Ways to make race more relevant in 3.5?

[Magugag]

I've always felt that what you are took a huge backseat in Dungeons and Dragons, at least in the way the game is played. In roleplay, of course, the race that you choose is as big of a deal as the DM makes it, and it almost always has a big part in how you act and are reacted to. But in numbers, it makes little difference at all. Are there any variant rules that make your race play a bigger part?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

I've always felt that what you are took a huge backseat in Dungeons and Dragons, at least in the way the game is played. In roleplay, of course, the race that you choose is as big of a deal as the DM makes it, and it almost always has a big part in how you act and are reacted to. But in numbers, it makes little difference at all. Are there any variant rules that make your race play a bigger part?

Eberron gave you important races, as did DC. Mechanically thy have something that actually sets them apart more than a bonus to a couple skills, a different stat, and Darkvision.

[Kylarra]

Racial paragon classes and racial substitution levels are good places to start.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Bar certain races from certain classes?

I dunno, for a lot of people, part of the fun of D&D 3.5 is being able to do anything. Want to make a Gnomish Barbarian? A Half-Orc Wizard? Go ahead! Making race more relevant might make this a lot more difficult (see my example).

[Kylarra]

Bar certain races from certain classes?

I dunno, for a lot of people, part of the fun of D&D 3.5 is being able to do anything. Want to make a Gnomish Barbarian? A Half-Orc Wizard? Go ahead! Making race more relevant might make this a lot more difficult (see my example).

A better idea is the racial sub-levels that are generally slightly better than if you didn't take them. That way you're not strictly barring characters from classes, but rewarding them for being more "true" to their fluff.

[Grumman]

Pick a characterful bonus feat for each race?

[Satyr]

Serpents and Sewers had for exactly this purpose a set of further advancement schemes for all species which makes sure that characters gain additional species-based character abilites when they progress in level.

[Magugag]

Thank you all for the speedy replies! There's a reason I come here, you guys know your stuff.

Serpents and Sewers had for exactly this purpose a set of further advancement schemes for all species which makes sure that characters gain additional species-based character abilites when they progress in level.

This right here seems very like what I'm looking for, at a glance. Flavorful, and doesn't look completely unbalancing.

[Kelb_Panthera]

In most cases the influence of race is pretty subtle. But remember that that racial +2 on whatever is a +2 that in all likely hood makes you 10% better at that thing than you could be with any other race. In a game with this much random chance 10% is nothing to sneeze at.

[Johel]

Give a "per 2 levels/per 2 HD" +1 skill bonus for each race.
Something like 2 or 3 skills per race.
Knowledge and Craft are good choices.

[Satyr]

It works pretty well in the game, and it makes fun, because it makes the different species more varied, but creating dozens of additional abilities, was a bit grinding. And I fear they are not completely balanced, but that was never a major issue for me.

[jiriku]

I add some racial proficiency restrictions which override normal class-based weapon proficiencies. You could think of this as the Lite Beer version racial sub levels. For example, dwarves tend to gain axe-like weapons instead of sword-like weapons, and are proficient with exotic crossbows instead of bows.

Racial feats are great, but most of the published ones suck. I double or triple their utility to make them attractive choices. I've also seen people get good use out of very potent racial feats that have "character level x" as a prerequisite.

[Lappy9000]

Fax Celestis' d20: Rebirth adds racial charges in the form of Natural Talent, Natural Magic, and Inborn Psionics. They grant unique abilities and can power racial feats in addition to scaling with level. He also ups the power level quite a bit making for a really nice mix of races.

[Ravens_cry]

Bar certain races from certain classes?

I dunno, for a lot of people, part of the fun of D&D 3.5 is being able to do anything. Want to make a Gnomish Barbarian? A Half-Orc Wizard? Go ahead! Making race more relevant might make this a lot more difficult (see my example).

I agree. I have PLAYED a gnome barbarian in Pathfinder Chronicles, and much was the awesome. I admittedly intended to multiclass him into sorcerer then dragon disciple, but at first level I didn't have those options. Was it fun? Hells, yes! My first character I ever made was a half-orc sorceress under 3.5 rules.
I agree, pigeon holing races further would not improve the game, in my view.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

I agree. I have PLAYED a gnome barbarian in Pathfinder Chronicles, and much was the awesome. I admittedly intended to multiclass him into sorcerer then dragon disciple, but at first level I didn't have those options. Was it fun? Hells, yes! My first character I ever made was a half-orc sorceress under 3.5 rules.
I agree, pigeon holing races further would not improve the game, in my view.

