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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MoonSong" data-source="post: 5824677" data-attributes="member: 6689464">Racial bonusses and penalties make a lot of sense to me, and I'll tell you why: The ability scores are human-centric, which means they are centered on the human average (which is given a 10), and so a human with Charisma 18 is more charismatic that the 90% of the humans. But the averages for all races are different, and such the +bonuses -penalties account for that difference. (I'll be using 3.5 for the following) If the scores were Half-Orc centric, then they don't get adjustments, while humans would get a -2 Str penalty a +2 Cha and a +2 Int, Dwarves a -2 Str, +2 Int and +2 Con, Gnomes -4 Str +2 Int and +2 Con, Halflings -4str +2 Int +2 Cha and +2 Dex , Elves -2 Con -2 Str +2 Dex,+2 Cha and +2 Int  and so on.  The racial penalties/bonusses are actually statistical adjustments, a Dwarf or Half-Orc who has Cha 18 after racial adjustments(and at least in 3.5 this is possible by 8th level), is Cha 20 for Dwarven standards. The roll 3d6 mechanic is just that an statistic method of character creation, and the +- are racial adjustments. Arguing that racial penalties punish players when playing against type sounds fair, but only if you care about min-maxing, not every rogue needs to have dex 18, not every wizard Int 18 and not every Bard Cha 18 to still do a good job. (Ok maybe that could be true in 4e, but it shouldn't in 5e). I just tough of creating a Half-Orc Bard, and so far it can still manage ridiculous diplomacy and bluf bonuses as if he was human or elf</blockquote>

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