D&D 5E What is your current way to roll stats

[pdegan2814]

I just started with a DM who uses a stat-gen method I've never seen before but I think I like it. It's standard 27-point buy, but you can move your racial bonuses to different stats if you want. You still have to keep the bonuses the same size and can't stack them on the same stat, so you could have a Wood Elf with +2 Str and +1 Con, but you can't have a Hill Dwarf with +3 Dex, that sort of thing. It offers the balance of point-buy while allowing enough flexibility that people can pretty much choose any race/class combo and not feel hampered(and I say this as someone who likes the idea of each race having traits that lend them more towards some classes than others).

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Everyone rolls 1-2 sets of 4d6, drop lowest IN ORDER. Meaning 1st roll is Str, 2nd roll is Dex, etc. Record them. At this point anyone can use any of the arrays generated, or use point buy if they don't like anything anyone rolled. This allows the weird randomness of rolling, while avoiding stat envy because multiple players can all have the same stats.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I just started with a DM who uses a stat-gen method I've never seen before but I think I like it. It's standard 27-point buy, but you can move your racial bonuses to different stats if you want. You still have to keep the bonuses the same size and can't stack them on the same stat, so you could have a Wood Elf with +2 Str and +1 Con, but you can't have a Hill Dwarf with +3 Dex, that sort of thing. It offers the balance of point-buy while allowing enough flexibility that people can pretty much choose any race/class combo and not feel hampered(and I say this as someone who likes the idea of each race having traits that lend them more towards some classes than others).

You mean I can play a smart wizard without being a gnome?! That’s nice.

The only problem wth that is half elves get the a +4 in total modifiers. That rule makes it even better to be a half-elf.

 

[pdegan2814]

You mean I can play a smart wizard without being a gnome?! That’s nice.

The only problem wth that is half elves get the a +4 in total modifiers. That rule makes it even better to be a half-elf.

True, though the Half-Elf's two +1's were already movable, so it just means you can move the +2 away from Charisma to something else. It's by no means a perfect method, but I think it's a pretty good way to add a little flexibility to the standard point-buy.

 

[Sleepy Walker]

I have honed in on a method which is both flexible and relatively fair.


-Set aside 6 numbers. I like an array of 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 6 for a generally more powerful character to start
-roll 6 sets of 2d6. (re-roll 1 is optional)
-combine one set aside number with one 2d6 roll.
-There should now be 6 attribute scores ranging from a single 18 to a single 4 depending on player choice and luck.


It allows flexibility in attribute generation on multiple levels.
-The chosen pool of numbers allows a DM to fine tune the attribute generation with more precision than adding d6s or re-roll 1 type actions
---For example: a pool of 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 6 is a vastly less powerful a character than 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6

-The pool of numbers results in less swing than purely rolled results
-The combining of scores means that the player can choose to min-max or shore up weakness
-The rolling of the 2d6 allows some uncertainty and swing to influence the process
-The entire process allows the player to feel the satisfaction of manipulating numbers for his or her character, while keeping uncertainty, and preventing extreme cases unless a DM wants such things to happen.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

So, Sleepy, your method averages 11 then? That seems a bit on the low side compared to the standard set or point-buy systems.

 

[Horwath]

Point buy.

Only.

27 pts or 32 if we want high powered PCs

Also option to "trade" racial +2 bonus for racial feat or skill feat from UA or some underpowered feat from PHB.

 

[Li Shenron]

Still using a fixed array since the start of 5e... it's faster than point-buy, and completely eliminates whinings like "my scores are unplayable" and "oh how unlucky I am I rolled poorly".

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

I know you say it jokingly, but I am now considering 9d2
Maybe 4d4+2.

I've actually use the 4d4+2 method and found it works very well (of course, picking up those pointy dice can be difficult ).

Stats range from 6-18 with average of 12, and less than 5% of the rolls end up as 6, 7, 17, or 18.

 

[Sleepy Walker]

So, Sleepy, your method averages 11 then? That seems a bit on the low side compared to the standard set or point-buy systems.

The way I have my current players roll, no (re-roll all 1's). This is easily modifiable of course. Other things to note is that I run a decently modified 5e and I started my campaign at level 10, so all the characters have additional feats and ability improvements to further change things.

Right now I have one character with a 20 and a couple 14+ stats, and another with 18 and 17. The other two characters a more balanced, with a couple 15+ stats and a number of 10+ stats. Each character, save one, has a detrimental stat.

So far everything has been working well, even the player with the worst rolls has been quite capable. This might not be true for vanilla 5e, where a character is just about required to take 12+ for con and have a 16+ main stat or two. I personally recommend re-roll all 1's, to keep the minimum stat a 6, which then pushes the math above an average of 11.

*edit 2: I just like this method because different campaigns or different factors can be accounted for and the DM has a stronger hand at the wheel while not taking all luck and improving player choice.