Planetouched Handbook

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Planetouched Races - Lesser is Better

Planetouched races are sort of underappreciated.  This is mostly because they tend to be LA+1, and a bit weak for that.

There is, however, a way to offset the level adjustment.  Player's Guide to Faerun gives the option of playing a "lesser" planetouched.  You lose both the outsider type and your level adjustment, although you retain a weakness to anti-outsider spells.  Technically this reduces higher level adjustment planetouched to LA+0, but for the purposes of this guide I'm treating it as "reduce your level adjustment by one point", since otherwise I'd just be saying "play a lesser fey'ri, they are the bomb".



Planetouched races: Should be done, unless there are more lurking in obscure splats.

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Note: When listing LAs, I'm assuming you're going to be a lesser planetouched unless otherwise stated, since it's such a good deal. 

LA+0:

SRD Planetouched
Aasimar

Standard planetouched race
descended from the angels
show up all the time. 

+2 Wis, + 2 Cha : all positive modifiers to ability scores.  Excellent for clerics.
Daylight 1/day: not particularly useful, but better than a kick in the face
Resist 5 Acid/cold/electricity : not as quite useful as resistance to fire, but an effective defense against some spells at low levels
Skill bonus to spot/listen : useful for everyone.

There is an alternative version of the LA+0 aasimar created by only taking level zero of the savage progression.  Compared to lesser aasimar, you trade +2 wisdom, daylight, and three points of each of your resistances for the outsider type (and hence, all martial weapon proficiencies). 

Aasimars also qualify for the half-celestial transition class.  The fact that the class grants resistance 5 to acid/cold/electricity leads me to believe it was intended to be able to be taken by the LA+0 aasimar (which would only have two points of each resistance).  Taking a level of the savage progression every three levels (immediately buying it off) is an excellent investment.  Taking Magic in the Blood makes the granted SLAs extremely nifty.

Note that you explicitly do not have to take all the levels of the savage progressions located on the website.  This is a difference from those located in savage species.

There are also some aasimar racial subs for paladin, which I'll put up at some point.

Tieflings

Aasimars are good
these guys are the opposite
I don't like them much 

+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: still a net positive modifier to ability scores, but not so good as for aasimars.  If cha's a dump stat for you, though, this can be worthwhile for wizards.  It seems charisma is counted as being half an ability score for balancing these.
Darkness 1/day: not particularly useful, and about even with a kick in the face.  Seriously 3.5 designers, "shadowy illumination"?  What the hell?
Resist 5 fire/cold/electricity : I personally prefer resistance to fire to resistance to acid.  Decent resistances.

There is an alternative version of the LA+0 tiefling created by only taking level zero of the savage progression.  Compared to lesser tiefling, you trade +2 int, most of the range on your darkness ability, and three points of each of your resistances in exchange for the outsider type (and hence, all martial weapon proficiencies).  Honestly, having a darkness that only extend for 5' is more of an advantage than a disadvantage - opponents have a miss chance and you do not.

Tieflings also qualify for the half-fiend transition class.  The fact that the class grants resistance 5 to acid/cold/electricity leads me to believe it was intended to be able to be taken by the LA+0 tiefling (which would only have two points of each resistance).  Taking a level of the savage progression every three levels (immediately buying it off) is an excellent investment.  Taking Magic in the Blood makes the granted SLAs extremely nifty.

Note that you explicitly do not have to take all the levels of the savage progressions located on the website.  This is a difference from those located in savage species.

Planar Handbook

Shadowswyfts

We are dark and fast.
That is all there is to say.
Look at the springtime.

The flavortext calls them "planetouched beings", and they are outsider that have LA+1, so here they stay.  Bonus to dex, penalty to con, double the normal darkvision (plus low-light vision), bonuses to hide and move silently.  No spell like ability, but they do get +2 to initiative and a 40 foot base land speed.
Obvious intended class is a rogue, but this is also good for an iaijutsu factotum.  The init bonus is, as far as I know, unique to them, so that's something.
 

