Differentiating Races: Racial Classes

[Eldritch_Lord]

I glanced at your Tiefling and I see a bonus to heavy blades. That doesn't make sense to me. Tieflings are meant to favor Warlocks and Rogues. Their Monster Manual entry are daggers and short swords. Tiefling is a definite light blade wielder, historically and today.

Whoops. That was supposed to be light blades.

I'd also drop necrotic from Infernal Blow. That's not particularly in-line with them, either. This is in addition to it being completely useless to the Warlock, one of their preferred classes.

I was trying to give them another associated energy type, since so far everything is fire fire fire fire fire yet there are many kinds of devils who aren't associated with fire who they could have made pacts with. Perhaps poison would fit more with a "sneaky devil" image?

And I don't see how it's completely useless to the warlock. Wait, yes I do: It's a [W] power. I'll make that 5d6 then, rather than 3[W]+2d6.

yeah that's where we're butting heads. I'm thinking about ways to give players the option of having characters be exemplars of their race. While you're looking at ways of making all races differentiate more by adding to the base race feature, just at higher levels.

I think the good news is they're very parallel projects. They both take power lists. in your version controller dragonborn automatically get Breath of Tiamat in my version you first take a racial multiclass feat then a powerswap feat to get Breath of Tiamat adding options rather than adding power.

making characters more power is always problematic since it unbalances encounters.

I suppose the issue is that I see 3e racial classes as being more equivalent to a paragon path. Heroic characters are still relatively normal, whereas Paragon characters are beginning to be legendary, so if I hear someone say "Well, yeah, elves can shoot bows, hide, and craft, but [Character] could out-shoot, out-hide, and out-craft them all!" I think of a Paragon character.

This, on the other hand, is closer to evolution, like Dog Moon said. Every character of a given race has the potential to have these powers and features if they're sufficiently experienced to develop them, which all heroic characters are by definition. By level 10, every dragonborn wizard can pull off a Breath of Tiamat; every tiefling rogue can deal an Infernal Blow. A racial paragon would be something beyond that.

 

[generalhenry]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080709

they even included a power swap feat

 

[Tale]

I was trying to give them another associated energy type, since so far everything is fire fire fire fire fire yet there are many kinds of devils who aren't associated with fire who they could have made pacts with. Perhaps poison would fit more with a "sneaky devil" image?

And I don't see how it's completely useless to the warlock. Wait, yes I do: It's a [W] power. I'll make that 5d6 then, rather than 3[W]+2d6.

I like poison. Poison is part of Pit Fiends.

The main reason I say it's useless to Warlocks is that it's Str or Dex v. AC. In addition to the [W]. Str or Dex v. AC is only useful in classes that focus on Str or Dex and use weapons (for proficiency bonus).

I'd suggest a change so that it makes a basic attack, instead.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080709

they even included a power swap feat

Looks pretty good, actually; I only got a chance to skim it, but I like what I see.

In regards to the racial power...it's nice, but it's Epic tier. What do you do to differentiate your dragonborn from everyone else until then?

I like poison. Poison is part of Pit Fiends.

Will do, then.

The main reason I say it's useless to Warlocks is that it's Str or Dex v. AC. In addition to the [W]. Str or Dex v. AC is only useful in classes that focus on Str or Dex and use weapons (for proficiency bonus).

I'd suggest a change so that it makes a basic attack, instead.

Good point on the ability disparity. What do you mean by a change so it "makes a basic attack"? Do you mean change the power to give you a basic attack, or make it replace a basic attack, or something else?

 

[Tale]

Good point on the ability disparity. What do you mean by a change so it "makes a basic attack"? Do you mean change the power to give you a basic attack, or make it replace a basic attack, or something else?

Daily ~ Racial, Tiefling, Fire, Poison
Standard Action Melee or Ranged
Target: One creature
Attack: Special
_______________________
Special: Make a basic melee or ranged attack.
Hit: In addition to the damage from the basic attack, deal 5d6 fire and poison damage. (or cut it down to 4d6, since they get the basic attack damage)
Miss: 2d6 fire and poison damage and no basic attack damage.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

Daily ~ Racial, Tiefling, Fire, Poison
Standard Action Melee or Ranged
Target: One creature
Attack: Special
_______________________
Special: Make a basic melee or ranged attack.
Hit: In addition to the damage from the basic attack, deal 5d6 fire and poison damage. (or cut it down to 4d6, since they get the basic attack damage)
Miss: 2d6 fire and poison damage and no basic attack damage.

Gotcha. I'll do that, then.

Any suggestions for other powers for any of the races?

 

[ziegander]

Dang! Lordkiwi beat me to it! I was very shortly going to begin work on racial multiclass only classes!

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

So I take it no one likes my idea and I should start from scratch? It seems that everyone either thinks racial classes should be multiclass-only or that they're unnecessary.

 

[generalhenry]

I like the ingredients of your idea, just not how they're put together.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

I like the ingredients of your idea, just not how they're put together.

I suppose I'll rework these as multiclass-only classes, then.