BG/IWD infinite reroll vs P:T/NWN point buy
fighter_mage_thief
Member Posts: 262
Edit: In response to some who prefer rerolling, and stress that it isn't important in a single player game, what about BG:EE? For me, the only real draw of this enhanced version is multiplayer support. There aren't going to be any major changes to the gameplay, storyline, not many or any new items (although perhaps old items in new locations), and a few new characters. If I buy this game it will be because of multiplayer, since you could simply make a BG mod to achieve the same things with respect to the minor game tweaks or new characters.
I think a point buy system like in Planescape would be great for BG:EE, in addition to some other changes, such as only one stat tome per character (not one tome per stat, but one tome only), and no same-potion stacking (i.e. two Potions of Genius giving 8 Intelligence). None of this is likely to be done, but I think these things, among some other things, would make the multiplayer experience a lot more enjoyable, as opposed to occasionally meeting a player who has characters with 25 in all stats.
Even if a map editor was added, which enabled players to make their own maps, and host servers, a lot of this could be achieved without requiring the BG:EE team to do it.
Thanks for the responses by the way = )
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I personally prefer the point buy system from Planescape Torment. No character should have more than two stats of 18 without some major detriments to other stats. I also like how you can buy 18/00 Strength, although it costs three or four extra stats. I always found the reroll system of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale to be a little ridiculous, although I loved the games.
I included Neverwinter Nights in here because it's slightly different from P:T, since to get 15 and 16 in a stat, it takes 2 points each, and to get 17 and 18, it takes 3 points each, a total of 14 points to raise a stat from 10 to 18, whereas apart from a Strength of 18/00, that's possible with only 8 points in P:T.
I think a point buy system like in Planescape would be great for BG:EE, in addition to some other changes, such as only one stat tome per character (not one tome per stat, but one tome only), and no same-potion stacking (i.e. two Potions of Genius giving 8 Intelligence). None of this is likely to be done, but I think these things, among some other things, would make the multiplayer experience a lot more enjoyable, as opposed to occasionally meeting a player who has characters with 25 in all stats.
Even if a map editor was added, which enabled players to make their own maps, and host servers, a lot of this could be achieved without requiring the BG:EE team to do it.
Thanks for the responses by the way = )
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I personally prefer the point buy system from Planescape Torment. No character should have more than two stats of 18 without some major detriments to other stats. I also like how you can buy 18/00 Strength, although it costs three or four extra stats. I always found the reroll system of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale to be a little ridiculous, although I loved the games.
I included Neverwinter Nights in here because it's slightly different from P:T, since to get 15 and 16 in a stat, it takes 2 points each, and to get 17 and 18, it takes 3 points each, a total of 14 points to raise a stat from 10 to 18, whereas apart from a Strength of 18/00, that's possible with only 8 points in P:T.
- BG/IWD infinite reroll vs P:T/NWN point buy87 votes
- reroll71.26%
- point buy28.74%
Post edited by fighter_mage_thief on
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Comments
In Baldur's Gate, however, I say dice rolls, since it is what we're used to and the game itself not being that bothered about balance anyway.
Without much experience of actual PnP-playing of older DnD-editions, I have also got the impression that the attribute scores in general tended to be lower, whilst this in itself didn't have that much of an impact on your character's performance as long as you avoided the extremes. In these kinds of games I tend to prefer the system where you roll 3d6 six times, write the scores down, and then apply these fixed scores depending on the character you have in mind.
Re-roll also reminds me of Rick-roll which can't be a bad thing.
Point buys make sense for multiplayer (MMO/persistent worlds) games but I don't really like the restriction in single player ones since it means that, for example, if you want a brainiac Fighter, he's going to have to be weaker/uglier/less hardy because of...karma? I like the difference in relative powers of NPCs in BG. Sarevok is statistically awesome and so he should be.
Reroll obviously has it's problems, but points buy usually ends up with a formulaic set of stats for every character. Not that this doesnt happen for rerolls too.
2nd ed isn't balanced for points buy - stats under 14 typically do nothing wheras stats over 14 get progressively more awesome. In 3ed points buy typically means every single character starts with even numbers for thier stats.
Nothing works.
For the Baldur's Gate experience, dice rolls is obviously the only good and true option.
In multiplayer games it makes sense not to let someone roll stats which are a lot above those of other players. In single player games you often play an exceptional character. If you want to play a "perfect" character from the point of view of stats, you should be able to do so if you want to reroll and reroll.
Of course neither version is always to my taste. Often I would like to assign all attributes based on the personality I've envisioned for my PC and I would like just blank "text-boxes" where I can write 8/19/16/18/18/16 without rerolling for ages or having limited points and being forced to lower "dump stats" too low.
I like balanced characters and thus prefer a point buy system with limited points. If I wanted very powerful characters, I'd rather the game just gave me the ability to give my character high stats across te board than waste my time rerolling.
But, as I said before, it's not my problem. If I don't plan ahead my characters I make do with what is offered in the game I'm playing. If I roleplay characters based on a character sheet I made for them I adjust things in editors without spending too much time in character creation. In BG for example I only rolled 18/00 (perfect strength) on two characters and they were both ranged
Again i say, want to make point buy? Give the entire package so, all point buy games (that i know) give extra atribute points after x level ups, in the end, point buy is more cheese than reroll, for this reason that i prefer reroll, you got what you got at the begin, after that, every single extra atribute point you permanent get is a victory.
Personally, I use a home variant of the point buy rules merged with the old 3d6 method. Charname gets 63 points to spend (avg of 3d6 * 6), with price modifiers for very high and very low scores.
9 12 14 12 12 10 is a half-elf mage/cleric.
7 10 6 10 12 14 is an elven cleric.
9 12 8 5 11 13 is a human thief.
8 10 13 12 10 11 is a human mage.
12 13 15 10 11 7 is a dwarven fighter/cleric.
13 16 8 12 10 7 is a half-elf fighter/mage.
10 17 12 9 12 15 is an elven fighter/thief.
8 8 7 11 12 14 is a human cleric.
These are based on stat restrictions of race and class. It's quite a ragtag band.
Getting a high roll would take on a whole new meaning (that is, either you're lucky or really determined.)
You also have a function set into the game where you must register to play, and two copies can't be registered by the same person.
"I got really bad stats, so I had to register a new copy in my dog's name."
"Legends speak of a copy where a player can actually start with 18 in all stats, and 18/00 strength. It is the holy grail of Baldur's Gate copies."