Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The_other 07-26-04, 12:39 AM	i dont know if this has been done before and if it has i appologize Im kinda new to eberron and only understand some of it but some racial things i dont get. like the dwarven dodge bonus against giants, if dwarves originated on Frostfell, and Giants came from Xen'drik then how do they know how to fight against giants? why dont the elves have bonuses against giants since the giants enslaved elves. also i kinda understand the attack bonus vs goblins since dwarves fought them a little but what about orcs? Dwarves live in Mror while Orcs are on the other side of the continet in shadow marches and demon wastes. and dwarves in eberron seem more charismatic than the standerd dnd dwarves since they are bankers, yet they have a -2 cha penalty the halfings of Talenta seem to beable to handle animals or dinosaurs better than sneaking and climbing since where can you climb in plains, should they get bonuses on handle animal and ride instead of move silently and climb? also gnomes dodge bonus. nothing i can find mentions them in xen'drik yet they have trained against giants to, and why have they trained against kolbolds, whats the history between them? half-orcs i dont know the elves and humans seem to be the only races i see that fit into the world, except i think the elves should have some bonus against giants,and lose weapon prof im sorry if this has been done before and i would like to see others oppinoins
UniversalJoker 07-26-04, 12:53 AM	Keith has already addressed these issues in the Ask Keith Baker thread. I would recommend reading it. The executive summary is that these racial bonuses are normally based on the physical nature of the races in question, not some learned traits. Hope that helps.
The_other 07-26-04, 12:54 AM	thanks
Latif Khan 07-26-04, 08:59 AM	But he does have a point. The dodge boni aren't described as being physical traits, but rather based on traditions or passed from down through generations. like dwarves always fought giants so they get a bonus. This is not the size bonus, but a bonus representing their knowledge of Giants.
demonpunk 07-26-04, 09:05 AM	As said before, Keith was going on the idea that racial traits were inborn, not cultural, and he didn't want new "subraces" for Eberron. There are orcs in the Mror holds (check out the region description). They were seperate from the druidic tradition orcs to the west. The bonus to fighting against giants I think comes partly because dwarves and gnomes know how to fight bigger opponents well. I think there were still ogres and trolls around Khorvair, if not the typical Xen'drik "giants." And dwarves are surly and rude, so they get a -2Cha. I'm sure you've met some uncharismatic people working at a bank before. Maybe the Khorvaire banks are even worse; maybe they're as bad as the DMV.
Lord Arkhaven 07-26-04, 01:11 PM	That a living organism would be racially predisposed to something isn't prevailant in their lives and the lives of their forebearers just flies in the face of evolutionary science. The answers given to these questions are reaching at best. I think this is one of those things you don't look into too deeply for the sake of game simplicity.
demonpunk 07-26-04, 01:47 PM	Dwarves and giants fly in the face of evolutionary science. On the other hand, I think that nothing about the game should be looked into "too deeply." Its just a game, and the rules are a mix of game balance and flavor, so they're never perfect. But I still think dwarves could have had contact with orcs and some giants (again, ogres and trolls, not storm giants from Xen'drik).
Calibim 07-26-04, 05:24 PM	Is it me or aren't Trolls, Ogres, and Ettins considered Giants? Would not the dwarves have learned to fight them as well, therefore getting there bonus? Gients aren't just the Hill, Fire Storm Types. Besides the Dwarves are from Frostfell. me thinks there be FROST Giants, in FROSTfell :-) Especially if the giants had such high cultural ability as the legends say.
scwolf 07-27-04, 12:48 AM	Originally posted by Lord Arkhaven That a living organism would be racially predisposed to something isn't prevailant in their lives and the lives of their forebearers just flies in the face of evolutionary science. My digestive tract is predisposed to have an appendix. So were my parents' and grandparents' and so on, for quite a few generations back. I don't remember hearing of it being prevalent in anyone's life except for when it goes wrong.
Vapor IX 07-27-04, 01:07 AM	Originally posted by scwolf My digestive tract is predisposed to have an appendix. So were my parents' and grandparents' and so on, for quite a few generations back. I don't remember hearing of it being prevalent in anyone's life except for when it goes wrong. There's a difference between a possibly (the nature of the appendix is disputed by doctors... it was used to digest tree bark way back when, it helps with the immune system, yada yada) useless organ that is built into the inner working of a body, and being able to fight a creature that you have little/no contact with (assuming we're talking about Xen'drik giants).