Neraphim

Did you hear about
The chicken slaad sand witch
She was my mother

NOTE: These are not actually lesser planetouched, as they're already LA+0.  They're listed as being a kind of planetouched on page 142 under the sigil population guides, but as is they're just a LA+0 outsider.  I will not be treating them as a LA-1 outsider, as that is both silly and against RAW.
Racial benefits: +2 natural armor, deprive an enemy of its dex to AC once per enemy per encounter, outsider type (hence, darkvision, proficiency with all martial weapons, and immunities), and have weapon familiarity for the annulat (a throwing discus which is good against cover). 

If you want to be an outsider with no LA, and savage progressions are out, these are your guys - certainly better than taking otherworldly.  Easier qualification for some gish PrCs, as well.


Monsters of Faerun

Genasi
All genasi and paragenasi get a penalty to charisma (dunno why), so let's just assume that for all the following entries if I don't mention it explicitly.  You ain't gonna make a really good genasi sorcerer.  Each gets an insignificant bonus against their own element.  Oh, and you have to pick an elemental domain matching your element if you're a cleric.  Honestly, these aren't that good even at LA+0.

Air Genasi

I can fly, mommy
What are you saying to me?
It has a short dur-

Bonuses to dexterity and intelligence, and a hit to wisdom.  Levitate as a spell-like is quite handy at low levels, especially if you get air devotion.  Perhaps a warlock might choose it, for early access to pseudo-fell-flight, though the cha penalty hurts.

Earth Genasi

I totally rock
Watch those kids in the playground
"Hey! My lunch money!"

Bonuses to strength and con, with a hit to wisdom, make this an obvious fighter-type.  Unfortunately, they aren't as good as other races at their schtick - few racial feats or class levels, and not much support in general.  Their pass without trace is something I've never used in a game.  Completely overshadowed by water orcs.

Fire Genasi

I am really hot
Also, a little dizzy
I think a fever?

Bonus to intelligence make this a possible choice for a wizard.  Their SLA is really crappy - double the radius of a nonmagical flame's light production for five minutes.

Water Genasi

I'm mostly water.
Humans are six tenths it.
Why do I exist?

Bonus to con.  They can create water once a day.  Other than as a practical joke, that's not really useful.  Dragonborn anything is probably better


Fiend Folio
Maeluth

I menace with spikes
My weapons are demonic
No! No! Not the carp!

You'll just have to accept that you'll be evil when you play as this race.  Your special supernatural ability is to give a weapon the unholy ability for a minute, which will kill you from level loss if you aren't.  On the plus side, it's so badly worded that you can give any melee weapon you want the unholy special ability, even one on the other side of the planet inside a portable hole.  So I guess you can win arena games pretty easily.
Other than that, -2 dex and +4 con are real winners.  Oh, and you get everything a dwarf does. 
One of the game's best races just got a little bit better.  (two points of con is definitely worth changing a cha penalty to dex).

Mechanatrix

People watching say
"Renegade Mastermaker" -
I 'ardly know 'er

Mechanatrixes are my favorite of the planetouched races.  They don't have a net stat boost (+int, +con, -cha, -dex), shocking grasp doesn't scale very well, the racial skill boosts aren't too useful, and they only have a racial resistance cold/fire 5 but they make up for it pretty well.  The "electricity healing" ability turns every three points of electricity damage into one point of healing. 

I don't know of any other LA+0 races that have complete immunity to an energy type, and the strategic options the ability adds are pretty nice.  Unlimited healing is easy to get if you have an incarnate or dragonfire adept in the party, or you could just take Shape Soulmeld: Lightning Gauntlets yourself.  The stats are also good for a wizard or gish-type.

Wispling

I am a halfling.
OK, an evil halfling.
Do you have precious?

Small creature, -2 str, +4 dex, +2 int.  Halfling traits, and supernatural alter self once per day (sadly, capped at CL1).  Basically a better halfling, though still edged out by the strongheart, in my opinion, since an extra feat is hard to beat.  Excellent as a rogue or other skillmonkey.  Also excellent as a ray-focused spellcaster.  Halfling traits allow for splatbook support that other planetouched lack, which is pretty nice.

