Ranger Rick
First Post
Can someone tell me how to find the point buy scale? I can not find it in the SRD.
Thank you
Thank you
Point buy
- Thread starter Ranger Rick
- Start date
The point buy system is not in the SRD but in the Core Rulebooks themselves (DMG, I believe). The aim of the SRD, broadly speaking, was the give you details of the system without telling you how to generate characters, which would result in people buying the Core Rulebooks to learn how to do that.
Pinotage
Pinotage
I do not think it is in the SRD. It is in the DMG.
The system though is:
+1 from 9 to 14, +2 for 15 and 16, +3 for 17 and 18.
So:
08 0
09 1
10 2
11 3
12 4
13 5
14 6
15 8
16 10
17 13
18 16
The game often starts at 25 point buy, but you can make it higher. For example, in our current game, it is point buy 35 (which forces at least one ability score to start out as an odd number).
The system though is:
+1 from 9 to 14, +2 for 15 and 16, +3 for 17 and 18.
So:
08 0
09 1
10 2
11 3
12 4
13 5
14 6
15 8
16 10
17 13
18 16
The game often starts at 25 point buy, but you can make it higher. For example, in our current game, it is point buy 35 (which forces at least one ability score to start out as an odd number).
Last edited:
Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
It's not in the SRD, because character generation rules (incl. dice methods and experience) aren't in the SRD. Bizzarre, eh?
That being said, all stats begin at 8. It costs 1 point per point to raise your stat to 14, two points per point to raise it to 16, and three points per point to raise your stat to 18. After spending all of your points, apply your racial modifiers. The whole thing, therefore, looks like this:
Stat: Cost
8: 0
9: 1
10: 2
11: 3
12: 4
13: 5
14: 6
15: 8
16: 10
17: 13
18: 16
That being said, all stats begin at 8. It costs 1 point per point to raise your stat to 14, two points per point to raise it to 16, and three points per point to raise your stat to 18. After spending all of your points, apply your racial modifiers. The whole thing, therefore, looks like this:
Stat: Cost
8: 0
9: 1
10: 2
11: 3
12: 4
13: 5
14: 6
15: 8
16: 10
17: 13
18: 16
Ranger Rick
First Post
Thanks but I thought 8 = -2 and a 10 = 0. I just could not remember the higher numbers. What happened to that scale?
Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
Ranger Rick said:
That's not normal point buy; it's a variant thereof. In standard point buy, 8s are free, and you get no bonuses for lowering a score below 8.
KD said:
How does that force a negative ability score?
atom crash
First Post
The elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) equals a 25-point buy.
I'm using the 32-point buy and have not had problems with it. Well, ok, sometimes it's difficult to challenge the PCs in an encounter balanced for their party level. Since most of my NPCs and levelled monsters use the elite array, the party kicks their tail fairly easily. I may adjust down in the future to 28-point buy.
I'm using the 32-point buy and have not had problems with it. Well, ok, sometimes it's difficult to challenge the PCs in an encounter balanced for their party level. Since most of my NPCs and levelled monsters use the elite array, the party kicks their tail fairly easily. I may adjust down in the future to 28-point buy.
Patryn of Elvenshae said:
I mis-wrote. I meant an odd ability score (not a negative ability score).
Take all 14's. That costs 36 points, but you only have 35, so it would be:
14 14 14 14 14 13
In order for a 14 to go to 15, you need 2 more points. So, you will still have at least one odd stat somewhere (in addition to the 15). Ditto for going to 16.
If you go to 17, 17 is a odd stat.
If you go to 18, again, you have 19 points left over and something has to be odd.
Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
Gotcha! I was confused. In fact, I opened up a character generation program just to make sure I could make a 35-point character who didn't have a negative score. 
I happened to be looking at some old 3E character sheets the other day when I realized that many of my 3E characters had odd ability scores, something that never happens in 3.5.
The reason was that the buff spells (e.g. Bull's Strength) lasted for hours and did D4+1 points.
If you had an even ability score (say 12), that resulted in 14, 15, 16, or 17 whereas with an odd score (13), it resulted in 15, 16, 17, or 18.
One time in four, you would have a buffed 18 instead of a buffed 14 (since the chance of the other 3 scores was the same). In other words, an increase average of +2 instead of +1.5 to the mod.
In 3.5, there is no good reason (tmk) to have an odd ability score.
The reason was that the buff spells (e.g. Bull's Strength) lasted for hours and did D4+1 points.
If you had an even ability score (say 12), that resulted in 14, 15, 16, or 17 whereas with an odd score (13), it resulted in 15, 16, 17, or 18.
One time in four, you would have a buffed 18 instead of a buffed 14 (since the chance of the other 3 scores was the same). In other words, an increase average of +2 instead of +1.5 to the mod.
In 3.5, there is no good reason (tmk) to have an odd ability score.
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