I was trying to find a previous topic on this, but I was unable to.
What would be the ability scores normally presumed to be available to a character as he levels up for the content of the game to be balanced?
For instance, I know that with a point-buy system a level 1 character can potentially reach abnormally high numbers in one of his scores by dumping all the rest, and that at certain levels most characters are asumed to have stat-boosting items at least for their primary ones.
But what are the "standards"? As in, what does Paizo usually consider to be expected when creating monsters, adventures, and so forth?
Thanks beforehand.
If you look in the back of an actual bestiary (the physical book) they include the 'standard' chart for all CRs in the appendixes. This chart tells you how many HP, what AC, attack bonus, save throw bonuses and DCs are 'average' for a monster of each CR.
From there you can decide what level of success or deadliness is correct for your game. The 'average' PC that uses the 15 point buy will have a stat line of 15,14,13,12,11,8 -- then just use the save throws available at each level with those stats.
Aye, I've been using that table monster-side.
My doubt arrises in the PC department: What should be the typical Strength of a 15th level Fighter, or the Intelligence of a 11th level Wizard?
Or, better said, what does the game assume to be the typical scores at each level?
I'm not sure it makes assumptions, because there's so many ways to build a character. That 15th level fighter might be a halfling with 6 strength, but have an amazing Dex and a crossbow or weapon finesse & the scimitar feat (I forget the name). The wizard might only have 16 int, just enough to cast his 6th level spells, and rely on buffing an no-save spells. Or they could both be statted up like crazy, putting all their wealth into improving that stat.
A good assumption for "typically" built PCs is that they'll start with a 18-20 in their primary stat, or have two stats at 16-18. One stat will get +1 every 4 levels, although if the other primary stat is odd it'll be bumped up to even at level 4 or 8. Add +2 to a stat at 5th or 6th, and either +2 to the other stat at 7th or a second +2 to the first stat at 8th. Around 10th level, it upgrades to +6 to one stat, or at 11th, +4 to two. The two-stat variant will upgrade to +6 to both around 13th level. Note that all the levels for the two-stat variant ought to be one lower if one stat is physical and one is mental (I wrote it out based on both needing to be on the same item).
The variance gets higher towards the end as wishes and stat-boosting books start becoming affordable (but possibly not worth the money).
Actual 'stats' matter less than the factored attributes off of them. If you have a 28 Int or a 26 and spell focus doesn't matter for your wizard spell DCs so long as the DC is the same -- same with AC, attack bonus and save throws -- it's a matter of end result more than starting position. However a PC manages it they are going to want to be able to handled whatever CR creature they need to readily -- if they do it with high str 28 or str 26 with weapon focus and weapon specialization doesn't really matter.