Racial Stuff [4E]

[Skjaldbakka]

so, I understand that 4E tries to make race more significant? How does it go about this? Racial Feats? Alternate Class powers for different races?

[Shades of Gray]

Every race has two feats in the heroic tier, and one feaet in the pargon tier taht only they can take. The exception is half-elf.

There are no longer penalties to ability scores.

Most races have racial powers, humans can select additional powers from their list. Half-Elves can learn a power from another class.

Dwarves don't have a power, yet they have great bonuses.

[TheOOB]

To elaborate

All races now gain a +2 bonus to two pre-set ability scores(save human who gets a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice). No races have ability penalties. As ability bonuses are much harder to get now(your race and level bonuses are about the only way to increase your scores) this is very relevant.

All races get some type of skill bonus as well as some other assorted bonuses (tieflings get a +1 to attack bloodied foes, humans get a bonus feat, elves ignore difficult terrain while shifting, ect.) All races also have racial feats that can only be selected by them(half-elves are an exception, they can take human, elven, or half-elf feats). Many of the racial feats are quite good, they are usually better then other feats of their tier.

Perhaps most importantly all races get a new power specific to them. For most races this is a good encounter power that scales well with level(or doesn't need to scale to be good), but humans get an extra at-will power from their class, and half-elves get an at-will power from another class usable as an encounter power. Dwarve's don't have a power per say, but they can take a second wind(healing) as a minor action rather then a standard like everyone else, which essentially gives them an extra standard action during most combats.

[RTGoodman]

Every race has two feats in the heroic tier, and one feaet in the pargon tier taht only they can take. The exception is half-elf.

Also, this number of Racial feats seems to be increasing quite a bit. In the last two issues of Dragon we've had "Ecology" articles about both Warforged and Dragonborn, each of which gave a lot of "fluff" material along with a handful of racial feats.

[Jimp]

While the choice of race can be important to your concept, it's also worthwhile to note that the limitation of a race being bad for a class due to penalties is no longer a problem. No more of 'I can't be race X because the penalty to stat Y would cripple me'.

[Zocelot]

Also, this number of Racial feats seems to be increasing quite a bit. In the last two issues of Dragon we've had "Ecology" articles about both Warforged and Dragonborn, each of which gave a lot of "fluff" material along with a handful of racial feats.

Does anyone know where I can find the Warforged article? It's not under ecology, and I can't find it using search.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Dwarves don't have a power, yet they have great bonuses.

Second wind as a minor action is kind of a power, I guess?

Also, for the one who couldn't find the Warforged: here you go.

[Zocelot]

Thanks a ton. It's going to be very useful to me in an upcoming campaign,

[RTGoodman]

Ah, sorry - apparently it WASN'T an Ecology article - it was just a random article about Warforged that had feats and whatnot for them.

[Crow]

Thanks a ton. It's going to be very useful to me in an upcoming campaign,

Where the hell is your avatar from?

[Jimp]

Where the hell is your avatar from?

It's a picture of a comic-based shirt from the Dinosaur Comics webcomic.
www.qwantz.com

[Jack Mann]

Every race has two feats in the heroic tier, and one feaet in the pargon tier taht only they can take. The exception is half-elf.

Half-elf and eladrin. Half-elves effectively get five heroic tier feats, since they can select human and elf feats. Eladrin only get one.

[TheOOB]

While the choice of race can be important to your concept, it's also worthwhile to note that the limitation of a race being bad for a class due to penalties is no longer a problem. No more of 'I can't be race X because the penalty to stat Y would cripple me'.

It's still a problem, because the way the game is set up not having a useful bonus almost like having a penalty. For example, a dragonborn makes a fairly poor wizard, strength and charisma are more often then not dump stats, and their power encourages them to get up close to their foes(wizards are fairly squishy still in 4e).

It should be noted, however, that any races can be played with any class and be good, but you do gain a decent benefit for playing to type.

[Dhavaer]

It's still a problem, because the way the game is set up not having a useful bonus almost like having a penalty. For example, a dragonborn makes a fairly poor wizard, strength and charisma are more often then not dump stats, and their power encourages them to get up close to their foes(wizards are fairly squishy still in 4e).

It should be noted, however, that any races can be played with any class and be good, but you do gain a decent benefit for playing to type.

Dragonborn aren't bad wizards; Strength and Charisma turn up as requirements for feats that are good for wizards (proficiencies, astral fire, spell focus).

[ghost_warlock]

Dragonborn aren't bad wizards; Strength and Charisma turn up as requirements for feats that are good for wizards (proficiencies, astral fire, spell focus).

To clarify, both of those feats require Cha but not Str.

Str can be useful if a wizard wants to don armor better than leather for some reason (no spell failure is pretty sweet, I'll admit).

[Helgraf]

Half-elf and eladrin. Half-elves effectively get five heroic tier feats, since they can select human and elf feats. Eladrin only get one.

And Dragonborn get 3 + 1 (Dragonborn Senses, Dragonborn Fury and Enlarged Dragon Breath) + (Empowered Dragon Breath) - not even counting the extras in the Dragon article.

To clarify, both of those feats require Cha but not Str.

Str can be useful if a wizard wants to don armor better than leather for some reason (no spell failure is pretty sweet, I'll admit).

Hide Armor - if you're willing to pony the Str 13 - is nice. If you can swing the Con 15 by 11th level, Hide specialization makes it even better by increasing the AC and ditching the skill check penalty.

[Dhavaer]

To clarify, both of those feats require Cha but not Str.

I did mention proficiencies as well. Hide armour and a light shield is a fair deal for three feats for a dragonborn wizard.