starting feats - based on race?

[GlassJaw]

Each class starts out with 2 feats. Is this in addition to any granted by a particular race? Should humans get another feat on top of this?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I think GT presumes 'human' and includes the human bonus feat. There is a section in the back where it explains how to build character races using a pseudo point buy system, and it includes the traditional fantasy races as specc'ed in D&D. According to that, the classic races are balanced, so giving a non-human the second feat would presumably unbalance them.

The beautiful thing about it though is you can see where each race sits relative to the others, and see where adding the bonus feat (or other race specific attribute) might be OK.

 

[Fenris]

The same goes for skill points. The skill points listed for heroes assume a human race. If you use a non-human race you need to subtract one skill point from each hero type.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

The same goes for skill points. The skill points listed for heroes assume a human race. If you use a non-human race you need to subtract one skill point from each hero type.

Well, to be completely accurate, you don't HAVE to subtract one skill point from each hero type.

But if you use non-human races, what you CAN do to help offset any increase in CR, is to remember that a feat is worth 0.2CR and an extra skill point (over 20 levels) worth 0.1CR.

So if you wanted to cut some costs in order to fit some new abilities into a new race, you could cut here.

You could also cut movement, ability scores, and so forth, and ultimately I think anything under about 0.4CR is negligible anyway.

Yes, I am saying I don't think all races have to be equal, and yes, I know that means that some would be mathematically "the best" race, but within 0.4CR or so, I think that's close enough for personal preference-- ie, non-game mechanic related preferences-- to make up the difference. The dwarf is the "best" D&D race and the half-orc is arguably "the worst" but that doesn't mean everyone plays dwarves and nobody plays half-orcs.

One last comment on that, however-- notice how different the dwarf and the half-orc are in terms of "fluff." They are VERY different, so despite the CR advantage of the dwarf, it's not like picking apples or apples: half-orcs are very different and the choice matters. Do you want to be five feet tall, Nordic, and bearded or over six feet tall, dusky-skinned and tusked?

I would definitely NOT have two human "races," like, say, Rohirrim and Gondorians, who are fluff-wise negligibly different, but CR wise one has an advantage. If you are going to have a CR advantage, make sure the fluff is demonstrably different so there's a real choice.

Wulf