Most powerful LA +0 Races?

[atemu1234]

What is (arguably) the most powerful and for which classes? Humans go without saying, really.

[Forrestfire]

Off the top of my head, the best LA 0 races are probably something like:

Human
Necropolitan Human (with Human Heritage)
Dragonborn Warforged
Dragonborn Water Orc
Necropolitan Grey Elf
Dragonwrought Kobold
Lesser Aasimar

[Aegis013]

Strongheart Halfling is on par with Human.
Dragonborn Mongrelfolk might be near the level of the above list for its +6 Con.
Whisper Gnomes are also quite good.

[emeraldstreak]

Depends on your goals.

[Bluydee]

Magic Blooded Lesser Aasimar is +4 charisma.

[WhamBamSam]

Dragonborn Anthropomorphic Bat is a good one that hasn't been mentioned yet.

The Beguiler from Shining South is LA+0 (Cohort), but might also bear a mention.

[Jeff the Green]

Off the top of my head, the best LA 0 races are probably something like:
Lesser Aasimar


They don't get talked about as much, but lesser tieflings are nearly as good; Charisma's eminently dumpable, particularly among classes that want both Intelligence and Dexterity. And their other benefits are better than the Aasimar's.

[AmberVael]

They don't get talked about as much, but lesser tieflings are nearly as good; Charisma's eminently dumpable, particularly among classes that want both Intelligence and Dexterity. And their other benefits are better than the Aasimar's.

Even less mentioned is Lesser Zenythri, likely because it is 3.0 material. That said, +2 Str, Dex and Wis only followed by a -2 cha, with 1/day truestrike? Pretty nice.

[Curmudgeon]

Even less mentioned is Lesser Zenythri, likely because it is 3.0 material. That said, +2 Str, Dex and Wis only followed by a -2 cha, with 1/day truestrike? Pretty nice.
It's not 3.0 once you add FREE D&D® V.3.5 ACCESSORY UPDATE Monster Manual II, available here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a).

[WhamBamSam]

They don't get talked about as much, but lesser tieflings are nearly as good; Charisma's eminently dumpable, particularly among classes that want both Intelligence and Dexterity. And their other benefits are better than the Aasimar's.
Even less mentioned is Lesser Zenythri, likely because it is 3.0 material. That said, +2 Str, Dex and Wis only followed by a -2 cha, with 1/day truestrike? Pretty nice.I'm a fan of Lesser Mechanatrixes, now you mention it. +2 Int, +2 Con, -2 Dex, -2 Cha is just okay, but the electricity healing is fun.

[atemu1234]

I'm a fan of Lesser Mechanatrixes, now you mention it. +2 Int, +2 Con, -2 Dex, -2 Cha is just okay, but the electricity healing is fun.

Where are all these?

[WhamBamSam]

Where are all these?Mechanatrixes are in the Fiend Folio and the rules for Lesser Planetouched are in the Player's Guide to Faerun.

[Venger]

Neraph is very handy for being the only LA 0 outsider straight out of the box.

[Ruethgar]

Anthropomorphic Ravens(Fly 20ft, -6 Str, +2 Dex, +6 Wis), and Muckdwellers(Free action 25ft range blinding attack based off Dex, free weapon finesse, +3 natural armor, -6 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Wis, -2 Cha) are both pretty good.

Of course you'll want to throw on Desert/Arctic/Wilderness Dweller, Magic Blooded, Unseelie Fey, Dragonborn, and Necropolitian to taste.

[sideswipe]

depending on what you are doing Illumians are pretty good.

also a race with a bunch of templates is not really a race its a race with a bunch of templates.

[AnonymousPepper]

Aleithian Dwarf. +2INT +2CON -4CHA, naturally psionic with some great PLAs (Empty Mind 3/day is particularly nice), other dwarf traits, only downsides are dwarf movement speed and light sensitivity (which can be fixed for what, 10gp?). Unless you're a charisma-based class, but then why aren't you a magic-blooded lesser aasimar or a magic-blooded DWKobold?

[A Tad Insane]

Off the top of my head, the best LA 0 races are probably something like:

Human
Necropolitan Human (with Human Heritage)
Dragonborn Warforged
Dragonborn Water Orc
Necropolitan Grey Elf
Dragonwrought Kobold
Lesser Aasimar


Necropolitan is actually a +1 LA template, though worded weird.

[OldTrees1]

Necropolitan is actually a +1 LA template, though worded weird.

