Building A ECL of 5

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) None of the standard or subvarients of those standard races can be used. Orcs do not count as standard/sub race.
2) The character must have one and only one class level.
3) We are allowed any monster race within the MM and MM2, as well as any templet avaliable there.
4) The total ECL may not exceed 5. (Ie. HD + LA + 1 class lvl equals or less than ECL 5)

I'll ask this- can you use Savage Species? If so, there are 4 good templates worth examining: Feral (my 2nd fave), Multiheaded (my fave), Reptilian, or Winged.

If not...Races I like within your strictures: I like Bugbears, Drow, Gnolls, Githzerai, and Thri-Kreen. I wouldn't apply any templates to these.

 

[FalcWP]

Well... there's the Troglodyte (2 HD, +2 LA). Darkvision, +4 Con, and +6 Natural Armor are nice. On the other hand, the stench and the name are some turnoffs...

Hobgoblins provide +2 Dex, +2 Con, Darkvision, a bonus on Move Silently, and Fighter as their favored class, all for just +1 LA and no racial HD. Slap on the +3 template of your choice and you're ready to go.

A first level half-dragon hobgoblin fighter (ECL 5) would get +8 Strength, +2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, and +2 Cha, +4 Natural Armor, the breath weapon, immunity to a type of energy, and natural weapons.

If you want to go with something amusing, you could try a half-fiend goblin. +2 Str, +6 Dex, +2 Con, +4 Int. Small size, so you get a bonus to your AC and attack rolls, but you use smaller weapons. But you pick up spell resistance, damage reduction/magic, resistance to acid, electricity, cold, and fire, darkvision, immunity to poison, even spell like abilities. Oh, and +1 Natural armor, you can fly, and you have natural, magic weapons. Plus, some of your abilities improve as you gain levels.

Slightly stranger would be a half-celestial goblin... +2 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +4 Wis, +2 Cha. Darkvision, resistance to acid, electrcitiy, and cold, DR/magic, spell resistance, immunity to disease and a bonus against poison. Plus the natural armor, you can use daylight at will, a smite evil attack, spell like abilities... and you can fly.

Of course, those options have just your regular class level HD.

 

[Stalker0]

I'd recommened from using a template with two big of a level adjustment.

Half-celestials and the like have awesome stats, but you will have 1 HD. 1...that's it. No matter how good the con bonus, your hitpoints will utterly blow. I'd go with a +2 at max...that gives you 3 hitpoints, and if you pick a race with some con bump it can help make up for it.

 

[FalcWP]

Yup. Just because it amused me so much, I went and made a half-celestial goblin paladin after that post. Great stats (Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 17, using the elite array), all the special abilities, but just 13 hit points. Like I said, more along the lines of strange and amusing than useful.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well... there's the Troglodyte (2 HD, +2 LA). Darkvision, +4 Con, and +6 Natural Armor are nice. On the other hand, the stench and the name are some turnoffs...

C'mon! Think about a Troglodyte Monk: Improved Natural Attack? Grappling + Stench? Down the road, multiclass with Psychic Warrior and take the psionic Enlarge power (which can bump up target size 2 levels)? Ring the Golden Bell (a feat from DCv1) lets you deliver Unarmed Strike attacks (of any kind) at range. grrrrrraaAAAAAAAHHHH!