With the new PHB3, all four of the races featured in that book are what is called "v-shaped" -- which is to say that their stats are like like changelings', with one 'primary' stat you have to take and two 'secondary' stats you can choose between. Minotaurs are Str and then either Con or Wis. Githzerai are Dex and then either Int or Wis -- and so on and so forth. At first I was a little hesitant towards this new radical design, feeling like it took away from the changelings' schtick, but after overcoming my initial hesitation I've embraced the idea in full force, and I think that not only are v-shaped races a good idea, they're such a good idea on all fronts that the game as a whole would benefit if all prior PC races had this design imposed on them as well. Not trusting WotC to implement such a sweeping errata, it was only obvious that in order for that become a reality I had to houserule it.
Consider these points when thinking about v-shaped races:
- First, v-shaped races are very flavorful and offer fertile ground from which to differentiate similar races. The addition of a third optional stat to a race is like adding a third dimension to their character, and defining one of the three stats as the race's primary stat (the one you have to take) adds even more depth. Used properly this system can really tell the players a lot more about a race and create a proper flavor for them than the two-stat system does. For example, warforged, minotaur, goliaths and orcs are all Str/Con under the current system and are mechanically very similar, but under a v-shaped system the minotaur adds Wis to his repertoire, representing his capacity to be a gentle giant or noble savage and also highlighting his connection to the primal and divine, the goliath (under my interpretation) adds Dex as their tertiary to highlight their ability as athletes and masters of all things physical and competitive and to enable them as lightning bruiser archetype characters, and the warforged splits off even further, taking Con as their primary instead of Str and having Int as their tertiary stat to accurately describe the mysterious and new psi-forged produced very briefly at the end of the last war. (Orcs are not featured in this write-up as they're still an NPC race with no official player write-up. There's really no need to split the NPC race stats as with 26 of the current PC races split into the v-shape system there will be 52 different stat combinations available and I see no reason why any more races need to be added for completeness sake when, lacking feats and full flavor, the various NPC races just cannot compete with the PC races. That and I don't want to debate with myself which of the two stats best describe bullywugs and which tertiary should be added to them. Eugh, bullywugs.)
- Second, the v-shaped race system adds huge mechanical depth to the system. With two stats per race there are 15 possible stat combinations. With three stats, one of which is designated primary, there are 120. No more constant duplication between similar races. Say goodbye to the glut of Dex/Wis races that all compete for the same classes and all seem so utterly similar. Additionally, it really fans the races out to better cover the various stat combinations. As I said above, as of the writing of this post we've got access to 26 two-stat races plus humans, so with this houseruled system there are 52 distinct combinations available to spread out between the 15 base stat combos, and it covers the bases pretty well. There's still a couple combinations that are a little shallow, but all of them have at least 2 races available, which is a hell of a lot better than the current system where some combos have only 1 race, one combo doesn't have any races, and yet another combo has 5 races.
- Third, this system really opens the game up to practical optimization. Something that has become plainly obvious over the past two years is that playing a race that does not get a bonus to your class's primary stat is painfully sub-optimal. However, in many cases the number of races that have access to your primary stat can be counted on one hand -- leaving you with a list of acceptable races that is far, far too short. So you have the option between playing a character that feels tread upon or overused or playing a character that is distinctly underpowered. By opening up the stat combinations with this system it doubles (or more) the amount of races with access to your primary stat. Instead of picking between 8-10 races you're now picking between 16-20 -- and you have that much more room to choose a race that not only fits your class mechanically but also gives you room to grow your character's persona in unique and interesting ways that don't feel nearly as overused.
- Fourth, a lot of races in the 4e system really don't make sense without having access to a third stat to complete them. It's not to say that they're incomplete as it is, it's just to say that for some races there is a third stat that is so obvious you have to ask why it wasn't one of their first two. Examples are the Cha-less eladrin feylords, the Dex-less gnomish rogues, the Int-less kalashtar psions, the Con-less pact making tieflings, and the Con-less genasi elementalists. You just have to wonder why those stats weren't included within their original race, and ultimately this system delivers.
Enough prattle. Time for the races!
