Most Powerful Phb Race!

[Zerovoid]

I voted for human, because I see them played the most in my groups, and the general consensus is that they are the most powerful, among the people that I play with. I'm really torn between them and gnomes/dwarves.

Human's bonus feat really gives them an edge at early levels. Considering that characters only get 7 feats total without extras, they stay pretty valuable. This frees humans up to take "must have" feats like Spellcasting Prodigy, and still get another feat they want. Rogues can really use the extra skill point, and since they want Weapon Finesse and Improved Iniative very early, they are helped alot by the feat. Paladins are expected to be good melee fighters, but don't get bonus feats, so the human feat is invaluable for them.

Dwarves seem to make the best melee fighters, and gnomes make for almost unkillable wizards, since the STR penalty doesn't matter, and the small size gives +1 AC.

Best Race by Class

Fighter/Barbarian = Dwarf
Paladin = Human
Cleric/Druid = Human
Theif/Bard = Human
Wizard/Sorceror = Human / Gnome
Ranger = ???
Psion = Whatever has the ability bonus you want. Human for any of the mental stat keyed disciplines.
Psychic Warrior = ??? probably Human or Dwarf

 

[MythandLore]

The Humans are still holding on to the Win with 36%! (Down almost 40%)
The Dwarves are coming in Strong Second 25%!

Finally the poor-sad dirty blooded Half-Orcs and Half-Elves are at the bottom with a mere 3% each!

 

[Terraism]

The Humans are still holding on to the Win with 36%! (Down almost 40%)
The Dwarves are coming in Strong Second 25%!

Finally the poor-sad dirty blooded Half-Orcs and Half-Elves are at the bottom with a mere 3% each!

I think that you'll find that many people recognize how inherently weak those two races are, comparatively. Though, I'm not sure why halflings are hanging in there...

 

[MythandLore]

I think that you'll find that many people recognize how inherently weak those two races are, comparatively. Though, I'm not sure why halflings are hanging in there...

People just like Halflings, I guess?
Not that they're powerful, they're more cute and cuddly like a puppy.

I never thought the half-breeds were very powerful, but now it's clear they're weak.

 

[Celestial Weasel]

It's pretty easy to see why halflings rock. For AC, they get +1 for size, and a further +1 for dex. For thrown weapons, they get +1 for size, +1 racial bonus AND +1 for dex. That's +3 without any other modifiers! They make awesome rogues and superb wizards. No matter what anyone says, AC bonus and to-hit with ranged for wizards and to-hit with ranged are critical. A halfling wizard or sorceror with ray spells will hit consistently.

 

[Talaysen]

So a half-elf is equal in power to a drow? A human is only 2/3 the power of a half-elf? Aasimar are less powerful than gnomes?

Kytess, in the passage you snipped, I *specifically* state that ECLs have already been factored in. Under my system, level adjustments remove points - that way you can tell at a glance if said adjustments actually balance things out.

Without their ECLs, the advanced races would break down as follows:

SVIRFNEBLIN - 33 points
DUERGAR - 28 points
DROW - 27 points
AASIMAR - 16 points
TIEFLING - 16 points

And yes, humans are less inherently powerful than half-elves. Consider: humans get a bonus feat (once, at first level), some extra skill points, any favored class, and they have access to any and all bonus languages save those tongues that are deliberately kept secret (such as the Druidic language). Half-elves don't get the feat or the skill points, but they do get elven immunity to sleep spells and effects, resistance to Enchantment spells and effects (+2 to saves), low-light vision, bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot, and - oh yeah - they can use magic items typically available only to elves.

And as I said before, they have NO penalties to balance this out. When I crunched the numbers, half-elves were in fact on the high end of the ideal range - more powerful than humans or elves.

Hope this sheds some light on the subject.

 

[psychognome]

Bah, humans, the big folk with their dim heads and clumsy feet are no match for the gnomish superiority! Gnomes all the way! HUZZAH!

 

[MythandLore]

Aftrer a total of 100 votes The Humans are still holding as tops with 35%!
The Dwarves are coming in Strong Second at 25%!

Finally the poor-sad dirty bastard blooded Half-Elves have slipped below their more muscular cousins the Half-Orcs at a mere 2%!

 

[Amrynn Moonshadow]

just for the sense of fairness . . . elves should be at LEAST as good as Dwarves . . . but *sigh* they just aren't in this edition . . .

Human are not just the most versitile, but dominant race for any class. The extra feat is nice, but with the right choice, it can make all the differenec. Plus the +1 to skill points is always helpful. All of these things have been said before, but one way that the humans seem to beat out the other races is in: number of possible generations / years. A human family can replenish itself quite a few times in the same time it takes a dwarf to see his first grandchild, or the time it takes an elf to even reach sexual maturity.

Well . . . I know it's not part of the equation, but when you put it in there, humans have an even greater advantage.

But enough out of me, time to look at some serious work. (home simpson voice: "Hmmmm, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Complete books of elves . . . ")

 

[Urbanmech]

I voted for dwarves but I understand the popularity of the humans. I wonder how the voting would go if the other subrace of dwarves (the mountain/gold) dwarves was taken into account. Taking a hit to Dex instead of Cha makes them good candidates for paladins, sorcerers, and bard. The low speed really does hinder the dwarf...movement has become so essential in 3rd edition. Humans win for versitility, but I think dwarves win for the most powerful perks.