Tiny bit of lore today - Racial Ability Bonuses - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Tiny bit of lore today - Racial Ability Bonuses

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
webrunner
Mar 14, 2011 15:29:06 Today's last Week's article on Racial Ability Bonuses has lore explanation for all the new racial choices, including Warforged which casts Con/Int Warforged as being a late-model "premium line" designed by House Cannith for use as battlemages that didn't end up getting as much production due to the end of the war.

Article's here, if anyone wants to check it out: www.wizards.com/dnd/files/397_Racial_Abi...
#2
dieffenbachj
Mar 14, 2011 20:11:13 Yes! Totally called it.

My house rule document had ability score choices for the kalashtar, warforged, and gnomes. They all got the exact modifiers I had in my document XD
#3
Ogiwan
Mar 15, 2011 10:15:37 Something to pat yourself on the back for, Dieff.

Still, I'm a fan. I love 'forged anyways. I just wish that they would give us more varieties of Shifters. I miss Longstride shifters, and Reachrunners.
#4
dieffenbachj
Mar 15, 2011 16:42:59 In case you're interested in checking out my own shifter update:

www.mediafire.com/?gfs91nbgel2bdhb

I tried to tweak the races for Essentials. Shifter is near the bottom, starting with S... quick run down of changes:

Changeling Trick made a burst so casters can take advantage of the only changeling combat ability. Also gave them an extra language so that people can, you know, impersonate non-humans...

Gnomes, no changes (now that the ability scores match...)

Goblins, lots of little changes, just to bring them in line with quantity of flavor and usefulness as other races.

Kalashtar, modified telepathy to be more of a communications hub (since even without that feat Kalashtar could pull off the telephone operator thing anyway), and added both human body (bonus to Bluff checks) and made bastion of mental clarity less situational in its trigger.

Shifters got the biggest change. Given a natural weapon, the scent ability, shapechanger subtype, and I severely modified their racial power so that a) it can be used out of combat, b) it can be used without being bloodied (since if you're a half-good fighter, or you're a ranged combatant, you're unlikely to be bloodied), and c) better if you wait until you're bloodied.

The only shifter racial ability I'm not sure is necessarily balanced is the Razorclaw free-attack ability. Except, it's so hard to hit except in extreme circumstances that it's hard to minmax, so I'm not worried about it.

Finally, warforged, gave them a natural weapon and replaced their racial with a more classic "Fortification" ability that just felt more golemish to me.

Anyway. I hope to see someone (get Hellcow in here!) do an official update of the shifter with Essentials in mind--because right now, they're just laughably pathetic. They have NO unique racial 'flavor' abilities except for their shifting, which is only used if bloodied, which is only possible if you suck enough to get hit a lot (which is fine for some people, unless you have a decent cleric in the party--basically, in order for shifters to feel unique, you must get hit a lot and not have a good healer. Not exactly ideal.) They might as well just be called Worse Humans. They remind me of half-orcs in 3.5... just kind of bland, with no special abilities which really define them outside of roleplaying.

Straight-from-MM-race-conversions kind of suck, IMHO. We seriously need a shifter improvement, and not just in varieties of shift types.

EDIT: The usual response to a lot of the changes I make to races is "Who cares?" like the mostly useless natural weapons or the scent ability or the goblin 'squalor' ability. I maintain that the most interesting races, the most memorable and lovable races, are the ones with unique and distinct racial traits. Dwarves can carry a ton of weight; elves can use bows, even though if they don't already get that proficiency from their class they aren't going to use it anyway; devas speak an extra language; halflings are brave against the rare fear effect; eladrin can use swords; warforged can attach swords to their arms. All of these abilities are almost completely useless, yet they are essential in creating an interesting race because they add a ton of flavor when they ARE brought up in-game. Hence, 'scent' and 'natural weapons' and the goblin resistance to disease.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 webrunner Mar 14, 2011 15:29:06	Today's last Week's article on Racial Ability Bonuses has lore explanation for all the new racial choices, including Warforged which casts Con/Int Warforged as being a late-model "premium line" designed by House Cannith for use as battlemages that didn't end up getting as much production due to the end of the war. Article's here, if anyone wants to check it out: www.wizards.com/dnd/files/397_Racial_Abi...
#2 dieffenbachj Mar 14, 2011 20:11:13	Yes! Totally called it. My house rule document had ability score choices for the kalashtar, warforged, and gnomes. They all got the exact modifiers I had in my document XD
#3 Ogiwan Mar 15, 2011 10:15:37	Something to pat yourself on the back for, Dieff. Still, I'm a fan. I love 'forged anyways. I just wish that they would give us more varieties of Shifters. I miss Longstride shifters, and Reachrunners.
#4 dieffenbachj Mar 15, 2011 16:42:59	In case you're interested in checking out my own shifter update: www.mediafire.com/?gfs91nbgel2bdhb I tried to tweak the races for Essentials. Shifter is near the bottom, starting with S... quick run down of changes: Changeling Trick made a burst so casters can take advantage of the only changeling combat ability. Also gave them an extra language so that people can, you know, impersonate non-humans... Gnomes, no changes (now that the ability scores match...) Goblins, lots of little changes, just to bring them in line with quantity of flavor and usefulness as other races. Kalashtar, modified telepathy to be more of a communications hub (since even without that feat Kalashtar could pull off the telephone operator thing anyway), and added both human body (bonus to Bluff checks) and made bastion of mental clarity less situational in its trigger. Shifters got the biggest change. Given a natural weapon, the scent ability, shapechanger subtype, and I severely modified their racial power so that a) it can be used out of combat, b) it can be used without being bloodied (since if you're a half-good fighter, or you're a ranged combatant, you're unlikely to be bloodied), and c) better if you wait until you're bloodied. The only shifter racial ability I'm not sure is necessarily balanced is the Razorclaw free-attack ability. Except, it's so hard to hit except in extreme circumstances that it's hard to minmax, so I'm not worried about it. Finally, warforged, gave them a natural weapon and replaced their racial with a more classic "Fortification" ability that just felt more golemish to me. Anyway. I hope to see someone (get Hellcow in here!) do an official update of the shifter with Essentials in mind--because right now, they're just laughably pathetic. They have NO unique racial 'flavor' abilities except for their shifting, which is only used if bloodied, which is only possible if you suck enough to get hit a lot (which is fine for some people, unless you have a decent cleric in the party--basically, in order for shifters to feel unique, you must get hit a lot and not have a good healer. Not exactly ideal.) They might as well just be called Worse Humans. They remind me of half-orcs in 3.5... just kind of bland, with no special abilities which really define them outside of roleplaying. Straight-from-MM-race-conversions kind of suck, IMHO. We seriously need a shifter improvement, and not just in varieties of shift types. EDIT: The usual response to a lot of the changes I make to races is "Who cares?" like the mostly useless natural weapons or the scent ability or the goblin 'squalor' ability. I maintain that the most interesting races, the most memorable and lovable races, are the ones with unique and distinct racial traits. Dwarves can carry a ton of weight; elves can use bows, even though if they don't already get that proficiency from their class they aren't going to use it anyway; devas speak an extra language; halflings are brave against the rare fear effect; eladrin can use swords; warforged can attach swords to their arms. All of these abilities are almost completely useless, yet they are essential in creating an interesting race because they add a ton of flavor when they ARE brought up in-game. Hence, 'scent' and 'natural weapons' and the goblin resistance to disease.