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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheCosmicKid" data-source="post: 7121116" data-attributes="member: 6683613">As you may know, Pathfinder is based on 3E D&D, and lifted the core races and their features more or less straight from the older game. 3E D&D did not have the sort of rules you're looking for either. The races were written in exactly the way you are complaining about: with an intuitive understanding of game balance but no hard mathematical formula. The formula in Pathfinder was invented retroactively from these races by people who didn't even originally write them, just like the formula for 5E races that  @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=6799753" target="_blank">lowkey13</a> linked for you.Furthermore -- and this is important -- these formulas are not rules. Even in games like Pathfinder where they do officially exist in print, they are entities of a completely different nature than the game rules that tell you how to resolve actions and events with consistency. They are guidelines for helping DMs who may not know what to do, like the encounter difficulty math, or the treasure tables. As a DM, you are no more obligated to follow them than you are obligated to roll on the "Individual Treasure: Challenge 0-4" table every time your players kill an orc.Here are some "rules" to represent what you write:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is stronger than average, give them a Strength bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is more nimble than average, give them a Dexterity bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is tougher than average, give them a Constitution bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is smarter than average, give them an Intelligence bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is more perceptive than average, give them a Wisdom bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is more charismatic than average, give them a Charisma bonus. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is faster than average, give them a higher land speed. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is aquatic, give them a swim speed. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is arboreal, give them a climb speed. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race can see in the dark, give them darkvision. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is good at some skill, give them proficiency in that skill. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race is inherently magical, give them a spell. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your race can do something else special, give them that special ability. </li> </ul>I could go on, but I hope you've gotten my point: in a game as straightforward as D&D, representing what you write is really easy.</blockquote>

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