Stats, how you come about it!

[Blue]

Couple different ways from a couple different games.

I run a low-powered/low-magic game. It's uses joe-standard 4d6 drop the lowest, arrange to like.

One DM I'm with runs a high powered game. He does three sets IN STAT ORDER, each 4d6 drop the lowest, reroll ones. Then you pick which set. If you don't like any of the three sets (say you wanted to play a wizard, and none have good Int), then you can scrap all three and roll up a second set of three ONCE. It ends up with fairly high stats (his game is FR, and used to be 2ed), but not where you expect them. For example, I had rolled up a (2ed) bard with an 18 Con. Not where I would have put it, but it quickly developed into an RP point that he'd drink anyone under the table. Has an "organic" feel.

In a recent game the DM was running a short (3-session) pre-adventure (15 years) to the campaign. Everyone rolled up two sets using 4d6, drop the lowest and arrange (with a slightly higher then PHB definition of a useless character). Then they picked which set was for the pre-adventure or the actual campaign.

Cheers,
=Blue

 

[mhacdebhandia]

The university games I've played in tended to use point-buy, either 25 or 28.

I prefer point-buy, myself, though for a while I was quite fond of "4d6, drop lowest, reroll 1s, arrange to taste".

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

For my players I have them roll 4d6, drop the lowest die, 7 times, drop the lowest roll, and arrange how they want them. If the result is a bad character then reroll and start over, it takes no more then 5 minutes this way to find a playable character and seems to have worked fine in my 20 years of playing.

Only recently when I'm not the DM have I used a point buy system which I just haven't liked, I guess I'm just a dice roller at heart when it comes to creating characters.

 

[Desdichado]

As I get older, I start to see the wisdom in not wanting to have to look up a table. So I've got my own simplified point buy.

Me too. I give my players the standard array, and then tell them they have three stat increases they can spend wherever they like right off the bat.

 

[Ferret]

I use 4d6 drop lowest, if you wan't to reroll you reroll the lot. Thats probably because I played Baldurs gate before I started D&D.

I have been thinking about 2d6+4, or 2d4 +8, some how getting a top score of 16. I don't know what the bell curve of those are, or whether they are any good...

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I've always wanted to use the old Ultima system of stat generation:

1. Ask the player a series of obscure, inane questions.
2. Cryptically asign him stats on the basis of his answers.
3. Disappear into the woods before he can demand to know why, after answering every question with an answer lending itself to martial prowess, he has a Str of 8.



Seriously, though. As a DM I use point buy or a standard array for NPCs, and offer a 28 or 32 point buy to PCs, depending on the campaign.

As a player, I usually end up rolling 4d6 seven times, drop lowest dice from each roll, drop lowest total.

 

[Bauglir]

I strongly prefer point buy. Class/feat/skill/spell/alignment choice still allows for plenty of variation in characters.

All too often I've seen rolled stats result in 1 or 2 characters that are superpowered compared to others (or ones that are feeble, or worst of all both), and it's just not much fun to always be overshadowed because of a few bad rolls way back at character creation.

Rerolling is an option, but it feels like a cheat - if you're just going to reroll until you get the stats you want, why not just leave out the dice altogether and assign yourself the stats you like? (I've frequently seen people keep rerolling until they get stats worth about a 46 point buy)

Definitely point buy for me.

 

[Jon Potter]

IMC, I offer two choices. The quick method and the long method.

The quick method is the Default Array method. Players take the usual values - 15,14,13,12,10,8 - arrange them among the six Ability scores as they see fit, modify them for race, template, etc. and those are their stats.

The long method is a point buy system that I found somewhere on the net and stole for my game. All stats start at 8 and each player gets 25-35 points to spend on raising those ability scores.

Ability Score Cost
3 = +5
4 = +4
5 = +3
6 = +2
7 = +1
8 = 0
9 = 1
10 = 2
11 = 3
12 = 4
13 = 5
14 = 6
15 = 8
16 = 10
17 = 13
18 = 16
19+ = N/A

Characters start with a base 25 points to spend. They can get extra points by submitting character histories with the following elements. They can only gain a maximum of 10 bonus points, despite there being ways to earn more.

Bonus Points:

+1-5 Taking a low ability score (as shown in the Ability Score Costs above)

+1 Links to 1-2 other PCs in character history (more than met him/her last night)

+2 Links to 3-4 other PCs in character history (not cumulative with previous bonus)

+1 For every 3 minor plot hooks in character history, that is, a way to get your character to go on a particular adventure (+2 max)

+1 For every major plot hook in character history, that is, an adventure possibility in and of itself (+2 max)

+1 Detailing home village (neighborhood if from a city). This includes a few locals, shops, etc. of interest

+1 Detailing immediate family (not cumulative with plot hook bonuses)

+1 For every 300 words of character history. (+3 max)

+1 Introducing an organization not tied to the character. (+2 max)


The long method is the preferred method. Only had one player chose the Default Array rather than write a little.

 

[DarkMaster]

I have been using some kind of stat points since I started playing the game in the mid 80s.

I never liked the idea of having one of your player outshine the others for years (very Few of my campaing lasted less than 2 years) because they had that single stroke of luck at that particular moment. Made all my player happy and therefore made me happy.

Oh and I take offense when I hear "real gamer uses 3d6 6 times"

 

[Iuz]

In our new game we started with a 32 point buy, but then allowed players to gain/lose points via a list of advantages/disadvantages (largely lifted from GURPS).