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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Diremede" data-source="post: 3077135" data-attributes="member: 7964">I think the big problem with random roll vs. point buy, is that pretty much all the monsters in the DMG and other supplements assume your playing a balanced character.  If you take a look at most humanoid monsters stats, there seems to be a point buy system applied to them.  Also with random roll you do have the possiblity of having a uber character.  This was about 5 years ago, but in my gaming group we were all rolling characters with the DM and a guy actually rolled out three 18's, and I believe his lowest score was a 12.  This was using the roll 4d6 throw out the lowest one, roll 6 times method.  Now most everyone else in the group averaged a 10 or so with maybe a single 16 or 17 accompanied by a 12 or 14, fairly average characters with one really good stat, but nothing under 9 if memory serves me correctly.  Now you can say that stats aren't everything, but a character with three 18's has a lot going for them early on in the game, and in the long run as well, he will be better at more situations than pretty much anyone in the group.  If assigned right say this character is a melee type character he will have better saving throws, a better chance to hit, he will do more damage, have more hit points, and a better armor class.  Essentially this character will be better than his peers, and will perform better on a level by level basis. With all this in mind some would say that isn't fair, but if your playing for realism, well life isn't fair, and some people are born "better" than others, either physically, mentally, or both.  With all probability in real life if you were to group 6 random people together and took a measure of their strength, their constitution, their intelligence, their decision making skills (wisdom), and their charismatic attitude and looks, you would find that more likely than not one person in that group will excell at more things than the other five.  Its really just a game style all in all, and how the DM wants to run his game.  With point buy, the DM can take control  of the situation as he knows that all the characters are fairly equal in power and ability.  This makes planning and game design easier.  Also if you don't have a lot of game time, point buy enables the players to make their characters ahead of time, and you dont' have to worry about "lucky dice" if the player rolls up a character at home.</blockquote>

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