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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7234240" data-attributes="member: 29398">Except the point-buy vs. rolling discussion is germaine to all editions, not just 5e; and even though it's in a 5e-based forum doesn't mean all of us will automatically look at it from a 5e-only perspective.  I sure don't. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />And [MENTION=996]Tony Vargas[/MENTION] is right in one thing: the 3d6 bell curve, for all its flaws ( [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] is spot on when he points out that 3d6 gives way too many extreme results to base a general population on) was the stated default for general population creation in 1e and, as it has not really been replaced or amended since, remains the default...well...by default. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The one thing that has changed is bonuses and how they work.  In 0-1-2e there was little to no appreciable difference between an 8 and a 13 other than one's roll-under odds and - for strength - carrying capacity.  The large center of the bell curve was all kinda mushed together into a big pool of 'ordinary'; and that was just fine.  3e brought in linear bonuses (bad) but did not change the 3-18 bell curve standard (bad becomes worse), meaning that all those 8-9 and 12-13 stats that previously fell under 'ordinary' now fell under 'bonus/penalty-granting'...which means 'exceptional'.  4-5e have followed on with this same poor model.Something else that only just occurred to me while typing this: if 5e wants all commoner stats to be 10 then they're doing commoners a slight (but over a whole population, quite noticeable) disservice, in that the average of 3d6 is in fact 10.5 and commoners should thus have as many 11s as 10s.  Given that the difference in average between array (12.0) and 4d6 rolling (12.24) generates so much complaint yet is less than half the difference between 10.0 and 10.5, I think it's time for the commoners and peasants to stand up and be heard! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Lan-"and when I'm in the same post saying both Hussar and Tony V are right, that alone should tell you something's in the air"-efan</blockquote>

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