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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haldrik" data-source="post: 5913767" data-attributes="member: 6694221">5e abilitiesIm on board with new racial abilities system. +1/−1 Normally, I hate penalties, since they are fake costs that are easy to min-max around, leaving only the “free” benefit. However, in this case, the +1/−1 works out with a satisfying stat for the Human race, as far as I can tell. The Human who is supposed to be the norm with neither bonus or penalty makes up for the loss of this “free” racial bonus, by getting +1 to all defenses. I cant tell which race benefit I would rather have, a partial +1 toward the attack ability along with toward one defense and suffer partial −1 toward one defense, or else have the benefit of a Human with full +1 to all defenses. Both are attractive. The Human probably has the edge but a high primary ability can be so important. It seems solid balance here. On top of this, the system brings an additional +1 from the class. This is excellent, and makes everything else work well. First, min-maxing tends to add the +1 from the class to the same ability as the +1 from the race. Flavorwise, this encourages certain races to gravitate toward certain classes. These synergistically favorable classes then become central for understanding the culture of the race.  So it always works well to play the race according to type - because the class-race synergy gets a full +2 bonus to the primary ability. On the other hand, if people want to play against type, they can pick almost any other class, enjoy a +1 to the primary ability, and function as well as any Human, who is the standard. Great. A player can even play an antitype, and use the +1 from the class to neutralize the −1 racial penalty, and still function perfectly well, only one point less than a standard Human. One could say, just have the +1 racial ability and no penalty - and it wouldnt be much different. But in this case, the penalty is important to express flavor. For example, both the Elf and the Halfling are a “Dexterity” race, but the penalties help distinguish them, with the Elf being stronger despite the Con penalty while the Halfling is tougher despite the Str penalty. It impresses me how well the racial - and class - abilities work as a system.</blockquote>

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