That's weird, my PHB says halflings are small.![]()
Recall, the 5e races can be any reallife human height and physique, and also, a player can roll height randomly using the height chart of any race.
If one wants a Norse-esque dwarf who is human height, no problem.
It depends on the character concept that the player has in mind.
Heh, brace yourself!That's weird, my PHB says halflings are small.
Then D&D doesn't work as there's almost nothing "grounded" about it.I think every fantasy setting needs to have some elements grounded in reality otherwise it doesn't work.
It's all about willing suspension of disbelief. If you're unwilling, that's the end of that.But just because I accept one absurd premise doesn't mean I have to accept all fantastical premises.
But you're essentializing. It's not that all halflings are just as strong as all goliaths. It's that a STR 10 halfling can hit just as hard as a STR 10 goliath. That's it. Powerful Build doubles the carrying capacity of all goliaths. So a STR 10 goliath can carry just as much as a STR 20 halfling. A STR 11 goliath can carry more than a STR 20 halfling. So, on average, goliaths are stronger than halflings. But that doesn't mean that the weakest goliath must always and forever be stronger than the strongest possible halfling. That's something I don't get.So yeah, I look at halfling that's just as strong as a goliath as stupid.
And, again, ability scores are so abstract as to be impossible to line up with any real world equivalent. You use Strength for both swimming and lifting, so who has a higher Strength score, Michael Phelps or Hafthor Bjornson?Then D&D doesn't work as there's almost nothing "grounded" about it.
It's all about willing suspension of disbelief. If you're unwilling, that's the end of that.
But you're essentializing. It's not that all halflings are just as strong as all goliaths. It's that a STR 10 halfling can hit just as hard as a STR 10 goliath. That's it. Powerful Build doubles the carrying capacity of all goliaths. So a STR 10 goliath can carry just as much as a STR 20 halfling. A STR 11 goliath can carry more than a STR 20 halfling. So, on average, goliaths are stronger than halflings. But that doesn't mean that the weakest goliath must always and forever be stronger than the strongest possible halfling. That's something I don't get.
Yeah I prefer the current setup. Folk like Goliath can be bigger and stronger due to their traits, but a player can swap athletics for history and make a nerd that won't win an arm wrestle with a buff human. It's a good setup.Don't we pretty much already have that with Xanathar's? A dwarf raised by elves was given training in bows from the time they were a toddler but never used a hammer in a fight. They don't know dwarven from pig Latin but speak elvish fluently.
Or am I just missing something?
Sure. That's not a dirty word to me.But you're essentializing.
Except where they explicitly line up with real world weights and measures. Though I agree, it's an abstract fantasy game. I'm good with that. If anything, it's too worried about being concrete and not abstract enough.And, again, ability scores are so abstract as to be impossible to line up with any real world equivalent.
Raw strength score Hafthor Bjornson, by a mile. They're both trained in athletics, but Phelps clearly has expertise in swimming...or we just acknowledge he's a bad example because of his several genetic advantages that give him basically the perfect body for swimming, larger lung capacity than most, and his body produces less lactic acid, amongst other things.You use Strength for both swimming and lifting, so who has a higher Strength score, Michael Phelps or Hafthor Bjornson?
I had a 7 foot tall albino elf in my game back when elves topped out at a little over 5 foot tall. For one session.I'm looking forward to all the 7'8" halflings.
So, according to you, essentializing race is...good?Sure. That's not a dirty word to me.