D&D 5E D&D Peoples/Species change ideas

[Blue]

Or just remove them entirely?

If you want a high STR for your fighter, put it there. You don't need racial or class bonuses to help define your character IMO.

I strongly disagree. I greatly miss the ability to play various other mythical races, from minotaures to pixies. Races need that design space to be able to satisfy standard archetypes (that are missing or watered down in 5e).

 

[DND_Reborn]

Don't you see a huge issue with assigning mental ability bonuses for such cultures?

This is why I like the idea that the races (not cultures) are biologically different. Some animals are just smarter than other IRL and I have no issue with a races (folk, whatever) also being smarter than another.

Some cultures might be more advanced and smarter, but because of that they might also be weaker and less physical due to advances in technology. As long as there is balance, I don't see an issue. A culture that is +1 int but -1 str would reflect that. Going back to 1E for example. No problem with Elf +1 dex/ -1 con, dwarf +1 con/ -1 chr, etc. because they all cancel out. Balance. For some reason in 5E, players seem to abhor the idea of penalty to a stat...

What I find unfortunate is when a person identifies with a culture or race or whatever in a fantasy game and sees that negative trait reflected in themselves. This is part of the issue we are facing presently. Just because something is in a game does not mean it is in a person or reflects on real life. I can't really help with that. It's a game and if you allow it to affect you that is your choice. Things only have power over us if we give it to them.

 

[DnD Warlord]

Maybe I missed the point. I thought giving orcs -2 int was the problem, followed by implying that some races are smarter then others... by lowering the mod to +1 and making it cultural it should avoid all of that.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I strongly disagree. I greatly miss the ability to play various other mythical races, from minotaures to pixies. Races need that design space to be able to satisfy standard archetypes (that are missing or watered down in 5e).

Why do such races need them? If you rolled and have a 14 as your highest score, and put it into STR, are you not strong? (Well, at least strong-ish?). Maybe you aren't a hulking brute at level 1, but you can add to it of course.

Also, I agree with others that is the other traits which really help differentiate races for myself. Adding bonuses to ability scores is just getting higher numbers.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

No I don't...because with the floating +1 and the species race +1. Either could be anything

But then they do not really come from your race or culture. You just have two floating bonuses. Why bring up the race and culture if these bonuses re not related to them?

 

[DnD Warlord]

But then they do not really come from your race or culture. You just have two floating bonuses. Why bring up the race and culture if these bonuses re not related to them?

I dont understand

So like imagine if you and I both play the same game in the same world. I am playing an orc you are playing an elf.
I get +1 str. You get +1 dex
We both are from stormgate... a culture with firearm prof and +1 wis.

We would still get a floating +1 to any stat.

Now imagine same game my girl plays a dwarf (+1 con) but she is from hellspire (+1int and prof in whips)

Now go one step further and say a 4th player makes a dwarf from stormgate...he would have +1con +1 wis and fire arms prof...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

But, with this, 95+% of people would probably take darkvision and other features typically considered "the better options".

I don’t think that’s true. I doubt even a majority of characters would be built like that.

 

[Blue]

Why do such races need them? If you rolled and have a 14 as your highest score, and put it into STR, are you not strong? (Well, at least strong-ish?). Maybe you aren't a hulking brute at level 1, but you can add to it of course.

So you are saying to play, for example, a minotaur, I must put a high rolled score in STR? That is the exact problem of ability scores restricting classes that this thread is having problems with - limiting class by race.

So if having ability score modifiers is a problem, then requiring people to put their better/best scores in certain places just to mimic the base characteristics of their race is just as much a problem and not a viable solution.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I dont understand

So like imagine if you and I both play the same game in the same world. I am playing an orc you are playing an elf.
I get +1 str. You get +1 dex
We both are from stormgate... a culture with firearm prof and +1 wis.

We would still get a floating +1 to any stat.

Now imagine same game my girl plays a dwarf (+1 con) but she is from hellspire (+1int and prof in whips)

Now go one step further and say a 4th player makes a dwarf from stormgate...he would have +1con +1 wis and fire arms prof...

Right. So the mental bonus is tied to a culture! Stormagate gives you +1 to Wis, Hellspire gives +1 to Int etc, right? So under this system you need to assign a mental stat bonus correspond to each culture. This is absolutely guaranteed way to cause a controversy, as many of these fantasy cultures clearly resemble real cultures way more clearly than Orcs ever resembled any real ethnicity.

 

[DnD Warlord]

Right. So the mental bonus is tied to a culture! Stormagate gives you +1 to Wis, Hellspire gives +1 to Int etc, right? So under this system you need to assign a mental stat bonus correspond to each culture. This is absolutely guaranteed way to cause a controversy, as many of these fantasy cultures clearly resemble real cultures way more clearly than Orcs ever resembled any real ethnicity.

I don't understand the problem. I am not trying to be weird, but I don't get it.

As long as everything is balanced wont that fix it. I thought the problem was the -2 int for orcs...that woulddo away with it.