Monstrous PC Races: Are They Even Possible?

[Imban]

arscott> I'm not sure a race with Str and Con bonuses is "legal", nor one with penalties of any sort, nor +4 bonuses to any stat. T-T-TRIPLE FAIL... maybe.

We'll have to see how the design guidelines for 4e actually shake out there. I mean, for 3e we had some designers insisting that no player race with a mental stat bonus of any kind could be allowed to exist.

 

[zoroaster100]

I think you can do more powerful monster races by giving more powerful racial benefits as powers that must be taken in place of some of your class powers, sort of like multiclassing. Combine this with racial feats and you can have a balanced monstrous character without the pain of level adjustment.

 

[lutecius]

Of course they're possible. I trust wotc to make plenty of them actually.
You just won't be able to make them straight from the MM unless there's a specific write up for that particular race.
That means they will probably be more balanced but you will have to buy new books and that your stats may never exactly match those in the MM.
I think they even said so explicitly.

And the giant's strength bonus and damages we've seen are not that impressive so i don't think they will be a problem.

 

[lutecius]

I think you can do more powerful monster races by giving more powerful racial benefits as powers that must be taken in place of some of your class powers, sort of like multiclassing.

or re-learning