Falconnan said:
Actually, no (IMHO).
1. Dex controls the bonuses on many skills, Con only affects Concentration. Good if you plan to play a spellcaster/psion, but otherwise not that big a deal.
Next, Con gives you bonus HP. Now, a +2 Con equals one more hp per level. The fact that they lose on Charisma does not hurt them that bad.
Dex affects all ranged attacks, and also AC. Being hit less often is more likely to keep you alive than additional hp, unless the additional hp are excessive. Of course, elves lose a hp each level, so, who knows? I would call this a tie.
2. Dwarves get a move of 20 ft., elves 30 ft.--elf wins by far.
3. Darkvision vs. lowlight--dwarf wins, slightly.
4. Stonecunning vs. doorfinding--about equal, slightly in favor of elf.
5. Elves gain a + 2 bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot. Dwarves gain a +2 on Appraise and Craft checks relating to stone or metal.--Usually better for the Elf.
6. Dwarf: +2 save bonus on all spells and spell-like effects, and also against poison. An elf is immune to sleep effects, and gains a +2 save bonus vs. Enchantment spells and effects.--Advantage-Dwarf.
7. Dwarf: +4 AC vs. Giants. Dwarf must not be flat-footed, as this is a dodge bonus. Only works against giants (not that big a deal in many campaigns, pun intended). Also, familiarity with urgrosh and waraxes. Finally, stability (+2 vs. bull rushes and trip attacks on land) Elf: Actual proficiency with longsword, rapier, all shortbows, and all longbows.--Advantage: Dwarf, by a bit.
No, this does not mean elves are more powerful than dwarves, but I would argue that they are not weaker, either. Any disparity will depend on how you play the character. An elven rogue is quite cool, however.
Thanks for putting the effort into summarising it all. Maybe we just play at different levels, or play dwarves differently. Here're my experiences:
I've never seen a dwarf who wasn't a fighter or a cleric. (However, I'd like to do a rogue sometime.)
I've never seen a dwarf who didn't wear full-plate armour while adventuring.
For those reasons, I've never seen a dwarf who desired or possessed a dexterity higher than 12. Therefore the -2 dex really wasn't a great penalty to them. Ditto the slow movement speed - you were going to be moving that fast anyway!
At higher levels, a +1 HP per level helps a lot more than a +1 AC. As for dex-based skills, I've never seen a dwarf who possessed any ranks in one. If you don't use a skill, a penalty in it doesn't matter to you.
The dwarfs charisma penalty doesn't hurt them much either. The dwarf cleric in my game prestige classed into Church Inquisitor, forfeiting his turning advancement, so his low charisma didn't hurt his class abilities.
Again, at higher levels, +2 in skills don't matter, really. I've never seen a dwarf use his bonuses. An elf ranger with a +24 in spot is not so terrifically different to a human one with +22, so I don't see this as a big deal.
The +2 save bonus against all spells and spell-like effects is a big deal, on the other hand. A LOT better than immunity to sleep spells and a bonus against enchantments. Spells are the premier way to make people take saves, and with the advent of save-or-die spells or save-or-take-hideous amounts of damage, I'll take a +2 bonus any day.
Elven proficiency with weapons means you see elven wizards who think they can use their longbows, but it turns out they're actually rather rubbish with them. (I have one in my game. Has carried a longbow for 11 levels. Has yet to hit with it. Is purchasing a wand of magic missile instead.) Any elf who has any business wielding a longsword has taken a class which gives him proficiency anyway. Dwarves, on the other hand, get the equivalent of bastard sword proficiency for free. Not bad for dwarven fighters or combat clerics, the two classes dwarves are great at being.
+4 AC against giants. Meh. It's a big bonus, so at least it really counts when it counts. But I wouldn't say it's a big deal. Ditto stability bonus.
Yeah, this is pretty much the same analysis as you came up with, but my conclusions and reasoning are different. I'll summarise with this. Sometimes the elf has better bonuses. But those bonuses are minor, whereas the dwarf is perfectly suited to the two classes people play them as, and when his bonuses are better than the elf's, they're a LOT better.
