Changing racial favored classes

[Kalendraf]

If there's one thing that disturbed me about the 3.5 update it was the Gnome favored class becoming bard. I can see their line of thinking but I strongly disagree with it. Before you start thinking this whole post is about gnomes/bards, let me get to my point. I propose that a couple of the racial favored classes don't make sense, at least within my view of my own campaigns and several I've seen. Most of them do make sense, so let me mention them:

Dwarf (fighter) - makes perfect sense to me. Check.
Half-orc (barbarian) - again this seems fine. Check.
Halfling (rogue) - once again, spot on. Check.
Human/Half-elf (none) - versatile races, makes sense. Check.

That leaves the 2 races that I disagree with. I've already mentioned gnomes, but that leaves elves. At this point, some of you are probably saying, "Heresy! The Elf-wizard connection is documented since 1st edition. You can't change that!"

My response is sure I can. Personally, I've never bought the whole croc of elven-deep-lust-for-arcane propaganda that TSR and now WotC has tried to forcefeed us since 1st edition. To me elves are and always have been creatures of nature, living in harmony with the woodlands. As evidence I will call upon the elves of literature I have read (not any post-D&D inspired stuff) including the oft-cited Tolkien upon which D&D is said to be partially based. Certainly his elves have magic, but is it not magic of nature? I don't recall any of his elves whipping out a cone of cold or ripping off volleys of magic missiles. I do remember them healing, and harnessing the very power of the woodlands. On the other hand, arcane magic is often destructive and dangerous, very unnatural, and therefore, very un-elven. Certain elves may crave arcane power, but I reckon their skin is rather dark. But that's another story...

I propose that instead of Wizard being elves favored class, it should instead be either Druid or Ranger. I originally was leaning toward Druid thinking that each elf might have some limited druidic power, but now I've shifted toward Ranger. It seems to me that many elves might favor ranger, and take several levels in it, or multiclass as ranger/X characters. That's a bit tougher to see with druid. I would also suspect that most elves make good trackers and their affinity to the bow might lead them to this class as well.

As for the gnome, I say the bard is too specialized of a class for any race to choose as a favored class. I never really liked the gnome illusionist favored class before, but it made a bit more sense. I propose changing the gnome's favored class to be wizard, including specialist types. Gnome wizards or gnome wizard/X multiclass characters seem a lot more likely to me than any gnome bards ever have.

I don't foresee any major problems with houseruling things this way, but perhaps there is something I'm overlooking. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[ForceUser]

Do what you want, man. It's your game. Changing favored classes changes the flavor of a race, not it's relative power. I tinker with favored classes all the time. Here's the breakdown of PC race favored classes in my campaign:

Aelfborn (1/2 elf role in society, elf stats) - Bard
Catfolk - Wilderness Rogue
Changling - Rogue
Desert Dwarf - Fighter
Fayn, Loresong (from Arcana Unearthed) - Druid
Fayn, Quickling - Unfettered
Gnome - Artificer (pre-Eberron it was Transmuter)
Half-orc - Barbarian
Halfling - Monk
Human - none
Human, Half-Vistani - Rogue
Lizardfolk - Ranger
Shifter - Ranger
Tauren (Dragonlance minotaur racial stats) - Barbarian
Warforged - Fighter

 

[reanjr]

If there's one thing that disturbed me about the 3.5 update it was the Gnome favored class becoming bard. I can see their line of thinking but I strongly disagree with it. Before you start thinking this whole post is about gnomes/bards, let me get to my point. I propose that a couple of the racial favored classes don't make sense, at least within my view of my own campaigns and several I've seen. Most of them do make sense, so let me mention them:

Dwarf (fighter) - makes perfect sense to me. Check.
Half-orc (barbarian) - again this seems fine. Check.
Halfling (rogue) - once again, spot on. Check.
Human/Half-elf (none) - versatile races, makes sense. Check.

That leaves the 2 races that I disagree with. I've already mentioned gnomes, but that leaves elves. At this point, some of you are probably saying, "Heresy! The Elf-wizard connection is documented since 1st edition. You can't change that!"

My response is sure I can. Personally, I've never bought the whole croc of elven-deep-lust-for-arcane propaganda that TSR and now WotC has tried to forcefeed us since 1st edition. To me elves are and always have been creatures of nature, living in harmony with the woodlands. As evidence I will call upon the elves of literature I have read (not any post-D&D inspired stuff) including the oft-cited Tolkien upon which D&D is said to be partially based. Certainly his elves have magic, but is it not magic of nature? I don't recall any of his elves whipping out a cone of cold or ripping off volleys of magic missiles. I do remember them healing, and harnessing the very power of the woodlands. On the other hand, arcane magic is often destructive and dangerous, very unnatural, and therefore, very un-elven. Certain elves may crave arcane power, but I reckon their skin is rather dark. But that's another story...

