4e Race Houserules

[DragonChild]

I'm running a 4e Eberron game. Yeah, yeah, shut up - both do what I need to, even though they're not perfect. I'm not making sweeping houserules, but I AM changing the races. I want to include some races from the back of the MM, but they kind suck due to missing one racial feature each, so I made some changes. The flavor text (largely stolen from the Eberron Campaign Setting, but some made up new) is included so you have some idea what I'm going for, but isn't really necessary to read. Feedback requested, please:

Races of Eberron


Changelings
Changeling is a polite word for urban doppelgangers. These subtle shapeshifters are capable of changing their appearance on a whim. They tend to be prudent and cautious, and highly civilized . Their preference to avoid direct confrontations, instead preferring stealthy strikes and hasty retreats leads many to think of them as cowards, although they claim such tactics are just good sense. In conversations, they are soft-spoken, but have an eloquent way with words.
Changelings use the stats printed in the Monster Manual p. 276 for doppelgangers, and gain the following ability:
Subtle Strike: Changelings gain a +3 bonus to hit from combat advantage, instead of the usual +2.


Gnomes
Gnomes harbor a thirst for knowledge that can only be described as lust. They believe that every piece of information, no matter how trivial, may someday have value. Combined with a meticulous discipline, this love of knowledge makes gnomes superb librarians, accountants, bards, and alchemists, but this attitude has a sinister side as well. The same talent that makes an accomplished bard can produce a skilled spy, and gnome society is filled with webs of intrigue and blackmail that often goes completely unnoticed by human eyes. The gnomes have no history for empire building, but their talents for diplomatic and espionage have allowed them to keep their homeland of Zilargo independent.
Gnomes use the stats given for Gnomes in the Monster Manual p.227, with the following changes:
Exploit Advantage: Gnomes gain a +1 bonus to defenses against opponents who they have combat advantage.


Half-Elves
Half-Elfs are common in Khorvaire. Some, fascinated with death as were their Aerenal ancestors become accomplished necromancers – others favor their human heritage, to the point of blending almost invisibly into human society. The majority of half-elves belong to their own distinct race which breeds true, however elves and humans throughout Khorvaire still intermingle and occasionally produce offspring.
Half-elves use the stats given for Half-Elves in the Player’s Handbook, with the following additional ability:
Alertness: Half-elves gain a +2 bonus to initiative checks.



Shifters
Shifters are descended from humans and lycanthropes. Shifters cannot fully change shape but can take on animalistic features, a shape called “shifting”. They have evolved into a unique race which breeds true, and a unique culture that has many animalistic attitudes. Shifters and the Church of the Silver Flame have a great mistrust of each over, after the Church nearly exterminated the lycanthropes when the affliction began to mutate, becoming more virulent.
Shifters use the stats given for Longtooth and Razorclaw Shifters in the Monster Manual p. 279, with the following changes.
Razorclaw Shifters have a +2 bonus to Strength and Dexterity (instead of the +2 bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom). In addition, both types of Shifters gain the following ability:
Bestial Persistence: When bloodied, Shifters gain a +2 bonus on saving throws.



Tieflings
Tieflings are members of other races whose ancestors lived deep underground in the dark caverns known as Khyber. Here, they were twisted by sealed-away demons, and turned into men who resemble fiends as much as they do humans. Tieflings are warily accepted into society, considered with suspicion and doubt, and members of the Church of the Silver Flame in particular have been known to discriminate against them.
Tieflings use the stats printed in the Player’s Handbook, except that they have a +2 bonus to Constitution and Intelligence (instead of the usual +2 bonus to Intelligence and Charisma).



Warforged
Warforged are living constructs created to fight in the Last War. Originally mindless golems, each new model granted them further intelligence in the hopes that they could better understand and use tactics in the war, until they had finally gained sentience. With the war’s end, all of the creation forges from which they were made have been destroyed. Warforged are renowned for their combat prowess, size, and single-minded focus. Now that the war has ended, warforged have been declared free people, and are having difficulty adapting into peaceful society. While some have become artisans or laborers, others seek for a new use of the only skill they know… battle.
Warforged use the stats printed in the Monster Manual p. 279, except with the following changes.
Warforged gain a +2 bonus to Intimidate.
Warforged Endurance: You gain a +1 racial bonus to your Will and Fortitude defenses.
Add the “Healing” descriptor to Warforged Resolve, and change the “effect” text to the following: You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to 3 + one-half your level. You may make an immediate saving throw against one effect that inflicts ongoing damage and can be ended with a save. In addition, if you are bloodied you regain hit points equal to 3 + one half your level.

