During Character creation can you drop an attribute to raise another?


Rules Questions

Silver Crusade

During Character creation can you drop an attribute to raise another?

for example can you drop a 10 to a 9 to raise an 11 to a 12?

thank you

The Exchange

Starfinder Charter Superscriber

No.


Point Buy:
In this method, you customize your ability scores by “buying” them using a pool of points. Since the purpose of this system is to help you build exactly the character you want, before starting to customize your ability scores, first decide what you want your character’s race, class, and theme to be. Once you’ve got those firmly in mind, follow the steps below in order.

Step 1: Start with a score of 10 in each ability. On your character sheet or a piece of scratch paper, write down all six abilities— Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma—and put a 10 next to each of them.

Step 2: Add and subtract points for race. Races are often naturally gifted in some abilities and less so in others. Each race entry lists these advantages and disadvantages in terms of points you add or subtract from specific starting ability scores; you can also look at Table 2–2 to see all the racial advantages and disadvantages at a glance. For instance, a shirren starts out with +2 points in Constitution and +2 points in Wisdom, but –2 points in Charisma (meaning you’d add 2 points to your starting Constitution and Wisdom scores, but subtract 2 from your starting Charisma score). Some races, like humans, are so versatile as a race that they get points they can put in any single ability. Once you know your racial modifiers, add or subtract those points from your starting scores of 10.

Step 3: Add points for theme. Each theme gives you a single ability point to apply to an ability score. For instance, choosing the ace pilot theme gives you +1 point in Dexterity, while the themeless option lets you apply an extra point to any ability score you choose. The points granted by each theme can be found in its description or on Table 2–2. Once you know your theme, add that point to the designated ability.

Step 4: Spend 10 points customizing your scores. Now that you’ve got your baseline scores, which incorporate modifications for class and theme, you get a pool of 10 extra points to assign to your ability scores as you see fit. You apply these to your existing ability scores on a 1-for-1 basis—if you have a Dexterity score of 12 and you add a point from your pool, you now have a Dexterity score of 13. You can divide these points up however you want, but you can’t make any individual score higher than 18. (Later on, as you level up and gain ability-boosting gear, your ability scores may rise above 18, but 18 is the highest value any character can start out with.) Be sure to spend all 10 of your ability points—you can’t save them for later.

Step 5: Record ability scores and ability modifiers. Once you’ve spent all your points, you’re done. Write your final ability scores in the appropriate boxes on your character sheet, then check Table 2–1 to find the corresponding ability modifier for each one, and write those down as well. Modifiers are explained in Ability Modifiers and Ability Checks.

You will note that there is no mention of reducing stats to get points back

There is even the following

OPTIONAL RULE: CHARACTER FLAWS:

The buying ability scores method makes sure that your character is always at least close to average—your race might push you slightly below the average of 10, but you won’t be severely hampered. Sometimes, however, it’s fun to play a character with a major flaw. If you want to reduce any ability scores for your character below what this system would normally allow, that’s fine—playing a brutish soldier with an Intelligence of 5 or a noodle-armed technomancer with a Strength of 4 could allow for some fun roleplaying opportunities—but you don’t get to reassign those lost ability points elsewhere. Beware making your scores so low that your character can’t keep up with the rest of the party!

Which is optional and allows you to dump stats, but specifies you do not get points back for doing so

Silver Crusade

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Thank you both for your answers.

I am coming from playing PFS with a 20 point buy. With a 20 point buy usually I spend 10 points to get a 16, 5 points to get a 14, and then I drop one score to a 9 to gain a point. That leaves me with 6 points to buy 3 12s.

the point buy for star finder is disappointing.

Thank you both for answering my question

Liberty's Edge

Remember that at 5th and later levels you get far more points than in Pathfinder. By 5th, you'll be more where you're used to being in terms of stats and by 10th, Pathfinder characters built on 20 point-buy look on your stats with envy.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

You cannot by RAW, but this actually offended the (DND/Pathfinder-veteran) players at my table so much that I had to homebrew a 2-for-1 modification to the point buy system, where players can drop any attribute two points to gain a single point for reallocation elsewhere.


sounds fair, to be hones if my players asked nice i would even allow 1:1 exchange (not limitless though)

Silver Crusade

Tarpeius wrote:
You cannot by RAW, but this actually offended the (DND/Pathfinder-veteran) players at my table so much that I had to homebrew a 2-for-1 modification to the point buy system, where players can drop any attribute two points to gain a single point for reallocation elsewhere.

Given that characters have a not very useful +1 stat boost I'd imagine that this house rule translates to just about everybody dumping a stat exactly 2 points to get the +1 to make that +1 useful.

Which isn't at all a bad house rule, mind. But it seems like it would be far less flexible in practice than it seems to be.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
pauljathome wrote:
Tarpeius wrote:
You cannot by RAW, but this actually offended the (DND/Pathfinder-veteran) players at my table so much that I had to homebrew a 2-for-1 modification to the point buy system, where players can drop any attribute two points to gain a single point for reallocation elsewhere.

Given that characters have a not very useful +1 stat boost I'd imagine that this house rule translates to just about everybody dumping a stat exactly 2 points to get the +1 to make that +1 useful.

Which isn't at all a bad house rule, mind. But it seems like it would be far less flexible in practice than it seems to be.

That's largely true, though there's a second use of satisfying odd-numbered attribute requirements for powered armor and some feats.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Honestly I think letting someone dump one stat down to 8 for two extra points might not be a terrible thing.

Putting a limit on it sidesteps the issues Pathfinder sometimes has while still potentially opening up concepts and odd combinations.

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