D&D General How do you like your ASIs?

[Micah Sweet]

I will try again: it’s not about wanting all the mechanical/power choices, it’s about wanting mechanical choices (stats) and narrative choices (race) to be independent.



I also feel bad for them, but I think it’s their choice to be bothered. As somebody pointed out in the thread on realism (in the TTRPG General forum), “the term dissociative mechanics refers to rules I don’t personally like”.

Race is not inherently a narrative choice. If it were, it wouldn't provide a y mechanical benefit at all.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Yeah, my firsts answer indeed is that they have strength 10. And that's pathetic for an orc. Other orcs might mock them, saying that they're "As weak as a human" or something like that.

And sure, you could invent some weakening curse or something like that. So if I was playing a halfling in your game, could I invent such a curse to drop my strength to four, and gain more point buy points from it so I can minmax my other stats?



I mean I see PCs as people with heroic potential. Gifted noobs. But not as super special chosen ones. There are many such gifted people in the world, some eventually become legendary heroes, some die in a ditch.


Ultimately you of course can always come up with fictional justification for anything. Curse, blessing, bit by a radioactive owlbear, you name it. I just don't think such an approach where the PCs are expected to be unique superheroes is compatible with a splat based game design. Perhaps my halfling was blessed by an angel to have wings, perhaps my trasmutation wizard has uncovered secret art of fleshmending and thus can cast all healing spells etc. Simply put, if I play a splat based game, I want the splatss to define things and actually tell us something about the reality of the setting. If I want unique heroes not bound by such limitations I play a game that is actually designed to build characters from scratch and where I can freely mix and match anything.

To your point, when was the last time a Klingon was portrayed in Star Trek as "weaker than a human"? (But don't get me started how awful they are at hand to hand combat when it matters). When did we see a Klingon rise up to lead the Empire with brains and charisma only? There are entire cultures in the Star Trek pantheon built around combat and physical prowess. D&D species can have the same thing, and creatures in such a culture would not live to adulthood to go out in the world.

Unless, of course, the player and DM decide to handwave away that char's entire cultural background. At which point, we into the Humans with funny hats thread.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Why are all of your rebuttal cases giving a PC extra things (points or flying) instead of letting them change an ASI? Is it because you can't think of a case where just changing an ASI makes a PC ridiculous?

I definitely think that halflings that are as strong as half-orcs are ridiculous. Also, why is a winged halfling ridiculous? And It would be something war more subtle, like a brave and determined orc with 'brave' feature from halflings or, like I said earlier, a fire genasi with fire breath from dragonborn.

In any case, I notice that you actually didn't engage with the content of my argument, so it is probably not productive to continue further.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Race is not inherently a narrative choice. If it were, it wouldn't provide a y mechanical benefit at all.

And Floating ASIs help make it more of a narrative choice, which is why some folks like the rule!

 

[Bill Zebub]

Interesting, so this would imply that +3 is the literal default.

The math doesnt bear that out, at least that I've seen.

Again, it's not a question of it being the "default" (although some would argue it is) but rather what you are giving up in exchange for it.

 

[Scribe]

Um, the same reason we exchange our normal sword for a +1 magic sword, when given the chance?

Or are you claiming that you would leave the sword behind, for roleplaying reasons?

I mean ok you can just say it, its fine.

"I want the highest number possible on my rolls."

 

[Micah Sweet]

The rest of who? 44.5% of those who voted here start higher than 1st tier.

D&D 5E - What level do you like to start at?

Well the latest season of Critical Role just started started today and they started at And though I know this question gets asked on the regular, with the impending "5.5e", I feel it's a good time to ask again: What level you you like to start at? Or perhaps more accurately, which level do...

www.enworld.org

I guess the remaining 55.5%?

 

[Maxperson]

Interesting, so this would imply that +3 is the literal default.

The math doesnt bear that out, at least that I've seen.

A lot of people think that it is, because you can get to 16/17 with the array + racial bonus, but as you say, the math really doesn't bear that out as the default that the game assumes.

 

[Maxperson]

I guess the remaining 55.5%?

That 55.5% is not you and "the rest of us." like you claimed. That's barely more than half.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Edit: never mind, I'm taking myself out of this one