I'd love to see a deathmatch between d'hin'i and wisplings for the right to be the "real" planetouched halfling.

Monster Manual II
Zenythri

They say they're "lawful"
Yet they get to use true strike
Pseudonatural?

Zenythri are nice as divine fighter types - they get a boost to strength, dexterity, and wisdom.  The hit to charisma makes them marginally less good for clerics, but a single turn attempt isn't going to mean much either way in the grand scheme of things. 
Resistances: one of the few races with sonic resistance 5.  They also get fire and electricity resist.
Spell like ability: True strike.  One of the few SLAs that can still be useful at high levels.   
Racial skills: Balance and survival.  Why?  Nobody knows.


Chaond

Chaos or something
It can make your hands steady.
Seriously what?

Chaonds are excellent dex-based fighter or rogue types.  +4 dex, another con benefit, hit to cha.   Energy resist to acid, cold, sonic.  SLA is shatter, which is certainly handier than daylight or darkness.  A racial bonus to escape artist and tumble rounds them out. 
If you're going to be a frontliner, consider making your chaond character a dragonborn, as getting +2 dex +4 con without any level adjustment is very tasty, and shatter is a little less useful for you.  The loss of energy resistances hurts a bit, but you're probably going to be encountering less of that when you're up in someone's face anyway.  Dragonborn mongrelborn have a little more con, but not significantly.


Dragon 350 Planetouched

Azerblood

My head is on fire
No really, it's not funny
Please just put me out!

Pretty similar to dwarves, really.  The main differences are that you get a bonus to strength, fire resistance 10 (in other words, set yourself on fire, voluntarily fail the reflex saves, and never need a torch again), as well as a minor fire spell save bonus and heat metal once per day.  You lose the dwarven 20' speed (and the immunity to speed reduction), as well as stonecunning. 
The racial skills bonuses and racism ability have been switched around to more firey versions.

At low levels, you can deal an extra d6 fire per round by setting yourself on fire and hugging your opponent.  And you have the stats for a decent grappling build.  Consider azerblood wherever you'd normally consider dwarves.


Celadrin

I are shiny elf
Bonus to diplomacy
Do you like me now?

Elves with more charisma and a few side benefits.  As with the Azerblood, you have fire resistance 10.  The miscellaneous benefits are a scorching ray (at your caster level), a level-scaling bonus to diplomacy, and a few more racial skill bonuses.  Decent for bards, or any other place you'd normally use elves.

D'hin'ni

Half halfling half djinn
That makes me a quarterling?
Shut up, Aladdin

Based off the halfling chassis, but with more significant changes than the previous two.  Still has small size.
Bonuses to dex and cha, penalty to wisdom. 

By far the best spell like abilities I've seen on a planetouched race
Prestidigitation at will (which isn't effective in combat, but who cares [EDIT: it gives fire resistance 2]), as well as a single use of one of (gust of wind, whispering wind, or wind wall).

An interesting choice for a ray-based sorcerer.  Not quite as good as the strongheart (in my personal opinion), but close.

Dragon 297 Planetouched

Cansin

One more Chaos race
They've got no rhyme or reason
I guess that's the point

Ah, finally another race with only stat benefits.  Cansins get bonuses to int and cha without any penalties!  Acid and fire resistance, plus Entropic shield as a SLA, make this a solid choice for pretty much anyone.  Rogues which double as the party face, or a skill strapped cha caster can both do well.  Also, according to the flavor text they're so chaotic that there are a bunch of lawful ones (since having only chaotic cansin would be predictable).

Axani

Calm down everyone
There's no reason to panic
Tell me what love is

The standard "logical but emotionless race".  Basically vulcans in flavor.  They're extremely lawful, and can use calm emotions to shut people up.  Actually, that works really well - I'm pretty sure Kirk would never calm down without some sort of magical influence.
Bonuses to intelligence and wisdom make them well cut out as casters, or for initiators.  Cold and sonic resistances are only moderately useful as PCs, but nice for NPC characters.

Para-genasi

People talk about
That "hybrid vigor" nonsense
Trust us - it can work.

