Humans as a generic race

[Slife]

I've never really liked the human extra skill points. Humans are more skilled than elves and dwarves (who are much older than they are)? Really?

No.

I expect humans in 4e will be balanced with other races largely by giving them more action point things.

-Stuart

It isn't that humans are more skilled, it's they can learn more kinds of things in the same timeframe.

 

[FireLance]

While this might not be in the first PH, one way around this problem could be to tie the human ability score bonuses to culture.

If the standard human in PH1 is a horse nomad, for example, the ability score bonuses could be +2 Dex, +2 Con.

A human from a Norse-like culture could have +2 Str, +2 Con, and one from a civilized centre of learning might have +2 Int, +2 Wis.

 

[Cadfan]

If I was trying to make humans themed around dramatic action and recovery, but couldn't give them a second "second wind" because dwarves already had that, I'd give them an extra action point.

 

[Conjurer]

I really like the idea of a player's choice +2 to a single stat, though to be honest, I don't think we'll see it.

 

[szilard]

If I was trying to make humans themed around dramatic action and recovery, but couldn't give them a second "second wind" because dwarves already had that, I'd give them an extra action point.

...and/or extra uses for action points.

-Stuart

 

[Zaruthustran]

Personally, I wish the designers would have removed the non-biological aspects of the races and introduced environmental/cultural skill packages (similar to HARP and Rolemaster Adolecense) and occupations (like d20 Modern).

I would love--love--if D&D did something like this. Culture/background are so simple and understandable. Adding these elements mechanically would be a simple and easy way to get newbies (and even veterans) into their characters, thinking about background and motivation.

 

[Insight]

I would love--love--if D&D did something like this. Culture/background are so simple and understandable. Adding these elements mechanically would be a simple and easy way to get newbies (and even veterans) into their characters, thinking about background and motivation.

Not only is that a spectacular and better way to handle starting bonuses and such, and models how real beings develop, it would allow for DMs with their own worlds to customize what different cultures get. Or at the minimum, create a number of different "sample cultures", perhaps based on geography, and DMs could either use those for their game or use those as a starting point for creating their own cultural packages.

Let's say Humans get basically nothing biologically, but select from a number of cultural packages: Desert, Forest, Mountain/Hill, Jungle, Plain, Urban. Each of these packages gives a number of skills and/or feat options. You'd have enough packages to either use these or create your own (since you'd have an idea of what the designers felt was appropriate for such a package).

 

[GreatLemur]

I would love--love--if D&D did something like this. Culture/background are so simple and understandable. Adding these elements mechanically would be a simple and easy way to get newbies (and even veterans) into their characters, thinking about background and motivation.

It'd also be an entirely awesome new category of primary descriptor to add to the D&D character system. Instead of level-race-class, it could be level-race-background-class. And if backgrounds were kept mechanically simple (something on the level of Cleric domains), they'd be an easy thing for DMs to custom build for their campaign settings.

I know it's far from a new idea, even in D&D (Unearthed Arcana offered such an option, after all), but I'd sure like to see it used to address the whole biological-cultural mishmash of racial traits.

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

maybe humans get a very strong racial power

something that let them evade damage once per encounter?

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

WotC has stated that humans are highly adaptable, corruptable and have a flair for the dramatic.

I don't think they're going to get anything that is overpowered. More so, their racial feats will be equal in power yet different to the other races. Likely, stat bonuses will not be in play but a bonus to action points and/or extra second wind as stuart suggested.