Secondary stats: even or odd?

[Elves]

Primary stats should be even unless you're splitting your levelup ability boosts 4/1, but what about secondary stats -- do you typically make them even to have the most economical point buy usage early on, or odd so that they even out once you get inherent bonuses?

Notably, it only takes a +1 inherent bonus for the latter strategy to pay off, although since inherent bonuses don't stack that may be viewed as a waste.


This probably mostly comes down to how tolerant your DM is of discount wish acquisition via efreeti, chain/twin wish with metamagic reduction feats that get retrained, or simply being able to buy wishes despite them being "not generally available", etc. Also, Int is probably best even since you lose skill points otherwise.

[Karl Aegis]

Even: by the time you can afford an inherent bonus your stats don't really matter.

[haplot]

Although I am tempted to also say evens, wouldn't it depend on feats?

Some feats require say Dex 13 or whatever

[Biggus]

If I'm creating a character at level 1, even unless needed for a feat, since in practice most such campaigns don't make it to the point where inherent bonuses are available. If I'm starting at high levels, maybe odd. If I'm starting at epic levels, definitely odd.

[TheNerfGuy]

Having an odd number in the stat can lessen the blow ability damage/drain has.

For example, say one guy has 15 STR and the other guy has 14. Both give the same modifier of +2. Then they get hit by a Shadow's touch attack and each take 1 point of STR damage. The former guy still has the +2 modifier while the latter guy's dropped to +1.
In the same example, if the Shadow instead inflicted 5 points of STR damage, the former guy will not have a modifier anymore, but the latter guy will now have a -1 penalty for their modifier.

So yes, it is a good idea in general to have odd-number stats since that extra point can give a buffer to lessen a modifier reduction.

[Zaq]

I will always pick 12/10 over 11/11 unless I need the odd stat for a prerequisite. Same with any pair where the point buy is 1:1, really.

[Elves]

Well a stat you're fine with a 10 in isn't one you'd really need the inherent boost in anyway. What about 13/9? If the 9 is wisdom for example. Or dex on a cleric.

[Zaq]

Well a stat you're fine with a 10 in isn't one you'd really need the inherent boost in anyway. What about 13/9? If the 9 is wisdom for example. Or dex on a cleric.

Again, assuming no prerequisites, 12/10 gives you a +1/+0, while 13/9 gives +1/-1. Why take a -1 when you don’t get any benefit out of it until such time as you can afford to casually drop 27,500 gp on a stat that isn’t even your primary or your secondary?

[Elves]

Presumably, delayed perfection.

[Bovine Colonel]

Well a stat you're fine with a 10 in isn't one you'd really need the inherent boost in anyway. What about 13/9? If the 9 is wisdom for example. Or dex on a cleric.

That'd only really be worth it if you can be confident you'll get a +1 to your secondary stats at some point. I see two possibilities:

1) you can be confident--during character creation--that you'll be able to buy inherent bonuses to any of your ability scores. If so, why would you waste money (or other resources) like this when you could spend on things you actually need? Moreover, how long are you going to sit on your bad stats before you can finally afford the inherent bonuses?
2) you can't be sure you'll get those boosts, since the GM will decide whether or not you get them. If so, why would you build your character with the assumption that you'll get inherent bonuses to your bad stats?

The only way I could see this being worthwhile is if the GM declares during character creation that you'll get, say, a +1 to all stats at some point soon after the campaign begins. If there are any tables that play like that I'm unaware of it.