Racial Feats - the Good and the Bad

[Nifft]

Tieflings are often Warlocks and Wizards and can use their Hellfire Blood feat, which even includes the much desired +1 to attack bonus

Any class can use Hellfire Blood, because Flaming weapons add their keyword to all attacks when you use their at-will power. This makes Tieflings competitive in nearly all classes, even those in which they don't have a stat bonus to the class's attack powers.

Hellfire Blood is very strong.

Elves also get a phenomenally strong racial feat, which along with their racial encounter power means they too can compensate for the expected +5% miss chance of taking a class that is sub-optimal on its face. (This is why Elf Wizards are good.)

Halflings make surprisingly good Defenders, with their racial feat.

- - -

Dwarves have a great Paragon racial feat. Humans have a decent one, and while it won't come up every fight, when you need it it's really good.

The Eladrin Paragon feat is kinda meh for half the situations when you'll gain its benefit. If you're teleporting into melee (e.g. to flank), it's great! If you're teleporting to safety to avoid trouble, it's kinda meh.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Dausuul]

I am not as impressed with human feats as others are. AP come once to twice a day, so you get to use this once to twice a day. Yeah +3 to hit is good, but once a day+3 to hit for a feat is just ok in my opinion. I will give you its still ok at epic levels, but I don't think it is great.

It doesn't look like much on paper, but I've found that in actual play, that +3 is huge. If you're using an action point, that typically means you're doing something important anyway, so the bonus is guaranteed to be applied to a vital attack. Plus you're probably going to use it with an encounter or a daily power.

 

[Nifft]

It doesn't look like much on paper, but I've found that in actual play, that +3 is huge. If you're using an action point, that typically means you're doing something important anyway, so the bonus is guaranteed to be applied to a vital attack. Plus you're probably going to use it with an encounter or a daily power.

It's most impressive when you are using it to improve an area attack (or otherwise attack multiple foes). Many Encounter and Daily powers benefit.

Cheers, -- N

 

[The Human Target]

Consider this about the Eladrin Soldier feat...

I'm currently making an Eladrin Wizard for an upcoming game.

I automatically gain proficiency with the longsword, which is great for my wizards as its gives me a viable melee weapon should things go south.

I decided to give my character a +1 Str, which means on a hit with my sword I'll be doing 1d8+1 damage.

My two at will spells are ray of frost and scorching burst, both of which draw OAs if I cast them in melee, so thats not really an option unless I shift.

If I take Eladrin Soldier I'm doing 1d8+3, which is going to be about equal with any first level melee character's basic attack.

With how Weapon Proficiency works now, that +2 to damage with spears I also get is at least nice to have, and in theory if I found a spear superior to whatever longsword I was currently using I could take the WP feat for spears, use it for a while, and then retrain the feat to something else later on.

Its not an amazing feat, but its worth considering for any of the eladrin suggested classes IMO.

 

[theNater]

This still does not solve the main problems. The Racial feat becoming useless at higher levels (which is against 4 ed design philosophy as I know it) and inferior to similar main feats and the feat simply not playing to the Eladrins strong points.

The racial weapon feats are better than Weapon Focus, even in epic tier, for any character that uses both kinds of weapons. This mostly means asymmetric rangers, but can also mean characters who want access to a wider variety of weapon feats and enchantments. They're feats for people who want to be flexible.

According to Raw Eladrin are best at being Wizards, Rogues and Warlords. Wizards have little use for it except for OAs and WotST Paragon class (both would do better with Weapon Focus and neither needs spears) and Rogues aren't suited for it at all as their powers work best with other weapons. Warlords might be able to use it. Seldomly. At least Dwarves can use their weapon training feat since they're well suited to being Paladins and Fighters.

Remember, once you hit paragon tier, it's only better than Weapon Focus for characters who use both weapons. Fighters and paladins are often using either a shield or a two-handed weapon, which means they'll have to spend actions to switch. The eladrin have an advantage in such situations, because it is easier for them to qualify for Quick Draw.

Don't underestimate the value for multiclassing characters, as well. An Eladrin wizard/fighter or wizard/ranger can take the wizard of the spiral tower paragon path, grab a pushing power or two from the second class, take the Spear Push feat, wield a longsword in one hand and a spear in the other, and have a lot of fun. Thanks to this thread, I'm considering building such a character.

 

[Byronic]

The racial weapon feats are better than Weapon Focus, even in epic tier, for any character that uses both kinds of weapons. This mostly means asymmetric rangers, but can also mean characters who want access to a wider variety of weapon feats and enchantments. They're feats for people who want to be flexible.

Remember, once you hit paragon tier, it's only better than Weapon Focus for characters who use both weapons. Fighters and paladins are often using either a shield or a two-handed weapon, which means they'll have to spend actions to switch. The eladrin have an advantage in such situations, because it is easier for them to qualify for Quick Draw.

Don't underestimate the value for multiclassing characters, as well. An Eladrin wizard/fighter or wizard/ranger can take the wizard of the spiral tower paragon path, grab a pushing power or two from the second class, take the Spear Push feat, wield a longsword in one hand and a spear in the other, and have a lot of fun. Thanks to this thread, I'm considering building such a character.

But aren't those exceptions? One would expect that a race feat would use something common to the race. Something more general. Compare it with the other racial skills for example.

The Tiefling feat not only gives the Tiefling powers with almost every single class (assuming he has the right flame magic weapon) but also supports his most used classes, especially the Warlock Infernal class. It helps the race in general, not just the exceptions.

 

[Nifft]

Dwarf and Eladrin feats are also nice in that they grant one or more proficiencies. (Dwarf is much better in this regard.)

Important if your class doesn't have a lot of proficiencies.

Cheers, -- N

 

[theNater]

But aren't those exceptions? One would expect that a race feat would use something common to the race. Something more general. Compare it with the other racial skills for example.

The Tiefling feat not only gives the Tiefling powers with almost every single class (assuming he has the right flame magic weapon) but also supports his most used classes, especially the Warlock Infernal class. It helps the race in general, not just the exceptions.

Racial feats aren't just about increasing power, they're also about encouraging characteristic racial choices.

Humans are resilient. They make comebacks, whether by landing an important blow(Action Surge) or by shaking off effects(Human Perseverance).

Halflings are lucky. They can avoid earthshaking blows(Halfling Agility) or dodge between the big people safely(Lost in the Crowd).

Eladrin are elegant. They use weapons with finesse(Eladrin Soldier) and magics with unearthly grace(Feywild Protection).

The racial weapon feats encourage characters, especially beginning characters, to use the racial weapons. They don't force them to(by being so good there are no other realistic options), and they don't make non-weapon characters into mighty melee combatants. But they do give even those non-weapon characters a reason to carry the racial weapon, by providing both the proficiency and the damage bonus in one feat.

 

[Ahglock]

It doesn't look like much on paper, but I've found that in actual play, that +3 is huge. If you're using an action point, that typically means you're doing something important anyway, so the bonus is guaranteed to be applied to a vital attack. Plus you're probably going to use it with an encounter or a daily power.

I have not found it that awesome in play. Its decent, just not awesome. +3 to hit is a solid benefit, a very limited use limit by having to use an AP turns a solid benefit into just ok for us.

Really it comes down to when used 15% of the time this feat allows you to hit, 85% of the time it does nothing for you. It is fairly likely in a entire day of adventure this feat doesn't help you in the slightest.

If you think that is great, ok. We have found it to be just ok.

 

[frankthedm]

Dragonborn ' breath feat is good in minion heavy games.

Dragonborn senses could have been more usefull, but illumination is too easy to come by cough... sunrods ...cough.