Don't have to pigeon-hole them. Look at the ones in the supplements I mentioned. Tibbit(Halfling that can turn into a cat), Warforged(Half-orc with an unusual type and built-in armor), Changeling(medium creature with a 1,800 item built in), Shifter(race with a built-in rage mechanic), Dvati(2 bodies, one soul), and similar. Each has mechanical difference, in some cases severe, but none are more restricted than a core race. They have different mechanics rather than simply different numbers.

[Lysander]

What I'm surprised nobody mentioned: Racism.

[Zeta Kai]

1) At first level, make your characters choose from a small selection of racially-themed feats.

2) Encourage racial paragon classes.

3) Racial bonuses that scale with level (not just a flat +X).

4) Use the PF system of Favor Class, where you gain an extra hit point or skill point instead of avoiding an XP penalty.

5) Emphasize racial tensions & stereotypes.

[Glimbur]

Look at Bloodlines in UA. Give something similar, but different for each race, to each race. Elves? +1 to caster level at 5th level. Bonus to spellcraft! Bonus to knowledge! Now it's more appealing to be an elven wizard. Similarly for other races: encourage them to be in the type of classes you envision them being in.

Two tricks: humans and half-whatevers. I'd give half-things their choice of either parent's bloodline, but humans either get some free skill points and... what else? Or you let them get some abilities from some other bloodlines. Give them fewer abilities if you do this because cherry-picking is nice, and if they still get the free feat at first level they're still a solid choice for everything.

[bosssmiley]

Racial abilities that advance by level. At level 1 you're a "ho-hum" standard member of your race, but by level 16 or more you're the quintessence of [your race here]-ness:

• high-level Orcs can Hulk out or eat anything,
• high-level Elves radiate hypnotic glamour,
• high-level Dwarves go "immune, immune, immune" to poison, petrifaction, mind-affecting, etc.
• high-level Halflings can shadow walk or turn ethereal,
• high-level Humans use their innate Ray Mears power to ignore environmental effects (adaptable see?),
• etc...

Think in terms of paragon classes mixed with the 'handed out for free' racial powers that 4E promised (but never actually delivered on in a meaningful way).

That way people may still consider race something worth mentioning after 1st level.

[Tyndmyr]

Eberron gave you important races, as did DC. Mechanically thy have something that actually sets them apart more than a bonus to a couple skills, a different stat, and Darkvision.

Ghostwalk did too, sorta. The ghost template drastically changes who your PC is...which is somewhat similar.

The big problem is that the designers tended to slap large LAs on anything too far from the norm, so most unique races get avoided simply because the LA sucks so hard.

[arguskos]

Ghostwalk did too, sorta. The ghost template drastically changes who your PC is...which is somewhat similar.

The big problem is that the designers tended to slap large LAs on anything too far from the norm, so most unique races get avoided simply because the LA sucks so hard.

There are a few really unique races with pretty low ECLs that actually do have LA. The Lumi comes to mind.

[Eldariel]

I think this is already sorta built into the game with racial substitution levels, the level 1 scores (they do matter), racial PRCs and racial feats. But if you want to further the distinction, offering free racial feats and maybe weaving the Racial Paragon-features into a side-progression of your primary class progression and so on could do a ton.

Though I personally prefer the idea of just rewriting the races a bit and giving them more unique abilities. The recent discussion about giving Elves a ton of bonus skill points to spend on "secondary skills" is a good example of such.

[Tiktakkat]

A set of really functional racial feats, like some of expanded heritage feat lines.

[Haberdashery]

The Dawnforge setting did something like this actually. Where as you leveled up, you received bonuses to your ability scores according to what race you were, and at certain levels could pick different racial traits and transformations according to your race as well. Like, dwarves could gain resistance to fire 5, or fast healing 3, etc.

[Volthawk]

For already existing examples, how about Kobolds in Races of the Dragon? Enogh Kobold and dragonblood feats and ACFs to last you for quite a while.

[Fitz10019]

Here's a major departure from the majority of respondees...

I would go the other way, and remove the influential mechanical differences between the races (ie, ability modifiers). My theory is that this would get the players to choose their race by the fluff instead of by the mechanics. Character creation would be to choose a class, a personality, a matching race; in that order. Having racial mechanics just leads to players thinking mechanically, and there's enough of that from the class mechanics.

Ask your players to write a personality profile that includes a racial/cultural dimension, and then reward them when/if they stick to it.