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Offline Libertad

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Races Handbook (HCL)
« on: January 31, 2013, 08:48:29 PM »

« on: October 24, 2009, 08:47:56 PM »
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Tier System for D&D 3.5 Races

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE

A lot of work has been done on BG in regards to the levels of optimization that a class or prestige class can achieve. I want to make a handbook about the power level of races available in D&D, and how and why they make a character more powerful. I generally will not be addressing templates (with a couple exceptions) or races with racial hit dice, or very high level adjustments. The reason is that these templates and monster classes tend to be totally pidgeonholed into a particular role, and they are generally either totally underpowered or wildly overpowered. For example, take a look at the Gnoll and Ogre right out of your Monster Manual. A character of one of these races has completely lopsided stats (geared towards melee), and loses a bunch of class levels due to racial HD and level adjustment so they can get some mediocre melee class levels in humanoid and giant respectively. This is what the majority of monster classes are like, though there are of course a few gems that one may find, like the Choker and Pixie.

First off, what is a race? In short, its a template that is applied to a class. For example, think of a bard. That bard could be a gnome, a human, a halfling, etc. And each race would offer its own strengths and weaknesses to augment the class. This handbook will explain how each race augments the classes, where they can shine best, and how they stack up in overall power. The quick rule of thumb to class balance is that monsters are designed to fight against players, not against each other. Shapeshifting and Summoning/Calling spells easily break the game, and so do the classes that access these.

Before you can judge whether a race is better than another overall, you need to know what classes are the best. So, a brief overview:

Tier 1 Classes: Primary Spellcasters. These classes get access to the best spells, earlier than the spontaneous casters. Clerics and Druids do not have issues of spells known, they know all the godliness on their list, and can cast them while wearing heavy armor or shapeshifted into a monster. The Archivist can pick and choose any spell from any spell list of divine caster so long as the DM allows. The Wizard can generalize to pick from a big list like the archivist, or specialize in one of the stronger schools to get a ton of the most powerful spells in the game several times per day. The Artificier abuses magic in a different way: through magic items.
Tier 2 Classes: Spontaneous Casters. Spontaneous casters, like the Favored Soul, Psion, Spirit Shaman and Sorcerer get a ton of spells per day. However, their casting progresses very slightly slower than the prepared spellcasters, they are limited in terms of spells known, and they have less powerful class features.
Tier 3 Classes: Hybrids. These are the Tome of Battle classes, classes with thematically restricted spell lists (Beguiler, Necromancer, Psychic Warrior), skillmonkeys, etc. They get some strong class features, but are more limited compared to firing off high level Transmutations, etc.
Tier 4 Classes: Specialized classes. These classes do one or two things, and they do them fairly well. The Barbarian runs up and hits things with his glaive. The Rogue backstabs and unlocks doors. The Ranger fires arrows. The Dungeoncrasher crashes dungeons. Fun, but lack versatility.
Tier 5 Classes: Subpar. The Healer and Adept are crappy Clerics, the Expert is a crappy Factotum, and the Knight and Paladin are crappy Crusaders. These classes can be still be enjoyable, but they are generally watered down versions of what other classes can already do.
Tier 6 Classes: Bare bones. These classes have almost no class features to their names, and if they do its easy to replicate them. What does a Samurai do that the Ranger can't?

With that said, one should break down what makes a good race a good race.
Good ability score adjustments
A good size to reflect what it does. Small is better for casters and skillmonkeys, Medium and Large are better for melee. Casters and skillmonkeys are better than melee, so smaller races tend to be stronger overall.
Speed
Extraordinary, Supernatural, and Spell-like abilities. These are what make the Tier 1s the Tier 1s.
Favored Class? Well, most DMs do not enforce multiclass penalties, and I will be rating assuming yours does not. If this is not true, races with bad FCs get weaker (Dwarf), and races with good FCs (Halfelf, Illumian) get stronger.
Racial feats and prestige classes. These become important in optimization outside of core. Oh cool, your High Elf Conjurer has levels in Archmage? Well my Forest Gnome Sorcerer is a Shadowcraft Mage, and he can use a Heightened Silent Image to cast anything in the Conjuration and Evocation schools, except its 20% stronger and he can do it more times per day than you can, spontaneously.

