I believe that ability modifiers are too important in the game to restrict to the modifiers in the PH. Potentially interesting race/class combinations are avoided because they are suboptimal.
To rectify this, I suggest that races be given greater choice in electing their ability modifiers. In most cases the races will have some restrictions on what ability bonuses they may suggest (halflings, for example, can never get bonuses to Strength or Constitution, owing to their size), but otherwise the rules are greatly opened up to allow more optimized character types.
I cannot get it out of my head that Dwarves are an inherently non-magical race, even though the game at this point does not enforce this (except by not granting Dwarves a bonus to intelligences, making them suboptimal as wizards). And yet there doesn't seem to be any reason to otherwise keep Dwarves from chosing a bonus in Intelligence -- no one suggests Dwarves cannot be quite smart. So in the case of Dwarves, I grant the option of an Intelligence boost (making them good candidates for tactical Warlords), but I impose a special -1 penalty on arcane attacks and powers, partially made up for a +2 saving throw against ongoing arcane-caused effects, to represent a resistance to magic).
This particular little tweak can be ignored or modified as wished.
One advantage of this system -- for those of you who consider it an advantage -- is that it is no longer necessary to have two separate elven races, one optimized for rangercraft, one optimized for spellcasting. Elves can select either the +2 Dex/+2 Wisdom if they're rangers, or +2 Int/+2 Cha is they're wizards. Thus elves can be represented by a single description; elves who chose the woodsy sort of modifiers would be either wood elves or non-noble High Elves; those selecting the arcane type version would either be High Elf nobles or else just Wood Elves who deviate a bit from the norm and are better magic-casters than their brethren.
Eladrin may be kept in this system, or simply disposed of as superfluous.
All that explanation and preamble aside, here's a suggestion as more open, player-chosen racial ability modifiers:
Dwarves: +2 to Con; +2 to choice of Strength, Intellligence, or Wisdom. Suggestion to preserve notion that Dwarves are a stubbornly nonmagical race: -1 to all attacks and powers from from the arcane power source. +2 to save against any ongoing arcane-based condition. A special dwarven racial feat gets rid of this penalty, so Dwarven wizards can be as powerful as any other. but must burn a feat to do so.
Halflings: +2 to Dex; +2 to choice of Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma.
Elves: +2 to choice of any two of Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Eladrin: Same as Elves.
Humans: +2 to any two abilities. Humans lose their bonus encounter power to make up for the flexibility of their ability bonuses. (If this is still considered too generous -- which I don't think it is; bear in mind, most races are now easily optimizable for several classes; it doesn't seem to matter much that humans can be optimized for *all* classes-- they can lose either the bonus feat or bonus skill, their choice.)
Tieflings: +2 to any two abilities except Strength; at least one bonus must be applied to either Cha or Int.
Half-Elves: +2 to choice of any two abilities. At least one of the bonuses must be put into one of the abilities elves may select bonuses in (Dex, Int, Wis, Cha).
Dragonborn: +2 to choice of any two abilities except Dexterity; at least one bonus must be applied to Str, Con, or Cha. (Note: Possibly dump the restriction on Dexterity, according to taste.)
Another benefit: A long-desired combo -- +2 Str/+2 Dex -- is now possible for humans and half-elves (and maybe dragonborn), for characters who have Conan or Fafrd in mind; and players may stop badgering you to let them play a Bugbear just to get that ability combo.
To rectify this, I suggest that races be given greater choice in electing their ability modifiers. In most cases the races will have some restrictions on what ability bonuses they may suggest (halflings, for example, can never get bonuses to Strength or Constitution, owing to their size), but otherwise the rules are greatly opened up to allow more optimized character types.
I cannot get it out of my head that Dwarves are an inherently non-magical race, even though the game at this point does not enforce this (except by not granting Dwarves a bonus to intelligences, making them suboptimal as wizards). And yet there doesn't seem to be any reason to otherwise keep Dwarves from chosing a bonus in Intelligence -- no one suggests Dwarves cannot be quite smart. So in the case of Dwarves, I grant the option of an Intelligence boost (making them good candidates for tactical Warlords), but I impose a special -1 penalty on arcane attacks and powers, partially made up for a +2 saving throw against ongoing arcane-caused effects, to represent a resistance to magic).
This particular little tweak can be ignored or modified as wished.
One advantage of this system -- for those of you who consider it an advantage -- is that it is no longer necessary to have two separate elven races, one optimized for rangercraft, one optimized for spellcasting. Elves can select either the +2 Dex/+2 Wisdom if they're rangers, or +2 Int/+2 Cha is they're wizards. Thus elves can be represented by a single description; elves who chose the woodsy sort of modifiers would be either wood elves or non-noble High Elves; those selecting the arcane type version would either be High Elf nobles or else just Wood Elves who deviate a bit from the norm and are better magic-casters than their brethren.
Eladrin may be kept in this system, or simply disposed of as superfluous.
All that explanation and preamble aside, here's a suggestion as more open, player-chosen racial ability modifiers:
Dwarves: +2 to Con; +2 to choice of Strength, Intellligence, or Wisdom. Suggestion to preserve notion that Dwarves are a stubbornly nonmagical race: -1 to all attacks and powers from from the arcane power source. +2 to save against any ongoing arcane-based condition. A special dwarven racial feat gets rid of this penalty, so Dwarven wizards can be as powerful as any other. but must burn a feat to do so.
Halflings: +2 to Dex; +2 to choice of Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma.
Elves: +2 to choice of any two of Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Eladrin: Same as Elves.
Humans: +2 to any two abilities. Humans lose their bonus encounter power to make up for the flexibility of their ability bonuses. (If this is still considered too generous -- which I don't think it is; bear in mind, most races are now easily optimizable for several classes; it doesn't seem to matter much that humans can be optimized for *all* classes-- they can lose either the bonus feat or bonus skill, their choice.)
Tieflings: +2 to any two abilities except Strength; at least one bonus must be applied to either Cha or Int.
Half-Elves: +2 to choice of any two abilities. At least one of the bonuses must be put into one of the abilities elves may select bonuses in (Dex, Int, Wis, Cha).
Dragonborn: +2 to choice of any two abilities except Dexterity; at least one bonus must be applied to Str, Con, or Cha. (Note: Possibly dump the restriction on Dexterity, according to taste.)
Another benefit: A long-desired combo -- +2 Str/+2 Dex -- is now possible for humans and half-elves (and maybe dragonborn), for characters who have Conan or Fafrd in mind; and players may stop badgering you to let them play a Bugbear just to get that ability combo.
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