Hi. Not sure where this should have gone, so... Here it is!
I'm just wondering how to best balance:
Paragon (1 RP)
Modifiers: Members of this race gain a +4 bonus to a single ability score, and a –2 penalty to either all physical or all mental ability scores. If the bonus is to a single physical ability score, the penalties apply to all mental ability scores, and vice versa.
I don't want it to be useless, but I don't want it to be overpowered either.
Examples: +4 Charisma, -2 all physical, you can make... A sorcerer, oracle, or caster bard? But not much else, I think...
On the other hand, +4 Intelligence, -2 physical is nice for, wizards, witches, and arcanists? But it also adds skill points and Wizard is already the best class in the game, so that's maybe too good.
So, I'm just trying to figure out what's more in between the two.
Make sense?
For example, Dex, Wisdom, maybe? Also bump.
There is a reason that, to my knowledge, only one playable race uses the Paragon racial modifiers (Orcs). They are extremely niche and require that you run with one basic stereotype (you just don't play an orc spellcaster unless you have a very specific ability in mind.)
Here's the thing: Orcs are Orcs are Orcs. Whatever race you build with Paragon modifiers will have a specific niche in your world. So I would choose a niche that you want filled, and build from there.
Lastly, the race building rules are notorious for being unbalanced. So don't count RPs, and instead do direct comparisons to existing races.
That said, Dex (Primal Elves?), Con (race bred for slavery by domineering overlords?) or Wis (Metroid's Chozo?) would be the best options in my opinion. Save stats are always important unless you are a Paladin.
Lastly, the race building rules are notorious for being unbalanced. So don't count RPs, and instead do direct comparisons to existing races.
This is very much the case. The RP system is at very best a rough guideline. You absolutely cannot intentionally optimize, otherwise you will get exceedingly overpowered results. I've seen races with RP totals in the 30's which are about on-par with the human, and it's possible to create something that's blatantly broken while keeping RP totals under 10. You must always evaluate the final race
Paragon races are exceptionally specialized and tend to be quite uninteresting as a result. The goblin is perhaps the only exception, due to dex being such a versatile stat. Con should also work well since everyone appreciates hit points and most classes don't have any means of weaponizing a high constitution score. The kineticist is a bit of a problem there, so I'd be mindful of that class. Not sure about Wisdom; I get the logic that will saves are important, but it'd be hard to justify anything over a wisdom-based spellcaster in that context.
Zen Archers, Senseis, and that one Wisdom based Paladin. Also, any casting stat can become the main focus of a character, but Wisdom does double duty by raising Will saves and Perception/Sense Motive.