D&D 5E Races with floating bonuses: Designing from scratch

[Tales and Chronicles]

An additional reason is that whenever you make a new race, you have to make a whole new class and subclass.

Indeed. In the basic game where you only gained a few perks from your class, its no big deal. In a game like 5e where you gain something at every level, it'd be a nightmare.

 

[clearstream]

Is there any reason to use Floating Bonuses rather than to say, increase the point buy pool or standard array?

A reason for not increasing the point-buy pool or standard array is that many groups still roll for ability scores, and the advantage of such a change does not seem well-justified against excluding such groups. Where I land is something like this -

General Training
After determining your ability scores during character creation, increase any two scores by 1 and then any score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Done that way, it finesses issues with multiclassing, it puts groups using array and random methods on the same footing, and it permits latitude without permitting bumping a score by 3.

What I don't like about it is that it is bland. The game might just feel better if those bumps are connected with something that players can envision. Hence I believe we should be working toward connecting the bumps with something. Perhaps classes as I suggest in this thread.

 

[roger semerad]

Is there any reason to use Floating Bonuses rather than to say, increase the point buy pool or standard array?

remove racial ability bonuses:

make standard array 16,14,14,12,12,10

point buy: 32pts pool

8 - 0pts
9 - 1pt
10 - 2pts
11 - 3pts
12 - 4pts
13 - 5pts
14 - 6pts
15 - 8pts
16 - 10pts

Eliminate racial ASIs and increase point buy by 5 points. Standard array becomes 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, if you roll stats you roll 4d6 drop lowest 7 times and drop the lowest of those. Merge racial proficiencies into backgrounds. Races that still stand out as significantly more powerful than the baseline can have some of their features turned into Feats.

This is the answer, and I'm a little amazed that it isn't the most popular response so far. The whole point of the floating modifiers are to let lineages hit a certain mathematical baseline. So just bake that baseline into the ability generation method and cut out the unnecessary and fiddly middleman. Differences between lineages should be focused on smaller and more flavor focused abilities.

 

[clearstream]

This is the answer, and I'm a little amazed that it isn't the most popular response so far. The whole point of the floating modifiers are to let lineages hit a certain mathematical baseline. So just bake that baseline into the ability generation method and cut out the unnecessary and fiddly middleman. Differences between lineages should be focused on smaller and more flavor focused abilities.

Might be something to do with many groups enjoying rolling dice.

 

[roger semerad]

Might be something to do with many groups enjoying rolling dice.

I just don't understand the objection. Most rolling methods involve rerolling if the combined results are under a baseline, so even those use guiderails to keep balance within a certain level. That balance isn't any more difficult to achieve without lineage ability bonuses than point buy is, and if you're using a strick no reroll method isn't the resulting unbalance part of the appeal?

 

[clearstream]

I just don't understand the objection. Most rolling methods involve rerolling if the combined results are under a baseline, so even those use guiderails to keep balance within a certain level. That balance isn't any more difficult to achieve without lineage ability bonuses than point buy is, and if you're using a strick no reroll method isn't the resulting unbalance part of the appeal?

Why not use a method that serves both?

 

[Don Durito]

Ok rolling dice. Assign each ability score a number one to six. Roll a d6. Check the number. Add 2 to the corresponding ability score.

 

[Horwath]

Might be something to do with many groups enjoying rolling dice.

then, just put that as alternate method by default and be done with it.

You cannot use rolls for AL, so why bother with it as a primary rule for ability scores?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Or just make them class based?

That's what I'd do. Just like how there are differences in what proficiencies you earn based on whether you start with a class or multiclass into it, there's a "char level 1 only" choice of +2 to one of two stats, which cannot be identical to your racial +2. Races then get their choice of two stats to add +2 to. Races that used to get more (e.g. Half-Elf or Mountain Dwarf) get more options. Humans--and humans alone--get to pick +2 to any stat, though again they can't overlap with the class bonus.

It's cleaner and less fraught with potential issues than upping the point-buy values, thematic because you pick two stats appropriate to the class in question, and easy to implement. And gone will be the days of "play X because it gives the right stats." Sure, there will still be niche stuff like half-orc ferocity or whatever, but those will never matter as much as +2 to your key stat(s).

And yes, people may notice that this is pretty much just directly stolen from 13th Age. Anyone who knows me should not find this surprising.

 

[Azzy]

Personally, I'd say we should go back to basics and not have racial ASIs at all and instead may the racial traits actually interesting and meaningful.