Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Tal-eth Sep 15, 2010 18:27:29	I've decided to attempt to make a hombrew campaign with some houseruled races.  I've only decided on what the stats for humans are at this point. Humans Ability Scores: +2 to any 2 ability scores of your choice Size: Medium Speed: 6 Vision: Normal Languages: Common, one other Bonus At-Will Power Bonus Feat Bonus Skill Human Defense Bonus The only change to humans is in the ability score area. The other races that I would like to be part of this campaign setting include elves, dwarves, and warforged. I am looking for possible ideas that would help to balance the other races with the humans I have outlined above.  I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel necessarily but would just like to give the other races a little more "oomph," if you will. Thanks so much for any help or ideas!
#2 Crimson_Concerto Sep 15, 2010 18:51:19	If you don't want to bother to need to alter the other races at all, you could always just remove the Human Defense Bonuses. They were there to make up for the fact that Humans only got one ability score bonus to begin with, so your alteration makes the feature pretty obsolete... Otherwise, you could give each of the other race +2 to any ability score in addition to their existing racial ability score bonuses. This sounds like it's a lot, but it's actually not that big of a deal if you're already boosting the Human to this level of power anyways, especially because characters usually only majorly rely on two of their ability scores such that you actually get deminishing returns for a third ability score boost. Taking the new essentials racial ability score updates into account, this would mean that your races look like this: Dwarf: +2 CON, +2 STR or WIS, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice Elf: +2 DEX, +2 INT or WIS, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice Human: +2 to any two ability scores of your choice Warforged: +2 STR, +2 CON, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice What other races will be included? Your post makes it sound like you're not including all races but are including more races than mentioned.
#3 Tal-eth Sep 15, 2010 19:01:38	If you don't want to bother to need to alter the other races at all, you could always just remove the Human Defense Bonuses. They were there to make up for the fact that Humans only got one ability score bonus to begin with, so your alteration makes the feature pretty obsolete... Otherwise, you could give each of the other race +2 to any ability score in addition to their existing racial ability score bonuses. This sounds like it's a lot, but it's actually not that big of a deal if you're already boosting the Human to this level of power anyways, especially because characters usually only majorly rely on two of their ability scores such that you actually get deminishing returns for a third ability score boost. Taking the new essentials racial ability score updates into account, this would mean that your races look like this: Dwarf: +2 CON, +2 STR or WIS, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice Elf: +2 DEX, +2 INT or WIS, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice Human: +2 to any two ability scores of your choice Warforged: +2 STR, +2 CON, and +2 to any third ability score of your choice Thanks Crimson! I hadn't thought about giving a +2 to a third ability score.  That's an interesting option.  For reasons you state above, I'm not sure that would be enough to bring the other races on par with these humans.  Maybe I'm wrong though. Some other ideas I've kicked around: Darkvision Terrain walk of some kind Adjusting base speed Free specific feats related to a racial theme (like maybe Toughness for a "tough" race) Damage type immunity (poison, disease, fire, lightning, etc.) It may be that none of these ideas are any good, but I've tossed them around a bit. P.S.  I liked your work on the minotaur