Dragonborn - Str + Int/Cha This choice took a lot of deliberation to decide. Dragonborns are honestly equal parts Str and Cha -- deciding which stat to choose as a primary ultimately came down to which second combination I wanted to highlight for the race. The third stat, however, was obvious from the get go -- while some dragons are brutish thugs, yes, other dragons (and therefore dragonborn) are some of the greatest scholars of the arcane in the D&D universe and as a result no third stat fits this race nearly as well as Int does. After deciding that, the question came, did Str/Int or Cha/Int fit the race better as a whole, and my choice was undoubtedly Str/Int. Dragonborn are an archetypal proud warrior race, and Cha/Int is just too weak for that kind of a character.
Dwarf - Con + Int/Wis Ultimately, this decision was made for three reasons -- one, to get Dwarves out of the way of their upcoming progeny, the Muls, who are confirmed Con + Wis/Str, two, to avoid having unbelievably powerful and nigh-invincible dwarven fighters and barbarians, and three, to try and branch the dwarven race out of the role of melee combatant. While yes, there is very little actual precedence for dwarves being an Int race, it certainly fits better than Cha and Dex do (and we just established that it really can't afford to be Str), and I think there is real potential for dwarves to grow to accept a slightly bookish archetype -- after all, they live for hundreds of years, they're said to keep perfect records of the past, and they're a very inward looking race. I can easily see a small but elite cadre of dwarven arcane or psionic casters fitting right into most settings.
Eladrin - Dex + Int/Cha An even harder decision than dragonborn and for all the same reasons, I eventually settled on the above for the eladrin. Like the dragonborn, it is painfully obvious what the third stat should be -- as preeminent lords of the fey, eladrin almost don't even make sense without access to Cha as a racial stat. However, it was not obvious which of the two original stats should be it's primary. In the end I decided on the above combination both to keep them from stepping on the tiny toes of the gnomes, to open up direct comparisons of eladrin to drow (given that they are sister races, after all), to better fit the archetypal eladrin feylord as being both graceful and charismatic, and finally because I felt like eladrin society, while undoubtedly intelligent, placed a slightly higher emphasis on grace than it did knowledge.
Elf - Dex + Str/Wis The elf was thankfully not a particularly difficult decision. The only real question was whether or not the elven tertiary stat should be Str or Int, but with both the precedence of aggressive and barbaric wild elves and the emphasis of separation between the almost too similar elves and eladrin that question more or less answered itself.
Half-Elf - Cha + Str/Con The half-elves were the first race I came across with a real want of a tertiary stat. Cha was obviously their primary, but I could easily justify Wis, Str, and even Dex as their tertiary. All of them seemed to fit the race, but none were the clear choice. Ultimately I decided to make a decision based off style -- I'm tired of the goody two-shoes half-elf who is always neutral good and always does the right thing and overcomes his troubled past. It's too cliche. Sometimes children raised in difficult situations stuck between two worlds grating against each other survive by externalizing their pain upon other children -- in other words, they become bullies. And that's what a Str/Cha half-elf is -- a bully, using both his uniquely social mind and his immaculately honed hybrid body to force his will upon others and get what he wants.
Halfling - Dex + Wis/Cha The halflings were easy -- base them off their original race, the hobbits. Down to earth folk, the hobbits never cared much for public appearances or fancy speeches, but they're a good calm people with a solid head on their collective shoulders. Wis was a perfect fit for such a character.
Tiefling - Cha + Con/Int Like the hobbits -- err, halflings -- the tieflings were painfully obvious in their stat spread. Cha was undoubtedly their primary stat, being the silver tongued devils they are, and Con was easily their tertiary what with their infernal heritage and all.
Deva - Wis + Int/Cha Again, this was a very easy combination to determine. It's quite interesting how well the deva, kalashtar, and shardmind all share these three stats with different combinations and yet I don't feel like any of the three really sacrificed anything (except that the shardmind should've had Con as a tertiary, but I guess it's too late for that).
Gnome - Int + Dex/Cha The gnomes were not too difficult. Dex was definitely their tertiary stat, given their small short stealthy stature, but I wondered a moment whether Int or Cha should be their primary. In the end I concluded that while most gnomes were generally charismatic, some were not (particularly sverfneblin and whisper gnomes), but all gnomes approach problems from the structured problem solving perspective needed to survive the savage world with their inherent size disadvantage.
