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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8200979" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Floating ASIs will allow the halfling to be more similar to the half-orc which now can be more similar to the elf.vs.Racial ASIs do not want the halfling to be more similar to the half-orc which now can be more similar to the elf.I admit I could have misinterpreted what you wrote, but to me, it feels like you are saying that all the different people of a race will feel the same, and that all races will feel a same. The halfling will be more similar to the half-orc. It's a phrase often used to indicate that all members of a group are pretty much the same. You definitely don't seem to be saying "a halfling might end up with a backstory that makes that individual feel similar to the (stereo)typical half-orcs." You seem to be saying "all halflings will end up like all half-orcs."Which is kind of odd, when you consider that you could have a half-orc barbarian and a halfling paladin--or vice versa--and they would end up being incredibly dissimilar even though they both have +2 Strength.Along with the other things you have written, it seems to me that you're viewing a wider variety of race/class combinations (with associated bonuses) to be less desirable. Especially when combined with you not wanting a halfling that feels like a half-orc.Why are you talking about feats when I'm talking about culture? What traits of a halfling that lead to a culture? [SPOILER="Spoilered For Size"]Hmm, well, looking at Brave and Lucky. OK, so this particular halfling culture builds no towns of their own. No shires or farming villages. The closest they get are building Hostels (actual name to be changed, likely) inside of larger folks' cities.  These Hostels aren't actually homes per se, because these halflings are, effectively, a culture of adventures. They travel forth in small groups that consist of friends and siblings, and they see the Hostels are basically hotels, places to drop off loot, recover from injuries, train their skills, regale the kiddies with tales of daring-do, and so on. They see themselves as the pinnacle of the Hero archetype--and as a side effect, view other races as mostly being rather cowardly and simply not very good at getting themselves out of trouble. How the halflings perform their deeds is up to the individual: through cunning wit, magical power, physical might, stealth and precision--it's all good. As long as it makes a good story for the bards to tell. It also means that the people who choose to stay at the Hostels permanently (no talent for or interest in adventuring, have a permanent injury, whatever) are considered second class and are treated as "just the help."Most of these "Herolings" can trace their ancestry back to at least a couple of heroic halflings (childbearing is something done early and often; childrearing is left to people who are either retired adventurers or to people who are specifically hired for the job--and since in the real world, pregnancy lengths are correlated mostly to the weight of the newborn, plus some extra time in humans for brain development, this means halfling pregnancies are short). As I said, their groups are almost always comprised of halfling; should one of these "herolings" choose to adventure with a non-halfling, it means the halfling either really respects their ability, or will constantly halflspain how real adventurers work.Halflings of other cultures tend to see these guys as nuts and chronic exaggerators. [/SPOILER]And the orcs?[SPOILER="Spoilered For Size"]My orcs started with the premise that they are non-obligate carnivores, and here's the short version. They can eat vegetation and grains, but the bulk of their diet is meat. So this divides them into two parts. The first main culture are the Hunters, and I'm seeing three subcultures here. First, there are the Wanderers. They follow the herds. Herds of what would depend on the world and terrain--could be anything from buffalo to hadrosaurs to Athasian-style giant bugs. And whether these orcs travel via animal back, walking with animal-pulled travois, or riding in covered wagons is currently up in the air. They're a generally peaceful lot, unless someone tries to block their migratory route. Then there are the Wardens, who have claimed a large area of land as their territory and shepherd the wild animals within. They make sure the animals thrive and only kill what they need to to survive. They don't shy away from using traps; they don't have a need to go mano-a-mano with a moose if they don't have to, as long as they don't overhunt or overtrap. The Wardens are much more territorial than the Wanderers are and tend to take a very dim view on poaching, and a much dimmer view on people who try to claim even part of their territory for themselves. The third subculture of the Hunters would be the Soul Eaters. They believe that they gain the strength of the creatures they eat. That means that these orcs eschew deer and bunnies in favor of owlbears, gryphons, behir, dragons, even other humanoids, as humanoids are the strongest prey of all. They don't eat sentient beings because they're evil; they think they are truly honoring their prey by eating them. And maybe they are; maybe the gods have worked out a deal where if you're eaten by a Soul Eater, you get an extra bag of happiness in the afterlife. However, their diet puts them at odds with basically everyone else, making them into major villains. The second main culture consists not of hunters, but of people who raise animals to eat, in large quantities. And they probably sell excess meat to other people as well. No, they're not mere farmers--they're Ranchers. Which, of course, leads to Orc Cowboys. Git along, li'l worgies! Just insert your herd animals of choice. [/SPOILER]So, whether you think these halfling and orc cultures (which, as I said, aren't fully fleshed out) are cool or really stupid, you have to admit that none of them require a +2 in any particular stat.What's more interesting to you: a culture of miners, where every member of that culture is at least partially a miner, or a culture of people that relies heavily on mining but people actually take on a wide variety of roles, not all of which relate to mining.Or, again, it could mean they don't start with an 8 in a stat. Or they have two 15s instead of one.</blockquote>

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