Next, we need to talk about those ability score adjustments, as those are the most obvious part of picking any given race.

Strength: Strength affects your melee attack rolls, damage rolls with many weapons, and ability with physical skills. The fact is that Wizards overestimated the importance of Strength when they made the game (see the Half-Orc and Orc). This is primarily for people who hit things and execute melee maneuvers. Not important otherwise.
Dexterity: Affects your abilities with ranged attack rolls (including Rays), Armor Class, Initiative, Reflex Saves (avoiding damage), and a lot of skills (Tumble is the most desirable of these). Most classes want some of this, but dedicated melee who wear heavy armor and have a ton of health can skip it.
Constitution: Affects your Fortitude Save (Save or die, Save or suck), Health Points per level, and a couple skills (mainly Concentration). Everyone wants this, you generally want to think hard about races with constitution penalties.
Intelligence: Affects your skill points per level, certain skills (usually not so important like knowledge), and casting for certain classes (Wizards, Archvists, etc). When all is said and done, you want to try to get at least a 10 here so you can get some skillpoints. Otherwise you aren't just an illiterate barbarian, you are a retarded barbarian. Overall this is a very powerful stat since it controls casting for some Tier 1s, and gives skill points to boot.
Wisdom: Affects your Will Save (Save or suck, Save or be controlled), some generally unimportant skills, and some casting. Botching a will save can really fuck you over, so unless being blind sounds like your idea of a good time, make sure you have a good will save. Like Intelligence, this can be a pretty powerful stat to boost, since the priest classes have been buffed A LOT since AD&D.
Charisma: Mainly affects casting for personality classes like Sorcerer, things like smiting and turning undead, and a few skills. The premier of these skills are Use Magic Device and Diplomacy. Generally, you don't need to get your UMD that high, a 4th level spell wand is still DC 20 (hard to hit at low levels, not bad at all once you get some experience). And a lot of characters skip Diplomacy and just dominate the world. A decent stat for a race to boost, but it often comes at cost of Constitution: Not a good trade. A commonly dumped stat in game, not so much IRL.

Yet another thing needs to be mentioned: Type. There are a few different common types of PC races. This is important since they have slightly different traits and spells such as Alter Self work differently with different types.
1)Humanoid. Your standard people, get analyzed by Knowledge(Local) or (Nobility). The Dragonblood subtype lets you qualify for some special options in Races of the Dragons. Other subtypes can qualify you for various other perks.
2)Monstrous Humanoid. The racial class for this is slightly different than the humanoid class. But generally the main difference between a Human and, lets say a Goliath, is that Monstrous Humanoids are filed under Knowledge(Nature). Fey and Giant types are similar. Interestingly, Giants get free Martial Weapon Proficiency.
3)Abberations. There are a few of these, most notably Elans and Chokers. These have some cool inherent traits and get filed under Knowledge (Dungeoneering). I just want to randomly mention that if you can find a way to play or turn yourself into a beholder, there is a really sick prestige class in Lords of Madness called the Beholder Mage. You get full wizard/sorcerer casting in 10 levels, cast spontaneously, and you don't carry a spellbook, instead you permanently know any scroll you read. Good stuff.
4)Outsider. Most notably Tiefling and Aasimar. The racial class for these guys is seriously dominant, though if you are playing these you probably aren't as concerned about that. But if you are Polymorphing/Alter Selfing, you can get some sweet forms. Filed under Knowledge (The Planes). Also, you get free Martial Weapon Proficiency which is sweet for gish builds.
5)And the single most awesome is of course Dragon. You can shapeshift into dragons. Races of The Dragons has special sorcerer spells for you that are extra strong. If you are of at least old age you qualify for EPIC FEATS. There are more goodies to be had in Dragons of Ebberron, Dragon Magic, and Dragonomicon. For example, sovereign archetypes. Loredrake gives you +2 sorcerer casting, another lets you cast druid spells as arcane. Filed under Knowledge (Arcana)
6)Animal and Magical Beast: Just mentioning that some people play awakened animals, and some prestige classes actually turn you into an animal or Magical Beast. Some of the options in Savage Species are pretty sick in fact. Knowledge (Nature)
7)Undead: You can get some cool templates like Necropolitan and Dry Lich to become undead. This has various benefits and costs. Knowledge (Religion)
8)Living Construct, AKA Warforged: True constructs are usually mindless, but Warforged are from the Ebberon campaign setting. They get a ton of immunities and light fortification. I don't know what knowledge type these guys are filed under. I will cover them later in their own section.

