D&D (2024) Should all races/lineages have +2/+1/+1 ASI?

[DammitVictor]

Standard, 27pts
heroic, 32pts, most will play this, also it is official in PF1. Also rolling 4d6D1 averages around 31.5pts.
Gritty, 22pts

Use Gritty, but then have the player roll 5d4 for each ability score (in order) and use the better of each score.

 

[Horwath]

To answer the original question, no. It’s a boring move that leads to stat creeping super heroes. If it were an option I’d exclude it from the games I run.

If you limit pointbuy max stat to 15 as it is now and should stay that way if we continue to have +2 ASI to put on character creation, then you will not get super heroes. just competent adventurers in lot's of categories.

Also, cap max stat before magic or special class features to 18.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Whole point of racial ASIs was to mechanically differentiate one ancestry from another. If they're not going to be doing that anymore, there's no reason for them to continue existing.

Gosh if only it were possible to invent mechanics that aren’t just bonuses to attributes.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Gosh if only it were possible to invent mechanics that aren’t just bonuses to attributes.

Does that render his point invalid?

 

[Pauln6]

Remove them completely. Pointless under the lineage system. You could instead have ability caps. So e.g. dwarves cap at 20 con, everything else 18. Few people want to buy a 20 at level 1 so possibly pointless.

 

[Horwath]

Remove them completely. Pointless under the lineage system. You could instead have ability caps. So e.g. dwarves cap at 20 con, everything else 18. Few people want to buy a 20 at level 1 so possibly pointless.

I would not have anything against 20 at 1st level if it's followed by no ASIs at all during leveling.

1st level is your total potential, all other improvements is only through gaining proficiencies.

Heroic array:
20,18,16,14,12,12

Standard array:
20,16,14,14,12,10

Below standard:
18,16,14,12,10,10

Average:
16,14,12,12,10,8

 

[Mistwell]

I dislike the continuing trend to make races generic. In fact I dislike any aspect of the game which trends towards making it some generic universal role player game. There are other RPGs for that. (like the game I just named: GURPs).

One major reason for D&D's success is branding of it's specific quirks, and a large portion of branding is recognizable elements. Alignment is one (everyone knows what the meme about alignments and assigning real people or movie or TV characters to those alignments). Another is races. Another is classes. And hit points and AC and a d20. These are all key elements of what makes D&D a specific game people recognize and not a generic one purely to be adapted to each tables whims.

The more of these elements you make generic (all races get X) or eliminate (remove all references to alignment) the less it becomes D&D and the more it becomes a generic RPG.

 

[Pauln6]

I dislike the continuing trend to make races generic. In fact I dislike any aspect of the game which trends towards making it some generic universal role player game. There are other RPGs for that. (like the game I just named: GURPs).

One major reason for D&D's success is branding of it's specific quirks, and a large portion of branding is recognizable elements. Alignment is one (everyone knows what the meme about alignments and assigning real people or movie or TV characters to those alignments). Another is races. Another is classes. And hit points and AC and a d20. These are all key elements of what makes D&D a specific game people recognize and not a generic one purely to be adapted to each tables whims.

The more of these elements you make generic (all races get X) or eliminate (remove all references to alignment) the less it becomes D&D and the more it becomes a generic RPG.

Too much of early DnD was tied to Tolkien assumptions. I still can't cope with dwarves wizards so don't ask me anything.

If there is no racial bias towards anything, the stat increases are meaningless.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Remove them completely. Pointless under the lineage system. You could instead have ability caps. So e.g. dwarves cap at 20 con, everything else 18. Few people want to buy a 20 at level 1 so possibly pointless.

I could see that working. You could also use ability minimums, like in the old days or modern OSR.

 

[Horwath]

I could see that working. You could also use ability minimums, like in the old days or modern OSR.

also works

elves: min dex 12, min int 10
dwarves: min con 12, min str 10
orcs: min str 12, min con 10