Point Buy and Rolling - The Poll (the hard way ;p)

[FreeTheSlaves]

Point Buy and Rolling - The Degrees Between Equality of Outcome and Equality of Opportunity.

Sorry, I was trying to post a poll and realized that the number of entries that I had chosen was one too many. And going back to correct I posted too often. I guess I should have continued and used the extra option to say something witty...

Right-O, back to exploring the edit functions...

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Arrgh stuff it! Okay I'll keep tabs on the score. Here are your 6 options, assuming that we're looking at the character creation process which is obviously the germination phase of the character. Another assumption is that the character is at least semi-heroic, i.e. somewhere not noticably lower than 25pt equivalency. I think it is fair to say that it is harder to run the more heroic campaign on less than 25pt buy following the advice given to me from the dmg. To clarify the following terminology I'm using, 'Rolling' means rolling in a random fashion and generated means the creation is being closely guided. Please be kind to this ad hoc jargon, it's just serving a blunt purpose once - I promise it won't catch on and butcher the language.

1. Rolling with emphasis on equality of character opportunity = 7
2. Rolling with with a bit of generated variables = 1
3. I'll pick and choose freely = 0
4. Generating with a bit of rolled variables = 1
5. Generating with emphasis on equality of character outcome = 9
6. WTH!? Other = 1

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To start off personally I pick 4.9. I don't say 5 because I somehow am fine with the starting purse being random. Ok what's that to do with stats? Well it can influence character creation. Seriously, if a dm pulls a 1st/2nd level one shot I'd create a totally separate character from a longer term one. After all that I guess I'll take it easy on the pollster and give em a nice round number for the round number slot.

Btw this is quite good because it eliminates the lurker option. Sometimes people we need to stand up and be counted!

 

[DarkKestral]

I'll go with 1. However, I'll do it using pointbuy, set HPs, and set money/XP counts. I don't like messing around with players over money/attributes/classes. I'd much rather say: "You've got X. Here's the basic campaign idea. What do you want to do?" KNOWING full well that if a character is 'less-than-optimized' they're doing it for RP/concept reasons rather than just getting hit with bad die rolls. It sucks to have one character get massive bonuses to all attributes, max cash.. and then only need 2 attributes and no cash, while getting stuck with near minimal cash, low attributes just BARELY bordering on acceptable if you're a one-trick pony, and not being able to go with your preferred character concept at all, because the dice and levels didn't work out right. It can, and has made games feel 'sour' as a result. Give me reliability any day. Players need equal opportunity in character creation; sucky attributes make for unfun characters most of the time. The rare cases when they don't.. you can chalk up to people who liked the concept they got. It wasn't the sucky attributes that 'made it fun'.

However, I also go with those rules for PCs, all NPCs, BBEGs, and monsters. I'm equal in that. You want 'heroic' stats? Well, you'll get them. So will most others.

 

[Thanee]

4.

Bye
Thanee

 

[wmasters]

I use 5 I guess. I email character generation details and background etc so characters can ge generated away from the gaming table and brought along for the first session

 

[green slime]

mmmmm...... adventurer.......mmmmmmmm

ssshhhluuurrrpppp!


*screams followed by crunching sounds, the sound of acid burning through flesh*

*Then silence*



32 points?!?! I'll never work all that off! Can't even enjoy a good tasty adventurer with side salad these days! Curse these weight watchers!!

 

[DragonLancer]

1.

Everyone rolls 4D6-lowest dice six times and puts them where they want.

 

[Piratecat]

5. I really like point buy. If I wanted to do 4 I'd use 28 points + a d4, but that seems kind of silly; better for me, I think, to give people equitable stats and let them differentiate their characters in other ways.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I voted 5.

 

[Quasqueton]

5.

Everyone starts at the same line, and the in-game adventure is where the randomness comes in.

Quasqueton

 

[blargney the second]

5. At creation we use 32 point-buy with 75% of max starting gold. At subsequent levels we give 75% of max hit points. (Incidentally, I'm thinking of starting a new campaign with 28 point-buy and 50% +1 hp after first level. I want to create a different feel in that game.)