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

[Thanee]

That's what I just thought as well. ^^

Bye
Thanee

 

[Henry]

ZERO, BABY!

Nah. Actually, 25 is the least I'd expect to survive with.

 

[Seeten]

I voted 28, but I'd be said to see nothing but barbs and wizards and fighters and clerics. I like seeing Paladins and Monks.

You know, I am considering a new modified stat system. How about a new array system, of stats per CLASS, so the monk and such have a different array?

 

[Gez]

28. I'd accept 25, but that would severly restrict the character concept to be totally one-sided. Like "Dexter the Rogue", "Zmaartax the Wizard", or "Muskel the Tin-Can Fighter". A 16-13-13-11-10-8 array (such a build lets one qualifies for useful feat, for example, a fighter with good Str and just the minimum for taking Dodge and Combat Expertise) or 17-13-11-10-10-8 array (a Rogue that'll easily improve his health and damage output at levels 4 and 8).

But not a monk, paladin, cleric, or any other class with MAD (such as an Archer or Finesse fighter).

As for array, I thought about two versions of it:

1. A straight array: 18-16-14-12-10-8 (the one I use for heroic NPCs, just as I use 15-14-13-12-10-8 for elite NPCs, and 11-11-11-10-10-10 for mook NPCs).
2. A random array: Every player rolls 3d6 straight six times. Then they choose which series they prefer, and use it as their array.

(Outside of arrays, I've also thought as using 2d6+6 for generating ability scores. Gets you a minimum of 8, just like point-buy. And an average of 13, as a 30-point-buy would give, except with less min-maxing.)

 

[Janx]

refresh my memory, does this point buy get added to base stats, or are the stats starting at 0 and you're adding the points.

Why do I ask?
standard 4d6, drop worst one, repeat 6 times, arrange to taste has an average result of about 12.75. Which times 6 is about 76 points (added to base stats of 0).

So I'd be less inclined to play a point buy PC that yielded stats WORSE than the average I could get with dice. Bear in mind, if I rolled it, and it sucked, I'd still play it, but that's because I had an equal chance to get awesome stats as well. But I if I point buy, I better be able to meet the dice average.

 

[Gez]

Memory-refreshing crash course:

Ability  Points
 Score    Cost
   3        0
   4        0
   5        0
   6        0
   7        0
   8        0
   9        1
  10        2
  11        3
  12        4
  13        5
  14        6
  15        8
  16       10
  17       13
  18       16

So, for stats below 8, you're not supposed to get them (but if you somehow insist for having them, the DM will not give you bonus points), for stats between 8 and 14, the cost is stat-minus-8, and for stats higher than 14, it becomes more expensive than that. 15 and 16 cost two additional points each, instead of just one; and 17 and 18 cost three additional points.

 

[jrients]

I'll take 25, although it makes MAD's unplayable. I prefer 28-32 personally.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a MAD?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a MAD?

Multiple Attribute Dependency -- eg. Paladins need good STR and CON like a fighter, decent WIS, and good CHA, too, or else class abilities suffer. Often an overrated concern -- a Paladin with the standard array (15,14,13,12,10,8) is eminently playable.

What you have to watch for is classes with class abilities that are dependent on a particular bonus -- eg. the paladins lay on hands and his saving throw bonuses are non-existent without a 12 CHA.

 

[radferth]

Not a bad bell curve (scewed a bit by the "I'll play anything guys"). I've heard of good campaigns from the older additions that were straight 3d6 in order that were quite good. I put 15 as mine. It's theoretically possible I could be sold on even less, but I can't conceive of a concept where the DM wanted everyone to be below average that I would want to play. Perhaps if we were going to get bonuses later, or were using the Conan ability bonus schedule (as normal plus a +1 to all stats at 6th and every 4th level after that).

 

[Crothian]

MAD is also when people want a class to do too much. None odf the classes really need so many high stats. The Monk and Paladin are just better written classes since they make it easy to use lotos attributes and don't make any really useless automatically.