Quote:
Originally Posted by rust
I have no problem with "unbalanced" races, provided the differences are a
plausible part of the setting.
If I wanted to "balance" races, I would most probably not try to do it with
the rules system. I would look for balancing factors within the setting, for
example "Elves are disliked by Humans, and are treated accordingly", and
would introduce that kind of "balancing" into the way I portray the setting.
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Personally, I find that balance through role play only goes so far... I mean, look at Dark Elves from 2nd Ed D&D... they were way more powerful than any other race and the only 'balance' really was roleplay restrictions, but if you get a group of people who trust you, those sort of things don't matter in the wilderness very much. It's widely regarded as one of the failings of Advanced D&D that they went by that method.
The other problem is that the lack of balance is mechanical. Elves, for example, don't have RP advantages as much as mechanical ones. so seeking balance out with that doesn't really always work, at least for me.
Ok, so you charge the elf more for his stuff in town, or he get's snubbed by the locals. So he holes up in the room, or in the wilderness outside, and lets his human buddies who have learned to trust him, deal with buying his gear or other such things. Sure, when he is constantly getting picked on by the town guard, its a hassle, but there are ways around it.
And it also only works if that is the setting. My campaign world human's treat Dwarves with respect, but their stats are generally much better than humans, so that doesn't work.