Goliath - Str + Con/Dex Consummate athletes, there was never any doubt in my mind what stats the goliaths should have. Goliaths intentionally go against the grain of the bulky behemoth race archetype, and I feel like Dex is a great addition to their repertoire. No race fits the lightning bruiser archetype better than goliaths do.
Half-Orc - Str + Dex/Wis The archetypal noble savage, I feel like the half-orc has come a long way from the ghetto of 3.5e. I never cared for what they did to this poor race in 3.5e, turning them into dumb brutes little better than monsters, but I'm glad those days are over. While Con was a tempting proposition for a tertiary, I felt like it didn't offer the half-orc anything that Str doesn't already give them, whereas Wis is a very understandable stat for them and opens up a lot of unorthodox combinations and the ability to play a noble savage who has crawled above the brutality of his race and past. It's a common half-orc character, so we should support it.
Longtooth - Wis + Str/Con The two shifter races posed an interesting conundrum. What makes a shifter tick? What makes it a unique race worth playing? Is it the animal-like features, is it their lycanthropic history, or what about their innate tie to the primal spirits? Ultimately I decided to emphasize the last -- as interesting as a race of animal men are, it feels very two dimensional to play them as just that. And so I decided that Wis should be the primary stat for the two shifter races with their secondaries representing the unique and varied breeds within the shifter stock. The longtooths, being the more physically fit, get access to Str and Con for their secondary, allowing them to serve as the soldiers and brutes within shifter tribes.
Razorclaw - Wis + Dex/Cha For the razorclaws it was a little harder, even after determining the longtooths. At first I thought to give them Str as their tertiary stat, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it because it just seemed so similar to the longtooths. After a little while, though, I remembered a little nugget from the old 3.5e book Races of Eberron -- the moontouched, a rare breed of shifters with an extremely innate connection to the moon and all things primal. These shifters would inevitably be ushered into the castes of priests, druids, and other spellcasters, leaving the menial tasks of day to day life to other shifters with less precious gifts. And from there it was obvious which tertiary the razorclaw shifters should have. Trained from birth to be powerful spellcasters and leaders of their villages, the moontouched would most definitely have a Cha bonus to aid them in their divine spellcasting (and occasionally arcane spellcasting through inherent sorcerous power or a pact with a feylord) and in their roles as leaders of the shifters.
Bladeling - Dex + Con/Wis The bladelings are kind of a bland race with not a lot of support to them and very little flavor. Still, they're soldiers made by Bane himself to fight in his armies waging their campaigns of eternal war on Chernoggar. A physical stat is an obvious fit given their role as soldiers, and with their metallic theme I feel like Con is a great choice. I honestly wonder why they even have Wis as a stat. It just doesn't seem to fit them at all.
Drow - Cha + Str/Dex The utter face of evil, drow are the archetypal bullies of D&D. Unlike their elven brothers and eladrin sisters, I feel like their second stat actually eclipses the typical fey grace prescribed to the three races. Their unbelievably forceful and sinister personas just outweigh their innate fey grace, making Cha their primary stat and Dex their secondary. In fact, some drow don't even try at all to cultivate that grace any longer -- their culture just doesn't value it as anything more than a tool, and who needs one tool when you could have another? I feel Str/Cha is a great combination for drow, both flavorfully and mechanically, making him a masterful warlord or soldier to march forth and fulfill the will of an increasingly tyrannical Priestesshood of Lolth. It's a great combination for a male drow, whose only hope of achieving any status at all is on the battlefield fighting for his city, his state, and his insane god.
Genasi - Int + Str/Con As elemental beings with an inextricable link to the arcane, genasi were not difficult to determine at all. Int was easily their best stat, aiding genasi on all their classly endeavors, and Con fit the race like a glove for the more internally minded genasi who chose to manifest their racial fortitude from within instead of without.
Gnoll - Con + Str/Dex The beasts of butchery were similarly easy to stat out. While some gnolls choose to approach the world with a more subtle and tricky method, others drink freely from the abyssal fountainhead their sire Yeenoghu provides them with. Such gnolls are terrifying worldly representations of demonic might and strength, and Str/Con is the perfect stat combo for them.
Kalashtar - Cha + Int/Wis The archetypal race of empaths, kalashtar are undoubtedly Cha primary as a race, and being one of the most established psionic races in the game Int just slides right into their array seamlessly and with no questions asked.