Alright, lets get into the rating system. It needs to be said that these ratings are generally based on theoretical evidence, and an overall concensus that I have seen on the boards from players and DMs. It might be that the High Elf in your game blew the Dwarf out of the water. But generally Dwarves are a stronger race. Also, being a Tier 1 does not mean “Must play” and a Tier 5 does not mean “Never play”. An Orc Wizard can undoubtedly be a strong character. It just isn't generally as good as a Halfling. Also, for many races I will be posting a couple ratings. The first is the “out of the box” rating, which is if you are not using any templates, substitution levels, or variants from outside the book that the race is provided in; and the second is the “all sources are go” rating, meaning all the goodies are allowed. Example: The Halforc is a Tier 3 race, but the Unearthed Arcana Desert Halforc with the Races of Destiny material available is a Tier 2 race.

Tier 1: This is an generally optimized race for a variety of classes, especially spellcasters. EX: Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Water and Strongheart Halflings, Raptorans
Tier 2: This race does well in its niche, however it is slightly less powerful or versatile overall as a Tier 1 race. EX: Gray, Fire, and Wild Elves, Halflings
Tier 3: This race can do very well in a couple roles, but those are generally suboptimal roles, and this is a suboptimal race in other roles. EX: Half-orc, Wood Elf, Half-Giant, Goblin
Tier 4: This race is pidgeonholed into a very specific role, and doesn't quite achieve what the designers intended to do. That said, with a good template, the right books, and some determination, you can make it into a monster. EX: Fullblood Orc, Spellscale, Hobgoblin
Tier 5: This race generally fails at what it was trying to do, and is suboptimal in almost roles compared to a tier 1 race, though it may work in a few gimmick builds like a (non-Dragonwrought) Kobold Trapsmith or a High Elf Arcane Archer. EX: Half-elf, High Elf, (non-Dragonwrought) Kobolds

cru thought it would be effective to link the "Master Lists of races"
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19546874/Master_Player_Race_List_Version_20http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=4886

PHB Races



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Human: Tier 1
   We don't have racial ability modifiers, we don't have substitution levels, and we can't see in the dark. But we have a bonus feat, good size and speed, and extra skill points. And that makes us good at just about everything.

Dwarf: Tier 1
   Con bonus at cost of Cha is generally good for almost everyone. Size is alright, but they are slower than humans (though luckily armor doesn't slow them down any further). But now we keep reading, and we find a whole jackpot of Ex abilities. Bonuses on saving throws, bonuses against combat maneuvers, bonuses against commonly fought enemies, weapon familiarities (Dwarven Waraxe is pretty solid as far as 1 handers go). Really good race for anything not charisma based, and not bad even if it is. Sadly, dwarves didn't get as much lovin' in terms of feats and prestige classes as Gnomes did in Races of Stone. Earth Spell, Ancestral Knowledge, and the Deepwarden are pretty sweet though.

Gnome: Tier 1
   Lets get the negatives out of the way, you trade -2 Str for +2 Con, and you are Small size. Wait, thats a GREAT thing, never mind. Oh, and you get some spell like abilities, +1 on Illusion save DCs, saving throw bonuses Low light vision, skill bonuses, bonuses against commonly fought enemies. These are great for casters, and all sorts of casters: arcane casters, priests, psions, bards, you name it. The REAL negative is your 20 foot move speed, so fix that with a 75 gold light horse. Oh, and you qualify for Shadowcraft Mage and get some great substitution levels in Races of Stone, congratulations.

