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[5E] Character generation tweaks, opinions wanted

Started by VacuumJockey, August 19, 2014, 11:42:04 AM

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VacuumJockey

August 19, 2014, 11:42:04 AM
I'm mulling over some tweaks for creating characters for a new 5E campaign.

Stats: Keep the best 3 out of 4d6 straight down the line, keep the order. If the sum of the stats is less than 65 before racial mods, you may reroll.

Personal Characteristics: You may start with one or more blank Personal Characteristics, but until you have defined a full roster - two Personality Traits, an Ideal, a Bond and a Flaw - you cannot gain nor spend Inspiration.

It's for a sandbox campaign with a high expected mortality rate at low levels. I want char gen to be fast. Will this do the trick?

Sacrosanct

#1
August 19, 2014, 12:21:02 PM
If speed is your goal, maybe instead of making them add up all of their ability scores (I hate math), maybe go with, "if you have 2 scores less than 10 you can reroll"?
D&D is not an "everyone gets a ribbon" game.  If you\'re stupid, your PC will die.  If you\'re an asshole, your PC will die (probably from the other PCs).  If you\'re unlucky, your PC may die.  Point?  PC\'s die.  Get over it and roll up a new one.

1of3

#2
August 19, 2014, 01:00:30 PM
My preferred method is rolling in order. You may then change to 13 any stat of your choice. This offers some choice and is still somewhat random.

VacuumJockey

#3
August 19, 2014, 06:59:31 PM
Yes, maybe I worry too much. :) Perhaps a combo of the 2?

You must have at least 1 stat with a min of 13 and no more than 1 stat under 10? Hmm. It works, but it is a bit less gonzo.

How about: The sum of the bonuses must be positive. Then you could possibly roll something uneven but fun like say 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 17 and still have a playable character. But something dull like 9, 10, 10, 11, 12, 13 would be a do-over.

snooggums

#4
August 19, 2014, 08:04:09 PM
If players pick their class, you could always give them a 13, 14, 15 in whatever stat they want, then random the rest down the line.

jibbajibba

#5
August 19, 2014, 11:53:56 PM
Quote from: Sacrosanct;780934If speed is your goal, maybe instead of making them add up all of their ability scores (I hate math), maybe go with, "if you have 2 scores less than 10 you can reroll"?

If you are so desperate for speed that adding up 6 numbers between 3-18 is seen as a major break (I mean WTF :) ) then you probably want to play with pregens as it will take longer for the player to pick a name and decide what colour cloak they are wearing.....

I think background are great I would go with a bunch of backgrounds selected for the setting with random Bond/flaw/etc . It is faster than choosing and will generate interesting PCs whereas rapid character churn can lead to a lack of variability as players are pushed to make quick decisions and so end up going for what they know.
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#6
August 20, 2014, 08:51:58 AM
I am not really opposed to leaving some traits blank to emerge from play, but I would lean toward replacing them during play when appropriate, or even gaining new ones. With careful thought.
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