To be fair to Exalted, WW pushes the role playing aspect of the game as well as doesn't sell minis for it (and consequently doesn't have the immeasurably more tactical options that 4E has).
Nah. They had 'em. They just didn't sell at all (and were ironically enough all sculpts of the signature characters rather than potential PC's--gotta' love that double scoop of pretentious ego)
Did you hear about the new ability scores? The old ones were a little too limiting and unfun, so they're being changed. The new scores are:
Funstrength
Funxterity
Funstitution
Funrisma
Funtelligence
Fundom
And since having scores which rarely transcend the 18-20 range is a little limiting and unfun, according to WotC
all character ability scores will now begin at "a jillion bazillion gazillion funzillion."
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I'm not a big fan of certain specific penalties (Elves, IMO, would be better served with a Str penalty than a Con penalty, and Dwarves should have a Dex penalty instead of a Cha penalty), but I don't specifically need them to balance out.
One of the difficulties they seem to have run into with Savage Species / LA nonsense is what sort of 'price-tag' to assign races with an imbalanced set of statistic. Hobgoblins, for instance, had +2 Dex and +2 Con. Was that +4 to two useful attributes *really* worth being an entire class level behind a Human with his +0 attributes, bonus Feat, extra skill points and Favored Class of choice? Not really. And if it is worth that much, then races with negative stat totals, such as Kobolds, should have *negative* LA.
I'll withhold judgement on these specifics until I see how they are dealt with. If the races are tweaked to be interesting and develop as levels increase (yes floating grasshopper, you have finally gained the insight necessary to master the secrets of your elven heritage), and the 'monster races' (like Hobgoblins, Gnolls and Bugbears) end up balanced out in such a way as to be playable options, then I'll concede that the creative team are geniuses, particularly if the level-based racial gains are modular and can be customized based on cultural assumptions (Valenar elves becoming 'familiar' with scimitars instead of rapiers, etc. *Far* too many 'racial abilities' are less 'racial' and more 'cultural' such as weapon choices or racial enemies or whatever).
If they somehow manage to change stuff around without actually *fixing* these issues with the old format, I'll continue to compare 4.0 to the 'New Game Experience' in Star Wars Galaxies.
...All bonuses. There are no drawbacks to being an elf. No penalties, no reductions. Just good stuff...
I agree on every point you touched on.
Part of me is amused and bemused by this. I seriously think WotC is lowering the maturity level of play -- last time I needed to have 'super-PC' without any drawbacks, I was about 12 years old.
So D&D is now catering to preteens, and backing away from more mature character developement issues (and, IMO, the adult market). Given the price of playing D&D, this quite funny. Their new target market is going to be paying for this expensive hobby out of their allowances.
To be fair... we're viewing this out of context - we don't know how these relate to other races, the classes, skill checks, weapon damage, hit points, pretty much anything.
Maybe in the grand framework of the game these +2 bonuses will not be as big an impact as 3.5 ones would be?
Many moons ago (in the days of 2E) I think we all would have been aghast at "+2 to Dex" elves and decried them. But we know how they work in the system. Maybe certain checks will be more difficult, certain monsters tougher?
We already know that attribute boosting magic will be lessened.
I'm intrigued to see how these will work in context.
One of the difficulties they seem to have run into with Savage Species / LA nonsense is what sort of 'price-tag' to assign races with an imbalanced set of statistic. Hobgoblins, for instance, had +2 Dex and +2 Con. Was that +4 to two useful attributes *really* worth being an entire class level behind a Human with his +0 attributes, bonus Feat, extra skill points and Favored Class of choice? Not really...
I'm getting off topic with this reply, but I don't entirely agree.
With the specific example you gave (hobgoblins), I think you could easily make the argument that most of the benefits of a fighter level are obtained. A 10th level fighter will have a net +1 to hit (the single most important level bonus for a fighter), +10 hp (quite a bit, over 10% increase, so you last more than 10% longer in combat), and some improvement on damage inflicted and Fortitude saves. That's almost all of a fighter's assets.
If the PC doesn't go with a fighter (or something close), then I agree -- any benefit isn't anywhere close to the listed adjustment. I think this is true for most level adjustments: they're accurate if, and only if, you choose a class for which your bonuses are relevant.
