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4 years ago ::
May 17, 2009 - 7:25PM
#11
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Date Joined:
Apr 29, 2006
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I'd add a chapter on comparing the final race to existing races. If it is strictly better than one exisiting race, or strictly worse, you need to rethink it.
You're right. I'll be sure to add that, probably making up the bulk of a section devoted to evaluating your race's mechanics.
- feats
- paragon paths
- race-specific powers
- a deity worshipped by that race, with Channel Divinity feat
- race-specific items
I only have a handful of books (core rules + PHII + free issues of Dragon), so I don't think I could do all of these. Feats, Paragon Paths, and Deities I'm sure I could give a mention to, but I don't have many examples of race-specific powers or items. I'll still give it a shot though.
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4 years ago ::
May 17, 2009 - 9:23PM
#12
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Not everything in your racial stat block needs to geared toward optimization of the race's preferred classes. [...] On the contrary, a races' skill section is one of the best places to add a bit of flavor to the race's mechanics.
Fair 'nuff.
Would you consider a race's skill section closer to major or minor abilities in importance? (ex. the Deva Invoker's History and Religion, vs. the Genasi Warlord's Endurance and Nature)
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4 years ago ::
May 25, 2009 - 9:55PM
#13
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bumpity-  Keep this alive!
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4 years ago ::
May 25, 2009 - 11:40PM
#14
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Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2005
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However, more narrowly focused powers do exist. The half-orc and shifter both have powers that are decidedly melee.
What? 
The Half-Orc and Shifter both have powers that are useful to everybody no matter what class they are. Are we looking at the same races here? What about their racial powers are "decidedly" melee-oriented?
Half-orc gets to add extra damage regardless of melee or ranged, weapon or implement. The shifter gets a bonus to speed and reflex defense equally useful to everybody or a bonus to damage and regeneration useful to everybody. There's nothing "decidedly melee" about either of these.
No, in fact, I highly recommend adding to the list that racial powers and indeed all racial features should be useful to a character regardless of class or role. There are a couple of places where this rule is broken (such as the half-orc's heedless charge), but those are cases of bad design on the part of the developers themselves and one bad design decision does not justify another.
For instance, racial feature dealing with charging are bad because ranged characters will never benefit from it. Also, racial features depending on, say, melee basic attacks or really any basic attack at all are bad because they pigeon-hole characters into selecting weapon-using classes or else have to pick very specific powers in order to make the feature remotely useful.
Finally, and less obvious to novice race designers, racial NINWAs should target NADs instead of AC. The reason for this is the same reason implement powers target NADs. Like implement powers, NWNI power are effectively down about 2 points of attack bonus due to lacking the proficiency bonus weapons have, which is balanced out by NADs generally being about 2 points lower than AC.
Actually, I'll disagree with this. There's absolutely no problem with a racial attack power targeting AC so long as proper adjustments are made. The attack would likely gain +4 at 1st level, +6 at 11th, and +8 at 21st in order to simply mimic both weapon enchantments and proficiency bonus.
Despite being an absolutely horrifically designed racial power otherwise, the Minotaur's Goring Charge is a good example of this.
For everything else? Preach on. 
Why, yes, as a matter of fact I am the Unfailing Arbiter of All That Is Good Design (Even More So Than The Actual Developers) TMSpeaking of things that were badly designed, please check out this thread for my Minotaur fix. What have the critics said, you ask? "If any of my players ask to play a Minotaur, I'm definitely offering this as an alternative to the official version." - EmpactWB "If I ever feel like playing a Minotaur I'll know where to look!" - Undrave "WoTC if you are reading this - please take this guy's advice." - Ferol_Debtor_of_Torm "Really full of win. A minotaur that is actually attractive for more than just melee classes." - Cpt_Micha Also, check out my recent GENASI variant! If you've ever wished that your Fire Genasi could actually set stuff on fire, your Water Genasi could actually swim, or your Wind Genasi could at least glide, then look no further. Finally, check out my OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE article, an effort to give unique support to the races that WotC keeps forgetting about. Includes new racial feature options for the Changeling, Deva, Githzerai, Gnoll, Gnome, Goliath, Half-Orc, Kalashtar, Minotaur, Shadar-Kai, Thri-Kreen, Warforged and more!
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4 years ago ::
May 25, 2009 - 11:51PM
#15
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Date Joined:
Apr 29, 2006
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Would you consider a race's skill section closer to major or minor abilities in importance? (ex. the Deva Invoker's History and Religion, vs. the Genasi Warlord's Endurance and Nature)
Strictly, I would say neither. The +2 to two skills is something that almost all races receive, and those that don't get a similar skill-related bonus (such as the human's Bonus Skill). Since it's pretty much mandatory for a race to get these skill bonuses, I don't count them as either major or minor abilities.
That said, if I was to evaluate racial skill bonuses as either a major or minor ability, in most cases count it as a major ability. A race's skill bonuses tend to be closely related enough to the race's preferred classes that the bonuses would come in handy fairly often. Though preferably, I would put the skill bonuses in a category in between major and minor since an atypical class choice where either the class's key abilities or trained skills don't align with the skill bonus can greatly lower the chance that said skill bonuses will see much use.
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4 years ago ::
Jun 04, 2009 - 3:56PM
#16
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Date Joined:
Apr 29, 2006
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4 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2009 - 7:49PM
#17
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Date Joined:
May 21, 2008
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Sticky requested.
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4 years ago ::
Jun 09, 2009 - 2:12PM
#18
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I really don't know if this' the place to ask, but, I have a question regarding Flight for a PC race. So, what if I make it an encounter power (much like Fey Step, but instead of teleport is a flight), and give the player a -2 to all defenses and attacks (well, it's hard to move well while flying). And also a paragon tier feat that eliminates this penalty and increase the use of flight. Would that be unbalanced?
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4 years ago ::
Jun 09, 2009 - 6:06PM
#19
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Date Joined:
Mar 15, 2005
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That's not a horrible option, but you'd have to limit it somehow, like to 2 squares up. Otherwise, your race could circumvent a lot of ground-based traps or pits, etc.
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4 years ago ::
Jun 09, 2009 - 6:37PM
#20
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Well, if we take into account that a somewhat-strong current of wind is needed to support heavy airborne creatures, it can be ruled that a creature can't fly inside a dungeon. Maybe fall slower (like feather fall), but not fly inside a dungeon (unless of course, it's a wind-themed dungeon, or something like that :P )
Also, wings should impose a penalty to swim checks and such, isn't it?
So, in short:
Fly as an encounter racial move power (like Fey Step). The creature gets -2 to all defences and attacks until it lands (it lands in its next turn). Paragon feats eliminate this penalty (and maybe even increase distance). Epic feats can give overland flight. To fly, good air circulation is needed (this is, only in open areas).
How about that? Would that be balanced?
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