Revised Races (3.5)

[Harperfan7]

These are the changes and additions to the PHB races that I use in my homebrew campaign.

Human (Any)
Talent (any feat that adds a bonus to a skill, such as alertness, skill focus, or those feats that add 2 to a skill and 1 to a save)
Bonus Skills (as PHB)
Bonus Feat (as PHB)

Half-elf (Bard)
Inspiration (Can reroll any die roll 1/day per level, except saving throws)
Immunity to sleep magic, +2 vs. Charm effects, trances for 6 hours.
Low Light Vision
+1 Listen, Search, & Spot
+2 Diplomacy & Gather Information
Elven Blood

Half-Orc (Barbarian)
+2 Str, -2 Int
+3 bonus when charging (as opposed to +2)
Darkvision 60ft.
+2 Intimidate & Survival
+2 vs. Disease
Orc Blood

Half-Hobgoblin (Monk)
+2 Wis, -2 Cha
+2 Grapple checks (just the grapple check, not touch or anything else)
+2 Endurance checks (basically 1/2 the endurance feat and stacks with it)
+2 Concentration & Move Silently
+1 to Bull Rush, Disarm, Sunder, & Trip
+1 vs. Bull Rush, Disarm, Overrun, & Trip
+2 Knowledge (Architecture & Engineering) & Proffession (Seige Engineer)
Goblin Blood
(Note - In my world, hobgoblins don't have darkvision)

Dwarves (Fighter)
+2 Con, -2 Dex
Base Speed 20ft. - doesn't change for armor or encumbrance
Darkvision 60ft.
Stonecuning
Stability
+2 vs. Poison
+2 vs. Spells/Spell like abilities
+1 attack rolls vs. Goblinoids
+2 damage vs. Orcs
+4 Dodge bonus vs. Giants
+2 Appraise and Craft concerning Stone and Metal items.

Elves (Wizard) *I realize ranger makes more sense*
+2 Dex, -2 Con
Base Speed 35ft. (if light load and light or no armor, otherwise 30ft.)
Immunity to Sleep, +2 vs. Enchantment effects, trances for 4 hours
All elves are proficient with rapier, longsword, shortbow, & longbow (and composite versions)
+2 Listen, Search, & Spot
Detect Secret Doors (as PHB, not the spell)

Gnomes (Any)
+2 Int, -2 Wis
Small sized
Base Speed 20ft.
All gnomes are proficient with light repeating crossbows, those proficient with all martial weapons are also proficient with heavy repeating crossbows
+1 to DC of any Illusion & Light spells cast
+2 vs. Illusion & Light spels
+2 Craft alchemy)
+1 to any two craft or knowledge skills
+1 Disable Device & Open Lock
+4 Survival checks when tracking
+2 Handle Animal & Wild Empathy checks
Use Magic Device is always a class skill
*-10% to all magic item creation XP costs* -still debating

Hobbits (Rogue)
+2 Cha, -2 Str
Small size
Base Speed 30ft. (yes, 30)
+2 Climb, Jump, & Swim
+1 luck bonus to saving throws
+2 vs. Fear effects
+1 attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings
+2 Ride & Sleight of Hand
Speak language is always considered a class skill

So, there it is. Anybody think this is better?

[MageSparrowhawk]

I'm curious as to why you've made these changes. They don't seem to bad at first glance, but I'm interested in the reasoning behind them.

[Harperfan7]

Balance. I think some 3.5 races were better than others, and more importantly, too good or not good enough.

[Limos]

Hobbit?

Don't you mean Halfling?

[Harperfan7]

Yes, I do mean halfling, but there are already 3 other half-somethings in the list.

[Harperfan7]

I seriously thought people were going to criticize me a new one on this, I'm surprised so few people care.

[Obrysii]

Why is there a class marked in parenthesis? Are races forced into one specific class?

[Adumbration]

Why is there a class marked in parenthesis? Are races forced into one specific class?

I believe that's the favored class. Could be wrong, though.

[Harperfan7]

Yeah, sorry, it means favored class.

[JackMage666]

Human (Any)
Talent (any feat that adds a bonus to a skill, such as alertness, skill focus, or those feats that add 2 to a skill and 1 to a save)
Bonus Skills (as PHB)
Bonus Feat (as PHB)
Alright. A bit of a boost, but nothing earth shattering.


Half-elf (Bard)
Inspiration (Can reroll any die roll 1/day per level, except saving throws)Immunity to sleep magic, +2 vs. Charm effects, trances for 6 hours.
Low Light Vision
+1 Listen, Search, & Spot
+2 Diplomacy & Gather Information
Elven Blood
Wait, a Half-Elf can re-roll any skill check, attack roll, damage roll, or anything else (except a save) 1 time per day PER character level? That is definately on the strong side. Most people need to take feats just to do it once a day, AND the feat determines what you can re-roll. Even Luck-doman clerics can only do this once a day (they can also re-roll a save, but still). If you're insistant on giving them this ability, make it 1/day, or 1/day+1 use per 5 character levels. 1/character level is just silly.


Half-Orc (Barbarian)
+2 Str, -2 Int
+3 bonus when charging (as opposed to +2)
Darkvision 60ft.
+2 Intimidate & Survival
+2 vs. Disease
Orc Blood
Not a bad fix. Half-orcs always need something.


Half-Hobgoblin (Monk)
+2 Wis, -2 Cha
+2 Grapple checks (just the grapple check, not touch or anything else)
+2 Endurance checks (basically 1/2 the endurance feat and stacks with it)
+2 Concentration & Move Silently
+1 to Bull Rush, Disarm, Sunder, & Trip
+1 vs. Bull Rush, Disarm, Overrun, & Trip
+2 Knowledge (Architecture & Engineering) & Proffession (Seige Engineer)
Goblin Blood
(Note - In my world, hobgoblins don't have darkvision)
So, if your character makes use of any special attacks, this is pretty much the way to go. Or, if you're a divine caster who doesn't care about turning, since you get a nice +2 boost to your casting stat with little drawback (none if you're a druid). This is a very strong +0 LA race.


