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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
Are humans balanced in 4e?
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<blockquote data-quote="thecasualoblivion" data-source="post: 4587931" data-attributes="member: 59096"><p>Lets look at Humans top to bottom:</p><p></p><p>1. +2 to any stat--This lets you boost your attack stat, whatever that is. In theory, this makes you good at all classes, but its more complicated in practice as a lot of classes/builds require multiple stats. In general, if a class really needs more than two stats, Human isn't the right choice.</p><p></p><p>2. Bonus At-Will--The mileage varies on this one. Some classes, particularly the Wizard and Barbarian, find this to be incredible. On other classes it is far less so, or at the very least not a very big deal. A Ranger who uses Twin Strike 90% of the time anyway isn't going to get much mileage out of a third At-Will.</p><p></p><p>3. Bonus Feat--As others have said, you get more feats and they do less in 4E, but having built over a hundred characters its a nice boost and something you do notice and benefit from. Its just not "This feature in and of itself makes Human the best race in the game" like it did in 3E.</p><p></p><p>4. Bonus Trained Skill--I'm a little less enthusiastic about this. The +2 to skills other Races get results in higher numbers than Humans can achieve, and are something you do notice. There are a lot of classes/builds that really don't benefit from another class skill, at least not without involving backgrounds.</p><p></p><p>5. Human Defense Bonuses--In my opinion, +1 to Fort/Ref/Will is the most powerful thing Humans get. This is really freaking good. </p><p></p><p>6. Human Feats--Humans get some pretty decent feats. Action Surge is one of the better Heroic feats.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Classes:</p><p></p><p>Cleric--This looks bad at first glance, but that is because people tend to prefer Laser Clerics, which Humans aren't suited for(you won't benefit from the 3rd At-Will). The secondary stat for melee Clerics is Wisdom, not Charisma, so a Human beginning play with 18 Str(16+2) and 16 Wisdom will make an excellent Melee Cleric.</p><p></p><p>Fighter--Fighters benefit from the extra At-Will, and outside of Strength Fighters aren't terribly stat dependant. </p><p></p><p>Paladins--The Class most dependant on multiple stats in the entire game. Avoid like the Plague.</p><p></p><p>Ranger--Doesn't significantly benefit from the third At-Will, and any melee Ranger will be too stat intensive for the single +2 to an ability. Makes for a decent Archer though you won't be using the 3rd At-Will.</p><p></p><p>Rogue--Humans are a very underrated Rogue race. Probably the best Artful Dodgers after Drow/Halfling, and the best Brutal Scoundrels after Elves. The 3rd At-Will is nice, and Rogues are very much a two stat class.</p><p></p><p>Warlock--Warlocks are generally a two-stat class, and with the Dark Pact you can make some use of the 3rd At-Will. IMO, Humans make some of the better Infernal Warlocks. </p><p></p><p>Warlord--The Warlord is very much a class that is dependant on more than two abilities. The extra At-Will is nice, but the lack of a second stat boost hurts.</p><p></p><p>Wizard--Humans generally make 4e's best Wizards, period. No class benefits more from the third At-Will, and Wizards are possibly the least stat-intensive class in the game. The Wizard also tends to have his defenses attacked more than his AC, so the +1 to Fort/Ref/Will is particularly shiny.</p><p></p><p>Swordmage--Swordmage is basically a two-stat class, and benefit from the third At-Will, so Humans do well here. I'd lean more towards a Shielding Swordmage with Intelligent Blademaster, though spending the extra feat on Durable can accomplish the same thing with an Assault Swordmage.</p><p></p><p>Artificer--The Character Builder gave them a third At-Will, and its definitely not a stat-intensive class from the look we've gotten. Seems like a decent fit.</p><p></p><p>Barbarian--All three Barbarian At-Wills are first rate, and this is not a stat intensive class. Humans are my favorite Barbarian race. </p><p></p><p>Bard--We only have two Bard At-Wills to look at right now, but this appears to be a two-stat class that really enjoys the extra feat(more multiclassing) and skill(Bards are the skill gods of 4E).