All para-genasi have a -2 to charisma, a racial bonus to paraelemental saves, and are stuck with an elemental domain if they go cleric.  I'm not mentioning these in the individual entries because I'm lazy.  As previously mentioned, they're all LA+1 outsiders, so I'm assuming lesser. 

Dust

Time grinds it all down
We will all live in your dust
Like Chimney Sweepers

Penalty to con, but a +4 to dex and +2 to int.  Their dust cloud ability is moderately useful (but doesn't scale well), and is supernatural.  On the plus side, you don't have to breathe.  Also, they're really emo.  Like, wearing funeral outfits everywhere emo.  If you want a depressed, suit-wearing, ray-focused wizard, then you're being oddly specific, but this is indeed a race that works for that.  Otherwise, I can see this being used to great effect on a ranged-focused rogue - the dust cloud only gives opponents a 10% miss chance, but it's better than nothing

Ice

Snow body to blame
No matter how hot the chick
I am way too cool.

Holy Moley!  +4 con, +2 wis, -2 dex.  That's stats for a druid.  Or cleric, as long as you're not counting upon that single turning attempt or domain choice.  Or anything that uses meldshaping.  Or a meatshield.  Is there any role that +4 con isn't good for?
Oh, yeah, they can chill metal.  Whatever. 

Magma

Dude its too hot here
i don't know if I can stay-
bluuh hugh blahaurgh

OK, this race has the "awesome appearance" schtick down pat.  Too bad they aren't that useful in play.
Unlike all other paragenasi, they don't have a hit to charisma.  What they do get is +con, +str, -int, -wis.  In other words, beatstick material.  They can heat metal, which still isn't worth writing home about.
Overall, I'm disappointed.  If they had a net stat bonus or +1 fire damage on unarmed attacks or fire resistance 10 or something, they'd be really cool, but as is they just aren't awesome enough to represent paraelemental magma.  They currently will die if they got anywhere near magma, which doesn't make sense since they look like they're made of the stuff.

Ooze

Ooze ooze ooze duke of
Ooze ooze ooze duke of ooze ooze
ooze duke of ooze yeah!

Everyone hates them.  On the other hand, +4 con and grease 1/day.  J-just don't ask where the grease comes from.  Please.

Better than mongrelfolk at being mongrelfolk.  Stick dragonborn on for a +6 con, add the arctic subrace for +8 con. 

Smoke

Hey man got a light?
I really need a fix dude
Yo kids: cigars are great!

These are basically the same as dust, really, but with less dexterity and more constitution.  And a smoke cloud instead of a dust cloud. And they have to breathe.  You know what would be really awesome?  Playing a smoke genasi, reflavoring all your potions, wands, and otherwise limited-use items as various varieties of cigars, cigarettes, and others smokeables. 

Steam

I am the greatest
All the ladies will tell ya
(At least my mom does)

+2 dex.  Obscuring mist 1/day.  Reduce miss chances from clouds.  Your character is inherently egotistic.  Which is ironic, really, since this is one of the weaker paragenasi.  I do appreciate that they point out that the genasi charisma hit comes from being bossy and full of themselves rather than being ugly - so many races just have "they're ugly, -4 charisma". 

LA+1

Planar Handbook

Mephlings

Why are we here now?
I think we took a wrong turn
Which way to sigil?

These guys are possibly planetouched, and possibly the creation of an evil wizard.  Either way, they aren't outsiders, so we can't reduce their LA from +1. 
They would be better if they had situational fast healing (like the sidebar implies they should).
Quick rundown of common features: penalty to cha, bonus to int, small size, humanoid type.  Each elemental subvariety also has its own special abilities. 

Air: Bonus to dexterity, cast air spells with a bonus, 10' perfect fly speed, breath weapon deals piercing damage
Earth: Bonus to strength, penalty to dex (worst stat mods), cast earth spells with a bonus, 10' burrow speed, breath weapon deals bludgeoning damage
Fire: Bonus to dexterity, cast fire spells with a bonus, breath weapon deals fire damage.
Water: Bonus to constitution, cast water spells with a bonus, 30' swim speed, breath weapon deals acid damage.

