4th Edition Round Table: Races

Now that we’ve gotten our hands on the core D&D books and devoured them as quickly as we can, we decided to sit down (virtually) and talk about aspects of the new system with several staff members. The first topic we tackled was the PC races, which have gotten a serious upgrade in importance.

The panel consisted of: Myself (Dave The Game), Bartoneus, joshx0rfz, and The Main Event. Below are what we thought of each race, along with a rating for each one.

HUMANS

TheMainEvent: In third edition our group felt that they extra feat and flexible multi-classing really made them the best basic race in the game. In 4E they really keep their 3E flavor (versatility), but feats are weakened. They get ANY stat +2 (instead of two locked +2s) and a bonus, feat, skill, defenses, and a bonus at-will power. In my mind, they seem solid, but only more play will tell how much that extra at-will power helps. Aside from humans, every character only gets to pick two, so it seems like quite a boon. However, at higher levels it may be that you’re just firing off so many encounter/daily powers that at-will abilities become an afterthought. That being said, I tend to think that the versatility of having an extra At-Will power makes them a solid race.

Bartoneus: I don’t necessarily agree that Humans were the best race in 3rd Edition, but at first glance it appears they are in 4th. I think perhaps that is because they are by far the most versatile, intentionally, and that simply makes them appear to be the best. The extra at-will power is definitely sweet early game, but I can see it becoming less crucial in late game.

joshx0rfz: The addition of an extra at-will power and training really make humans powerful early game. I also think that the extra at-will power is useful throughout: the point of the at-will powers was that they would be useful throughout. The increased buff at 21st level ensures that this will remain the case.

I would put Humans near the top of the pile power wise.

TheGame: Mechanically, they’re fine, but I still don’t find them to be all that inspiring. Sorry, humanity. You suck.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

ELADRIN

Bartoneus: I really like the separation of them out from regular Elves, enhanced by the delineation that Eladrin live mostly in the Feywild and regular Elves have decided to live mostly in the material plane. Automatic proficiency with longsword makes me think that they will be the preferred choice for all the sword-mages out there, which I thought was dumb at first but when I noticed the Eladrin feat for making a foot soldier where you gain proficiency in the spear also. I liked the flavor that adds but I don’t remember if it adds anything more than weapon prof. would? Feystep is an awesome power, and I think everyone who plays an Eladrin will love it. Is it too good though?

TheMainEvent: The separation out is fine by me. However, their stat bonuses are excellent for a Wizard, but not much else. I don’t think that the teleport is too crazy; it’s a move action that just happens to be really good. Overall, they offer some interesting options, but don’t seem to offer much for most character builds other than the teleport hop.

joshx0rfz: Level 6 utility spell for wizard – dimension door 10 squares – DAILY.

Eladrin racial ability – feystep for 5 squares – ENCOUNTER – if you look at the teleportation rules (286) it becomes even more ridiculous. My verdict is broken.

Bartoneus: I wouldn’t go as far to say broken with Feystep, I’d just say really good. I think it opens up a lot of interesting options in any given combat, but doesn’t make other players feel like they suck in comparison but can do other pretty cool things that the Eladrin can’t.

TheMainEvent: Eladrin rogues may not have the stat synergy of Halfling rogues, but their teleport translates into combat advantage and sneak attacks. I guess the main reason I did not give them higher marks is that the teleport seems a bit redundant for a melee based Warlord that specializes in making people move around.

joshx0rfz: I look at the Eladrin ability and immediately compared it to the dimension door ability. This is a level 1 racial ability that can be used per encounter compared to a daily use with a better range. I see great ways to abuse the feystep ability.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

HALF-ELVES

TheMainEvent: They get two stat modifiers that mostly don’t matter, save for warlocks. However, their other abilities (diplomacy, power-grabber, racial feats) don’t seem to work well with that class. They might make fair Warlords, but get no primary stat bonus. Overall, I don’t really see a reason to play one.

joshx0rfz: I don’t see them quite as useless as TheMainEvent does. Dilettante still has some potential but I haven’t gotten to investigate it. Their ability modifiers do seem very odd for the race split they are. Constitution? From an Elf? That just makes no sense.

Bartoneus: Well, they are half-humans also so the Con bonus can be explained that way, but I think that is only justification for them having a normal Con, not a +2. It looks to me like the Ranger’s at-will powers might be the best served for Dilettante, and even then they’re weak as an encounter ability.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

DRAGONBORN

TheGame: Judging from my last game, there’s a lot of interest in playing Dragon-flavored PCs, so I think it’s good there’s an option to do it from the start without being too powerful. I like the breath weapon, but a minor action? Seems pretty darn good.

Bartoneus: I really like the Dragonborn, the minor action breath weapon does concern me a bit but I think it would annoy players after a while to have to give up an attack to use their racial ability. I am very happy to see things like Dragonborn and Tiefling without any kind of level adjustment.

TheMainEvent: Ah, the Dragonborn. I’m not sure I understand Bartoneus’s criticism as their power is a minor action. A minor action encounter ability that gives them a bit of controller? Sure, why not! This is some serious anti-minion sauce. Their bonus to hit and more solid healing surges don’t wow me, but they’re nifty little boons. On top of it all, they have the BEST stat bonuses. Warlords and Paladins are freaking MEANT for the Dragonborn. Quite simply put, from a Min/Maxing perspective, you have to convince me there’s a reason to play a Paladin other than a Dragonborn. As for Warlords, if you’re going Inspiring Build, again a no-brainer.

