Wow, what a great thread. I hope people can remain constructive.

Will the racial rebalancing entail "helping" some of the lesser-off races? Like Trill, Viscanti, Dwarf, Dracnari?

Yes! I love this idea.

I don't have too many ideas aside from that, with the obvious exception of the observation that some races are woeful compared to others. Sip penalty is far too harsh for the relatively poor payoff (for dracnari and viscanti, anyway; aslaran are quite balanced) and I think master viscanti should have much lower con at the expense of dex/cha boosts to put them in line with the other specialized guardian/wiccan/mage/druid races.

Also I think it would be nice for more RP-related "flavour" skills like bearhug and poison gas, for all races. I like the aslaran "springup" idea that Gwylifar mentioned.

http://forums.lusternia.com/index.php?show...c=15203&hl=

Check it. Post it. Love it.

I think races that have high end bonuses should have high end penalities. I think Mugwump is a good example in that they are fast and exceptionally squishy. Faelings, on the other hand, specifically Shadowcaster and Shadowlord Faelings have high end bonuses, more high end bonuses, and no disadvantage on top of racial powers like flight. They have 9 constitution (Mugwumps have 10), a level 2 sip bonus, forest regeneration, herb balance bonus, etc. It just seem wrong to me.

The low strength (in terms of Shadowlord) is also a significant hindrance. Faster speed, lower wounding-- I do feel that, overall, it is now very comparable with Elfen Lords. This doesn't work with specializations with a lot of low-wounding highly-hindering afflictions (like stun). See: Bonecrusher.

Where more balanced specs are concerned, however-- Shadowlords get more afflictions, but they're generally the lower end ones to begin with. There's much more time spent in low-wounding states.

However, when the penalties are all stat based, and there's a +3 to all stats hanging around out there... those penalties don't exist once level 100 is reached.

Mugwumps have high int--it's why mugwump bards are much more of a problem than faeling warriors (but not faeling monks, which are a bigger issue than mugwump bards).

I do think that all balance and eq bonuses need to be brought back into line. No more level 3 bonuses. No more level 2 bonuses with a high associated stat, like mugwumps and int. Think furrikin.

Also, kephera and illithoid as monk spec races, please!

I hate to make such a useless post that everybody already knows it's coming:

Fix Viscanti.

It's depressing when looking at RWHO and seeing you and only a couple other novices as Viscanti.

Master viscanti is not as bad as people make it out to be. It plays like dracnari. Brood viscanti is depressing, though.

I see no reason not to have 3 level bonuses to offer greater range. As with my original post, however, we can look on what those bonuses do.

BTW, if you wish, instead of telling us what races suck, if you want to give us a suggestion on how you'd actually set up a race, feel free! Use this format (fill in everything!):

Statistics

• Strength:
• Dexterity:
• Constitution:
• Intelligence:
• Charisma:
• Size:

Advantages

• blah blah
• blah blah

Disadvantages

• blah blah
• blah blah

Xavius, look at Master Viscanti.

Un-specialized Merian is better then Master Viscanti Geomancer. Only thing the Master Viscanti has is the regeneration and higher constituion. Actually compare Master Viscanti to all the other races that can play as a Geomancer, and it ends up far worse.

Edit: To Estarra's post since she ninja'd me:

The -sip is why no one will ever play Viscanti. They have about the same stats as a faeling, merian, or elfen, with a far worse disadvantage then all the rest. There is no real advantage to playing Viscanti.

It would be nice to see kephera get an actual disadvantage as well.... no more splendor robe kepherans woot!

It's practically the same thing as dracnari. +1 int, -1 con, less extreme resists, no damage penalty, more practical regen. I wouldn't pick dracnari for a mage, but it's a decent guardian choice.

Anyways, off to make tables.

So a specialized race is as good as a non-specialized race (which will recieve a specialization later (most likely)).

Okay, let me try this for Illithoids!



