Getting -1 surge, arguably one of the worst racial powers in the game and getting a redundant skill that most of the classes it is good for are getting anyway, makes it an exceptionally poor choice. -1 surge can be argued to not be that significant - though potential healing wise it definitely can be when you consider many strikers are not exactly filled with surges - but what is significant is that it's the only race in the game with an inherent built in penalty. That in itself makes it exceptional and IMO bad design from the outset.
I really hope racial penalties are not common in the races in this book. They are one thing 4E made go out the door with the dodo and their return is a really bad sign.
I really hope racial penalties are not common in the races in this book. They are one thing 4E made go out the door with the dodo and their return is a really bad sign.