What's your 'rule' for balancing homebrewed player races?

[atemu1234]

My general model for LA +0 races are pretty much as following:

Net +2 to ability scores, as in Pathfinder (IE, +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution).
+2 bonus on a couple skills, sometimes three or four for specific uses.
Interesting, though hopefully not overpowered, ability. I tend to favor things a little bit weaker than a feat, maybe a couple niche spell-like abilities.
Maybe a second ability if the first one isn't too powerful.
Humanoid type
Base land speed usually 30 feet.

This isn't really that comprehensive, but it's how I do it. Anyone else got a specific 'balancing point' for their homebrewed stuff?

[Vhaidara]

Purely eyeballed. Also depends on what they're doing mechanically. Someone going barbarian is more likely to get a pass on a +4 Wis race than someone going cleric, because there is less ulterior motive.

[ComaVision]

I don't allow homebrewed races. So far, nobody has wanted to play something that isn't at all captured in 3.5 somewhere.

I remember someone played Zoidberg in my first game and that was loosely based on the Umber Hulk but I'm sure it would be treated differently if it came up again.

[Honest Tiefling]

If I see no reason to take the race over being a human, it needs some work. If I see no reason to take human over the race, then I need to take it back a step or two. Since everyone usually plays humans, it makes for a dandy balancing point.

[TheCrowing1432]

Depends on what they're going for. As mentioned above if someone is homebrewing a +4 wisdom race and then immedately go cleric, im gonna put the foot down.

[Troacctid]

My balancing points are human, raptoran, illumian, dwarf, and halfling. All of them are in what I think is a good spot.

[Mystral]

Pathfinder has a good ruleset for creating new races. Just give them the neccessary RP to work with, and if they need a lot, have them start at some sort of disadvantage.

[Tuvarkz]

Pathfinder has a good ruleset for creating new races. Just give them the neccessary RP to work with, and if they need a lot, have them start at some sort of disadvantage.

The ruleset is rather terrible, imho. With 10 RP, you can create races that are at a noticeable power level advantage over the official 11-20 RP races.

[OldTrees1]

My rule:

Races get +1LA's worth of stuff more than equally priced Templates. Aka a LA+0 race comes with +1LA's worth of stuff (Human, Raptorian, Warforged).

Races that cost more(have LA/RHD) get to come with more stuff.

[Threadnaught]

MetaMyconid made something I'd instantly allow, reptillian humanoid with some interesting features and the backstory was fun too.
Of course it was built mostly for NPCs.

If my players were to make something, I'd want to be involved with the creation to some extent. I am more likely to give a Race/Class/Whatever the once over when the creator is happy with what they've come up with and giving them my thoughts on the mechanics. If the fluff is bad, I'll mock it without demanding any changes, if the fluff is irredeemably awful and/or goes against the tone of the game or the history of the setting, I'll mock it and demand change to make it more sensible.
My group is pretty wacky, but if something reads like a Twilight fanfic, we have issues.
(Rapey Terry (that nickname is less offensive than his full name), 5-H-4-D-0, Van'i, Itok and Sol Terra (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?118221-Sol-Terra) just to name a few of the crazier characters. Okay, the last one is more of a player, but having haggled up prices, killed a character by jumping off a cliff (with a 1HD wingless character, low-magic setting), stood between raging/charging Barbarians and their targets with low HP and AC, walks everywhere and waits for transportation to reach places he can't on foot... When his character has wings! Wings capable of flight. And most recently while in the Crypt of Despair, he had his Animal Companion stick its tail into a statues mouth and it lost its tail while taking Con damage.

Balancing point depends on whatever the thing is supposed to be for.

[eggynack]

I just look at what other races of the same LA are doing, and if the things this races is doing are less powerful, then it's probably fine. Not to say that the game's balancing of races is perfect by any means, but what's already present in the game seems to be like the only metric that's worth anything. Same applies to other game objects of various kinds.

Edit: Also, as Kelderath notes, context is important. I don't necessarily care how good, say, gray elf is for a wizard if I'm looking at a race for a barbarian. For a barbarian in particular, I'd generally run a comparison between the race in question and a water orc or dragonborn water orc. I don't think it makes sense to use more moderate comparison races, because if you allow in a given powerful race, not letting in a less powerful race doesn't make sense to me. Of course, the base line race changes also if high end races aren't in the game for whatever reason. The core question is the peak with regards to the specific case in question, not some general case.

