Multiclassing into racial features instead of classes

[sanzoluk]

I have a PC in my current Eberron game who is playing an exceptionally short, stocky human with a Mark of Warding. Also, he has a very big shield because that rules. (4E rules)

He wanted him to be very sensitive about people who think he is just a dwarf. As he's played him more, he has decided that maybe this guy IS a very deluded dwarf -- or a half-dwarf, or something. So, long story short, he wanted to know if he could have some dwarven features as homebrew feats. Since I'm somewhat new with 4E, input would be helpful!

I decided the fairest thing would be to follow multiclass feats as a guideline. Here's what I came up with:


Dwarven Heritage [Multiclass, Bloodline]
You gain +2 to Endurance checks. Once per day, you may use your Second Wind as a move action instead of a standard action. Upon reaching 11th level, you may choose to take dwarven paragon paths instead of your normal racial or class paragon path choice.


Later on, I might allow him to "swap" other features with further feats. Any suggestions for doing that?

Does this seem like a cool/fair idea? Anyone have ideas for other such feats for other races?

 

[BobTheNob]

You know, I read the first paragraph and got ready to flame, cause you open that door, and 90% of your players will end up suddenly having "Dwarven" heritage.

Then I read the power. As a daily power, I think paying a feat is passable. Why a move action though? To me, it would be ok to make it minor.

But even then, walk carefully. One of the things I emphasised (to my players) with houserules it that nothing would go in that was intended to "get around" deliberate and intended restrictions. Players have to accept that when making decisions, they have to take the good with the bad, otherwise, there is no decision to make. When your player picked human, he got human. If he wanted dwarf, he should have picked dwarf.

If you let your players get the best of both worlds too much, it just becomes cheese.

 

[malcolm_n]

Racial Heritage Feats Here's what I made some time ago along this same vein. In case you want to consider some of them.

 

[mattcolville]

I think Bob kinda hit on something important.

The #1 awesome thing about being a Dwarf is the Second Wind as a minor action. If you give that to Humans with a feat, even as a move action, I'd be worried suddenly people would play fewer dorfs.

But that's just a hypothesis. In play, who cares? You're not redesigning the game for WotC. You know your players. They might never decide to play a multi-racial human/fighter based solely on this houseruled feat. Go for it.