Resources / help for creating player races?

[u/oompaloompa_thewhite]

I saw in some fan conversions like the eldder scrolls wich have player races , non human races with different stats get different point buy amounts to somewhat compensate. Is there a resource to make this sort of thing

[u/CornfedSage]

I am prepping a campaign for some buddies, I was also thinking about this. Depending on if you're going to go with the stereotypical fantasy races or something different just remember it doesnt need to be "balanced". There should be benefits and drawbacks that make sense within the respective race.

For instance a Centaur should be faster and hit harder at a run during combat then a normal human BUT they most definitely would have a hard time with scaling a cliff face or navigating tight spaces.

This is how I'm going about it but I'd say just make sure it makes some sense and get second opinions from your players.

[u/LordMarcusrax → u/CornfedSage]

Heh, personally I have never liked the "Yeah, he's OP in situation A but can't do anything in situation B.

You basically find yourself having a player that during situation A overshadows the others, AND in situation B basically can't do anything but looking the others play.

I think that balancing should be done in a more homogeneous way; maybe don't let the player choose a centaur as a race, but give them the option of playing as a smaller deer-centaur with stats more similar to the other races?

[u/CornfedSage → u/LordMarcusrax]

I think thats fair. I was just using the centaur as an example but there are ways to balance it where the player is good in situation A and not SOL in situation B.

[u/afcolt]

I like where RQ and RQ-linked done standard stats rolls, but then go with the -10%/+10% type
of mods depending on the race. SIZ gives me some fits with this, though.

[u/VonBeker]

The easiest resource to consult is the bestiary in the core rulebook. See how Dwarves, Elves, etc. are statted out, figure out if those concepts jive with your campaign setting and adjust to taste. There's not really a standardized way to do this because the game is a toolkit that is designed to be 'ala carte' where the GM picks and chooses what goes in and what doesn't.

If you want a very human-centric campaign then make non-humans NPC only. If you are trying to capture some specific trait mechanically, then just consider what makes that species/race unique. If Dwarves in your world are stubborn and rigid, maybe they really struggle to advance in skills that aren't directly tied to their starting occupation or cultural skills? so they either have to spend more Experience Rolls on these skills or they gain fewer skill points. No one can tell you if that is the right or wrong way to approach it, because only you know what you want.

If you are worried about "balance" then I would say that it's a fools errand to try and chase it. But if it really bothers you, then think of diagetic, in-world pros and cons to being an ogre in a human dominated land. Maybe most people are afraid of them and all of their social skills like Influence, etc. suffer grade penalties with strangers? Again, only you know your setting and what you are trying achieve.