I wonder if it would break the game too much to give players the following ability score array.
18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
They could then assign those ability scores wherever they wanted, before adding their racial modifiers. All players would get a free level one feat, that they can use to flavour their character.
There is a couple of things that they can’t do.
Variant Human is banned.
Since they already get a free feat at level 1, they can’t take Variant Human as their race.
Players aren’t allowed to multi-class.
Multi-classing is banned. Instead, once their character's primary ability scores are at 20, they can start to take feats, to flavour their character with elements of other classes, instead of taking more ASIs. Or they can keep taking ASIs to improve their other ability scores if they want to.
Why?
The idea is that they are heroes and whether they know it or not, they come from heroic bloodlines, that are blessed with great might and skill by the Gods.
Would the above array, and the free feat, break the game too much?
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Depending on when you want the players to hit that 20 in their core stat, you may want to knock the 18 down. Because with species points, most players will have that 20 right out the gate at first level. But generally? No. You'll have to juice your encounters some to account for your players having thiccer numbers and better capabilities than typical first-level goombas, but it won't unrecoverably break anything.
Yeah, I would still cap the highest at 15. Starting with an 18 in your main stat seems cool at first, but then as soon as you dump your first ASI into it you’re stuck waiting for PB bumps to improve your Attack modifier/Spell Save DC, and then it feels a little 💩. Having a max of 16-17 in your main stat out the gate is actually good for the game.
Depending on when you want the players to hit that 20 in their core stat, you may want to knock the 18 down. Because with species points, most players will have that 20 right out the gate at first level. But generally? No. You'll have to juice your encounters some to account for your players having thiccer numbers and better capabilities than typical first-level goombas, but it won't unrecoverably break anything.
I had the idea of creating an opposite party of NPCs. So the player's characters are the good-aligned heroes of the “good” Gods, while the NPCs are the evil-aligned minions of the “evil” Gods.
Each is extremely powerful - almost mirroring the other.
Such powerful mortals are born only once in every seven generations as good and evil battle for control of the world. Evil, sending its minions and Good giving rise to heroes powerful enough to draw a line in the sand against the rising of the eternal night.
It is an endless tug of war between the Gods, but in the end, the battles must be fought and the victories won by mortals, for it is their world, and they alone must choose which side will be victorious for the next seven generations.
The Gods struck this bargain amongst themselves because should they fight directly, there would be nothing left for either side to rule over, and no one left to even decide who won - total mutual annihilation. At first, it was supposed to be a simple choice for the mortals, good or evil, which side they follow, but as the ages have passed and the Gods have meddled and found ways to cheat the original rules, minions were born, and heroes would rise to counter them.
So the party might find it easy at first, with all their power, a few goblins should pose no real threat, but as they advance through the story, they will come up against increasingly more powerful foes, until, they finally face their evil counterparts who are on the opposite quest. Foes that are as powerful as themselves, and which can't be defeated by just charging into battle.
Depending on when you want the players to hit that 20 in their core stat, you may want to knock the 18 down. Because with species points, most players will have that 20 right out the gate at first level. But generally? No. You'll have to juice your encounters some to account for your players having thiccer numbers and better capabilities than typical first-level goombas, but it won't unrecoverably break anything.
I had the idea of creating an opposite party of NPCs. So the player's characters are the good-aligned heroes of the “good” Gods, while the NPCs are the evil-aligned minions of the “evil” Gods.
Each is extremely powerful - almost mirroring the other.
Such powerful mortals are born only once in every seven generations as good and evil battle for control of the world. Evil, sending its minions and Good giving rise to heroes powerful enough to draw a line in the sand against the rising of the eternal night.
It is an endless tug of war between the Gods, but in the end, the battles must be fought and the victories won by mortals, for it is their world, and they alone must choose which side will be victorious for the next seven generations.
