Are LA's from templates or races more worth while?

[danzibr]

Suppose I'll be running a campaign somewhat soon that assigns points based on the build. So a tier 1 build would get x points, tier 2 build would get y points, et cetera. Now suppose with those points you can buy LA, maybe 10 points for +1, 20 for +2, et cetera.

Should I break it down so that templates cost more? First, I know not all templates are near as good, like compare Mineral Warrior to Hobgoblin or whatever, but where is there more potential for most builds? I personally don't have much experience with playing with anything with a LA. Just wondering your thoughts, thanks.

[Mithril Leaf]

Among the better picks, at least for +2 LA, races tend to pay off in the short term, while templates do so in the long term. Most of the good templates give a large compliment of SLAs or HD based abilities, while most good races give very high stat bonuses for similar investment.

EDIT: These are just my observations for LAs within that range which are considered of fairly high quality.

[Talya]

It's all about synergizing with your build. Goliath's +1 can be very good for builds that leverage its powerful build and high strength. Its utterly useless if you play a class that can't utilize those features.

For instance, if you were taking a template or race based off a great number of Spell Like Abilities, and happened to take the "magic in the blood" feat, you'd get better use out of them.

[Re'ozul]

Allowing usage of Templates and races when LA only costs you part sof your ability point buy makes them far more viable especially for spellcasters.

The usability is still dependant on how many points they have to begin with, but most low level LA Races and a lot of tampletes (effectively anything not suddering from racial hit dice) can suddenly become viable.