Advanced Race Guide Ability Score Choices

[Agrippa]

Not sure if this has already been covered, but I was wondering if someone would be able to clarify something for me regarding the ability score choices when creating a new race.

IIRC, when creating an "Advanced" race, you get to pick a maximum of 3 traits from a single category until x number of choices are used up. Even more for "Monstrous races." Does that mean that if I pick the advanced ability score modifier for 4 points, that I could theoretically pick from that area again 2 more times (like favoured for 2 points and/or human heritage if of the humanoid [human] subtype for 0 points)? Or are you only allowed to pick once from this particular category?

[blahpers]

Those are racial qualities, not racial traits. Racial traits are the things you pick later, such as Elven Immunities and Scent. Those have particular categories (such as Offense or Feat and Skill), and a given race can only have so many in a category.

You can pick whatever qualities you can afford, staying within the bounds of the type of race you're designing.

That said, you're designing a race; ergo, I assume you're the GM. You can do whatever you like; the race builder rules aren't terribly well balanced if you follow them, so feel free to alter them and run your own tests as to how balanced the result is. If you're a player, ask your GM.

For your specific example, a race can certainly take the qualities "Ability Scores: advanced (4 RP)" and "Type: humanoid (human) (0 RP)"; indeed, you must pick one set of modifiers from Ability Scores and one type from Type (and possibly one or more subtypes)--unless you change the rules, of course.

[Agrippa]

Thanks for the response. Much appreciated. I was confusing racial qualities with racial traits and just lumping them both in together. When reading the ARG more carefully last night, it basically says pick "a" quality from each of the quality categories (type, ability modifiers, speed, etc), which I take to mean a single choice. The 4 choices per category for Advanced races, is, as you said, for traits. Once again, blahpers, thanks for helping to clarify that for me.

[blahpers]

De nada. : D Have fun.