Racial Ability Check Bonus

[Takewo]

If we were to get rid of the racial bonuses to ability scores and, instead, give them a boost to the ability checks (that is, basically skills), which one of the following options do you think suits best the 5e philosophy?

- All the races get advantage on ability checks based on the ability where they would have the +2 bonus.

- All the races get a +1 bonus on ability checks based on the ability where they would have the +2 bonus.


NOTE: I'm not asking which one do you think is more balanced or less stupid. Just which one fits 5e philosophy better.

[mythmonster2]

Advantage on all instances of something isn't given out terribly often. It'd probably be the +1 bonus. However, I'd still go with the advantage to really make them useful.

[Sindeloke]

Advantage interacts with too many other things. It can easily be negated by another source of advantage or any source of disadvantage. With the exception of weapon and armor proficiencies, racial advantages are basically all designed to stack with everything.

+1 seems like too little, though. Keeping the +2 to the ability score gives you +1 already, plus either 1 hp per hit die, +1 AC, or 1 attack and damage with your ideal class; and that's before you account for losing any benefit of any kind on your secondary score. Unless you're aiming to reduce the power level of PCs in general I'd bump it up to +2.

[Steampunkette]

Negating disadvantage is actually a pretty huge benefit. Though it not stacking with advantage means that it is meaningless in a lot of situations. Maybe allow Racial Advantage to stack with other advantages and counter 1 disadvantage before the nonrace advantage is nullified.

So an elf makes a dex chexk with racial advantage. If something imposes disadvantage they are still one step up on people who don't have advantage on dex. The same elf makes a check with advantage and racial advantage. They roll 3d20 and keep one, making them better than those who are advantaged. With disadvantage imposed by, say, rain they would cancel one of their advantages but keep the other. Only 2 or more separate disadvantages would make them roll 1d20

It wpuld maintain meaning for racial advantages, but could cause table discussion issues.