I'd rather see a steeper curve, all scores starting at 10, NEGATIVE costs for scores below 10, and more points overall.
So you could have several 14's with relative ease, if you weaken a score or two and forgo having ANYthing above those 14's. (three or four 14's makes a monk
just barely viable, IMO).
Here's a suggestion:
Code:
[color=white]
[b]Attribute Costs:[/b]
Score ... Cost
03 ... -12
04 ... -10
05 ... -8
06 ... -6
07 ... -4
08 ... -2
09 ... -1
10 ... 0
11 ... 1
12 ... 2
13 ... 5
14 ... 8
15 ... 13
16 ... 18
17 ... 25
18 ... 32
[/color][color=red]
(Note the progression is +1, +1, +3, +3, +5, +5, +7, +7 for
positive scores; -1 for the first two negative steps, then -2
for each step beyond that)
[/color][color=white]
[b]Starting point totals:[/b]
... Gritty, 10 (average score roughly 11.0)
... Low-Power, 20 (average score roughly 12.4)
... Mid-Power, 40 (average score roughly 13.5)
... High-Power, 80 (average score roughly 15.1)
... Godlike, 160 (average score roughly 17.2)
[/color]
Yes; each power level doubles the points available. With the more-swiftly-increasing point costs, however, this tends to produce an average increase of only 1.5 in the attribute scores you could get, if you spent your points evenly across all six attributes. What it does also do is significantly increase the "low score" attributes. Above mid-power, scores below 10 will pretty much disappear; at mid-power some players will take an 8 or 9, or two, to make up the few points they need for that last point of their "key" attribute. Below mid-level, lower scores will be seen more often, especially among spellcasters who have to reach for "the almighty 14" in their spellcasting attribute.
This lets people CHOOSE to have lower-than-average scores, if they want points available for better attributes. Even in a "Gritty" level game (truly villages thrown headlong into adventure, like it or not ...), you COULD pull off an 18, before racial modifiers (it'd just take a 3, a 4, four 10's, and your precious 18).
Mid-Power comes out with about the exact same average score (13.5) as "4d6-1" does, as it turns out.
Now, to take things a step further: add in the option to spend those same points on OTEHR advantages (and possibly disadvantages). Make a
true Point-Buy character generation system. Some ideas, truly just off-the-cuff:
1 ... +10% starting money (can purchase repeatedly)
-1 ... -20% starting money (can purchase repeatedly)
5 ... Patent of Nobility (must have purchased +50% starting money already); your character is a member of the lowest rank of Nobility; requires GM approval
5 ... Increased Social Rank (includes +10% additional starting money without additional cost; must have a Patent of Nobility first); your rank among the nobility increases by one step; requires GM approval
20 ... bonus feat (requires GM approval)
2 ... bonus skill point, at first level only (requires GM approval)
-2 ... wanted criminal (petty crimes); one nation only; examples include pickpocketing, shoplifting. Use worst Wanted level only.
-5 ... wanted criminal (minor crimes); one nation only; examples include burglary, robbery, simple assault/brawling. Use worst Wanted level only.
-10 ... wanted criminal (capital crimes); one nation only; examples include murder, rape. Use worst Wanted level only.
-20 ... wanted criminal (high treason!); one nation only; GM approval required; examples include inciting rebellion, attempted (or even successful) regicide, or the misfortune of being the sovereign's elder half-sibling (heh) ... use worst Wanted level only.
variable ... declared a heretic by a major eligion (GM's discretion on permissibility and value, based on the power of the relgion in question and the severity of the heres(-y/-ies) named; use the Wanted Criminal totals as a basis for a complete theocracy, and scale value down from there).
...
That sort of thing. So in a gritty game, you could play a fairly successful but wanted burglar who has had the misfortune of killing one too many of his victims (Rogue, ofc), wanted in the campaign's starting kingdom for (on the worst level) major crimes (murder), with 6 extra points for attributes (for a total of 16) and +40% starting money. Attributes then could be
STR 10, DEX 14, CON 13, INT 12, WIS 9, CHA 12 ... someone just above average in brains and charm, pretty healthy, very agile, but not inclined to thinking his actions out beforehand in a crisis ... a good amount of gear and/or cash on hand, but his description is on wanted posters here and there throughout the campaign's starting home base.
Conversely, the next player may decide to play a characetr with
STR 9, DEX 10, CON 9, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 12, +50% startign money, and a Patent of Nobility ... with the Aristocrat NPC class ... a very -minor- nobleman's son, a bit weak and sickly but not cripplingly so, and enough charm to give him possible promise as a minor diplomat; all HIS attribute points went into advantages.
Thirdly, the party cleric might have been named a heretic by the currently-ascendant religion, his own having been driven undeground (nothing worse than being a priest of the wrong faith, but the church doesn't make thelaws ... yet; -15 points); his attributes are
STR 10, DEX 10, CON 10, INT 12, WIS 16, CHA 14, and he has only 40% of the expected starting gear/money (-3 points), as his in-hiding "church" can't afford much more than FEEDING it's clergy, let alone equipping them well. His charm and high wisdom are almost all that has kept him out of the clutches of the now-ascendant faith, despite being named -- and carefully described- for heresies on posters placed all through the land, and despite the concurrently large price on his head ...
Mind you, the costs above, especially those not for attributes, are
literally off-the-cuff, and Ihaven't given them huge thought (yet). However, given the quickie characters above at the "Gritty" level, I'm inclined to like this idea (if I do say so myself).
...
Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, high-velocity rotten fruit?
Not to mention, GM approval comes in at every stage; GM's would be well within their rights to say "No attributes bought below 6" or "charisma only gives half the points for lowering it" or the like. 
