D&D 5E (2014) Wow! No more subraces. The Players Handbook races reformat to the new race format going forward.

[Maxperson]

I don't know what aiming with a range weapon and being able to shrug off damage have in common...

Willful ignorance would be my guess, since you know that's not my argument.

 

[Maxperson]

I've also said this before. I'm not against a floating +2. There should just be a racial +2 as well. So give dwarves +2 con and a floating +2. Give elves +2 dex and a floating +2. There are ways to take everyone into consideration. WotC should use them.

 

[Faolyn]

Sure. After ASIs the halfling PC can be as strong as a goliath.

Yes. That's what's nice about floating ASIs, because it allows that one halfling PC to be unusually strong, or it allows that one goliath PC to be unusually weak. Or it allows them both to have whatever Strength they want, but the halfling is particularly charismatic while the goliath is particularly smart.

You're focused on saying that halflings shouldn't be too strong because of goliaths, but what's wrong with having physically weak halflings who are of average Dexterity but are really healthy, smart, wise, or charismatic? Many decades worth of lore has drilled the trope of the "dexterous halfling" into the gaming world's subconscious, so probably most people are going to put at least a +1 in Dex anyway.

(Which is actually a weird point. Halflings are short and stubby, with short, stubby fingers, but are just as dexterous as the lithe, graceful elves are.)

Am I the only one who has PCs that try to lift or drag heavy things?

No. Why would you think that? But that lifting and dragging things is improved more by the Powerful Build than by Strength. In one game I'm in, my firbolg warlock carts stuff around. They're basically the party's pack mule at this point, even though there are several other PCs that have higher significantly Strength scores. Why? Because my firbolg has Powerful Build and none of the others do, which makes them better at lifting and dragging heavy things anyone else in the party. Even if I had been allowed by RAW to stick that +1 in any other stat than Strength, my warlock would still be better at lifting and dragging.

Correct.

Glad you agree. Because this (combined with the fact that Strength and Dex are equal when it comes to attacks) means that the +2 Strength racial ASI is pretty pointless.

And, of course, ASIs aren't just limited to physical abilities, but mental ones as well, and do we really need to say that one race is smarter or wiser or more charismatic than another?

The bonus issue is due to 5e's overabundance of balance. Balance is good, but too much balance is not.

So basically, as long as the imbalance is in a way that you like, it's OK? Because otherwise that sentence makes no sense.

Edit: I should mention that I've made a bunch of playtest characters for Level Up, which doesn't have any racial ASIs at all: they're tied to background, with +1 assigned, +1 floating. I've made both orcs and halflings, and the orcs feel strong and the halflings feel dexterous to me.

 

[Faolyn]

You cannot control what some people would do. I think you are incorrect on your prediction. Its something people have accepted as the new norm, very quickly.

I don't think so, at least not going by reddit.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Perhaps you are unaware of the various ways people can be slow. It's not all just how far you can move in a round.

So, there is only one way to be strong, but there are two ways to be slow. Convenient for your argument.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Nope. Nice Strawman of what I said, though.

Really? Because it seems to me that you were trying to say that all those elves existed because they were popular, while ignoring that their ASIs just happened to allow you to have an elf in almost every role.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Nothing except that some people still think D&D is a game you win by maxxing out your damage potential (I've had people--on reddit, fortunately not my friends--tell me I'm literally a bad gamer and failing my party by having a non-minmaxed race/class combo). I hope that this is a mentality that dies out soon, but since Tasha's is still pretty new, I'd say it will take several more years, or even an entire new edition, for "play whatever race and class you want and put the +2/+1 where you want them to be" to be the new norm.

Amusing as your strawman is, high ability scores can also be used to stealth, persuasion, healing, utility magic (many prepared casters prepare as level + modifer) and well.. basically everything. AC? You need high ability scores to have good AC.

It isn't just "we need more damage". Ability scores are literally tied to every single mechanical and RP aspect of the game. Unless you play with a DM who allows good speeches to ignore the need to roll persuasion or deception.

 

[Ixal]

Nothing except that some people still think D&D is a game you win by maxxing out your damage potential (I've had people--on reddit, fortunately not my friends--tell me I'm literally a bad gamer and failing my party by having a non-minmaxed race/class combo). I hope that this is a mentality that dies out soon, but since Tasha's is still pretty new, I'd say it will take several more years, or even an entire new edition, for "play whatever race and class you want and put the +2/+1 where you want them to be" to be the new norm.

Unlikely as WotC seems to specifically cater it.

 

[Scribe]

I don't think so, at least not going by reddit.

I dont consider the internet, and especially the bigger social media type sites, as representative of reality.

In the real world, people are far less extreme, far less polarized, and more open to working together to make sure most people are having fun.

 

[Faolyn]

I dont consider the internet, and especially the bigger social media type sites, as representative of reality.

In the real world, people are far less extreme, far less polarized, and more open to working together to make sure most people are having fun.

There's also a lot of really weird people out there.

Fortunately, I have good people to game with.