ability score generation (survey)

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

How do you generate ability scores?

A) 3d6
B) 4d6 drop the lowest
C) pointbuy (any version)
D)predetermined stat set given to players
E) I make them up based on how I want the character to be
F) other (please explain)

I'm just curious to see how many people do what. I'm typically either a B or a C but I've been known to use E for plot important NPC's. and ONCE I used D. . . it actually worked well i might do it again.

[Mystic Muse]

C or a variation of B such as re-roll ones.

[Awnetu]

5d6, reroll ones, best 3.

Roll 2 sets of 6, pick whichever.

so it would be

13
14
16
17
10
9
vs

18
10
14
14
15
12

[Kalrik]

I like high powered super heroic games, so I usually give the players an array of stats: 18 16 15 14 13 12. Then I just treat them as one level higher for terms of CR's they can survive. The PC's are guarenteed to be good at what they do and everyone is on equal terms stat wise.

Another fair array is 16 15 14 12 12 10. maybe drop the 14 to a 13 and the 10 to an 8 or 9. A lot depends on the relative power I want the PC's to have.

I am a fan of the 4d6 drop the lowest, but it sucks when one person rolls three 18s and another character has stats that are over ten, but the single best stat is 14. To battle this, I implement the 4d6 drop the lowest after rerolling all 1's.

[ghost_warlock]

I prefer point buys (C). It allows for at least some variation in stat arrays among the party while avoiding the issues involved where some player(s) roll much better/worse than the others.

[The Rose Dragon]

C or D, considering the games I play (i.e. not D&D) tend to use those.

That is, as a player. As a GM, I tend to go with whatever I like.

[Glimbur]

I usually let PC's point buy. Games I play in are sometimes point buy and sometimes ridiculous rolling like 5d6 best three, seven times.

NPC's have exactly the stats I tell them to have. Not formally point buy, but whatever numbers I think will let them challenge but not overpower the PC's.

[World Eater]

We just use B in our group.

[Kylarra]

For most characters I prefer pointbuy, rolling does have its own "fun" though, and as a GM I always just make up the stats.

For fun though, 4D6 drop lowest rolls:
16
5
15
11
13
5

wow, gonna try again
17
6
12
15
15
15

interesting.

[Crossblade]

Point Buy. Easily fairest all around.

[Mystic Muse]

Point Buy. Easily fairest all around.

of course, this depends on the pointbuy.

[Kylarra]

of course, this depends on the pointbuy.

Fairest from an "each player starts with the same-ish stats" PoV, not from the results after being pushed through 3.X's skewed "class" system.

[Mystic Muse]

Fairest from an "each player starts with the same-ish stats" PoV, not from the results after being pushed through 3.X's skewed "class" system.

Okay, then yes, it's fairest.

[derfenrirwolv]

4d6 drop the lowest. I'm a purist (but not an insane purist.. no 3d6 in order thank you very much)

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

the bigest problem i've seen with rolling stats is usually the player who got a 17, 13, 11, 11, 8, 5. paired up with the player who got 18, 18, 16, 15, 15, 12. . . Some imbalance is created that tends to upset some people. . .

[Masaioh]

42 point buy. I don't like rolling dice for stats because it can create huge gapes between players.

[Swordgleam]

C for long games, A or B for short ones.

Randomness can be good fun and inspiration, but it's really annoying to have one character always be able to outshine another throughout the course of a campaign with no real way of leveling it out, just because of a few lucky turns of a d6 at the start of the game.

[Ozymandias9]

5d6b3 in order (at least 2 over 12, none under 6). Gets playable characters, but often forces you to expand your class repertoire and comfort zone. I often find limits, interestingly enough, are great tools to encourage creativity.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Point Buy.

[jiriku]

Point Buy. Helps with the balance.

[Hurlbut]

B with reroll all 1s.

[BobVosh]

Point buy

But I'm starting to miss 4d6B3. It had a charm about it.

[Private-Prinny]

Point Buy, every time. I usually use 32 points.

[Telasi]

As a AD&D 2e fan, I tend to use 3d6 and assign. Otherwise, it's standard 4e 22-point buy.

[NowhereMan583]

4d6 drop the lowest. I'm a purist (but not an insane purist.. no 3d6 in order thank you very much)

+1.

It may not be true with all groups, but I find that point buy often encourages min-maxing. Since I usually have one or two players who optimize, and three or four who have probably never heard the phrase "optimized build" associated with gaming, anything that encourages min-maxing just throws off the dynamic.

Edit: Because anything that encourages min-maxing increases power disparity when only one or two players optimize. Thought I should clarify.

[Temotei]

Two sets of 4d6b3. Pick your favorite.

One one-time real-life DM used four sets of 4d6b3. If the player characters ended up very different with stats, he altered them to be slightly more equal.

[JonestheSpy]

I like to think my method is the best of both worlds. Players get X number of points to divide between 3 stats of their choice, then roll and take the best 3 out of 4 dice for the other 3 stats, in order, no switching around.

This allows for deliberate character design, but still has that wonderful random element. In my current campaign, we've got a fighter-bodyguard type who ended up with a Charisma of 5, which is pretty amusing since he has to interact with the public a lot, and an Aasimar Wilder who rolled a natural 18 Strength - we decided she looks like a normal small-frame, skinny young woman who tends to surprise people a lot when she picks things up.

[Shpadoinkle]

Point Buy. Easily fairest all around.

Yeah, because the weak classes (fighters, monks, etc) totally don't need good scores in more than one stat! And the strong classes (wizard, druid, etc.) can hardly scrape by with only one good stat! I mean, by god, a full caster focused almost or absolutely entirely on his casting stat? Hell, he might as well just jump off a cliff and create a fighter!

[RickGriffin]

Yeah, because the weak classes (fighters, monks, etc) totally don't need good scores in more than one stat! And the strong classes (wizard, druid, etc.) can hardly scrape by with only one good stat! I mean, by god, a full caster focused almost or absolutely entirely on his casting stat? Hell, he might as well just jump off a cliff and create a fighter!

Okay, so then you roll 4d6 drop lowest and the wizard puts his highest stat into INT and the others are on average left with weaker numbers for their other stats anyway (???)

All that does is mean that the Wizard needs to make one good roll out of six instead of three. It's not a problem with the point determination system, it's a problem with the classes.

[Popertop]

My group rolls 4d6 drop the lowest, but we never keep tens or elevens.
Kinda like, what's the point might as well use point buy 44 and choose the stats you want. :/
The only reason we don't use point buy is cause my DM hates it.
He always gets his way, so it's not looking good for point buy in our group.
*shrug* whatever

Still, rolling for stats does have that magic charm to it.

I like to roll 4d6 drop lowest in order, makes more sense to me, and can give me some starting points in where I want to take the character.
I'm sure I'll get around to rolling 3d6 for some campaign if I'm feeling particularly masochistic.