This is actually exactly what I'm doing with my own homebrew.
Humans get +10% from all experience earned.
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Alternatives to Human Ability Score Boosts
- Thread starter ferratus
- Start date
This is actually exactly what I'm doing with my own homebrew.
Humans get +10% from all experience earned.
My issue with the Human stat boosts is it's akin to the old demihuman level limits in a slightly different way. Humans get to start off as slightly better than any other race at their favored class, which isn't quite the same as "more versatile", but they're markedly better than any of the demihumans at their non-favored class set up. Yeah, you can make an Elf Guardian Fighter or a Dwarf Wizard, but they're going to be well behind the humans if they try to build something non-standard.
Li Shenron
Legend
I'm not going to critique your proposal because I made the same in another thread
But I want to elaborate on the section above from your post. I agree on the designer's intentions. OTOH I ask myself... how many groups are really not going to use skills and feats? Maybe I'm totally wrong, but IMHO the vast majority is going to use both. And the minority who is going to use neither skills nor feats looks like it will be comprised mostly of "old-schoolers". But how many of those old-schoolers are going to say "no skills in our game!" (which by the way in 5e are nothing but simple bonuses to some ability checks, not the large and complex subsystem of 3ed, so they are probably more acceptable now than before to an old-schooler) and "no feats in our game!" (feats being simple additional abilities) but are going to say "yes to super-humans with +1 to every score!"??? Why would a group of old-schoolers refuse to use skills and feats, but still play 5e with mandatory stuff like cantrips at-will, rituals at-will, expertise dice, sneak attack, turn undead as a spell, and a lot of other built-in details that have little to do with "old-school"? They'd rather not play 5e at all, but if they don't, it certainly won't be because of skills and feats... There are things in 5e which will make an old-schooler run away, and skills and feats are the least of them.
Therefore IMHO the groups who aren't going to use skills and feats are not really the old-schoolers' groups... they are more likely going to be beginners' groups which choose to play their first campaigns with the smaller number of options so that it's a bit easier. If they get hooked in the game, skills and feats are much easier to learn (skills = flat bonuses! feats = simple add-ons abilities!) and use than the expertise dice or the sorcerer's willpower mechanic or other class-specific features that by default cannot be removed, therefore the same beginners groups most likely they will later use skills and feats.
All this to say that IMHO the best thing to do (since I am myself uneasy with the XP bonus idea, even tho I suggested it) is just give Humans bonus skills and feats.
Then put a nice sidebar which says "if your group doesn't use skills or feats, consider the following alternative bonuses to Humans" and propose the +1 to all abilities, an XP bonus alternative, and even something else.
Salamandyr
Adventurer
Let's see,
Dwarves get
Ability to see in the Dark
Extra damage with their primary weapons
Immunity to one of the most common nonweapon damage mechanisms in the game.
Some cool exploration abilities that may or may not apply depending on your game.
A +1 to an important stat to their primary class.
Either an average 1 hp more per level or +1 to AC
Elves get
Ability to see in the dark
Extra damage with their primary weapons, which also tend to be the most popular weapons in the game.
Advantage on the single most rolled skill check in the game (Spot/Perception)
Immunity to two major save or dies/sucks
An interesting RP thing
A bonus to an important stat for your primary classes.
A spell or a speed boost and ability to hide easier.
Halflings get
extra damage with their primary weapons
The ability to take a mulligan twice a game day on any roll involving a d20.
Some minor maneuverability bump
A bonus to an important stat for your primary class and either the ability to hide in a VERY common situation, or the ability to shake off fear.
Only the halfling has any discernable penalties, losing both movement and access to heavy weapons. The dwarf loses some movement but isn't hindered by armor so it's a wash.
Whatever humans get, it needs to be comparable to that. Currently I think +1 to all stats and a second +1 to their chosen stats is about that good, just barely, unless you wind up with a lot of odd numbers when you roll. Give them much less than that (like +1 to only 1 or 2 stats) and you'd better start taking stuff away from the other races.
Bonus xp is a bad deal, unless we're talking like doubled xp because it does absolutely nothing except let the human level one session ahead maybe once or twice over the course of a campaign.
Humans getting overall better stats than other races may not be aesthetically pretty, but it does the job. Cutting back on those stats, you either need to make up for it by giving something to humans at least as good, or you have to start taking stuff away from the other races, because when played to their strengths, most of the other races are at least as good, if not better than the humans, even with the better stats.
If a change must be made, give nonhumans a +1 to two stats (one common to all subraces and the other determined by subrace).
Dwarves get
Ability to see in the Dark
Extra damage with their primary weapons
Immunity to one of the most common nonweapon damage mechanisms in the game.
Some cool exploration abilities that may or may not apply depending on your game.
A +1 to an important stat to their primary class.
Either an average 1 hp more per level or +1 to AC
Elves get
Ability to see in the dark
Extra damage with their primary weapons, which also tend to be the most popular weapons in the game.