In the end, I don't mind most of the level adjustments in Savage Species or most other sources.
To each their own :)
Nah. They had 'em. They just didn't sell at all (and were ironically enough all sculpts of the signature characters rather than potential PC's--gotta' love that double scoop of pretentious ego)
They had them back in 1E, not in 2E. They also practically never advertised them. Or at least they never advertised them well.
So, elves are tall now. All previous art and figures that made them short, as they have been in every other edition of DND ever, ...
Darksun elves are tall, up to 7'. Of course Darksun isn't normal D&D.
But the limitations on many of the races didn't seem to come into play other than to determine what class you were. Does the half-orcs intelligence and charisma penalties matter when all it really does is stop them from being arcane spellcasters and paladins?That way you could still qualify for a class with an attribute counter-to-type; you won't get the same bonuses as someone of a more "suited" race, but you still qualify and can still be competent.3.x had no racial restrictions for base classes. In fact, some of the most interesting characters are the ones that are different than the "standard": half-orc bards or paladins instead of barbarians, halfling fighters with heavy armor and (small) greatsword instead of rogues, dwarf sorcerers instead of fighters. A -2 to an ability score is not a major hindrance and won't result in an "incompetent" character, unless the player builds them that way.
Statements like this tick me off as they tend to show either a munchkin attitude or a poor grasp of the rules. I can build an effective character from any combination of race and class in the 3.0/3.5 PHB, even using 25-point buy.
Ahem ... I was responding to a statement that implied that the penalties were required to have the races be balanced. I was just say the penalties only affected you if you let them. I'm just not sure that penalties that only effect you if you choose a certain class were important for balance.
But yeah...
Wee! I'm a munchkin or have a poor grasp of the rules!
:P
Things are being changed for the sake of changing them. They want to make it all different, so we have to buy it to get the newest version. Of elves.
Don't buy. I like the simplicity of the new racial abilities. I like the perception bonus to those within 5' of an elf. I like the idea of on perception roll instead of a spot and listen check. It reminds of of Alternity; I always liked that game system.
What happened to lowlight vision? Is it gone from fourth edition? If so bummers.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Don't buy. I like the simplicity of the new racial abilities. I like the perception bonus to those within 5' of an elf. I like the idea of on perception roll instead of a spot and listen check. It reminds of of Alternity; I always liked that game system.Things are being changed for the sake of changing them. They want to make it all different, so we have to buy it to get the newest version. Of elves.
I find it strange. "Well I'm walking down the street with my elf buddy, so now I'm more alert." Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
What happened to lowlight vision? Is it gone from fourth edition? If so bummers.
Darkvision's gone, low light is now for Dwarves. There's also something called Nethersight that is on the Spined Devil Card.
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I find it strange. "Well I'm walking down the street with my elf buddy, so now I'm more alert." Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
It actually makes sense to me. I've walked patrols before and in my current job when conducting shakedowns I have some Officers who when, under the direction of a more perceptive person, actually find stuff they would have otherwise missed.
Low light vision is still there (Sehanine be blessed) :
Read again, at Vision : Low-light
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I find it strange. "Well I'm walking down the street with my elf buddy, so now I'm more alert." Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
It actually makes sense to me. I've walked patrols before and in my current job when conducting shakedowns I have some Officers who when, under the direction of a more perceptive person, actually find stuff they would have otherwise missed.
Point taken.
Me: Wisdom of 8, no ranks in spot or listen, +8 Insight bonus to spot Asian women ;-)
I like the simplicity of the new racial abilities.
Simplicity is almost always good. I think this'll be a good improvement from 4/e.
I like the perception bonus to those within 5' of an elf.
Oooh -- I don't. What's happening with this, you magically get 20/15 vision when you're next to an elf? Maybe all characters within 5' should temporarily develop pointed ears, too.
Regards :)
I've walked patrols before and in my current job when conducting shakedowns I have some Officers who when, under the direction of a more perceptive person, actually find stuff they would have otherwise missed.
Yeah, under direction -- not just because they're next to you.
From now on every character standing watch will do it next to the sleeping elf :/
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Yeah, under direction -- not just because they're next to you.
