Can Mr. Fishy ask you a question? How much free time do you have.
Less than I would like. I do, however, get to futz with game mechanics and write game material as my day job, and sometimes I get distracted. And sometimes the page layout mines make me want to get a stick.
Sometimes, those distractions turn into new products I can sell, so I get to fiddle with them provided I make the time up elsewhere.
I realize that designing games for a living is less than the awesomeness that is being Mr.Fishy, but it seems to be the best that a non-Chuck Norris airbreather can manage.
I'm sure I've asked this in other threads, but as an avowed point buy(and Joss Whedon and Facebook) hater, I must ask...
What is rolling 4d6(straight, dropping nothing) for character generation equivalent to in terms of point buy? What about 6+2d6? Or the even more unusual 10+1d6+1d4? That last one is the strangest I have ever seen, but it resulted in the least b+@+@ing than any other dice based character gen I've ever seen(next to maybe MSH).
A friend's 3.0 allowed a 4 keep 3 roll up with extra points for feats, 'level adjusted' races, etc. going to those rolling less than the highest (Who was condemned to play a lowly Human.), My first 3 rolls had a total of 8 '6's and my lowest score was 'a' 14. The first game I couldn't play a Dwarf Cleric. One mean Rogue, though...
I'm sure I've asked this in other threads, but as an avowed point buy(and Joss Whedon and Facebook) hater, I must ask...
What is rolling 4d6(straight, dropping nothing) for character generation equivalent to in terms of point buy? What about 6+2d6? Or the even more unusual 10+1d6+1d4? That last one is the strangest I have ever seen, but it resulted in the least b%@~!ing than any other dice based character gen I've ever seen(next to maybe MSH).
4d6 Straight is roughly a 30 point buy on average results. It will have reduced variability between top and bottom results. It will average out to about 14-16 per stat per roll.
2d6+6 is roughly equal to 18 point buy. It will average out to about 13 points per stat per roll.
10+1d6+1d4 is roughly 60 point buy - it will average out to about 15-17 per stat so rolled.
This is precisely the simulationist take on encounter design.
Well, close. In a perfectly simulationist game, the chance of running into an area under the thumb of a CR 20 dragon would be the same per-mile-traveled no matter what level the PCs are. I tend to rank foes, but by region and in a way that encourages PCs stay NEAR areas with close-to their appropriate threat level.
I think of it as gamer simulationist.
In my current campaigns, I offered the following to my players: the stat modifiers must add up to +10 (prior to racial adjustments), and three of the ability scores must be odd numbers. For example: 18, 18, 15, 11, 11, 10 plus any racial adjustments. I also warned that I would veto obvious dump stats (such as those lower than 8).
That didn't save one group from a near-TPK. (They ignored the hints that they should focus on the prisoner-rescue, and decided to continue on to confront the high priestess and her many minions ... who were already warned, and therefore buffed up and ready to rumble. The NPC allies had already been sent off to escort the rescuees back to the surface, so no help - or common sense - was to be had from that quarter.) The surviving PC decided to retire, so that entire group of players is going to create new characters.
The new characters are likely to be be mostly PF/APG (with the occasional bit of late 3.5 thrown in on a case-by-case basis - like a goliath). I'm considering the possibility of offering them a 35-point buy. At its most extreme, that would result in 18, 18, 11, 10, 10, 10 (prior to racial adjustments). I suppose that I could be confronted with an array like 16, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14 - but most players can't resist going for those shiny 18s.
Stats are only half the character.
Well yea, everyone knows the other half is a big stick! *rolls eyes*
In my current campaigns, I offered the following to my players: the stat modifiers must add up to +10 (prior to racial adjustments), and three of the ability scores must be odd numbers. For example: 18, 18, 15, 11, 11, 10 plus any racial adjustments. I also warned that I would veto obvious dump stats (such as those lower than 8).
That didn't save one group from a near-TPK. (They ignored the hints that they should focus on the prisoner-rescue, and decided to continue on to confront the high priestess and her many minions ... who were already warned, and therefore buffed up and ready to rumble. The NPC allies had already been sent off to escort the rescuees back to the surface, so no help - or common sense - was to be had from that quarter.) The surviving PC decided to retire, so that entire group of players is going to create new characters.
I like that method. Oh, and it sounds like they had it coming.
In my current campaigns, I offered the following to my players: the stat modifiers must add up to +10 (prior to racial adjustments), and three of the ability scores must be odd numbers. For example: 18, 18, 15, 11, 11, 10 plus any racial adjustments. I also warned that I would veto obvious dump stats (such as those lower than 8).
Dump stats happen in real life also, the problem is we don't get to choose them. Look at all the famous people who get in trouble, high cha but low wisdom or intelligence.
Lindsay Lohan or how many times can I go to jail before the age of 25, and not get thrown under the jail because I am rich.
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I like 25 point, with nothing over 18 after racial mods and no dump stats. This typically results in a 1-point "effective" gain (support rows 10 str or front row's 10 cha doesn't actually help them); but can result in a 3 or 7 point loss (the 7-int 7-cha fighter or the 7-str 7-wis 7-cha wizard). It weakens casters a little while helping MADs; and results with characters more on-par with one another (much less diff between min-maxers and for-funners).
I'm sure I've asked this in other threads, but as an avowed point buy(and Joss Whedon and Facebook) hater, I must ask...
What is rolling 4d6(straight, dropping nothing) for character generation equivalent to in terms of point buy? What about 6+2d6? Or the even more unusual 10+1d6+1d4? That last one is the strangest I have ever seen, but it resulted in the least b%@~!ing than any other dice based character gen I've ever seen(next to maybe MSH).
4d6 Straight is roughly a 30 point buy on average results. It will have reduced variability between top and bottom results. It will average out to about 14-16 per stat per roll.
2d6+6 is roughly equal to 18 point buy. It will average out to about 13 points per stat per roll.
10+1d6+1d4 is roughly 60 point buy - it will average out to about 15-17 per stat so rolled.
I'm sorry, but your numbers are wrong. 2d6+6 averages a 13, giving you a result of 18 point buy if your roll all 13s. But that has a really low probablity, and point buy is weighted, so you can't treat all numbers the same. You have to multiply the probablity of any given number coming up by the number of points that stat costs. An 8 and a 18 have the same probability using this generation method and you are treating them the same, but one is -2 points and the other costs 17. The actual average is a 25.67 point buy.
10+d6+d4 has a whopping 65.75 point buy average if you continue the chart for a 19 and 20. You have an equal probability, 1/6 of having a 15, 16, or 17 in any given stat and a 1 in 4 chance of any stat being an 18 or higher or 14 or lower.
4d6 accross the board has issues measuring because of the chance for numbers way off the chart.