Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Demetri_Knighthawk 03-15-07, 02:14 AM	for making races/ templates? obviously for each +2 there should be a -2 on stats, it also seems that two seperate +2 to a skill equal -2 one stat. any more help on a formula to help make sense for others?
*Truean* 03-15-07, 03:51 AM	This is addressed in the DMG I in the first or second chapter
Kadasbrass 03-15-07, 04:20 AM	Well one thing to remember is that a bonus to ability score is more impacting then a penalty is. This is due in part to the fact a bonus lets you exceed the normal limit of 18 for ability score while the panelty can be negated depending on the build. The DMG guide on ability score isn't thought well of and makes for a poor example. For one thing I wouldn't really use penalties to Charisma since they have the least effect of all the ability scores for a penalty. Anyone that would get use out of charisma wouldn't have use for a race with the penalty to it at all. The more impacting an ability score has the more impacting the penalty should be in general principle. A penalty to a ability score should also be able to have some impact on the character no matter what class they are. A race with a bonus to Intelligence or Wisdom should have its penalty applied to only Con or Dex since the reduced hp/fort or ac/reflex will effect a person no matter what. For a bonus to Charisma I would apply the penalty to Dex, Con, or Wis, with charisma base classes being weaker in general compared to int or wisdom based classes the choice of penalties could be expanded to include wisdom, with the least effect being a character would have a penalty to at least one saving throw based ability no matter what. For any of the physical ability scores a penalty to anything other then charisma works. Reduced Str reduces chance of hitting in melee and damage, reduced dex affects ac/reflex, con affects hp/fort, reduced int can reduce the avaibility of an entire tree of useful combat feats (Combat Expertise), wisdom and will saves. I would also suggest that you don't give a race more then one bonus and penalty. A race can be better suited at one role above the rest but should never be designed to only be able to serve one role. A race with two bonuses and penalties becomes too focused into a limited role. As for skills, a race should in general have a bonus to two or three skills. Skill bonuses are nice but are not the main attraction of the race. A race should also have nice and useful racial traits outside ability score modifiers and skill bonus. A race should never be modeled entirely around an ability modifier. A race should also have a trait that makes it standout above the rest. These traits can be suited to make a race better suited for a single role but should never make the race only good at one role.
Sudnji_cas 03-15-07, 07:02 PM	Jabba the whats' point system should do the trick.
Thomar_of_Uointer 03-15-07, 07:54 PM	There is no formula. Any attempt to make a formula is doomed to fail, as no formula is complex enough to account for the way abilities stack and overlap. Sorry! However, I will recommend the acid test. Take a level 1 character of your race (that's 1 level in the favored class typically, but it should be the class that benefits it most), then take a level 1 human of the same class. If there's anything that looks too powerful on the new race, add another class level to the human. Repeat ad nausem until you get two characters that look like they match up against each other pretty well in a party.
AZNsupermarket 03-15-07, 11:41 PM	This is addressed in the DMG I in the first or second chapter Those guidelines are extremely outdated and should be ignored. Since the publishing of additional supplements after the PHB, Wotc has changed their ideas of what makes a race balanced. These are the basics, currently: +2 to a mental stat (other than wisdom because it is the most important) can be balanced out by a -2 to con or dex. +2 to a physical stat can be balanced out more or less with a penalty to any other stat.