Point buy

[Elf Witch]

It's not every DM I have with played, just some and IMO those probably lacking experience. Though you often find complaints in the "What's a DM to do?" board over on WOTC board about "over-powered" players and DMs learning to mitigate problems with players wiping encounters several levels above them with ease.

In the current game I play with in, its 4d6 reroll "1s" once. The DM is very experienced, and really knows how to challenge the party from low to epic level. The DM does mod all the monsters upwards to compensate. I believe the chief monster NPCs are based of the highest stats in the party (something like 40-44 PB). The bad part that several player commented on to him in the beginning is the "wide" range of stat values in the party. "25 PB" equivalent for the cleric to 44 PB for one of the druids and one fighter. My fighter's are equivalent to 30 PB, while the rest of the party are spread in-between.

I have read these complaints as well and I have often wondered if it is just the stats that are the problem. It could also be that they have to much magic for their level or they have allowed to much cherry picking of classes and PRCs and the characters have way out of this world saves and bonuses. I have been playing for a long time and I have never once seen a problem simply because the party had higher than 28 points stats be the problem.


As for the different in stats causing the DM to throw stuff of a higher CR to challenge the higher stated PC I have also never seen that what I have seen is the DM having to throw higher CR threats to challange the tricked out min/maxed PC with more than one PRCs. In one of these games I had the highest stats and was playing a human cleric and I could not even come close to keeping up with the others who had all these weird races, multiclasses and PRCs.

I can see how if you have one or more players with high stats and then some with low stats there can be a real problem with stat envy. One of our DMs solved this by giving extra feats to the players with the lower stats and it worked out fine the game lasted close to two and half years playing weekly.

Personally I really hate point buy it seems to make cookie cutter characters you see all the fighters , wizards whatever built the same way. I also think it takes away the possibailty of one day rolling the super above average character which I think everyone should get to play at least once. I know my friend who rollled what would be a 58 point buy paladin loved this character I think it was one of his favorites.

Though high stats are not everything my all time character favorite character worked out to be about 27 points.

I have also found that stats you rolled are not as important as you level and start getting magic items and spells that improve stats.

I have to wonder if DMs who use a low point buy to control the power level of the game also limit magic items and spells that raise stats?

 

[DragonLancer]

On the few occasions when I have used points buy I allowed 30 points. PB isn't popular with my group though, who prefer random dice rolls.

 

[Voadam]

High powered, high point buy.

48 point buy with options for gestalt and free LA in return for lower point buy or npc classes for higher point buy.

Wildwood game

 

[Animus]

I use PB or some homebrew version thereof for the most part, and it's always on the higher end. I might go back to some dice rolling format.

 

[Felix]

I use 44 point buy, but stats start at 8, so it's the same as 32.

But in standard point buy, stats start at 8, not 10.

 

[Mercule]

28 points. Nicely heroic, but not out of line.

Quite. Enough that each PC feels "cool" in one or two areas (or, just generally above-average), but not so high that it changes the CR/EL system.

 

[Syntallah]

I use a PB of 35.

It's a nice even step up from the standard array of 15 and the elite array of 25. It keeps the Party balanced with each other, and allows a player to play the type of character he wants instead of waiting until he rolls a set of stats that go with his concept.

As DM, I do watch for min/maxing at the expense of roleplaying, and I make sure every stat counts for something. Charisma in my campaigns is directly tied to equipment purchase. Makes it much tougher/foolish to use it as a dump stat.

As a side note, I crank up the price for Stat enhancing items (bonus squared * 3000)

 

[DethStryke]

dice, dice, baby.

3d6 in order

Ditto.

Though, sometimes as a DM I let people either roll up a column of six at 3d6 each, then assign those scores to whatever ability they wish, or possibly 2 or 3(!) columns and choose which one they want to use. The more columns they get, the less likely I willl accept them mixed around though. Still better spread than the same bland combination of scores over and over, min/maxed for racial benefits. I like to think of Heroes being Heroes, and therefore above average in many, if not all, ways. Grim & Gritty / Everyman games notwithstanding.

Regardless, there is just something about the dice that still hold the magic after 15+ years. I even hate dice rollers on computer/palm pilot as DM or PC. Some things are better manually, IMHO.

 

[jester47]

I am in the Diaglo school of stat rolling. However I require that the player state class and race before the roll and that total modifiers equal at least a +2; and that the character rolled be viable for the class declared. Otherwise it is a reroll for the whole array.

Viable is defined as having ability stats that allow abilities requisite for the class. So sorcerers and wizards have to have a cha or int stat of 11 or greater. Fighters have to have a str that does not hinder them. Rogues need to have a dex of 10 or higher. But ultimately viable is left up to DM judgment in case the DM wants a higher powered game.

When I first tried this, my players were sort of wary. Afterwards they really liked it.

 

[werk]

But in standard point buy, stats start at 8, not 10.

OH...then we're just overpowered then