True. It isn't necessary to have stats for common town folk just descriptors, but if they were to get into combat for some reason you'd need stat info. Its a time saver more then anything else.
No it pretty much says you don't have to roll stats not that they don't have stats.
"You don't need to roll ability scores for the NPC,"
Those next few pages, with the exception of the one NPC abilities table, have nothing to do with stats. The one NPC abilities table in no way implies that no stats are present. It just gives you descriptors for high and low stats. Detailed NPCs have stats primarily generated via the three main methods of stat generation. That's the rules.And then proceeds for the next few pages to tell you how to create NPC's with no stats. It's not until you get towards the end of the section, when they're mostly talking about NPC's that are either major villains or alies, that actually giving them stats at all is mentioned.
True. It isn't necessary to have stats for common town folk just descriptors, but if they were to get into combat for some reason you'd need stat info. Its a time saver more then anything else.
Yep. [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] has to resort to taking sections of the NPC rules out of context or just plain ignoring what words mean in order for his statement to be true. The only NPCs that it specifically says doesn't need statistics is the quick NPC. For detailed NPCs it doesn't say that they don't have ability scores. It says you don't need to roll them and then provides three main ways to determine stats.
Those next few pages, with the exception of the one NPC abilities table, have nothing to do with stats. The one NPC abilities table in no way implies that no stats are present. It just gives you descriptors for high and low stats. Detailed NPCs have stats primarily generated via the three main methods of stat generation. That's the rules.
First, sometimes PCs get into combats with NPCs at unexpected times. Second, YOU just rule that X commoners get killed at Y event. For a lot of us, sometimes we rule that way and sometimes there are rolls involved, and stats are helpful with those rolls.Into combat with whom? Because, unless they're in combat with the PC's present, they don't need stats and won't use them. You just rule that X number of commoners got killed in Y event.
You keep saying that, but repeating misinformation will not make it true. There is no wording that says anything about those being for special NPCs, rather than the detailed NPCs(every NPC other than quick ones) that the section indicates that they are for.Yup. The special NPC's that are either allies or enemies of the PC's need stats. How does that extrapolate to "every NPC needs stats"?
First, stats are not combat stats. They are simply stats. Stats are useful in all sorts of non-combat ways. Combat stats would be attacks, damage, armor class, etc. Second, that section is only for quick NPCs, not the detailed NPCs which are described in the pages after that one single paragraph.Again, why are you extrapolating? The rules say unless the NPC is a threat to PC's, they don't need combat stats. It doesn't say, "Hey, they don't need them, but, they all have them anyway". They just say, nope, unless you're going to adventure with it or kill it, you don't need stats AT ALL.
Those next few pages, with the exception of the one NPC abilities table, have nothing to do with stats. The one NPC abilities table in no way implies that no stats are present. It just gives you descriptors for high and low stats. Detailed NPCs have stats primarily generated via the three main methods of stat generation. That's the rules.
A more serious response: much like Schrodinger's cat, the ability scores of PCs are indeterminate until weopen the boxneed 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?