What do you think about Monte's new PHB Racial Levels?

[Aluvial]

There was a link on the main page that pointed to racial levels like those use in AU.

What do you guys think of them?

Just curious.

Aluvial

 

[haiiro]

At first glance, they look pretty good. Extending the concept to the core races was an excellent idea (and kudos to all concerned for making it a nifty freebie).

As with the AU racial levels, I'm curious how they stack up against ECL 1+ races -- does one approach produce more powerful characters than the other, or are they just different?

 

[Jai Kel]

I don't understand the Requirements section.

Are these actually some sort of requirements to meet before taking a racial level, or are they actually what you receive when you take one of the racial levels?

Very unclear what's going on there...

 

[Estlor]

I take it to just be a flub up in titles. That's obvious the "Class Skills" section.

As I understand, "racial levels" in Arcana Unearthed simply require you to be of that race.

 

[Jai Kel]

Well, I don't understand the half-elf and half-orc very clearly, either.

Can they only take 3 racial levels total, yet mix them among different races? Or, can they effectively take 6 racial levels from amongst two races?

Ugh. Maybe it's just me, but almost all of Monte's products leave me in an obfuscated state...

 

[F5]

I think it's a great concept. It's a great way to add to the charater of any of the core races. If you want your character to identify with his people more, it's a great way to show that. It's also a great way to get around the "my fighter has too few skill points to waste on low-level background skills (or wizard or cleric, etc). Most of the races shown here have 4 skill points. I wish this was core; my group isn't likely to use it.

One gripe I have about it, though...half-orc and halfling racial classes both get a d8 for HP? I would have thought the giant, hulking brute should get more hps than the guy the size of an 8-year-old kid. Maybe a typo?

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I like them.

The one thing I wish we had more of in d20/D&D were more 3 level "classes" like this. Instead of blowing up everything into a full PrC its nice to have just a few specializations to inidcate the character is growing closer to his roots or whatever (and getting cool powers to boot!)

 

[F5]

Jai, the impression I got was that once you've taken one level of half-orc/half-elf, you can choose to advance in one of your two parental classes (not both), or continue advancing as a half-whatever. It wasn't clear where the cut-off was. Could you take three levels of half-elf, and 3 more levels of human, or do you get cut off after 3 racial levels, regardless? Not really clear...maybe they go into more detail in Arcana Unearthed (which I haven't read).

And, I agree with you, BG@W. I like the specialized, few-level prestige classes. I liked the Thaumaturist PrC in 3.5 for this same reason...take a few levels to make your mage more of a summoner. I'd love to see this kind of thing replace school specialization, someday. You want to specialize in Invocation? Sure, take a few levels of the Invoker PrC.

 

[Baron Von StarBlade]

I think it's a great concept. It's a great way to add to the charater of any of the core races. If you want your character to identify with his people more, it's a great way to show that. It's also a great way to get around the "my fighter has too few skill points to waste on low-level background skills (or wizard or cleric, etc). Most of the races shown here have 4 skill points. I wish this was core; my group isn't likely to use it.

One gripe I have about it, though...half-orc and halfling racial classes both get a d8 for HP? I would have thought the giant, hulking brute should get more hps than the guy the size of an 8-year-old kid. Maybe a typo?

Actually gnomes got the shaft. They get a D6 HD, and they have a con bonus similar to dwarves. Monte must be anti-gnomite or something

 

[Cheiromancer]

Humans certainly get an edge in qualifying for prestige classes. Weird skill and feat requirements are much easier to acquire- and without sacrificing much in BAB or spellcasting either.

Given the flavor text, I think that the Elf class should have perform as a class skill.