|
When it comes to ability scores, I was a fan of rolling them up for years. Of course, for years, that was about the only way to do it. I've seen plenty of ideas and suggestions and optional rules for rolling up characters that were virtually guaranteed to give players the ability to play their chosen class(es) really well. But then when point buy showed up, my whole opinion changed radically. Over the past year or so, the only method I allow anymore is point buy.
It isn't that I have any substantial issues with any of the methods in Pathfinder, I think the average score for a standard game should be at least 13, and that no starting score should ever really start lower than 8. Player characters are heroes in the world, and they stand out more from the average person in it. Overall, I think that the ability modifiers should add up to +8, but no higher than +10. That allows characters to really stand out, but monsters and important NPCs (villains) do have a tendency of standing out as well.
My suggestions are to boost up the starting scores a bit with the Purchase method, and to allow a mulligan if the overall rolled results don't fall between a certain threshold, and a definte forced re-rolling if they go above it. Another thing I'd really like to see (and have found to be incredibly helpful) is a list of potential arrays for each level of the Purchase method. Yes, I'm aware 4E does this, but I'm not suggesting it just because 4E did it. It really is incredibly handy for players to be able to look at an array and use it rather than figure it out by hand every time.
Arovyn
I agree to a point, but alas, also dissagree. I think stats should be allowed lower than 8. What if someone is playing a crippled character? Or difformed? Or a character that's meant to be sick alot (like Raistlin)? I wouldn't want stats like 4 or 5. But I can see a negative 2 stat- say 6 or 7. But thats just me.
The suggestion you have works with the 6 + 2d6 for stats. It's not bad. I'd like a straight-up pointbuy ; that's 1pt. per point. Stats start at 6. You'd get about 40 pts. to work with. To get all 10s that's 24 points. Four 14s and two 12s would be if evenly placed.
I still think rolling either 4d6 or 5d6 is best and most fun. I let my players roll like that then if they get say four 6s, they get a 19. 18+ 1 pt. for another 6. Almost never happens.
For abilities I like: Str, Con, Manual Dexterity, Agility, Int, Wis, Cha. But that wouldn't translte to 3.5 compatable. A big thing with Pathfinder seems to be " Don't let all those 3.5 books go to waste". A solid concept. In my d&d group alone, we've got, perhaps, a hundred 3.5 books.
Going back to the subject, I think Wizard's choice of a pointbuy for their official characters stinks. The nothing lower than an 8 and only one 8, doesn't allow me to put points somewhere else. And when I made a 4e character, I felt I was just cloning another person's character but giving him a differant name. But that's for a dif. topic...
I agree to a point, but alas, also dissagree. I think stats should be allowed lower than 8. What if someone is playing a crippled character? Or difformed? Or a character that's meant to be sick alot (like Raistlin)? I wouldn't want stats like 4 or 5. But I can see a negative 2 stat- say 6 or 7. But thats just me.
The suggestion you have works with the 6 + 2d6 for stats. It's not bad. I'd like a straight-up pointbuy ; that's 1pt. per point. Stats start at 6. You'd get about 40 pts. to work with. To get all 10s that's 24 points. Four 14s and two 12s would be if evenly placed.
I still think rolling either 4d6 or 5d6 is best and most fun. I let my players roll like that then if they get say four 6s, they get a 19. 18+ 1 pt. for another 6. Almost never happens.For abilities I like: Str, Con, Manual Dexterity, Agility, Int, Wis, Cha. But that wouldn't translte to 3.5 compatable. A big thing with Pathfinder seems to be " Don't let all those 3.5 books go to waste". A solid concept. In my d&d group alone, we've got, perhaps, a hundred 3.5 books.
Going back to the subject, I think Wizard's choice of a pointbuy for their official characters stinks. The nothing lower than an 8 and only one 8, doesn't allow me to put points somewhere else. And when I made a 4e character, I felt I was just cloning another person's character but giving him a differant name. But that's for a dif. topic...
I agree, and even find the possibility of stats lower than 4 or 5 interesting. I would hardly call a 6 or 7 crippled. That's why the existing point-buy systems don't appeal to me (I'm not against the idea of point-buy, just the assumptions pushed by the ones I see).
Anyone remember The Clod character class? There's a good example how forcing the game to be "heroic" limits the possibilities for humor. Of course, it's not just humor. You pointed out several good examples that apply to serious role-playing (like Raistlin).
My group uses a method we made up from a discussion we had in the bus.
You have this array or stats : 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18
You put these stats where you want.
You add racial modifier.
Everybody has a character with the same potential. And it allows PC to choose their class and their race before they put their stats where they want.
This is an average score of ~12.666 and it is good for most (maybe all) campaings.
Edit : Most people puts the 8 where the racial modifier is -2. So almost everybody has a 6, it is great for roleplaying.
Coridan said: Our group switched to rolling 2d6+6 recently for our stats, we're liking it a lot for our style of play. Really though every home group has its own methods and there's no need to put them ALL in the book.
Our group had just started running Expedition to Undermountain a couple of weeks before the Beat came out. We got together yesterday and talked about running it using the Beat rules. We were not so far along that we couldn't create new characters adn pick up where we left off. We decided to try out the 2d6+6 method of generating ability scores. I think the lowest score rolled was a 9. All in all it appeared to work pretty well. I'll try to keep posting what happens in the game elsewhere.
Another offshoot idea. This combines the 6+2d6 and the 3d or 4d6. To cut down on uber characters but still give players usable stats for their chosen classes; Pick 2 stats for the 6+3d6 (drop low), and go straight 4d6 with the others. On ave. you'll get about 17,17,13,13,11,11. But with fair chances for low and even real low stats. My friend Carolyne got 16,12,11,7,7,5 on that. Though that would be rare for most, but she's Very unlucky.
But the whole 4d6 is simple and efficiant. My friend, Steve, uses the 5d6, 5d6,4d6,4d6,3d6,3d6 system.
|
Here's the thing. Most DM's houserule this portion anyway. So why change it? Keep 4-5 fairly standard methods of generating stats to provide options, and leave it at that. I dont really see this as being something that needs addressing.
The only thing Id say is provide a blurb after each entry that states what the stat range is when using each method, so folks can make an educated choice on what they want to do.
My 2 cents.