To be fair, I've never seen anyone play them differently, either. The only dwarves that should get special rules are duergar (and maybe derro, but really we should forget derro entirely.)This will be interesting since the Dwarf is mostly just ability score bonuses and bonus proficiencies. If Ability scores, languages, and bonus proficiencies will be "fully" controlled by the place and subraces become full entries, there is basically no difference between Mountain and Hill dwarves shrinks so considerably that it might be a waste of page space to print them as separate things.
There is nothing in the giff race as presented in the UA this thread is ostensibly about that represents them being tough. That's all I'm talking about. Certainly you can do stuff to make your giff tough, but under these rules the things you can do have nothing to do with it being a giff.
I loved the giff as they were presented In previous editions, because i found their culture in contrast to their appearance interesting and funny. The Spelljammer novels included a giff character that represented this perfectly, and i remember it fondly. I lament the loss of cultural traits with mechanical weight in favor of telling everyone to make it up and just roleplay it.
No.+2 Dex does that just fine, the same as things like +5 movement speed.
Well it all comes down to setting. Most people run stereotypical settings with races hitting 75% of the tropes.To be fair, I've never seen anyone play them differently, either. The only dwarves that should get special rules are duergar (and maybe derro, but really we should forget derro entirely.)
Wood Elves are also naturally dexterous. Or rather they used to be.
And an "old wise" wood elf with his highest abilities in int and wis would still be more dexterous than a "old wise" dwarf.
I think I was unclear: I've never seen people play hill dwarves differently the mountain dwarves.Well it all comes down to setting. Most people run stereotypical settings with races hitting 75% of the tropes.
However if you dive deeper into original dwarf lore or into logical dwarf lore for a setting, some stuff culturally might change.
Why is an underground mining and nothing race using axes instead of war picks, shovel pole arms, and mauls. Ain't no trees down there.
Add in the tons of STR/CON races in fantasy and you will need to focus on non-ability score and non-cultural differences
That is still faulty logic.Unless that Wood Elf had a twisted leg and spine from a blight spell cast by a necromancer King ages ago during an epic war, and the dwarf is a famous circus performer whose spent the last hundred years performing in all the King's courts.
"Oh but then you didn't put your highest in those scores" Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. They are NPCs, they don't even get scores until midway through the scene. And for PCs... the moment you roll for ability scores it is a moot point.
I think I was unclear: I've never seen people play hill dwarves differently the mountain dwarves.