Yuku free message boards

Okay, I really don't care about how stats are determined. I've had players just assign stats, roll 3d6 assign as rolled, standard method, you get the picture. Numbers do not make the character. Case in point, I've had a player (recently dropped due to RL) who no matter what managed to have 2-3 18s and nothing else below a 14, guaranteed. It didn't matter. He went through characters like they were lite beer. No matter how mechanically "powerful" your character might be, it's still up to the player to properly develop the character, and to make decisions that will not kill the character. In the 8 years I've played with the guy, I cannot count the number of characters he's gone through (over a dozen, easy), while another player lost two, both later to be resurrected, another lost one permanently, and another lost one from an in-party conflict. This is through 3 different GMs, too.

Currently, with my uber-powered "assign as you like, but be reasonable", most of the characters are silly, but all chose one or two stats to be "non-optimal" - the unwise, but quick and brilliant rogue, the not-bright but strong and handsome pally, you get the picture. The guy who just lost his char comes in with a vanilla fighter with four 18s and 2 15s, because he didn't want to play a "smart" fighter. Choke. This is actually okay, because I've always told my group that since you assign to taste, so do my NPCs. I have to say I've never gone that silly, but it evens the playing field.

Stats just do not matter in the big picture. If you are playing with "demigods in training" no big. Let them be "good" at everything. Develop a creative character that can take these heavies to task, without doing it through mechanics. The mechanics are there for event resolution - It's up to you to get your character into favorable events.