D&D 5E Humans, am I missing something? And what's up with half-elf skill bonus?

[dm4hire]

I've looked over the races section and even with the optional rules for humans they don't seem to line up with the other races. What is the benefit to playing human?

Also where is the half-elf getting their second bonus skill? So where are they getting those skills? It almost seems like the design team just threw some stuff together and called it good. If the optional rules for human were not optional I could understand where they get one of those skills, but not the second skill.

 

[transtemporal]

I've looked over the races section and even with the optional rules for humans they don't seem to line up with the other races. What is the benefit to playing human?

They get +6 stat points or +2 stat points, a skill and a FEAT at first level. They had to pump up the other races a bit in the release to make them competitive with human!

 

[Mouseferatu]

Bonus feat is huge. That and bonus skill and still raise two of your stats by +1 each? That's at least as good as the other races, and better than some.

D'oh! Way of Shadow'd!

 

[Paraxis]

Humans are probably the top tier race using either version, depending on ability score generation and how often darkness comes into play may change this a bit.

Half elves get the stuff they do because they are separate from both elves and humans, they are individuals. Growing up half-elf you apparently need to be highly skilled to get by in life.

 

[dm4hire]

The human bonus skill and feat come into play only if the DM allows it, thus the optional ruling. +1 to all the stats compared to what the other races get is weak. At best that only helps if you are rolling your stats because the point buy would end you with nothing but 9s in your weakest ability/abilities. Being able to bump all your random rolls is pretty good.

If there was a penalty for not being human, like class restrictions or a penalty on XP gain then I would say okay, they are offset so that makes it understandable. I don't see the stat bonuses as an advantage to being human. The optional rules definitely put humans in line with the rest of the races, but still think they are lacking. Maybe an additional skill which would then justify why a half-elf has that characteristic. A mixed race should have aspects from the parent race, but the half-elf seems to have better human traits than humans.

 

[Paraxis]

Humans can use point buy and and the +1 to all to get 16,16,14,10,10,10 which is pretty damn good stats. Two 16's for your primary and secondary and a 14 to put into Con, or if the character wears medium armor 14 Dex.

With the system the way it is you don't want any 8's or 9's the penalty isn't just worth it.

 

[77IM]

The variant human gets 4 fewer ability points, in return for 1 skill and 1 feat. During advancement, a feat is worth 2 ability points and a skill is worth 1/3 of a feat (the Skilled feat). So it looks to me like the variant human is getting ripped off to the tune of 1 1/3 ability points.

 

[Paraxis]

The variant human gets 4 fewer ability points, in return for 1 skill and 1 feat. During advancement, a feat is worth 2 ability points and a skill is worth 1/3 of a feat (the Skilled feat). So it looks to me like the variant human is getting ripped off to the tune of 1 1/3 ability points.

Ability points in non primary ability scores are not the same as one in primary abilities so it works out.

 

[77IM]

I'm not sure I agree. Ability modifiers are a lot more important in 5e, because they all function as saves and bounded accuracy means a poor score won't get overshadowed by level-based bonuses. It's harder to compensate for a "dump stat."

 

[transtemporal]

The human bonus skill and feat come into play only if the DM allows it, thus the optional ruling.

Sure, but what kind of meanie-head DM wouldn't allow feats? Boo meanie-head DMs!