[Curmudgeon]

I follow the standard patterns for most LA +0 races. If you want a homebrewed race for my game it's got to have a maximum of +2 to any ability, and a net of -2. Default is Humanoid type. You get two +2 racial skill bonuses. You get one vision boost (low-light vision, superior low-light vision, or darkvison 60'). Base speed defaults to 30'. You can have a 1/day SLA (equivalent of a level 0 or level 1 spell), but it'll reduce your base speed to 20'. More than that and we're talking positive Level Adjustment.

[Brova]

I follow the standard patterns for most LA +0 races. If you want a homebrewed race for my game it's got to have a maximum of +2 to any ability, and a net of -2. Default is Humanoid type. You get two +2 racial skill bonuses. You get one vision boost (low-light vision, superior low-light vision, or darkvison 60'). Base speed defaults to 30'. You can have a 1/day SLA (equivalent of a level 0 or level 1 spell), but it'll reduce your base speed to 20'. More than that and we're talking positive Level Adjustment.

That seems profoundly excessive. For one thing, no PHB race nets -2 to stats (except Half-Orcs). In fact AFAIK, races with net modifiers less than zero are generally "negative LA" (in that a level one warrior is less than CR 1/2). I mean, consider the human. They get net +0 modifiers (better than you allow), better than +4 total skills, a bonus feat (a Fighter feat is apparently worth about a 2nd level spell, and this is any feat), and 30ft movement speed. The only place they're behind your standard is vision, and I can't imagine that's going to tip the scales.

[Curmudgeon]

That seems profoundly excessive. For one thing, no PHB race nets -2 to stats (except Half-Orcs).
There are many existing races to choose from. If a player wants to design a custom race, they do so with the expectation that it will work advantageously with the rest of their character build. The game authors thought in quite a number of cases (Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/races.htm#halfOrcs), Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/goblin.htm), Aquatic Dwarf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticDwarves), Dark Dwarf, Lesser Duergar, Elan (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/elan.htm), Kagonesti Elf, Faun, Aquatic Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticGoblins), Arctic Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticGoblins), Desert Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertGoblins), Jungle Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleGoblins), Aquatic Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticHalfOrcs), Arctic Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticHalfOrcs), Frostblood Half-Orc, Jungle Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleHalfOrcs), Scablands Half-Orc, Water Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterHalfOrcs), Hengeyokai, Kender, Krynn Minotaur, Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/orc.htm), Aquatic Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticOrcs), Arctic Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticOrcs), Desert Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertOrcs), Frostblood Orc, Jungle Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleOrcs), Shifter, Warforged) that -2 net was a perfectly reasonable choice for LA +0. In others (Mongrelfolk, all the various versions of Kobold) they concluded that -4 net was good. My choices are well within the normal parameters.

[eggynack]

Yeah, but a lot of those have other advantages to compensate, like one extra-high stat, in the case of orcs, or extra traits and lots of build resources, in the case of shifters. So, if you want to actually maintain parity with the game rules, you should have something like +0 total mod at baseline with the ability to break one of the other rules as a way to compensate for taking a penalty. Not sure what the exact method of race forming would be, but I don't think it'd be that.

[Troacctid]

If you're billing it as a "Fill in the blanks and go" type of formula, I think it's good to be conservative. The ability to choose where to put your stats and penalties is valuable in and of itself, and it seems fine to balance that with a net -2 to stats, at least when your baseline is 3.5 and not PF, anyway.

I am a little confused as to why you'd offer both low-light vision and superior low-light vision as options, though. Seems like you would always pick superior low-light vision.

[Curmudgeon]

I am a little confused as to why you'd offer both low-light vision and superior low-light vision as options, though. Seems like you would always pick superior low-light vision.
Moonwarrior feat (Dragon # 313) requires low-light vision, and there are a couple other cases with similar specific requirements. While superior low-light vision provides better vision, it doesn't necessarily provide better prerequisites. :smallwink:

[Solaris]

My balancing points are human, raptoran, illumian, dwarf, and halfling. All of them are in what I think is a good spot.

Same here, minus the illumian.
This has, ironically enough given the thread topic, led to my redesigning the elves on account of their being strictly inferior to humans and halflings. For a nigh-immortal race of ancient do-gooders, they have some pretty lame traits.


