Better alternative than stat-less races

[JackPhoenix]

I'm not a big fan of race penalties, but at my table there will always be race bonuses. That said, of all the abilities, the only ability score that ever comes up as "unrealistic" is Strength. No one gawks at a genius goblin or a charismatic dwarf.

Because it's easier to link appearance with physical attributes, while mental capabilities are set entirely arbitrarily. Warcraft goblins are geniuses, Golarion goblins... not so much. But it's pretty unintuitive if 3'6" tall, 35 lb halfling can be just as strong as 7', 350 lb musclebound hulk of an orc (or whatever).