OK, got a lot to cover here, so here goes...
Quartz said:
Why are you giving them a bonus to Wis in the first place? They're not notably wiser in your OP. Being 'closer to nature' is not in itself a wiser choice than urbanisation, merely a different one. Indeed, some might say it's indicative of low wisdom.
Wisdom also indicates perception and harmony with the world around you. I was aiming for that more than anything else. True, a wise character could also be "street-smart", but these are the meditate-under-the-waterfall-to-sharpen-all-of-your-senses kind of people. In the natural world, they have honed their senses and intuition to a razor-sharp level, coupled with sort of a natural knack for it in the first place. I could probably make an urban version of them, but I was looking for an earthy sort of flavor.
Moon-Lancer said:
What if aging was not an option. Would said race still need a LA?
Based upon what I'm hearing, probably yes. Besides, very few races exist in which "aging is not an option", and those are the Killoren (who can still advance to venerable, they just don't die) and Warforged (who only go to middle-aged). Plus, aging was going to be an important part of the culture, what with the elders and seers system and whatnot.
Arkhandus said:
You can houserule them away, but you can't say that they aren't official WotC LA+0 sources.
True, but I try not to inherently trust everything that Wizards put out.
Some of their stuff is pretty damn broken, and I can forsee a LOT of problems with Gray Elf Int-based casters, which is why our DM basically says "no". We have negotiated some things, like he was alright with a Gray Elven Bard or Rogue, but Wizards and Duskblades and the like are something that we typically try to avoid when it comes to Grays.
Zurai said:
Wizard, Sorceror, Cleric, and Druid are the only SAD full casters that I know of.
True, but if I'm not careful, the ONLY class that these guys will ever be played as is said SAD full casters based on Wisdom. What I'm trying to be careful of here is making these guys infinitely better at a specific class than anybody else. True, some races excel at certain classes, but there should never be an end-all, be-all, straight up best for every aspect of a class race. And an Intelligence bonus does just that for Wizard, and a Wisdom bonus (apparently, now that I look at it) does just that (to a slightly lesser degree) to Clerics and Druids.
So, in conclusion, I think that I've found a near-perfect solution that should solve this issue of spell DCs and bonus spells, while still maintaining the flavor of this class. Analyze this, praise it, and rip it apart, if you please.
Wilderness-Based Race
- +2 Con, -2 Cha
- Medium humanoid creatures.
- 30 ft. land speed, 20 ft. swim speed.
- Low-light vision.
- +2 natural armor.
- Natural attack - 1 Bite (1d4).
- Hold Breath for 4 x Con modifier rounds.
- +8 to Swim, can run, avoid hazards, etc. etc.
- +2 to Knowledge (nature), +2 to Survival.
- Razor-Sharp Intuition (Ex) - +1 to ALL Wisdom checks and Wisdom-based skill checks.
- Favored Class - Ranger (male) or Druid (female). Males in this race are SIGNIFICANTLY larger and stronger, hence the more physical choice. Plus, I think that this could give some neat societal insights.
OK, the major change here is the Razor-Sharp Intuition feature (name subject to change without warning), which gives all of the effects of +2 to Wisdom EXCEPT for those pesky bonus spells and save DCs. I might also give them a few non-important flavor-based features, nothing to get in a fit about. So, critiques?
