How do you roll up the stats for a new character in BGEE?

Flashheart

franco said:

Then I distribute the stats as follows:
1. No ability may be reduced by more than 3 points.
2. No ability may be increased by more than 3 points.

That's it.

By using this method, for example, I would get a Fighter with STR of 15 to 18, and a DEX of 14 to 18, but no number is guaranteed.

Go on then - I'll bite.

DEX of 14 to 18?

Oh and my method of rolling a char.

Use an online dice roller (http://dicelog.com/dice), and roll 4d6 (drop the lowest) six times.

* Button 4d6-L on the link. Roll dice how many times = 6. It gives you a sum score. The first number I get is the number I use.

For me:
- 93 is the cadillac of mages.
- 84 is great.
- 75 is good.
- 64 is good, but I need a dump stat.
- 60 is OK, but I need a dump stat and a strength spell!

franco

@Flashheart. Thanks for pointing out my math. I should have written:
"By using this method, for example, I would get a Fighter with STR of 16 to 18, and a DEX of 15 to 18."

Of course you can tweak the method in many ways before you settle on the rule the way you like it. Maybe it would be easiest to require a minimum original roll of 12 on your selected primary and secondary attributes. This way the Fighter could end up with a STR between 15 to 18, and a DEX between 15 to 18. I hope I got It right this time.

I like your approach because it is random. I figure it gives you an average roll near 82. That's what I call the Normal area (most NPCs are in that zone). Try to make some rolls and distribute stats based on the rules I suggested for different classes. See if it might be useful to you.

Korevac

Fighter:
str 18
dex 16
con 17
wis 10
int 10
chr 13

Mage:
str 9
dex 17
con !5
wis 10
int 17
char 13

Thief:
str 13
dex 18
con 16
int 14
wis 6 (will always end up at least 9 anyway)
chr 13

Cleric:
str 15
dex 15
con 16
int 11
wis 17
chr 13


these are the absolute minimum stats I could live with and anything else is a bonus!!!

franco

@Korevac your basic minimum stats are in the 82 range, the cleric is at 85. These I call in the Normal Range (equivalent to good NPCs). Your minimum stats look like very respectable characters. Try my roll suggestion sometime. You might choose a roll in the Super 87 or higher level, and distribute based on the+3/-3 rules for fun.

Flashheart

franco said:

I figure it gives you an average roll near 82.

@Franco Statistically, it's most likely to produce a result of 73. It has good deviation though.

franco

@Flashheart. You're about right.
The average die roll 1d6 is 3.5.
4*1d6 average roll would be 14
L is likely to average around 2, so 4d6-L would be near 12
6 x for six abilities would be 72

I've been jumping back and forth with this stock market today.

But, you've set up a pretty challenging roll there, even with good deviation.
My deepest admiration.

Klorox

I'm going to start a new game today. I haven't decided if I'm going to just roll once and keep the stats, or if I should just average the stats out (and have no bonus: like all 10's or something).

Just restricing yourself to one (or none) 18's can make a big difference in exorcizing that inner munchkin!

Mortianna

atcDave said:

[...] I love the Mage with a 15 strength, or the cleric with 17 dexterity, or the fighter with a 9 strength. Those eccentricities fire my imagination. [...]
I've got a halfling fighter going with a 15 wisdom as his best score. And human fighter with a 16 charisma as their best. Characters like that require more care and planning. You need to use good tactics and your resources carefully. That is gaming at its finest.

You make a great point here. Viconia's and Jahiera's wisdom scores in BG are lower than two or three of their other scores, which makes for interesting role playing. Maybe this says something about the adventuring profession--high wisdom characters know better than to place themselves in such a high-mortality lifestyle. This might explain why no NPC in BG has a wisdom higher than 16.

Flashburn

I use the BGEE auto-roller!

I go get a drink, eat something, and come back to find a tasty 98 waiting for me.

Wowo

I thought about dumbing down the characters I rolled up but instead thought it would be more fun to make the game harder by installing SCS.

No regrets.

Leematon

Just created a new character today - a human ranger. After just 1 reroll rolled an 86. Although I could've trimmed the other stats a bit more I finally settled for 18 CON, 16 STR (for his mellee) and 15 DEX (for his archery). I'm happy.