Questions Pertaining to Balance

[Pinkcrusade]

Hey, Playground.

So, relatively soon-ish, I am going to be starting up a 3.5 campaign, and one my PCs has been talking to me about being a certain race, but lowering the LA, along with some of the stats. I am fine with this, as I have wanted to be a certain thing, only to find out I would need the party to be level 17 and I would be a level 1 Mage.

But, the problem is I am not sure how balanced it would be for my PC to do this, as I am not the best to judge balance among other races.

My friend's homebrew as of now for the monster he wants to be (Doppelganger) is:
2d8
-2 Str., +2 Dex., 0 Con, +2 Int., 0 Wis., +2 Cha.
Medium Size
Speed: 30 ft.
Darkvision: 60 ft.
BAB: +4 (seems too high)
Fortitude: 1
Ref: 4
Will: 4 (seems too high)
Racial Skills: Monstrous Humanoid Levels = 7x (2+Int Mod)
Class Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Intimidate, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot
Natural Armor: +2
SPECIALS: Detect Thoughts, Change Shape, Immune to Sleep and Charm effects.
+4 racial bonus on bluff and disguise checks.
LA: 2
I would also like to know how I can balance these sorts of homebrew, as it would be fun, though I don't want imbalance in the party from races. Also, what would you change to make this race fair? We are starting at level 4.

[Greenish]

We do have homebrew forum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15).

That said, RHD is annoying, BAB and saves are tied to it (you can't have more BAB than you have RHD), and the main power of the monster seems to come from the special abilities you've neglected to describe at all.

Why can't he just be a changeling?

[eggynack]

I'm kinda confused. It looks like the race has 2d8 RHD, but all of the statistics indicate 4d8. You indicated that the BAB and saves are too high, and they are, unless the race has 4 RHD. This is also true of the skills. You also said that he was lowering the LA, but is he lowering it to zero, or some other number? In any case, at any quantity of RHD or LA, having this race is worse than not having it, for you are a caster. It's not like the race is doing anything to make you significantly better at casting. I'd just go with changeling, as Greenish says.

[Big Fau]

Why can't he just be a changeling?

This, more or less. LA0 Doppleganger is a Changeling, as there isn't that big of a difference other than stats (specifically, Changelings get no bonuses or penalties to ability scores).

[Pinkcrusade]

Sorry, he suggested that the LA be reduced to 2

[eggynack]

So, 2-4 RHD, and 2 LA, for this stuff? Seems kinda imbalanced, but in the wrong direction.