D&D 5E Races that make a better class than yours.

FrostyFire

First Post
Our group is currently lv10 and my character is a Wood Elf Monk. We just had the base materials and races when we started back at lv 1. I realise this is a bit meta-game like but Now everyone has seen other races some people are bored with their classes and want to make a new and one of these is a Tabaxi monk. They seem far superior for a monk than my current wood elf so should I feel threatened by this that someone is going to steal my role as it were and be better at it just because of their race ? another good option seems to be the Akkora monk. I figured all this could happen with any class so what do you guys think ?
 

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hafrogman

Adventurer
There's a limit to what a race can do for you.
They get +2 dex, you get +2 dex. Their charisma bonus isn't as immediately useful as your wisdom bonus.
Their unarmed strike bonus is ... almost completely subsumed by the monk damage table.
They gain an extra skill proficiency, but if you choose or select stealth you're just as good (or better due to the wood elf bonus).
So really they just have this ability to be REALLY fast. Is that all a monk is?

It all doesn't impact your final effectiveness nearly as much you're concerned about.

Aarakocra is a little bit different. Flight is as big a difference as your DM and campaign let it be. *shrug*
 

GreenTengu

Adventurer
I am well on record as making it very clear that whomever wrote the racial entries for Voldo's did a really, really :):):):):):) job and yet... in this particular case?...

I don't think the difference here is as great as you are making it out to be. Not unless your GM houseruled that if your race has a higher unarmed attack damage naturally, the monk bonus pushes it up a die size instead of nullifies it. But it is supposed to nullify the racial bonus giving you the same damage output as if you were a race that didn't have natural increased base damage bonus.

A lot of races have that, by the way, abilities that get nullified if you pick a class they would already be proficient in. While their burst of speed makes them effectively faster, the elf has resistance to sleep and charms and doesn't have to ever sleep at all. The elf also gets proficiency in swords and bows and that shouldn't be overlooked.

Now, a race shouldn't have been given two natural bonus skills, especially two so universally useful like Perception and Stealth. That's the part that jumps out as "this was designed by someone who didn't know what the F they were doing." However, if you get the stealth skill as an Elf then you can actually use it more often as you only need to be in light cover instead of heavy to hide.


Look, putting the Voldo's book and the smeghead who designed the PC racial stats in it aside, this edition has done a pretty good job, a FAR better job than any previous edition, of making just about any race/class combination functional. The only major slip-up in the PHB was designing the Half-Orc in such a way that you absolutely could not be anything but a Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin or maybe Cleric without basically losing access to all of your abilities. But half the issue there is the fact that they went out of their way to make Dexterity a god stat and did nothing to make Strength viable outside of those three classes... but the fact that the Half-Orcs other abilities require being in melee combat or getting hit often enough to lose all your HP before anyone else in the party. But, you know what? Being able to be 4 classes is way better than 3rd edition where as a Half-Orc you basically sucked at being anything but a Barbarian and even then you were sub-par.

Even the Aarakocra, as insanely broken as being able to fly and still having two arms free to do all your normal PC abilities, is-- its a stupidly broken ability with any class that doesn't have to wear heavier than leather (and in this edition, that means EVERY class since even the best fighter don't use heavier than leather!!)

So really, perfectly matching class and race is just not nearly the concern it was in the previous editions. So long as you don't include Aaracokra and you don't use the Voldol's book (particularly measuring the stupidly, insanely, wtf broken races in it to the 'my god, you were intentionally trying to make this so-called race absolute garbage, weren't you?') then the amount of extra mileage you will get out of measuring any race against any other is minimal.

But if you are looking for the race to absolutely destroy any other and your DM is dumb enough to use Voldo's Guide? Be a Bugbear. It is kind of hard to beat 5' reach and free 2d6 damage on the first combat turn.
 

Shadowdweller00

Adventurer
I'd almost always prefer a wood-elf over tabaxi monk from a purely mechanical standpoint, myself. The extra point of AC (from Wisdom bonus) is a pretty big deal for monk throughout most levels; the longbow proficiency helps round out the monk's ranged attack limitations a bit. Aarakocra flight is a potential game-changer, as others have noted.
 

Warpiglet

Adventurer
Do you WANT to imagine a cat person?

The whole game really comes down to the imagery and thoughts that are conjured. If I am +1 in a certain area, how many more hits per session does that translate into? Some? None?

For me, surely I like having good stats and bonuses so I have more opportunities for successful actions. But a +1 or whatever rarely supersedes the image in my mind's eye.

Then again, I do crazy s#$t like using mace when I could use a longsword sometimes...

If your character was cool before, he/she is still cool.
 

Coroc

Hero
Our group is currently lv10 and my character is a Wood Elf Monk. We just had the base materials and races when we started back at lv 1. I realise this is a bit meta-game like but Now everyone has seen other races some people are bored with their classes and want to make a new and one of these is a Tabaxi monk. They seem far superior for a monk than my current wood elf so should I feel threatened by this that someone is going to steal my role as it were and be better at it just because of their race ? another good option seems to be the Akkora monk. I figured all this could happen with any class so what do you guys think ?

Do not forget wood elfs quasi hide in plain sight racial ability and base speed is 35 ft

I don't know if tabaxi base speed is equal / better I am to lazy now to check it out.

That means you can basically kite normal humanoids. the bow proficiency is stylish also, think of Zen archers.
 

Sacrosanct

Legend
Play the concept you think is cool, and don't worry about anyone else. I don't think any one race way outshines another. So much depends on the playstyle you prefer, and the players themselves.
 

FrostyFire

First Post
My concern really is as a monk that my roll is to get in and out fast or get to an enemy location fast etc and there is no arguing that the Tabaxi race is insane when it come to its ability with a monks speed and manoeuvrability. Elf's have a few other things yeah but maybe i'll lose my main role.
 

Sacrosanct

Legend
My concern really is as a monk that my roll is to get in and out fast or get to an enemy location fast etc and there is no arguing that the Tabaxi race is insane when it come to its ability with a monks speed and manoeuvrability. Elf's have a few other things yeah but maybe i'll lose my main role.

I don't see how a tabaxi would make you lose your role. And besides, a wood elf is probably a lot more socially acceptable in most "good guy" humanoid cultures than a cat person would be. So even if they had more mobility (which I don't think they do because it's limited, especially compared to your wood elf abilities), the role playing drawbacks might be pretty significant as well. Sucks for him if people in a town or city think he's a monster right away.
 

FrogReaver

As long as i get to be the frog
My concern really is as a monk that my roll is to get in and out fast or get to an enemy location fast etc and there is no arguing that the Tabaxi race is insane when it come to its ability with a monks speed and manoeuvrability. Elf's have a few other things yeah but maybe i'll lose my main role.

He's faster than u. You are stealthier wiser and use a better bow than him.
 

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