D&D 5E Point Buy vs Rolling for Stats

[Ancalagon]

I, once again, recommend this "fair" rolling system. Now I would strongly recommending making the score rearrangable (if you want a dex fighter and you dex is 10, you can switch around kinda deal), but basically it puts everyone on the same footing

http://aramis.hostman.us/dnd/RedrickRoller.html

 

[Satyrn]

You can't start with an 18 with point buy. You can only buy up to 15, and since no race higher than +2, the highest possible stat at lvl 1 is 17.

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Today I learned.

(We've never used Point Buy in 5e)

 

[neogod22]

I, once again, recommend this "fair" rolling system. Now I would strongly recommending making the score rearrangable (if you want a dex fighter and you dex is 10, you can switch around kinda deal), but basically it puts everyone on the same footing

http://aramis.hostman.us/dnd/RedrickRoller.html

I don't like this because then the players won't be able to play what they want. Why force players to play either what their stats tell them they can play, or be inadequate in what they want to do if the rolls don't support their class? People aren't going to want to play at all, or you might end up not having a very balanced party. This game is about imagination and creative freedom, and that starts at the character. I don't see the game being fun when you're stifling that at the very core of the game.

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[Trudy]

Rolling for stats is great fun!

You know what's even more fun?

At session zero, everyone rolls their stats together as a group, and can communicate with each other about who wants to create what (partly based on the scores they've just rolled) and can work together to be part of each other's backstories.

One side benefit? You are overseeing the whole operation, and you'd catch anyone who would be foolish enough to cheat right in front of you.

The players can have no valid complaints about this (Awww, I can't cheat if you're watching me!), except one: "it takes me a week to think of a coherent and interesting character". Fair enough. I'm like that myself.

Solution? After session zero, the players can go away for a week and complete the design process, bearing in mind all that has been discussed and that you wrote their rolled stats down (for administration purposes, of course!). Next session, after you peruse their sheets and the players introduce their completed PCs to one another, you can begin the adventure.

^^^ THIS

I do like the unpredictability of rolling die, and it makes for some really interesting character stats that I probably wouldn't have chosen if I was doing a point buy. And -- it's really fun to roll those stats into actual character traits; my warlock gnome with an 8 Dex was christened Trip by her family because of her clumsiness, which sometimes came out in-play during roleplay. I would have never conjured up a confident, snarky character who was also humorously clumsy without the die giving me something to roll with (pun intended!).

That said, we usually roll 6 4d4, dropping the lowest die, and dropping the lowest total score. This usually prevents people from rolling anything completely disastrous. My DMs have generally been pretty flexible, too. If you had an absolutely awful array of scores, they'd give you the chance to re-roll all of them and take that instead (but just once!).

Hope you're able to figure something out for your group!

 

[neogod22]

^^^ THIS

I do like the unpredictability of rolling die, and it makes for some really interesting character stats that I probably wouldn't have chosen if I was doing a point buy. And -- it's really fun to roll those stats into actual character traits; my warlock gnome with an 8 Dex was christened Trip by her family because of her clumsiness, which sometimes came out in-play during roleplay. I would have never conjured up a confident, snarky character who was also humorously clumsy without the die giving me something to roll with (pun intended!).

That said, we usually roll 6 4d4, dropping the lowest die, and dropping the lowest total score. This usually prevents people from rolling anything completely disastrous. My DMs have generally been pretty flexible, too. If you had an absolutely awful array of scores, they'd give you the chance to re-roll all of them and take that instead (but just once!).

Hope you're able to figure something out for your group!

Is that 6+4d4?

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[TwoSix]

Is that 6+4d4?

For the players' sake, I hope so!

 

[Trudy]

Is that 6+4d4?

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Ack, sorry for the confusion! 7 (not 6!) 4d6 (one for each ability modifier + 1 extra), dropping the lowest d6, and the lowest overall combined score.

I'm really on the communication strugglebus this morning.

 

[Krachek]

You can roll to pick a valid point buy random result.
All the possible results are available on the net. Search : point buy combination result
That way you have random stat but all relatively equals.

To add challenge you assign value at random to ability.
That final point usually screw optimizer!

 

[Yunru]

8d6 point buy is the current method we're using.

 

[TwoSix]

8d6 point buy is the current method we're using.

I laughed at this post, but now I'm worried you might be serious.