I'm not sure the lack of Evasion is *that* huge, considering the Eagle gets more hp, better AC and about +3 to all saving throws. Also, the Eagle/Rog1 will only be one single level away from getting Evasion, and he won't need to dodge as many fireballs and traps in the first place (because he'll be flying, and not trying to disarm any traps).
Also, not having any hands is indeed a big drawback, but keep in mind that *flight* is a big benefit as well. (Especially for the Str 10 Eagle.) After trying to fit existing monster races with a simple linear regression model, I'm no longer sure that lack of hands is worth a full -1 LA. My model seems to hover around -.5 LA. And if you get a great Fly speed in exchange, it's *definitely* not worth a full -1 LA.
If it weren't for the lack of hands, I feel the AwEagle/Rog1 would be a better choice than the Rog5. Barding can be gotten at a reasonable price, and the Eagle is strong enough to wear it in flight (not to mention the fact that he has a +4 AC headstart!) And MotW and SS have plenty of other items that are designed to be useable without hands as well. A 3d6 sneak attack is nice, but so is +2 to attack and three attacks per round (two of which could easily be poisoned).
To be honest, I think the awakened Eagle is probably a border case, +0.5 LA or something like that. And in the spirit of not overshadowing the core races I'd rather overestimate that underestimate it's LA...
What do you think, are these arguments sufficient to sway you towards a +1 LA after all? Or am I just full of it?
Also, not having any hands is indeed a big drawback, but keep in mind that *flight* is a big benefit as well. (Especially for the Str 10 Eagle.) After trying to fit existing monster races with a simple linear regression model, I'm no longer sure that lack of hands is worth a full -1 LA. My model seems to hover around -.5 LA. And if you get a great Fly speed in exchange, it's *definitely* not worth a full -1 LA.
If it weren't for the lack of hands, I feel the AwEagle/Rog1 would be a better choice than the Rog5. Barding can be gotten at a reasonable price, and the Eagle is strong enough to wear it in flight (not to mention the fact that he has a +4 AC headstart!) And MotW and SS have plenty of other items that are designed to be useable without hands as well. A 3d6 sneak attack is nice, but so is +2 to attack and three attacks per round (two of which could easily be poisoned).
To be honest, I think the awakened Eagle is probably a border case, +0.5 LA or something like that. And in the spirit of not overshadowing the core races I'd rather overestimate that underestimate it's LA...
What do you think, are these arguments sufficient to sway you towards a +1 LA after all? Or am I just full of it?
