Level Up (A5E) Where to put ability bonuses during character creation

[Guest 6801328]

The instructions in the DMG for NPC creation cover anything from 3-6 being built using the PC rules(the players only) to tens of thousands of NPCs using the PC creation rules, or even more. It's all RAW.


Following the DMG RAW is not "making up their own way of doing things."

Edit: If you want to discuss further, send me a PM. Let's not disrupt this thread.

I was unaware of that. If that is accurate, then I will amend my previous stance: racial ASIs should not be used in PC generation, unless the DM is using those rules for NPCs.

 

[Phoebasss]

It should be totally freeform, because that allows for more interesting characters.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Not to be too flippant, but if the race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities (since you're a PC), in what way is it the race you come from? Just back story and dependents the DM can use for story beats?

 

[Guest 6801328]

Not to be too flippant, but if the race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities (since you're a PC), in what way is it the race you come from? Just back story and dependents the DM can use for story beats?

Who said that the race shouldn't be relevant to your abilities? I (and others) are only saying that it shouldn't be accomplished through ASIs. Races still have lots of other abilities, and could have even more.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I wouldn't favor completely freeform assignment, because it just seems pointless. I'd rather just get rid of them. If you need something to balance characters against baseline assumptions just use a more generous stat generation method or add traits to each race that are roughly worth a feat.

Personally, I've been thinking about doing something different in my next campaign. Plus 1s to a pair of abilities based on race (and if applicable, subrace) and two additional points that can be assigned to any ability, not to exceed 2 in any one ability score. Provides flexibility, but has a definite tradeoff.

 

[EscherEnigma]

Not to be too flippant, but if the race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities (since you're a PC), in what way is it the race you come from? Just back story and dependents the DM can use for story beats?

Not to be too real-world, but that the "race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities" is literally the basis of the American Civil Rights movement over the last seventy years. And in fiction, including fiction that does nothing to challenge this notion, we still see different characters of different races because yeah, the changes in story beats and back story can be interesting.

So it really shouldn't be alarming or surprising that, if you removed all mechanical benefits (and penalties) to "races", people would still choose different "races" if given the option. I mean, in one Cyberpunk game, I played a french woman. Had zero mechanical impact on the character! Imagine!

 

[Phoebasss]

Not to be too flippant, but if the race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities (since you're a PC), in what way is it the race you come from? Just back story and dependents the DM can use for story beats?

I mean, shouldn't that be a more important consideration that how powerful at being a [insert class here] it makes you?

 

[Derren]

Not to be too real-world, but that the "race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities" is literally the basis of the American Civil Rights movement over the last seventy years. And in fiction, including fiction that does nothing to challenge this notion, we still see different characters of different races because yeah, the changes in story beats and back story can be interesting.

So the American Civil Rights movement fought to remove physical differences between fictional dwarves and fictional humans?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Not to be too real-world, but that the "race you come from isn't relevant to your abilities" is literally the basis of the American Civil Rights movement over the last seventy years. And in fiction, including fiction that does nothing to challenge this notion, we still see different characters of different races because yeah, the changes in story beats and back story can be interesting.

So it really shouldn't be alarming or surprising that, if you removed all mechanical benefits (and penalties) to "races", people would still choose different "races" if given the option. I mean, in one Cyberpunk game, I played a french woman. Had zero mechanical impact on the character! Imagine!

I really think that is too real world. We're talking about dwarves and elves here. I think physical difference that result in stat changes are ok. That being said, I support switching to culture/upbringing/whatever people want to call it if that's what people want (and something like that definitely seems like what people want). I've stated this many times.

 

[EscherEnigma]

I really think that is too real world.

Yes. Hence my objection.

Others have found wait to express similar thoughts without sounding "too real". I have every confidence you can too.