One of my RL players wants to be a Drow Wizard. This option isn't bad but it gets neither a +2 to Int nor a bonus feat. I figured some sort of racial substitution level or ACF could make it worth it. Any ideas?
This got me thinking that it'd be interesting if there were some Racial ACFs/Substitution Levels for suboptimal race class combos to make them decent options. So what options could be provided for Halfling Barbarians, Orc Casters, Dragonlance Minotaur Rogues, etc. to make them viable, yet distinct?
[3.5/PF/Tome] Racial ACFs/Substitution Levels?
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radthemad4
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[3.5/PF/Tome] Racial ACFs/Substitution Levels?
Last edited by radthemad4 on Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:17 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Or Half-elf sorcerers, for that matter. I'd love to hear suggestions myself.
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Racial ACF/SubstLevels are a loser's solution and I wish they never created them. You're never going to make them fair across the board so inevitably you make some races superior to others for classes.
If you're actually making them sufficient to bring an orc wizard to parity with a grey elf wizard (who additionally have the very strong elven wizard sub level)... then damn.
As for drow specifically... in 3rd edition they do get an Int bonus, but also have ECL which is the bigger hurdle. In Pathfinder their method was to make racial subs for everything to create the dumpsterdiver edition. So I'm not sure what game you're playing. Is it a RoW/Tome Drow perhaps?
There's nothing you need to do to buff up a Tome Drow Wizard per se. If you want to fluff it up some can offer a Tiny Monstrous Spider familiar, or spider/darkness themed spells. Unseen Servant can instead be a helpful mass of spiders or an umbral servant. That kind of thing.
If you're actually making them sufficient to bring an orc wizard to parity with a grey elf wizard (who additionally have the very strong elven wizard sub level)... then damn.
As for drow specifically... in 3rd edition they do get an Int bonus, but also have ECL which is the bigger hurdle. In Pathfinder their method was to make racial subs for everything to create the dumpsterdiver edition. So I'm not sure what game you're playing. Is it a RoW/Tome Drow perhaps?
There's nothing you need to do to buff up a Tome Drow Wizard per se. If you want to fluff it up some can offer a Tiny Monstrous Spider familiar, or spider/darkness themed spells. Unseen Servant can instead be a helpful mass of spiders or an umbral servant. That kind of thing.
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radthemad4
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Wonder what could be worth being a half elf? Would have to be something pretty good.
Ideally, the alternate features would actually be at least somewhat balanced with each other and the vanilla class and provide slightly different schticks rather than being clearly better options. I actually liked the 'idea' of Archetypes in PF and even Alternate Racial Traits, but the vast majority being crap or insignificant, with a few options being clearly better than the others (PF Half Elves can swap out Skill Focus for a +2 to Will Saves (I'm not allowing Alternate Racial Traits without at least looking at them first)) is stupid. Also favored class bonuses are ridiculously fiddly.
Yeah, it's a Tome Drow. I don't think it needs to be at least as good as an Elven sub level, but I'd like it to be as good as a Human vanilla wizard or a +2 Int race vanilla wizard.
Ideally, the alternate features would actually be at least somewhat balanced with each other and the vanilla class and provide slightly different schticks rather than being clearly better options. I actually liked the 'idea' of Archetypes in PF and even Alternate Racial Traits, but the vast majority being crap or insignificant, with a few options being clearly better than the others (PF Half Elves can swap out Skill Focus for a +2 to Will Saves (I'm not allowing Alternate Racial Traits without at least looking at them first)) is stupid. Also favored class bonuses are ridiculously fiddly.
Yeah, it's a Tome Drow. I don't think it needs to be at least as good as an Elven sub level, but I'd like it to be as good as a Human vanilla wizard or a +2 Int race vanilla wizard.
Last edited by radthemad4 on Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:05 am, edited 14 times in total.
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CapnTthePirateG
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http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp? ... /20040213a
Just use the base drow there. I use it all the time.
Just use the base drow there. I use it all the time.
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