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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 925996" data-attributes="member: 3146">Re: Just Experimenting !!!The difficulty with linear point buy systems is that high stats give proportionally more benefits than low stats.This is clearly true in the case of strength (average damage per round= %hit(average damage); since str increases both %hit and average damage, the effect of increasing strength on average damage is exponential rather than mathematical.It is more generally true, however. A CR <=1 creature with 8 hit points is usually tough enough to withstand one blow from a one-handed weapon. If the fighter has an 18 strength, however, he'll drop that creature with one hit 5 times out of 8. And if he has cleave, he may drop two. Therefore, instead of getting four attacks or so in, the two creatures face a very real possibility of getting no attacks in.Similarly, the typical 1st level fighter or ranger can get an AC of about 18-19 (chain shirt+shield+16 dex, or splint mail+shield, or chain mail+shield+12-14 dex). If he gets an 18 or 20 dex, however, that goes up to AC 20. When facing goblins or other typical low CR opponents that small increase in AC means that they're only half as likely to hit as they were before. Consequently, it takes 10 attacks (on average) to wound the character instead of 5.The same is true for tough low level challenges. A goblin warchief in fullplate and large shield (AC 22) is very hard for a 14-15 strength 1st level fighter to hit; an 18 strength fighter hits twice as often. So high stats enable characters to have a chance against foes they aren't really supposed to have a chance against as well. At higher levels, the effects of stats are less pronounced unless the character focusses on that effect. (But who are we kidding; most characters DO focus on that effect). Being +2 to hit and +3 to damage or +2 AC ahead of where you would otherwise be at your level is a very big advantage.The non-linear point buy systems recognize this and make that advantage more costly to aquire. Linear point buy systems don't account for it.</blockquote>

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