Non-verbal communication is to be considered as well. Sudden stiffness, cocking of ear, etc will make companions take note as well.
From now on every character standing watch will do it next to the sleeping elf :/
Sure, throw common sense out the window too. ;P
Who says they aren't under direction, or they don't pick up a vibe from the elf. I think it nicely mirrors elves in literature.
Sure, throw common sense out the window too. ;P
Which, I assure you, will be done by a great many players. And such goobers are going to greatly resent any DM that tries to impose such common sense on them.
But you're right, the interpretation (though rules-legal) is silly.
...you could freely choose to be a Wizard with a 6 INT Dwarf, if you so desired.
Not really, for the record.
Int 10 would permit casting 0-level spells at best. Int 6 allows none (though they might be allowed to learn those spells they can't cast). A wizard can only cast spells up to level (Int - 10). I thought that was an effective (and simple) mechanism.
Right - he'd be bloody useless as a Wizard, but he could still take levels in the class.
It'd be a funny character.
When I played Living Force (SW-RPG), I once played with someone whose 8th-level character had a total BAB +1. It was quite amusing -- and he was a very useful character.
I'm still not sure how he accomplished that :P
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Santa's not gonna bring you any presents if you talk like that, Sebastian.
As long as you're being anal retentive, why don't you list the other printings that do use inches, including 1e and 2e. The point remains - D&D has a history of using inches. Don't get me wrong, I'm duly impressed by your mastery of the trivial, it'd just be more compelling if it actually addressed the substance of the argument put forward.
I'm counting on him coming for my children. Then he'll step into my diabolical trap and either I will get all the toys and ruin the holiday or learn the true meaning of Christmas. The safe bet is on the former.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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So what's so terrifying about this?All bonuses. There are no drawbacks to being an elf. No penalties, no reductions. Just good stuff. If this has been done at the race level, it has likely been done everywhere. These decisions are largely meaningless, because your no worse than anyone else, you're just better in some places. (If you don't understand my problem here, think The Incredibles. If everyone is special, then no one is. Part of the point of a race is to be better at some things AND WORSE AT OTHERS. That's one reaosn to play a human -- no real weakness. But now, you're just better at stuff as an elf, with no drawback.)
The "yeah, but" argument that I would make is that character creation might not be the best place to put a choice that involves a negative number. The analogy would be to something like magic. Common cards are the ones most frequently encountered and are also the simplist and easiest to use. Beginning magic players are very resistant to play cards that inflict a negative condition on them; even if such cards are a net positive in most game states. Magic still includes such cards, but does so at greater rarity levels.
Similarly, it might make sense to put choices involving trade-offs at a more advanced level - say feat selection. That way the basic act of making a character, which is most people's gateway into the game, is a more positive experience.
That's mostly a devil's advocate argument. It involves a lot of assumptions. An argument in support of your position is that having a negative attribute builds character (pun intended). When you choose an elf under the current regime, you get to be quicker, but you also are more frail, and each of these are a hook for roleplaying.
I'm cautious about the change - it's fairly subtle and it's really hard to say what effect it will have without generating a character or two.
Plus, the racial power worries me. It's very sparese, and very mechanical. I can't see it ever feeling like anything but a game mechanic, not something that models part of a realistic and fantastical world.
I think we are on the same page as to our fundamental worry about 4e, and this is one of those things that touches that fear. The game mechanics appear to be driving the ship in 4e. Prior editions seemed to focus more on simulating reality (with some significant exceptions, such as hit points) and then layering powers/abilities/fantasy on top of that. 4e is looking much more like mechanical convenience was the first consideration and that flavor was then built around such mechanics. On the one hand, this presumably makes for a very good game. On the other hand, that game sounds different from what I know of as D&D. It may well be that the additional value added by the new game-centric mentality exceeds the loss in simulationism, but it definitely gives me pause.
So, elves are tall now. All previous art and figures that made them short, as they have been in every other edition of DND ever, is invalid. And they are always creatures of the woods. Your savvy, city-wize, educated empire of elves with ships and trade routes and large urabn areas? Gone.
I'd be more bothered by this if it weren't so commonly house ruled (even within campaign settings). In a way, the out-of-the-box D&D elf was off-model to begin with, and 4e just fixed the problem. I think if this change had been introduced in 3e, it wouldn't have been nearly as big of a deal. It still creates backwards compatability problems, but on the scale of things, this is similar to the 2e hobbits becoming the 3e kender-light.
