That seems darn spiffy. Another point would be that, while not being the same as speccing or such, some races could get a minor boost to a weakness if they join a guild. A Tae joining a mage guild could acquire +1 int, or an Orclach bard could get a +1 to cha. Very minor benefits that won't make them overwhelming, but will make them be less terribad in an archetype they wouldn't otherwise perform well in.

There are only a few ways to reach upper-end bashing with any reliability, and they aren't all that readily available:

- You usually need some skill that completely siphons damage from your health. This usually includes a RoA and Bodyguard Beast, but can also include skills such as Barrier, Fusion and Illusoryself.
- You usually need some polarized race in terms of resistances - furrikin if you're fighting magic damage, kephera for something physical, loboshigaru just for the regen for most everything else. Either these or something with ungodly CON and salvageable int. Demi Human could manage it if you stack on the buffs.
- Alternatively, min/maxing along the lines of your class - stacking whatever DMP is most readily available to you. The more hits you have available to you, the more crits (Warrior/Monk) so it's less of an issue for them. Easier to push the 'how far can I go without having to rely on luck' line.

It's basically min/maxing to the extreme and taking some high-level abilities as staple.

(Also if we're cutting down Kephera physical resistance, remove poison weakness to compensate. 1:1 ratio!)

Except it isn't just that. A Lobo Monk can bash Shallach at about half the level of a Merian Guardian. This is a factor of class, but also a lot about race. Lobo have a LOT more health, which increases their regeneration from all sources, including mercy, and also how much they heal through sips and such.

Right. Because as I mentioned, racial CON (Lobo) and regeneration (monk/lobo) and hits (monk) and speed (monk) all have something to do with it.

Merian are Ninth-Circle-of-Hell Tier badness. You need CON for everything - it's why Taurian is an accepted Guardian race.

Okay. Lobo caster and merian caster. Lobo is still in Shallach much earlier, even with the low int. Survivability is much more valuable than quick damage.

I agree, but this may be confined just to lower-levels, since we're talking about Shallach.

It's a total tossup in the PvP side too.

Yeah. Factor in PvP and everything goes straight out the window, since there you need to min max, since that is what things are balanced against.

That is also why I enjoyed my earlier suggestion, of giving races a small boost to offset what would otherwise be a hefty penalty for playing a particular archetype.

Remove, no.

Don't even need to lessen the number; remember that the proposal was to lessen the impact of negative maluses. So, if you're lowering the impact of the negative, that positive bonus needs to go down too "to compensate"! Especially as they'd also be having reduced malus to fire and cold as well...

Weren't the impact of the positives tweaked down last time, but not the negatives? So by that, tweaking down the negatives is just equaling the field, right?

Unless that was just a eq/balance thing. Probably lost it in the discussion.

FURTHERMORE. Stats of races in general need to be looked at compared to level 95 human. And adjusted so that classes aren't just 'instakill bait'. 8 int, for example, makes the rest of the race instantly less appealing, MAYHAPS even unplayable. And 8 cha, too? Ergh.

I'm so not talking about a very specific race here.

No, they were not.

Nor was it done for eq/balance (both positives and negatives for balance / eq were reduced).

Racial skills that come as you level, please.

Like more races with a level 50 ability... or would you like another tier beyond that? Maybe some level 90 skills for those of us who pass the threshold on the way up to Titan (and eventually Demi).

I'd personally go 1, 25, 50, 75, 100 and would probably have fun thinking up of things for each race if people want. I know someone already started that list a long time ago (which I'm still not sure if people disliked or not) and could base it off that.


Edit: Or you can make the spread 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100. Doesn't matter to me.

I like the second one, personally.

I'm sure they'll be falling over themselves to brainstorm and code 5 abilities for each of the 20 races.

HoneyRaid, BellyBounce, ThickFur, BreakFree, and OhBother for tae'dae!

You assume a majority of those skills won't cross over. I mean, Flight is already something Faelings and Trill have in common. So is that Dracnari and Dwarven alcohol tolerance and the Mugwump and Merian waterbreathing, so I'm sure they won't have to do 100 brand spanking new skills (20 races, 5 each) with all the cross over that is going to happen. That is, of course, assuming the idea isn't even shot down.

For charisma, everyone can get the throne, some classes receive other charisma buffs; for int, there is at least the karma blessing. And... well. Getting titan helps. Levels and the +1 buff make a difference.
As for the lack of tankiness of certain caster races, I don't see the problem with that. They have the option to influence into the 70s very quickly, and if they want to bash, certain areas are obviously not recommendable. Just as a lowbie loboshigaru isn't really suitable for influencing.

Because the first 10% xp is so valuable. Nevermind that many quests require extremely high level hunting. Aestra anyone? And caster bashing is actually pretty easy in the lower levels, since the lack of misses make up for having less and stronger crits, because you won't be getting many anyway.

And it doesn't change that people with less than 10 int are incredibly weak to mana drains.

But Xiel's idea is awesome. I was thinking perhaps a skill set that you'd gain ranks in through time, but that's even less likely.

More racial diversity!

Not sure what this is referring to, but if you mean the 'getting into the 70s quickly', they don't have to stop there, you can feasibly influence to demigod. I just meant that they have the means to get some levels and thus hps to bash better if it is hps they lack.



You can't have it all. If you want good stats in both areas (like humans), you'll have to live without other strengths. I personally liked orclach and krokani while I played them so far (although I admit I often have Tosha and I usually had a knowledge karma blessing while I played those).