AstralFire
2008-10-10, 08:09 PM
Now, I understand at least some of the rationale behind ability score modifiers only being even - you want to make sure someone taking a race is definitively affected in their stats. If you roll a 16 Str and a 12 Int and take a race that gives +1 Str and -1 Int, at least at first level you have gained nothing and lost a skill point.
However, Point Buy has become the increasingly popular method of stat generation, in my estimation. Someone taking the above race could position their stats such that they had a 17 Str and a 13 Int - so they would gain a bonus to strength, and they wouldn't take a huge hit to intelligence.
This obviously means that in a Point-Buy situation, a +1 racial modifier to an ability score can have a positive outcome - but it also means that a -1 racial modifier could have a null outcome, feats excepted. (As feats always rely on odd numbers in WotC-published material.) Though on the other hand, that point still came from somewhere else... So it's not free until every other stat important to you requires at least 2 points to improve.
My question to you, Homebrew?
In a Point-Buy situation, all things considered, are odd racial ability modifiers suitable?
However, Point Buy has become the increasingly popular method of stat generation, in my estimation. Someone taking the above race could position their stats such that they had a 17 Str and a 13 Int - so they would gain a bonus to strength, and they wouldn't take a huge hit to intelligence.
This obviously means that in a Point-Buy situation, a +1 racial modifier to an ability score can have a positive outcome - but it also means that a -1 racial modifier could have a null outcome, feats excepted. (As feats always rely on odd numbers in WotC-published material.) Though on the other hand, that point still came from somewhere else... So it's not free until every other stat important to you requires at least 2 points to improve.
My question to you, Homebrew?
In a Point-Buy situation, all things considered, are odd racial ability modifiers suitable?