I've got to run, but those are some of my responses to the issues raised. I'm not thrilled by them, but I also think there is some value to them.
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Non-verbal communication is to be considered as well. Sudden stiffness, cocking of ear, etc will make companions take note as well.
Except when you fail your check and your non-elf buddy makes it. Because you're both rolling dice and the rule doesn't say gives non-elf companions a +1 bonus when you make your check- just when they're around you. Sorry, but the rule doesn't support this interpretation.
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Except when you fail your check and your non-elf buddy makes it. Because you're both rolling dice and the rule doesn't say gives non-elf companions a +1 bonus when you make your check- just when they're around you. Sorry, but the rule doesn't support this interpretation.Non-verbal communication is to be considered as well. Sudden stiffness, cocking of ear, etc will make companions take note as well.
I disagree. It supports it just fine.
I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.
I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.
Perfect? Doesn't that there is no room for improvement? Were the 3.5 Dryads perfect since they had no racial penalites to their ability scores? The Storm giant had even higher stats. Does that make them more perfect than the perfect Dryad?
Ahem ... I was responding to a statement that implied that the penalties were required to have the races be balanced. I was just say the penalties only affected you if you let them. I'm just not sure that penalties that only effect you if you choose a certain class were important for balance.
In AD&D/2nd Ed/3.x, humans were the baseline/dominant race. Each demi-human race had both benefits and drawbacks when compared to humans. They could do some things better than humans, but they also did some things worse (otherwise, how could humans be the dominant race?). Also, the penalties have an effect no matter what class is chosen. Compared to a human, a dwarf will have more hp but not be as good with social skills, an elf will be more nimble but have less hp, a gnome will have more hp but be weaker, a half-orc will be stronger but have less skill points and be worse at social skills, and a halfling will be more nimble but weaker. Depending on the ability score distribution and which class is chosen, how much it affects the character will vary, but it will still have an effect.
As a side note, until we can compare the elf with the other PC races we can't tell how balanced they are in 4e. However, the "all benefits, no drawbacks" mindset just reeks of power-creep (like the "PCs and NPCs use different rules" and "PCs will be able to fight multiple goblins/kobold/orcs at 1st level"). Also, as others have stated, the focus on pure mechanics (re-roll one ranged attack per encounter, all allies in 5 squares gain a +1 to Perception), with no justification why they gain these abilities is "video-gamey."
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I find it strange. "Well I'm walking down the street with my elf buddy, so now I'm more alert." Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
It actually makes sense to me. I've walked patrols before and in my current job when conducting shakedowns I have some Officers who when, under the direction of a more perceptive person, actually find stuff they would have otherwise missed.
I think it's along the line of the more perceptive person pointing out things to others near them. Kind of like the point it out skill trick.
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Right - he'd be bloody useless as a Wizard, but he could still take levels in the class....you could freely choose to be a Wizard with a 6 INT Dwarf, if you so desired.Not really, for the record.
Int 10 would permit casting 0-level spells at best. Int 6 allows none (though they might be allowed to learn those spells they can't cast). A wizard can only cast spells up to level (Int - 10). I thought that was an effective (and simple) mechanism.
He could also still use wizard magic items like scrolls, wands, and staves. That alone, might be worth taking one level of wizard to some people.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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We were discussing this last night and took it to humourois extremes.
"Well does he have to be alive? Can you cremate the elf and carry him around for the bonus?"
"I want to play a ranger who's a headhunter and carries the shrunken heads aroind. 'Well, I carry this elf head for the spot bonus, and the dwarf head for the stability bonus... Oh! and this halfling head gives me the move silently bonus..."
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We were discussing this last night and took it to humourois extremes.
"Well does he have to be alive? Can you cremate the elf and carry him around for the bonus?"
"I want to play a ranger who's a headhunter and carries the shrunken heads aroind. 'Well, I carry this elf head for the spot bonus, and the dwarf head for the stability bonus... Oh! and this halfling head gives me the move silently bonus..."
