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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wingsandsword" data-source="post: 2441759" data-attributes="member: 14159">Earlier versions presumed that what you had at character creation pretty much definied your character.  If you didn't have loads of strength, you'd never be as good a fighter as the guy with an 18-percentile.  If you didn't have sky-high intelligence or wisdom, you'd alwayas be a second-rate spellcaster, even if you qualified to be a Cleric.  Not to mention the high requirements for a lot of classes, and the arbitrarily high requirements for dual-classing (if human).Thus, there was a lot of pressure to roll very high ability scores, since not only would your basic character class/concept rely on specific high scores, low rolls would forever taint your character's usefulness.  Player powergaming in 3e seems less focused on getting high scores as it does powerful combinations for template/race/class/prestige class/feats.In 3.x/d20 however, what you are at character creation isn't the be-all & end-all of your character's abilities.  Ability score increases every 4 levels mean that even a bum roll can get better over time if you work on it.  Easier access to stat-boosting items means that any low ability score can be brought up to normal (and good can be made far better), and a uniform standard for wishes (including an upper cap of +5) eliminates much cheese I saw in earlier editions regarding Wish abuse.  Thus, in 3e compared to 1e & 2e, stats at the higher levels appear higher, thanks to a different scale above 18, as well as the fact that scores rise over time is presumed as a part of the system.  Stats at lower levels appear lower because there is less pressure for players to manipulate their scores upward, and methods like Default Array and Point But set a fixed amount for ability scores which might be lower than some players are used to.</blockquote>

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