+x ECL races and lack of HP, is there anyway to balance this?

[pawsplay]

If you are playing a 1 HD, ECL 5 character, and you expect to look at the wrong end of a longsword even once, for god's sake, take Toughness.

As a player, I won't go past 1/4 of my ECL as LA, but you could do half, especially if your party is well-balanced.

Monster levels from Savage Species rule, by the way. My brother had a lot of fun playing a 3rd level Hound Archon, even though they don't have a lot of key abilities at that level.

 

[Tatsukun]

So what I don’t understand is this “don’t make a PC with HD = less than half the total level” rule. By that rule, nobody can make a level one drow (1HD, ECL+2 = total of 3).

So, what, infant drow are born with two levels of something? Do they stay in school until they are level two? What about mind flayers, is there as mind flayer university you have to go to to get your five (or whatever) levels before you can step foot outside your cave?

It just seems a silly work-around to a broken system. They really should just make a system that allows players to play anything they want without having to make a level 5 PC with 5 HP.

-Tatsu

 

[reiella]

So what I don?t understand is this ?don?t make a PC with HD = less than half the total level? rule. By that rule, nobody can make a level one drow (1HD, ECL+2 = total of 3).

So, what, infant drow are born with two levels of something? Do they stay in school until they are level two? What about mind flayers, is there as mind flayer university you have to go to to get your five (or whatever) levels before you can step foot outside your cave?

It just seems a silly work-around to a broken system. They really should just make a system that allows players to play anything they want without having to make a level 5 PC with 5 HP.

-Tatsu

Erm, it's not so much a rule as a guideline for playablity in parties.

You typically will have the problems of dying to encounters based to your level in the lower levels if you sacrifice too many HD.

 

[d20Dwarf]

I've considered just giving them the HD for the level adjustment, but none of the other abilities. Hit points are a poor way to balance other class features, since at Level X there is a certain expectation of how tough a PC will be built into monsters of around that CR.

This way they are balancing class abilities against racial abilities, but aren't sacrificing surviv"abilities". I don't think it imbalances things, either. You're still losing BAB, saves, feats, ability boosts, spellcasting levels, and other class features.

 

[Darklone]

On a related note... where were these 3 levels for the half-dragon template similar to a Savage Species progression? Races of Faerun?

 

[Allanon]

I've considered just giving them the HD for the level adjustment, but none of the other abilities. Hit points are a poor way to balance other class features, since at Level X there is a certain expectation of how tough a PC will be built into monsters of around that CR.

This way they are balancing class abilities against racial abilities, but aren't sacrificing surviv"abilities". I don't think it imbalances things, either. You're still losing BAB, saves, feats, ability boosts, spellcasting levels, and other class features.

And which HD would that be then, D8?
What are the racial HD for for example a Drow? The MM doesn't specify any. Or am I missing something (a naggin' feeling in the back of my mind says I do but...)

 

[Pax]

On a related note... where were these 3 levels for the half-dragon template similar to a Savage Species progression? Races of Faerun?

"Savage Progressions" at the WOTC website.

 

[Darklone]

Thanks, Pax!

 

[pawsplay]

So, what, infant drow are born with two levels of something?

There are no ECL 1 Drow. Drow have abilities that make them more powerful than humans. So you could say they are born with +2 ECL.