Roll 3d6, six times! I dare you!

[slimykuotoan]

I've always envisioned scores of 8-12 as being the attributes average human beings more or less.

BTW: gotta love the dice gargoyle.

[Tadhg]

Was reading through Holmes BD&D and had forgotten about the "adjusting ability scores" section and think that would work well to try an get a bonus on one of your attributes.

But what to do about ones? Perhaps allowing a re-roll of a one on a attribute of 3, 4 or 5 until reaching 6 or above.

Rather than just re-roll a hopeless character, I wonder if it might be better to try and work with some of the attributes per the above.

Thoughts?

[Buttmonkey]

I don't think having one attribute below 6 makes a PC hopeless. A fighter is not going to be terminally weak with a 6 in intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. One category of saves/SIEGE checks is going to be at a permanent -2 or -3, but that's not a hopeless situation.

[Tadhg]

I don't think having one attribute below 6 makes a PC hopeless. A fighter is not going to be terminally weak with a 6 in intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. One category of saves/SIEGE checks is going to be at a permanent -2 or -3, but that's not a hopeless situation.

Heh, yeah one low att might not make him hopeless, but how about two or three?

Would you take an 18 for STR, DEX & CON and a 3 for INT, WIS & CHA?

[Kayolan]

Would you take an 18 for STR, DEX & CON and a 3 for INT, WIS & CHA?

Could this be the ultimate min/max character?

[Tadhg]

Would you take an 18 for STR, DEX & CON and a 3 for INT, WIS & CHA?

Could this be the ultimate min/max character?

Might be. Perhaps a playtest NPC for someone's game!

[Captain_K]

I would take that challenge, it would make a great gate guard who was promoted to captain because of some heroic feat.. but he's totally incapable of being much of a capt at the main gate... so his underlings "help" him out with the tough decisions like, "Captain, Its Dark out, aren't we supposed to close the gate now?"...

But a 3 INT is like a 3 IQ I think.. making the guy so stupid as to need to be lead around by the hand I think..
From the wiki:
Professional and technical 112
Managers and administrators 104
Clerical workers, sales workers, skilled workers, craftsmen, and foremen 101
Semi-skilled workers (operatives, service workers, including private household) 92
Unskilled workers 87
Adults can harvest vegetables, repair furniture 60
Adults can do domestic work 50

[Daniel]

Ok, 3d6 no bonus or negative. As they fell:

9
6
13
8
10
8

Hum, not good. Only one above average and one almost at average. Oh well:

[Tadhg]

Ok, 3d6 no bonus or negative. As they fell:

9
6
13
8
10
8

Hum, not good. Only one above average and one almost at average. Oh well:

6-8 carry a -1 att. modifier.

13-15 get a +1 att. modifier.

[Daniel]

Ok, 3d6 no bonus or negative. As they fell:
9
6
13
8
10
8

Hum, not good. Only one above average and one almost at average. Oh well:

6-8 carry a -1 att. modifier.
13-15 get a +1 att. modifier.

So I am thinking 13 in STR and 10 in INT and we have the local Black Smith.

[ssfsx17]

11
10
9
6
11
15

Pretty decently average character, could be almost any class unless you go by old-school rules such as Wizards being unable to cast certain spells if their INT is not high enough, or Paladins needing a lot of good stats.

Honestly, it all boils down to what kind of fun you want your players to have.

Do you want your players to prove that they have big beards and big muscles, and that they can overcome all the challenges of the rules and enemies? Do you want your players to go to school uphill both ways? Do you want your players start at level 1 every time their character dies, even if the rest of the party is at level 10? Do you believe that overcoming difficulty is inherently valuable and rewarding? Then you go old-school style.

Over the years, I've started to feel that overcoming difficulty is not necessarily valuable and rewarding. It seems to me to be a sort of ascetic and monastic lifestyle, trying to numb your brain to pain through various mental exercises, and being numb to pain has its own drawbacks. Since I live in a place where the cost of living is very high, I have enough trouble earning real money and have lost interest in spending the time necessary to make an old-school game character succeed by earning a lot of gold.

I also argue - discussion of what it means to be "by the book" is simply not a productive discussion with respect to pen & paper role-playing games. This is selling the medium short. You are simply not taking advantage of what the medium allows you to do, such as go off-the-book to let your players have more fun. if you want to be a by-the-book man, and believe that adherence to the book has value separate from the fun of your players, then you can get paid a lot more for doing that if you're willing to put yourself through law school and pass the BAR.

EDIT - However, I do appreciate when players generally try not to get their characters killed. It makes life easier for everyone.