</p><p></p><p>Druid--Druids love the extra At-Will as much as Wizards and Barbarians do, and are a two-stat class. </p><p></p><p></p><p>When you look closely, Humans are pretty good overall. The only two classes I don't like at all with Humans are Paladins and Warlords.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="thecasualoblivion, post: 4587931, member: 59096"] Lets look at Humans top to bottom: 1. +2 to any stat--This lets you boost your attack stat, whatever that is. In theory, this makes you good at all classes, but its more complicated in practice as a lot of classes/builds require multiple stats. In general, if a class really needs more than two stats, Human isn't the right choice. 2. Bonus At-Will--The mileage varies on this one. Some classes, particularly the Wizard and Barbarian, find this to be incredible. On other classes it is far less so, or at the very least not a very big deal. A Ranger who uses Twin Strike 90% of the time anyway isn't going to get much mileage out of a third At-Will. 3. Bonus Feat--As others have said, you get more feats and they do less in 4E, but having built over a hundred characters its a nice boost and something you do notice and benefit from. Its just not "This feature in and of itself makes Human the best race in the game" like it did in 3E. 4. Bonus Trained Skill--I'm a little less enthusiastic about this. The +2 to skills other Races get results in higher numbers than Humans can achieve, and are something you do notice. There are a lot of classes/builds that really don't benefit from another class skill, at least not without involving backgrounds. 5. Human Defense Bonuses--In my opinion, +1 to Fort/Ref/Will is the most powerful thing Humans get. This is really freaking good. 6. Human Feats--Humans get some pretty decent feats. Action Surge is one of the better Heroic feats. Classes: Cleric--This looks bad at first glance, but that is because people tend to prefer Laser Clerics, which Humans aren't suited for(you won't benefit from the 3rd At-Will). The secondary stat for melee Clerics is Wisdom, not Charisma, so a Human beginning play with 18 Str(16+2) and 16 Wisdom will make an excellent Melee Cleric. Fighter--Fighters benefit from the extra At-Will, and outside of Strength Fighters aren't terribly stat dependant. Paladins--The Class most dependant on multiple stats in the entire game. Avoid like the Plague. Ranger--Doesn't significantly benefit from the third At-Will, and any melee Ranger will be too stat intensive for the single +2 to an ability. Makes for a decent Archer though you won't be using the 3rd At-Will. Rogue--Humans are a very underrated Rogue race. Probably the best Artful Dodgers after Drow/Halfling, and the best Brutal Scoundrels after Elves. The 3rd At-Will is nice, and Rogues are very much a two stat class. Warlock--Warlocks are generally a two-stat class, and with the Dark Pact you can make some use of the 3rd At-Will. IMO, Humans make some of the better Infernal Warlocks. Warlord--The Warlord is very much a class that is dependant on more than two abilities. The extra At-Will is nice, but the lack of a second stat boost hurts. Wizard--Humans generally make 4e's best Wizards, period. No class benefits more from the third At-Will, and Wizards are possibly the least stat-intensive class in the game. The Wizard also tends to have his defenses attacked more than his AC, so the +1 to Fort/Ref/Will is particularly shiny. Swordmage--Swordmage is basically a two-stat class, and benefit from the third At-Will, so Humans do well here. I'd lean more towards a Shielding Swordmage with Intelligent Blademaster, though spending the extra feat on Durable can accomplish the same thing with an Assault Swordmage. Artificer--The Character Builder gave them a third At-Will, and its definitely not a stat-intensive class from the look we've gotten. Seems like a decent fit. Barbarian--All three Barbarian At-Wills are first rate, and this is not a stat intensive class. Humans are my favorite Barbarian race. Bard--We only have two Bard At-Wills to look at right now, but this appears to be a two-stat class that really enjoys the extra feat(more multiclassing) and skill(Bards are the skill gods of 4E). Druid--Druids love the extra At-Will as much as Wizards and Barbarians do, and are a two-stat class. When you look closely, Humans are pretty good overall. The only two classes I don't like at all with Humans are Paladins and Warlords. [/QUOTE]
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