Your breath weapon is extremely limited (1/day at first), but after level 5 it has a recharge measured in rounds, for metabreath purposes

Overall, air mephlings are probably the best, though earth mephlings are certainly good.  Becoming dragonborn is an interesting option for air mephlings, since they have flight and a positive total stat mod, and only really lose their 1/day 15' breath weapon.

Dragon 350
Worghest

Sometimes they ask me
"Are you a goblin or wolf?"
I then eat their souls

Kind of a weird race.  They get a nerfed version of the barghest's feed(su) which is based off death knell, track as a bonus feat, bonuses to strength and dex and a penalty to charisma.
The Barghest's ability to turn into a wolf is retained - and as a bonus, this version of it qualifies as wildshaping for feat prereqs.  When in wolf form, you get a 50' speed and the trip ability.

Barring shenanigans, not sure this is worth the +1 LA.  If you can do buyoff there are worse choices, but otherwise it doesn't seem like the race comes together as being particularly good at any one thing.  The transform might give you unlimited use of wild feats, depending upon the DM, so that's something, and this is certainly a fun race for DMs.

Races of Faerun
Lesser Fey'ri (no greater demonic abilities)

Just look at me now
I am an elf who can fly
And some other things

Frail, but powerful, especially at low levels.  While choosing only lesser demonic abilities aren't as good as getting a greater one, they're certainly good enough on their own, especially with magic-in-the-blood.  Bonuses to dex and int make this a good choice for a ray-based caster (despite the LA), but the penalty to con sucks for just about anyone.  Change self (any humanoid) explicitly gets you a 40' poor flight speed at will, and adds tons to your versatility.
With buyoff, this is a really nice race.  Without, it's still a decent choice, but loses its luster once your demonic abilities can be duplicated by spells

Underdark
Gloaming

We live underground
Even though we glow and fly
We don't make any sense

Infused with the plane of shadow.  Contrary for the sake of contrariness - if they live in a CE area they tend LG and vice versa.  If they live in a neutral area they tend towards extremes.  Their main reason for survival seems to be that their brains taste awful and they suck as slaves.  Way to go.

-2 Str, +2 dex, -2 wis, +2 cha.  Pretty decent stat array for a warlock or ray-based sorcerer. 
Small size
Land speed of 20, but a fly speed of 40 (good) makes up for it.  One of the lower LA ways of getting a flight speed.
Light blindness: just shell out the 1 gp for those sunglasses from sandstorm/frostburn
+1 to CL on shadow spells
+2 bonus on saves against shadow spells, +4 bonus on saves against psionics, +4 to move silently
Low light vision
Portal sensitive bonus feat
Oh, yeah, and as a standard action you can start or stop glowing, with any range between nothing and torchlight.

Overall, a decent choice for a warlock.  Air heritage can give you a nice 70' fly speed at ECL 2, and low level flight lets you do ranged stuff well without burning a slot on fell flight.  Similarly good for sorcerers.  You could also make a decent rogue with flyby sneak attacks.

LA+2

Fiend Folio

Shyft

Was there someone here?
I could have sworn I saw her.
Must have been the light.

Planetouched from the ethereal plane.  Flighty.
Penalties to str and cha, bonuses to wis and dex.  Cold, fire, and sonic resistances, plus low-light vision and a racial bonus to hide and move silently. 

Oh, and they get Ethereal Jaunt 1/day as a spell-like.  CL 9 or character level, whichever is greater.  Pick up magic in the blood, obviously. 
This is the ultimate race for infiltration at low levels.  You'll need the ethereal jaunt to be able to stay out of combat once things get hot.

Surreal notes that this can probably serve as a form of early entry.  With two LA keeping you down, you'll need it.



Races of Faerun
Lesser Fey'ri (with a single greater demonic ability)

I kill anything
But only three things per day
Enervation rocks!

As the lesser of the lesser fey'ri, but this time with your choice of dimension door, DR 10/magic or enervation instead of one of the other abilities.
If you take a SLA, you will take magic in the blood.
Enervation makes you the ultimate class cannon at low levels, while the DR gives you durability that almost offsets being two HD behind (at least, until everything counts as magic or energy).  Dimension door is situationally useful, but not really worth a whole LA for.
If buyoff is allowed, you might as well be this kind of fey'ri.