That would be an awesome character... I'd play 4e just for that. :)
We were discussing this last night and took it to humourois extremes... "I want to play a ranger who's a headhunter and carries the shrunken heads aroind. 'Well, I carry this elf head for the spot bonus, and the dwarf head for the stability bonus... Oh! and this halfling head gives me the move silently bonus..."
LOL. That's funny enough to let a player do it :)
Sadly, I used to play with someone who would try such schemes. He was more interested in power-gaming and deriving advantages from loose interpretations of the rules, and would get quite argumentative. He was particularly frustrating, arguing in favor of a loose interpretation of a rule when the previous paragraph expressly forbade his idea.
I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.Perfect? Doesn't that there is no room for improvement? Were the 3.5 Dryads perfect since they had no racial penalites to their ability scores? The Storm giant had even higher stats. Does that make them more perfect than the perfect Dryad?
s
When was the last time you played a Dryad or Storm Giant? I might consider the dryad as a character in one of my games, but NEVER the S.Giant....but I digress. You raise an interesting counterpoint, but I don't mean that perfection means no room for improvement in this case, just no foreseeable flaws. Maybe this was something that started in 3.5 but is coming to full fruition in 4.0?
Actually, my concern is grammatical, and Wizards once again is in my writing hall of shame.
Read this paragraph.
Elves are a people of deeply felt but short-lived passions. They are easily moved to delighted laughter, blinding wrath, or mournful tears. They are inclined to impulsive behavior, and members of other races sometimes see elves as flighty or impetuous, but elves do not shirk responsibility or forget commitments. Thanks in part to their long life span, elves sometimes have difficulty taking certain matters as seriously as other races do, but when genuine threats arise, elves are fierce and reliable allies.
Now, tell me, in no uncertain terms, what the hell makes them think that this set of personality traits confers a WISDOM bonus.
It's not just that Wizards has no writing skills. It's that they've become STUPID.
Now, tell me, in no uncertain terms, what the hell makes them think that this set of personality traits confers a WISDOM bonus.
Bear with me -- I'm not accustomed to defending WotC.
I think wisdom is a poorly-understood, and poorly-named, ability. If you look at its associated skills, I think you could argue that Perception is a better name. But we're stuck with 30 years of tradition -- the Wisdom label isn't going anywhere.
So the unusually-perceptive elves should rightly gain such a bonus -- perhaps more so than a Dex bonus.
Why would clerics benefit from Perception? I don't know. Perhaps they are more 'in-tune' with the natural (and supernatural) world around them.
For what it's worth, I think Cha suffers similarly. It doesn' seem to be how likeable (or attractive) you are, but rather how strong your personality is, and how adept you are in getting your way (socially speaking).
Don't get me wrong -- I think WotC is guilty of some rampant stupidity nowadays. But IMO this isn't one of the examples.
My two cents. Regards :)
For what it is worth, my homebrew elves gain a +2 Dex and a +2 Cha, with no penalties. I assure you they are balanced with my other races though.
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I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.Perfect? Doesn't that there is no room for improvement? Were the 3.5 Dryads perfect since they had no racial penalites to their ability scores? The Storm giant had even higher stats. Does that make them more perfect than the perfect Dryad?s
When was the last time you played a Dryad or Storm Giant? I might consider the dryad as a character in one of my games, but NEVER the S.Giant....but I digress. You raise an interesting counterpoint, but I don't mean that perfection means no room for improvement in this case, just no foreseeable flaws. Maybe this was something that started in 3.5 but is coming to full fruition in 4.0?
If I were running a game, and a player wanted to play a Dryad, I would first ask if she was okay with all the bonuses and penalties that come with playing such a race, if she said yes, then I'd give her the go-ahead. I'd even House-Rule that the Dryad gets two Favored Classes, Bard and Druid. I can see it now.
ME(as NPC): You must take this Item of Great Misfortune to the Pit of Bleak Disaster, through the Forrest of Mild Discomfort.
Paladin: Alright guys! Let's go!
Party: OKAY!
-Four Minutes Later-
Barbarian: Uhm... why is the wooden woman flailing about and having a seizure?
Ranger: She must be more than 300 yards from her Oak.
Party: Oh well.
- The Next Day-
Ranger: TAKE THAT, VILE DEMON!!
