Yeah it seems like a touchy subject that extends far beyond 'just numbers' into things like immersion, common sense, role playing, storytelling, DMing and more. This whole free stats allocation thing feels like some sort of rule of cool treatment. This 'being unique legendary hero' argument is also weird, because every other NPC doesn't get to level up as they want, this alone separates your character from the rest of the world and shows their uniqueness as earned not as 'just because'. Having distinct races with their own strengths and weaknesses makes the world breath, imo. The racial bonuses show the comparative ratio of attributes between races, not a limiter for your character.
