Cools ideas
Wow, folks have had some cool ideas. Here's some of my take from what people have said so far.
Dragonborn
I certainly liked the idea of amass breath weapon round. Wait for all those minions to close, until you can see the whites of their eyes, and then coordinate breath weapons to blanket the area in napalm, or whatever else.
Intimidating would be the word that comes to mind for a merc party of dragonborn. This in itself could be a strength, what kobalds would want to fight them.
They'd also have a load of hit point potential. Perhaps a couple healers to help maximize the use of healing surges. I think they would certainly be deadly in close.
But their specialty might not be subtlety. This could potentially be a big drag in some situations. And if some monsters require indirectly tactics to defeat, these guys might not be the right ones for the job.
Dwarves
Dwarves seem to be getting a lot of votes too. Certainly a lot of literary references for a party. I can see them heavily armored and standing their ground quite well. And add in a couple ranged strikers to pull the enemy to you.
Certainly with their toughness and potent clerics, they'd have a lot of staying power.
But speed isn't one of their advantages, and they could be easily harassed by quicker groups if there are monsters smart enough to do so. Against strong or numerous ranged attackers, they might have a disadvantage as well.
Eladrin
Still probably my favor so far. There was a great point made on the previous page. With the party only needing a rest of 4 hours, and no need to set watches, they could get a great deal accomplished in a day. And not be vulnerable very long.
As a group, they could get around a lot of obstacles as well. And their teleport ability would make for deadly ambush tactics. They also be nearly impossible to pin unless you lured them into expending their fey step early on.
With some coordinated tactics, I can see their melee strikers being quite effective. And their ranged combatants would also be fairly good at staying out of trouble.
But they might have trouble in a stand up fight verse those solo bosses because of their limited staying power. But they'd certainly be able to dish the damage with their greater combat advantage, and hopefully do more than they can take. They're non-int/dex defenses would probably also be weaker across the party.
Elves
Elves are pretty good too. I can see them as a guerrilla combat squad, or rapid intercept group. Light and fast. I'd say range would probably be their strength, hit them from a distance and keep them at bay. They'd probably be great at flanking maneuvers as well. Elven warlords might be super useful to keep people moving.
They'd certainly have an advantage in difficult terrain or if they get surprise. And they're darn hard to catch flat footed as well.
But probably the last thing they want to do is get stuck in a toe to toe match up where they are pinned down. I imagine they won't be the most social bunch either given that they are often considered outsiders.
Half-elves
Half-elves on the other hand would make for an exceptionally social and jovial party I figure. I've hear of a few adventuring parties that have talked their way through dungeons. And I'm sure they'd be very well liked by both townsfolk and nobility.
Can you imagine the number of encounter powers they group might have total? I think this would make them extremely adaptable. They might be best for a witty and free spirited group.
But while they can probably take a few hits, I don't imagine they'd be known for their deadliness or conquests. But you'd certainly have a lot of great stories to tell about amazing wins and reversals.
I'd say they'd have to be fairly prudent to not get in over their heads. They might be extremely effective as a team when trying to convince folks of something, and allow for a lot of combos in combat.
Halflings
I might not be the best to speak about halflings. Certainly they'd make great rogues and could take a lot of combat changes with minimal consequences. I could see them as a completely stealth oriented group, which might make for a lot of ranger multi-classing and light armor.
But if they had the right feats, I'd hate to be a tall folk who has to fight them. In close combat, I can see them using swarm tactics and really taking advantage of their mobility for flanking.
I think their greatest strength however is how much fun the players could have playing them. A halfling party would sure be interesting if nothing else.
Brute strength and staying power might be an issue again, but never underestimate a halfings cleverness.
Humans
Humans are a give-me for most versatile group. They can master just about any class, and thus have a very well balanced party. This is probably one reason they are so popular.
While they might lack an ability score boost, they certainly have great non-AC defenses, and quite a few skills to boot. And with their extra at-will powers and feats, you'll never know what they'll throw against you.
They might not excelling in a particular area. Still, most of the parties weaknesses could be covered. The lack of good night vision might be an issue as well, and most likely mean they stick to daylight hours. But I think the biggest disadvantage they'd have is perhaps not being as unique.
Tieflings
Now here is a unique race. I really don't think anyone would like to end up in a scuffle with 5 or 6 tieflings. Once they're angry, they can be a mean opponent.
I could see them using a lot of underhanded tactics personally. Perhaps their whole party might strike from range (you've got to fear their wizards), and then switch over to melee once their opponents are softened up. Or perhaps they sacrifice having a healer in the party for more damage output, and not worry so much about an ally going down.
I think one of the hardest things a tiefling party will have to deal with is simply not being liked. I also don't find their abilities super useful for teamwork, they seem more the solo types.
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Any other imaginative ideas or teamwork potentials for single race parties?
~imaginari.