I have been discussing about this in other threads, and i decided to see if there was any people who shared my opinion.
Small races have a hard time making melee combat a viable option. Not only do they all have a strength penalty (expect Wayangs but i have never seen anyone play those) they also have less movement speed, lower weapon damage, and Minuses to combat maneuvers. In exchange they get plus one to hit (which is denied by the strength reduction) and Armor class as well as big plus to stealth. It seems hardly a substitute. Well, unless your character is stealthy like a rogue. But what about people who want to Play Hafling fighters? Or Gnome Paladins?
Now, i get it. Races have advantage's and disadvantages. But Small races have these stacked so hard against them that 40% of play styles is being discouraged from them. And i am from the mindset that you should encourage but never discourage characters.
Now, there are some workarounds for this. Here are ways i have found out to make small characters better at melee.
1. Weapon finesse
Allowing you to use dexterity instead of strength in melee removes your biggest disadvantage. However, it limits your weapon choices severely. Also, you either have to enchant your weapon or have to get Slashing grace/Fencing grace/dervish to get damage rolls with dex too, and latter makes you have to keep your offhand empty.
2. Mounted combat
This is actually a good idea. Small cavaliers are actually more viable than normal sized cuz they can fit into dungeons with their mounts. For those who don't want to ride, animal companions can share some of your burden in melee.
3: Sneak attack
Both Gnome and Halfling rogues are good. Sneak attack allows you to deal damage that is unaffected by strength. For those who do not want to be rogues, this is of course not an option. I personally don't like playing rogues as i like to be more direct.
So, what other ways have you discovered to make small characters better at close combat? Do you think that there is not enough options, and paizo should give us more? Do you think that Small races Anti-melee design is stupid, or at the very least they went completely overboard with it, like i do? Please, make halfling fighters not be something to snicker at.
Out of all the things, the movement penalty feels the harshest in my experience. Going with a 20' base and heavy armour leaves you with the mobility of a sack of potatoes and that's really no fun. The work-arounds I've used are, in no particular order:
1) Boots of Springing and Striding - These magic boots adds 10' to your move rate. A bit pricey for the novice adventurer, but soon easily affordable.
2) Combat classes with movement bonuses - Classes like monks, barbarians and even some oracles that come with built-in speed boosts helps to even the odds a little.
3) Small races without move penalties - Halflings can get this with a trait, small-sized tiefling variants sorta exists and goblins and their ilk comes pre-packaged this way.
4) Be an archer instead - This bypasses almost all the problems associated with being a small character in combat. Archery has plenty of ways to boost their damage output at the cost of accuracy, like rapid shot, but not really a whole lot of things to help them hit, which being small (and usually having +Dex) helps with. Sure, dealing about 2 less damage per shot due to smaller size and strength feels bad, but hitting an extra shot more then makes up for it.
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Small races can be plenty good in melee. They might be slightly less optimal than the same tactics on a larger character, but the difference is slight and is compensated for by other racial abilities.
Examples:
Gnome Paladin: slow (if in medium or heavy armour, which you will be), but does 1d10 base melee damage with a small greatsword or small lucerne hammer, plus 1.5xSTR bonus, plus smite evil. Gets full benefit from power attack. Can get a divine mount, which removes the downside of the slow speed and will normally be medium sized so you are highly mobile. Does more smite damage and has better saves than some larger races because of CHA bonus. Gets gnome magic. (If you want be really gross, be a gnome Champion of Irori with Bewildering Koan).
Halfling Barbarian: (my wife plays one in PFS). Same speed as larger races when using halfling alternative racial trait. Does decent melee damage when raging. My wife's PC uses a greatclub, doing 1d8+7 when raging, 1d8+10 with power attack and rage, which is more than sufficient at her level. 2d6+12 for a raging power attacking human barbarian with a greatsword is overkill a lot of the time. Advantages over larger races: better saves and AC, and halflings get some amazing racial feats (risky striker and lucky halfling for example).
Sneak attack, by the way, doesn't have to come from rogue levels alone. Slayer and Snakebite Striker Brawler both get sneak attack, and they are both full base attack classes. I have a single-classed inquisitor build that gets 5d6 sneak attack at level 11 with no shenanigans involved (just two stacking archetypes).
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One thing I think should be avoided at all cost is the warcraft mentality that any race should be equally suited to any task. In that game, a gnome and a colossal Tauren are virtually equally suited to the task of fighting in melee.
This is not WOW or 4E. As pathfinder players we have to deal with some degree of "realism". Honestly I love it.
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You mention that the -2 to str offsets the +1 bonus to hit, implying that you might be missing the strengths of small characters. (pun) There's no need to beat medium characters at their own game, i.e. smashing stuff with a large metal pole.
