How do you row you characters

How do you row you characters

Pick race
3d6 in order
Pick class

>rolling stats

gently

down the stream

merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

stats are but a dream

>Cheating
No
Human only
Pick class
3d6 in order

Gods do anyone roll of stat anymore? I hope that GMs outside newbees know better. It is very hard to get yourself killed off in 5ed D&D. You would end up killing other players off too. Pathfinder groups know better, but it is way easier to off a bad roll up in that system.

If your char is male: 1d16 +2
If your char is female: 5d4 -2

How the hell someone select his job while having an extreme form of memory loss he dont know how he is

Rolled 6, 3, 14, 15, 15, 4 = 57 (6d16)

Let's give it a try! First boyboy

Rolled 3, 2, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 4, 3, 4, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2 = 65 (25d4)

str 8
dex 5
con 16
int 17
wis 17
chr 6
ehh your run of the mill antisocial wizard
girlgirl next

Rolled 4, 1, 2, 3, 1 = 11 (5d4)

str 9
dex 13
con 9
int 11
wis 11

and average Jane Queen of the apes
maybe she'll get a decent charisma at least

>Hurr 3d6 in order because hard core.
Spotted the fake grog.

4d6 drop lowest, roll 6 times, arrange as you see fit. It's in the DMG.

>not rolling stats
Filthy 3.pf scum.

>lowering myself to playing worst edition
Check yourself before you wreck yourself son

1. 1d3 in three core attributes
2. 3/2/1 levels in starting class/racial class
3. 3/2/1 levels in one or more advanced classes equal to level in starting class/racial class
4. add any stat bonuses from classes to core attributes

4d6 drop lowest six times arranged as you like. You can re-roll your lowest result, but if you do, you must also re-roll your highest result.

Only boring people don't roll for stats in one form or another.

Rolling for stats is the default method of literally every edition of D&D. Maybe. Not sure about 4e. But even in 5e, you roll your stats first, and then if you don't like the results you can use 15/14/13/12/10/8. Point buy is an optional method usable only with DM permission.

>It's in the DMG.
If you play an edition of D&D that has a DMG you can't go around calling other people "fake grog"

1979 happened, user. Deal with it.

>Roll 2d20 to determine origins
>18 in primary origin's main attribute
>16 in secondary origin's main attribute
>If they match, you get 20 in that attribute instead
>Roll 3d6 in order for the rest

4e uses arrays and point-buy as defaults because it isn't retarded. Also since I'm usually the GM nothing is saying I can't enforce point-buy when running 2e

After 20 years of gaming what I see is this, The smart player kills for his bad roll adventurer first chance he/she gets. Is not Happy if the games goes with out combat as that well put them to far behind the other players. So starts the murder hobo-ing to get a combat to kill off sad bad roll mess The damb player try to play a low stat mess, complains about min/maxing a lot (even in 5 ed d&d), and is not happy. The lucky player(s) never want to change games due to having rolled the adventurer that dad clearly was a god. As a GM you just have better game balance with point buy. The players are just happier too.

>not drawing cards from a deck to determine stats

Sorry, user. I'll go return this and go back to playing Chainmail.

>not using a tarot spread for every aspect of your character

Forgot as a player I want to roll over point buy when playing 5 ed. Not with pathfinder which has a good point buy. With 5th's point buy I can never start with a stat over 16. With rolls I have a very good chance of getting way over what the point buy would give me. Getting stuck with the array, it is still easy to kill off a bad rolled mess.

>can't start with stat over 16
Yeah, that's intentional

As a GM I allow players to do whatever they want, as long as it's legit. Some players roll, some do point buy. I think offering choice is important.

My preference though is towards point buy. I have one player who is terminally unlucky and has a hard time rolling above an 11 on 4d6 dropping the lowest. Having one player in a group who is very clearly weaker than all the others is fun for nobody. Feeling like you're not pulling your weight, or that one of your party members is useless is something I would try to prevent.

Point buy puts players on a more or less level playing field- nobody can sit down having rolled 3 18's or with a character sheet featuring no stats above 12. For that reason, though I allow any method, I encourage this one.

What a bunch of pussies
>Roll 3d6 for each stat one time only
>assign results to stats in the exact order of rolling

Some of the best characters are the unexpected ones

Also some of the shittiest.
Go back to jerking off over Dungeon Crawl Classics, adults are talking

There's no such thing as shit characters, only shit players

In all fairness, it all depends on what a playgroup wants.

If you're looking for a roleplay-heavy game with minimal combat or heavily abstracted combat, stats are less important and lower stats can be interesting ways to flesh out a character.

If you're looking for a game that includes tactical combat in any capacity, having one or more party members who have been rendered useless due to bad rolls makes the game unfun for everyone who wanted that sort of thing.