The Gods struck this bargain amongst themselves because should they fight directly, there would be nothing left for either side to rule over, and no one left to even decide who won - total mutual annihilation. At first, it was supposed to be a simple choice for the mortals, good or evil, which side they follow, but as the ages have passed and the Gods have meddled and found ways to cheat the original rules, minions were born, and heroes would rise to counter them.
So the party might find it easy at first, with all their power, a few goblins should pose no real threat, but as they advance through the story, they will come up against increasingly more powerful foes, until, they finally face their evil counterparts who are on the opposite quest. Foes that are as powerful as themselves, and which can't be defeated by just charging into battle.
Honestly, if you're starting the party as explicit champions of the gods, it might fit better to just start them at late tier 2 or early tier 3 so they'll have already had the opportunity to max out their main stat under a typical point buy or array.
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Hi,
I wonder if it would break the game too much to give players the following ability score array.
18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
They could then assign those ability scores wherever they wanted, before adding their racial modifiers. All players would get a free level one feat, that they can use to flavour their character.
There is a couple of things that they can’t do.
Variant Human is banned.
Since they already get a free feat at level 1, they can’t take Variant Human as their race.
Players aren’t allowed to multi-class.
Multi-classing is banned. Instead, once their character's primary ability scores are at 20, they can start to take feats, to flavour their character with elements of other classes, instead of taking more ASIs. Or they can keep taking ASIs to improve their other ability scores if they want to.
Why?
The idea is that they are heroes and whether they know it or not, they come from heroic bloodlines, that are blessed with great might and skill by the Gods.
Would the above array, and the free feat, break the game too much?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Depending on when you want the players to hit that 20 in their core stat, you may want to knock the 18 down. Because with species points, most players will have that 20 right out the gate at first level. But generally? No. You'll have to juice your encounters some to account for your players having thiccer numbers and better capabilities than typical first-level goombas, but it won't unrecoverably break anything.
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The stat array is fine, as is the free starting feat. But the rest of your restrictions- especially no multiclassing would be a hard no from me.
Yeah, I would still cap the highest at 15. Starting with an 18 in your main stat seems cool at first, but then as soon as you dump your first ASI into it you’re stuck waiting for PB bumps to improve your Attack modifier/Spell Save DC, and then it feels a little 💩. Having a max of 16-17 in your main stat out the gate is actually good for the game.
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I had the idea of creating an opposite party of NPCs. So the player's characters are the good-aligned heroes of the “good” Gods, while the NPCs are the evil-aligned minions of the “evil” Gods.
Each is extremely powerful - almost mirroring the other.
Such powerful mortals are born only once in every seven generations as good and evil battle for control of the world. Evil, sending its minions and Good giving rise to heroes powerful enough to draw a line in the sand against the rising of the eternal night.
It is an endless tug of war between the Gods, but in the end, the battles must be fought and the victories won by mortals, for it is their world, and they alone must choose which side will be victorious for the next seven generations.
The Gods struck this bargain amongst themselves because should they fight directly, there would be nothing left for either side to rule over, and no one left to even decide who won - total mutual annihilation. At first, it was supposed to be a simple choice for the mortals, good or evil, which side they follow, but as the ages have passed and the Gods have meddled and found ways to cheat the original rules, minions were born, and heroes would rise to counter them.
So the party might find it easy at first, with all their power, a few goblins should pose no real threat, but as they advance through the story, they will come up against increasingly more powerful foes, until, they finally face their evil counterparts who are on the opposite quest. Foes that are as powerful as themselves, and which can't be defeated by just charging into battle.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
I might also not allow half feats for starting feats. They’re already going to have good stats.
It's your campaign.
If I was going for something like that I'd likely just do point buy up to 18 and use the chicken dinner calculator.
https://chicken-dinner.com/5e/5e-point-buy.html
Give em something like 30-40 points to work with.
A decent number of the GMs I've played with have done something similar with character creation. It's worked out fine in all the games I've been in.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Honestly, if you're starting the party as explicit champions of the gods, it might fit better to just start them at late tier 2 or early tier 3 so they'll have already had the opportunity to max out their main stat under a typical point buy or array.