There are many existing races to choose from. If a player wants to design a custom race, they do so with the expectation that it will work advantageously with the rest of their character build. The game authors thought in quite a number of cases (Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/races.htm#halfOrcs), Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/goblin.htm), Aquatic Dwarf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticDwarves), Dark Dwarf, Lesser Duergar, Elan (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/elan.htm), Kagonesti Elf, Faun, Aquatic Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticGoblins), Arctic Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticGoblins), Desert Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertGoblins), Jungle Goblin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleGoblins), Aquatic Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticHalfOrcs), Arctic Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticHalfOrcs), Frostblood Half-Orc, Jungle Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleHalfOrcs), Scablands Half-Orc, Water Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterHalfOrcs), Hengeyokai, Kender, Krynn Minotaur, Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/orc.htm), Aquatic Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticOrcs), Arctic Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticOrcs), Desert Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertOrcs), Frostblood Orc, Jungle Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleOrcs), Shifter, Warforged) that -2 net was a perfectly reasonable choice for LA +0. In others (Mongrelfolk, all the various versions of Kobold) they concluded that -4 net was good. My choices are well within the normal parameters.

In the DMG, they wrote that a bonus to a physical ability score is worth a penalty to two mental ability scores or a penalty to one physical ability score, while a bonus to a mental ability score was worth a penalty to either physical or mental ability scores.

These are also the same game designers who thought drow were worth +2 LA, and that half-elves and half-orcs were of similar value to humans and dwarves.

[eggynack]

In the DMG, they wrote that a bonus to a physical ability score is worth a penalty to two mental ability scores or a penalty to one physical ability score, while a bonus to a mental ability score was worth a penalty to either physical or mental ability scores.

These are also the same game designers who thought drow were worth +2 LA, and that half-elves and half-orcs were of similar value to humans and dwarves.
Yeah, this is why I don't see all that much value in this sort of really broad system in the first place. You're better off just adapting down from the high end, because the high end is what actually sees play. It doesn't even matter if there's some additional build versatility to being able to choose scores, because you're balancing contextually. If the context means that the race in question would be better than an existing high end race to any significant degree, then you can just not allow it, getting rid of the potential for advantage. Like, they can't say, "I'm going to use lesser aasimar, and move the charisma bonus to constitution," because it's probably a better race in the context in question. Also, another problem with this kinda system is that it seems boring. By my reckoning, the point of homebrewing races is to do something cool, so if your system for homebrewing races doesn't let you do anything outside of an explicitly provided and rather small set of possibilities, then there's not much point.

[Psyren]

These are also the same game designers who thought drow were worth +2 LA, and that half-elves and half-orcs were of similar value to humans and dwarves.

Also that Hobgoblins and Blues deserved +1

[atemu1234]

I never said I was allowing players to homebrew their own race though...

This is mostly for me homebrewing for my campaign setting, which I made and DM.

[ekarney]

Moonwarrior feat (Dragon # 313) requires low-light vision, and there are a couple other cases with similar specific requirements. While superior low-light vision provides better vision, it doesn't necessarily provide better prerequisites. :smallwink:

Smooth.

With me, I just eyeball it a bit and ask about the conceptualisation of the race, why the player made it, why they made it like that, so on so forth. I find once you can learn that stuff about a race it's easier to balance.

when I'm making races as a DM, I'll make a selection of about 4 which are all similarly powered and ahve the players choose from them.

[eggynack]

I never said I was allowing players to homebrew their own race though...

This is mostly for me homebrewing for my campaign setting, which I made and DM.
Either way. It's a bit more complicated as a DM, because you don't necessarily have the exact context when you're creating the race, but as long as you know approximately what set of classes/builds your race is good for, then you can compare that to the high end races of that set of classes. You may need to low ball it a bit more than you ordinarily would, because of possible unintended consequences, but it's still a good metric.

[Darth Ultron]

It is really case by case. One thing to look for are the sneaky 'stealth' abilities. Powerful Build is a good one that people try to sneak by so they can make some crazy build with the race. Flight is another one.

Things that don't make sense, like it is a tiny fey race that is built around the idea of being small and sneaky, but with a +4 STR?

[Brova]

There are many existing races to choose from. If a player wants to design a custom race, they do so with the expectation that it will work advantageously with the rest of their character build.