Small characters are dexterous, and in my opinion the best thing to do is to build around that. Once you have dex to hit and damage, your size is doing very little to actually hinder you (only one step smaller dice) and is a net positive if you include the to hit and ac boost.
If you want to know a true martial terror, I have never built a stronger martial than my halfling monk/druid/Urogue/mouser swashbuckler. He can wild shape all the down to diminutive, getting his dex up to 30. Also, the halfling feat risky striker is power attack vs bigger creatures. As a diminutive animal, anything small or larger counts! Combine this with pirahna strike and your cute little fists will be dealing astounding damage.
CMB isn't all that bad either, considering that diminutive creatures automatically get dex instead of str to cmb.
Anyway, just wated to make the point that comparing str based small characters to str based med characters is missing out on what small characters do best: being super small, hard to hit, and packing a huge punch.
I agree with you on that remark yes. I'm not saying that small races should be equal to terms of strength to bigger ones. That is simply logical. What i'm saying is that i think Paizo went overboard with it. I also think Paizo has not given enough tools for Small races to play to their strengths. Like, there should be more feats exclusive smaller races, since str based ones are pretty much out for them.
Also, i don't think druid is a martial?
To focus on both Small Core races:
A gnome gets some additional utility via gnome magic. Nowadays there are 5 (!) different alternate racial traits to get another package of spells. If you want darkvision, you can trade out low-light vision and the perception bonus for it.
Paladins profit both from the Cha bonus and the alternate FCB (+1/2 HP healed with lay on hands). As magus, a gnome can add a few new fancy weapon abilities (e.g. vicious or ghost touch) via alternate FCB. 1/6 of a new slayer talent doesn't hurt either.
When it comes to feats, there is the Gnome Weapon Focus (+1 attack bonus with 'gnome' weapons, usually meaning the hammer). Eternal Enmity can be nice to get 1d6 precision damage vs. a very common group of enemies. Illusive Gnome Style etc. improve your feint, so it might work well with a slayer.
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Halflings are different. You can get rid of the slow speed (as already mentioned), and your saves are quite good. If you don't mind the slow speed too much, there is Creepy Doll to backstab foes and avoid the Intimidate penalty vs. bigger foes. It's possible to give up the bonus vs. fear for more versatility (two more class skills via Fey Thoughts). Skulker offers you +1 attack bonus vs. foes with their Dex bonus denied, most obvious use is after a feint.
As a fighter, they can get +1 CMD vs. grapple and trip as alternate FCB, which might be the most common maneuvers. Halfling paladins can profit from the same boost to lay on hands as gnomes.
If you understand the halfling martial more as a tank, Cautious Fighter gives you +2 AC during fighting defensively / total defense. But if you want to go for damage, Risky Striker adds damage like Power Attack (on an one-handed weapon, though) and does stack with it, by RAW. Finally there are some feats (and a racial trait) about using a sling, can make a nice exotic option.
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Last but not least there are some feats for 'Small or smaller' in general. Go Unnoticed allows you to hide in plain sight in the first round of combat (vs. flat-footed foes only), might work well for anyone with sneak attack. Taunt makes you use Bluff instead of Intimidate - so you can focus on one skill. Further it bypasses the size based Intimidate penalty - means you can demoralize the ogre better than the human can. Underfoot and Passing Trick demand a lot of feats (Mobility AND Improved Feint) and a risky playstyle (move through foe's square), but feinting as swift action is nice.
Ah, I missed a goodie. There are several feats requiring you being smaller than the foe - of course this is easier if you are Small. Steadfast Slayer gives you +2 damage per size difference (wohow), but you have to use a two-handed weapon and be the only threatener.
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All of you're inputs has been mostly helpful. My words come from the heart, as i love playing small races. (which is ironic considering i'm very tall in real life) I also don't want races to be equal in terms of power. what i would like is for a halfling fighter to be able to say to a half-orc fighters something like ''You may be stronger than me, but i'm _________ than you!'' and have that empty spot be something very useful.
But i have not played pathfinder for a long time yet. maybe Small races are more than capable to be powerful in melee, i just have not been observant enough. That is entirely possible.
All of you're inputs has been mostly helpful. My words come from the heart, as i love playing small races. (which is ironic considering i'm very tall in real life) I also don't want races to be equal in terms of power. what i would like is for a halfling fighter to be able to say to a half-orc fighters something like ''You may be stronger than me, but i'm _________ than you!'' and have that empty spot be something very useful.
But i have not played pathfinder for a long time yet. maybe Small races are more than capable to be powerful in melee, i just have not been observant enough. That is entirely possible.
