RPG Ability Scores, Part II: Counting Dice

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about generating ability scores that are both random and balanced, here's a system that treats all six ability scores equally, and more easily adjusts to different power levels.

Step 1: Roll 14d6

Note: For a "low-powered" campaign, use 12d6. For a "high-powered" campaign, use 16d6 (or more).

If more than 7 dice show the same result, re-roll the extra dice.

Step 2: Count the Dice

Count up all the dice showing '1'. The number of 1's determines your Strength score using the following table:

Dice	Score	Dice	Score
0	8	4	15
1	10	5	16
2	12	6	17
3	14	7	18

Repeat this process for all the 2's (INT), 3's (WIS), 4's (DEX), 5's (CON) and 6's (CHA).

Step 3. Re-Arrange

I prefer to simply swap any two scores at this point. It ensures that you get a variety of characters. But you can use whatever system suits your campaign.