Can half-elves be fixed?

[Buttercup]

In this thread: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34059 people have agreed that 3E half elves got the shaft.

They get some of the benefits of elves, but none of the benefits of humans, except for the multiclassing benefit.

So, what could be done to half elves to make them a more viable race? Should we add the extra feat at first level that humans get, or would that be too powerful?

Ideas?

 

[Azure Trance]

+1 Dex?

 

[Hejdun]

Stat bonuses shouldn't come in odd numbers.

The only thing I would change is perhaps the skill bonus that humans get, but that might be too much.

 

[Sixchan]

An extra skill every other level, then?

 

[Nightstorm]

In my home campain, I made the race favor one side of it's parentage or the other. If the half elf favors his human parent, he gets human racial traits. Favors the elven parent, he gets the elven racial traits. All the background of half elves stay the same. And half elves (and only half elfs ) can take a racial feat that allows them to be treated like elves with regards to magic items etc.

 

[The Sigil]

Well, first you tie them down, then surgically remove certain organs, and "bam!" they're fixed.

Sorry, had a Hong moment there.

Seriously, I would just "turn on" the Autosearch as Elves and leave 'em.

--The Sigil

 

[Azure Trance]

Stat bonuses shouldn't come in odd numbers.

The only thing I would change is perhaps the skill bonus that humans get, but that might be too much.

Why no odd?

 

[Creamsteak]

Hrm... Feat at 2nd level? It's almost as good as the human's but not quite. That wouldn't be too far-fetched of a bonus, but it would make half-elves somewhat cool. I'd still play humans for fighters, barbarians, clerics, paladins, and rangers... but I might play a half-elf for a sorcerer/bard/wizard, and those are fitting class distributions...

 

[Sejs]

I'd give them the bonus skill point per level that humans get. I think that would balance them nicely.


Human: No stat modification, +1 feat, +1 skill point / level, free multiclassing.

Half Elf: No stat modofication, +1 skill point / level, immune to sleep, +2 sv enchantment, low light vision, +1 to listen/spot/search rolls, elven blood, free multiclassing.

Elf: +2dex/-2con, immune to sleep, +2 sv enchantment, low light vision, free bow and sworf prof., +2 to listen/spot/search rolls, notice secret doors.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Why no odd?

Odd bonuses make it too easy to min/max - you can hide the penalties by applying them to odd numbers. Say you got a +1 to Dex and a -1 to Con, and you had rolled a 15 for each of them. Your Dex would be 16 (raising your bonus by 1) and your Con would be 14 (no change to your bonus).