point buy or standart array?

[Zappo]

If you think that all players will have 18, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9... then your players aren't very good at min/maxing.
A more efficient way to manage a 25 point buy is to have a 16 in your spellcasting stat if you're a spellcaster, or in Strength, or a bunch of 14s and 15s around.

Then there are people who feel like they're playing a peasant unless they have an 18 in their primary stat. I'd advise slapping them in the neck and telling them that 2e is gone, get over it.

 

[Darkness]

Almost always organic.

Although for my recent "Shades conquer Faerun!" campaign, I gave the PCs (i.e., the aforementioned shades) a powerful standard array (like, 18, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10 or something; I can't recall the particulars at the moment) so they'll have a fighting chance against the FR signature characters.

 

[diaglo]

...telling them that 2e is gone, get over it.

or you could tell them this edition sucks.

 

[Ravellion]

or you could tell them this edition sucks.

Yawn.

Dragonsfoot's Edition Wars forum is over here , but there you won't annoy as many players as here I guess, so I can see your rationale for posting the same thing every second post.

Rav

 

[KDLadage]

Playing cards. No, really.

And I posted in one of the other threads:

My prefered method of stat generation is playing cards. It is a rather elegant thing, really. It generates ballanced characters, creates non-cookie cutter stats and allows for some real personalization.

Currently my Player Character Stat Generation Deck is made up of the following cards:
1s ... x1
2s ... x2
3s ... x3
4s ... x6
5s ... x3
6s ... x2
7s ... x1


This is 18 cards, allows for a minimum stat of 5, and a maximum stat of 19. On average, the character's stats will be 12.

I have the players shuffle the deck of cards, deal them face down into six piles of three cards each. They are then allowed to pick up a single stack, look at the results and assign that value to any stat. They then pick up a second one and assign that to another stat. Since they know the card mix, they know what cards remain at all times and so use this to decide where to set the stats...

 

[Ravellion]

Playing cards. No, really.

And I posted in one of the other threads:

Ever had a character with a 19?

Rav

 

[KDLadage]

Yes. It was an Elven fighter character that took that 19 in DX... once you accounted for racial mods, this was one BAD fighter...

 

[bret]

Either 25 point buy or standard array is fine. I would rather have point buy, mostly so I could get rid of the 8 attribute. I hate penalty attributes.

I prefer to play in a slightly more powerful game, 28-32 point buy.

 

[Desdichado]

I like the standard array, with an additional 3 stat ups that can be applied to any stat at character creation. That way, you only have one 18 -- assuming you want that, or a fairly well-rounded individual.

That doesn't help you if you're problem is fighters with CHA 8, though -- you'd probably still get them. I think your problem there, though, is to make sure CHA plays an important role in the campaign. Make it a valued stat and folks won't use it as a dump stat. Have lots of diplomacy, bluff, sense motive, handle animal, etc. rolls.

 

[Mercule]

I probably wouldn't play in a "Standard Array" game. Honestly, I can't see _any_ redeeming features in it (and I'm not trying to be inflamitory, I really don't understand), unless you're looking for quick NPC/Red shirt stats. In other words, I find Standard Array about as interesting as the quick table of NPCs by class/level in the DMG.

Point buy, on the other hand, is my preferred method of character generation. We use 28 pt buy. It gives enough that the PC feels exceptional without giving so much, the feel like a eugenics experiment.