I don't think that's exactly true. One question I would ask is- what would you do if you were rolling 3d6 in order and you rolled nothing above a 5. How would you play a character who has worse-than-NPC stats?

On the opposite end, what if, as a GM, all of your players roll incredibly well, and throwing level-appropriate challenges at them becomes more difficult?

4d6 assign any, 1 spread reroll, pick the one you want.

There's always a way to balace things out. e.g: a gm can give one extra level or a magic item for compensate extreme handicap

Bear in mind in OD&D, the ability scores did squat. As long as someone was strong enough to kick down the door, it didn't matter. Ib That vase, the only hopeless PCs were the ones played by idiots.

In another 15 years, the preferred method for creating a character will be "take 18 on your primary ability, 16 on two others, and 10 on everything else (because having flaws sux, rite?)"

On opposite end a gm could figure out a slower experience progression until things balace out by themself

I think it's probably easier to compensate for higher stats than lower. If I was a GM and I saw one of my players rolled for stats and everything they got was under 5 (hell, if everything was under 10 or 11) I'd offer them an opportunity to re-roll.

Though it's probably a dick move to force someone to re-roll if they get amazing stats.

As a gm, in the really extreme lower end cases, i give permission to change the lowest stat to 14 but also turning the remaining higher stat to 8

Rolling for stats is one of the hobby's sacred cows that just won't die. Flaws are fine but the gimpy adventurers that rolls produce shouldn't exist.

I see nothing wrong with this. Adventurers are meant to be a cut above the average if they are to survive, after all.
Also that's pretty much arrays.

The objectively correct way to roll stats is as follows:

Each player rolls 3d6 one time. Or 4d6 drop lowest if you're a bunch of casuals.
If there's fewer than six players, the GM rolls enough sets of 3d6 to make six total rolls.
Each player takes their roll and records that as their strength.
Then they take the roll of the player to their left as their dexterity.
Then the roll of the player another spot left as their constitution.
Left again, int. Left again, wis. Left one last time, cha.

Everybody has the same numbers, but different distributions.

Above average is REALLY different from the very peak of human abilities

A stat of 12 is above average
A stat of 16 is utterly amazing
A stat of 18 is someting about the level of the most gifted people around!

Gently down the stream

I had plans to let players reroll if they had shitty stats

then they took their great characters and killed each other in stupid-ass pointless PvP and I made them keep their new crippled midgets they rolled

If they wanted to keep their 16 stats they shouldn't have fucking decided to kill each other WHILE A MONSTER WAS ATTACKING


god I hate them so much, I should drop this game

>if they are to survive,
its a world simulator, not a movie or a comic book

they will survive, IF they would survive, give what they are, the world they are at, and the situaiton they are at

Depends on the campaign and setting

Some people want to stick purely with what fate throws them, so 3D6 in order means you're probably going to be fairly limited in power an capability.This works best if you're aiming for a Fighter/Wizard/Cleric/Thief party, typically with backgrounds of common people. You're more likely to have average stats and penalties, and you're going to suffer for it if the GM doesn't adjust expectations accordingly.

You'll also probably come out with a very lack-lustre character who won't be capable of much. When your highest stat is a 13, and your lowest is a 6, you won't have many options. If you're a mage who got lucky with the 13 into Intelligence, you're still not going to have much spell slinging power, and that's just mechanics. Limited options for secondary languages, problem solving etc..

Not everyone is going to want to play hardcore gritty, but to those that do, kudos.


Most people want to play a game wherein they can do amazing feats, work incredible miracles, or cleave someone in twain. 4d6 keep 3 with freedom to arrange allows you to build towards the character you're interested in, have some actual power behind your stats, and have fewer negatives weighing you down. This works for those campaigns where heroes are people who are a cut above common folk, those who have been honing their skills for many years.

But, being at this level would feel out of place in a more oppressive, gritty setting. Death is less of a threat, more powerful classes, kit classes, and dual/multi classes would be viable options. It'd be likely that a couple of players would have the ability to roll up 1st/2nd Edition Paladins, should they choose.

So, pick the roll system that fits you. Pretty sure the rulebooks themselves give similar advice.

>a world simulator
This logic is wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to tear it apart. If you aren't going for cinematic logic in what's by its very nature a fantastical setting and with rules that aren't equipped for autism-tier simulationism, you're doing it wrong.

>its a world simulator, not a movie or a comic book
Depends on the game, man. Some don't really do the world simulator thing, or it's second or third priority.

