Point buy starting pool

[Crothian]

It's easier to give than to take away later.

But it is so much more fun to take away

 

[IronWolf]

But it is so much more fun to take away

Add this to the list of things you don't want to hear your DM say....

 

[BluWolf]

30 it is, using the cost table in the 3.5 DMG on pg 169.

 

[Buttercup]

I have two problems with low ability scores for players. First, I'm stingy with magic items. Second, with spell casters, they're really prevented from reaching their full potential unless they start out with a high-ish caster score. 25 point buy allows that, but only at the expense of being mediocre in every other way. And for classes that need many good ability scores, like monks or paladins, well, low point buy just sucks, IMO.

So if you can't trust your players to pick their own scores, then give 'em a high default array. Although come to think of it, what would be so bad about a character wtih all 18s? Just up the challenge rating, and don't give them any magic items. As a DM, it's easier to compensate for high PC abilities than low ones, I think.

 

[Ogre Mage]

My guidelines:

25 PB: Low powered campaign.
28 PB: Standard campaign.
32 PB: Tougher campaign.
36 PB: High powered campaign.

28 PB is the lowest point where I would consider classes which have Multiple Ability Dependency to be reasonably playable.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

You could always let the players who want to roll, roll, and give the other players an equivalant point buy.

AR

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

You could always let the players who want to roll, roll, and give the other players an equivalant point buy.

AR

I think his original question was, what point buy would be the equivalant of 4d6 drop the lowest (rather than doing the math to come up with an average after the other players roll).

 

[Crothian]

New campaign. New players. With the group I played with for 5 years, I would have no issue with doing that at all.

Its the best way though to learn what the players are like. Give them freedom and see what they do with it.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Randomly rolling by the rules, including removing "hopeless" characters exactly as per the PHB, averages about 29 and change point buy.

28 point buy is close to that, and makes it so those that take a chance at rolling have an edge from their risk.

 

[RedShirtNo5]

Here's a prior discussion regarding point buy equivalent to the PHB "4d6 drop lowest and reroll hopeless characters" method:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=128481

-RedShirt