One of the first major adjustments my 5E D&D OGL/SRD game will make is the difference in base stats for different races and sexes.

We've been working on arrays taking into consideration both scientific studies and autoethnography for Humans, with demihumans (Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings) being crafted in our own image with varying inclusion of historical and other fictional portrayals of these races. The first release will focus on Human PCs only. Demihumans in this game will be very strange, with different physiology and motivations than humans. In the future we'll be exploring the game mechanics that will be needed to help humans in reality play these strange creatures if they so desire.

Human males will retain the baseline of 3d6 for all stats. Your average male array has 63 stat points total. https://anydice.com/program/5837

Here are the female arrays in comparison:

STR               4d4       -3
DEX   3d6
CON                      6d3
INT    2d6 + 1d4       +1
WIS   2d6 + 1d4       +1
CHA   1d6 + 2d4      +2

Your average female array has 61 stat points total. However, it is much more common for female rolled arrays to have more stat points than male arrays.

https://anydice.com/program/16997

We're still working on the seventh stat which will have to do with attractiveness. This stat will unlock certain non-magical abilities at different levels. We're also interested in age based stat modifiers as well and will be including those in the first release. I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts about it.

Disclaimer: I'm sure there is someone sensitive enough out there to be offended, and I will be the first one to tell you that we don't care. This will be the most credence that will be given to the SJW cry bullies in the hobby and in the industry. Going forward you will not be acknowledged, interacted with in any way (outside of civil debate,) and any serious transgression will be prosecuted whenever possible. It's not hard to find my address, but I will warn you that my front door is locked for your protection. If you take it upon yourself to drive hundreds of miles into Eastern Oregon uninvited to violate my civil liberties you will not be met with the benefit of the doubt.

So a woman's Strength tops out at 13?  Seems about right.

Well, you've got a clear thesis for what you're doing and how you're doing it. The only thing you've failed to demonstrate is who asked for this? I've never found myself pulling my hair out over the physiological inaccurasies in my pulp fantasy adventure game.

What if I'm a female with the MSTN gene mutation and I suffer from dwarfism but I'm not an actual dwarf? What does my array look like now?

So if someone is not an SJW and thinks maybe you've been cooped up in a bunker for too long hiding from real interaction with humans, will you chat with them? Just asking for a friend ;-)

Also, you should take a look at FATAL as I think it has already gone and done most of the heavy lifting for the kind of game you want. Hey, maybe you can do a "5E adaptation" of FATAL, I bet it would be a real hit!

Quote from: ThePoxBox;1095581We've been working on arrays taking into consideration both scientific studies and autoethnography for Humans.

Because scientific studies work with CON and WIS so often ....

Quote[1] demihumans (Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings) being crafted in our own image with varying inclusion of historical and other fictional portrayals of these races.
[...]
[2] Demihumans in this game will be very strange, with different physiology and motivations than humans.

Aren't your points [1] and [2] contradictory?

I think your "autoethnography" means that you've thought about it a bit - well, well done you. Your final method - or would you prefer methodology as an unnecessary complicated term - is to do "research" except where you'd prefer just to make shit up. Why not just make shit up? Or just, shit stirring shit (as above).

Quote from: Anselyn;1095610Because scientific studies work with CON and WIS so often ....



Aren't your points [1] and [2] contradictory?

I think your "autoethnography" means that you've thought about it a bit - well, well done you. Your final method - or would you prefer methodology as an unnecessary complicated term - is to do "research" except where you'd prefer just to make shit up. Why not just make shit up? Or just, shit stirring shit (as above).

I wouldn't say I I would make shit up "when I prefer." I would make shit up in the absence of any good data. If you know of good data I may have missed, by all means point and I'll take a look.

Quote from: ThePoxBox;1095581I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts about it.

• Average CON is 12?
• Precedent is against you: "D&D but more realistic" is the base template for fantasy heartbreakers.
• RPGing is wish-fulfillment. Boys want to play as knights or as Conan or as Gandalf. If girls want to play as strong kick-ass female fighters, there's good reason to let them. Plus it's genre-compliant.

Quote from: Azraele;1095588Well, you've got a clear thesis for what you're doing and how you're doing it. The only thing you've failed to demonstrate is who asked for this? I've never found myself pulling my hair out over the physiological inaccurasies in my pulp fantasy adventure game.