How? You get two skill bumps, a stat bump (maybe two if you're willing to hyper-specialize), a SLA you don't care about, and a vision ability. That's substantially worse than every core race (except the half-humans, but those suck). I point again to being Human. The skills are strictly better, the feat is about a 3rd or 4th level spell (Extended heroics + getting to pick any feat), and vision is roughly a second level spell slot, if it comes up at all. Unless there's a serious shortage of good stat distributions, I doubt anyone cares. Oh, and you don't get racial substitution levels, which is sometimes relevant (i.e. Elf Generalist).


all the various versions of Kobold

Kobolds are bad example. The game very clearly does not consider them equivalent to PC races. A Kobold Warrior 1 is CR 1/4. Actual PC races are CR 1/2.


Yeah, but a lot of those have other advantages to compensate, like one extra-high stat, in the case of orcs, or extra traits and lots of build resources, in the case of shifters. So, if you want to actually maintain parity with the game rules, you should have something like +0 total mod at baseline with the ability to break one of the other rules as a way to compensate for taking a penalty. Not sure what the exact method of race forming would be, but I don't think it'd be that.

Yup. The fact that Orcs (or Mongrelfolk, IIRC) get to cash in a bunch of penalties to mental stats for a big bonus to physical stats is actually fine. You just don't play them as casters, so the penalties don't exist. You can't really do the same with a +2 bonus, because you can get basically any bonus/penalty set you want.

Also, those races are not very good.


You're better off just adapting down from the high end, because the high end is what actually sees play.

This really should be a truism of homebrew. If you're going to design something new, you need to do one of three things:

1. Ban down to its power level. I don't like this, because it's always going to be a content loss.
2. Redesign the whole system. Rather obviously too much work.
3. Balance at the high end.

Technically, you can just make it too weak and have it not see play, but that's a lot like not designing it to begin with.

[Curmudgeon]

How? You get two skill bumps, a stat bump (maybe two if you're willing to hyper-specialize), a SLA you don't care about, and a vision ability. That's substantially worse than every core race (except the half-humans, but those suck).
That makes it easy, then: use one of the existing races rather than homebrew your own. The point is to allow a player more options for their character. The point is not to guarantee a player a more powerful character.

[Telonius]

If somebody wants to play a homebrew race, the first thing I'd do is see if it's something that can be mechanically modeled by an existing race. For example, if they want to play an anthropomorphic flying squirrel, I might suggest using the Hadozee stats. There's almost always going to be something that is either usable as-is, or close enough that you could make it work with a couple of minor modifications.

If there really isn't anything that matches it, I'd start with the homebrewing. For a +0 race, stat adjustments would split into mental and physical adjustments. Maximum increase of +2 on either type; each mental +2 must be met with a mental -2, two physical -2's, or a physical -4. Each physical +2 must be met with a physical -2. Other than that, the abilities would be eyeballed. A couple of racial skill bonuses are fine. I'd judge weird abilities case by case.

[Flickerdart]

It is really case by case. One thing to look for are the sneaky 'stealth' abilities. Powerful Build is a good one that people try to sneak by so they can make some crazy build with the race. Flight is another one.
Powerful Build is a pretty weak ability:
1) A first level spell, enlarge person is straight up better.
2) It doesn't do all that much. Wow, a bigger damage die? That's +1 damage going from Medium to Large. +4 on some combat maneuvers? So scary. Compare that to, say, the human's free feat, which can get you into a PrC three levels earlier than otherwise. Now that is great for making "some crazy build"!

[Psyren]

Powerful Build is a pretty weak ability:
1) A first level spell, enlarge person is straight up better.
2) It doesn't do all that much. Wow, a bigger damage die? That's +1 damage going from Medium to Large. +4 on some combat maneuvers? So scary. Compare that to, say, the human's free feat, which can get you into a PrC three levels earlier than otherwise. Now that is great for making "some crazy build"!

It stacks with Enlarge though (or more likely, Expansion.) So a Large half-giant counts as Huge, getting a +8 bonus. +8 to grapple could be worth a feat. Huge is also where weapon dice (especially natural weapons) start to be a decent increase.

[Frosty]

Would you see this as worth a LA+1 in a PF game?

