Snowy said:
In other words perhaps go for boosts in power (giving the +1 LA) that don't seem to be all matched as an ideal rogue/barabrian/whatever.
Well, I'm going for specialized races. I want the bonuses given to be powerful enough that even in the mid levels there's a noticable difference between, say, a fighter of race X and a fighter of race Y. Not neccessarily saying that the races should be geared to different classes, I'm just horribly unoriginal and those were easy examples. ^_^ I'm thinking races whose race would have a very definite gameplay benefit that would be difficult at best to replicate with another race. As an example of a race with a benefit that would be difficult to replicate, tree-dwellers adept at climbing, jumping and acrobatics. The problem with that is that I don't think that would be quite powerful or useful enough to warrant an LA+1 without giving some bonuses like, say, +4 str or magic resistance, but both of those are general things that could apply to anyone and don't really help with the acrobatic flavor.
Here's an attempt at one...
The Aviauks are a noble race of 4-armed, winged humanoids with eagle-like heads. They are covered in pure white feathers and have a hooked beak. They also have crests of long, flowing feathers emanating from their head like hair, and take great pride in keeping these feathers neat and clean. Male Aviauk crest feathers typically are 3-5 feet long and can have a wide range of vibrant colors from deep, luxurious blues and purples to bright flaming reds and oranges. Females tend to have shorter crests and more earthen colors, like brown and rusty orange.
Aviauks are renown for their pride, their seriousness and their prodigious appetites. Having four arms and large wings means a very active metabolism, afterall. (Note to self: Bird crap attack? Distracts/nauseates/blinds?). Aviauks get along well with Elves and Dwarves, but find Halflings and Gnomes to be annoying at best.
Aviauks are adept combatants and favor ranged weapons, especially bows and crossbows. Some particularly skilled Aviauks have even been known to wield 4 hand crossbows, swooping in to attack and then perching somewhere to reload before another attack. The more common "load out" for an Aviauk warrior would be a longbow in the upper set of arms while the lower set hold something heavy to drop on foes.
Racial stats:
*+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Cha: Aviauk are strong and agile, but their powerful frames are unusually frail thanks to their hollows bones. They also come off as cold and aloof to most others.
*Medium size. As medium creatures, Aviauk usually get no benefits or drawbacks from their size. However, they are treated as large for the purposes of being attacked and hiding, and so get -1 AC and -4 to their hide skill.
*Aviauk base land speed is 30 feet. Aviauk also have a flight speed fo 80 feet, with average maneuverability.
*Weapon proficiency: Aviauk are proficient with longbows, shortbows and heavy and light crossbows.
*Weapon familiarity: Aviauk treat hand and repeating crossbows as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
*+1 racial bonus for attacks with missile weapons
*Access to Flyby Attack and Wingover feats. Additionally, any references to Two-Weapon fighting (such as in the description of Ranger) should be changed to Multi-Weapon Fighting.
*Favored race: Ranger
