Rerolling stats...cause they're too darn good!

[doghead]

When I started playing, there was a DM who was pretty generous with stats (read: roll till you get what you want). I eventually retired those characters 'cos it just wasn't much fun.

Str 16 (+3)
Dex 13 (+1)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 17 (+3)
Wis 17 (19) (+4)
Cha 16 (18) (+4)

Humm, At level 2 you're going to have a nice cushion added to your rolls in most areas. But as you progress, it gets less important. You rolled it. Might as well keep it. Take heart. Your next character will probably be a dog.

woof!

herein ends doghead's useless contribution (yeah, I know, I really should go and do the dishes)

 

[Bendris Noulg]

I find it funny that people agonize or feel guilty over having high stats. If the character has stats within it's racial limitations than it is not high or unbalanced, it is within the designed parameters of the game.

Seems to me that people forget there is nothing wrong with adventurers being a cut above the rest. Plus having high stats are in no way against the rules or Munchkin/powergaming.

I think you're missing half the point. When your stats are all high, this has the potential of putting your character above the other PCs (unless, of course, they are similarly endowed). At lower levels, the modifiers make you better overall, and thus can be a problem unless the PCs are starting above 5th. The higher stats also make some Class choices (Monk, Psion) far more potent, as their dependance on a wide range of Ability Scores is part of their designed balance.

If everyone's got high scores, there isn't really a problem, since any despairity between PCs becomes more about the choices made than by the luck of the initial rolls. For instance, prior to making a standard array for our games, our group used the Powerful Characters method from the DMG (5d6, drop 2 lowest), but for a reason other than to have "powerful characters", but rather to add more "oomph" to the PCs physical and mental aptitude while reducing magic present in the game (less spells and items buffing Ability Scores). In the end, though, we'd still have PCs that weren't quite up-to-par with the others. While the average was higher (13-14 common), some PCs still found themselves with 9s or lower, while other PCs had nothing lower than 16, thus we switched to the array.

To that end, I must agree with Altazar (a calander marking event!) that if you stick with die rolls, than you are going to have some PCs stricken by bad luck while others are especially blessed. That's the nature of using dice: Adding chance and luck to the equation is going to give mixed results.

 

[diaglo]

3d6 six times in order.

no regrets...no problems. those are the rules.

 

[Thetford]

Underdog

I have often reduced stats because they were too good. It is one thing for a fighter with 18 strength to knock down a door to save the princess, but it is truly heroic when the weaker fighter does it. I have had more fun with characters with lower stats because they often get me into interesting situations that force me to Roleplay my way out. It is not the number of the stat but what your character chooses to do with what is given him.

 

[robberbaron]

So, let me get this straight...
you roll a good set of stats, using the GM's personal method, in full view of everyone, and you don't want to use them 'cos they're too good?

Are you insane?

OK, if yours was the only character with this sort of luck, then I guess I can see an teensy dilemma but, come on, you rolled them, surely you deserve to use them.

Oh, I started with roll 3d6 in order and moved on to 4d6 drop lowest x 6 and assign. Sometimes I got stonking stats, sometimes not so good.
Our GMs are turning to a 75 or 76 points system, but I've always liked rolling the dice and playing what I get. I guess I'm just old-fashioned.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I actually wasn't very pleased with the idea... I like 18s to be special,

That is soooo 2nd Edition

3d6 six times in order.

no regrets...no problems. those are the rules.

And this is even worse!!!



No, seriously: 18s aren't that special in 3e, cause you can increase your stats every 4 levels, so most characters will eventually have an 18. Racial modifiers are also +2 instead of +1, and 25 isn't the best possible stat any more. So 18's aren't that bad

And rolls in order only screw your play. Wanted to play a wizard? Sorry, shouldn't have rolled badly the 4th time....


Now about Rolling Dice vs. Point Buy (I use nothing but point buy now): If you use a random method, there will be stronger characters and weaker characters. If someone gets lucky and is supposed to reroll, he might start to wonder why he even bothers with rolling. Even worse is "roll till you get what you want". Why not just assign the stats as you like them?

I have a nice story about rolling up ability scores (if you know it already, you can skip that, I've told it a couple of times already). In a new game, the DM wanted us to roll the stats (4d6, drop lowest, 7 times, drop lowest, increase one stat - heroic, but not quite 5d6). I asked him to use Point Buy instead, for I feared that someone got lucky again and extreme ability scores (we had a druid with starting Wis and Con 18 in the last campaign) will be the result. But he refused and said that he wanted to roll it. Guess what: There was another character with 2 18's - and it was minde In the end, it was worth 55 or so Points in PB.
As I told my DM "I told you", he admitted that he hoped for worse stats and used RD because of that.

 

[Altalazar]

To that end, I must agree with Altazar (a calander marking event!) that if you stick with die rolls, than you are going to have some PCs stricken by bad luck while others are especially blessed. That's the nature of using dice: Adding chance and luck to the equation is going to give mixed results.

Hey, I'm glad we agree on something. Heh. Though my name is spelled 'Altalazar'

You want random, you GOT random. Live with it.

 

[Dimwhit]

I wouldn't bother re-rolling. Just lower a few of the stats to numbers you'd like to see.

I have two characters that I rolled up using the old Master Tools that came with the first 3ed PH. One rolled up to a 71pt character, the other to a 63pt. The 71pt was a Rogue, and I loved playing him all the way to 19th level. The 63pt is my Druid, and I'm still having fun with him. And some of his stats are irrelevant, since he's usually wildshaped anyway and uses some abilities of his new form.

I guess I'm saying that high stats aren't a problem for me.

 

[Thanee]

Hmm... trying for a Sorcerer...

STR 3d6 -> 5 3 2 -> 10
DEX 4d6 -> 6 5 4 4 -> 15
CON 5d6 -> 6 5 5 4 1 -> 16
INT 4d6 -> 4 3 1 1 -> 8
WIS 3d6 -> 6 6 2 -> 14
CHA 6d6 -> 6 6 6 4 3 1 -> 18

Hehe, except for the INT roll, this looks pretty good and I was quite lucky, too!

Anyways, I'd just keep those stats. Sure, they are very good, but unless you feel uncomfrotable with your character, that shouldn't be that much of a problem. Kind of balances the fact, that you chose an ECL+1 race for your cleric!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I'd say keep them. If you're going to toss one set of stats because it's too high and another set because it's too low, you're just playing point buy that takes a long time--except you have an ad-hoc range of points instead of one set value that all characters are equal to. So it's really more like saying "create some characters somewhere between 36 and 52 points." Plus, I like playing characters with really heroic stats. (In 2e, I remember my group played with die rolling systems until we came up with one we liked and I actually rolled a set of stats that left my character eligible to be a cavalier kit paladin. That was a fun character).

On the whole, though I'd recommend point buy or iconic spread instead of rolling.