Halflings: Tier 2 (Tier 1)
   We get a similar package to the Gnome. -2 Str for +2 Dex. Dex is a slightly less useful ability, but they get some better skill bonuses, and +1 on all saving throws. Overall, this race is slightly less caster oriented than the gnome, and more Rogue oriented, and therefore slightly worse. The Halfling prestige classes in Races of the Wild aren't that good, but there are some great feats and substitution levels. Check out Yndolla's Sense and Confound the Big Folk. What can really kick this race up to Tier 1 though is a couple variants. The first is the Water Halfling that gives you a +2 to Con. The other is the Strongheart Halfling (Ebberron, I believe) which trades the +1 on saving throws for a bonus feat- the best parts of Human with the best parts of Halfling.

Half-Orc: Tier 3 (Tier 2)
   I am tempted to drop these guys to Tier 4, but they are better than fullblood Orcs. +2 Str for -2 Int and Cha isn't bad for melee. And Darkvision helps. But look at what you could be playing: a human or a dwarf. Generally this is suboptimal, except for a Barbarian or a Monk who likes to get right up there and beat on em. Now, on the other hand, Unearthed Arcana brings us the Desert Half-Orc, which has +2 Con for -2 Int, and Run as a bonus feat. And Races of Destiny gives us some AWESOME substitution levels to go with that for Barbarians, Druids (REALLY GOOD), and Paladins. You put those both together, and possibly the Dragonborn template from Races of the Dragons, and you have yourself a very strong character, though you are still rather pidgeonholed.

Elf, High: Tier 5
   +2 Dex for -2 Con is generally a bad trade. Sure there is sleep immunity, some skill bonuses, and weapon familiarity, but a Tiefling is a better Fighter/Wizard, and Sleep is a 1st level spell. You could say “I'm playing an archer”, but there are better archer races even in core, like the Wild Elf and Human. And Cleric archers are suboptimal in core, because there is no Elf Domain. And if you have the Spell Compendium and all the other books you still want to be playing another elf subrace.

Half-Elf: Tier 5 (Tier 3?)
   This race is basically High-Elf-Lite. Low light vision, sleep immunity, and a couple skill bonuses. Really bare bones compared to human. In Races of Destiny, you have some feats, and some great Bard sub levels. If your group is running multiclass penalties, you can qualify for the elf prestige classes, like Eternal Blade which is cool. Overall this race is pretty bland, but it isn't as pidgeonholed as Orcs are.
Monster Manual: There is a ton here, and I am probably going to miss a bunch.




Dwarves:

Deep: Tier 1
Bonus on Saving Throws against magic and poison increases to +3, but you get Light Sensetivity. Good trade in my book. This is the race I would pick if I was going for a heavy survivability character.

Duergar: Tier 3 (Tier 2)
Increased Darkvision, immunities, and spell like abilities at the cost of an extra -2 Cha, Light Sensetivity, and +1 LA. Probably worth it in an evil campaign with Level Adjustment Buyoff (Unearthed Arcana). Otherwise they are for fighters even with the LA.

Elves:

Aquatic: Tier 3
+2 Dex for -2 Int instead of the old trade, good swim speed, and superior low light vision. Not bad for an aquatic ranger or whatever.

Drow: Tier 5 (Tier 2)
+2 Int and Cha, Spell Resistance 11+ Class Levels, +2 on Will Saves, and some Spell like abilities. Cons are Light Blindness and a whopping +2 LA. If you are playing in a high level Underdark campaign with LA buyoff, go for it. Otherwise stick with human, halfling, and grey elf for your wizardly needs.

Gray Elf: Tier 2
Finally, a good elf race! +2 Int, -2 Str in addition to the old elf traits makes this a unique and viable race. Crank up the int on your wizard or rogue, get bonus spells, higher save DCs, and more skill points. If you don't like the elf thing, snag the Dragonborn template and keep the high int score.

Wild Elf: Tier 2
I am split on this race, not quite as good as the Gray Elf, not quite as bad as the Wood Elf. +2 Dex for -2 Int instead of the old elf racial modifiers. Decent for archer builds.

