And if racial bonuses didn't matter?

[andarilhor]

Just a little criativity exercise: What character concepts, which combinations of race/class, would you do if racial bonuses didn't matter to determine your ability values?

 

[BobTheNob]

Eladrin Cleric

 

[im_robertb]

Halfling Paladin
Revenant Anything
Anything Warlock

 

[AngryMojo]

Really anything. A +2 to your relevant ability is nice, but by no means necessary. I've said it many times that your racial powers and feats matter far more than your ability score bumps. A +1 to hit and damage is easily drowned out by a dwarf using second wind as a minor action, or an eladrin telporting.

 

[Ahrimon]

I think it would be an awesome change. All the standard tropes of tough dwarves and agile elves can easily be taken care of by racial abilities and feats.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Dwarven rogue-artificer "dungeoneer".

 

[LuckyAdrastus]

As others have said, you don't need a perfect racial match (or even a primary score match) to work fine. We have a dragonborn assassin in my party who works it perfectly well, for example.

However there are certainly iconic combos that don't work as well as they probably should. There is also the pleasure of making a weird against-type combo that can be pretty fun (e.g. a dwarf cleric).

That said, iconic matches that aren't really supported by the rules:

Half-Elf Rangers and Rogues (especially Eberron Inquisitives)
Drow Wizards and Clerics
Tiefling Helllocks
Warforged Artificers
Dwarf Artificers
Halfing Druids/Shamans (Dark Sun), Clerics (Eberron) and Battleminds (pre-essentials)
Shadar-Kai Dark Pact Warlocks
Eladrin Bards/Feylocks/Telephatic Psions/Illusionists (pre-essentials)
Elf Sorcerers and Illusionist Wizards (pre-essentials)
Gnome Rogues
Deva Paladins and Runepriests
Goliath Seekers and Shamans
Half-Orc Battleminds
Kalashtar Monks, Psions, and Battleminds

I include Battleminds for Halfings and Half-Orcs, because if you read Psionic Power, they have a strong arrogance and iconoclastic feel, which IMHO is a nice match for both of those races.

 

[Shemeska]

What races get what bonuses don't come into consideration when I'm picking character concepts. I go with what sounds fun to play, and if the numbers give a bonus, all the better but they're secondary to a concept being awesome in terms of flavor.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Dwarf Rogue 'Trapfinder' - Dwarf everything, really.
Tiefling Fighter 'Gladiator'
Dragonborn Wizard
Halfling Warlord
Eladrin Paladin 'Fey Knight'

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, I let my PC concept guide its construction. The system's mechanics don't matter to me except insofar as I need to be aware of how they will affect the way I use the rules to model my concept.

IOW, whether or not I care about the racial bonuses depends upon the inspiration for my character: sometimes, I care a lot, sometimes I don't care at all.