RPG Ability Scores, Part I: Random *and* Balanced

Putting on my nerd hat for a minute. Ever since the late 1970s, I've struggled with the problem of generating ability scores in tabletop role-playing games (this problem also carries over into CRPGs and MMOs).

In the original Dungeons & Dragons, ability scores (such as Strength and Dexterity) were rolled using 3d6. It was a lot of fun "rolling up" stats, seeing your character come to life before your eyes. But the randomness was really unsatisfying (and unfair). My cousin always had the knack of rolling about three 18s for each character, while the rest of us stumbled around with an 8 Dexterity and 3 Charisma (yes, my first D&D character actually had a 3 Charisma).

In 1979, my best friend bought me a copy of the Champions role-playing game (now part of the Hero System). Characters were no longer random. You had a fixed number of points to divide among your various characteristics and abilities. It was great have every character built on an equal footing. But we lost the fun of "rolling up a character".

Also, point-buy systems lead to all characters being the same. For example, all fighters will "max out" their Strength and spend the fewest points on less useful characteristics (like Charisma).

To solve these problems, here is the system I use in my own RPG, but it also works in most iterations of Dungeons & Dragons.

You may notice that I'm determining ability scores in the same order in which they were presented in the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (now referred as "1st Edition"). As I said, I've been pondering this problem since the 1970s.

Step 1: Roll Your Ability Scores
Determine each of the first four ability (STR, INT, WIS, DEX) scores randomly, by rolling 4d6 and keeping the best three dice. Record the abilities in the order in which you roll them. Set any roll below 8 equal to 8.

Step 2: Add Up The Point Cost
Using the following table, add up the point cost of the ability scores that you already rolled.

Table 1: Ability Score Point Cost

Score	Cost	Score	Cost
8	0	14	6
9	1	15	8
10	2	16	10
11	3	17	13
12	4	18	16
13	5

If the total cost of your first four ability scores is below 4 or above 25, go back to Step 1 and re-roll those scores.

Step 3: Complete Your Ability Scores
To determine your final 2 ability scores, look up the total cost (from Step 2) on the following table:

Total Cost	CON	CHA	Total Cost	CON	CHA
4	18	13	15	10	15
5	12	18	16	14	11
6	14	17	17	10	14
7	17	13	18	10	13
8	17	12	19	13	9
9	11	17	20	12	9
10	13	16	21	8	12
11	16	12	22	9	10
12	16	11	23	10	8
13	10	16	24	9	8
14	15	11	25	8	8

After filling in your CON and CHA scores, you may swap any two scores.

I find that this is a great way to create random characters that are also balanced. And the final swap at the end gives you just enough control to create a playable character that still has some interesting quirks.