Wood Elf: Tier 3
This race tacks on +2 Str for -2 Int on top of the old elf racial modifiers. Kind of alright for melee and archers, though that Con penalty still hurts. I think the Wild Elf is a marginally better race overall.

Gith:

Githyanki: Tier 3?
Not sure how to rate these guys as they are presented in the MM. +2 Dex +2 Con -2 Wis, Darkvision, DR 5 + Character Level, and PSIONICS. These Psionics aren't as good as your Expanded Psionics Handbook stuff, and it is +2 LA, so generally suboptimal, though they are unique as far as MM races go, and the XPH version might be a bit better.

Githzerai: Tier 3?
Kind of cool monk race, +6 Dex -2 Int, +2 Wis. Darkvision and spell resistance as Githyanki, Psionics are slightly different, and they  get the Inertial Armor supernatural ability. Looks like a pretty cool race with LA buyoff.

Gnomes:

Forest Gnome: Tier 1
If you were on the fence about your Rock Gnome being Tier 1, I have some great news. We put some more hide bonus on your hide bonus, Pass without Trace as a supernatural ability, an extra +1 attack against commonly fought enemies, and your Speak with Animals is a permanently known bonus language. Oh, and you live longer. This is definitely a superior subrace and I strongly recommend it.

Sfirneblin: Tier 5 (Tier 3?)
Lets get the negatives out of the way: These guys have +3 LA. On the other hand, if you can buy it off, these guys are pretty cool. The new ability score adjustment set is -2 Str +2 Dex +2 Wis -4 Cha. You have both low light and dark vision, and the Dwarves' stonecunning. SR = 11 + Class Levels. You get  +4 AC against everything instead of just giants, different spell like abilities, another +1 to Illusion save DCs, and an additional +1 on attack rolls vs kobolds and goblinoids. Also, more skill bonuses, and Nondetection as a supernatural ability.

Goblins: Tier 3
-2 Str +2 Dex -2 Cha, Darkvision, and +4 Move Silently and Ride. The really interesting thing though is that they are a small race with 30 foot move speed. So sneak around on foot, or get a Worg. Kind of a cool rogue race in a core only game. Unfortunately,  Whisper Gnomes in Races of Stone blow them out of the water. The Air goblin (UA) gets an additional +2 Dex -2 Con if you want to go for a dex heavy skirmisher/sneak attacker, and the Blue (XPH) has psionics. Otherwise these guys are really bare bones compared to halflings and they get less support.

Hobgoblins: Tier 4
These guys get +2 Con and Dex, Darkvision, and a +4 on move silently checks for +1 LA. These guys are on the weak side of +1, but if you like them and/or are running with LA buyoff, go for it.

Halfling, Tallfellow: Tier 2
This is a slightly different skill point bonus mix. If you like what you see, go for it.

Halfling, Deep: Tier 2
Another different skill bonus mix, this time more dwarf like. Also, stonecunning and darkvision. If you are running in the Underdark, this might be a good option.

Half-Fiend, Celestial, Dragon, Lich: Tier 5
Hey, its some +4 LA templates (Half Dragon is +3, but who is counting?). Just dropped by to let you know that these aren't worth it, and neither are the regular fiendish and celestial ones. These are for NPC's if you couldnt figure it out.

Kobold: Tier 5 (Tier 1)
-4 Str and -2 Con for +2 dex, +1 natural armor, Dark vision, +2 Craft trapmaking, Profession Miner, Search, and Light Sensetivity. Definitely worse than Gnomes. On the other hand, if you have access to Races of the Dragons and the online web enchancement, these guys get some cool stuff. The Dragonwrought feat gives you free aging to venerable, and you are now a True Dragon and qualify for some crazy options. As I said above, this opens the door to some fun stuff. The web enhancement gets you the Draconic Rite of Passage (+1 effective Sorcerer level), slight build (considered tiny for certain purposes), and some natural armor and a fantastic racial cleric domain. Really turns this race into something cool, I wish they did that with the Goblins.

Merfolk: Tier 3?
Low light vision, amphibious, and a bonus on swim checks. These are just an aquatic option if you want it.

