Racial Bonus Homebrew: Feedback Requested

[Mister_Squinty]

I am going to kick-off a new game for the new year, and I thought about diversifying race/class combos.

Characters would be made on point buy, but I am considering this change:

Every race would still get their +2 racial bonus (Elves get Dex, Dwarves get Con, etc). Instead of the +1 subrace bonus being fixed, however, players could assign that bonus to any stat. This would allow every race the chance to play any class on an equal footing, as all caster/attack stat bonuses could be +3 at level 1.

I understand that Mountain Dwarves would have to be adjusted, as they get a second fixed subrace bonus, but am I missing any other obvious pitfalls/exploits.

My appreciation for your consideration.

[Ganymede]

Why not simply delete racial stat bonuses altogether and replace them with a handful of extra point-buy points?

[Mister_Squinty]

Why not simply delete racial stat bonuses altogether and replace them with a handful of extra point-buy points?

Possible, but I'm presuming the racial bonuses were made for some game balance reasons. I don't want to completely upturn the apple cart.

[MagneticKitty]

What are you doing with human and half elf? Their stats are wierd.

[Easy_Lee]

I think it's fine.

[Jexis]

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 (4?) races that make this go sour: Mountain Dwarf (which you mentioned), Half Elf, Human/Variant Human.
Moutain Dwarf gets +2 STR & +2 CON, Half Elf gets +2 CHA and +1 to two other stats, Humans get +1 across the board and VarHum only gets 2 +1s. There would need to be some major adjusting for this.
Additionally, races with many subtypes often differ in their +1 bonus because the non-numeric bonuses granted balance out well that way. Consider the gnomes, Genasi, and elves.
I like the idea but the races are simply not numerically balanced and it's hard to quantify the non-numeric bonuses. I'd trust in the devs for this one. (However, the only idea I'd have is if you homebrewed a race that gave +2 to wis and +1 anywhere else along with maybe some free skill (wis) proficiency, since that doesn't exist yet.)

[Mister_Squinty]

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 (4?) races that make this go sour: Mountain Dwarf (which you mentioned), Half Elf, Human/Variant Human.
Moutain Dwarf gets +2 STR & +2 CON, Half Elf gets +2 CHA and +1 to two other stats, Humans get +1 across the board and VarHum only gets 2 +1s. There would need to be some major adjusting for this.
Additionally, races with many subtypes often differ in their +1 bonus because the non-numeric bonuses granted balance out well that way. Consider the gnomes, Genasi, and elves.
I like the idea but the races are simply not numerically balanced and it's hard to quantify the non-numeric bonuses. I'd trust in the devs for this one. (However, the only idea I'd have is if you homebrewed a race that gave +2 to wis and +1 anywhere else along with maybe some free skill (wis) proficiency, since that doesn't exist yet.)

V. Humans get a Feat instead of the third stat point, so I don't see a problem with that balance. Half Elves already get the flexibility in choosing a class currently unavailable to other races, so there would be no need to change them.

The intent is to remove the current barrier to say, Gnome Clerics, Dragonborn Monks, what have you, being handicapped compared to their Hill Dwarf Clerics, Wood Elf Monks, Half Elf anything brethren. The inability to get a +3 modifier in the class' primary stat is an annoyance to me, and this seems to be the lightest touch that will correct the problem.

[Laserlight]

I am going to kick-off a new game for the new year, and I thought about diversifying race/class combos.

Characters would be made on point buy, but I am considering this change:

Every race would still get their +2 racial bonus (Elves get Dex, Dwarves get Con, etc). Instead of the +1 subrace bonus being fixed, however, players could assign that bonus to any stat. This would allow every race the chance to play any class on an equal footing, as all caster/attack stat bonuses could be +3 at level 1.

I understand that Mountain Dwarves would have to be adjusted, as they get a second fixed subrace bonus, but am I missing any other obvious pitfalls/exploits.

My appreciation for your consideration.

Delete racial bonuses, let everyone put +2 to one stat and +1 to another (or perhaps +1 to each of three stats) and call it done. I suspect the racial bonuses we have were for tradition rather than game balance.

I will grant that it's kinda weird for a halfling to get +2 STR +1CON, but it's also kinda weird for a halfling to be in a sacrificial well, dangling from 140 feet of hastily knotted rope, fighting the undead guardians of forgotten demon gods, in order to seize an obsidian headdress on the word of an old guy sitting in a tavern. The NPCs back home, having bacon and mushrooms and wondering how they'll get their serving platter back from Aunt Oda, get the standard racials.

