[Arcana Unearthed] Racial "Classes"

[Runesong42]

I've been re-reading my Arcana Unearhed, and realized that some races can "level up" and improve their base stats and abilities. The question *I* pose is, why would anyone do this? I mean, wasting up to 3 levels in class advancement to get a few bonuses doesn't seem like a decent trade-off. I realize there's some min/maxing going on in the back of my head, but as a player and a DM, I can't see the logic. Has anyone come up with a different way to advance these race, or found a feasible way to eliminate the racial levels altogether?

 

[The Black Kestrel]

In general the racial levels are designed to allow a character to become an "Iconic" version of his race nad they rend to concetrate thier special abilities on things the race is all ready good at it. I personally like the idea and it has found it's way into my campaign.

If you don't like the idea of racial classes, even short 3 level ones the perhaps the idea of racial substitution levels will appeal to you instead. WotC came up with the level subtitution idea (though they are spiritual descendants of Arcana Unearthed's Racial Levels) in the Planar Handbook (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040706a&page=2 for an example) and they are continued in the various "Races of" series. Pick three levels in 2-3 classes closely related to a races archetype and then come up with three new abilities that replace existing abilities. Only the specific race gets the option of choosing them.

 

[Starglim]

Racial levels in AU grant all of the things that a prestige class would give - hit dice, BAB, saves, skills, caster levels - as for paragon classes in Unearthed Arcana. They're a much better deal than Level Adjustment.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

They're not underpowered, IMO. They're cool little classes that give you cool little abilities.

 

[Crothian]

And the evolved levels that go from 4-6 in the Arcana Evolved book are amazingly good

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

And the evolved levels that go from 4-6 in the Arcana Evolved book are amazingly good

And if the DM permits it, Humans (and Faen) can start the game Evolved- taking their first evolved level at 1st...

 

[Tetsubo]

I was looking at Oathbound this weekend (got a copy cheap, $15) and it contains Prestige Races. Rather than lose a level while taking a Prestige Race you pay actual XP for it. Each PR ability has a level minimum and an XP cost. Once you reach that level (and match any other requirements) and hit the required amount of XP you can "buy" the PR's ability. It seems like a cool idea. It would slow down your characters progression but not effect his level.

 

[Arkhandus]

Akashics, champions, unfettered, warmains, and totem warriors give up fairly little by taking some racial levels. A giant 3/warmain 16 is a pretty devastating combat machine. Size large, +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, wielding a Gargantuan weapon......or two Huge weapons if they spend a few feats on being good with Two-Weapon Fighting..... They miss out on just one or two warmain bonus feats plus Weapon Mastery (just means 2 less damage per attack), and their Base Attack Bonus will be one point lower than a pure warmain, but the Str, Con, and weapon size boosts more than make up for it......

Granted, racial levels in AU don't mesh well with classes that are predominantly magic-users (and it puts mage blades, runethanes, and witches even further behind in magical ability). But still usually good for characters that emphasize combat power, skills, or whatnot.

I really would've liked to see Verrik racial levels actually fixed to be worth something, but alas.... Verrik still have no way of being really effective at anything but the witch and greenbond, and even then they only suffer weakness if they take racial levels. Though I'm glad Arcana Unearthed makes Charisma much less of a dump stat, it's still annoying that Verrik are mediocre or inferior if they take most classes besides witch and greenbond (as those are the only classes that get any real use out of Wisdom, and too many classes rely on Charisma or Intelligence instead). Verrik racial levels are only possibly decent for akashics (since the 3rd Verrik racial level can boost either Int or Wis). I really wanted to like Verriks for their minute psionic magic affinity, but it turns out that it blows, and half the spells in AU that ought to be of the [psionic] descriptor instead lack it. But then, AU's races generally disappoint me with their blandness and the fact that hardly any of them are actually talented in any given field (i.e. giants are good melee types, while both faen and litorians are good archers, and mohj are good arcane casters and akashics.....but that's it. they're all generally inferior to humans for any role other than that, and the rest of the AU races are inferior to humans at pretty much everything). /rant off

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

And if the DM permits it, Humans (and Faen) can start the game Evolved- taking their first evolved level at 1st...

Nope, Evolved levels require minimum level 3, similar to an advanced class or the Spryte transformation.

 

[Khorod]

Well, if the GM permits it, it has been permitted.

Arkhandus, the Verrik might be a bit sub-par in many classes, but that's only where you are trying to optimize race and class. The Verrik has a number of strange qualities that would be interesting flexibility-type advantages. Closing off the senses for example- going blind is probably most useful in a front-line fighter who needs to face down the medusa.

In my experience with the racial levels, they are fine as is. They are additional, small classes. I wouldn't change there basic structure. I have found that most of the time they are ignored, except when someone really wants to play up on his race. Then they take all three levels and don't particularly lose that much. Of course, I have never run AU past 12th level.