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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Will" data-source="post: 5033859" data-attributes="member: 5566">Creating PC races from monsters First, it’s useful to strip out racial HD from the listings in the SRD. Racial HDs are effectively weak classes that help balance racial abilities. As such, some of them increase LA when removed, because they were there originally to pay off some of the LA.Racial HD worth +1/2 LA (4 points) per HD: Animal, Construct, Giant, Humanoid, Plant, UndeadRacial HD worth +1/4 LA (2 points) per HD: Magical Beast, Monstrous Humanoid(Dragon and outsider are powerful enough not to be worth any LA, haven't looked carefully at others)So a race with +1 LA and 4 HD of Monstrous Humanoid is actually a +2 LA race without HD. If you don’t mind the normal LA system and want to run chargen normally, you can stop here. You can have characters use racial HD to pay off LA going forward. A race with +2 LA can ‘buy it off’ with 8 HD of Monstrous Humanoid. If you are interested in using the previous idea about ‘pay as you go’ for ability scores, it’s necessary to separate out the core assumptions about what racial modifiers cost in LA. It may be useful to ignore or remove any spellcasting levels to provide a blank slate, or perhaps use the appropriate caster class as an additional favored class. There are three steps, using the LA determined above: calculate LA by subtracting estimate of ability scores, calculate LA by estimating value of non-ability score characteristics, compare the two results.1) Estimate value of ability modifiers and subtract Roughly speaking, only the highest positive bonus matters. In the core game, penalties don’t matter as much because you can choose to focus elsewhere. In the pay as you go system, penalties don’t matter as much because they affect score maximum only (which provides more flexibility than core system). Take the highest bonus, add 4 points if there is a second bonus of equal size, or add 2 points if there are a few credible bonuses, and ignore any small bonuses. If the bonuses are a few +2s and -2s, figure it to be 0 points. Divide the points calculated by 8 to arrive at a LA adjustment (8 points per LA, again) Any fractions, nudge it by looking at the race as a whole (judgment call). The logic here is that ability score penalties can be worked around, and the above system minimizes their direct influence. It's more important how much the monster can break the system with high bonuses. Subtract this estimate from LA. This is the first estimate of LA.2) LA of everything but ability scores +1 natural armor = +2 points (or +1/4 LA) Large size = +8 points (+1 LA) Construct, Ooze, Plant, Undead type = +16 points (+2 LA) Elemental type = +8 points (+1 LA) +1 point for each natural attack (roughly) Other abilities are harder to categorize, so there may be a gap Total this up, divide by 8 to find approximate LA. If the two values are equal, it’s a good bet you have an accurate result. If the values diverge, it may be obvious what special abilities might account for the difference. If the two values are drastically different, then the system has failed you. Sorry.This should result in a relatively fair LA for playing a first level member of the race. To generate a character, use racial modifiers for maximum score values, use race type, size, special abilities, and set starting ability points to 36 - (8 x LA).(examples follow)</blockquote>

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