Jacob Lewis
Ye Olde GM
Hey, I think it's an option worth looking into! But feel free to explore ideas outside of what's only in the book. There are a lot of options and ideas from previous editions and other game systems. Borrow and steal where you can, innovate where you see any shortcomings.It is funny you brought this up as I was thinking of trying it. It was going to be something like this:
ASI +2
ASI +1, different ability
Pick three features from a minor list.
Pick two features from a moderate list.
Pick one feature from a prime list.
Taking all the options available from the books and putting them into one of the three lists, you could tailor make your race pretty much. But for a simple example:
ELF:
Dex +2, Chr +1
Three minor features: Fleet of Foot, Keen Senses, Trance
Two moderate: Darkvision, Fey Ancestry
Prime: Magical Bloodline
Of course, then the subjectiveness comes into which features would fall into which groups.
And rather than tightly controlled lists specific for each race, leave them broad for the majority of characters regardless of any racial or cultural influence. But the prime list should include those powerful, race-exclusive traits that are commonly found regardless of upbringing, but not necessarily exhibited by every individual of that race encountered. Let the players exercise their subjectiveness for a change rather than leaving it to the whims of another author. Cheers!