[damascoplay]

Seems fine to me,honestly. I like the idea of changing the +2 to any stats,making it possible and easier for you to make up your build,without the drawbacks of the race.

[Beechgnome]

Seems fine to me,honestly. I like the idea of changing the +2 to any stats,making it possible and easier for you to make up your build,without the drawbacks of the race.

I would just leave V. Humans and Half-elves as they are, as they already have the flexibility to put an extra point or two in whatever they have.

For Mountain dwarves I would say +2 con, +1 Str and then +1 to any one stat.

For Tritons (in Volo's), they normally get +1 to Str, Con and Cha, so I would just say pick two of those and then any third the player chooses.

For Kobolds (also in Volo's), you could have +2 Dex and then have them subtract 2 from Any stat, and not just strength.

That should take care of all the exceptional races without the standard +2/+1 bonus.

[JackPhoenix]

Why not simply delete racial stat bonuses altogether and replace them with a handful of extra point-buy points?

Racial +1 to stat allows you to have 2 16's as a 1st level character. Extra point-buy does not. And having the stats fixed, while reducing flexibility, reinforces archetypes typical for the race. Take wood elf, for example: archetypal wood elf is a ranger or perhaps druid. +2 dex/+1 wis allows standard array wood elves to have 16 dex and wis (it also benefits monks).

If you want extra flexibility, sure, go ahead, but the racial stat bonuses are very much intentional: half-orc are supposed to be great fighters and barbarians, wood elves are intended to be rangers, high elves wizards, dwarves fighters and clerics... 5e likes archetypes.

[Ganymede]

Racial +1 to stat allows you to have 2 16's as a 1st level character. Extra point-buy does not. And having the stats fixed, while reducing flexibility, reinforces archetypes typical for the race. Take wood elf, for example: archetypal wood elf is a ranger or perhaps druid. +2 dex/+1 wis allows standard array wood elves to have 16 dex and wis (it also benefits monks).

If you want extra flexibility, sure, go ahead, but the racial stat bonuses are very much intentional: half-orc are supposed to be great fighters and barbarians, wood elves are intended to be rangers, high elves wizards, dwarves fighters and clerics... 5e likes archetypes.

If every race's stat boosts were liquefied and rolled into the point buy or standard array, I can only assume the upper end of scores would be raised slightly to account for the increased number of points to spend.

I certainly support the idea that wizardry comes naturally to elves or that savagery comes naturally to half orcs, but stat boosts are not the only/best way way to represent it. I feel the individualized racial features (cantrips for high elves, harder crits for orcs, poison resilience for dwarves, etc.) do a far better job of portraying an archetype.

[Spore]

I would keep their physical attributes fixed. These are their bodies, they cannot choose how they are born. A mind however is much more malleable.

[DarkKnightJin]

Delete racial bonuses, let everyone put +2 to one stat and +1 to another (or perhaps +1 to each of three stats) and call it done. I suspect the racial bonuses we have were for tradition rather than game balance.

I will grant that it's kinda weird for a halfling to get +2 STR +1CON, but it's also kinda weird for a halfling to be in a sacrificial well, dangling from 140 feet of hastily knotted rope, fighting the undead guardians of forgotten demon gods, in order to seize an obsidian headdress on the word of an old guy sitting in a tavern. The NPCs back home, having bacon and mushrooms and wondering how they'll get their serving platter back from Aunt Oda, get the standard racials.

You're talking sense. I think it'd be fine for a PC to get a +2 in one stat and a +1 in another, both of their choosing, to work with the character idea they want to build. This allows for DB Monks and Tiefling Clerics more easily.
Which kinda seems like 5e's whole thing, no?
"Build the character you think is fun to play". That's why there's no stat penalties (except Kobold and Orc. Which I think are ridiculous for the system. Let them get the same goodness as the rest of the race options.) so it's easier to make an unoptimized character, that still doesn't suck at their job.

What if I wanna make a Kobold Paladin? I'm boned because I need to spend extra ASI's on un-f*cking my Str so I can actually wear some decent armor.

[Talamare]

I suggest, and it's in my signature as well.

That the Racial Bonus is reduced to a simple +1 to either the Primary Racial or Secondary Racial

Example, Wood Elves have +2 Dex, and +1 Wisdom. Change that to be +1 to EITHER, but not both.


and everyone gets an FEAT or ASI at Level 1.

Also, V.Humans aren't an option (obviously)