Necropolitian is a +1LA with an automatic free LA buy off that does not impede your ability to use LA buyoff on other LA.

Or in other words: It costs you xp but xp is a river.

[Ruethgar]

Why do people always consider the anthro bat before the raven? Unless your DM rules that they keep their special qualities, ravens are better for having a net +2 in stats, and definitely better for dragonborn either way for having no special qualities to relinquish.

[A Tad Insane]

Necropolitian is a +1LA with an automatic free LA buy off that does not impede your ability to use LA buyoff on other LA.

Or in other words: It costs you xp but xp is a river.
Yes, but the OP is asking for no LA to start with.

I'm just being nitpicky

[Starmage21]

Elan is good too. No bonuses or penalties to speak of, but a flat type-change to Aberration cuts you out of some ****ty early game effects like Hold Person

[Ruethgar]

Elan is good too. No bonuses or penalties to speak of, but a flat type-change to Aberration cuts you out of some ****ty early game effects like Hold Person

Also the quickest and easiest way to be ageless. Yay partial immortality!

[Extra Anchovies]

Elan is good too. No bonuses or penalties to speak of, but a flat type-change to Aberration cuts you out of some ****ty early game effects like Hold Person

It also lets you do some very, very nasty things with Alter Self.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Primordial Menta Cyclopeans are pretty nice. -4 Str -2 Dex +4 Int and +4 Cha. You also get augury as an SLA 3/day, but it's limited other creatures. All in all, not a bad race for either the arctic out magic-blooded templates.

[Adverb]

depending on what you are doing Illumians are pretty good.

also a race with a bunch of templates is not really a race its a race with a bunch of templates.

What are Illumians really good at? IME, every build I have where I think "ooh, and I could be an Illumian and..." I always end up thinking that I'd be better off if I played a human.

Illumians are *awesome*, don't get me wrong, but...

[Venger]

What are Illumians really good at? IME, every build I have where I think "ooh, and I could be an Illumian and..." I always end up thinking that I'd be better off if I played a human.

Illumians are *awesome*, don't get me wrong, but...

tons of stuff. they're most noteworthy for caster level shenanigans and deriving bonus spls from str or dex with their power sigils. Illumians are (human), so there's nothing they can do illumians can't feats/class wise.

[Adverb]

The bonus spells thing is neat, but since that doesn't change DC (or level of spells you can cast) I find it often leaves me cold.

And, yeah, they're humanish, so they can still be Able Learners and such, but they don't get the #1 best part of being human, the extra feat.

[Venger]

The bonus spells thing is neat, but since that doesn't change DC (or level of spells you can cast) I find it often leaves me cold.

And, yeah, they're humanish, so they can still be Able Learners and such, but they don't get the #1 best part of being human, the extra feat.

well, you'll pick it when you focus on buffs (druid, cleric, etc) or if you're a sor/wiz, you'll pick your spells accordingly (i.e. no saves on offensive spells)

[Extra Anchovies]

well, you'll pick it when you focus on buffs (druid, cleric, etc) or if you're a sor/wiz, you'll pick your spells accordingly (i.e. no saves on offensive spells)

The issue with the bonus spell ability score-changing sigils is that they don't change the ability score that determines the highest level of spell you can cast. An Aeshkrau Illumian Wizard still needs 19 Intelligence to cast ninth-level spells. If it changed that ability, Illumians would be crazy good, because you could have true muscle wizards.

[WhamBamSam]

Naenhoon Illumian is pretty great if you're an Arcane type with Turning/Rebuking but no DMM (say a Dread Necro, Death Master, or Sacred Exorcist Sorcerer).

[Soranar]

a jermlaine is quite powerful in its own right (+6 wisdom and tiny makes for one very handy cleric or druid)

[Irk]

Like most questions regarding race, it's very subjective. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Unseelie Fey Human, debuffing is a style that really appeals to me.

[Tarlek Flamehai]

Aleithian Dwarf. +2INT +2CON -4CHA, naturally psionic with some great PLAs (Empty Mind 3/day is particularly nice), other dwarf traits, only downsides are dwarf movement speed and light sensitivity (which can be fixed for what, 10gp?). Unless you're a charisma-based class, but then why aren't you a magic-blooded lesser aasimar or a magic-blooded DWKobold?

Because Magic-Blooded and the other templates in that article are only applicable to the standard PHB races.