D&D 5E Ability Score Increases (I've changed my mind.)

[Crimson Longinus]

It just occurred to me that I would love to watch a game show where two groups of people who vehemently oppose each other on an esoteric point in a niche hobby take turns trying to persuade a 3rd group of people, who know nothing about the hobby, that they are right and the other side is wrong.

I'm just picturing the expressions on non-gamer faces as we try to explain how important this is.

Sign me up!

 

[Yaarel]

In the UA that had grugrachs in them, they got +2 Dex, +1 Str, proficiency with spear, longbow, shortbow, and net, and one druid cantrip.

I feel, this UA (which wasnt well received) is an other example of how a one-size-fits-all Dexterity +2 destroys the elf archetypes from earlier editions of D&D.

The gray elf requires Intelligence +2.

The grugach elf requires Strength +2.

And so on.

5e needs the elf to float the +2 to whatever ability is necessary for the particular elf archetype.



(Note, the addition of the Druid cantrip is a nice touch. Probably every elf should get a free cantrip from any class. The high elf and drow elf already have a cantrip to cast innately. The wood elf should too. Let every elf player pick any cantrip, and choose where to use Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom, to spellcast the cantrip innately.)

 

[Bill Zebub]

Sign me up!

To watch...or to compete?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

To watch...or to compete?

Either!

 

[Micah Sweet]

I feel, this UA (which wasnt well received) is an other example of how a one-size-fits-all Dexterity +2 destroys the elf archetypes from earlier editions of D&D.

The gray elf requires Intelligence +2.

The grugach elf requires Strength +2.

And so on.

5e needs the elf to float the +2 to whatever ability is necessary for the particular elf archetype.

Even if that were true, there are a lot of other races out there. Do they need floating ASIs too?

 

[Bill Zebub]

Even if that were true, there are a lot of other races out there. Do they need floating ASIs too?

No we just need six sub-races for every race, with +2 to each attribute!

 

[Faolyn]

I fully get not liking the racial ASIs due how dependent 5e classes are on specific ability scores, but I don't get how the basic concept of what they're supposed to represent seems to be so hard to get for some.

We get what you're saying. We just disagree.

Half-orcs get Menacing, Relentless Endurance, and Savage Attacks.

Elves get Keen Senses, Fey Heritage, Trance, some weapon proficiencies, and another trait or two based on their subrace, most of which are magical in nature.

Imagine you had an elf fighter with an 18 Strength standing right next to a half-orc fighter with an 18th Strength (with all other variables being equal as well). Because of their traits and the cultures people imagine half-orcs and elves to have, I'd say the vast majority of people will imagine the half-orc as being stronger-seeming than the elf is. The fact that they both get a +4 to attack and damage rolls literally doesn't matter here--after all, either of them would get the same +4 if they had an 18 in Dex instead.

 

[JEB]

No we just need six sub-races for every race, with +2 to each attribute!

Actually, that sounds kind of interesting. What does a "Constitution elf" look like as a species, as opposed to the archetypal "Dexterity elf"? What about a "Charisma dwarf"? A "Dexterity orc"?

 

[Bill Zebub]

Actually, that sounds kind of interesting. What does a "Constitution elf" look like as a species, as opposed to the archetypal "Dexterity elf"? What about a "Charisma dwarf"? A "Dexterity orc"?

I guess there are two choices:
1) WotC could define them all for us and make it an official thing.
2) We could use floating ASIs and define them ourselves.

 

[Malmuria]

It just occurred to me that I would love to watch a game show where two groups of people who vehemently oppose each other on an esoteric point in a niche hobby take turns trying to persuade a 3rd group of people, who know nothing about the hobby, that they are right and the other side is wrong.

I'm just picturing the expressions on non-gamer faces as we try to explain how important this is.

Recent-ish experience with a new player in 5e:

Me (DM): Ok, so the two most important things about making your character will be your race and your class
New player: ...
Me: Um...no, not like that...not in the normal sense of those words. They mean something different here. See, you want to play a wizard, which means you need a high intelligence. And so you might want to consider a race that has a higher natural intelligence
New player: ...
Me: Um...yeah, in this world some "races"--again, not the usual sense of that word--are...naturally more intelligent. Don't worry about it, you'll, uh, see how it all works when we start playing

[later]
Me: roll an arcana check
new player: 6! plus 5, that's an 11.
Me: yeah, you don't know much about this item unfortunately
new player: but I thought you said that if I picked gnome I would be smart
Me: you are, it's just--
dwarf fighter: I ROLLED A 19!
[curb your enthusiasm music plays]