Orc, Fullblood: Tier 4
+4 Str for -2 Int, Wis, and Cha. Darkvision and Light sensetivity. Not really a PC race, totally pidgeonholed into Barbarian, and a human is generally better for that. If you are an Orc lover, check out the Water Orc in Unearthed Arcana. I also recommend the Dragonborn template, and/or maybe some others to make yourself a mean melee character. Just make sure you pad your will save or else you can count on being mind controlled and killing your Factotum buddy somewhere down the line.

Aasimar: Tier 3 (Tier 1)
Tier 1 if LA buyoff is allowed. +2 Wis and Cha, Outsider type, Daylight 1/day, Resistance to acid, lightning, cold 5, +2 spot and listen. Lots of goodies for LA +1, makes a great divine caster. I think the Player's Guide to Faerun has an LA 0 one that is still crazy awesome, just drops the outsider type and resistances.

Tiefling: Tier 3 (Tier 1)
Again, tier 1 if LA is allowed. +2 Bluff and Hide instead of the spot and listen, Darkness replaces daylight. +2 Dex and Int, -2 Cha instead of the Aasimar traits. Otherwise the same resistances and Outsider goodness. Awesome for a Transmuter.
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Offline Libertad

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Re: Races Handbook (HCL)
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2013, 08:49:09 PM »

« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2009, 08:48:10 PM »
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Races of Books:

Destiny:



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Illumians: Tier 1
Several minor fluff things like Superior Literacy, but what makes this race unique is the power sigils. Krau gives +x to effective caster level for your classes up to your HD, while the rest give increases to ability based checks (Yes, Uur also improves initiative). Starts at +1, increases at +2 at second level. But what is really interesting is that at level 2 you get a second one and they form a word. Some of the words are REALLY GOOD. The one that stands out the most is Naenhoon, its like getting Divine Metamagic as a bonus feat. Except it doesn't specify divine so you can use it on your arcane spells too if you are a Dread Necro or have Cleric/Urpriest levels. Also, the UurKrau and AeshKrau tie your bonus spells to Dex and Str instead of a mental stat respectively. Improved Sigil Krau can get you into prestige classes faster as well as raising save DCs. Great race for skill monkeys and multiclassers overall, and they are humanoid (human) so they qualify for Human Paragon and human only feats. Overall I decided to bump Illumians up to tier 1.

Half-ogre: Tier 3 (Tier 2)
A Large race with no racial hit dice. Obviously great for melee. Interestingly that Giant type gives you the ability to Alter Self into other kinds of Giants, and Martial Weapon Proficiency.

Mongrelfolk: Tier 3 (Tier 1?)
The main attraction here is the +4 constitution, though it comes at the cost of -2 Int and -4 Cha. This is mainly for melee and wisdom based classes who want a lot of health. I think that if your DM interprets the “emulate race” thing liberally and lets you qualify for the feats prestige classes and substitution levels of all of the parent races this could be a tier 1 race. Something like Halforc Lion Totem Barbarian/Warblade/Deepwarden/Eternal Blade.

Sea kin: Tier 4
My Races of Destiny is cut off here so I wasn't sure about what these guys did. Basically they swap the human bonus feat for some crappy skill boosts and fluff related things. Play them in an underwater campaign if you can't get better races approved or are looking for a challenge.

Shakarim: Tier 3 (Tier 2)
These are kind of like a combination between Grey Elves and Orcs. A cool wizard race if you are starting at a high level and can buy off the +1 LA. For lower levels stick with LA 0 races.

Underfolk: Tier 3
These guys give up the human bonus feat for some skill bonuses and get light sensitivity. Not really a good deal unless you really want to play a Medium race with a high Hide check modifier.
Dragons:




Dragonborn of Bahamut: Tier 2-3 depending on base race
Disclaimer- to use this template you need to be playing a good character. Once that is out of the way, pay 100 gold to wipe out your old races old statistics besides for size, modes of movement, and ability modifiers. Tack on +2 con -2 dex, the dragonblood subtype, and some bonuses against dragons. Then you get some scaling bonuses (flight/breath weapon/darkvision and skill bonuses) depending on which aspect you pick.
So, what is the best way to use this template? Tack it onto races where you care about the size, movement, and ability scores, and the Ex/Su/Sl abilities of the race are uninteresting or downright disadvantageous: Orc, Buomman, Grey Elf all come to mind. The reason that this can't be tier 1 is that the tier 1 races all have good Sl/Ex/Su abilities that put them head and shoulders above the rest, and none of the Dragonborn abilities are that good.

