In the early days of Dungeons & Dragons, players rolled to determine their ability scores. On 3d6. In order. Certain classes were only available to those with good rolls. #dnd
Note that in the earliest form of D&D, high ability scores did very little. High Str, Int or Wis? That only gave a bonus to XP earned, and only if you were of that class. No bonus to hit or damage from high Strength, for instance! #dnd
As the game developed - and with the release of the "Greyhawk" supplement - ability scores rose in prominence. And, as they did, alternative methods of generating them were needed. I've got a feeling characters with below average stats didn't survive long - if even played! #dnd
Although "4d6 drop the lowest" ended up being the most popular way of rolling stats, there were several other methods described in the AD&D DMG. Like, create 12 characters (3d6 in order) and choose the best one! :) #dnd
Classes like the Paladin and Monk were difficult to get into. The paladin required a 17 Charisma as well as other good stats. The Monk required three 15s in the right ability scores. #dnd
However, the most difficult class to attain was the Cavalier/Paladin, as described in Unearthed Arcana (1985). You needed Str 15, Int 10, Wis 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Cha 17. Try rolling that on 3d6! #dnd
Now, as noted by others, Unearthed Arcana had a method where humans (only) could generate the character class they wanted - rolling up to 9d6s (choose best three) for some stats, with a minimum result to meet requirements. #dnd
Still, the most common way - and one was adopted by AD&D 2nd edition - was roll 4d6, take the best three. After doing that six times, you arranged the scores as desired. For the most part, you could create all but the rarest classes (e.g. monk, paladin). #dnd
If we look back to the original D&D, there was one element that alleviated the "3d6 in order" rule: You could reduce your scores in other abilities to increase that of your prime ability. However, you couldn't reduce an ability score below nine. #dnd
The version of this I liked the most was found in Moldvay D&D and Red Box: Fighters could reduce Int or Wis by 2 points to increase Str by 1. Magic-Users could reduce Str or Wis to increase Int, and so on. It was a bit odder in the original rules (with some being 3:1). #dnd
But here's the thing: Original D&D (before Supplement I), the effect of having Dexterity 13+? +1 to missile attacks. And that was it. No AC modifier. Constituion gave at most +1 to each hit die (Con 15+) or -1 to each hit die (Con 5-). So they weren't as important. #dnd
Even the idea of making ability checks as "roll d20 and try to get equal or below your ability score to succeed" isn't mentioned anywhere until much later! (I don't think it becomes a mechanic described in an AD&D rulebook until the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide). #dnd
Somewhere - and I think it's in an early The Strategic Review or The Dungeon magazine - there's a method described of rolling 3d6, 4d6 or 5d6 (depending of difficulty) under an ability score to succeed at a task. Does anyone remember that? #dnd
However, the ability scores *did* exist, so I'm sure the early DMs used them in many ways. By the time I started, in the early 1980s, the game was a bit more codified than the original three books! #dnd
The effect of rolling stats first then deciding what the character was depending on them is a change to the order of inspiration. It wasn't "I'm playing a fighter, let's build a good fighter", but rather "I'm playing someone who'd make a good fighter, I'll play that!" #dnd
It's part of the entire "emergent story" basis that you can see in early D&D. You sat down to play a game, you went into a dungeon, and you didn't know where things might go - but the DM and the players shaped things together. "Here's an environment, go explore it!" #dnd
Of course, when your only choices for character class are Fighting Man, Cleric or Magic-User, it's a different thing than the plethora of options available today! :) #dnd
I've taken these tweets and rewritten them into a blog entry here, if you find that easier to read! merricb.com/2020/02/27/dun… #dnd