+2 to one Physical and one Mental stat
-2 to one Mental stat
Average Fly maneuverability 50ft
Immune to Poison and Electricity
Dark vision 60ft

[eggynack]

That makes it easy, then: use one of the existing races rather than homebrew your own. The point is to allow a player more options for their character. The point is not to guarantee a player a more powerful character.
The problem I have with your asserted rules is that they seem to be in service to the latter issue more than the former. This highly regimented and low powered setup, sure it provides more options, but they seem to be really uninteresting options. To my mind, the first question should be whether you're providing cool and interesting options. That what you're doing shouldn't be out of tune with the power level of the rest of the game is a concern that should pop up after you've already created the potential options.

[Troacctid]

Would you see this as worth a LA+1 in a PF game?

+2 to one Physical and one Mental stat
-2 to one Mental stat
Average Fly maneuverability 50ft
Immune to Poison and Electricity
Dark vision 60ft

I thought PF doesn't use LA.

Anyway, flight is tricky because it's an ability that's supposed to be level-gated. The game is balanced with the idea that players will have access to flight starting around 5th or 6th level and can probably fly all the time by 10th or 11th level. If you make flight too accessible too soon, you can screw up game balance. That's why raptorans have to grow into their flight abilities.

I would avoid putting flight on a +0 LA race. Especially if you're just going to make it better than the strix. I mean come on.

[Solaris]

Powerful Build is a pretty weak ability:
1) A first level spell, enlarge person is straight up better.
2) It doesn't do all that much. Wow, a bigger damage die? That's +1 damage going from Medium to Large. +4 on some combat maneuvers? So scary. Compare that to, say, the human's free feat, which can get you into a PrC three levels earlier than otherwise. Now that is great for making "some crazy build"!

Beat me to it. I've never seen Powerful Build meaningfully impact more than the human's bonus feat.


It stacks with Enlarge though (or more likely, Expansion.) So a Large half-giant counts as Huge, getting a +8 bonus. +8 to grapple could be worth a feat. Huge is also where weapon dice (especially natural weapons) start to be a decent increase.

I'm okay with that, though. Not only is that probably never going to happen in a dungeon, which is where most of my low-level adventures happen, it's encouraging the melee role.
It's a potent ability, sure, but Powerful Build isn't an auto-LA +1 simply because you can build certain things with it.

[Curmudgeon]

To my mind, the first question should be whether you're providing cool and interesting options. That what you're doing shouldn't be out of tune with the power level of the rest of the game is a concern that should pop up after you've already created the potential options.
What makes this a better ordering? To my mind, presenting options that get players excited, only to have to tell them that those options are unavailable (for whatever reason), is just mean.

[eggynack]

What makes this a better ordering? To my mind, presenting options that get players excited, only to have to tell them that those options are unavailable (for whatever reason), is just mean.
Because after you have the base idea in hand, you can just modulate it downwards to accommodate the game's balance level. Most, though not all, things can be modulated downwards in such a fashion, and those things that can't be wouldn't be available under your system either. Your methodology stifles creativity, the driving force underlying homebrew, replacing it with just marginally different versions of what the game already has. Your cited rule is fine as just one way to create homebrew, but it seems to be missing the point if it's the only way. I think it's better to accept occasional disappointment as the cost to having homebrew that's actually interesting.

Edit: And, of course, if the race is really too powerful, through game objects that just can't be modulated down (presumably because they come in the form of abilities rather than bonuses), then you could always use a higher LA. It's not ideal, but it's better than not having the option at all.

[137beth]

I eyeball it. I had a response typed out as to why I don't use a more codified, system, but Eggynack articulated my reasoning better than I did, so I'll just quote him.

Yeah, this is why I don't see all that much value in this sort of really broad system in the first place. You're better off just adapting down from the high end, because the high end is what actually sees play. It doesn't even matter if there's some additional build versatility to being able to choose scores, because you're balancing contextually. If the context means that the race in question would be better than an existing high end race to any significant degree, then you can just not allow it, getting rid of the potential for advantage. Like, they can't say, "I'm going to use lesser aasimar, and move the charisma bonus to constitution," because it's probably a better race in the context in question. Also, another problem with this kinda system is that it seems boring. By my reckoning, the point of homebrewing races is to do something cool, so if your system for homebrewing races doesn't let you do anything outside of an explicitly provided and rather small set of possibilities, then there's not much point.

[Hal0Badger]

Beat me to it. I've never seen Powerful Build meaningfully impact more than the human's bonus feat.



I'm okay with that, though. Not only is that probably never going to happen in a dungeon, which is where most of my low-level adventures happen, it's encouraging the melee role.
It's a potent ability, sure, but Powerful Build isn't an auto-LA +1 simply because you can build certain things with it.