I propose that instead of Wizard being elves favored class, it should instead be either Druid or Ranger. I originally was leaning toward Druid thinking that each elf might have some limited druidic power, but now I've shifted toward Ranger. It seems to me that many elves might favor ranger, and take several levels in it, or multiclass as ranger/X characters. That's a bit tougher to see with druid. I would also suspect that most elves make good trackers and their affinity to the bow might lead them to this class as well.

As for the gnome, I say the bard is too specialized of a class for any race to choose as a favored class. I never really liked the gnome illusionist favored class before, but it made a bit more sense. I propose changing the gnome's favored class to be wizard, including specialist types. Gnome wizards or gnome wizard/X multiclass characters seem a lot more likely to me than any gnome bards ever have.

I don't foresee any major problems with houseruling things this way, but perhaps there is something I'm overlooking. Any feedback is appreciated.

I'm with you on the elves. Definitely ranger. Tolkien even has a part where the hobbits ignorantly refer to elves as having magic, and the elves are a bit confused. The elves think of magic as the type of thing Suaron and Morgoth have. They view their own abilities as mundane (if above the skill of most non-elves).

 

[mercucio]

...

That leaves the 2 races that I disagree with. I've already mentioned gnomes, but that leaves elves. At this point, some of you are probably saying, "Heresy! The Elf-wizard connection is documented since 1st edition. You can't change that!"

...

Have to agree with you there. Changing a favored class for a race poses no balance issues so the only question is what do you want to do in your campaign. As an example IMC their are three types of elves: forest elves, isle elves, and shadow elves.

* A forest elf may select either ranger or druid as his preferred class.
* A isle elf may select either noble (Star Wars d20) or wizard as his preferred class.
* A shadow elf may select either rogue or wizard as his preferred class.

All elves may also elect to choose bard as their preferred class in addition to their normal racial preferences (IMC, the bardic arts were developed by the elves).

 

[Vanuslux]

I houseruled the gnome's favored class as Wizard rather than Illusionist as soon as 3rd Edition came out and I'm certainly not going to have the cloistered hoarders of knowledge of my campaign setting suddenly bursting out of their hovels with banjos and prancing about just because 3.5 says their favored class is now bard. Then again, my gnomes are more serious-minded than the giddy-silly tinkergnomes that Dragonlance hard stamped into the brains of many D&D players. I also had the same thought about elves and made their favored class Ranger. Seems this attitude is more widespread than I'd thought.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I always considered favored class to be too restrictive so each of my demihumans has 2 favored classes, basically a perferred fighting style and a perferred style of magic. They are espcially important to NPC and demihuman society. There is nothing to stop a PC dwarven wizard or elvish psion, but they must be trained outside their own race. Everyone can have sorcerers but you must be born to it, not trained - Im using sorerer lineages.


Dwarves - Fighter, cleric - no wizards
Elves- Ranger, Wizard - no psions
Halfling - Thief, Psion - no wizards
Assimar - Paladin, Sorcerer
Tiefling - Thief, Sorcerer

 

[Kalendraf]

Then again, my gnomes are more serious-minded than the giddy-silly tinkergnomes that Dragonlance hard stamped into the brains of many D&D players.

This is the same type of gnomes I'm trying to portray in my campaigns. I really dislike the tinker-gnome style of gnome. I can see a few of them acting that way, but it would be akin to the crackpots in any race - nothing more than a vocal minority at best. I try to make gnomes be a very cautious, but learned race. They share a lot of common ground with dwarves. The main differences are that dwarves are easier to anger and try to solve things with muscle rather than brains. So essentially the dwarves are mostly like Gimli in the LotR Council scene when he tries to bust the ring with his axe. Gnomes on the other hand would have ordered a long-term study of the ring to try to understand it's powers and vulnerabilities, all under careful supervision, of course.

 

[rrealm]

I propose that instead of Wizard being elves favored class, it should instead be either Druid or Ranger. I originally was leaning toward Druid thinking that each elf might have some limited druidic power, but now I've shifted toward Ranger. It seems to me that many elves might favor ranger, and take several levels in it, or multiclass as ranger/X characters. That's a bit tougher to see with druid. I would also suspect that most elves make good trackers and their affinity to the bow might lead them to this class as well.

I like the idea changing elves favored class to ranger. New HR for me.

 

[Teneb]

Personally, I think favored races for elves is highly variable. The traditional "High" elves I could see as having wizard as favored class; they are more refined and removed from their forest heritage. "Traditional" elves, perhaps called forest elves or other names, I fully agree with ranger for favored class. There are some campaign worlds (IIRC Midnight) that break down favored class by sub-race. I think this is a good way to go.

For your situation in particular, Kal, I guess I don't know. Our group hasn't really dealt with too many elves, with one notable exception (the swap-meet elves that led us to the night hag). They definitely seemed more along the lines of forest elves, making ranger a viable favored class. As far as gnomes....their gnomes. Should have been eradicated centuries ago.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I use the Gestalt rules, and each race has a Favored Gestalt instead of a Favored Class. For Elves, I use Ranger/Wizard. Seems to work well enough for me.