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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7242832" data-attributes="member: 996">Meh.  You can not care that random generation might spark an idea when you're stumped if you're never blocked at chargen.  That doesn't mean it's not an advantage of the method.  Conversely, you may never approach chargen with a definite concept in mind, and thus not care that point-buy lets you build-to-concept, every time.  But, it's still an advantage of the method. Balance is similar.  Some systems are better balanced than others.  Some people value balance, some don't, some of them just don't realize how much they actually do value it - and more than you might think actively hate balance.  Doesn't mean we can't judge relative balance, just that there will be a lot of cross-talk.That's neither, it's just a contrast with random.  Making Caliban's point, a bit, there.  ;( D&D is good for SAD classes but poor for MAD classes.  ;P   Seriously, though, point-buy's methodology makes putting lots of points in one stat less efficient than spreading them out a bit.   Wanting overall higher or lower stats to fit the campaign tone should be method-neutral.  You can roll more dice, use an array with bigger numbers, or assign more points.  :shrug: Nod.  That's pretty far afield, though.  Random-and-arrange also gives the same degree of freedom as array, but it gives up some of the advantages, too.  They're prettymuch trade-offs.  Indeed, some of the perceived disadvantages are just advantages looked at from a different angle, and vice-versa. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> "Play the character you want" is truer of point-buy than of random or array, it's a legitimate advantage of the method, however reluctant you may be to acknowledge it and determined you may be to quibble over Oofta's wording of it.   The main disadvantage is it's vulnerability to optimization (which, like random delivering superior characters if you get lucky, is a 'disadvantage' beloved by some).  It's mitigated with upper and lower limits on stats.  It could be de-mitigated by removing those limits, making it that much more 'abuseable.'For instance, if you wanted the inspiration potential of random, but the comparative balance of point-buy, you could generate a 3d6 (or whatever) in order character to see if it sparked an idea, then actually build to the concept using point-buy.  I'm not sure if that's a variation of random or of point-buy, but nothing'd stops you from doing it if point-buy were the campaign standard.</blockquote>

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