Literally Veeky Forums

agreed

>54336032
This - As a GM you just have better game balance with point buy. The players are just happier too.

so the fighter has a 5 STR and can not wear armor LOL You poeple, That is when the smart player starts with anther group or kills off Mr no armor

2d6 + 6 seven times.
Strength, Dexterity, Constitution ,Intelligence ,Wisdom ,Charisma , Appearance

I assign class based on character concept, along with background package.

in 5th you well still have min 8 stats and max 16 stats, Which is what most force you to roll GMs say they want

user, 5e doesnt have Appearance as a stat.

Well, not yet.

People play games where stats matter? 3d6 down the line, who the hell cares if you get all the little +'s and -'s you want. The 90's fucking destroyed this hobby.

Surely, your fun is the best fun one can have.

3d6 per stat, with player picking which stats go where
Picking race and class is a toss up, some do it race then class and others do it opposite.
And to all the people who are talking about not having stats or having certain numbers and placing them on the stat, how is that fun? To each their own, but I would like to know why

(Semi-) Randomly distributed random array. Nobody gets screwed over, but what you end up with is still largely random.

People have fun going to ICP concerts and NASCAR races. Doesn't mean they aren't trash.

2d6+6 is superior to 3d6 or 4d6k3
Or, if people want to play with Standard Array, then you can roll 3(1d4+1d3+(3d2k2)+4). Same spread and average as standard array. Take the inverse of your 3 rolls as your other 3 so that on the extremely rare occasion you end up with two 15s, you'll have two 8s to balance it out.

Tallest in the back, shortest in the front.

>this kills the balance

play with 10 in all stats.

This is the only correct way to play.

4d4 per stat and drop the highest

18 16 14 12 10 8; arrange them how you want

>d20 derivative with w-w-w-aaaack-ey mahgic
Eww.

I think a lot of issue with stats and stat based stuff is because people mix up the newer attribute modifiers of D&D and forget the oldest ones.

In the very first editions of the game, the most you could get as a modifier from any stat was +1. This tiny 5% bonus to hit or not get hit, one more language known and all that is extremely small and not a huge deal.

I want to give my players a bit more variance in character and want them to get somebody who can feel really good in something, but still limit it this way. So instead, organize stats like this.
>3-4 is -2
>5-8 is -1
>9-12 is 0
>13-16 is +1
>17-18 is +2

Using this method, you only have a 3.7% chance to have a positive or negative modifier of 2 in any given stat. 48.14% of all stats rolled are going to be in the 9-12 average with no bonus or penalty.

If someone wants to use the standard array the whole point is that they don't want to count on averages. Most would probably just use point buy if they wanted different combinations of values. I do agree with 2d6+6 as my rolling method of choice though

Whit str5 the player can choose to play another class or to THINK a way a fighter with str5 could work things out. E.g: maybe he's like Elric of melnibonè and needs to assume a lot of drugs thath increase strenght to survive and handle the sword.

...god, what a casual and pussy you are

All players having good stats isn't a problem, just make the encounters a bit harder. It's when one of them has jack shit and the other really good ones when you have hard time balancing the challenges to fit both. You could put Gimp McGee to kiddie table and give him easy stuff to do, but then it's way faster for the good character to do those instead because they're so easy for him. The big boy challenges are out of reach for the shit for stats dude, leaving him watching aside as a cheerleader.

But in game terms 18 translates to being just 20% more likely to succeed than the average Joe, which isn't that amazing. Bonuses from very high stats should be exponential for them to be reasonable, not linear as they are now.

>dude my character rolled 3 intelligence so I just acted like a dog all session it was epic bro
Maybe /r/rpg is more your style.

4d3 exploding in order

That's a problem thathas started with 3.PF: on older editions an 18 stat means more that modifiers. The real point here is why we have to keep a number that hasn't whatsoever value to game mechanics instead of a plain modifier, like str+4 (as for the True20 system)

As a DM, I find it much easier to balance encounters, without having to worry about making the high-stat-roll character bored, or making the low-stat-character feel useless, if I just insist on point-buy in my campaigns. It lets me focus on more important things, like planning a fun campaign.

Point-buy creates one less thing to worry about, which means more time and effort to spend on making the game fun.

One shot: 3d6 down the line no rerolls
Extended game: point buy.
When I used to be a player i once rolled nothing above an 8 and was literally dead weight to the group.

4d6 drop lowest, communal pool.

Put every number every character got in a "Adventurer Pool", Adventurers organize themselves in how they will arrange all the numbers they have available to fit their characters. Until there are no numbers at the table.

no min/maxers, pure diplomacy and player friendship, because they built the party group together.

In my groups we only do point buy (partly because we don't play dnd).
I think you can make character generation arbitrarily complex.
Last time I generated characters with a group of new players and it took us about 3h of CYOAing. It was fun though.
My last char gen took me about 1h.
For one-shots however, I think 30sec characters might be fully adequate.

Underrated.

4d6 drop the lowest