3 HD, +1 LA
Baphitaur
Whether or not the Baphitaur (underdark 82) is truly a planetouched race is up to debate.  Dragon 350 mentions them as being a planetouched race, and they're descended from tieflings, but they're generally just screwed up.  Assuming they are...
Obviously built for melee.  They have relatively good physical ability modifiers (+4 str, +2 dex, +2 con, -2 cha), +3 natural armor, rage as a first level barbarian, the minotaur's Natural Cunning and Powerful Charge, as well as some misc stuff like energy resistance and scent.
You're probably better off going with half-minotaur, to be honest, since these guys are medium sized, and the three racial hit dice are a bit much.


5 racial hit dice and LA+3
Tanarukk

Half-orcs are sucky
Demonic half orcs are too,
Also they are slow

Note: I'm not making the tanarukk lesser:  Why?  Because ECL 8 with five outsider hit dice is better than ECL 7 with five humanoid hit dice.  Slightly.

Um... yeah.  They're awful.  Just awful.  Base speed of 20 feet (without the dwarven armor speedup), no net stat mods (+-4 to strength and charisma, +-2 to dex and wis, respectively).  Their SLA is useless, having scads of racial hit dice is crappy (even outsider HD still aren't that good, though full saves, 8 skill points a level, and decent HD might make you about even with a monk), and the LA +3 just adds insult to injury.
I guess they have SR, natural armor, fire resistance, and a bite attack.  But an orc barbarian of their HD would just walk all over them.  And they couldn't stop it, since the barbarian would be moving twice as fast.

The single plus side of the race: finally somebody at WotC realized that fire resistance 10 makes you immune to normal fires.  So Tanarukk have a habit of putting on metal gauntlets, and heating them up in fire for several minutes so they deal +1 fire damage in addition to unarmed strikes.  This isn't race specific (anyone w/ fire resistance 6 or higher can do it), so it's a possible tactic for the decent races with fire resistance 10, like azerblood or fey'ri.

9 racial hit dice and LA+8 (Base value, no discount)
Mur-Zhagul (Trolls of the Unapproachable East)
If you use the otherwise  broken interpretation, where becoming a lesser planetouched removes all level adjustment, this could be decent.  Humanoid hit dice are really terrible compared to outsider hit dice, so it's not like you wouldn't be paying through the nose for it.  Without that interpretation, not worth it at all under any circumstances.  Did the writers forget that hit dice and level adjustments stacked?

Anyway, the race has some nice stuff
Racial stat mods are +14 str, +6 dex, +16 con, +2 wis, -2 cha,
Offensively, you have large size, two claws and a bite, plus rend, plus the previously mentioned BRUTE STRENGTH.
Defensively, you have some of the best regeneration possible - regeneration 10 /+2 or higher holy or blessed weapons (yes, this is 3.5 native content), along with SR 20 and resistance to acid and fire.  Anyone who thinks you're a normal troll is going to be surprised at that
In the miscellaneous pile, you get scent, some decent SLAs, including haste and invisibility, and darkvision 90' (giving you a leg up on seeing stuff). 

Good variant rules for planetouched

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* Races of destiny has a variant human heritage rule set which lets a whole lot of planetouched qualify as humans for prereqs, et cetera for free.

*Dragon 306 has several "racial variant" options.  Notably, ice-dwellers get +2 con, -2 cha, and magic-blooded get +2 cha -2 wis.  Either is useful for shifting around ability bonuses, as they have LA+0.

Good Planetouched Classes (suggest away!)

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Archivist
*Axani: The only LA+0 race with a bonus to both intelligence and wisdom.  Not bad at all.
*Mechantrix: Electricity healing means you can prepare fewer self-heals and more lightninglicious death. 

