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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 2137500" data-attributes="member: 3146">That rather depends upon the stat. My analysis is as follows:1. A +1 modifier to a spellcasting stat is very significant if it grants a bonus spell at your highest castable level. This is no less true at high levels than at low.2. A +1 modifier to Constitution is more important at high levels than at low levels since more of your hit point pool comes from constitution. (The first level max HD reduces the significance of Constitution at lower levels). Similarly, I think fort save effects are more common and deadly at higher levels though that may just be my style of play.For other stats, though, I think you're right that the modifiers are more important at low levels than at high levels.The reason for a low casting stat is very often multiclassing. A fighter/mage, for instance, wants good str, dex, con, and int. Wis and cha are not as significant. In order to accomplish that on a 28 point system, the character could go 14, 14, 14, 14, 10, 10 or 14, 14, 14, 15, 10, 8. Going to the 16 int would require dumping wisdom and taking the penalty to will saves. It also may not buy the character as much as one would think since a fighter/mage will generally want to avoid spells with saves in favor of spells that make him fight better making the relevant factor the bonus slot at highest castable level rather than DC. On 25 points, the incentive for not taking a 16 is even higher since 14, 13, 14, 14, 10, 8 is the best a character can do without taking save penalties and a 16 int is out of reach without sacrificing either strength, dex, or con.When the reason is not multiclassing, filling multiple roles is often a reason. A battle cleric, for instance will usually want a 14 strength and con as well as a decent charisma to power a divine feat or two. If the character is willing to dump charisma, str 14, dex 12, con 14, int 10, wis 16, cha 8 is a possibility. To retain turning and divine feats as an option, however, it's necessary to drop either wisdom or dexterity--possibly both on a 28 point system. Again, on 25 points, the sacrifices necessary to play a battle cleric are more dramatic.You see, there we disagree. A character with a 13 dex and 17 strength at first level will be better off by level 6 than the character who starts with an 18 strength and 10 dex and still wants to take the dodge feat tree. More to the point, in terms of absolute numbers, since <=14 scores cost only 1 pt per level at first level but > 14 cost multiple points at first level, but all scores get the same increase from the 4 level stat bump whether they start at 13 or 20, a character who buys the 13 at first level for 1 point and increases a 17 to an 18 at 4th will be two points better off than the character who instead buys an 18 (vis a vis a 17) at first level and buys up dex at 4th. With the 15 to 16 vs. 12 to 13, the odd stat guy comes out one point ahead. Using level bumps to get odd numbers in non-prime stats in order to qualify for feats is never a good idea. If you want the 13, you buy it at first level.IMO, a character is more likely to want it for Improved Trip at first level (Not an obviously suboptimal choice).... and the odd stat is not built into 28 or 32 point buy systems.I agree that multiple odd stats are generally a bad idea unless you're going for specific feats. To modify your example, 15, 12, 14, 13, 10, 8 is a pretty good build for a 25 point buy fighter who wants to use Improved Trip at first level. (Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, and a guisarme). The character can get a 16 strength by 4th level, max out the dex on his banded mail and (later) fullplate, and still have Combat Expertise without wasting his 4th level statbump for it. Trying for a 16 strength at 1st level and still being able to qualify for Combat Expertise at 4th would require dropping dex, con, or wisdom--none of which is a good idea.</blockquote>

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