D&D 4E Race Matters more in 4e?

[Hjorimir]

Actually, this is one of the things that has me really excited. Races in 3.X lost a lot of their distinctiveness with me. Sure, gone were the days of limitations between race and class and that opened options, which ostensibly is great. But the byproduct of that move reduced the character of the races in a big way for me.

Players will tend to gravitate towards effectiveness first and then come up with a personality to match that creation (that's been my experience at least). For me, the races all felt too human under that system. From what WotC is proposing, sure, I bet you see that dwarves make some of the very best fighters. Conversely, I think elves will (finally) be amongst the best of mages (is that what we're calling the new magic-user?) and so on.

So this will help encourge some cultural/racial tendencies without excluding the occasional oddball build. For me, that sits well.

 

[KingCrab]

Half-elves as the social masters has always seemed a bit contrived to me. They have to get along with both races, so they're charismatic? Um... go ask someone of mixed black and white parentage if they find they are better able to work with both blacks and whites. In an area where race matters (thankfully we aren't in 1890 anymore), I would say that any need to improve charisma is only to offset circumstance modifiers for bigotry. Totally not something I want introduced into my core rules, but the "charisma bonus" begs the question of why they develop it.

Agreed. I really hate the idea that elves are not loved by all, humans are not loved by all, but for some strange genetic or magical reason, if you mix the two you suddenly get this new creature that all races want to be around. Why would a race that likes neither elves nor humans suddenly like a half-elf more?

I'm fine with them creating a charismatic race for the purposes they want. It just shouldn't be half-elf.

Instead a half elf should have some abilities of humans and some from elves. Maybe half of each?

 

[KingCrab]

I'm also concerned that because of the new race system, we won't be able to easily convert monster races to playable races. It seems a whole abilities-by-level chart will have to be created for any race to be playable, instead of a short paragraph stat block like the ones in the monster manuals in 3.x. This will limit our race choices greatly.

 

[Aloïsius]

This will limit our race choices greatly.allow WOTC to sell more copy of the incoming 4e savage species

fify

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

fify

That kind of thing is discouraged by the mods here at ENWorld, btw.

 

[Asmor]

The trick from a design standpoint is to not make the "best" choices overwhelmingly so, so that being sub optimal is crippling. "Sub-optimal" can be a continuum, not a black-and-white category, and that is always the hard part..offering choices without making them foolish choices.

Wise words which bear repeating.

 

[Particle_Man]

Star Wars Saga Edition has talent trees for classes. Maybe there are similar things for races? I wonder if Tiefling is just one of the talent trees under the Planetouched race?

 

[Frostmarrow]

My guess is dwarves will get a +2 to Fortitude and elves a +2 to Reflex. Then you attack against one of the 'saves' depending on the attack. I wonder which race will get +2 on Will? Ah, that would be eladrin (aasimar).

So maybe all sub-species of elves get +2 on Reflex at level 1, but later on different elves get different things and they start to diverge?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Why are people assuming the Eladrin are replacing the Aasimar?

All there is, is one piece of concept art, and it probably belongs to the Monster Manual, as Eladrin are generally too powerful as standard character races. If you remember what they are in 2e and 3e, they're celestials and all had at least +5 LA (and that was for the pixie-like Coure) in 3e. Now granted they could be using Eladrin as an example 20 or 30 level race, but they're generally the type of creatures to use as NPCs mostly.

 

[Technik4]

Re: elven evasion: how do we know "favored classes" made it to 4e? Maybe elves are the best... I don't know... rangers?

Hopefully favored classes and multiclassing restrictions died a painful death and R&D are eating Sacred Cowburgers for lunch.