Meldshapers
*Take an ooze paragenasi.  Make him a dragonborn.  Now go to town with your -2 dex, +6 con, -2 cha body.  Seriously, man.  You even have an in-character justification for wanting to be a dragonborn.  "I didn't want to look like an ambulatory pile of shit, and I heard that bahamut was hiring."
*Mechanatrixes are, as previously mentioned, able to heal with electricity and get a +2 to con.  Lightning Gauntlets give you at-will electrical attacks.  Do the math.

Cleric
*Aasimars have a bonus to wisdom and charisma with no penalties.  Splatbook support!  Codzilla away!
*Ice paragenasi get a bonus to wisdom and con.  Their restricted domain is a bit of an issue, but they're still quite a good choice.

Rogue
*Wisplings get all the halfling bonuses, plus a stat boost, plus alter self once per day.  What a deal!

Wizard:
*At low levels, wisplings make excellent wizards, with a bonus to intelligence and dexterity along with access to alter self as a sla.

Upgrade to Planetouched from Base Races

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Hey, sometimes you realize that you could have all your planned racial benefits AND some more.  Here are the planetouched that give that.

Dwarves -> Maeluths or Azerblood.  Maeluths are basically dwarves+, while Azerbloods are Dwarves that are also on fire.  If you're playing a ranger with favored enemy: animals, flavor yourself after an old-timey great safari hunter, and want to be a dwarf, you should be an Azerblood so you can hunt elephants and carp the way Armok intended.
Halflings -> Wisplings (more rogue focused) or D'hin'i (stupider name, but more magical abilities)
Elves -> Celadrin (elves on fire!) or Fey'ri(evil elves with a metric ton of special abilities)

Planetouched feats (either specific, or recommended): Work in Progress

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Shape soulmeld: lightning gauntlets: an excellent feat for a mechanatrix.  It's effectively the same as charnel touch + tomb tainted soul, but doesn't eat a class level or make your cleric sad.
Magic in the Blood: (PGtF) Not so useful for a planetouched per se, but being a planetouched qualifies you, which can then be transferred to a template like phrenic or half-fey.  If it's useful, it's really really useful, if it isn't, pass it up.
Human heritage (races of destiny): You qualify as a human for prereqs.  Moderately useful if you want to go into chameleon or something, and the variant is out.
Special note: If your type isn't humanoid, it makes your type humanoid.  You keep traits common to all creatures of your original type.  That offers opportunities for template cheese, since in character creation you pick your race before you pick your feats.

Player's Guide to Faerun

Dreadful Wrath
When you charge, make a full attack, or cast a spell that either targets an enemy or includes an enemy in its area, you gain frightful presence to 20' for a round.  DC is 10 + cha mod + level/2, extraordinary morale effect lasting a minute.  Blah blah, only get one attempt per 24 hours.  Does NOT have the usual text limiting to to dudes less than your HD, so there's that.
It's a regional feat, allowed to humans, kuo-toa and planetouched.  Pretty good, actually, if you're doing anything involving fear-stacking.  Trigger it with detect magic or something.

Mind Over Body
Use int or cha for your first level hp.  Yawn.  +1 hp per metamagic feat.  Double yawn.  +1 insight to AC if you're an arcane spellcaster.  Triple yawn.

Arcane Schooling
Act as if you had a level of a single arcane casting class for spell-trigger.  Oh, and add it as a favored class.  Quintuple yawn.

Races of Faerun

Celestial Bloodline(aasimar): requires non-zero base saves in everything, gives you a few protection from evils and bless at your level for CL.  Pretty bad, but qualifies you for (ex) flight.

Fiendish Bloodline(fey'ri, tanarukk, tiefling): requires non-zero base saves in everything, gives you a few protection from goods and bane at your level for CL.  Pretty bad, but qualifies you for (ex) flight.

Healing Flames(fire genasi or tanarukk): Use your 1/day control flames ability to heal a maximum of 40 hp under extremely situational circumstances.  +1 style point for giving an incentive for wounded player characters to set fire to a tavern or inn (burning inns restore more HP than taverns).

Elemental bloodline (genasi, fort+4): Gain light fortification, +4 to saves against paralysis, poison, stunning, and sleep.  Actually not that bad, since the saving throw bonuses are relatively meaningful.

