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<blockquote data-quote="Charlaquin" data-source="post: 8369900" data-attributes="member: 6779196">You know what’s a game that manages to have ancestral ability score bonuses, and even ability score penalties, without them being biologically essentialist? Pathfinder 2e. The way ability scores are generated in that game, you can start with an 18 in your primary ability, a 14 in two secondary abilities, a 12 in an ability of your choice and 10s in your other abilities, regardless of your ancestry and class combination. Or if you don’t want to be quite as min/maxy, you can get 18, 14, 12, 12, 12, 10. It’s great because you get the flavor of the ancestral ability score adjustments, but every race is still equally viable for any class. And they do it by having background, class, and your own personal choice all play a role in determining your starting ability scores. Yes, dwarves may be a bit stronger and tougher (though less charismatic) on average than elves, but if an elf wants to become a Barbarian, through their background experiences, their training as a Barbarian, and their own hard work and dedication, they can overcome that slight statistical disadvantage and become as good a Barbarian as any dwarf. Now that’s some good game design!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Charlaquin, post: 8369900, member: 6779196"] You know what’s a game that manages to have ancestral ability score bonuses, and even ability score penalties, without them being biologically essentialist? Pathfinder 2e. The way ability scores are generated in that game, you can start with an 18 in your primary ability, a 14 in two secondary abilities, a 12 in an ability of your choice and 10s in your other abilities, regardless of your ancestry and class combination. Or if you don’t want to be quite as min/maxy, you can get 18, 14, 12, 12, 12, 10. It’s great because you get the flavor of the ancestral ability score adjustments, but every race is still equally viable for any class. And they do it by having background, class, and your own personal choice all play a role in determining your starting ability scores. Yes, dwarves may be a bit stronger and tougher (though less charismatic) on average than elves, but if an elf wants to become a Barbarian, through their background experiences, their training as a Barbarian, and their own hard work and dedication, they can overcome that slight statistical disadvantage and become as good a Barbarian as any dwarf. Now [I]that’s[/I] some good game design! [/QUOTE]

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