D&D 5E Halflings are the 7th most popular 5e race

[MichaelSomething]

Seems to me the better choice is to have mages that don't become stupidly powerful simply because you picked up +2 to a stat. That you build the game so it starts out with better balance than "simply picking two of the default options together is broken."

The great irony to me is that this exact argument comes from many folks who claim to loathe balance based arguments because they limit player choice and make worse, less interesting games. Yet the alternative, here, is apparently that (for balance reasons!) we must...limit player choice, even if it means a worse, less interesting game.

If balance is going to matter either way, shouldn't we try to cut problems like this off at the pass?

You, of all people, should know by now that many would gladly embrace imbalance for the sake of immersion.

 

[Vaalingrade]

He who would sacrifice essential balance for a small amount of immersion deserves neither balance nor immersion.

 

[James Gasik]

I made no claim to originality!

I don't think this is a bad idea, to be honest. Even as kitbashed as it was, the concept of Savage Species is something I really liked. The only problem with implementing this is how to figure out what the "Human Class" would grant, since almost nobody has ever come up with anything great for them other than "stuff everyone else can get, but more of it".

The only exception being Earthdawn, and even there, they just have an easier time poaching abilities from other Adept Classes.

 

[Mecheon]

Plus like.... If we're talking 5E, the only thing that's debatably unbalanced player race wise is Yuan-Ti and that's due to the whole "resist every magic spell in the game" thing they got going on

What little Con boost you'd get from a dwarf isn't really doing much for a wizard simply due to how 5E's HP system works. See also the "Its more effective to heal people up from unconcious than to do mid-fight healing" deal with 5E.

 

[James Gasik]

Plus like.... If we're talking 5E, the only thing that's debatably unbalanced player race wise is Yuan-Ti and that's due to the whole "resist every magic spell in the game" thing they got going on

What little Con boost you'd get from a dwarf isn't really doing much for a wizard simply due to how 5E's HP system works. See also the "Its more effective to heal people up from unconcious than to do mid-fight healing" deal with 5E.

Yuan Ti aren't exactly busted though (though MMM does nerf them). I mean, Gnomes have advantage on Int/Wis/Cha saves, which includes some of the worst things to fail a save against, and people barely play them as it is.

Having played a Yuan Ti in a campaign, here's what actually happened:

*I encountered few actual spellcasters.
*Often, when I would ask the DM if a monster ability was magic, he'd say no. When pressed on this, he opined that, since there's a total lack of guidance as to what counts as "magic", if he ruled that every preternatural ability enemies had was magical, I would get advantage on most saving throws. As annoying as that was to hear, I couldn't really argue the point, and this seems to be how magic resistance is played at most tables.
*Sometimes even when enemies used spells, they did so through extraordinary means other than traditional spellcasting, which led to a few spirited debates on the subject, lol. We were up against an opponent who could evoke magical effects from candles lit in her chamber, which couldn't be counterspelled; the DM attempted to rule that if counterspell doesn't work, magic resistance shouldn't either, but they eventually recanted after I pointed out my "advantage" hadn't worked on anything the whole game, lol.
*The actual busted ability was immunity to the poisoned condition, because WotC uses it a lot, even where you wouldn't expect it. For example, the stench of Troglodytes; I was never happier than when I told the DM I was immune to the effect when we had to fight a pack of them (it was a pretty grueling fight because several other characters were being forced to roll at disadvantage).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

After the magical apocalypse, only the gnomes and Yuan-Ti will survive.

 

[CleverNickName]

You, of all people, should know by now that many would gladly embrace imbalance for the sake of immersion.

Or even simple enjoyment. I'm not here to academically appreciate how well-balanced a game is, I'm here to have fun. So I'll throw balance under the bus if it makes the evening more enjoyable for myself and my friends.

 

[Oofta]

After the magical apocalypse, only the gnomes and Yuan-Ti will survive.

Until the Yuan-Ti get hungry anyway.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

You, of all people, should know by now that many would gladly embrace imbalance for the sake of immersion.

But that's not what's being said. Something immersive--Dwarven wizards--is being rejected because it would be imbalanced.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Or even simple enjoyment. I'm not here to academically appreciate how well-balanced a game is, I'm here to have fun. So I'll throw balance under the bus if it makes the evening more enjoyable for myself and my friends.

Because it's definitely 100% true that balance is always in opposition to fun, and couldn't ever support it, in any circumstance, for any reason.