Revenant - Con + Dex/Wis The revenants are fairly odd birds, as far as birds go, but despite their strange flavor I would firmly state that Con represents their primary stat. Their undeathly fortitude is easily the biggest aspect of their collective character. For their tertiary stat I had to think a bit, but I feel like their divine connection to the Raven Queen and their morbid past-life experiences make Wis a shoe in to the race. After all, if you've already died once, you're going to be more cautious about repeating that mistake.
Shadar-kai - Dex + Con/Int The shadar-kai were like the dragonborn and eladrin -- they had a definite tertiary stat, but no definite primary. Neither Int nor Dex really jumped out to me in their flavor and backstory. While both stats definitely describe them, neither ultimately established preference over the other. In the end I chose Dex merely for gamist purposes. I wanted to provide a Dex/Con race that is a clean flavorful fit for the assassin build that use those stats -- the other three Dex/Con races were all kind of messy (Bladeling, Revenants, Gnolls) whereas shadar-kai are an absolutely *perfect* flavor fit for assassins.
Warforged - Con + Str/Int At first, warforged seemed difficult. Given their mass produced factory standard creation, it seemed almost impossible for a warforged to have any other stat combination beyond Str/Con. And then I remembered the psi-forged, and all was good. I would definitely state that Con is a better primary than Str given their construct-like endurance, and a psi-forged would undoubtedly have Int as their secondary stat. And so it was settled.
Total number of races available with each stat (including humans) compared to without the houserule: Str - 16 / 8 Con - 18 / 9 Dex - 22 / 13 Int - 17 / 9 Wis - 18 / 12 Cha - 18 / 9
Anyways, to make a long post short, what is everyone's thoughts on this houserule? Too much? Too powerful? Not worth the time it took to make? Anything you would add, or any detail you disagree with?
Thanks for reading, and please examine and critique honestly!
"One skilled at battle takes a stand in the ground of no defeat And so does not lose the enemy's defeat. Therefore, the victorious military is first victorious and after that does battle. The defeated military first does battle and after that seeks victory."
I like your idea, and the combinations you've made do make sense. I wouldn't doubt that, with the new design, wizards actually puts out a DDI article with just such a thing.
I've been doing much the same this past afternoon, though my choices in ability scores are different.
However, reading your arrays made me thing a bit about some choices I made, and I think better of a couple now. However, I must vastly disagree with you on some of them.
Since this is a House Rules thread, however, I'll spare arguing and make my own thread.
I don't know what feedback I can give back though, besides the comparison to my arrays.
A great man once said "If WotC put out boxes full of free money there'd still be people complaining about how it's folded." – Boraxe
I would love to hear your thoughts on the stat combos. Some of them were intentionally out there, and some of them were made for some slightly gamist reasons (dwarves, for example). And in a lot of cases I tried have the third stat describe a small sub-race or race within a race -- for example, while most warforged are not particularly intelligent, the sub-race of psi-forged are very intelligent, leading the warforged's tertiary to be Int. On another example, most razorclaw shifters are decidedly uncharismatic, but the mystical moontouched sub-race that act as the shifter's de-facto leaders and spellcasters would be, so Cha is their tertiary to describe that sub-race.
"One skilled at battle takes a stand in the ground of no defeat And so does not lose the enemy's defeat. Therefore, the victorious military is first victorious and after that does battle. The defeated military first does battle and after that seeks victory."
EDIT: Sorry if any of this comes off a bit jerk-ey. It wasn't my intent. It's just been a long day, and I probably should have held off on posting until tomorrow. But meh, too late now. This thing is too long to re-type.
I really don't think we needed two threads for this. Exact. Concept. Is there an unwritten rule that I may have missed, wherein one does not say "I don't like your approach, here's how I'd do it differently" within the original thread?
I've started a response a few times today, and each time hit a "I'm really not being that helpful - let's just scratch the whole thing" wall, and deleted it. This time, I'll try to push through.
To start out with, these are exactly the kind of justifications that I loathe:
Some of them were intentionally out there, and some of them were made for some slightly gamist reasons (dwarves, for example). And in a lot of cases I tried have the third stat describe a small sub-race or race within a race
"X should have +Y, because I want it to be good at Z" just... rubs me the wrong way. In addition, rolling disparate racial concepts (even if they were subraces) into existing races doesn't really "fit" the existing race - it feels like reaching, and slapping on a third ability score just to do it.
