Point buy

[Dragonbait]

28 or 32. I prefer 28 because the characters are more in balance with the rest of the game and the players accept it without many complaints. My players prefer 32 because they are weak, weak, sissy-men that can't handle not having an 18.

 

[Arnwyn]

Dice for us.

However, when we do use point buy, it's 25.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Most recently I have had players use a 26 +1d6 point buy.

 

[el-remmen]

Why? it yields the same results as your stupid random method. People put their good stats in their prime req. JUst you dont have the BS of people throwing away charcters because they dont like rolls, stupid stat drafts, rolling lots of sets, etc. Its fair.

Hiya ehren.

Friendly mod here.

Just wanted to ask you to refrain from characterizing people's ideas or methods as "stupid". If you don't like or think something doesn't work for some reason then by all means post your reasons and feelings - but that kind of characterization is not condusive to the atmosphere we try to cultivate here at ENworld.

Thanks.

 

[was]

We're stuck on 32.....

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

My players prefer 32 because they are weak, weak, sissy-men that can't handle not having an 18.

That's what I sometimes think when hearing about the dice roll enthusiast or those with a hate for low point buys. (But that obviously doesn't apply to all - maybe not even most - of them)

Also, as a DM I have the power to pick just about everything and control the universe; I might as well give the players a little power to control their own character's destiny.

I should point out that in other game I feel differently: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, for example: I am firmly for randomness in that game.

Yes, I think it's okay there, but the variance there seems a lot lower, too.
A +1 modifer in D&D is approximately the equivalent of a 5 % modifier in Warhammer. In WHFR, you roll between 01 to 20 %, in D&D, you have a range between (-4 to +4 = -20 to 20 %) 0-40 %. That is a considerable difference. And even the new Warhammer edition gives you a slight chance to improve your results - you are allowed to choose a score to add a bonus of 11 % (average result) instead of a roll, so your most important score will probably not suck.

Warhammer's flair can cope better with allowing "organic" characters, too. Still, I wonder how well the WHFR system will work if our group played it as much as we play D&D.

 

[Pbartender]

That's why I approve of point buy over rolling; my "scrapping and rerolling till you get what you want" is an example of why: Save the time and just use point-buy. There is plenty of time in the game to get screwed by randomness when you roll a 1 on your save vs. petrification or death-dragon-demon-doom-destruction.

Well, we don't entirely disagree here, Luke... It's just that our usual preferred methods are different.

I like dice rolling better. Many of my players do too. But we do use point buy almost as often as not. In general, if we're playing a campaign in which every one's got a specific concept they want to play or we want to ensure characters of a particular power level, we use point buy. Otherwise, we go with rolling dice.

And a few guidelines for minimal results (like the total +1 or better and at least one score 13+), greatly reduces the chances of getting screwed by randomness. At worst, you end up with a character that's only slightly above average overall.

My players and I get a perverse sort of pleasure from rolling abilities... At the start of the campaign, we usually have a party in which we do no outright playing except for building charaters altogether as a group. It all starts with everyone rolling their abilities publicly, with lots of cheering and such going on as good stats get rolled. It's a lot of fun.

 

[Lanefan]

My players and I get a perverse sort of pleasure from rolling abilities... At the start of the campaign, we usually have a party in which we do no outright playing except for building charaters altogether as a group. It all starts with everyone rolling their abilities publicly, with lots of cheering and such going on as good stats get rolled. It's a lot of fun.

An excellent idea. The same gathering also gives a chance for the DM to explain any house rules, to gather input from players on what rule changes they might like to see, for the players to decide what characters to play so as to build a well-rounded party, and so on. Also, if there's time, the DM can broad-brush introduce the general setting the campaign will take place in.

In some games, however, the players want their character to come as a complete surprise to the other players, in which case the mass roll-up idea wouldn't work. But the pre-game gathering remains a good idea for all the other reasons...

Lanefan

 

[Mycanid]

Boy Kluge - that's a pretty rough arrangement. It is old school - and boy does it make you appreciate anything you get!

I am a little more of a "modernist" (that is 1979 instead of 1974 standards). My personal favorite system (not wht the group necessarily uses) is 4d6 and cast aside the lowest die - and what you get is what you get.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Overall, I quite like using auction systems, like that found in Amber Diceless.

For D&D, d20 fantasy or the like, I prefer some kind of point buy or array system. If using anything like standard D&D point buy (which I don't), I guess I'd go for about 30-33...(?)