Removing Set Ability Score Bonuses from Races

[babinro]

What if you removed the set ability score bonuses applied to races and simply replaced them with (+2 in any two different ability scores of your choosing).

While I don't have issues with the current system, I am of the mind while races are likely to have certain inherent qualities that define them. This would be reflected both by the books recommended distribution of stat bonuses and the other skill bonuses/powers granted by a race. It would not mean that every single member of that race would excel in that area though. So, if for example you wanted to play Dwarven Rogue (boosting Dex and Cha), you could.

Doing this in the best case scenario would open up a lot of options to character builds without having to sacrifice anything mechanically along with likely adding RP elements to your character. In the worst case, it could lead to PC's constantly playing one or two races because they are simply considered better than the rest.

I'm curious if people would think this a silly idea or something that would break the game. Any thoughts?

 

[KarinsDad]

It's not that it's silly, it's that it's slightly unbalanced.

There are combinations of +2 to two stats that do not even exist for races. So, each player gets to pick a race that has both the cool teleport and the two stats that he wants improved.

You'll get a different problem than the one you are trying to resolve

Instead of PCs of certain classes never playing certain races, you'll now get races that are never played.

Halfling? Never. The disadvantages outweigh the advantages compared to an Eladrin.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Agreed with KD. The human's +2 to a single stat, but any stat, would suddenly be a worse option. Maybe if you made all other races +2 to one stat and human +2 to two? Or, +2 to one and +1 to a second?

In any case, I don't think you're actually solving any problem here.

 

[fba827]

It's not that it's silly, it's that it's slightly unbalanced.

I have to agree with KarinsDad.

Some of the racial ability score modifiers sets are superior to others, somewhat balancing out the racial powers.

For instance, the eladrin teleport power is really good, but it's stat modifier set is mediocre (it modifies two stats that go for the same defense).
Versus a halfling whose racial power I'd say is less impressive but it's racial stat modifiers are good (modifying two different defenses)

So if the racial stat modifiers can "float" (as you propose) then I don't think you'll see many people going for the races that have mediocre racial powers (that would have had the better stat package) and instead take the better racial powers and customize the stat package to whatever they want.

There are other racial benefits tossed in (such as skills and languages) but i'm minimizing their impact for the sake of simplifying this post.

You'll just end up with some races never getting touched.

--
As an aside, I don't see racial stat bonuses as a way of saying "everyone is excellent at stat X and Y" but rather, I see racial stat bonuses as a way of ensuring that the average member is higher. So it's not that all elves have 18, 19, and 20 dex and wis. But ratherm they can still have 18 strength etc and their dex and wis are just ensured never to be lower than 10 (presuming you start with the base 8).
Of course, it really means the same thing, I just see it from the bottom up perspective rather than top down. I guess that's part of the reason I never (or I should say hardly ever) -intentionally- assign my stat bonus to a primary stat, it often just ends up boosting something lower to round out some aspect that i envisioned higher for my pc's concept.
--

anyway, things may be different for your own group of players, so your experiences may well vary from my thoughts.
who knows, it might be a fun experiment to see what happens.

 

[Nichwee]

Changing Racial Mods to be any two stats is insanely unbalanced.

You will simply lead to the Racial choice being "What Racial Ability fits best?".

A Fighter that wants to mark loads? Go Dragonborn for the Minor Action Blast and put Stats into Str&Con.

It just makes the decisions about being even more munchkined and optimised as the Stat Bonuses are no longer a "Pluses/Minuses" issue. So you just go "What effects help me best, and I'll take the Stats I want regardless." Atm getting a racial ability costs you fixed Stat Bonuses. So your Fighter say to himself "I want Elven Precision. But Dex/Wis aren't much use, how about Minor Action Second Wind with Con/Wis?" and has to think about it. Your version would be "I want Elven Precision, no downside."

Also from a RP point of view the Stat Bonuses don't insist that those be high stats (I have an Eladrin with crap Dex - I just put my dump stat in Dex and got it from 'Can't catch' to 'Can't catch much').
The Stat Bonuses are the natural trend of the species - a slightly clumsy Elf is still not clumsy by human standards as they are innately gracefull - a weak half-orc is still reasonably strong by human standards.

 

[Herschel]

It's not that it's silly, it's that it's slightly unbalanced.

This.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I think it is a nice houserule. You might change it so that a player can move one of the two stat bonuses around. The one that would gain the most is probably the Half-elf.

I did something like this when the PHB entered the game because of the lack of races that fit each class. For instance, there were no perfect fits for a str-based cleric. (Needs Str and Wis)

 

[Mentat55]

To accomplish something akin to what you want to do, maybe give every character a floating +2 bonus to any score (that does not already get a +2 bonus). So a human gets +2 to any two ability scores, and all the other races get their racial mods, plus +2 to any one other ability score. Then reduce the 22 point buy by a specific amount (assuming the +2 will often be used on a 14 or 16, I'd advocate a reduction of 4 to 7 points).

This way, you can play any race and still get a +2 to your class's primary stat. I guess my only concerns would be (1) does this reduce the relative benefit of the human's floating stat, and (2) does this also diminish race/class combos where the racial mods match the primary/secondary class scores exactly, e.g., halfling artful dodger rogues, elf archer rangers, etc.

 

[Blackbrrd]

The reason people are picking Human isn't because they have a floating +2 instead of fixed +2/+2, but that they have access to action surge, gets a free feat, +1 to NAD's, an extra skill etc.

With all the races that are out there you can nearly always pick a race with +2/+2 in your primary/secondary stat, and people are still going for Human.

Attempt #2:
Humans get 23 point buy and a floating +2 stat bonus
Other races get 22 point buy, one fixed +2 and one floating +2 stat bonus

 

[Elric]

One house rule I've seen: every character has the option of getting a +2 they can apply to any ability score, besides the ability scores their racial bonuses apply to, at the cost of lowering their point buy from 22 points to 20 points. Except 18/14/11 builds with racial +2s to the 18/14 attribute, characters will (at least weakly) prefer to take this option Characters will have slightly better stats overall, and race will be less linked to class than it currently is.