What is the least amount of Point Buy you'd play with?

[Crothian]

I would love to answer the poll, but there's no option for "I would rather roll the dice." If I want to play a point-buy system I will play GURPS, which I would prefer anyway, but that is a whole different poll. To me, as a bit of a traditionalist, the whole point of creating characters in D&D is to roll the dice and take your chances.

There is no option for rolling the dice because this question doesn't concern people who will only roll the dice. THis is about point buy and thus all the answers are about point buy.

 

[gizmo33]

The minimum I'd play with is 6 points. It would be a game called Evolution where my character would be an amphibian that just flopped out on to the surface. My goal would be to build up my stats and develop until I became a minotaur. My first objective would be to gain levels and put my stat bonuses in intelligence. That way I could find magic books and read them to further boost my stats, eventually finding a way to reincarnate into something more viable. Of course everyone would have to start with 6 points, otherwise people would just be minotaurs right away and my little blob of jelly would be outclassed.

 

[IronWolf]

I went with 18. I prefer 25 or higher, but if the DM is running a gritty campaign then I am willing to play in such a campaign, after all the other characters will be in the same boat as me. Realistically I could probably be talked into an even lower point buy if I trusted the DM enough.

 

[IamTheTest]

Id play with anything really. I just like to play. As long as things are balanced that is.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The standard 25.

I have always allowed players to choose between a 27 point buy or rolling. Not once have they chosen point buy.

The Auld Grump

 

[ForceUser]

So, a new game is starting. People want to use the point buy system to create characters for this long running campaign. You have no idea what other people will play and haven't decided yourself. What is the smallest amount of point buy you'd be willing to use to create characters with?

25 is standard, though we often go 28 so players feel a bit more "heroic." It's a psychology thing--we ran a 25-point campaign for 2 years and the characters were absolutely fine, quite powerful by the end of the campaign, in fact. I tend to run my games at 28 or slightly higher since I tend to hand out fewer magic items.

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

I voted for 25pts.

So far, all of our games have had a 30pt buy, and that's worked fine for us. I would be fine with a 25pt buy though. I think it might make the game a bit more challenging (in a good way...).

 

[Brother MacLaren]

The standard 25.

I have always allowed players to choose between a 27 point buy or rolling. Not once have they chosen point buy.

The Auld Grump

Do you allow them to keep re-rolling until they get a set they like? Or do you require them to play the first set of rolls they get? Or the first set with net modifiers of +1 or more?
If you allow re-rolls, what is the mean number of sets rolled?

 

[GlassJaw]

I voted 25. I'm not a fan of 25 but I've done it before and I'll do it again. I prefer 32 if point-buy is being used. 25 (and even 28) makes certain characters very difficult to pull off.

 

[JoeBlank]

Since the question is the least amount I would play with, I voted 15. To be honest, as long as I trusted the DM I could be talked into 12. It would not be my preference, but I'd do it.

I currently play in two point buy games, one 25 and one 32, and I'm fine with the power levels in both. Actually, the 25-point-buy DM knows the game much better than the co-DMs in the 32-point-buy game (me being one of them), so I trust him to keep the challenge levels and magic in line.