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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bront" data-source="post: 2881662" data-attributes="member: 19696">I think the problem is this.Humans:Half-Elves:Elves:So, let's compaire the Half-Elf vs the Elf.Stat bonuses?  Effectively a wash.  Elves get a highly used stat, but loose one too.Skill Mods?  Close to identical, though Listen, Spot, and Search are useful for everyone, while Diplomacy and Gather information may be less useful for a barbarian, Wizard, or many other concepts.Lowlight? Check.  Same.Bonus weapon proficiencies?  Wait, the half elf doesn't get anything else at all?  We didn't even get to the free search check.Favored Class?  well, it's a common overlooked system, but it gives a slight edge to the Half-Elf if you're going to have a disparity between 2 classes, one of which isn't the Wizard.  It's not worth that much though, certiaintly not enough to overlook the 4 free martial proficiencies and the search check.The human on the other hand gives you bonus feats and skills.   For PrCs, it allows for more customizations vs and equaly statted Half-Elf, because you have a feat to blow on a prereq (So that skill focus: Perform doesn't hurt as much), and the extra skill points allow for either another maxed out skill, or a few more points to spread around.  Given that ranks are often more important than the total bonus (For synergy, and definatly for PrCs), the extra ranks can mean a lot more as well.So, yes, Half-Elves are mechanicaly inferior as well as somewhat redundant.  If you need the extra skills and feat, you go human.  If you don't you go Elf.So, what do Half-Elves need?  Something a bit more distinctive, or more customizable.  Maybe instead of the +2 to Diplomacy and Gather Info, they get 4 bonus skill points at 1st level, or maybe a single skill that they can count as a class skill always, or something like that.  That would also play to their human heritage a bit more.</blockquote>

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