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An alternative to Fixed Racial Ability Scores Modifiers for Non-humans?
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<blockquote data-quote="GreenTengu" data-source="post: 6762031" data-attributes="member: 6777454"><p>I think a major problem is imbedded in how the classes are constructed in the first place. Classes tend to derive all their bonuses to the abilities they are expected to use most often from only one or two ability score. Some classes are much worse about this than other classes, but pretty much universally your choice of class leaves you in the situation of asking "why and when would I even ever use that attribute?" and usually that attribute is Intelligence with Strength and Charisma coming up behind. (I mean, really, you want one person in the group to have good charisma, everyone else can be totally lame creeps. But you are fine running a group where not one has an Intelligence or Strength above 8.)</p><p></p><p>This creates a system where there is no benefit whatsoever in boosting your lowest stat by any amount. Not outside of a few skills your character will generally never need to use and some ultra rare saves. Yes, attributes being capped at 20 does at least reduce the benefit of tanking everything else to get that 18-20 at level one, but it isn't like attribute boosts are common enough that the idea of starting with all 12-14s is going to really ever get you anywhere. </p><p></p><p>Because of this issue, I think it would be better to die the attribute boosts to class instead of race. The races still have abilities that favor one class over another, but the only one where that is basically exclusively true is Half-Orc. Half-Orc's primary ability only works if you are a melee character, if you aren't a melee tanking character as a Half-Orc you are doing it wrong, they don't function as anything else.... then again, if their attribute doesn't force strength on them, maybe they would work marginally better as something else.</p><p></p><p>So if the attribute bonuses are tied to the class rather than the race, then there would at least be considerably less reason to choose races for mechanical reasons rather than because they fit the concept of the character. Moreover, regardless of what race you choose, ultimately you can be sure you get the attribute boosts that best fit your class rather than feeling forced to take a race with a +2 to that attribute that literally all the class's abilities rely on.</p><p></p><p>The only other way to handle it, of course, would be if somehow you could substitute the attributes the class demands in for other attributes. Instead of every single Rogue ability relying on Dexterity, you could make it so there would be a Strength Rogue, an Intelligence Rogue, a Charisma Rogue and a Wisdom Rogue... maybe there would be ways to alter Wizards so that instead of everything tied to Intelligence, you could make one where your magic is tied to your Wisdom or your Charisma or even your Constitution instead. An Intelligence or Charisma style Cleric wouldn't be hard to imagine...</p><p></p><p>Basically it would require a major overhaul to the way class mechanics are done in order to really expand the sort of attribute builds that could pick up those class abilities and still be almost just as effective as the classic builds.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GreenTengu, post: 6762031, member: 6777454"] I think a major problem is imbedded in how the classes are constructed in the first place. Classes tend to derive all their bonuses to the abilities they are expected to use most often from only one or two ability score. Some classes are much worse about this than other classes, but pretty much universally your choice of class leaves you in the situation of asking "why and when would I even ever use that attribute?" and usually that attribute is Intelligence with Strength and Charisma coming up behind. (I mean, really, you want one person in the group to have good charisma, everyone else can be totally lame creeps. But you are fine running a group where not one has an Intelligence or Strength above 8.) This creates a system where there is no benefit whatsoever in boosting your lowest stat by any amount. Not outside of a few skills your character will generally never need to use and some ultra rare saves. Yes, attributes being capped at 20 does at least reduce the benefit of tanking everything else to get that 18-20 at level one, but it isn't like attribute boosts are common enough that the idea of starting with all 12-14s is going to really ever get you anywhere. Because of this issue, I think it would be better to die the attribute boosts to class instead of race. The races still have abilities that favor one class over another, but the only one where that is basically exclusively true is Half-Orc. Half-Orc's primary ability only works if you are a melee character, if you aren't a melee tanking character as a Half-Orc you are doing it wrong, they don't function as anything else.... then again, if their attribute doesn't force strength on them, maybe they would work marginally better as something else. So if the attribute bonuses are tied to the class rather than the race, then there would at least be considerably less reason to choose races for mechanical reasons rather than because they fit the concept of the character. Moreover, regardless of what race you choose, ultimately you can be sure you get the attribute boosts that best fit your class rather than feeling forced to take a race with a +2 to that attribute that literally all the class's abilities rely on. The only other way to handle it, of course, would be if somehow you could substitute the attributes the class demands in for other attributes. Instead of every single Rogue ability relying on Dexterity, you could make it so there would be a Strength Rogue, an Intelligence Rogue, a Charisma Rogue and a Wisdom Rogue... maybe there would be ways to alter Wizards so that instead of everything tied to Intelligence, you could make one where your magic is tied to your Wisdom or your Charisma or even your Constitution instead. An Intelligence or Charisma style Cleric wouldn't be hard to imagine... Basically it would require a major overhaul to the way class mechanics are done in order to really expand the sort of attribute builds that could pick up those class abilities and still be almost just as effective as the classic builds. [/QUOTE]
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