Well I think Goliath is LA +1 because of its ability score bonuses and that racial ability allows them to ignore 20 ft running start for jump check (which is minor, but still useful).

[Psyren]

I'm okay with that, though. Not only is that probably never going to happen in a dungeon, which is where most of my low-level adventures happen, it's encouraging the melee role.
It's a potent ability, sure, but Powerful Build isn't an auto-LA +1 simply because you can build certain things with it.

I'm not saying it's worth LA +1. I'm saying that a race with powerful build and LA 0 is a decent choice. DSP did this with the PF half-giant.

[ericgrau]

Powerful Build is a pretty weak ability:
1) A first level spell, enlarge person is straight up better.
2) It doesn't do all that much. Wow, a bigger damage die? That's +1 damage going from Medium to Large. +4 on some combat maneuvers? So scary. Compare that to, say, the human's free feat, which can get you into a PrC three levels earlier than otherwise. Now that is great for making "some crazy build"!
<Insert X spell here cast with a standard action with a low duration> isn't even in the same ball park of the same ball park as a permanent ability. Maybe greater enlarge person, a 5th level spell that lasts hour/level, cast 2-3 times.

Plus as pointed out they stack, and most things don't stack for good reason. It's a huge hidden power bump even though individually one may not seem better than the other. Consider as an extreme a stacked casting gestalt rather than taking the better of the two, or allowing mystic theurge to gestalt with wizard. Neither side seems like an improvement over the other, and you might say wizard is straight up better than mystic theurge, but add instead of overlap and it's "wtf did you just do!?!?" Stackability is strong in and of itself.

Feats are rarely the bottleneck in PrC entry. More like having 1 feat less is having 1 feat less. Non-humans have to sacrifice the feat they want to get into the PrC sooner, then in 3 levels they're down to their 3rd or 4th feat choice and it's not as big of a loss.

[martixy]

I don't allow homebrewed races. So far, nobody has wanted to play something that isn't at all captured in 3.5 somewhere.

I remember someone played Zoidberg in my first game and that was loosely based on the Umber Hulk but I'm sure it would be treated differently if it came up again.

I think the breadth of 3.5 is an argument FOR allowing homebrewed races.
Given the amount of material I see no reason not to allow for certain small tweaks to fit something that's just a little off to the vision of the player.
All the major concepts will probably already have been covered by some splatbook or another. Or there will be something close from which you'll be able to extrapolate.

My personal rule is encompasses that philosophy - see if there already is something like this, or something close(which there almost always is), then work out the minor tweaks if necessary.

[Flickerdart]

<Insert X spell here cast with a standard action with a low duration> isn't even in the same ball park of the same ball park as a permanent ability. Maybe greater enlarge person, a 5th level spell that lasts hour/level, cast 2-3 times.

Plus as pointed out they stack, and most things don't stack for good reason. It's a huge hidden power bump even though individually one may not seem better than the other. Consider as an extreme a stacked casting gestalt rather than taking the better of the two, or allowing mystic theurge to gestalt with wizard. Neither side seems like an improvement over the other, and you might say wizard is straight up better than mystic theurge, but add instead of overlap and it's "wtf did you just do!?!?" Stackability is strong in and of itself.

Feats are rarely the bottleneck in PrC entry. More like having 1 feat less is having 1 feat less. Non-humans have to sacrifice the feat they want to get into the PrC sooner, then in 3 levels they're down to their 3rd or 4th feat choice and it's not as big of a loss.
Yeah, Powerful Build is just as strong as stacked wizard casting. You got me.

[137beth]

Yeah, Powerful Build is just as strong as stacked wizard casting. You got me.

But it has 'Powerful' in the name! It can't be weak!

[Frosty]

I thought PF doesn't use LA.

Anyway, flight is tricky because it's an ability that's supposed to be level-gated. The game is balanced with the idea that players will have access to flight starting around 5th or 6th level and can probably fly all the time by 10th or 11th level. If you make flight too accessible too soon, you can screw up game balance. That's why raptorans have to grow into their flight abilities.

I would avoid putting flight on a +0 LA race. Especially if you're just going to make it better than the strix. I mean come on.
PF doesn't, but that doesn't mean as a GM one can't incorporate it. Assume that the race I mentioned is only used in a game level 5 or later. Where would you place that race?