Racial Traits: Ordinary or Extraordinary?

[Duke of Urrel]

I am confused about racial traits.

When you look at the racial traits of dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings in the Monster Manual, it appears that all of these traits are extraordinary, identified with the abbreviation 'Ex'. However, there is no indication in the Player's Handbook that the racial traits belonging to dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings are extraordinary. Moreover, in the MM, most of the traits of bugbears, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds are not identified as extraordinary, but all of the racial traits of orcs and half-orcs are identified as extraordinary. Can this inconsistency be explained? Or was there perhaps some oversight here?

Fortunately, Darkvision and Low-Light Vision, at least, are clearly identified in statistics blocks as special qualities and in the glossary of the Dungeon Master's Guide as extraordinary abilities. But what about all those other racial traits, in particular those that take the form of racial bonuses to attacks, Armor Class, skill checks, or saving throws, which are identified as 'Ex' only in one place, if at all? Are these really extraordinary abilities or not? Are all racial traits extraordinary, or are only Darkvision and Low-Light Vision extraordinary? Is there any rule that we can apply here?

This is an important question because of this part of the text of the Alter Self spell:


You keep all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels (such as a barbarian's rage ability), but you lose any from your normal form that are not derived from class levels (such as a dragon's frightful presence ability).

As I understand it, extraordinary special attacks and qualities "that are not derived from class levels" are extraordinary racial traits. So it is a matter of some importance whether a racial trait is extraordinary or just plain ordinary.

This text from page 88 of the FAQ (2008) makes the problem even clearer.


Unless a racial trait is specifically referred to elsewhere as an extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like ability (such as blindsense or damage reduction), it isn't any of those. Unfortunately, the spells in question are silent in indicating whether racial traits are kept or lost. For alter self and the alternate form and change shape special abilities, it's reasonable to conclude that they are retained (and new ones aren't gained), since your type and subtype(s) remain the same regardless of the new form. However, the polymorph spell (and any other spell that specifically refers to it) does change your type and subtype(s) to match the new form. Thus, your existing racial traits should be lost (and new ones gained) when using such an effect.

What should happen to your racial bonuses to attacks, Armor Class, skill checks, and saving throws when you use the Alter Self spell? If these racial traits count as extraordinary, you should lose them. If they count as ordinary, you should keep them. So which are they: ordinary or extraordinary? Since the MM seems inconsistent and arbitrary, is there a simple and consistent way to decide whether a racial trait ought to be considered ordinary or extraordinary?

I appeal to the wisdom of the Playground for answers! I am particularly interested in what Urpriest has to say.

[Vhaidara]

I believe that, in the absence of specification, it defaults to Ex. This leads to some rather silly ones, such as the fact that a Wizard's class feature "Spells" lacks a category, and arguably (not an argument any sane person would make) are therefore Ex abilities.

[Slipperychicken]

I believe that, in the absence of specification, it defaults to Ex. This leads to some rather silly ones, such as the fact that a Wizard's class feature "Spells" lacks a category, and arguably (not an argument any sane person would make) are therefore Ex abilities.

Wizards can attempt to cast or prepare spells in an AMF, and indeed some spells do function in such places (such as the infamous Invoke Magic). So while the "Spells" class feature itself is nonmagical, the spells themselves are magical.

[Duke of Urrel]

Keep in mind that I'm interested particularly in racial traits, not so much in class features – although, who knows, what somebody says about class features may have some bearing on how I decide to interpret racial traits.

Think of the goblinoid racial Hide check bonus of +4, for example. Or of the dwarven Stonecunnning ability. According the MM, the former is ordinary, but the latter is extraordinary. I don't think this is fair, but maybe there's a reason for this discrepancy that I don't know about. On the other hand, maybe Keledrath's point is well taken and we should consider racial traits generally to be extraordinary.

[Anxe]

You just have to separate whether the ability is physical or mental for that stuff. I'll do elves and dwarves as examples because they're more complicated. This is just what I'd rule for what transfers to a polymorphed body at my table.

Elves
Immunity to sleep is difficult. Sleep is required for physical and mental reasons. The immune to sleep ability is tied to elves "trance" ability. The trance ability is described as being mental, so I'd assume the immunity to sleep is too. Thus it would transfer to a polymorphed body.
Bonus to enchantment spells is clearly a mental effect. It transfers.
Low-light vision is a physical part of an elf's eye. It doesn't transfer.
Weapon proficiencies are whether you know something or don't. Clearly mental. It transfers.
Bonuses to Listen, Search, and Spot I feel are all defined by an elf's superior ears and eyes. Physical, so they don't transfer.
The automatic secret door check is described as a sixth sense. Sixth senses are usually described as mental. It transfers.

Dwarves
Darkvision is part of the dwarf's physical eyes. It doesn't transfer.
Stonecunning is mental training. It transfers.
Weapon Familiarity is a proficiency. It transfers.
Stability is part of the dwarf's body. It doesn't transfer.
Resistance to poison is part of the dwarf's body's resistance to toxins (alcohol). It doesn't transfer.
Resistance to magic is complicated. It doesn't say whether its part of the dwarf's body or the dwarf's mind. I'd say that since magic can access the mind, comes from the mind, and can reveal a shapechanged creature in its true form that this bonus is mental. The resistance to magic transfers.
Bonuses against other races is mental training so it should transfer. People can make the argument that the dwarf learned how to dodge it a dwarf's body, it shouldn't know how to dodge in a new body. That's... not how it should work. The dwarf also learned how to talk, walk, and Power Attack in its old body. It can still do all those things in a new body. Bonuses against other races transfers.
Appraise and Craft are mental skills so they transfer.

