In an attempt to offer my players some greater character customization without having to jump into a pile of supplement books (though that is fun), I've decided to try seperating the races into species and culture.
Making the species has been easy. I've simply taken the races, stripped away everything except stat adjustments, resistances and perception traits (dark vision, keen senses, etc). I've monkied with them a bit to maintain balance between them all. Right now, the core races look like this:
Dwarf - +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Dex. Darkvision 60'. +2 Fort. Slow & Steady (20' base speed, never decreased by armor)
Elf - +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con, Low-light vision, Keen Senses, +2 Will, 30' base speed
Gnome - +2 Con, +2 Cha, -2 Str, Low light vision, Keen Senses, +2 Will, Small, 20' base speed
Half-Elf - +2 to one stat, Low Light vision, Keen Senses, +2 to one save, or +1 to two. 30' base speed
Half-Orc - +2 to one stat, Darkvision 60', +2 to one save, or +1 to two. 30' base speed. Orc Ferocity.
Halfling - +2 to one stat, Low Light vision, Keen Senses, +1 to all saves, small, 20' base speed.
Human - +2 to one stat, +2 to one save, or +1 to two, skilled (+1 skill point each level) 30' base speed.
The problem comes in when trying to codify culture. There are so many factors to consider. Social rank & structure. Location. Religion. Government. etc. etc.
The simplest way I can think is to grant each character a human "Heart of the ..." alternate racial trait two additional "cultural" skills that get a +2 bonus, two traits and a feat that reflect the nature of the culture (e.g. a militant culture gets weapon proficiencies and some benefits to combat).
Has anyone else attempted this or made attempts to make rules for this kind of system?
Oops! noticed this after the edit window closed.
Halfling +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Str, Low Light vision, Keen Senses, +1 to all saves, small, 20' base speed.