Reincarnate - What's your favored class?

[Lonely Tylenol]

The most compelling arguement (IMO, of course) states that your favored class remains the same. Physical stats change, mental ones remain. You keep your past skills, feats (including the human bonus feat, if applicable), knowledges, experience (minus the one level). Your mind, and therefore your favored class, are therefore unchanged.

But if you come back as a dwarf do you gain a dodge bonus to AC vs. giants? It's a racial bonus. It's also a product of training. The spell is unclear on this point.

 

[reveal]

Well crap. I think I answered my own question.

The reincarnated creature gains all abilities associated with its new form, including forms of movement and speeds, natural armor, natural attacks, extraordinary abilities, and the like, but it doesn’t automatically speak the language of the new form.

(Emphasis mine)

Halfling Traits (Ex)

Halflings possess the following racial traits.

* +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength.
* Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
* A halfling’s base land speed is 20 feet.
* +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Move Silently checks.
* +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
* +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the halfling’s +1 bonus on saving throws in general.
* +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings.
* +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Halfling. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc.
* Favored Class: Rogue.

(Emphasis mine)

Notice anything? Halfling racial traits (and all player race traits in the MM) are listed as Extraordinary abilities (Ex).

 

[Starglim]

Well crap. I think I answered my own question.



(Emphasis mine)



(Emphasis mine)

Notice anything? Halfling racial traits (and all player race traits in the MM) are listed as Extraordinary abilities (Ex).

Arguably, where they differ from the Races section (i.e. in listing all the traits as extraordinary abilities) those traits apply only to halflings encountered as monsters, not to player characters. However the reincarnate text does say that

It’s possible for the change in the subject’s ability scores to make it difficult for it to pursue its previous character class. If this is the case, the subject is well advised to become a multiclass character.

which would certainly seem to be the case here.

It makes no sense for a warforged to return in a new warforged body (or any other construct form), because warforged are created by House Cannith and not by divine power. I'd rule that the warforged returns as a humanoid.

 

[Bront]

Warforged aren't actually constructs. They're "living constructs," which are a new creature type that includes only warforged. So yeah, the only thing you could come back as is another warforged.

Warforged Scout is also an option.

 

[reveal]

It makes no sense for a warforged to return in a new warforged body (or any other construct form), because warforged are created by House Cannith and not by divine power. I'd rule that the warforged returns as a humanoid.

Plus it's more fun for the 500+ pound warforged to come back as the 30 pound halfling.

Looking through reincarnate, it mentions that the new body gains all the abilities of the new form and specifies speed, natural armo, etc. which are included in the racial traits I pointed out above that are "Extraordinary abilities." So at this point, while it lists them as (Ex) it doesn't seem like that's the intent of the spell. Still confused.........

 

[melkorspawn]

Warforged aren't actually constructs. They're "living constructs," which are a new creature type that includes only warforged. .

Are Green Star Adepts also "living constructs"?

 

[Kisanji Arael]

Well crap. I think I answered my own question.

Notice anything? Halfling racial traits (and all player race traits in the MM) are listed as Extraordinary abilities (Ex).

Doesn't it say that gnomes get their bonuses versus giants because of special training that they undergo? I would argue that certain extraordinary abilities can be gained, but never lost (I would argue that he could gain the illusionist favored class with training, but never lose his own).

 

[lukelightning]

Are Green Star Adepts also "living constructs"?

When they become a construct, they have the construct type (i.e. they have no CON, etc.), so no.

 

[ARandomGod]

But if you come back as a dwarf do you gain a dodge bonus to AC vs. giants? It's a racial bonus. It's also a product of training. The spell is unclear on this point.

I've looked at the other racial traits, and to be honest I'd give some and not others, depending on how I interpreted them (as a GM adjudicating, and if I decided that they were mental or physical). Physical thing's I'd allow to carry through, mental I would not. I'll agree that the spell is somewhat unclear on what things carry through and what don't.

And, since it was meantioned, I'll post my take on this part of the spell

Originally Posted by SRD
It’s possible for the change in the subject’s ability scores to make it difficult for it to pursue its previous character class. If this is the case, the subject is well advised to become a multiclass character.

Clearly this is talking about a change in the subject's ability scores. And what ability scores are changed? The physical ones. How could this make things difficult? Let's say that you were a dex heavy race with an ECL. Like Catfolk (+4 to dex), and you were playing a character class that needed/wanted dex. And you reincarnated as a race with -2 to dex. Wow, now you're down 6 points of dex permanently. You very well might be well advised to become a multiclassed character in some sort of an attempt to shore up the character.

Or say you were a race that got ... heck, let's say +6 to strength. Then you come back as a halfling. You're now permanently 8 strength below whatever you had before. That's a great incentive to take some class that doesn't focus on melee. Especially since you're small now, and in damage that's another virtual -4 to strength (on average). (Assuming you weren't already large... I think with that +6 to strength there's a good chance you were, in which case that's a virtual -8 to strength. Add that with your real minus and you're melee ability is down 14 strength points of effectiveness!)

But these are purely physical reasons to perhaps want to change, not a mental one like having a suddenly different favored class.

 

[Sejs]

Reincarnate says your mind remains the same and thus I'd say the elf retains their original favored class of wizard.