I get the players to roll 3 columns of 6 totals (ignoring any roll less than a 6)..I then get them to pick the best number off the 3 totals in the top row (six times down to the bottom)…once they have their final 6 scores, they can distribute them to the abilities of their choosing….I find it gives a well balanced set of scores with luck still being a big factor…( one player still ended up with an 8 as a score )…good role players can really act out their weaknesses well

I really like Benjamin’s 24d6 idea, though. I think I’ll use that next time I DM.

so if your roll 1,3,2,4

you get to re roll that one once

but you have to keep the second roll

so that one could be a 6 on the second roll or a 1 again

as for the seventh you can chose to replace on roll with that one

Personally, I find that “building” a player character is always superior to “rolling” a player character. The trouble with flirting with those potential 18’s isn’t merely that you could get saddled with a low number instead. Far worse, you could roll up a truly enviable array of stats while everyone else rolls lousy, then the DM has to choose between beefing up the other PCs (devaluing your great rolls in the process) or letting your exceptional character become an object of jealousy and resentment. As you say, these rolls aren’t just a brief walk on the wild side; they become the defining traits of your alter ego’s entire life, and the other players have to live with them as much as you do.

For in person games I use this system:

Averages 13 instead of 10.5, so you get some decent hero characters, but you can still have an ability as low as 7 if unlucky. Sometimes I let them roll seven times on 2d6+6 and drop the lowest, the arainge them however so there is less chance of a below 10 score.

For online games I use the Pathfinder RPG heroic point buy.

I have also used a system where you would rank your abilities in importance, then roll a bunch of dice for each. Top stat would get 7d6, next 6d6, then 5d6, 4d6, 4d6 and 3d6, dropping the lowest dice and ending up with 3-18. Good chance of an 18 in his first or second choices. Lots of variance in results. I had a guy roll 7d6 and end up with a 5. Players hate hopeless characters which stopped me from using it.

Even back in the day when I learned AD&D we never used the 3d6 per stat, no reordering, no dropping system. What you get is what you get and you keep it unless you do not qualify for any class. Ugh!

Gambler’s rolls.

Use 4d6 in order, or “reroll 1’s”, whichever you like. I usually do 4d6-L 7 times, drop the lowest overall roll, the rest go in order.

Here’s the fun part:

For every roll the player makes, the GM secretly makes the same roll. Player sees his own dice and then either keeps his dice, or keeps the GM’s dice, whatever that might be!

This makes rolling your stats more fun as it becomes a strategy game – what kind of character can you create under these constraints? Can you create the character you were imagining? You can certainly influence the outcome.

Just based on odds, you might want to take the GM’s roll any time yours is less than 12, to maximize your total score. But maybe you really want a cleric and you roll a 13 wisdom.. are you willing to try for better? Are you willing to accept some other character class if the GM has a 9 for wisdom?

I’m working on something different that I think will appeal to players and give them a little incentive as well. However, my old circle of gaming friends seem to have went their own ways, so I have doubts about ever giving this method a workout.

Basically, I’m writing up four ability score ‘packages’ for the players to choose from. My goal is to balance these packages in order to make my players really think about what they want to select. I know I’ll probably have to alter these packages to make the decision tougher.

The first package allows for all 18’s on the abilities (pre-race modifiers). The drawback is that the character will have a significant liability or two to balance the package and make the players think twice about it. Such a liability would be something like a (way more powerful) arch nemesis or the character has (and may be continuing to) live(d) a life of slavery.

The second package is for a fairly strong character, with an array for ability scores something like: 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, and 13. Right now, I don’t have a negative aspect of the package assigned to it, but I might add something later. Something like a condition that the character has to struggle with in day to day life, such as alcoholism.

The third package would have an array such as: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8. This is where things get different… instead of a negative aspect, I’m looking at a positive bonus for the package. Something such as: starting play with a masterwork, mighty, or class/skill appropriate item.

The fourth package would have an array of: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8. I would continue the positive trend and allow the same type of masterwork, mighty, or class/skill appropriate item, plus, I would throw in a bonus feat.

You can see that my goal is to steer players away from the higher stat characters and toward the lower stat characters. I think it will work, but I can’t know until I put it into action and see if it can even be tweaked for best use. If nothing else, I can just go back to the drawing board or use an older method. I think its worth a try regardless.