolling.

Bye
Thanee

 

[SWBaxter]

I prefer point buy for all three. Makes the logistics of character creation simpler, and minimizes (or at least equalizes) whining about stats from the powergamer types. But I'm not an evangelist, I'll go with rolling if that's what the group prefers - stat generation is such an inconsequential part of my D&D experience that I have trouble getting worked up about how the numbers get on the page.

 

[Abraxas]

My experience, after almost 25 years of observing random stat generation, is that players claim to prefer random generation until they roll a substandard character. (With "substandard" being relative. If the player's PC's got stat-mods totalling +4, but another player's PC has stat-mods totaling +13, the first player is going to -- rightly -- consider his PC substandard.)

Then typically one of three things will happen: (1) the player will "suicide" the character, in order to try again for "random" high stats; (2) the player will wheedle, cajole, and whine to the DM, again in order to try again for "random" high stats (or, although it's not the player's ideal outcome, a chance to retroactively bump up the stats he rolled with his "preferred" random method); or (3) recognize the merits of point-buy.

In 28 years of gaming I've not met one player who fits the pattern described above.

We roll for stats.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Point buy all the way.

IME, most GMs over time who use dice rolling switch to point buy. Not always, but I've yet to see a GM switch from point buy to dice rolling.

Players often love dice rolling; it gives them brief joy, longer lasting if they roll an 18. But it makes the campaign less fun for them.

 

[Agent Oracle]

Roll for stats: 4d6 (drop lowest) four sets of six stats, pick one set.

There are exceptions ("I rolled nothing higher than 12 in either set" "Alright, You have one last chance, roll six times using 4d6, and I'm loaning you these, my cursed dice." "Cursed?" "Yeah, they hate me. Roll good for my players. Now get rolling")

It works out pretty well. Players get good variation in their abilities, everyone gets at least one 17-18

 

[howandwhy99]

My favorite is to roll, but when I'm playing it is normally in a d20 point buy game. For my own game I offer the option of roll 3d6 in order with some tweaks or to use 25pb.

 

[Odhanan]

I prefer to roll for stats (as player or DM) and make players roll for stats (as DM). In most of the games I played, it was a point-buy system, though.

 

[Nalfeshnee]

i voted roll for each one (the systme my group uses is very power-gaming, though our combats are suitable difficult: 4d6, 7 times, three sets - choose best 3d6, best 6 for each set then take best set ) Though to be honest that makes for boring and OtT characters - very powerful stats where 18s are not at all uncommon

though since ive been using Invisible Castle ive been very interested in the grid method. its more limiting on the player (probably best if the players dont choose their class before rolling i'd ike to try that method out sometime.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Roll the bones baby - point-buy is for losers.

Who wants fair and balanced, yeah, the world is really like that.