And if racial bonuses didn't matter?

[Sharky316]

I got tired of the endless simpering my players were making about this particular subject once and just had them play anycombo they wanted with 18s in all stats. You'd be surprised how creative people get when they have demi god stats. I particularly liked the goblin bard.

 

[MarkB]

Housecat wizard.
Storm giant rogue.
Platypus paladin.

 

[Theroc]

I got tired of the endless simpering my players were making about this particular subject once and just had them play anycombo they wanted with 18s in all stats. You'd be surprised how creative people get when they have demi god stats. I particularly liked the goblin bard.

Sounds like fun.

Well, I am going to be playing a Warforged Whirling Slayer Barbarian in an upcoming game. Agile dancing killer robot go!

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

Just a little criativity exercise: What character concepts, which combinations of race/class, would you do if racial bonuses didn't matter to determine your ability values?

as I said elsewhere

I would kill stat bonus and give another racial power to the various races....

and if it would be possible (w/out going full 5th ed) I would try to lessen the importance of stats (if I HAVE to get 20 in my best stat that's not fun), stat should give a little bonus/malus but not be central to character conception and design

 

[Jhaelen]

flumph assassin

 

[RyvenCedrylle]

Dragonborn Monk - not that you can't do it now but you really shoot yourself in the face when it comes to skills in order to sit 'properly' on the to-hit curve. Either that or you have to blow feats to make up what you spent in off-stats.

Yes, I run with some pretty optimized folks and playing second striker to a bow ranger can be a humiliating experience. If my playgroup(s) weren't quite so mechanically adept, I may feel differently.

Also, interestingly enough, Aberrant Rules #27 will be (actually is, I've already wrote it) about this very topic.

 

[darkwing]

I would kill stat bonus and give another racial power to the various races....

and if it would be possible (w/out going full 5th ed) I would try to lessen the importance of stats (if I HAVE to get 20 in my best stat that's not fun), stat should give a little bonus/malus but not be central to character conception and design

To-Hit should really be disjoined from attributes. The one thing that sucks in D&D more than anything (short a sadistic DM) is not being able to hit something. I can understand attributes affecting damage, rider abilities and even feat choices. But telling someone they're going to spend most of the time watching others have fun if they can't hit, and they can't hit without a good primary attribute score, is lame.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

flumph assassin

Why would anyone want to assassinate flumphs?

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

To-Hit should really be disjoined from attributes. The one thing that sucks in D&D more than anything (short a sadistic DM) is not being able to hit something. I can understand attributes affecting damage, rider abilities and even feat choices. But telling someone they're going to spend most of the time watching others have fun if they can't hit, and they can't hit without a good primary attribute score, is lame.

this is exactly my idea

I think that the to hit bonus has grown in importance with each edition

even a 18(00) fighter of AD&D 1st had at most a +3 to hit, the greatest capacity to hit come from class and level

I would just get rid of the stat dependency and say your to hit is based on level... that's it

maybe I should give it a try next campaing....

fixed to hit bonus for everyone (+4 or +5, or even better +4 improving with level up to +12 to include item bonus and growing stat....) and back to lesser bonus from stats....

 

[JohnSnow]

I'm also in the camp of not finding stat bonuses to be as necessary as everyone else. If you're willing to start with a 16 or 17 rather than an 18, there's plenty of viable options for any character race.

That said, the half-elf ranger could use a little love. That's my favorite race/class combo, and the stats don't match up well at all.