So, how do you create new characters?

[Keith Robinson]

Dice rolls for players and for NPCs I either use an array or assign them.

 

[Wombat]

PCs get my odd dice-rolling/choosing conventions:

Roll 21 (twenty-one) d6.

Drop the three lowest.

Arrange the remaining into six groups of three dice. Place these as desired in your characteristics.

This sorta comes up with a halfway point between straight rolling and straight point-buying.

NPCs are simply given "appropriate stats", unless I feel like rolling one up from scratch.

 

[howandwhy99]

I still like a mixed system when playing 3rd Edition. It isn't originally mine, but here it is in a nutshell:

1. Roll 3d6 six times in order
2. Check the rolls according to the Point Buy scale (8 and below count as 0)
3. If the total is below the agreed upon Point Buy (say 25), use the difference to "buy up" to that average. (EDIT: 8 and below are bought on a 1:1 scale)

I like this method because everyone has the desired Point Buy average or better. Those that rolled better are purely natural and you have to live with the character. Those that rolled less well have some flexibility to adjust their scores for the class/race combo they prefer.

 

[Gez]

Players pick their ability scores and I assign whatever I feel is needed to NPCs. No dice no point buy. Players are only limited by themsleves.

What would you do if someone comes up with a 18-18-18-18-18-18 character?

 

[The Shaman]

I answered "Point buy for PCs, arrays for NPCs ," but I do have a few tailor-made point-buy NPCs as well.

I allow 28-point buy for player characters - NPCs with hero/adventuring clases get the 15, 14, 13... array and NPCs with ordinary/NPC classes get the 13, 12, 11... array. If I stat an exceptional NPC using point buy, I use 25 points.

 

[shilsen]

Apparently I'm the only person voting "Point repartition for everyone". I feel so special

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I'd say the "Crazy...." method. Ours is a "roll 'em until you're happy with 'em" style of rolling stats. Granted ours end up a bit high but we don't care! Nor does any of the DMs. They're the ones who instituted that. I've never cared for having penalties in ability scores... The lowest I'll have is 10 in a non-vital stat. Granted, they take having higher scores in consideration at times for coming up with encounters for us.

 

[HellHound]

Organic Style dice rolling for PCs (4d6, drop lowest, in order, switch two stats, re-roll one stat).

I just assign numbers to NPCs, no arrays, no point buy, they just get stats.

So... I voted "arrays" for NPCs, even though it is far from the truth. Unless arrays include "an array of stats that I think will suit this character"

 

[MonsterMash]

I voted rolls for everyone as its closest to what I do which is rolls for all PC and most NPC, but a certain amount of NPC with arrays.

Points buy? repartition? not IMC

 

[the Jester]

Well, for me it's dice rolls for pcs and variable methods, most often arbitrary dm choice, for npcs. So I voted dice rolls for pcs and arrays for npcs, as it seems closest to what I do.