Bartoneus: My comment about the breath attack was my rationalization for why i think they made it a minor action, a level 20 Dragonborn probably doesn’t want to give up his super awesome standard action just to use his breath weapon. I think the minor-action breath weapon just adds to the cool / fun factor, and hopefully is balanced in the process. Also ditto to TheMainEvent’s point that merging class role (controller) with a race is awesome. Army of Dragonborn > minions.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

TIEFLINGS

TheGame: Tieflings are another one where I know of a number of players who want to play more of a dark/brooding race, so I’m glad to see their inclusion. (Somewhat goofy art direction non-withstanding.) However, I think their abilities are probably a bit weak. Their stat mods do suggest some classes right away, which is good, but a bonus against bloodied foes, at least psychologically, doesn’t seem as good as some of the others.

Bartoneus: I thought it would be cool to get something along the lines of a speed bonus when moving towards a bloodied foe, to invoke more of the idea of Bloodscent / hunt. Tiefling does seem to be missing a bit, but they do have two stat bonuses, resist fire 5, bonus to hit bloodied foes, AND an encounter ability. Perhaps seeing all of these at work together in characters later on, plus hopefully some badass Tiefling feats, will put them on par.

TheMainEvent: I think that the bloodhunt ability is annoying. I’m guessing DMs are gonna get really sick of the Tiefling player asking which monster(s) is/are bloodied. I like using bloodied more for one off powers rather than static bonuses. Tieflings lack a real punch in my mind, their encounter ability is nice, but doesn’t stack up favorably to other races. Their stat bonuses take them in some directions, but nothing is a really great fit for them. Not many classes have use for Int/Cha combined.

Bartoneus: Tiefling stat bonuses are perfect for Warlord, as Int and Cha. are the two Warlord builds so it lets you maximize use of both.

Arguably the Tiefling bonus to hit is better than the Dragonborn one, as it’s better to be fighting bloodied opponents than to be bloodied yourself, and you want to minimize time that you are bloodied yourself. However, it’s because of this that I like the Dragonborn bonus when bloodied because it’s creates an interesting choice: do I want to stay bloodied to hit easier or play it safe and have a harder time hitting, not to mention this back loads combat so that a losing party has more combat ability, which is just good (and fun!) design.

TheMainEvent: With the Warlord, you can only choose to be an Inspiring or Tactical Warlord. So, you really can’t take advantage of both of the Tiefling stats.

Bartoneus: Oh teh noes, PHB suggests one build or the other and The MainEvent must choose one! Wrong, you only pick one aura but there are Warlord powers which take advantage of Cha or Int and I doubt you really want to choose all the Cha powers as you level up. A high Int and Cha are both beneficial to a warlord.

TheMainEvent: You can use your Int and Cha for some Warlord powers, but it seems generally more effective to have a higher Str to hit (so you get your nifty effects) and focus on your Commanding or Tactical aspect. If you want to play a lower Str warlord that specializes in using their secondary stats, then Tieflings work. However, you’ll want to focus more heavily on either Int or Cha because of their interaction with the choice you make at the beginning.

Bartoneus: I schooled you, just admit it.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

HALFLINGS

TheMainEvent: After Dragonborn, my next favorite race may be the Halfling. I really feel like they captured the essence of role-playing Halflings in their rule set and they made them into the most kick-ass trickster rogues (Dex, Cha bonus and pertinent skill bonuses). Moreover, their ability to force a reroll on a hit 1/encounter is just perfect both fluff and rules wise. I know that DMs will groan at having to basically ask the PC permission to roll damage until the power is used, but it’s really solid.

TheGame: Agreed, I really like the Halfling. They’re not a bad choice for other non-Rogue classes too. I like the idea of a Halfling Warlord shouting out orders from atop his war-dog.

As joshx0rfz pointed out earlier, it’s interesting to compare the racial abilities to Wizard spells. The Displacement spell is identical to the Halfling’s ability, and it’s a high level spell.

Study all you want, Wizards! You will never be as cool as a Halfling!

Bartoneus: I felt that the Halfling race was lacking compared to Humans, Dwarves, and Dragonborn.

I suppose this is a bit of the system that Race is considered more powerful than Class? Is this a bad thing?

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

ELVES

TheGame: Power-wise, they seem fine, their choice of classes is pretty obvious, but doesn’t preclude them from others. The speed boost is a subtle advantage that can matter quite a bit. And while they didn’t get any surfing feats, the inspiration for the iconic Elf is pretty obvious…

As far as flavor goes, they took everything I really enjoyed about Elves and shunted it off into Eladrin. Elves are fine, but as far as personal preference, I’d much rather play an Eladrin than an Elf.

TheMainEvent: Elves have a lot of options, are meant to be rangers, and its hard to value their movement bonus properly (as TheGame stated). Their encounter ability is a nice boon as it helps avoid the “aw shucks” factor of missing with one of your big attacks. I think they’re a great option and feel different enough than Eladrin.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent:

DWARVES

TheGame: Finally, the mighty Dwarf has his day. They’re tough, they’re sturdy, they have tough stomachs. And minor action second wind is a great small touch. Dwarves don’t have to give up an attack to heal themselves: they just do it then keep going. Plus I feel like Dwarves are a decent race for any class now, which I like a lot. While there was never a shortage of players who wanted to play Dwarves before, I think they get my personal “most improved” award and will see lots more play.

TheMainEvent: Dwarves are rock solid. Their stat bonuses may actually be their weakest point, but they really are fine being just about anything, so long as you can cope with their slower movement (which for heavily armored characters ends up being the same). Their free healing power seems like a real life saver as well. I really enjoy the treatment the major iconic races got…

…Except for Half-Elves.

TheGame: Bartoneus: joshx0rfz: TheMainEvent: