D&D 5E I'd like to see Next do away with racial stat mods for PC races.

[MJS]

Racial stat mods do make for homogenized PC's, so I think it good to toss them, but I wouldn't expect 5E to do that, or even present as optional.

 

[TwoSix]

Like [MENTION=1465]
I've done races as backgrounds (similar to the D&D Next sense) before and that actually worked well, but it's pretty divergent for D&D.

I would love to see races folded into a expanded background system. Of course, I'd love to see backgrounds expanded to the point where you could make usable 0th-level characters, and then 1st level can be added on in play. Something where a 0th level character has a base number of hit points, and some skill trainings, and a few proficiencies, to let you run a "orcs attacked the village and kidnapped the mayor's daughter" kind of adventure.

 

[the Jester]

If elves are supposed to be intelligent or wise or charismatic, why not just say that if you want to play an elf, you must put your highest stat into INT, WIS, or CHA? Similarly, if halflings are supposed to be nimble, why not just say that if you want to play a halfling you must put your highest stat into DEX?.

Because I want to play a halfling wizard and I want to put my 18 into Intelligence, that's why.

Your approach is far too restrictive for my tastes, or, I think, the tastes of many others.

 

[tuxgeo]

I don't like the weird human racial bonus in D&DN but this is an even worse solution.

I believe they have already stated that the (current) human racial bonus in D&DN is merely a placeholder, and that they are planning to replace it with something else that is quite a bit more fully thought-out before they actually release the game.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

What about assigning each class a particular stat so that your halfling, dwarf, elf, or half-orc wizard can have an 18 intelligence?

 

[billd91]

If elves are supposed to be intelligent or wise or charismatic, why not just say that if you want to play an elf, you must put your highest stat into INT, WIS, or CHA? Similarly, if halflings are supposed to be nimble, why not just say that if you want to play a halfling you must put your highest stat into DEX?

This is, basically, one way that Middle Earth Role Playing (by ICE) handled the awesome majesty of the immortal elves of Middle Earth. But D&D elves aren't quite so head and shoulders over their non-elven peers that this is necessary.

 

[the Jester]

What about assigning each class a particular stat so that your halfling, dwarf, elf, or half-orc wizard can have an 18 intelligence?

Gah, no thanks- that's not to my taste.

I am a fan of rolling stats, so not everyone has an 18 to begin with. I'm okay with 5e's approach of "Oh, you're a wizard? +1 Int"- but assigning stats? No, that really homogenizes pcs far too much for my tastes.

 

[Gadget]

I would prefer if there were no racial stat bonii. Instead you could have abilities like Elven Grace: you get advantage on all (or certain) dex checks. Iron stomach: you can can re-roll con checks of less than x, etc. That would make the races flavorful with some mechanical bite, yet remove them from the stat treadmill min/max game.

 

[billd91]

I would prefer if there were no racial stat bonii. Instead you could have abilities like Elven Grace: you get advantage on all (or certain) dex checks. Iron stomach: you can can re-roll con checks of less than x, etc. That would make the races flavorful with some mechanical bite, yet remove them from the stat treadmill min/max game.

Those sorts of ideas would be flavorful, but they'd also have a more significant impact than a simple +1 to the stat. An elf with advantage on a Dex check typically gains a bigger benefit than a +1 on that check. Granted, the effect is confined to Dex checks (or specific types of Dex checks) rather than also affecting initiative checks, AND ranged attacks, AND Dex checks, AND etc. But the effect of advantage on that one area is pretty big.

All of that would have to be considered if seriously contemplating turning a +1 to the Dex stat into other flavorful alternatives.

 

[n00bdragon]

I think stat modifiers for races are a great idea. I think classes needing huge values in a particular stat to be viable is what poops up the entire thing. Look, the problem is people are asking themselves "Why play a human fighter when I can play a half-orc? The stats are so much better." If Strength wasn't so required for fighters (or intelligence for wizards, wisdom for clerics, etc) such as by taking away the ability modifier to attack rolls or save DCs or what have you then it wouldn't matter so gosh darned much that the Half Orc has +2 Strength. You might even start thinking "Half Orc wizard sounds fun" without the standard "hurr hurr it so funny becuz half orcs r dum" because the intelligence penalty is no longer absolutely prohibitive.