Statistic Generation Methods

[Zulithe]

Tell us about your methods. Do you use the standard 4d6 drop lowest (in order or arrange to taste)? what about 30 point buy? I noticed Knights of the Old Republic (the videogame which uses Star Wars D20) uses it and frankly I find it too restrictive for my taste. You have a lot of control distributing the points using it, but IMO Star Wars is a very heroic universe - using 30 point buy isn't going to give you very 'heroic' stats.

What are your thoughts on this? And if you have any generation methods you like to use for your games (D&D or well, anything!) other than those detailed in the Core Rules, please share.

 

[Li Shenron]

I normally use the standard way.

I don't like point-buy systems where higher stats cost more points; if I used a point-by system it will be on a 1-on-1 basis, with limit of 18 for every score (before racial adjustment).

I have considered using fixed stats (for example 18, 14, 12, 10, 10, 8 players just choose which stats) for beginner players.

 

[The Cardinal]

last time we started a game (Scarred Lands) I let them choose their preferred method (6 methods, so one player began by rolling for his method )

The 6 methods:

6d6+64, 1:1 point buy [total average 85; ability average 14,17]


or

6d6, best three – repeat six times [total average 85,62; ability average 14,27]


or

7d6, best 3 [14,90]
7d6, best 3 [14,90]
6d6, best 3 [14,27]
6d6, best 3 [14,27]
5d6, best 3 [13,43]
5d6, best 3 [13,43]

[85,2]


or

8d6, best 3 [15,39]
8d6, best 3 [15,39]
6d6, best 3 [14,27]
6d6, best 3 [14,27]
4d6, best 3 [12,24]
4d6, best 3 [12,24]

[83,8]


or

8d6, best 3 [15,39]
8d6, best 3 [15,39]
8d6, best 3 [15,39]
8d6, best 3 [15,39]
3d6, best 3 [10,50]
3d6, best 3 [10,50]

[82,56]


or

7d6, best 3 [14,90]
7d6, best 3 [14,90]
7d6, best 3 [14,90]
7d6, best 3 [14,90]
7d6, best 3 [14,90]
3d6, best 3 [10,50]

[85]

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Tell us about your methods. Do you use the standard 4d6 drop lowest (in order or arrange to taste)? what about 30 point buy? I noticed Knights of the Old Republic (the videogame which uses Star Wars D20) uses it and frankly I find it too restrictive for my taste. You have a lot of control distributing the points using it, but IMO Star Wars is a very heroic universe - using 30 point buy isn't going to give you very 'heroic' stats.

What are your thoughts on this? And if you have any generation methods you like to use for your games (D&D or well, anything!) other than those detailed in the Core Rules, please share.

4d6, drop the lowest, repeat six times, arrange to taste (Hey, great, this post is now in violation of the OGL).

Never caused me any problems doing it this way, except once I had someone roll 32,000 times (no, I'm not kidding) to get the stats he wanted.

That came really close to me saying "point buy from here on out."

 

[shilsen]

80 points divided among the six abilities, with no more than one maxed out and none lower than an 8 before racial modifiers are added. Creates heroic stats without being too over the top.

 

[nsruf]

I prefer 28 pt-buy. Gives you competent characters which still have a weakness or two. Plus, pt-buy eliminates the whining about bad rolls.

 

[Norfleet]

I've heard a rather interesting one lately: 18d6, one reroll of initial ones, arrange into stats, 6x3, however you wish. I'd think it'd produce some interesting results. I haven't done much analysis on it yet, but I think this will neatly correct messy character generation issues: You're pretty much assured to get a decent character out of it, without producing characters which are cardboard cutouts like pointbuy will do, or getting a character with above average stats, yet still has a complete lack of real aptitude for any class, and is therefore worse off than a character with average stats overall, but a single good stat to play to balanced by bad ones.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

25 point buy, with a perference for a "standard array": 15,14,13,12,10,8.

It gives characters one weakness and a couple of moderate strengths. I don't like high stats for my players because I want them to be interdependant on each other. In the other game my group plays, the DM gives us 32 points and I notice that the players have a stronger tendency to split up. In my game they don't split up as often.

Of course, that may be because I'm a vile bastage. Who knows?

 

[Storminator]

4d6, drop the lowest, repeat six times, arrange to taste (Hey, great, this post is now in violation of the OGL).

Never caused me any problems doing it this way, except once I had someone roll 32,000 times (no, I'm not kidding) to get the stats he wanted.

That came really close to me saying "point buy from here on out."

I use this method, but with no rerolls allowed. After rolling, I allow a point buy, with 24+1d8 points. Pick your favorite set.

PS

 

[Norfleet]

25 point buy, with a perference for a "standard array": 15,14,13,12,10,8.

It gives characters one weakness and a couple of moderate strengths. I don't like high stats for my players because I want them to be interdependant on each other. In the other game my group plays, the DM gives us 32 points and I notice that the players have a stronger tendency to split up. In my game they don't split up as often.

Of course, that may be because I'm a vile bastage. Who knows?

The players having a stronger tendency to split up and being interdependant has nothing to do with stat points, it has to do with the fact that they aren't quickly eaten in detail. If your other DM is not doing a great deal to strongly discourage this, it's no surprise that they do it.

The problem with your "standard" array is that this character is really quite bad at most things. That kind of stat array I could see passing for maybe one of the classes where a high stat isn't quite as important, such as a fighter or rogue. Spellcasting classes, due to the hardwired demand on stats, won't work well with that. With a 15 in your spellcasting attribute, you can BARELY squeak by, and barely squeaking by is not something one should aspire to.