If you're GMing a game where the players are expected to roll stats, how often would you as GM roll up stats for NPCs - all the time, often, sometimes, occasionally just assign an appropriate number (i.e. because the guard captain should have a reasonable Strength, or the court wizard needs a high Intelligence?).
 
Also, if you do roll, do you tend to use less generous methods for NPCs (e.g. 3d6, instead of 4d6-L), and/or reroll ridiculous results? (e.g. I've rolled stats for an NPC who I was intending to be hag-esque, but gotten an 18 Charisma..).

I'll admit, if I am not handcrafting an important NPC, I will just go online and use an NPC generator to get the stats and everything else I need. I try to be the laziest GM I know.

I'll mix-and-match between the two.  Sometimes I randomly roll all the stats, and sometimes I'll assign a stat based upon the NPC's description.  Sometimes I'll assign only a single stat and randomly roll the rest.

Depends how rapidly this NPC moves up from periphery to full party focus. I've been surprised how even throw away characters who rolled up interesting Reaction Rolls ended up being useful adventure hooks later. Once they graduate to requiring more than 2 stats/skills for rolls and end up in 3 or more sessions, I tend to flesh out a stat sheet for them on an index card, just in case.

As for stat creation, I initially put in any number I feel like that justifies how I've been roleplaying them up to the present. This does include any previous quick rolls I made for an early stat or skill. Outside of placing those the rest tend to be a 3d6 or the like straight down, out of sheer speed and enjoying the random flavor. I don't like Mary Sues so 4d6 drop the lowest and the like are just unnecessary exercises in min-maxing. Since I just write in expected initial stats, I don't run into issues of hags getting 18 CHA and the like. At most I assume a baseline (such as class minimum requirement) and roll until I get the first number greater than or equal to that requirement. (Obviously in the hag example, if I really needed a random stat, I'd expect a CHA of 7 or less and roll 3d6 until I got the first number less than or equal to 7.)

I kind of work backwards so the NPCs will probably be all I have and I ad lib the everything else.

Generally, I assign stats and don't roll at all.

If I needed to generate a PC on the fly I would probably not roll stats at all because it slows down the game. So If the party meet a ticket conductor on a train and somehow that guy ends up getting involved I will give him a personality and a motivation (not being dead is usually sufficient) on the fly and if he needs to use a Stat I will assign it based on the situation and how it feels. Same goes for skills. Very occiassionally if the PCs get stuck I might give him a key stat to get them through a hole. So if they fail to notice that the ransom not is a quote from MacBeth then the train guy might be a literature nut, however that means I have made a rookie plot design error, the party can not complete the game unless they know arcane fact xxxxx, so it rarely comes up these days.

Quote from: jeff37923;557750I'll admit, if I am not handcrafting an important NPC, I will just go online and use an NPC generator to get the stats and everything else I need. I try to be the laziest GM I know.

This. But it is well known I am the laziest GM ever.

If I don't have access to that for some reason I kinda just wing it or use 3d6 reroll for ridiculous results. But mostly I just pull an appropriate number out of my ass.

Point buy or one of the 3.5 stat arrays is usually a good compromise. You still get a reasonably balanced character, but you also don't unexpectedly end up with Bobo the 9-Int wizard.

Some interesting answers. Thanks people.

Re. Mary Sues (which I think OpaOpa bought up)...as a player I've  occasionally been cheesed off before by e.g. Ed Greenwood NPCs for 2E,  which hardly ever had anything under a 15. Or in Palladium by how many  of the TMNT archvillains and scientists have Ints of 30+ that are  actually impossible to roll.

Quote from: fectin;558275Point buy or one of the 3.5 stat arrays is usually a good compromise. You still get a reasonably balanced character, but you also don't unexpectedly end up with Bobo the 9-Int wizard.

I think point-buy/default array for NPCs probably won't be too different to letting the GM just pick a number, in alot of cases. You assume the hag 'bought' an 8 charisma, and they'll probably have points elsewhere, even if you don't end up using that 15 Int...

Which probably is an argument for allowing both point-buy and random-roll for PCs as well just to me fair- or at least a random method with some choices ...though mind you, I'm not sure anyone advocates always using 3d6 straight down the line for PCs anymore these days...?

It's a little different than just picking a number, if only because your highest number is constrained and you don't end up with 18s in three stats (i.e. you avoid the Greenwood issue you just mentioned).

Ultimately though, everything other than the PCs is just the DM making stuff up anyway, so any option is going to be more of a rubric than a rule. You can make up whatever numbers you want for NPCs, so what you really are looking for is a way to easily make up reasonable numbers. You are right in that point buy is still basically just picking numbers, but it's easy, and at least you're confined to reasonable numbers.

I hate using PC stats for NPCs.  Especially monsters.  It's too damn much work for something that exists mostly to be murdered.

Both Drums of War and Hulks and Horrors use simplified saving throw values in place of full stats for their NPC monster stats, reserving full PC stats largely for special characters intended to be around a while.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;558278...though mind you, I'm not sure anyone advocates always using 3d6 straight down the line for PCs anymore these days...?

I may not advocate it, but lately I'm tired of the '4 hour chargen session' (I'm looking at you 3e & Pathfinder). Lately I just 3d6 it straight down, or allow you to shuffle if I'm feeling nice that day. Let's play already, don't get too attached to some ridiculously special niche. People end up having more imaginary game time crafting the most obscure PC but only play less than 5 sessions with them. So now I run through quick chargen and explicitly state that setting anomalies will be treated as threats and freaks accordingly... I've turned into a grumpy puss.

And stay off my lawn! :rant: /threadjack now over

I also advocate 3d6 in order.  H&H is built around it.  There are other options, buried in the GM's house rules section in the back, but the default and most advocated option in the core rules is 3d6 in order.

3d6 in order is awesome. You never know what you're going to get, and you just roll with whatever the dice of the universe throw at you. It's just cool.

Quote from: Benoist;5583193d6 in order is awesome. You never know what you're going to get, and you just roll with whatever the dice of the universe throw at you. It's just cool.

For me you better do 4d6 drop 1. I can take in order though. If not you will be watching me rolling several times to actually get a character that is by the actual rules playable, fair warning because I am without a doubt the worst dice roller in the history of rpg's.

It has happened on more than one occasion that everybody gets so frustrated that the DM will order other players to roll up my character.

In the past, I always enjoyed rolling up NPCs, even apparently minor ones.  The stats might suggest a way of playing them that I enjoyed.  

However, time becomes increasingly valuable, and I can't always put the same amount of time into game prep as I used to enjoy doing.  

For that reason, I like to use 'default arrays', arranged as approrpiate for the particular enemy.  Major villains (at least, those intended to be) use the same generation method as PCs.  Usually 4d6 drop the lowest arrange as desired in 3.x