With the default method of rolling for stats provided in the official rules, there re a couple of "issues":
On average, characters made with rolling have higher stats
Characters can get scores above 15 or below 8 which isn't possible in standard array or point buy
The distribution of stats skews towards the high end and isn't very comparable to the standard array
Now, some people may see some or all of these as benefits, but here's why they aren't IMO:
The game is balanced around the standard array, so larger deviations from it will require the DM to rebalance things or it will get too easy (this could very well contribute to CR ratings not working well, because rolled characters are too strong)
It's more likely to have imbalance within the party, which can contribute to one or a few players taking the spotlight and others being consistently sidelined
Starting too high limits potential for growth and make less of the monsters interesting at some point in your journey (if this is what you want, why not just start at a higher level?)
If some players roll, any who don't are typically at a disadvantage
However, rolling for stats is fun and provides some randomness, so can we fix it?
Intra-party balance could be fixed by methods like rolling 1 array that everyone uses, or everyone rolling up an array and then all players get to pick from all of them, or allowing players to swap stats with eachother, and probably more.
But can we roll in ways that better approximate the standard array whilst still adding some randomness? I think so:
I suggest the following rolls:
6d6 keep lowest 1, add7 (approximates the 8)
6d6 keep lowest 1, add 9 (approximates the 10)
6d6 keep middle 1 (in your favour), add 8 (approximates the 12)
6d6 keep highest 1, add 7 (approximates the 13)
6d6 keep highest 1, add 8 (approximates the 14)
6d6 keep highest 1, add 9 (approximates the 15)
All results will be within the 8-15 range and they're all skewed towards one of the standard array values, and the average sum of all scores is 71.49
I think using this would keep things more balanced, thus lightening the load on the DM, and allow for some players to roll whilst others opt for the standard array without it messing too much with the inter-party balance
If you'd like to have a look, here's the sum of all the rolls on AnyDice:
I've been tinkering with things some more and I found a set of rolls I like even better:
Lowest of 6d6 +7
2nd lowest of 6d6 +8
3rd lowest of 6d6 +9
3rd highest of 6d6 +9
2nd highest of 6d6 +9
Highest of 6d6 +9
The idea would be to roll the 6d6 separately for each, but due to how it's laid out, you could also roll a single set of 6d6 and each of the dice is used for one of the results, although I'm not sure if that would affect the outcomes.
The average of all combined is exactly 72 matching the standard array's total, and the average of the combined point-buy values is also very close to the standard 27 points, at 26.98.
I think the possible results are also a bit more appealing than my previous set with more opportunities to get lucky and get a a few higher rolls.
Alternatively, simply roll 1d6+8 for each stat and gain +1 free ASI boost to a stat of your choice.
But anyway, the whole point of rolling is to make uneven characters, if you don't want uneven characters don't roll for stats.
1d6+8 doesn't approximate the standard array well
If getting uneven characters is a major reason for you to roll, then my suggestions may indeed not be for you. For me, rolling introduces some randomness and it's just exciting to roll and see what you get, but being unbalanced isn't one of the goals of rolling for me, and in fact, that's one of the downsides to me with many other rolling methods.
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With the default method of rolling for stats provided in the official rules, there re a couple of "issues":
Now, some people may see some or all of these as benefits, but here's why they aren't IMO:
However, rolling for stats is fun and provides some randomness, so can we fix it?
Intra-party balance could be fixed by methods like rolling 1 array that everyone uses, or everyone rolling up an array and then all players get to pick from all of them, or allowing players to swap stats with eachother, and probably more.
But can we roll in ways that better approximate the standard array whilst still adding some randomness? I think so:
I suggest the following rolls:
All results will be within the 8-15 range and they're all skewed towards one of the standard array values, and the average sum of all scores is 71.49
I think using this would keep things more balanced, thus lightening the load on the DM, and allow for some players to roll whilst others opt for the standard array without it messing too much with the inter-party balance
If you'd like to have a look, here's the sum of all the rolls on AnyDice:
https://anydice.com/program/3b9d5
And here it is with each of the rolls separately:
https://anydice.com/program/3b9d6
I'm curious to hear your thoughts
Or an alternative to dice roll 4 would be 6d6 keep middle 1 (in your favour), add 9
I've been tinkering with things some more and I found a set of rolls I like even better:
The idea would be to roll the 6d6 separately for each, but due to how it's laid out, you could also roll a single set of 6d6 and each of the dice is used for one of the results, although I'm not sure if that would affect the outcomes.
The average of all combined is exactly 72 matching the standard array's total, and the average of the combined point-buy values is also very close to the standard 27 points, at 26.98.
I think the possible results are also a bit more appealing than my previous set with more opportunities to get lucky and get a a few higher rolls.
Simulation of the sum: https://anydice.com/program/3b9ec
Simulation of the individual rolls: https://anydice.com/program/3b9ed
Simulation of the sum of point-buy values: https://anydice.com/program/3b9ef
Simulation of point-buy values of the individual rolls: https://anydice.com/program/3b9ee
Alternatively, simply roll 1d6+8 for each stat and gain +1 free ASI boost to a stat of your choice.
But anyway, the whole point of rolling is to make uneven characters, if you don't want uneven characters don't roll for stats.
1d6+8 doesn't approximate the standard array well
If getting uneven characters is a major reason for you to roll, then my suggestions may indeed not be for you. For me, rolling introduces some randomness and it's just exciting to roll and see what you get, but being unbalanced isn't one of the goals of rolling for me, and in fact, that's one of the downsides to me with many other rolling methods.