Me: Congrats, the four of you get 425 experience each.
Party - Dryad: YES!
Rogue/Sorcerer: Awesome, now I can level and swap out spells.
Dryad: So... is anything happening in my grove?
Me: Let's see... *roll random encounter* Your connection to your Oak tells you there's a beaver gnawing on it.
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I think wisdom is a poorly-understood, and poorly-named, ability. If you look at its associated skills, I think you could argue that Perception is a better name. But we're stuck with 30 years of tradition -- the Wisdom label isn't going anywhere.
So the unusually-perceptive elves should rightly gain such a bonus -- perhaps more so than a Dex bonus.
Why would clerics benefit from Perception? I don't know. Perhaps they are more 'in-tune' with the natural (and supernatural) world around them.
I've always considered "Wisdom" to be an OK label, but it takes a bit to get there....
Looking at the skills, as you have, it includes the perception skills. However, noticing something means nothing if you can't interpret the meaning of it. So it's understanding what you're perceiving, or having an insight into the world around you (or, in the case of clerics, being able to understand the powers of the divine). Insight generally leads to wisdom...
That's my justification. :)
I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.Perfect? Doesn't that there is no room for improvement? Were the 3.5 Dryads perfect since they had no racial penalites to their ability scores? The Storm giant had even higher stats. Does that make them more perfect than the perfect Dryad?s
When was the last time you played a Dryad or Storm Giant? I might consider the dryad as a character in one of my games, but NEVER the S.Giant....but I digress. You raise an interesting counterpoint, but I don't mean that perfection means no room for improvement in this case, just no foreseeable flaws. Maybe this was something that started in 3.5 but is coming to full fruition in 4.0?If I were running a game, and a player wanted to play a Dryad, I would first ask if she was okay with all the bonuses and penalties that come with playing such a race, if she said yes, then I'd give her the go-ahead. I'd even House-Rule that the Dryad gets two Favored Classes, Bard and Druid. I can see it now.
ME(as NPC): You must take this Item of Great Misfortune to the Pit of Bleak Disaster, through the Forrest of Mild Discomfort.
Paladin: Alright guys! Let's go!
Party: OKAY!
-Four Minutes Later-Barbarian: Uhm... why is the wooden woman flailing about and having a seizure?
Ranger: She must be more than 300 yards from her Oak.
Party: Oh well.
- The Next Day-
Ranger: TAKE THAT, VILE DEMON!!
Me: Congrats, the four of you get 425 experience each.
Party - Dryad: YES!
Rogue/Sorcerer: Awesome, now I can level and swap out spells.
Dryad: So... is anything happening in my grove?
Me: Let's see... *roll random encounter* Your connection to your Oak tells you there's a beaver gnawing on it.
Dude, you made me spew hot apple cider all over my laptop I was laughing so hard. Thanks man.
I agree that the new elf is rather odd, and that the new take on "perfect races" is more disturbing by far. My distaste for 4th ed is growing.Perfect? Doesn't that there is no room for improvement? Were the 3.5 Dryads perfect since they had no racial penalites to their ability scores? The Storm giant had even higher stats. Does that make them more perfect than the perfect Dryad?s
When was the last time you played a Dryad or Storm Giant? I might consider the dryad as a character in one of my games, but NEVER the S.Giant....but I digress. You raise an interesting counterpoint, but I don't mean that perfection means no room for improvement in this case, just no foreseeable flaws. Maybe this was something that started in 3.5 but is coming to full fruition in 4.0?
I'm just saying that the flaws of a race depends on the race doing the examination. I would imagine a dwarf would look at the other PHB races and think they are all frail (except for gnomes), Half-orcs see all the other races as weak, and so on.
I personally thought having a penalty and a bonus was good because it added more of a difference between the races. We have the weak halfling and the strong half-orcs. By putting them next to each other the difference in strength is very pronounced. Right now however it would seem that races will be either strong or weak (normal) with no in between.
If however this works better mechanically I will be willing to stick with it.
*awesome stuff*
Ha! I guess I should of thought more when picking all bonus races rather than just picking them at random. I just was thinking that a Dryad would look at the races in front of her and think that they have large penalties compared to herself, not that people would actually play her. That is awesome though.