And that's kind of where my general criticism of this idea rests, at the moment. I don't feel that the extra ability options fit some existing races - there's just no real reason for some of them to have a bonus to a different stat. I'm all for the bonuses having a good "fit", if you will - avoiding adding things just to fill gaps or make certain races better at certain classes.
So, on to the actual race lists I guess... This is longer than I thought it would be...Show
Dragonborn: I think Str + Con/Cha would fit their fluff better, but I think it would possibly synergize too well with their racial features. I think Wis fits a "proud warrior race" better than Int. I don't think Int fits Dragonborn well at all, as presented, and I don't like them taking over TacLords in addition to InspLords. Dragonborn is one of the races that I would leave as-is.
Dwarf: I don't think there's any support for +Int, at all. I think +Str would be better, but as you point out, I wouldn't want them being uber-fighters either. I don't see a reason not to give them +Cha, beyond it being penalized last edition. Dwarf is one of the races that I would leave as-is.
Eladrin: I'm fine with Dex + Int/Cha, though I would personally prefer Dex + Int/Wis (they're described as being "perceptive"). I don't find them to be any more prone to Charisma than Dwarves.
Elf: I... Hm. I would tolerate Dex + Str/Wis, but I feel like it doesn't really fit Elves as presented. There's not really a better fit, though. Maybe Dex + Con/Wis. Actually, that would make them "mesh" better with Half-Elves, which I like. I'd go with Dex + Con/Wis over Dex + Str/Wis.
Half-Elf: My first impression would be to go with Cha + Con/Dex. A "gut" thing. Really though I don't see any reason why they would have +Dex - I'd lean more toward Cha + Con/Int. Again, just a "gut" thing.
Halfling: I'm fine with Dex + Wis/Cha. I think it's an obvious choice.
Tiefling: I'd actually go with Int + Con/Cha. More of the Tiefling descriptors emphasize their cunning and slyness than emphasize their actual charisma.
Deva: I'm fine with Wis + Int/Cha. I think it's an obvious choice.
Gnome: I'm fine with Int + Dex/Cha. While I think Int + Con/Cha is another option (and I really don't care if races overlap), based on prior edition considerations, Dex seems to fit the new gnomes better.
Goliath: I'd go Str + Con/Wis. I don't think there's any real support for Dex (their athleticism is all described as being very strength-ey), and I think "driven and reliable" lend themselves better toward Wis. I'd even consider Con + Str/Wis, but I think their size alone warrants the Str primary.
Half-Orc: I think Str + Dex/Wis may be the best fit, but I don't think it's a good one. Their descriptors ("brash, short-tempered, impulsive, uninhibited") don't scream "Wise" to me - quite the opposite, really. Str + Con/Dex is an option, I think.
Shifter(Longtooth): {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race}
Shifter(Razorclaw): {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race}
Bladeling(?): {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race} [Isn't this a monster race? I didn't know it had any support in MotP.]
Drow: I... really disagree on this one. I'm not sure where you're getting Cha + Str/Dex, at all. I'm okay with picking Cha as the primary, but if you did that, I'd go Cha + Dex/Wis. I think Wis is a fairly good fit for a "pragmatic" race (or maybe Int would be better).
Genasi: I'd go with Str primary, as their physical strength is far more emphasized than their mental faculties. Beyond that, I have no idea. Con seems fine, but really anything other than Wisdom would seem to do - they're not really described in a way that emphasizes any other abilities. If I had to pick one, I might go Str + Dex/Int. However, Genasi is one of the races that I would leave as-is.
Gnoll: {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race}
Kalashtar: I'd add Dex to their options, because of "Graceful." That means I would go with Cha + Dex/Wis.
Revenant: {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race}
Shadar-Kai: {Not Familiar Enough to Comment / Don't Care for the Race}
Warforged: This is another that I just... I understand your decision, but I strongly disagree with it. The Warforged, as they are presented, really have nothing to do with the Psiforged (if anything, I think it would be presented through feat options, much like Dusk Elves). Int is just not supported, at all. Cha I think we can eliminate. That leaves Dex and Wis. While I'd personally pull for Dex (I feel it would fit with their "made as weapons" schtick to be all physical stats), I think their descriptions actually support Wis - "Alert, Curious, Practical", along with the descriptions of some of the Warforged approaches to religion and philosophy. I would choose Str as the primary, because their other racial features and powers adequately reflect their "toughness". So, in the end, I'd prefer Str + Con/Wis. However, Warforged is one of the races that I would leave as-is.
