Point Buy Systems?

[saduff]

I mostly use 69+1d10 point buy system. Where each point buys one for one on the stats. Prior to racial mods. Of course this leaves "NO" room for characters with multiple high stats, but it work for us.


I edited this to read "NO"

When this system is used there is no reroll on your 1d10 you take what you get.

 

[Crothian]

What's the typical character look like? I would think this would be a min maxers wet dream.

Character time: Today I want a Dwarven Fighter

So, roll1d10 and get a 8, then add 69 and get 77. What can I get?

Well, I want a tough SOB, so 18 con. I want to eventually become a Dwarven Defender so 13 Dex. So, that leaves be with 46 pts. Dont care for Cha so we'll make it an 8. Take a 14 str, and 12 Wis and Int.

So, after adding dwarven modifications I get:
Str: 14
Dex: 13
Con: 20
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 6

Gotta love a dump stat!!

this is more well rounded then many charcter I see using this type of point system. I perfer a chacter with a little brain power. Most people would have both Wis and Int as 10's and go with that 18 Str. I also feel that 6 is about as low as any attribute should go. Many would make that even lower.

So, not a bad system. Easily abused, but as long as you and the Players are fine with that, go for it.

 

[saduff]

This allows for any type of class to be made. We don't "cheat" per say.
I personally pick my own stats but my characters are far weaker than most. I once even said to a DM that I pick my own stats. Then he said well we will see. After I made my character and the DM checked it and then asked whether I wanted to raise any of the stats.

3rd edition elf wizard 1st level
Str 8
Dex 15
Con 12
Int 17
Wis 13
Cha 10

My average character...

 

[saduff]

Another note from me...I beleive characters need to be a little more than most being that this is a fantasy game ( D&D ). They wouldn't be much heroes if they weren't.

I play other games but much of the discussion here pretains to 3rd Dungeons and Dragons.

 

[Crothian]

Most people agree that the characters need to be better then average. Even the game designers do. Normal NPC have different classes, those in the DMG while PC and unique NPCs get to use the PHB classes.

 

[Fenrir]

I really don't think that stats matter much in playing, even with balance issues, as long as all the characters are generally even in that regard.

For my games, I tell my players to just "Make em up," and the characters still are challenged by the things that the canon rules dictate would be challenging to them.

A typical character in my games may look like this:

18, 17, 13, 12, 14, 15

Doesn't really bother me. With what little fighting we do, it still doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

 

[Crothian]

Balance is more of character balance then balance with anything else. And the less fighting and die rolling that is done, the less the stats really mean. I've always wanted to just allow the players to make up their stats but, alas, I've never had a group I could trust that much. It's alwas one or two people that I know would literally come in with max scores all around.

 

[saduff]

I know what you mean about people you can trust. I just started a group and one of the players wanted to keep a master work weapon at lvl 1. I knida disagree with that one.
I think alot people want to "win" when they play. When you should really just make your character to suit his story. I like to play wizards which I make smart and weak then I choose elf which makes me fast and since my character is a wizard he is isolated with his studies in his free time so I take a med level charisma( not low because he is an elf ). I really want to play again so I can play a fighter just a basic fighter. What you can do with a basic fighter.

 

[Crothian]

I've gotten my fighter/rogue flail specicialist played, and my Bard. Both were human. Now I'm trying a 1/2 elf Ranger. Too many character ideas, to few campaigns. Too much Dming. Hopefully I'll get to play at the two cons this summer and get some of this playing bug out of my system.

 

[saduff]

Which two cons are you going to. Im thinking of going to Origins and Gen Con but Im unsure as of now.