Racial Abilities: What would you like to see?

[Khaalis]

I would like no mechanics. {snip}
Let the player come up with the concept that fits what he wants to play (and if it fits the campaign), don't force it upon him with game mechanics.

First, I don’t begrudge you your choice. However, my personal problem with this view, is that it isn’t D&D. What you describe is a FATE/Fudge type system where you simply write a few catch phrases on your sheet and that is your “race/skills/etc.” Its an ok system, but it isn’t D&D.

Also, mechanics don’t necessarily force anyone into anything. If you don’t like the campaign’s dwarves, don’t play one. If you want to play off-stereotype, that’s fine. There are ways through the system to do it. If the Campaign World in question says dwarves are X. Its not really up to the player to completely change that into Y. For instance if you are playing in Dark Sun and want to be an elf, you play a Dark Sun elf – you don’t try and make the DM allow a Greyhawk High-elf.

The worst race to stat up is almost always humans. We have quite a clear idea of how other races are compared to humans, but describing the baseline human in game terms without making them bland is hard. I think 4E did a pretty decent job here - offering +2 to any one stat - individual humans are not so very versatile, but as a race, humans have the ability to fill almost every niche.

Personally, I like how Fantasy Craft did races, especially how they worked them against humans. All racial abilities have a set “point value”. Each race is then a ‘package’ of abilities worth a specific number of points (they all equal the same value of points in the end). Humans are a little different as their key ability is actually versatility. So where a dwarf gets: +4 Con, -2 DEX, 20 ft. speed, Low-Light vision, Crafting Bonus, Stability, Disease/Poison resistance and damage reduction… the Human only gets a base 30 ft. speed and the ability to choose a human Talent. These talents are then packages worth the same value as a “race package” but cover areas like: Adaptable, Agile, Charismatic, Crusading, Cunning, Educated, Grizzled, Hardy, Industrious, Ruthless, Savage, etc.

(On a side note… then after race, you choose a Class and Specialty, so if you want to be say a classic duelist you could go with something like a Grizzled Human Fencer Courtier.)