Point buy - How high do you go? (and why)

[PowerWordDumb]

That's fine. However, if you'd actually read the first post and the title of this thread, you'd have noticed "Those of you that use the DMG point buy method, what point buy level to you use and why?" In short, you're in the wrong thread. Glyfair was asking the opinion of those who use point-buy about how they use it. There are two other threads discussing whether or not to use it.

Blah blah blah blah. When you're done feeling superior and posting ever-so-mildly-condescending commentary designed to slip under Eric's Grandmother's radar, maybe you'll take a second and realize that this might have been the first thread I noticed on the subject, and that I happened to have a related opinion to share. But thank you ever so much for pointing that out. It's not like subsequently reading the other threads hadn't brought me to the same realization or anything.

Feel free to disregard my post as "irrelevant based on the opening post" all you like. It seems however that at least some other people appreciated my post.

 

[El Ravager]

44 is the highest point buy I have used. The game was a d20 Modern game and the characters were supposed to represent the super elite types in a very top secret organization.

In my DnD games I have currently use 38 point buy. I have introduced point buy to the game where all the other characters rolled them using the 4d6 drop the low and arrange as desired method. I took the average of how many points it would have taken to create each of the rolled characters. I left out the 72 point character in my calculation of the average.

Yes, 72 points. We all watched her roll the character. That character was actually one of my motivators for switching to point buy. If I were to start a new game with point buy I would probably use 28 or 32 instead of 38 though.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Depends on the setting.

Greyhawk: 28pts
Forgotten Realms: 32pts
Midnight: 34pts

Rolling is too inconsistant for my taste and nobody likes to play a sucky character alongside their friend's superman.

 

[Paul_Klein]

We play 36 point-buy...kinda.

Everyone gets 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 to attribute. That is equivelent to 36.

 

[Snoweel]

Some of my players had a problem with point buy, prefering the roll 4d6, drop the lowest, rearange to taste and roll 400+ data sets until they get the one with all stats above 15 method.

Originally posted by WizarDru
Dice-rolling systems never really seemed very good to me, as players would just keep rolling until they got the desired results, anyways.

W3rd.

I think this is the real reason behind a lot of people's love of "randomness".

 

[diaglo]

3d6 six times in order.

 

[Snoweel]

Snoweel looks at diaglo, frustrated confusion crawling across his face...

"NO, it says 'Point buy'!!!"

And back in my day, we used 3d6, drop the lowest...

 

[BVB]

Some of my players had a problem with point buy, prefering the roll 4d6, drop the lowest, rearrange to taste ... ((BVB inserts pause here for comedy drama)) ... and roll 400+ data sets until they get the one with all stats above 15 method.

That's the way I read it. Right on the nose.
I figure that if someone's not going to be happy with a series of truly random rolls without extensive manipulation, then you might as well skip the pain and say, "OK, then, just pick the stats you want."
Point buy is much simpler than the standard 4d6-discard-low-roll-seven-times-discard-low-arrange-as-wanted-and-move-one-point-around process.

 

[dungeonstuff]

Feel free to disregard my post as "irrelevant based on the opening post" all you like.....

Done.


For me 25 points or 3d6 straight down. 3E can be played comfortably either way.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

25, and that is because I try and encourage my player to roll their stats,so if they are afraid to take a chance on rolling they can use 25 points.
ken