Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 nathedog Dec 25, 2014 0:58:02	So I've recently started playing D&D with a few co-workers that are more advanced at it than I am. We just finished our first campain and since it went so smoothly, we are going to start another one. Thing is, our first campain had the generic classes and races and our character sheets were somewhat completed by our DM. For this campain, we are going to pick our class and race freely. I have no idea how to run my future character (Lv 10 Fey'ri Factotum). Is there anyone that could help me get a start on it or show me how to build characters?
#2 Tempest_Stormwind Dec 25, 2014 8:32:39	nathedog wrote:
(Reply to #2) nathedog	Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#4 Tempest_Stormwind Dec 27, 2014 9:11:30	Can I ask you please stop using text that can be seen from orbit? Thanks.   nathedog wrote:
(Reply to #4) nathedog	Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#6 Slagger_the_Chuul Dec 28, 2014 1:03:40	Level Adjustment (LA) is basically a number of character levels that you "pay" to have a more powerful race.  For example, if you're making a 10th-level character using a race with a +2 LA, you would have 8 levels in character classes, with the other two levels effectively spent on being that race.  In either case, you have the same ECL (Effective Character Level) of 10. Levels "spent" on level adjustments count for determining how much experience you need to level up and how much wealth you would be expected to have (those are based on your ECL), but otherwise do basically nothing; you don't get any feats, ability points, or Hit Dice from them (classes grant base attack bonuses, skill points, saving throw bonuses, and hit points by giving you their class HD, and monsters likewise get the same benefits from their monster HD).  You do get the benefits of playing the more powerful race, but since those rarely stack with your class abilities, you often lose on overall capability because other people are receiving higher-level class abilities that are more useful than your racial abilities.   For example, at ECL 10, you might have an 8th-level sorcerer with a +2 LA from their race who could cast 4th-level spells.  At the same ECL 10, you could have a 10th-level sorcerer with a +0 LA race (like a human) who can cast 5th-level spells.  Although the first character has some extra benefits from their race, the benefits from having higher class levels are often much better.
#7 Luna_Trigger Jan 02, 2015 15:43:20	Most races with LA also have racial hitdice, or RHD. RHD also counts against your level, so gnoll, which has LA1 and 2 RHD would have to be a level 4 character to be playable.   Also worth noting, LA is almost never worth it. Levels are where your abilities come from, and LA and RHD take that away for very little gain.
#8 Andarious-Rosethorn Jan 02, 2015 17:11:05	Anything with HD doesn't need class levels in order to be played a Gnoll with 1 LA and 2 HD can be played as a level 3 character with no special house rules needed. I wouldn't suggest it, but you can do that.
#9 Slagger_the_Chuul Jan 02, 2015 20:32:56	Monster races are like multiclassing, except that some of the levels don't include Hit Dice (Level Adjustment), and some of them don't include special abilities (racial Hit Dice).  The parallel is more obvious if you're using them with monster classes, but the more costly races are basically like character classes that no-one tried to balance during design (because they didn't).