We all know (or at least I hope we all know) that prejudice is a bad thing in the real world. But in D&D, it'soften a handy bonus to your attack roll! If you're a gnome or dwarf fighting a goblin, anyway.
The +1 bonus these races get on attack roles is really dinky, however. Sure, it can be handy at low levels, but it quickly becomes irrelevant (and completely ignored, since no one wants to bother adding another modifier to keep track of). Now, this is largely due to the fact that goblins and orcs tend to fall by the wayside as the game progresses, but let's ignore that for a moment (since I quite like using leveled members of these races at all levels, anyway).
I was turning this modifier over in my head the other night, wondering what could be done to beef it up. My initial thoughts were that it needs to scale. I started coming up with some formula based on Base Attack Bonus, but then decided that was too odd and it should just be level-based. Perhaps a bonus equal to one-fifth of your character level, rounded down with +1 as a minimum? That way, it starts as +1 and eventually scales up to +4 at 20th; even then, that's a noticeable benefit. Of course, this would make dwarves (and gnomes) even more powerful, so perhaps for balance more (if not all) races could have a few enemies specified which they would recieve this bonus against. Of course, it would likely end up revolving around orcs a lot: dwarves hate them, elves hate them, and they hate dwarves and elves. This would make these races all very lethal against each other and lend a bit of an air of PvP to the game which would probably not be good.
I doubt I'd ever actually adopt anything like this at all, but just for the sake of argument, what do you think of the idea?
Something I might be more inclined to actually adopt is to change the +1 bonus to a +1 critical threat range. So, against members of specified races, one's critical threat range increases by 1. Critical threats are one of the few areas that don't really scale. Taking Improved Critical or getting a keen weapon are about the only ways to modify it. So, an extra +1 would be noticeable (and appreciated) at all levels without being an overwhelming bonus at any.
Thoughts?
Saern,
This is one of those bonuses that could disappear from the game without anyone noticing or caring. I think it would be best to completely remove it altogether and have one less modifier to keep track of.
However, if you want to keep it and make it scale so that it remains relevant, I think your idea of adding it to the critical threat modifier is intriguing. I like it. I think (gut instinct – haven’t worked any numbers on this) it would be mechanically more powerful than a +4 attack bonus at level 20 or a +1 bonus at level 1, and it definitely would make for more exciting play when it came up. Alternatively, you could treat them as having the power attack feat when striking a racial enemy (which would scale, but wouldn't help most combat oriented characters who already have the feat – it supports the fluff without giving a meaningful bonus for players to exploit).
Either way, I agree that you’d have to add similar bonuses to other races to try to even things out. But who do halflings hate? Kobolds? Does that leave gnolls for humans? I guess it could work.
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These 'race hatred' things are kind of an artefact of earlier times and don't necessarily make a lick of sense in many campaigns. (For instance, how many Eberron Gnomes have ever seen a Kobold, let alone trained to kill them since childhood?)
They are far too situational, IMO, and straightjacket races into specific cultural mindsets that don't necessarily have anything to do with any specific game-world. (Has any Krynnish or Athasian Dwarf ever even heard of an Orc?) As something to be added as a feat or racial *option* for specific settings or campaigns, sure, but as a generic racial ability *that all members of that race have,* bonuses against certain species, or proficiency in specific weapons, is, IMO, an idea whose time is long past.
Easy trade would be +1 vs whatever becomes one extra skill point at first level. Not over balancing nor do they "lose" anything.