Well, even though I missed the massive racial overhaul, I'd like to suggest something that I suspect has probably been suggested before - Race/Archetype combinations that allow for different styles of play. If I look at the current races, and weight which ones are best for each guild, there are clear examples of some which are extremely limited in roles and some which just don't shine in any role. (If anyone is interested, I tried forming a numbers-based analysis of how good each race was for each archetype here, which gives a standardized score based on arbitrary weighting of benefits by archetype).

Anyway, what I'd like to suggest is that each race has certain base starting stats, along with starting advantages, and these are then modified when you graduate from novicehood in a certain archetype. As you progress through certain levels (10, 20, and 50 say), you would also be able to choose additional advantages that distinguish you even further. This is slightly based on the separation of RP/combat effectiveness from other IRE games, but I believe distinctive enough to be Lusternian.

For example, lets say that the starting race stats are as follows (average is 12, and size remains the same as it is now):



Then, when you graduate from novicehood in any archetype, you are essentially 'trained' to improve certain statistics, while letting others slide:



So if you have say a Mugwump warrior, you combine the two modifiers to get (+3 str, +2 dex, +2 con, +1 int). A Taurian warrior on the other hand would be (+5 str, +1 dex, +4 con, -2 int). So the Taurian is probably going to still be better at being a warrior than a Mugwump, but not overpoweringly so.

In terms of race advantages, each race would start with a language-related affinity as well as a starting bonus, for example:


Then, if they are a race attuned to a particular nation, they get an extra bonus for being a member:


Yes, I did deliberately put Elfen and Faelings in there, shhh!

And finally, as they level up their characters they get to select up to 3 additional bonuses from a set that depends on their race, for example:



So a Magnagoran Viscanti would have:
- Viscantish language
- Poison gas
- +2 taint regen
- damage increase in taint

then might choose to add
- +1 body resistance
- +3 village influence
- +1 mind resistance

Anyway, the actual bonuses and stat numbers can be tweaked as necessary, but I think it would make for a much more level playing field (or at least closer to it) than what is currently available.

What do you all think, and HAS this been suggested?

I hate to be a dreamcrusher, because I love all of this, however. Changelings aren't really looked at, and also, since there was already racial reconstruction, the admins probably will barely glance over this

While a neat idea with so much potential, it's entirely too complicated to balance. Simplify, please!

Something like this would be great though. Aetolia stat packs are the awesome.

Stat packs are a firm no.

Verdict handed down from On High.

This isn't necessarily a stat pack system though, did an admin post something about it on the forums?

Pretty sure Estarra did in the first stat-pack thread (shortly after it was introduced elsewhere). They've reaffirmed that decision in other places as recently as... three days ago I think? Four? Sometime over this last week, at least.

I'm aware your idea isn't quite a statpack though, which is why I didn't mention it originally. Just responding to Deschain's "stat packs are awesome" thing. If you want to push an idea, you're probably going to want to point out why it's not like a statpack instead of comparing it to them.

Which is why I said "something like this."

Right, and then brought up stat packs. Not the right connection to make! (And, as such, I think I'll skedaddle and stop mentioning that phrase here.)

Well, just so its clear... I'd say the system takes inspiration from the specialization races we already have and extends it to cover all races stat-wise. I think that's a very Lusternian thing, and an excellent concept, I just think it would be fairer if every race got a chance to be represented in each guild without having to sacrifice most of their combat utility.

It also extends the idea of skillchoices for each guild into choices about what advantages you want coming to the fore in your chosen race, which I think fits the Lusternian theme perfectly.

As for changelings, that's easy. Your guild modifier won't change, so it just means that the artifact allows you to adjust your base racial modifiers to whatever race you morph into, and then you would RACIALCHOICE up to three times to choose the bonuses that are appealing. It actually makes the artifact more valuable because you might want to reselect your racial bonuses without even changing races, and the cameo would allow for it.

The system looks quite nifty and allows for more diversity in races between classes (instead of tons of x in y-class only). However, races also provide a lot of RP and I'd not like that to be dropped. For example, you have Kephera males as roughly the same as Kephera females - they are a matriarchal race and the males are meant to be not as nice, stat-wise, as the females.

Keeping some aspect of more than just power-gaming options can be rather nice. Then again (and I'll say the dirty s-word) I noticed the RP of races went up a lot more when statpacks came in. That is, people were free to choose the race they wanted to play, while having the combat specs they wanted.

Then again (again) I went kephera for the more power-gaming option (I originally chose Elfen for the RP option...as a Glom bard. Squish.) and I've found that it's really been a fun challenge to craft my character to fit that change. So...

Overall, it's nice when some aspect of racial RP is reflected in stats and skills of each race - and the race you want vs race which fits best conflict can lead to interesting RP. Gods should just make a new race. Make it ugly as all heck, socially inept by characterization, hardocded to emote random bouts of flatulence, and limited to speaking only with a stutter - but give it awesome fighting stats. Sit back, wait, and enjoy...

Lol with those Idea's Trill so get the shaft.

Eh? Why... what would you suggest instead?

Edit: I don't see it... I basically tried to roughly halve the current racial differences to get the base race modifiers as much as possible.

Currently, all Trill have +2 dex, -1 con, +2 int, +3 cha.

Under this example, Trill Mages/Druids would now have -1 str, +1 dex, -1 con, +5 int, +4 cha.
Trill Guardians/Wiccans would now have -1 str, +2 con, +4 int, +3 cha,.
Trill Warriors would now have +3 str, +2 dex, +2 con, -1 int, +2 cha.
Trill Monks would now have +2 str, +3 dex, +1 con, +2 cha.
Trill Bards would now have +3 dex, -2 con, +3 int, +4 cha.

In all cases (with the exception of monks that I'm not quite sure of), I'd choose the specialized stats over what we have now.

So, excluding slight numerical errors from tiredness, this seems to be a generally good thing for Trill, doesn't it?

Thinking more about balancing, the only real issue that would arise with this idea is if the selectable advantages are not each equal in value and worth. I think that most of them are pretty interchangeable in various builds with the exception of the balance/eq recovery options - which are of course extremely potent. Maybe these options could be replaced with race-specific abilities that aren't quite as universally powerful?

The statistics themselves should be relatively okay - no racial modifier is higher than +3, and the overall sum of the modifier is always +4. Similarly for the archetype modifiers, the sum is always exactly +5, so no one combo should be getting too out of whack.

You will note the relative extinction of the Mugwump race counters this statement. Balance and Equilibrium recovery is now so small it never oughtweighs the disadvantages that go with it.

Hmm, that's interesting. In that case, are all the advantages that could be selected relatively equal in usefulness?

Minirant:

Maybe you can let the Charites work on it, they don't look at designs all that often

:grumble:

Anyway, I think it's a wonderful idea, so long as you make sure mages and druids don't have the same exact stats.

As in, change Druid modifiers to be +3 int, +2 cha, -1 str, -1 dex? Or something like that?

No!

Why wouldn't mages and druids use the same modifiers? Our skills are basically the same. We rely on the same stats, so there is no good reason for us to not have the same modifiers.