D&D 5E Point Buy vs Rolling for Stats

[Maxperson]

Actually it's going from 1 in 100 to 1 in 20. Again, not a huge change.

No, it's going from 1 in 100 to 7 in 100. 7x better is huge.

And aren't you the one who argued that stats in 5e are so insignificant that it doesn't really matter if one character is lower than another?

What's that got to do with the price of tea in 1st edition?

And, nope. The DMG specifically presumes that they DON'T have stats. Right there in the first paragraph on creating NPC's. Only NPC's that are a threat to PC's need stats. In fact it suggests simply using descriptors, rather than actually having stats.

Page 92 under NPC statistics gives 3 main options for creating NPCs. Option 1 is to give them whatever stats they need, which presumes stats. Option 2 is to give them a monster stat block, which presumes stats. Option 3 is to build them like PCs, which presumes stats. All the first paragraph says is that you don't need to roll, and you don't. You have the options 1 and 2 for picking the assumed stats.

 

[Caliban]

No, it's going from 1 in 100 to 7 in 100. 7x better is huge.

Or about +1 modifier on a d20. Which you said wasn't a big deal and that we shouldn't get hung up on numbers when it comes to rolling stats. But now it's "huge". Interesting.

 

[Yardiff]

NPCs have been able to be adventurers for all prior editions to date. Actually, looking at the NPC section on page 89 of the PHB, it even gives having adventured years ago as one possible occupation/history for NPCs and page 93 has a paragraph on Adventurer NPCs, so they can clearly be adventurers in 5e as well. The section on page 93 instructs the DM to build them via player handbook rules, which would include racial bonuses and stats of up to 20.

Those would not be 'normal' NPCs, those would be 'special' NPCs.

 

[Maxperson]

Or about +1 modifier on a d20. Which you said wasn't a big deal and that we shouldn't get hung up on numbers when it comes to rolling stats. But now it's "huge". Interesting.

Kinda trollish of you to try and equate what I said about 5e to what I'm saying about 1e.

 

[Maxperson]

Those would not be 'normal' NPCs, those would be 'special' NPCs.

Normal or not, it's absolute proof that NPCs can go higher than 18. And no, it's not only special NPCs. The normal NPC with the adventurer background can also have a 20, even though he's not adventuring with the PCs as part of the party.

 

[Caliban]

Kinda trollish of you to try and equate what I said about 5e to what I'm saying about 1e.

Or kinda accurate.

 

[Yardiff]

Look at pg 7 of the PHB. Also all references to adventurer in the PHB refers to PCs. Then read 173 again.

 

[Hussar]

page 93 has a paragraph on Adventurer NPCs, so they can clearly be adventurers in 5e as well. The section on page 93 instructs the DM to build them via player handbook rules, which would include racial bonuses and stats of up to 20.

Funny how you ignore the title of that section: NPC Party Members. It then goes on to talk about using these NPC's if you don't have enough players to form a full party. As in these are not normal NPC's.

No, it's going from 1 in 100 to 7 in 100. 7x better is huge.

What's that got to do with the price of tea in 1st edition?

Page 92 under NPC statistics gives 3 main options for creating NPCs. Option 1 is to give them whatever stats they need, which presumes stats. Option 2 is to give them a monster stat block, which presumes stats. Option 3 is to build them like PCs, which presumes stats. All the first paragraph says is that you don't need to roll, and you don't. You have the options 1 and 2 for picking the assumed stats.

You keep cherry picking quotes and ignoring the ones you don't like:

Quick NPC's
An NPC doesn't need combat statistics unless it poses a threat...

Abilities:
You don't need to roll ability scores for the NPC (and then proceeds to provide a descriptive chart for statistics, NOT actual scores).

There's a pretty clear implication here that you don't bother actually giving NPC's any stats. It's simply not worth it. You simply describe NPC's in plain English (or whatever language suits your fancy I suppose) terms and leave it at that. The blacksmith is strong, the bar wench is pretty, whatever. What is the numerical value of "strong" or "pretty"? I dunno. Doesn't matter.

Because NPC's DON'T HAVE STATS unless they are interacting with the PC's in some form that would require combat rolls, either as enemies or allies.

I find it really funny that the 5e DMG section on NPC's is cribbed nearly verbatim from the 4e DMG. It's almost identical. It certainly looks NOTHING like how NPC's were designed in 3e or AD&D. But, hey, we're not supposed to mention how close 5e is to 4e are we? That's just a dirty little secret.

Sorry, but, no. I don't see how you could look at the 5e guidelines for NPC creation and come to the conclusion that the general population follows a 3d6 bell curve. 3d6 appears nowhere in the rules. Never minding the fact that for humans you'd wind up with a really wonky bell where four times more people have a +4 stat than have a -4.

 

[Yardiff]

For those who missed it.

PHB

pg 7

Every character and monster in the game has capabilities defined by six ability scores. The abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, and they typically range from 3 to 18 for most adventurers. (Monsters might have scores as
lowas I or as high as 30.)

pg 15

You can't increase an ability score above 20.

pg 173

A score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but adventurers and many monsters are a cut above average in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches. Adventurers can have scores as high as 20, and monsters and divine beings can have
scores as high as 30.

and last but not least....

Adventurer NPC are build like PCs so eepso faartso bango bongo they're special BECAUSE they are build like PCs not normal NPCs.

 

[Maxperson]

Look at pg 7 of the PHB. Also all references to adventurer in the PHB refers to PCs. Then read 173 again.

Irrelevant. It's the freaking PLAYERS HANDBOOK, so of course references will be to PCs. We don't play D&D with only the PHB, though. All the books work together and the DMG proves you wrong. Just admit it man. It's explicitly right there in literal black and white.