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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Majoru Oakheart" data-source="post: 5783867" data-attributes="member: 5143">The problem is that stats are tied too closely to combat ability.  If none of your stats directly added to defenses, to hit, or damage then it wouldn't matter if you rolled them or not.But a difference between a 12 and a 20 in your prime stat in either 3.5e or 4e is +4 to hit and damage(only for non-casters in 3.5e).  And a 20% difference in your chance to hit is a big deal.  Even if it doesn't seem like it, it's a big deal psychologically.  I've seen these two characters played at the same table.  Usually the lower powered one says "It's no big deal, he rolled low, he has to live with it".  But after a session or two, you can see the frustration rising in how often his character hits compared to the other people in the group.Mathematically, randomness is bad for PCs.  If you have a 40% chance to hit, you'll notice it every round of combat for every encounter for the whole game.  Meanwhile, if a particular NPC or monster has a 40% chance to hit, no one is likely to notice.  He shows up for 2 or 3 rounds of combat, dies, and no one thinks anything of it.And that's the problem with rolling for stats...one bad roll affects your character for its entire lifespan.  And with stats so tied into everything else, it effects your character significantly.I'd like to bring back random stats for roleplaying reasons...but the only way I'd be in favor of it is if they had very little to no effect at all directly on combat.  Make it so that people who have 10-15 strength get +1 damage, and 16-20 get +2 damage.  Make it so that people with 15-20 dex get +1 to hit.  In which case the difference between a high and low roll is at most a couple of points.  Make it so that people don't have a REASON to want to min-max.Or, better yet, just make it so your combat skills are entirely tied to your class and feats.  Make strength how much you can carry, how much you can lift.  Have it add to your jump checks and climb checks(but don't make the bonus from stat huge), so that people want higher numbers...but don't care THAT much if they roll low.  Find something else for Dex to do than give you more AC or initiative.Then allow rolling of stats again.  The key here is that D&D is heavily combat based.  Anything that makes you better at combat, people will take.  And if it's in the game, it'll become the standard.</blockquote>

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