Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="DND_Reborn" data-source="post: 7810707" data-attributes="member: 6987520">I guess it depends on what you mean by favoring a class? As you say, the card method creates disadvantage for everyone, but if it is hard to get good scores for MAD classes, such as a Paladin, with 4d6k3 and point-buy, it is harder with the card method since it creates overall lower scores. Of course, this was by design so is not unexpected.You are more likely to only have one good score with the card method, and by design if you happen to have two good scores or even three, you must have one or more low ones. The following table represents possible arrays with scores that would favor one, two, or three better scores using the card method.<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>Three</td><td>Two</td><td>One</td><td>Three (balanced)</td><td>Two (balanced)</td><td>One (balanced)</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>15</td><td>15</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>14</td><td>11</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>10</td><td>10</td><td>12</td><td>11</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>9</td><td>9</td><td>10</td><td>10</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>9</td><td>9</td><td>9</td><td>10</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>9</td><td>8</td><td>8</td><td>9</td></tr></table>This is because the distribution is even on both the high and low ends for the card method. Although 4d6k3 might have only one or two higher rolls, those relatively high rolls are more likely because the distribution is skewed towards the high end with more of the probability above 12 (over 60%) than below it.. With point-buy you can have two or even three +2 modifiers (three is impossible with the card method). To address point-buy, the table below shows three sets of ability scores depending on how many "high" scores they desire (even three for MAD classes, such as a paladin). None of these arrays have any negative modifiers.<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>Three</td><td>Two</td><td>One</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>15</td><td>15</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>15</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>11</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>10</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>10</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>10</td><td>10</td></tr></table>The point is with 4d6k3 you are more likely to get rolls above the average than below, supporting MAD classes like the paladin. With point-buy, you can always build a set of scores that will support MAD classes. With the card method, because it is an even distribution, you are less likely to get multiple higher scores to support MAD, and if you happen to, you must have lower scores to offset the high ones.So, although I like the idea of the card method and having overall lower scores, it really doesn't support a higher likelihood of MAD classes--it favors SAD ones.</blockquote>

Verification