Is this whole discussion an attempt to avoid being/ thinking / feeling about race in Earth politics. I can see the PC generation still picking the best places to get your ASI.
Yep,
the same way people will (likely) put their best score in whatever the focus of their class is. More often than not, they
want to be great at what they are supposed to be good at. Whether you choose your race or background to get the bonus, that likely is a reason why you are choosing it. Nothing wrong with it, by the way, if that is what you want.
This afternoon I started trying to look at this a different way...
If you keep ASI tied to race, what would happen?
Nothing. Well, more to the point the same stuff some people have been complaining about and stuff that makes other people happy...
If you tied ASI to background, or split it, what would happen?
Now you have even more disparity because players who want the big +3 bonus will be selecting background (as well as possibly race) for it. Now, you see more pigeon-holing of background into classes as well as possibly races into classes.
If we floated ASI completely, what would happen?
PCs would be on average the same as they are with having racial ASIs as currently, and you wouldn't have sub-optimal choices for race or backgrounds towards the focus of the class.
If we removed ASI completely, what would happen?
Players who want a +3 at level 1 will likely have to settle for a +2 (assuming point-buy or standard array, the human variant with the right feat
could still get a 16...). Or, players would return to rolling more, trying to get the 16 or higher to have a +3 or better. Neither option is hardly the end of the world.
But the best part would be you would still no longer have sub-optimal choices for race or background towards the focus of the class.
So, my final decision to follow the path of greatest ease when it comes to house-ruling
if you don't like the established system.
1. Keep them as is, in race. It is already established. It would be more work for players and DMs to add
back in then just leave them alone.
2. Float them. It is pretty easy to say "just put a +2 where you want and a +1, or even just do three +1's." The choice where they go can be for race, background, or class development that way--however the player
wants to justify them.
3. Remove them. For the people (like myself) who don't want them at all, it is easy enough to say "we don't use ASIs" and leave it at that.
I think we all know (I could be wrong...) that it is always easier to remove a rule we don't like or change it then add one. But hey, that is just my opinion.