I've always been interested in this, and my housemates are directly interested. I'm not banking on this being a commercial success, but being a very different take on D&D 5E where demihumans are strange, triune monotheism is the prevailing religion of the kingdom where the first release of the campaign material focuses, and care is taken to make things that are interesting to myself and my friends. We are interested in gender differences, many threats needing to be overcome with rituals and special substances (less monster homogeneity overall,) and developing core mechanics that give deeper gameplay around solving mysteries, dealing with political intrigue, and rules for business ownership and management.

I plan on putting out a lot of these kinds of posts to see if there is any interest. Outside of the system I'm looking to embrace organized play and professional storytelling. Organized play for D&D5E seems to have gone the way of "fairness" so it is dull, unrewarding, and the con events lack the competition they once fostered. Professional storytelling is something I did for almost three years, and I'd love to create an environment where it is not only fun, but sometimes profitable to run the game for their players and patrons.

Quote from: camazotz;1095602So if someone is not an SJW and thinks maybe you've been cooped up in a bunker for too long hiding from real interaction with humans, will you chat with them? Just asking for a friend ;-)

Also, you should take a look at FATAL as I think it has already gone and done most of the heavy lifting for the kind of game you want. Hey, maybe you can do a "5E adaptation" of FATAL, I bet it would be a real hit!

I'm happy to chat with all kinds of people. My Discord is Datum#7113. Drop me a line. I also frequent Giant Dragons Gamer Chat when I'm not working. It's held on most Wednesdays and Thursdays around 6PM ET. here's a link to that Discord https://discord.gg/KMws7dH

As for FATAL, I can't say that's even close to the kind of game I'm looking for. I'm not looking for anus diameter. I'm looking for a system that has rules that illustrate what is different about the genders, among other things, so that the magical things in the world stand out even more in the mind as fantastic.

There was a nifty article in an old Dragon magazine in the 1970's (#4 or thereabouts) which took the early 4 character classes (fighting man, magic user, cleric, thief) and built alternate female version classes for them. I thought it was well done, but the female players in my gaming group rejected it totally because they wanted to play the same class and race choices as the guys. I thought that the new classes had some really cool elements to them, but the girls didn't want different.

I decided at that point not to fret over stuff like gender in my campaigns, and I let everyone roll characters using exactly the same rules. Unrealistic? Maybe, but I don't worry about that stuff anymore.

Quote from: Alexander Kalinowski;1095614

• Average CON is 12?
• Precedent is against you: "D&D but more realistic" is the base template for fantasy heartbreakers.
• RPGing is wish-fulfillment. Boys want to play as knights or as Conan or as Gandalf. If girls want to play as strong kick-ass female fighters, there's good reason to let them. Plus it's genre-compliant.

1. For females, yes. Feminine muscles are more efficient. Average females have more endurance than the average man, as well as higher pain tolerance, and the variability for female constitution is extremely low compared to male constitution. Like with all human traits there is huge overlap.
2. Commercial success isn't my goal. Having a rule set and a setting I can be happy with is.
3. My STR stat is the one most based in science. All data points to females being about %33 weaker than males overall.

Quote from: tenbones;1095589What if I'm a female with the MSTN gene mutation and I suffer from dwarfism but I'm not an actual dwarf? What does my array look like now?

Can't say I know enough about dwarfism to know. If you're interested it'd be great to see what you come up with.

Quote from: finarvyn;1095621There was a nifty article in an old Dragon magazine in the 1970's (#4 or thereabouts) which took the early 4 character classes (fighting man, magic user, cleric, thief) and built alternate female version classes for them. I thought it was well done, but the female players in my gaming group rejected it totally because they wanted to play the same class and race choices as the guys. I thought that the new classes had some really cool elements to them, but the girls didn't want different.

I decided at that point not to fret over stuff like gender in my campaigns, and I let everyone roll characters using exactly the same rules. Unrealistic? Maybe, but I don't worry about that stuff anymore.

I can't say I've ever understood this sentiment. There are plenty of things, literally almost everything, that more women than men are average at doing. Are they unhappy that the rules for females were done second? Eve was done second too and she turned out great. Men lead and women follow. All rules have exceptions, but rules are rules because there is truth in them.

What's the point? You don't want any Xena PCs/NPCs?