[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

The 3e template values were calculated assuming the stat mods were modifying a stat of 10. Once you bought a 13, then the racial +1 would take it to 14 -- normally a +15 point jump, but in the template, it only cost +10. So you saved 5 points.

The solution here seems pretty straightforward - apply the racial template first, then build your character off of that. You don't buy, say, DX 13 and then apply a +1 from the racial template - you start at DX 11 from the racial template and then buy up from there at normal cost for each level. That said, I think I prefer 4e's constant cost.

Originally Posted by maximara

As a long time GM of D&D (going back to AD&D1) and GURPS (1986) I would disagree with much of that especially for the real early versions where a sword did the same amount of damage if you swung or thrust it.

More over since D&D uses a d20 for hinting and many other dice for damage while GURPS uses a d6 a +1 in D&D does not equate to a +1 in GURPS

Let me preface this by noting my experience with D&D is pretty much exclusively 3.5e (and my GURPS experience is exclusively 4e), so I can't speak about other editions. The damage relationships are a bit different, but not terribly so. An average D&D weapon is probably 1d8, where +1 is +22.2% to average damage rather than the +28.6% it is for a d6... but then GURPS weapons typically have bonuses, which makes the +1 from +1 ST (assuming swing; thrust weapons are more like +1 per +2 to ST) have less of an impact. Of course, raw damage value is often more important in GURPS - while it's rare in DnD to encounter a foe who can no-sell a hit (damage reduction is usually fairly low, and most of the time if dealing with "level-appropriate" foes you'll have magic weapons that ignore it), the same is certainly not true of GURPS, at least in settings where armor is common. I'd say it's roughly a wash, maybe with each +1 meaning more in GURPS than D&D, but not markedly so. For success rolls, 3d6 isn't that far off from 1d20 (in fact, there are optional rules for D&D to use 3d6 instead of 1d20) - each +1 to 1d20 is +5%, and each +1 to 3d6 averages out to +6.25%.

Originally Posted by maximara

The D&D to GURPS sheet (which in print form goes a back to late 1980s). Because of the many variations it glosses over the differences and "cuts to the chase" and even then it is long.

Yeah, that's a pretty good article from skimming it.