Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hurin70" data-source="post: 8183794" data-attributes="member: 6875491">For the record, I am in favor of racial abilities.But giving the Orc fewer encumbrance penalties just makes him 'better able to carry stuff' than generally strong. He's no stronger in most activities, from a wrestling match to hitting with an axe. The game does have a general measure of strength though: we call it the 'Strength' stat.It actually does mean 'Orcs are [a] strong [race on average]', because even their Wizards are stronger than Elvish Wizards. This is what the claim 'Orcs are strong' was always intended to mean. It was never meant to be an absolute statement about every individual.Again, the abilities are great. But they fufill only niche functions rather than the general measures that are stat scores. Carrying capacity is just one component of strength, and applies only in a small number of cases. It doesn't help with wrestling or athletic checks or, most importantly, melee attacks. It is not a general measure of strength.And note, I would prefer a system (and currently play one with Rolemaster) where the Orc's maximum is above a Halflings. This ensures the statement 'Orcs are strong' remains true consistently.</blockquote>