Dwarves (Fighter)
+2 Con, -2 Dex
Base Speed 20ft. - doesn't change for armor or encumbrance
Darkvision 60ft.
Stonecuning
Stability
+2 vs. Poison
+2 vs. Spells/Spell like abilities
+1 attack rolls vs. Goblinoids
+2 damage vs. Orcs
+4 Dodge bonus vs. Giants
+2 Appraise and Craft concerning Stone and Metal items.
I don't see a difference here, other than swapping -Cha for -Con, which is a common switch even in splatbooks.


Elves (Wizard) *I realize ranger makes more sense*
+2 Dex, -2 Con
Base Speed 35ft. (if light load and light or no armor, otherwise 30ft.)
Immunity to Sleep, +2 vs. Enchantment effects, trances for 4 hours
All elves are proficient with rapier, longsword, shortbow, & longbow (and composite versions)
+2 Listen, Search, & Spot
Detect Secret Doors (as PHB, not the spell)
A tad faster... That's it.


Gnomes (Any)
+2 Int, -2 Wis
Small sized
Base Speed 20ft.
All gnomes are proficient with light repeating crossbows, those proficient with all martial weapons are also proficient with heavy repeating crossbows
+1 to DC of any Illusion & Light spells cast
+2 vs. Illusion & Light spels
+2 Craft alchemy)
+1 to any two craft or knowledge skills
+1 Disable Device & Open Lock
+4 Survival checks when tracking
+2 Handle Animal & Wild Empathy checks
Use Magic Device is always a class skill
*-10% to all magic item creation XP costs* -still debating
So, they're as strong as Humans now, despite their small size? The +2 Int, -2 Wis is worrysome, they're already strong casters. Giving them proficiency with the repeating crossbow only fortifies this, as now they're a Wizard with a semi-decent weapon. Then, on top of that, they get Use Magic Device always as a class skill, which is normally considered the strongest of all skills? Yeah, don't give them the -10% to item costs, they're already probably strong enough to be considered a +1 LA class.


Hobbits (Rogue)
+2 Cha, -2 Str
Small size
Base Speed 30ft. (yes, 30)
+2 Climb, Jump, & Swim
+1 luck bonus to saving throws
+2 vs. Fear effects
+1 attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings
+2 Ride & Sleight of Hand
Speak language is always considered a class skill
I think Halflings were pretty good as they were, but unless I were playing a spontaneous Arcane caster, I don't really see the use in this. Cha isn't that great for everyone else, while Str remains moderately useful. The 10 ft bonus to speed is alright, though making less sense cause the Dex bonus is gone. Then they get a +2 to Ride and Sleight of Hand, which is just sorta eh, nothin' tremendous. Speak Language as a class skill is only useful if you're the face, and even then it's a poor skill to invest points in.

[Harperfan7]

"Wait, a Half-Elf can re-roll any skill check, attack roll, damage roll, or anything else (except a save) 1 time per day PER character level? That is definately on the strong side. Most people need to take feats just to do it once a day, AND the feat determines what you can re-roll. Even Luck-doman clerics can only do this once a day (they can also re-roll a save, but still). If you're insistant on giving them this ability, make it 1/day, or 1/day+1 use per 5 character levels. 1/character level is just silly."

"(they can also re-roll a save, but still)" That was meant to be the difference. Try playtesting it a little, I found that it's not as powerful as it seems.

"Not a bad fix. Half-orcs always need something."

Good.

"So, if your character makes use of any special attacks, this is pretty much the way to go. Or, if you're a divine caster who doesn't care about turning, since you get a nice +2 boost to your casting stat with little drawback (none if you're a druid). This is a very strong +0 LA race."

Really? I would have figured slightly less than the others.

"I don't see a difference here, other than swapping -Cha for -Con, which is a common switch even in splatbooks."

Not much, no, but makes more sense. Notice the +2 damage vs. Orcs - not +1 to attacks.

"A tad faster... That's it."

They were pretty much ok to begin with.

"So, they're as strong as Humans now, despite their small size? The +2 Int, -2 Wis is worrysome, they're already strong casters. Giving them proficiency with the repeating crossbow only fortifies this, as now they're a Wizard with a semi-decent weapon. Then, on top of that, they get Use Magic Device always as a class skill, which is normally considered the strongest of all skills? Yeah, don't give them the -10% to item costs, they're already probably strong enough to be considered a +1 LA class."

Yes, they have the same strength score, but still carry less and use less powerful weapons, all while not being very good at melee anyway. The light crossbow for them is 1d6 - basically a shortbow with better range that they can't add their str mod to if any. I forgot to consider wizards with access to cure wands, so, I'll say they can't gain ranks if the class they are leveling in has access to spells. And Ok, the lowered experience cost is gone.

"I think Halflings were pretty good as they were, but unless I were playing a spontaneous Arcane caster, I don't really see the use in this. Cha isn't that great for everyone else, while Str remains moderately useful. The 10 ft bonus to speed is alright, though making less sense cause the Dex bonus is gone. Then they get a +2 to Ride and Sleight of Hand, which is just sorta eh, nothin' tremendous. Speak Language as a class skill is only useful if you're the face, and even then it's a poor skill to invest points in.[/QUOTE]"

Cha is good for certain rogue builds (which is what halfling usually are in my world - that is, Cha using rogues). Now they are "athletic" without being slow, also 20ft. speed means -6 jump. They make good bards and sorcerers too.