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3.5 Dwarves Best Race?
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<blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 928042" data-attributes="member: 3146"><p>This is silly; somehow I got involved in a discussion about Kae'Yoss's house rules when this thread is supposed to be asking whether 3.5e dwarves are the best race.</p><p></p><p>My answer: they're certainly very attractive for most classes:</p><p></p><p>Barbarian: Definitely one of the best choices out there. Favored Class: fighter means dwarves have very attractive multiclass options. No movement reduction in medium armor will let dwarf barbarians in medium armor move just as fast as human barbarians in medium armor or fighters in light armor. The con bonus is very significant for barbarians who like to stay alive and comes at a lower cost than the half-orc's strength bonus. The bonusses to hit will help a bit, the bonus to saves against magic helps negate the barbarian's weaknesses; Weapon Familiarity Waraxe and Urgrosh also mean that dwarf barbarians have access to better one handed and double weapons than barbarians of other races.</p><p></p><p>Bard: Not likely. The charisma penalty really hurts.</p><p></p><p>Cleric: A very strong choice--favored class fighter and weapon familiarity make Dwarf probably the best choice for multiclassed combat clerics. (Half-orc is the other non-human choice but the charisma penalty will hurt)</p><p></p><p>Druid: Dwarves are still a strong race but don't have as many advantages as druids b/c of the weapon and armor restrictions and the fact that wildshape makes physical ability scores less relevant.</p><p></p><p>Fighter: Dwarves are the best fighter race bar none. Only humans and half-orcs come close. Their better hit points and saves, and automatic waraxe proficiency place them firmly ahead of humans in almost all categories except mobility based fighting.</p><p></p><p>Monk: Dwarves probably make decent monks although I expect humans are still better.</p><p></p><p>Paladin: Dwarves make excellent paladins; although the charisma penalty will hurt them.</p><p></p><p>Ranger: Dwarves will make excellent rangers also. Their waraxe and Urgrosh familiarity will go well with the two weapon fighting line of virtual feats. Their darkvision will also enable them to scout at night and in the darkness. Favored class: fighter is not bad for rangers but is something of a limitation.</p><p></p><p>Rogue: Dwarves will still make excellent rogues. Waraxe and Urgrosh familiarity will make a big difference for multiclass rogues. (One level of fighter would potentially give TWF and Urgrosh proficiency). Darkvision is also essential for scouting in dungeon environments.</p><p></p><p>Sorceror: The charisma penalty will make dwarves suboptimal sorcerors.</p><p></p><p>Wizard: Dwarves' con bonus and save bonus will make them excellent wizards (all wizards need hit points and fort saves). Humans with their bonus feat and elves with favored class: wizard, a number of multiclass prestige classes, and bow proficiency shouldn't be overlooked though.</p><p></p><p>The end result of the changes, IMO, is to change two of the things that I liked most about 3e.</p><p></p><p>1. Humans were a viable race in nearly any role and no race was simply better. Now dwarves are simply better fighters and barbarians than humans.</p><p>2. There was a large selection of equally viable weapons out of which none was clearly mechanically superior to all the others (at least for fighter types). Now, for the best fighter race, Dwarven waraxe is the obvious choice.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Elder-Basilisk, post: 928042, member: 3146"] This is silly; somehow I got involved in a discussion about Kae'Yoss's house rules when this thread is supposed to be asking whether 3.5e dwarves are the best race. My answer: they're certainly very attractive for most classes: Barbarian: Definitely one of the best choices out there. Favored Class: fighter means dwarves have very attractive multiclass options. No movement reduction in medium armor will let dwarf barbarians in medium armor move just as fast as human barbarians in medium armor or fighters in light armor. The con bonus is very significant for barbarians who like to stay alive and comes at a lower cost than the half-orc's strength bonus. The bonusses to hit will help a bit, the bonus to saves against magic helps negate the barbarian's weaknesses; Weapon Familiarity Waraxe and Urgrosh also mean that dwarf barbarians have access to better one handed and double weapons than barbarians of other races. Bard: Not likely. The charisma penalty really hurts. Cleric: A very strong choice--favored class fighter and weapon familiarity make Dwarf probably the best choice for multiclassed combat clerics. (Half-orc is the other non-human choice but the charisma penalty will hurt) Druid: Dwarves are still a strong race but don't have as many advantages as druids b/c of the weapon and armor restrictions and the fact that wildshape makes physical ability scores less relevant. Fighter: Dwarves are the best fighter race bar none. Only humans and half-orcs come close. Their better hit points and saves, and automatic waraxe proficiency place them firmly ahead of humans in almost all categories except mobility based fighting. Monk: Dwarves probably make decent monks although I expect humans are still better. Paladin: Dwarves make excellent paladins; although the charisma penalty will hurt them. Ranger: Dwarves will make excellent rangers also. Their waraxe and Urgrosh familiarity will go well with the two weapon fighting line of virtual feats. Their darkvision will also enable them to scout at night and in the darkness. Favored class: fighter is not bad for rangers but is something of a limitation. Rogue: Dwarves will still make excellent rogues. Waraxe and Urgrosh familiarity will make a big difference for multiclass rogues. (One level of fighter would potentially give TWF and Urgrosh proficiency). Darkvision is also essential for scouting in dungeon environments. Sorceror: The charisma penalty will make dwarves suboptimal sorcerors. Wizard: Dwarves' con bonus and save bonus will make them excellent wizards (all wizards need hit points and fort saves). Humans with their bonus feat and elves with favored class: wizard, a number of multiclass prestige classes, and bow proficiency shouldn't be overlooked though. The end result of the changes, IMO, is to change two of the things that I liked most about 3e. 1. Humans were a viable race in nearly any role and no race was simply better. Now dwarves are simply better fighters and barbarians than humans. 2. There was a large selection of equally viable weapons out of which none was clearly mechanically superior to all the others (at least for fighter types). Now, for the best fighter race, Dwarven waraxe is the obvious choice. [/QUOTE]
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