mellored
Legend
Still seems better than picking a race that fits the class.
I'd still like to see a mechanical reward for acting like a dwarf/elf/half-orc/etc...
D&D 5E Racial Redux - Replacing racial ability modifiers.
Yaarel
He Mage
I like racial ability score bonuses. For me, an ‘ability’ is aptitude for a cluster of skills that a person tends to be good at. Obviously, some races have global advantages over a set of skills, moreso than other races.
That said.
A compromise that I think I could live with and even prefer is:
Racial Feats.
Each race gets a group of feats per tier (student levels 1-4, professional 5-10, master 11-16, legend 17-20). At each tier, each race can choose one feat from a tier that one qualifies for.
Across tiers is the options:
• +2 to a race ability score or a subrace ability score.
• +1 to three ability scores, including the race, subrace, and one other.
• +1 to a race or subrace ability score, plus a minor race feature.
• a major race feature.
By turning racial ability scores improvements into race feats, each player can choose whether they prefer ability improvements, features, or a combination of both.
Ideally, these four race feats (one at each tier) is extra, in addition to the feats that each class supplies.
I want races to have unique high level features. At master tier, High Elf can fly at will, Eladrin gains teleport speed, Dragonborn gains wings, and so on ... if this is the race feat that the player chooses at this tier.
That said.
A compromise that I think I could live with and even prefer is:
Racial Feats.
Each race gets a group of feats per tier (student levels 1-4, professional 5-10, master 11-16, legend 17-20). At each tier, each race can choose one feat from a tier that one qualifies for.
Across tiers is the options:
• +2 to a race ability score or a subrace ability score.
• +1 to three ability scores, including the race, subrace, and one other.
• +1 to a race or subrace ability score, plus a minor race feature.
• a major race feature.
By turning racial ability scores improvements into race feats, each player can choose whether they prefer ability improvements, features, or a combination of both.
Ideally, these four race feats (one at each tier) is extra, in addition to the feats that each class supplies.
I want races to have unique high level features. At master tier, High Elf can fly at will, Eladrin gains teleport speed, Dragonborn gains wings, and so on ... if this is the race feat that the player chooses at this tier.
That's still going to be happening. Wood elves are built to be rangers and druids from more than just their stat bonuses. High elves are designed to be eldritch knights and wizards from their extra language and cantrip. Halflings are designed to be great at rogue-ness because of their ability to thread in and out of combat between legs. Tiefling magic pushes them to warlock, sorcerer, and the occasional wizard / bard with the alternate rules from SCAG. Half orc's +Intimidate, +Relentless, +Savage Attack still pushes them towards barbarian, since those are designed to synergize with existing barbarian abilities.
And so on. If you want to change things from racial-class ties, you're going to need more than just changing attribute bonuses. You're going to need a rewrite from ground up.
D&D is a game where PCs are built around classes. Everything, from feats to race to background, everything ties into class in some way.
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TwoSix
Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer
So more like an Inspiration mechanic, where "roleplaying choice X" grants "mechanical bonus Y"?
The problem I have with the current version you've done is that it feels more like the Ranger favored enemy than anything else. You don't get to choose, really (unless the game is full sandbox), whether or not you're inside, or in a new area. So sometimes the bonus is ridiculously favorable (all dwarf parties for a dungeon crawl game), and sometimes it doesn't matter. It would promote gaming racial choice based on campaign types. Which may be what you want!
Personally, I like racial bonuses based on granting permissions and new abilities rather than dice bonuses. Elven trance, halfling luck, the lightfoot hide in ally's space ability, forest gnome's speak with animals ability, things like that. Abilities that don't target one class (or even class type) specifically, but are still different enough that they remind you, "Oh yea, this character is definitely a gnome".
Argyle King
Legend
Do the extra dice add to combat rolls?
Tiefling appears to be pretty good for a ranged attacker.
Drow seems really good.
Tiefling appears to be pretty good for a ranged attacker.
Drow seems really good.
mellored
Legend
I could work with that.
That way, you could keep your +stat half-orc barbarian, while I can play a bonus-for-being-aggressive half-orc wizard.
mellored
Legend
That's fair.
I disagree, and would like to see more variety of race/class choices, but still, fair point.
mellored
Legend
mellored
Legend
Yes. +1d4 to-hit replaces the +2 dex (+1 hit and +1 damage).
But i'm open to other ideas.
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