Use a Deck of Cards to Determine Your Next D&D Character's Ability Points with THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT

Whenever you go to create a new character in Dungeons & Dragons, there’s a choice you have to make: how are you going to determine your ability scores? The standard way is rolling 4d6 and drop the lowest number. Repeat this process 6 times and you get your scores.

Some players don’t like the lack of control and potential for crap stats and so there’s also a point buy system or a standard array system for choosing your stats. Well, now there’s a new, unofficial way. The Hand You’re Dealt is a new supplement from T. R. Appleton that uses playing cards to determine your scores. You only use Ace-7 cards and then follow the simple rules to determine your scores.

You’re still limited to a maximum score of 18 for any given stat and you have greater manipulation than dice afford, but still have at least some randomness. It’s actually a very interesting idea and I might try using it sometime (with my DMs permission of course).

You can roll dice, spend points, or just take the Standard Array, but when's the last time you tried something new when creating a new character? Something that actually involves making meaningful choices, but also keeps things interesting with a little random chance? This supplement provides just that: A way to generate ability scores in the form of a fast, easy, and engaging solitaire card game.

You can purchase The Hand You’re Dealt from DMs Guild for any price you see fit.