The new point-buy?

[mach1.9pants]

A character with a charisma of 4 is probably at the point where they shouldn't really be capable of conversing... and all to get a couple points?

Umm charisma is nothing to do with your intelligence (and there fore ability to converse). I have seen a 18+INT wizard with a 4 CHA who is so insufferably arrogant that he puts everyone's back up, all the charm of a kick in the teeth. He got the party into a lot of (fun) trouble, best not to let him open his mouth in front of anyone in power! Of course, he was also not very wise (8) so he could not see how he should be anything BUT the parties spokesperson, he was the cleverest after all.

 

[Green Knight]

A character with a charisma of 4 is probably at the point where they shouldn't really be capable of conversing... and all to get a couple points?

Trust me. There are plenty of gamers who're willing to make those kinds of sacrifices just for a couple of points. I know a guy in one game of GURPS, for instance, who got five measly points after he made his character a eunuch!

 

[Lanefan]

To be honest, I'm not sure that characters with scores lower than 8 -should- be adventuring. We look the other way and joke about it, but you're making the character have the equivalent of a debilitating mental handicap.

Once you take a stat below an 8, I don't think there needs to be a mechanical benefit.

Arguably the best character I've ever had - and by far the best I had in 3e - started and ended a 14-adventure career with Wisdom 7. (the rest of her stats were nothing to write home about either - she's about a 19-point buy on the start-from-8 scale, ignoring the 7 in Wis.; net bonus added to +2) She was fun, entertaining, chaotic to a fault...and ended up becoming the senior character in a party of much more stats-capable characters, as well as its loving mother hen. Yet with point-buy or array she'd be illegal.

It also depends how you look at stats. I take the 1e approach, where there's really not all *that* much difference between an 8 and a 13...the difference becomes greater and more noticeable as you go outwards from there in either direction, on any given stat. The more extremely removed from the center of the bell curve you are, the more extreme the effects should be...rather than linear. But, 3e went the linear route...

Lanefan

 

[Jhaelen]

I've always done for every 2 points you go below the 8 you get one to put else where..lots of CHA 4 PCs in 3E

Lots of easy targets for Ego-Whipping psionic enemies, I'd say

I think, going lower than 8 in any stat is a bad idea in 3E. Attribute damage/drain can be devastating for characters that are overly min/maxed.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

Lots of easy targets for Ego-Whipping psionic enemies, I'd say

I think, going lower than 8 in any stat is a bad idea in 3E. Attribute damage/drain can be devastating for characters that are overly min/maxed.

Yeah, its like a Glass cannon. In 4e, i don't think their will be ability damage, so i can understand why min maxing like that could be a problem

 

[ObsidianCrane]

Umm charisma is nothing to do with your intelligence (and there fore ability to converse).

Intelligence is more than that single stat - in fact by modern understandings every stat is reflective of an aspect of intelligence. If we go by the 9-12 is "typical" then sub 9 is retarded in that area.

A charisma 4 person is not simply socially inept, they are socially incapable; dogs are more socially capable than them... and face it dogs hump your leg and defecate on your floor...

 

[Gorrstagg]

Let's consider a possible alternative, that I mentioned, in the Thalmin KotS module thread.

Starting at 8 across the board.

8=0
9=1
10=2
11=3
12=4
13=5
14=6
15=7
16=8
17=9
18=10

Now, the array build.
16,14,13,12,11,10
08,06,05,04,03.02
= 28 point buy.

1 for 1.

The 17 and 18, are the only variable that isn't really known at this point. But I've proven with simple math, 1 for 1 starting at 8 you could use the array build and come out with a 28 point buy character.

It would be well rounded. No major deficiencies.

And the math supports all of this right up to 16. Maybe they make the 17 and 18, more expensive, for whatever reason. Maybe so you don't end up with characters that are.
18,18,16,8,8,8

Who knows. But ultimately we'll find out relatively soon. As it stands, a majorly deficient character isn't a mechanic problem. It's crowd control, maybe they include a rule, that says you can not start off with more than one 18 or 17, before racial enhancements are added. Who knows.

I just liked that my math supported the 1 for 1 up to 16. *grin*

 

[Oldtimer]

Who knows. But ultimately we'll find out relatively soon.

But it was revealed that point-buy is 25 points going from 10,10,10,10,10,8. I don't see how you can make the standard array (16,14,13,12,11,10) from that with your 1-for-1 method. With 1-for-1, I count only 18 points.

Also, the DDXP pre-gens don't work with a 1-for-1 method.

 

[Surgoshan]

I thought the DDXP characters (barring some mistakes) were 30-point buy?

 

[Mort_Q]

But it was revealed that point-buy is 25 points going from 10,10,10,10,10,8.

Link?