Alright, so this is an idea I've been kicking around in my head for a while. I'd like some thoughts, reviews, opinions, and if anyone can break it please do so. I'm considering setting this up for my next campaign (which will include a lot of variant rules via http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz3t1t?My-solution-to-the-Christmas-Tree-Effect), but I'd like to know if you guys think it'd work in ordinary games.
Scrap ability score generation all together. All abilities start at 10, thus making them 'average'. Apply racial bonuses. You get 1 ability point to add at first level. Every level thereafter, you gain another 1 point to add. At every level where you would gain an ability point in the normal way of doing things (4, 8, 12, so on), you instead get +2.
It seems at first glance it's actually highly balanced, but I'm concerned with min-maxing. I'm not that much of an optimizer to be able to see something at first glance and declare broken without going over ALL of the material I can lay my eyes on... But I get the feeling by the time min-maxing would be a problem with it, the 'min-maxed' would be balanced, if not a wee bit weaker, no?
I run my games cinematically, with Rule of Cool taking precedence over mostly everything else (I started off DMing with free-form systemless games, so it influenced my style), in player favor (where applicable) of course. Rule of Funny/Cool, and the story at the focuses of my games most of the time. Yet, I also like combat to be rewarding for my players, with chance of death being very real, and dynamic worlds that can really ruin resting times (roaming monsters ftw). I also happen to have a preference for smart-combat, where people actually think before shouting 'MAGIC MISSILE THE ALMOST-DEADEST-LOOKING ONE!' at the top of their lungs (a favorite tactic of a gamer in my old group that regularly left my ears ringing when I left).... Not every character needs above 17 in their important stat ya know!
So. Does the variant I propose slot nicely into such a game? Can it be broken between levels 1-12? Or, every time I use this, am I going to have to use the other variant rules I've decided to use (see above link for more info)?.... And has ANYONE tried a game like this before?
For my personal tastes, having a character that trains his art for years and years and starts with these scores is not very appealing. And a possilbe strength of 31 at level 12 is dubious for similar reasons.
I would wish for a smoother scaling of abilities, but thats too much for my tastes. On the other hand, I have a vastly different play style and am used to having twenties with most characters.
Well first of all.. not option for a penalty at all there, eh?
Secondly, the game assumes a certain amount of bonus from ability scores, such that your method will simply make character fall behind the curve.
Let's look at the extremes:
All points in one stat
Here you can get 10 + 20 + 5 (extra levels). That's 35 in a stat before racial modifiers or enhancement and inherent bonuses (which can bring that up to 46). Normal permanent max (for standard races) after all bonuses is 36 (which maybe a size modifier here or there).
Averaging it all out
This means it will take 10 level before you get 14, 14, 14, 10, 10, 10. MAD classes are going to hurt... horribly.
By 20th level, a multi-class MAD character (like a Bard/Monk or something) would have 15, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14.
For comparison...
1st lvl Standard Point Buy (15) options:
14, 14, 14, 10, 10, 10
13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12
16, 14, 12, 10, 10, 8
1st lvl High Fantasy Point Buy (20) options:
14, 14, 14, 14, 10, 10
16, 14, 14, 12, 10, 8
.
While I like to think that starting ability scores don't (or shouldn't) have a massive impact on your character's ability, such that a point or two missing here or there isn't the end of the world... it's not the same as having only 10 in every ability score.
It would fly in a game where you are meant to be mundane. A call of cthulu style of game, where you are just an average person being thrust into a terrible situation.
The point though, especially in CoC, is that mundane isn't expected to live through it.
.
Lastly, going by this article, the max stat of "the best of the non-heroic" would be 16. This hurts the verisimilitude of the assumptions in the game.
All in all.. I think the method you are proposing would produce a [b]vastly[/i] different game, that would be far harder on the characters, and might make some aspects of the game feel "too" unrealistic.
In a more constructive tone, perhaps some suggestions:
Give the chance to somewhat excel, even at 1st level. Perhaps starting scores of 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 before racial modifiers to start with. This is still lower than standard (in fact, it can be made with "low fantasy" point buy), but it gives your character a chance to start with a 16 in his primary focus (with racial mod) right at 1st level.
Then you can increase +1 per level, but add the caveat that you can't increase the same stat two levels in a row. At 4th, and every 4 levels (8, 12, 16 and 20), you get +1 to two different stats.
This makes for a max score of 24 at the highest levels (much easier on the game then 36), and encourages having more decent ability scores (giving characters who can do well in more roles, ie: more well-rounded characters).
*Edit*
In looking at this, it would give you Low Fantasy characters are 1st level, that progress into Epic Fantasy characters by 12th level.
As far as APs go, that's a pretty good advancement.
At levels higher than 12th, those ability score benefits are going to be less a factor behind all the noise of class and magic item benefits, so I'm not really concerned that you'd have "better than best point buy options" in the end levels.