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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jack Daniel" data-source="post: 8832873" data-attributes="member: 694">This. I play BXCMI, and so I use 3d6 in order, but I also acknowledge that 3d6 in order is a method that works best when the impact of scores on gameplay is minimal. That's why I don't use ability checks at all, I limit modifiers to no more than ±1 (after the fashion of Swords & Wizardry White Box and its derivatives), and I only have each score impact one thing apart from its function as a prime requisite for a class. At my table:• Str adjusts forcing doors; it doesn't affect melee• Dex adjusts missile fire and Con adjusts hp, as normal; Dex doesn't affect AC• Cha affects number of henchmen and follower morale; no impact on reaction rolls• Int adjusts magic saves; Wis adjusts the number of spendable days of downtime a character can accumulate per weekApart from that, the scores' only function is to be prime requisites for the classes, and even then, I go by the OD&D Vol 1 method of allowing for secondary requisites above 9 to count as bonuses to your prime requisite, 2:1 or 3:1. So while it won't always be the case that you can always play the class you want and also get an XP bonus, you'll very rarely be saddled with an XP penalty for it.[spoiler]Just by way of an example, let's say I roll some dice hoping to get a magic-user. Magic-users have Int as their prime requisite, and they can use Wis 2-for-1 as prime. I'm gonna roll up some stats here… Str 9 Int 6 Wis 16 Dex 14 Con 9 Cha 11. Yes, I just legit rolled that spread, and it happens to be perfect for my example too: that Wis 16 means that if I play a magic-user with these stats, my Int counts as 9 for the sake of XP earned: ±0%. No bonus, but no penalty either: a perfectly serviceable set of stats for a mage. In fact, just looking at all the basic classes:A fighter (Str prime, Int 3:1, Wis 2:1) would treat their Str as 12 with this spread, so again, ±0%. One point shy of the 13 needed for a +5% bonus, but them's the breaks.A cleric would be +10% XP out of the gate from Wis 16; there's not enough Str or Int there to increase it, but it doesn't matter, +10% is the maximum bonus anyway.A thief (Dex prime, Int 2:1, Wis 1:1) would treat their Dex as 21(!) to determine their XP bonus, so it'd definitely be +10% there.[/spoiler]That said, I do use the ability scores to make nonhuman PCs a bit rarer. Elves, dwarves, and hobbits all have minimum ability score requirements in the red box/black box edition (Int 9+ for Elves, Con 9+ for dwarves, and both Dex 9+ and Con 9+ for hobbits). I kick these requirements up to 11+ to help make my table a tad more human-centric in terms of its player character population.</blockquote>

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