Racial Hit Dice: Necessary?

[calypso15]

Is there anything particularly broken about allowing a character to replace racial hit dice with class levels?

I'm trying to think of some way for a 5th level character to play a doppleganger, for example.

 

[frankthedm]

Yes there is. LA is set accounting for the character to have those HD.

Compare the Races of Destiny Half ogre [LA+2] to the Ogre [4HD & LA+2]. Ogre has quite a bit more than the Half ogre if the HD are dropped.

 

[Nifft]

Yes, it's terribly broken.

Consider using the Changeling race from Eberron instead.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Pyrex]

Yes it's broken. Racial HD are far weaker than most class levels.

If a player wants to play a doppelganger in a 5th level party, take a look at the progressions in Savage Species and build one for doppelgangers.

Or take a look at Eberron and use the doppelganger-lite race in there.

 

[calypso15]

Hmm... fair points. Is there a reasonable way to convert them? For example, using the "Improving Monster" table, you can convert 2 dragon or outsider HD to 1 class level, or 3 animal, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid, or 4 aberration, construct, elemental, fey, giant, humanoid, ooze, plant, undead, or vermin? (Not that I expect to see many vermin PCs).

 

[frankthedm]

Is there a reasonable way to convert them?

With play testing on a case by case basis. No formula can do it accurately.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If a player wants to play a doppelganger in a 5th level party, take a look at the progressions in Savage Species and build one for doppelgangers.

It was updated in the Races of Destiny book, thought they probably didn't change anything, since it's one of the most simplistic, predictable progressions imaginable. Then again, Savage Species gave us the Astral Deva progression, so maybe it gives all the HD up front or something insane like that.

 

[Nifft]

Hmm... fair points. Is there a reasonable way to convert them? For example, using the "Improving Monster" table, you can convert 2 dragon or outsider HD to 1 class level, or 3 animal, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid, or 4 aberration, construct, elemental, fey, giant, humanoid, ooze, plant, undead, or vermin? (Not that I expect to see many vermin PCs).

Not quite. You're thinking of their CR, not their ECL.

Monstrous hit dice are distressingly non-standard. There's no good way to convert them into each other, or into class levels.

Sometimes racial HD grant you spellcasting (e.g. Nymph). Other times, they merely suck (e.g. Satyr). Other times, they totally rock, and could be considered better than a class level (e.g. Outsider or Dragon).

Cheers, -- N

 

[Felix]

I'm just thinking out loud here: how about trading 2 or 3 racial HD for an extra +1 LA.

 

[Pyrex]

I'm just thinking out loud here: how about trading 2 or 3 racial HD for an extra +1 LA.

That comes with two problems: First off, there's no hard-and-fast conversion that'll work most of the time; it'll vary creature by creature

Secondly, given effects that key off HD, LA is bad enough, trying to roll racial HD into further LA will likely result in monsters being even *less* playable.