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Discriminating Against Sameness: A Case for Readjusting Racial Bonuses and Ability Score Increases
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<blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 7146913" data-attributes="member: 6775031"><p>There are a lot of interdependent factors to consider. When proposing a solution, I would keep in mind the following:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Asking a player to choose between their prime stat, and any other stat, is not a meaningful choice.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">With five boosts to work with, you <em>must</em> start with at least a 15 in order to hit 20 by end-game.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Most games don't make it to level 20.</li> </ul><p>Just looking at those things, I draw these conclusions:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Halfling barbarians are nonviable as PCs. They might show up as NPCs, but they aren't going to be part of the Fellowship tasked with saving the world. For as long as any race has a higher allowable maximum in a prime stat, that race will be the only (accepted) viable race for that class. The designers were aware of this, and that's why everyone caps out at 20 in the core game. Note that some feats actually<em> are</em> worth +2 to your prime stat, so humans would remain viable as barbarians and archers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You aren't allowed to diversify until you cap your prime stat, because every other stat is definitionally worth less than your prime stat. If you start with a 15 in Intelligence as a wizard, then you will never put a point into any other stat for your entire career. To be fair, you would get a lot of that extra diversity at first level (since you have higher racial starting bonuses), but getting a +2 instead of a +1 in a secondary stat doesn't <em>actually</em> change anything since most people pair a +1 stat bonus with an odd value anyway.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Following on that, since I didn't see where you're mandating a point-buy as part of this, your system is extraordinarily sensitive to starting rolls. One of the benefits of +2 at a time, and the universal cap of 20, is that a character with bad starting rolls will quickly catch up as the character who rolled an 18 is forced to put their boosts into non-prime stats. (Of course, that benefit is marginalized if the better character can keep taking useful feats, but that's why feats are an optional rule.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Since you only gain a +1 every four levels, but you know that your prime stat is the most important, sometimes you will have to wait eight levels before you see any tangible benefit, which isn't terribly satisfying.</li> </ul><p>So in summary, you severely restrict the list of race/class options that would actually be chosen, you frontload some of the diversification, and force a couple of those characters types into diversifying in secondary stats other than Constitution. That's what I would call a textbook example of a trade-off. I would say that your proposal is neither better nor worse than what's in the book, and it's all down to personal preference.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Crimson Binome, post: 7146913, member: 6775031"] There are a lot of interdependent factors to consider. When proposing a solution, I would keep in mind the following: [LIST] [*]Asking a player to choose between their prime stat, and any other stat, is not a meaningful choice. [*]With five boosts to work with, you [I]must[/I] start with at least a 15 in order to hit 20 by end-game. [*]Most games don't make it to level 20. [/LIST] Just looking at those things, I draw these conclusions: [LIST] [*]Halfling barbarians are nonviable as PCs. They might show up as NPCs, but they aren't going to be part of the Fellowship tasked with saving the world. For as long as any race has a higher allowable maximum in a prime stat, that race will be the only (accepted) viable race for that class. The designers were aware of this, and that's why everyone caps out at 20 in the core game. Note that some feats actually[I] are[/I] worth +2 to your prime stat, so humans would remain viable as barbarians and archers. [*]You aren't allowed to diversify until you cap your prime stat, because every other stat is definitionally worth less than your prime stat. If you start with a 15 in Intelligence as a wizard, then you will never put a point into any other stat for your entire career. To be fair, you would get a lot of that extra diversity at first level (since you have higher racial starting bonuses), but getting a +2 instead of a +1 in a secondary stat doesn't [I]actually[/I] change anything since most people pair a +1 stat bonus with an odd value anyway. [*]Following on that, since I didn't see where you're mandating a point-buy as part of this, your system is extraordinarily sensitive to starting rolls. One of the benefits of +2 at a time, and the universal cap of 20, is that a character with bad starting rolls will quickly catch up as the character who rolled an 18 is forced to put their boosts into non-prime stats. (Of course, that benefit is marginalized if the better character can keep taking useful feats, but that's why feats are an optional rule.) [*]Since you only gain a +1 every four levels, but you know that your prime stat is the most important, sometimes you will have to wait eight levels before you see any tangible benefit, which isn't terribly satisfying. [/LIST] So in summary, you severely restrict the list of race/class options that would actually be chosen, you frontload some of the diversification, and force a couple of those characters types into diversifying in secondary stats other than Constitution. That's what I would call a textbook example of a trade-off. I would say that your proposal is neither better nor worse than what's in the book, and it's all down to personal preference. [/QUOTE]
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