Anybody have a LA+0 goliath?

[Ry]

I've got a game where the Goliaths are prominently featured in a mystical quest a player is going on. I was wondering how to make Goliaths a +0 LA race, with 1 racial level only they could take. Basically how would you split up the Goliath's racial abilities into two stages?

 

[Blood Jester]

Heck, put 2 points of their Str bonus in the racial level and you should be set. The 'imbalanced' stats are what give you a +1 lvl.

 

[Ry]

In that case, I'll make them +2 Str, -2 Dex, and give +2 Str, +2 Con with the level (which, I'd imagine no one will ever take). Thanks for the feedback.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

So a goliath 1/fighter 1 would be the same ECL as a (LA +1) goliath fighter 1, except that he'd have an extra HD, better saves and skills, and a fractionally better BAB? Assuming the base goliath is balanced, that's giving something for nothing. I'd give them 2 hit dice, myself. And have them be Humanoid (Goliath), but that's just me.

 

[Ry]

*double post*

 

[Ry]

I think it's more a sign that the Standard Goliath is underpowered for LA +1

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Let me try again. A Goliath 1/Fighter 1 has, compared to a human fighter 2: +4 Str, wields large weapons, +2 Con, and +2 Fort and Ref; also he is immune to humanpod-only spells (in the RAW they're monstrous humanoids). For all this, he gives up -2 Dex and -2 HP, which goes away at higher levels. Balanced?

 

[Ry]

Oh, you misunderstand; I wasn't going to give a hit die for the Goliath 1st level; I wanted it to behave more like a transition level. Maybe that's the source of the confusion. What I want is a LA +0 race, for the Goliaths. What gets thrown out to the optional racial level isn't that important to me.

So I guess I want Goliaths to have:
Wield large weapons, +2 Str, -2 Dex, regular humanoid

And if they burn a level they can get,
Change to Monstrous humanoid,
another +2 Str, and +2 Con
but no BAB or HD or anything.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Ah, sorry. Misunderstood. I have to say, though, that I don't think that +2 Str and +2 Con is worth a whole level, and I don't think that +2 Str/-2 Dex and Powerful Build is quiite balanced either. Have you seen Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed? It has an LA +0 Giant race that starts out medium, but can take up to 3 levels in Giant, eventually becoming Large. The Giant was given out for free on his website, and it might have some ideas for you. www.montecook.com

 

[Tetsubo]

Ah, sorry. Misunderstood. I have to say, though, that I don't think that +2 Str and +2 Con is worth a whole level, and I don't think that +2 Str/-2 Dex and Powerful Build is quiite balanced either. Have you seen Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed? It has an LA +0 Giant race that starts out medium, but can take up to 3 levels in Giant, eventually becoming Large. The Giant was given out for free on his website, and it might have some ideas for you. www.montecook.com

I think John has a good idea here. Using Cook's Giant class as a base you could come up with your own Goliath racial class. I rather like the Goliath race as it is but I can understand how the +1 might annoy you.