D&D 5E Point Buy vs Rolling for Stats

[Oofta]

I'm not saying this to be mean or anything, but just as someone I've never met and exists to me purely over the internet, you don't matter to me. Does that mean that you don't exist? Of course not. That would be just as silly as claiming that numbers don't exist for the NPCs just because they don't matter. They exist, you just don't ever use them.

Ahh, you found out my secret. I don't really <poof>

 

[Satyrn]

I argue what the rules say all the time when I do things differently myself.

Why?

I would far prefer a discussion about how people do things instead.

How many others are arguing for something they don't buy into?

Why?

 

[Caliban]

Why?

Because this is the internet.

I would far prefer a discussion about how people do things instead.

Pssh... those discussions are settled one way or the other pretty quickly. Boring.

How many others are arguing for something they don't buy into?

Why?

Because someone is wrong on the internet.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Does that mean that you don't exist?

It's uncertain, in principle..

That would be just as silly as claiming that numbers don't exist for the NPCs just because they don't matter.

The NPCs don't exist, period, even if you do give them stats.

 

[Oofta]

I'm not saying this to be mean or anything, but just as someone I've never met and exists to me purely over the internet, you don't matter to me. Does that mean that you don't exist? Of course not. That would be just as silly as claiming that numbers don't exist for the NPCs just because they don't matter. They exist, you just don't ever use them.

A more serious response: much like Schrodinger's cat, the ability scores of PCs are indeterminate until we open the box need the ability scores. A 12 is higher than average strength, so a 14 and above would be pretty significantly above average, and someone I would consider "brawny".

Once I need them the ability scores could be anywhere from 14 (not bad for a commoner) to 20 (ex adventurer, or important NPC that is "undercover"). Your scale of course may vary ... but the point is that there is no reason for the ability score to exist until you need it.

Which still doesn't answer the question. Why do we care and what does this have to do with point buy vs rolling for ability scores?

 

[Yardiff]

Just because the thread is titled one thing doesn't mean it wont evolve into something else, since the OP hasn't posted in a while those who want to discuss stuff that stemmed from the discussion can. Seems you want to since you haven't stopped posting. Same with me and anyone who have posted recently.

 

[Maxperson]

Ahh, you found out my secret. I don't really <poof>

Who knew it was that easy to win an argument.

 

[Maxperson]

Why?

I would far prefer a discussion about how people do things instead.

How many others are arguing for something they don't buy into?

Why?

Why? Because most threads are, "How does hiding work in 5e?" or "I don't understand the interaction between X rule and Y rule, could someone explain it to me?". Those are rules questions and I'm going to enter those threads to discuss rules, not how I do things. How I personally run hiding has nothing to do with how hiding works in 5e, so it would be inappropriate for me to chime in with it. Sometimes, in a rules thread someone will post something like how they don't like the current hide rules and then ask for advice on what to do about it. THEN is the time for myself and others to give how we do things. Then and in threads specifically about house rules and such.

That's why.

 

[Maxperson]

The NPCs don't exist, period, even if you do give them stats.

they absolutely do. I have a sheet of paper next to my desk that is very real and is an NPC. That NPC exists. Not as a real human(or elf or whatever), but that NPC has a solid real world existence. I don't even have to give them stats for them to be real.

 

[Maxperson]

A more serious response: much like Schrodinger's cat, the ability scores of PCs are indeterminate until we open the box need the ability scores. A 12 is higher than average strength, so a 14 and above would be pretty significantly above average, and someone I would consider "brawny".

Sure. There's definitely wiggle room with descriptions like that. The PC does have the stat, though. You're just assigning the actual number to that stat when you need it.

Once I need them the ability scores could be anywhere from 14 (not bad for a commoner) to 20 (ex adventurer, or important NPC that is "undercover"). Your scale of course may vary ... but the point is that there is no reason for the ability score to exist until you need it.

Back to the issue with @Hussar. Those stats exist for all NPCs, as the game assumes that everyone has every stat, even if the numbers are not known or needed. You may not need to know what that score is prior to it becoming an issue for your game, but the score was a part of that NPC just by virtue of the NPC existing within the game world.

Why do we care and what does this have to do with point buy vs rolling for ability scores?

It's an interesting debate, and what it has to do with point buy or rolling is how the DM goes about giving stats to the important NPCs. I'm going to guess that if you don't just assign stats outright for important NPCs, you use the same method the PCs use for your game.