"X should have +Y, because I want it to be good at Z" just... rubs me the wrong way.
I agree. It's completely terrible reasoning. For example, Tiefling shouldn't have CON just because you want them to be good at being Infernal Warlocks. They should have CON because they're flavored as being hardier and tougher than other races. If they're not flavored as being hardier and tougher than other races, then they shouldn't get a CON bonus. From what I've read of Tiefling, STR or DEX make just as much sense for Tieflings as CON does. Likewise, Kalashtar shouldn't have INT just because you want them to be good at being Psions. They should have INT because they're flavored as being smarter and branier than other races. If they're not flavored as being smarter and branier than other races, then they shouldn't get an INT bonus. Kalashtar are flavored as being graceful, so give them DEX. Incidentally, this makes them good Monks, which is great, but again, that's incidental.
Speaking 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!
posted in both threads (Marandahir's and Khift's) // comperison of both lists, and which I prefer
Dragonborn: I prefer Dragonborn - Str + Int/Cha - Marandahir is correct when he reads that 'Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn' says intelligence isn't their stick. however, that is because the book is written for RAW dragonborns. Take the "sometimes even delve into the profane studies of the Warlock". Thats only because their stats synergize for it. No flavor attached. - Mechanically, RAW dragonborn wizard is the prime example that not all classes get good stuff from their race - Mechanically, RAW dragonborn already has a good synergy with CON - In the good old days, you coudn't outsmart a dragon. that's why Int gets my preference over con
Eladrin: I prefer charisma over strength I mean we're talking about high elves here. strength? strength???? high elves as strong as minotaurs or dragonborn, seriously?
Gnoll. I prefere Con + Str/Dex over +2 Dexterity, +2 Strength or Constitution Gnolls are humanoid Hyena's, who are known to eat carrion. gnolls without con seem like dragons without strength
Goliath: prefering Str + Con/Dex I indeed see them as athletic
Tiefling: I prefer Cha + Con/Int When thinking of demons and devils, charisma (maybe not beauty, but persuasiveness) comes more to mind then intelligence
Genasi, Shifter: don't realy know - I never played them, nor have a a feel about them
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For years, I've lived a double life. In the day, I do my job - I ride the bus, roll up my sleeves with the hoi-polloi. But at night, I live a life of exhilaration, of missed heartbeats and adrenalin. And, if the truth be known a life of dubious virtue. I won't deny it - I've been engaged in violence, even indulged in it. I've maimed and killed adversaries, and not merely in self-defence. I've exhibited disregard for life, limb and property, and savoured every moment. You may not think it, to look of me but I have commanded armies, and conquered worlds. And though in achieving these things I've set morality aside, I have no regrets. For though I've led a double life, at least I can say - I've lived.
Scipio: And Chihuahuas have definitely improved in the "attacking ankles, yapping, and being generally annoying" environment. Me: OK, am I the only who sees an analogy between forum trolls & Chihuahuas?
XDMC 19 (silver): A full fledged assassins guild (with stats, skill challenges, ...)link XDMC 14 (Bronze): a one shot campaign for beginning DMs/players. link XDMC 16: Paragon path: the Epitome: being better then all then any one else. link (note: this is balanced) XDMC 25: The Gelatinous Cube mount Guide To Disreality: a collection of houserules - Introduction & table of content
but you did still make other mistakes stemming from the same reason, the Tiefling potentially being one of them, and I say "potentially" because from what I know, CON is exactly as justifyable for them as STR or DEX or WIS, so the choice isn't necessarily wrong , but the reasoning behind it definitely is.
Tieflings are really weak on any description that doesn't fit Int/Cha. If I had to give them a third stat (see my issues with the whole concept in my first post), I'd lean toward Con because of the descriptions given for "normal" Tiefling life - they're described as "survivors", growing up in the roughest parts of town and leaning to make a place for themselves. It's a weak argument for Con (because they survive using their wits and wiles), but really it's just as good as an argument for any other third score for them.
