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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5829690" data-attributes="member: 3192">Ability Scores - I like minimums and maximums. 3 & 18 are the human limitations (though higher ends have been extended out before, like 18/00) The game focuses on the human norm, so overlap other races with the above. Anything too high or low means adventuring will change significantly as will play for the player.Height - 3' average Halflings, 4' dwarves, 5' elves, and 6' humans IIRC. Lots of room for other races too. Again, size here could quickly get out of bounds.Weight - This was coin or mass previously, but the same kind of ideas apply as to height.Movement - with combat this really means relatively similar races. I think the doubling top and bottom limit aren't too bad unless we want to encourage lots of dividing the party.Aging - This one is tougher, especially if age and aging are going to matter in the game. Not many want a race that lasts a week, but variety can be added here. Immortality (without invincibility) should be analyzed too with its repercussions. Age or health used to be a resource.Sex/Gender - 2, 1, more? None? It goes to procreation and the continuation and origin of the race. Like certain kinds of violence, this one may intrude more often into ethical issues though.Alignment - This is another stat to be played, so I'm against limiting it by race. I guess it could have a common starting point for a race, but being able to even change that wholescale is more interesting when left in the game IMO.Languages - the default is each race has a language and many divided races may have several like humans do. Multiple races sharing a single default language or racial language could be interesting. We're talking about origins here again.Natural Armor - could be interesting, but this moves directly to combat classes as an advantage. Which leads to...Okay, every other kind of cultural or physiological differentiation normally called Racial Ability. Find secret doors, bonuses to special weapon attacks, hiding benefits, far seeing, impaired hearing, etc. All of this stuff needs to carefully be judged with an eye towards whether or not it advantages one class or another. I believe the original races are really set up to particular advantages in common non-class specific exploration, and NOT CLASS advantages. None was better at any class out of the gate because of their racial abilities. These were always separate, and if they were judged as racial abilities then they were cultural and learned ones. Meaning they were racial classes and probably the core classes when relevant. Lion-men became better fighters because they gained F-M experience and levels, Not because they were stronger on average (maybe a STR Min). A high STR helps, but it isn't what makes one more skilled as a fighter.EDIT: Taboo stuff like skin color should be in there too. Though I think we're more likely to see red orcs, green goblins, and scaly lizard people more than anything commonly understood as racial prejudice. I think it's a testament that we can leave this stuff in the game, that we can have 3-headed salamander tripeds, without calls of prejudice which makes D&D races still a thrill.</blockquote>

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