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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrus" data-source="post: 5824504" data-attributes="member: 1">But then, like I said - if that's your preference, why not just eliminate race altogether? Just make it the player's descriptive fluff. No mechanics at all. He has his ability scores and his [powers/feats/spells/proficiencies/skills - whatever 5E ends up having] and just looks at it and describes it as a dwarf or an elf or whatever? As far as I can tell there are two schools of thought. 1) I want to be able to play any concept I like. A tall, slender, dextrous dwarf; a clumsy, chubby, bearded drow; etc. Totally cool; I can see that point of view completely. The PC isn't necessarily an average example of their race, they're a PC. In that case, I recommend eliminating any mechanical racial elements altogether. Just make it fluff. Create your character, and describe it as whatever you want. A tall dwarf, a good devil, a disabled elf. Whatever. 2) Races should be distinct. It should really matter that I choose elf rather than dwarf. Or gnome rather than half-orc. Half-orcs should be bigger and stronger than gnomes. No gnome is ever gonna be as big and strong as a half-orc, however many bench-presses he does. In that case, I recommend pushing the racial elements to the extreme. Make the starting bonuses large (+/-4), and make it continue to matter throughout your career. Limit the level-based ability bonuses to race-appropriate ones. Make every other level-based addition to the character a racial one, rather than a class one. The middle ground, in my personal opinion, is wishy-washy. It's neither here-nor-there. Race neither matters, nor does it not matter. I'd prefer a system with a clear decision. I could happily play in either.</blockquote>

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