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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 8043538" data-attributes="member: 87792">To me this is a reflection of how bland D&D 3.X and earlier were that you get such a limited number of character builds and that mechanical +1s are arguably the biggest point of difference between two characters of the same class.If you look at two AD&D fighters they are almost mechanically the same other than their weapon proficiencies and possibly their weapon specialisation (and/or mastery). The only thing that's different about them is their equipment and their favourite weapons. Worse than that the weapons aren't equal and it's a deliberate design decision that swords are the best and also the most common sort of magic item, so any sensible fighter is going to be a sword wielder. About the only mechanical things they can be different in that's not pure equipment is where +1s go - their stat selection and (in 2e) their non-weapon proficiencies. Oh, and their alignment and race.By contrast in 5e a Battlemaster is not an Eldritch Knight is not a Champion. They've different mechanics and special abilities - and that is the primary "next level" of character differentiation beyond the build. The third level is (or at least should be) the traits you pick and are mechanically incentivised to pick out. Race comes in probably fourth  and sometimes third. Skills are more generally relevant than NWPs and are again about who your character is and the choices they make - and choices are far more important for RP than generalised talent.  This pushes attributes way down the list.Even where the AD&D classes have subclasses it's little different. A 2e illusionist (a 1e illusionist was an entirely separate class) differs from a 2e evoker in that they get more spells in their specialty and there's a subset of spells they can't cast. A 5e illusionist on the other hand is good with illusions to the point a high enough illusionist can make parts of normal illusions real.  Meanwhile even a low level 5e evoker can control their evocations in ways that a non-evoker archmage would struggle to, and protect their allies from their spells. Your specialty is an active change in what you do - far more impactful.The more viable character options, the less similar PCs of the same class look - and so the less benefit there is in rolling stats.</blockquote>

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