Hopefully your halfling can come back with, "Well at least I'm not a fighter."
Hopefully your halfling can come back with, "Well at least I'm not a fighter."All of you're inputs has been mostly helpful. My words come from the heart, as i love playing small races. (which is ironic considering i'm very tall in real life) I also don't want races to be equal in terms of power. what i would like is for a halfling fighter to be able to say to a half-orc fighters something like ''You may be stronger than me, but i'm _________ than you!'' and have that empty spot be something very useful.
But i have not played pathfinder for a long time yet. maybe Small races are more than capable to be powerful in melee, i just have not been observant enough. That is entirely possible.
Then it turns out the comeback was ''i'm a monk!'' And it kinda fell apart after that.
what i would like is for a halfling fighter to be able to say to a half-orc fighters something like ''You may be stronger than me, but i'm _________ than you!'' and have that empty spot be something very useful
The halfling fighter has a higher AC (size bonus, Dex bonus, Cautious Fighter), qualifies for two weapons more easily (Dex bonus, less benefit of big weapons anyway) and can become better with a sling (warslinger racial trait, Halfling Slinger, Slipslinger Style).
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What inquisitor build her sneak attack?
Sanctified Slayer - replaces Judgement with some Slayer stuff including sneak attack and studied target.
Which stacks with Green Faith Marshal. Generally this archetype is a downgrade from vanilla Inquisitor, but it gives you access to an animal/terrain domain (which typically only Druids get). One of these is the Crocodile Domain, which also gives you sneak attack dice.
the first thing that pops in my mind is a Halfling swashbuckler...
One thing I think should be avoided at all cost is the warcraft mentality that any race should be equally suited to any task. In that game, a gnome and a colossal Tauren are virtually equally suited to the task of fighting in melee.
This is not WOW or 4E. As pathfinder players we have to deal with some degree of "realism". Honestly I love it.
Honestly, Pathfinder is pretty far away from every race being equally suitable to every task (class/role). What we have currently is:
One race is best at every class.
All races are passable to good at certain classes.
All races are remarkably poor at certain classes and are effectively barred from them.
Little things, like eliminating ability negatives (but keeping bonuses) would actually make all races able to perform passably in all classes, but still wouldn't put them on the levels with the races who excel in those classes (and especially not with Humans).
To be honest, some races are so weak in certain meaningful roles (warrior, for instance) that it's a wonder that they could have thrived enough to become dominant in the first place. That kind of thing really attacks the ol' suspension of disbelief.
Gnome barbarian 2/skald 4/dragon disciple 4/barbarian with the Master Tinker alternate racial trait, Eldritch Heritage (Abyssal), Improved Eldritch Heritage (Strength of the Abyss), and Lingering Song. Early rage cycling (through the Inspired Rage raging song; Lingering Song helps give more rounds of "rage"), +4 Str from dragon disciple, even more Str from Improved Eldritch Heritage (+2 at 11th character level, increasing to +4 at 15th and +6 at 19th), the ability to use any exotic weapon (as long as it's crafted by the character; Obsessive with Craft (Weapons) for the +2 on the check).
Halfling fighters are fine. Paladins less so.
It is easy to do a pure martial character on a 20 point buy.
Just go with these stats (assuming halfling, but you can switch dex adn con for gnomes):
STR: 16 (18) DEX: 14 (12) CON: 14 INT: 10 WIS: 10 CHA: 9 (7)
There. A perfectly good fighter. Less than optimal strength (I usually go for similar stats, but with 18 str on the same point buy), but as mentioned- you get that back from size bonus. Mostly just a loss in damage (which might be added upon by the smaller weapons; TWF slayer might be a good pick, since lighter weapons lose less from the size change).
It is obviously harder to make a gish of any sort. This mostly relies upon using the bonuses you do get to mostly buy yourself out of your penalty. So less room for cha, (and that is the easier mental stat to grab).
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Variant Tieflings and Aasimars(and I think Skinwalkers?) can all be born to small races. In such a case they are Small, but still use Aasimar and Tiefling stats, like 30ft movements speed.
Not entirely sure where it came from, but there is a sidebar on the Skinwalker page.
There's a world of difference between 'not viable' and 'not optimal', and in the long run -2 STR isn't *that* big a deal when they've got +1 attack and AC. There are plenty of benefits to having a +2 to DEX as well, as most do, along with things like the +1 all saves a Halfling gets.
If nothing else, you can make a Halfling melee 18\16, 12/14, 14, 10, 10, 7/9, and they're just fine with no real stat-dumping. Or, you could go 16/14, 17/19, 12, 10, 9, 7/9, to set-up a deadly-accurate TWF Finesse Fighter or Cavalier or whatever.