Half-orc revisions

[Technik4]

I just made those numbers up. My point was that balancing races is like balancing CRs or ECLs. For instance, the recently released half-ogre is a +1 ECL, yet seems "too powerful" for it with comparison to orcs and half-orcs. The half-ogre may be a strong +1 ECL, whereas a water genasi (FRCS) is weaker.

In the same way the phb races represent some "strong" +0s and some weaker. The half-elf is a "weak" +0, whereas halfling or dwarf are very strong. When you get past level 10, your racial bonuses dont (shouldnt) largely matter. A half-elf could have purchased a +2 Dexterity item by then for a mere 4,000 gold.

I would like to see an "insignifcant" change to the half-elf and half-orc, but anything drastic would probably serve to skew things. Who wants a powerful half-elf that is played more often than a "real" elf?

Technik

 

[Lord Zardoz]

My own thoughts on this...

I think that to anyone who takes an objective look at the character classes is that most of the races attributes are min / maxed towards a certain niche, including humans. My following examples of course, arent absolute, but they are based on my own observations.

Half-Orcs: Barbarians, Fighters
+2 Str appeals to front line types.

Humans: Rogues, Fighters
Fighters are feat dependent and Rogues are skill dependent. More of each for either class is a good thing.

Elves: Wizards, Sorcerers
The Dex and weapon proficiencies allow an Elf with high Dex to be an effective archer as backup. Elves are also "Archtyically Magical".

Halflings: Rogues or Magic Users
Dex and size bonuses to key Rogue stats work well here. The Dex and size boost to AC and lack of a Con penalty can make for suprisingly durable mage type, making them marginally more survivable then an Elf magic user.

Dwarves: Fighters, Clerics
Con bonus means durability, an asset to both Fighters and Clerics.

Gnomes: Wizards, Rogues
Gnomes are simply unpopular, lacking a strong archtype to draw from. But their bonus abilities make them durable enough.

Half-Elves: Rogue, Ranger
Half Elves are unique in that their abilities do not lend them selves as strongly to a specific class as the other races. They benefit from the Elven Archtype and do not have a Con penalty, so they are often chosen for Forest warrior and Forest Scout types of characters.

In most cases, players tend to pick the class they want before the race. And the class will often determine which races are seen as good choices. While a Half Orc has no penalties to functioning as a Monk, people who take Monks arent likely to choose a Half Orc. For the same reason, no one who wants a front line fighter is going to feel as compelled to take a Gnome or Halfling.

No one who says a Half Orc is over powered is refering to a Half Orc Wizard or Bard. They are refering to the Half Orc Fighter or Barbarian who just mauled a tank like NPC that the DM thought was beyond their power.

END COMMUNICATION