It's not about being in competition with the gnome wizard in your party, it's about being worse than the gnome wizard you could have been playing instead of the dragonborn. And knowing that nothing you got from being a dragonborn is as useful and potent as that +2 to Int from gnome.
I get that, but each race offers its own unique traits that impact your PCs in other ways. How much value or impact those other traits has is in the eye of the beholder, but I play a race because that is the vision for my PC--not because I worry about a +1 difference in modifier. Being +1 less shouldn't make your PC less enjoyable to play IMO, but apparently for some people, it does.
shrug
Look, if staring at a 14 in someone's main stat at level 1 instead of a 16 doesn't make your brain itch, I simply can't explain it. I can't justify the psychology to you in any rational way, but it's there, and it certainly stopped me from pursuing a lot of cool options I thought of. Likewise, I'm sure having racial adjustments fixed satisfies a group of players on some psychological level I don't understand, judging from a lot of the emotional reaction on the topic.
Oh, I know. I appreciate your response, but the thought process just doesn't jibe with me. I, like the people you mention, and completely in support of fixed racial ASIs because they are different fantasy species, not different ethnicities (?) of humans. Orcs stronger than elves? Sure. Dwarves hardier than gnomes? Yep. And so on.
I don't mind the idea of swapping the ASI +2, but reducing it to +1, because in my mind that represents you are going against your racial norm, and you that process is harder, so you get a bit less. I would remove the ASI +1's, I don't think they are needed, personally. Keep it simple: your core race gets a +2 locked someplace, if you don't want it, you get a floating +1 instead.
But I hope the fact that a lot of people keep saying it's a problem impresses on you that there is something to the complaint, even if you don't understand it or feel it's something they should get over. This new rule makes me happier, because I can finally play an elf barbarian or a halfling wizard without feeling diminished by not picking a better race.
Well, a lot of tables already float their ASIs. We've played that way at one time or another at our tables, so I am not surprised they made the concept "official". It doesn't stop anyone who wants to keep their racial ASIs where they were. I'm glad you're happier, I guess to me it is simply a shame you felt you needed this to be happy with your characters.
It sort of reminds me of players in the past who took proficiency in a weapon (like in AD&D), but the first magic weapon the group got was something they couldn't use, and were like "man, I wish I had taken proficiency in that weapon instead!" Suddenly, they are unhappy with their PC because of a choice they made.
shrug
Anyway, thanks for the response. I'm glad you get to play what you want.
