Hypothetical question about designing a PC with a Level Allowance in 3.5e

[Jay R]

1. Suppose your DM starts a new game in which PCs can have a free +1 LA. This could be a +1 LA race for free, or a +2 LA race for +1 LA, etc. So you could have a bugbear with no LA penalty, or a centaur with an LA of +1 (reduced from +2), or a pixie with LA +3, etc.

What options would you consider?

2. Suppose it was +2 LA for free. Now what would you consider?

What would be the considerations? How would the PCs' starting level affect your thought process?

[pabelfly]

1 LA - Depends on my build style

Multiweapon Fighting - Anthro Squid
2H Melee - Half-Minotaur, Anthro Lion, Anthro Whale, Half-Giant
Melee with casting - Half-Giant with Primordial template.

Any martial style - Mineral Warrior, White Dragonspawn, Lolth-Touched

I'd also see if this 1 LA would include a free racial hit dice instead, so I could do Anthro Octopus without the 2HD racial cost.

2 LA - I'm either picking one race and one template, or two templates of the above. Saint Template might be a consideration.

Considerations - what the rest of the party is doing, and if practical, personal build choice. Starting level and level range wouldn't affect my race/template choices but would affect my class and feat choices. Exception would be Multiweapon Fighting if I'm not able to get at least a level of Barbarian or Ardent or two levels of Psychic Warrior before my first game I probably wouldn't do an MWF build, it's pretty miserable time without Pounce or an equivalent.

[Telonius]

Yeah, depends on what I'm going for. +1 LA races, probably something like: Catfolk, Feytouched, Goliath, or Sharakim. For Templates, I've had some good results with Draconic. Dark and Mineral Warrior are also nice. (Aasimar and Tiefling would go here, but I would usually pick the Lesser versions to take off Outsider along with the LA).

+2: The Phrenic and Half-Nymph templates are great for any Cha-based caster. Otherwise I'd probably combine a +1 race with a +1 class.

[Particle_Man]

Half-dragon is looking pretty attractive, I must admit. Ruled out if we start at ECL 1 or 2, naturally.

That said, I have a soft spot for the Blue (I got to try one in 3.0 when they were LA +0, so in 3.5 at LA +1 that would be nice) and there are other psionic +1 LA races that would start looking nice too. Dromites, perhaps.

[Inevitability]

Diopsid is a pretty good race: even if you don't go the multiweapon route you can wield a single weapon in all your arms and get +0.5 strength to damage for each limb.

Jaebrin's get Spellcraft as a permanent class skill, which might be useful if you need to qualify for some PrC with awkward entry classes.

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk get Poison Use and are solid for rogues otherwise (small, +2 dex, +2 con, -2 cha, claws and bite, stealth bonus).



Diabolus Divine Minion is a common way to get an evil outsider with the [Evil] subtype for +2 LA, which gives you access to the Fiend of X classes in the fiend folio.

Volodni gives the plant type, which can open up some Alter Self options.

Fey'Ri offers a host of useful abilities and 40 ft. flight, plus the outsider type.