Draconic: Worth it with LA buyoff
Not much to say here, its a great template for pretty much anyone, especially casters, and especially sorcerers. Melee might want to get something else, like Mineral Warrior or Half-Minotaur. If you can buy off the +1 LA this is worth it.

Spellscale: Tier 4
These guys aren't good for the same reason dwarves are good: +2 cha -2 con. Dragonblood subtype like everything else in this book. They also get some blood quickening meditations that give you the ability to smite with spells, or give temporary bonus feats/skill bonuses. Now, for Cha based classes this is almost a good trade. But then you have to keep in mind that Dragonwrought Kobolds and Draconic Forest Gnomes are also available and are better. And if you want to look further, you also have Hellbred in the Fiendish Codex II which are better for Cha based classes. Not going to say these guys are as bad as halfelves, but they are to charisma based classes what orcs are to melee.
Wild:




Raptoran: Tier 1
Like gnomes, a lot of people love them and a lot of people hate them. Not much middle ground. +1 caster level with Air spells, Low light vision, some skill bonuses and a couple fluff abilities. But there are two really interesting things here. One is that they don't take falling damage. Falling is a free action so get creative (and by creative I mean find a way to get above your opponents *cough* Animal Devotion *cough* then roll a lot of d6s). The second is flight as an extraordinary ability. Look at a typical Sorcerer/Wizard spell list at levels 5-15 and notice how many spells known and actions they spend during the course of a day on giving themselves flight. Raptorans do that for free. Also, there are some cool substitution levels for Clerics, Sorcerers, and Fighters, and a great prestige class called the Skypledged.

Catfolk: Tier 3 (Tier 1 or 2)
+4 Dex and +2 cha and a 40 foot move speed are the key abilities here but the other stuff is neat too. A couple racial feats in this book, so check it out if you are playing with LA buyoff.

Killoren: Tier 2
These guys are fey which is rare and there could probably be some neat tricks done with that. Killoren get a few cute supernatural abilities. They are more flavorful than functional, but they aren't that bad if you are looking for heavy nature themed character. There are a couple feats in the book that improve these abilities.
Stone:




Golliaths: Tier 2
Another cool melee race! +4 Str +2 Con -2 Dex, Monstrous humanoid type, some skill bonuses and fluff things, and Powerful Build for LA +1. If you aren't in the know, Powerful build lets you use weapons, do special combat options (trip, grapple, etc) and take feats as if you were Large size instead of medium. This doesn't give you reach like actual large size would, but its still cool. There are some awesome feats and substitution levels in here for Barbarians (Mountain rage turns you Large and gives you reach), Druids (Earth elemetnal themed), and even Rogues. Buy off the LA if you can.

Chaos Gnome: Tier 1
LA +1 so if you want to make the most out of these guys buy it off. They get +2 Dex and Cha on top of the normal gnome bonuses, CAN REROLL ANY ROLL ONCE PER DAY AS PER THE LUCK DOMAIN, and get a different (better) set of SLAs (most notably Entropic Shield instead of Speak with Badgers) than the Rock Gnome. Definitely worth it.

Dream Dwarf: Tier 2
You get -2 Dex instead of Cha, which could be good if you want a Cha based dwarf character. The reason these guys go down a tier though is because they lose the old dwarf save bonuses to get some lesser, more fluff oriented abilities.

Whisper Gnome: Tier 1
These guys completely blow goblins out of the water, and many players think these guys should be LA +1 because they are so damn good. 30 foot move speed with small size, and +2 Dex -2 Cha added onto the old gnome traits. Add in another +4 Hide and Move silently, +2 spot and listen, and a different set of SLAs with SILENCE replacing Speak with Badgers. Some cool feats are available for those who like the Silence SLA and want to do it more or in conjunction with a sneak attack.
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