Advantage on the single most rolled skill check in the game (Spot/Perception)
Immunity to two major save or dies/sucks
An interesting RP thing
A bonus to an important stat for your primary classes.
A spell or a speed boost and ability to hide easier.
Halflings get
extra damage with their primary weapons
The ability to take a mulligan twice a game day on any roll involving a d20.
Some minor maneuverability bump
A bonus to an important stat for your primary class and either the ability to hide in a VERY common situation, or the ability to shake off fear.
Only the halfling has any discernable penalties, losing both movement and access to heavy weapons. The dwarf loses some movement but isn't hindered by armor so it's a wash.
Whatever humans get, it needs to be comparable to that. Currently I think +1 to all stats and a second +1 to their chosen stats is about that good, just barely, unless you wind up with a lot of odd numbers when you roll. Give them much less than that (like +1 to only 1 or 2 stats) and you'd better start taking stuff away from the other races.
Bonus xp is a bad deal, unless we're talking like doubled xp because it does absolutely nothing except let the human level one session ahead maybe once or twice over the course of a campaign.
Humans getting overall better stats than other races may not be aesthetically pretty, but it does the job. Cutting back on those stats, you either need to make up for it by giving something to humans at least as good, or you have to start taking stuff away from the other races, because when played to their strengths, most of the other races are at least as good, if not better than the humans, even with the better stats.
If a change must be made, give nonhumans a +1 to two stats (one common to all subraces and the other determined by subrace).
Mezzer
First Post
Whatever they end up giving humans, I'm fairly sure they'll want it to be simple and easy to use as a default choice. The current stats bonuses are just that. Moreover, in D&D Next ability scores seem to be vastly less important than ever before.
The number of places where you'd normally plug in your ability modifiers in 3.x or 4E vastly dwarfs the current Next paradigm. And while admittedly, due to the shift towards bounded accuracy the actual modifiers may matter more at times, there seems to be a fair few ways to get around that in most cases (the Rogue for example).
All that said, I really have no issue with the stats bonuses humans get. They can have the same modifier on their primary stat as anyone else initially, and the rest are of very little impact. The other races get some really powerful, and frankly far more flavorful or just plain cool, benefits. Elves and dwarves are far better than Halflings in my opinion though, and I'd say better than Humans as well.
The number of places where you'd normally plug in your ability modifiers in 3.x or 4E vastly dwarfs the current Next paradigm. And while admittedly, due to the shift towards bounded accuracy the actual modifiers may matter more at times, there seems to be a fair few ways to get around that in most cases (the Rogue for example).
All that said, I really have no issue with the stats bonuses humans get. They can have the same modifier on their primary stat as anyone else initially, and the rest are of very little impact. The other races get some really powerful, and frankly far more flavorful or just plain cool, benefits. Elves and dwarves are far better than Halflings in my opinion though, and I'd say better than Humans as well.
the Jester
Legend
I strongly favor +1 to highest and lowest stats.
This both favors optimization and keeps humans from super-optimizing.
Jeff Carlsen
Adventurer
My thought is that Humans should have a large list of traits that they can choose from to represent their adaptability. Here are a few ideas.
Ability Training: Double the ability bonus granted by your class. This bonus can not increase your ability score above 18.
Favored Weapon: Choose any weapon. Your damage dice from that weapon are increased by one step.
Well Traveled: Gain an extra language of your choice.
Overachiever: Trained skills start at a +4 instead of a +3.
Quick Study: You gain feats one level before you otherwise would.
Learned: Choose any two skills. You are trained in those skills.
I could also see abilities that tie into classes, like extra spell slots or points. The advantage of this setup is that rules can interact with optional components. If you aren't using Skills or Feats, then those options won't be chosen.
Ability Training: Double the ability bonus granted by your class. This bonus can not increase your ability score above 18.
Favored Weapon: Choose any weapon. Your damage dice from that weapon are increased by one step.
Well Traveled: Gain an extra language of your choice.
Overachiever: Trained skills start at a +4 instead of a +3.
Quick Study: You gain feats one level before you otherwise would.
Learned: Choose any two skills. You are trained in those skills.
I could also see abilities that tie into classes, like extra spell slots or points. The advantage of this setup is that rules can interact with optional components. If you aren't using Skills or Feats, then those options won't be chosen.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
I'd go with racial feats, and have humans get a free one (or two). Or perhaps a second background.
Change the stat bump to a single +1 to be placed in any stat.
Change the stat bump to a single +1 to be placed in any stat.
Salamandyr
Adventurer
Almost every thing being offered for humans is considerably weaker than what the other races get.
Whatever humans get, it needs to be at least as good as what they get now, or they're going to be way behind what dwarves and elves get, unless you're going to start pulling abilities out of them too.
Halflings do look to be a little on the weak side.
Whatever humans get, it needs to be at least as good as what they get now, or they're going to be way behind what dwarves and elves get, unless you're going to start pulling abilities out of them too.
Halflings do look to be a little on the weak side.