[koz]

These are fine if you wanna stay within the 4E paradigm.

[Username17]

Remember that races exist to be played as specific classes in 4e. So for example a Doppleganger gets Charisma and Intelligence bonuses, so they are Feylocks. Any powers they get that aren't helpful for Feylocks are powers that they essentially do not have. Feylocks don't really get combat advantage very often because all their attacks are ranged attacks. While Feylocks get defensive invisibility left right and center, they rarely get offensive invisibility and their stunlocks blow.

Gnomes similarly are Orb Wizards without exception. But while they don't ever attack enemies with combat advantage, they are often attacked by enemies who grant combat advantage. So while +1 to defenses is a small bullshit and incredibly annoying bonus, it is at least relevant.

I flat do not understand your reworking of Razorclaw Shifters. They are bowazons who get +2 to Speed when bloodied. They are actually very good at what they do - which is to take the Ranger class and focus on the bow. Completely boring and one dimensional of course, but that's a problem shared by all the races in the appendix, and to a lesser but still significant extent by everything in 4e D&D.

-Username17

[DragonChild]

First, let me just say that I attempted to give every race I'd be using for the campaign (these, and the PHB ones) different stat mods. This is mainly to help distinguish them a little, give more options, etc.

Remember that races exist to be played as specific classes in 4e

Acknowledged, and I attempted to work with it in all cases, such as Tieflings.

So for example a Doppleganger gets Charisma and Intelligence bonuses, so they are Feylocks.

Hmm. I actually hadn't considered Dopplegangers being the best feylocks. I'm not sure how I feel about that - I don't think I mind, and it's a kinda neat flavor. My goal was to make them fill the vacated tiefling slot (and hey, they had the int/cha anyway), and to focus on the two main eberron changeling roles: Rogues and Wizards. Wizard is easy enough, just give them an int bonus, but for Rogues, they didn't quite have enough. That's why I gave them the bonus I did, hoping the +1 hit would be attractive enough for rogues despite the lack of +2 dex. I was also thinking of giving them some other benefit for having Change Shape as an at-will power instead of a combat encounter power, which doesn't feel right. I didn't because at first I was worried the combat advantage bonus would be too much, but now it doesn't feel like anywhere near enough.

Gnomes similarly are Orb Wizards without exception.

Yep. The short, hard to hit little bastard who keeps screwing you over? Totally a gnome.

I flat do not understand your reworking of Razorclaw Shifters.

As-is, they seemed way too elf like, and I wanted them to have a different niche. The str/dex bonus makes them good brutal rogues, sword fighters, and melee rangers. Elves fill the archer role good enough, with +2 Dex, +2 Wis, and +1 speed all the time. Razorclaw Shifters were instead intended to be the crazy berserkers, while Longtooth were similiar, but tended towards more clerics (and probably some nature PHB2 classes which I haven't seen yet) instead of rogues, but could still be excellent fighters and rangers.

[Aktariel]

Don't have it in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that Shifters and (maybe?) Warforged are in PHB II.

[koz]

Don't have it in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that Shifters and (maybe?) Warforged are in PHB II.

DragonChild has acknowledged this, and claims that he's redoing them because they don't do what he wants them to in his world.

[Aktariel]

EDIT: At the risk of sounding impolite, take that, Sinister!

[DragonChild]

DragonChild has acknowledged this, and claims that he's redoing them because they don't do what he wants them to in his world.

Actually, nope. I don't have the PHB2, nor do I have access to it. These were also written up before I knew they were in the PHB2 (the game was originally planned for earlier in the semester, but got pushed back). The warforged I presented are, IIRC, the Dragon Magazine warforged with one tiny change - which ends up changing a lot over the MM warforged. If anyone is willing to share how the PHB2 Shifter and Warforged differ from the MM one, I'd be interested.

[MartinHarper]

I think it's good to have racial bonuses that don't work with the obvious class(es) for a race. If Changelings can be made to work for Rogues and Feylocks, rather than just Feylocks, then this is an improvement.

Actually, nope. I don't have the PHB2, nor do I have access to it.

Last I checked, the free trial of the Character Builder gives you the official rules for all the races printed.