Statistics

* Strength: 12
* Dexterity: 15 (maybe a bit more?)
* Constitution: 13 (or even less, they don't seem like a very sturdy race to me)
* Intelligence: 13
* Charisma: 8 (or 9)
* Size: 10


Advantages

o Level 1 balance
o Level 25: Can psychically understand any spoken language.
o Regeneration while underground, level 2
o Have a level 2 resistance to psychic damage.
o MINDSENSE: Can sense others in the immediate area (level 50).
o Inner Worm: A unique racial ability. All illithoid contain an
inner worm. Upon reaching level 50, they may use this to drain the
psychic residue from corpses, artificially inflating their maximum
ego. They may ILLDRAIN corpses to inflate their ego, which
deteriorates to its original levels over time at a rate of 1 max
ego per minute. Their ego may be inflated 50 ego per level of the
illithoid player.
o Level 75: EGOATTACK Enter in a battle of egos with a target,
and if their ego is higher than the targets', it loses a certain amount of it.


Disadvantages

o Are susceptible to magic, level 2.



Why? Some statchanges to make them a bit better as the class they are probably supposed to be (monks) and a tradeoff in tankiness, some more charisma to show that, speaking every language, they could charm other races by talking with them in their own language (or something like that). Level 1 balance just to make them a bit better as a monk, and since they are supposed to be lessened, why not give them out a bit more? Same disadvantage, even if it might be a bit high.

EDIT: Added some racial skills, though I am not sure if level 75 couldn't be abused.

All of the magic spec races are questionable for one of the magic guilds. Imperial merian make bad Celestines. High elfen make bad Hartstone. Shadowcasters make bad Shadowdancers and non-runic Blacktalon.

Kephera



Statistics
Male/Female

• Strength: 12/11
• Dexterity: 14/9
• Constitution: 13/13
• Intelligence: 9/14
• Charisma: 11/13
• Size: 11/13

Advantages

• Level 1 cutting resist (or make greatrobes count as armour)
• Level 1 blunt resist
• Level 2 psychic resist
• Mindsense
• Hive mind
• Specialization: a male kephera with the Harmony skill becomes a martial kephera when specializing into Shofangi or Tahtetso, gaining +2 strength, +1 dexterity, +1 size, and -2 int.

Disadvantages

• Cannot wear armour

From a roleplay perspective it would seem fitting for Igasho's to be able to Scale. At least, I think it would be neat

Kephera and Illithoid guys? They are actually viable. How about we take a look at some of the most unviable, unplayable races first eh (the ones that are just depressingly bad, combat-wise).

Trill

Strength: 12
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 13
Size: 10

Advantages

*Can fly.
*Lvl 1 Equilibrium bonus
*Lvl 2 Magic resistance
*Lvl 2 Health/Mana regen while flying
*Special: Upon reaching level 50, Trill have the option of either becoming a Trill Lord, with stats of -2 Intelligence, -3 Charisma, +3 Strength, +4 Consitution, +3 size. Or a Noble Trill, with statistics changing by -2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +3 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.

Disadvantages
*Lvl 1 Susceptibility to electricity
*Lvl 3 Susceptibility to fire





QFT - Same can be said for Master Viscanti Nihilists.

Dunno, I always thought of Illithoids more as RP race than as viable race.
And Xavius downgraded Kephera a little, balancing is important too!

And I thought about Trills, but honestly, I couldn't picture what class would actually want to be one, so no fitting it to one...which left me lost. <.<

I'll bite:

RACE: ORCLACH

Statistics

• Strength: 14
• Dexterity: 10
• Constitution: 15
• Intelligence: 8
• Charisma: 11
• Size: 15

Advantages

• orclach - Have a racial language
• Lvl 2 resistance to cold
• Lvl 1 resistance to electricity
• Lvl 2 resistance to magic
• Lvl 2 resistance to cutting damage
• Lvl 2 resistance to blunt damage
• Lvl 2 health regeneration
• Native Weapon - Orclach who use the Pureblade specialization can use two-handed swords more accurately than other races.
• Special - Upon gaining the Necromancy specialization as a warrior, an orclach becomes an Ur'Lord Orclach, with statistics changing by +2 int and gaining Lvl 2 mana regeneration.
• Special - Upon gaining Demigod the orclach becomes a Marked Orclach, gaining Lvl 2 resistances to poison and electrical damage. Stacks with Ur'Lord.

Disadvantages

• Lvl 3 weakness to fire.
• Lvl 1 slower equilibrium.

Ohhh nice Karnagan. Orclach could definitely use some love. I would say it currently fits in the dwarf/viscanti/trill/dracnari group. Cool Ur'Lord idea. Would balance out nicely.