Outsider Wings: Requires celestial/fiendish bloodline, and some decent saves, but, hey, gets you an (ex) fly speed.  Of course, it's only average maneuverability, and you could just get a graft or something, which is why this isn't blue

Planetouched Animal Affinity:+4 bonus to handle animal for a subset of things you won't care about, and you have to worship the right god for them.

Stone Colossus(earth genasi only): Like power attack, except only works for attack or full round attack actions, and gives a bonus to natural armor instead of damage.  And only goes up to +5.  I'm so-so on this - I could see it being used by a warblade while recovering manuevers, but natural armor bonuses aren't really that good. 

Stone Slide (earth genasi only): This, on the other hand, is horrible.  You spend a feat so you can turn your uses of pass without trace into meld into stone... with a CL equal to a fifth level druid.  And it requires a base fort save high enough that a party druid can probably already do it better  by the time you pick this up.  It wouldn't be broken even if it gave you meld into stone at will because meld into stone isn't a particularly good spell.

Light to Daylight: Convert racial light SLA to daylight SLA.  +2 uses/day.  Crap.
Eyes of Light(aasimar, celestial bloodline): Convert light or daylight SLA to Searing Light SLA.  Crap.
Deepening Darkness: Convert racial darkness SLA to deeper darkness SLA.  +2 uses/day.  Crap.

Summary of LA+0 racial stat mods

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Race	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
Aasimar					2	2
Air Genasi		2		2	-2	-2
Axani				2	2
Azerblood	2	2				-2
Cansin				2		2
Celadrin		2	-2			2
Chaond		4	2			-2
D'hin'ni		2			-2	2
Dust Paragenasi		4	-2	2		-2
Earth Genasi	2		2		-2	-2
Fire  Genasi				2		-2
Ice Paragenasi		-2	4		2	-2
Maeluth		-2	4
Magma Paragenasi	2		2	-2	-2
Mechanatrix		-2	2	2		-2
Ooze Paragenasi			4			-2
Shadowswifts		2	-2
Smoke Paragenasi		2		2		-2
Steam Paragenasi		2				-2
Tiefling		2		2		-2
Water Genasi			2			-2
Wispling	-2	4		2
Zenythri	2	2			2	-2

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Further Exploits
Earlier I mentioned how lesser planetouched and template transition classes combine in fairly awesome way.  Let me give you an example.

Lesser Aasimar / Half celestial Transition 1.
LA + 1
Racial ability mods
Str +2, Con +2, Wis +2, Cha +2
Abilities:
natural armor +1,
disease immunity,
+4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves against poison.
energy resistance (acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5),
spell resistance equal to character level
SLAS granted at levels:
1st       Bless 1/day, protection from evil 3/day, daylight 1/day
3rd       Aid 1/day, detect evil 1/day
7th       Holy smite 1/day, remove disease 1/day
13th    Hallow 1/day, holy aura 3/day

If you want to play a holy warrior without getting bogged down with the paladin class, this is an excellent racial choice.  You have many of the benefits associated with the archetype, and get some good scaling benefits with additional levels.  Cool for a crusader or a battle dancer, and you could take Magic In The Blood for a little more staying power. 

Similar benefits from tielfing/half-fiend1 apply, almost completely invaliding the acolyte of the skin prestige class.

Now, normally savage progressions require you to complete the whole course of LA.  However, the savage progressions on the website have a specific exception.

Characters are not required to complete all the levels of a given template class in uninterrupted succession. For example, a character who takes a level of wereboar could then take a level of fighter and a level of rogue (or any other combination of other class levels) before taking another level of wereboar. A character must still take the first level of wereboar before taking the second, just as with a normal class.

Further Transition Class Cheese
You can further improve transition classes by using Legacy Champion (Weapons of Legacy) or Unseen Seer (Complete Scoundrel) to advance the class.  This has the benefit of actually giving you hit dice, BAB, and skills for those levels.  Given that transition class levels past the first aren't particularly good otherwise, it's not that unbalanced, and an aasimar/half celestial who uses a legendary sword of the gods to bring out his angelic powers is pretty darn cool.

Credits:

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Thanks to Pîke for improved tables