content.md

Move Dice Rolls Into a Static Method Separate from the ability Method

from math import floor
from random import choice

class Character:
    def __init__(self):
        self.strength = Character.dice_rolls()
        self.dexterity = Character.dice_rolls()
        self.constitution = Character.dice_rolls()
        self.intelligence = Character.dice_rolls()
        self.wisdom = Character.dice_rolls()
        self.charisma = Character.dice_rolls()
        
        self.hitpoints = 10 + modifier(self.constitution)

    def ability(self):
        return choice([*vars(self).values()])
        
    @staticmethod    
    def dice_rolls():
        values = sorted(choice(range(1,7)) for dice in range(4))[::-1]
        return sum(values[:-1])

def modifier(constitution):
    return floor((constitution - 10)/2)

This approach separates the ability() method from a static method that calculates dice rolls. ability() returns the value of a randomly chosen character ability using random.choice but does not roll dice or calculate values. Instead, dice_rolls() handles the rolls/values using random.choice for selection.

The argument for this is that the logic/functionality of rolling dice 4 times and summing the top three values is not really related to a DnD character or their abilities - it is independent and likely useful across a wider scope than just the character class. However, it might be tidier to include it in the character class, rather than "clutter" the program or module with an additional stand-alone function. Declaring dice_rolls() as a static method allows other callers to use the function with or without instantiating a new Character object. It also makes it cleaner to maintain, should the method or number of the dice rolls change.

dice_rolls() is then called in __init__() to populate the listed-out character attributes. Note that it needs to be called with the class name: Character.dice_rolls(). self.hitpoints then calls the second stand-alone modifier() function, adding it to 10 for the character's hitpoints attribute. modifieer() in this example uses math.floor for calculating the hitpoints value.