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

[HammerMan]

Well, Wizards isnt about to just stop selling rules as well.

What we have now is the bare minimum of what can define a race, unless they give a grab bag and say 'make your own'.

At which point I 100% walk lol.

I would kill for custom linage to be a grab bag of abilities

 

[HammerMan]

You now have several people in this thread who were unwilling or could not even imagine to play a race/class combination which do not have optimized abilities. And when your character creation process is taking a class first and then choosing to take whatever race has a matching bonus, no matter which race that is, that is not role playing.

um, no it is character creation.... Role Playing is what you DO with the character in game..

Taking a concept then figititing to find the best way to play it even if 100% system egnostic is ALSO not roleplaying... it is character creation.

 

[HammerMan]

You are obviously not role playing when you build your character according to combat statistics only ("I won't play anything that doesn't give me a 16!"). What role is that supposed to be besides "optimal archer build #32"?

"Man I just read the Ultimate's comic where captain America yells "You never miss, and I never loose" to Hawkeye" and "Man I really like the John Wick movies where he seems to just blow everyone away but then also knows martial arts" It would be awesome for me to play a chick like that mixed with annie from covert affairs... I have a whole personality worked out that mixes the three and can build a custom background for exspy. OKay, so I need the highest dex a good wis and to multi class fighter ranger and monk... DM said all PHB races allowed and I picture her being likable too, and we are starting at 5th level. So half elf +1 dex +1 Wis +2 cha. array is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, so as much as I will RP being smart I don't need Int, so 8 goes in there, 15 in dex becomes a 16, 14 in wis becomes 15, 13 in Con, 12 in Cha becomes 14, 10 in str is a little blah. I take 2 levels of fighter (action surge) 2 levels of ranger (some spells and the fighting style) then 1 level of monk... my 2 fighting styles are unarmed and archery... I have +3 dex to unarmed and ranged attacks another +2 to ranged attacks plus prof. my unarmed attack is a d8 and I can take rogue levels later to add damage...

all of that was min maxing.... once I get into game to play her as an exmember of the kings secret police is role playing

 

[Minigiant]

.

It doesn't become true by you repeating it over and over again. A 16 is not required and you are perfectly able to play a CHA 15 Hexblade.
Its funny how we in this thread now had both the argument that ASI are too insignificant and too important.

Playing a orc hexblade because you think its an interesting character -> role playing
Not playing a orc hexblade you think is an interesting character because its not optimized -> not role playing

I gave explanations from the books of its expectations. 16, power game, or favoritism. You may not like it but the game assume your PreTasha orc hexblade is cheesing or carried.

 

[Maxperson]

So, what's the difference?

There's absolutely no relation between one planetouched and another. You can say that there are two types of giant and that they share some sort of genetic connection(maybe), but a planetouched human something lower planar(tiefling) has no genetic connection at all to a planetouched elven upper planar(aasimar). Neither of those have any connection to genie blooded(genasi). They are all individual races. Planetouched isn't even a category in 5e, because it doesn't have to be. They're just making the various races.

 

[Scribe]

And so you think other people should be told that their feeling that they are making the wrong choice, by taking an obviously weaker and less effective option, is wrong?

So wildly off base from what I said, that I'll not continue any discussion with one so willing to read only what they wish.

And besides.

I've heard the population simulation argument. I get that was some original attempt at verisimilitude

You get it anyway.

Good day.

 

[HammerMan]

Playing a orc hexblade because you think its an interesting character -> role playing
Not playing a orc hexblade you think is an interesting character because its not optimized -> not role playing

Playing a half orc hexblade is a character creation choice... not playing a half orc and instead choosing a half elf (half high for the free cantrip of course) hexblade instead is a character creation choice.

both can be roleplayed... both can be NOT roleplayed...

have you never met someone who played suboptimal and still treated it as a beer and pretzel game? My Bro in law does it all the time.
"Man wouldn't it be cool to be a half orc wizard" then he makes it with a joke name like "Mcfireball" (yes a real example, but it was a infernal lock) then bearly says 2 words in social situations, unless he has a charm spell, then doesn't really do much when exploreing except ask where the next fight is.... then doesn't think in character at all when a trap or combat comes up...

 

[Maxperson]

Better yes, it could be one race of Orc with a single set of ASI.

Many players seems to have been conditioned to always optimize which goes against the very idea of role playing and thus should in my opinion not be catered to.

I disagree with that assessment. Sometimes the roleplay is to be the best swordsman, or the best ranger(no optimization there ) or whatever. Roleplay can go either way.

 

[HammerMan]

here is a simple test.

if you ran a table through a modular made for 5th level adventurers with a fighter with a 10 str, a wizard with a 10 Int, a Cleric with a 10 wis and a rogue with a 10 dex and all of them have 11 Con scores (other stats can vary) then ran the exact same adventure with a fighter with 16 str, a wizard with a 16 int, a cleric with a 16 wins and a rogue with a 16 dex, all of them having 13+con (other stats will stay the same as the first pass) how big of a difference will it have?

I think we can all agree having a 10 in your prime stat and an 11 con is going to be WAY harder then having a 16 prime stat and 13+ con. The difference is optimization I think we all agree on this amount of it.

Now the real question is at what point is it "close enough?" does the 12 prime stat and 16 play close? does the 14 prime stat and 16 prime stat play close?

 

[Maxperson]

All 4 Orc have the same positive racial adjustment.

The point is that cultural elements were hardcoded in the base race even though all 4 types make sense in any of the 4 settings

That's not 4 different orcs, then. If all that changes is the lore, it's just one orc placed into 4 different settings which will typically alter lore.