And this took long enough to write that I probably got ninjaed.

[squiggit]

Is there any actual source for untyped abilities or features defaulting to Ex? Or is it just something we do here?

You just have to separate whether the ability is physical or mental for that stuff. I'll do elves and dwarves as examples because they're more complicated. This is just what I'd rule for what transfers to a polymorphed body at my table.
The problem is a lot of it gets kind of weird. Stuff like Trance definitely has a strong mental component too, but it's also not ever described as something you train yourself in, so it could very well be a physiological ability too. Magic resistance being mental is all well and good for shrugging off Charm person... but for Fireball? Maybe not so much. Lots of others are unfortunately like that either.


Granted, default ruling is weirder. Following that FAQ a dwarf polymorphed into a gnome suddenly forgets how to appraise gems or use his axe but instantly gets better at alchemy and can wield a hook hammer? And an elf who alters himself into a human retains his improved elven hearing and low light vision? Vice versa a human altering himself into an elf can't see or hear any better? That all seems very off.

[Anxe]

I totally agree, the trance and the magic resistance are difficult to decide. It could go differently at a different table. The arbitrary way I went by seems best to me though.

[Duke of Urrel]

Thanks, Anxe! I often favor split-the-middle solutions, though they are sometimes complicated, as Squiggit said.

On the other hand, maybe I just need to reconcile myself to seeming unfairness in the rules that is actually there for a reason. So hobgoblins keep their Hide check bonus when they use the Alter Self spell, but dwarves lose everything from Stonecunning to proficiency with dwarven urgroshes and waraxes. Maybe this is all to keep the game rough for PCs and to keep the Alter Self spell from being overpowered.

At the same time, I suspect that many players, including those who recently posted a thread filled with praise for the Alter Self spell, don't play this way. I would like to hear from some more of you! (Strangely, I can't seem to find that thread, now, though it isn't very old. I hope it didn't end in a bad way…)

So I don't mean to disparage your good work, Anxe, I would just like to hear some other opinions.

[Vhaidara]

Keep in mind that I'm interested particularly in racial traits, not so much in class features – although, who knows, what somebody says about class features may have some bearing on how I decide to interpret racial traits.

Think of the goblinoid racial Hide check bonus of +4, for example. Or of the dwarven Stonecunnning ability. According the MM, the former is ordinary, but the latter is extraordinary. I don't think this is fair, but maybe there's a reason for this discrepancy that I don't know about. On the other hand, maybe Keledrath's point is well taken and we should consider racial traits generally to be extraordinary.

I understand what you're referring to. I was specifically able to refer to silly cases with class features, but I believe the same rule apply to racial traits. Namely, if it is unnamed, it is an Ex ability.

[Duke of Urrel]

Let me consider this. If we make all racial traits extraordinary, then the Alter Self spell causes you to lose them all – but you get back some of the extraordinary racial traits of the new form, namely all of those that are not special qualities, such as Darkvision, Low-Light Vision, the Scent ability, et c. If all racial traits are extraordinary, then you may get a lot of racial bonuses out of this deal.

This makes the Alter Self spell more interesting and powerful, I think, but also more costly to use.

Here's a wrinkle of my own. I believe there are some racial skill bonuses that Polymorphing does not bestow, because they obviously depends on some other attribute that polymorphing does not bestow. For example, if you polymorph your familiar into an owl (for example by sharing the Alter Self with your familiar), your familiar doesn't gain the owl's racial bonus of +8 to Spot checks in dim light, because this obviously depends upon the owl's Low-Light Vision, an extraordinary special quality that polymorphing does not bestow.

Postscript: Here's another thing. It's an interpretation of the rules that may strike some people as outlandish and others as perfectly natural. Maybe some will accuse me of creating loopholes, and others of failing to see the obvious.

If racial adjustments to ability scores are extraordinary abilities, then the Alter Self spell should always cause you to lose your own, and if you change into a creature whose racial adjustments to ability scores are identified as extraordinary, then you should gain these in place of your own. Yes, I know, the rules say that Alter Self spell doesn't change your ability scores, but we're not changing the scores themselves, of course, we're only changing the racial adjustments to them, right? And these are explicitly identified as extraordinary racial traits for some common Humanoids.

This makes it all the more interesting that racial traits, including ability score adjustments, are considered to be extraordinary for some species and not for others. This means that you can use Alter Self to get the racial Strength bonus of an orc, which is extraordinary, but not the racial Strength bonus of a bugbear, which is not extraordinary. Of course, Keledrath's proposal would eliminate this discrepancy by making all racial ability adjustments extraordinary.

I'm not sure what I think of this...

[Gemini476]

I am confused about racial traits.
I'll add something here, if you don't mind.

The big issue with the Spells class feature being (Ex) is not being able to attempt to cast in Anti-Magic or Dead Magic, although that is pretty bad - it's the races with innate spellcasting.

Innate (Ex) spellcasting.

Which the Alter Self/Polymorph line then gets.

Solars cast like 20th level Clerics, for instance, but even at 7 HD you have things like the Rakshasa (7th level Sorcerer) or at 3HD the Sylph (MM2, Sorcerer level HD+4).

I think you can see why this is a problem.


For a more general thing on what's (Ex) or not, here's the definition of (Na)tural Abilities:

This category includes abilities a creature has because of its physical nature, such as a bird’s ability to fly. Natural abilities are those not otherwise designated as extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like.
Basically, if it's something that's not called out as being (Ex) and it's because of some physical ability of the creature, it's probably (Na).

Also everything within the Dwarf Traits (Ex) section is (Ex), including things like Stonecunning. Yeah.