4e Discussion: Racial Ability Options for all

[Arc Vembris]

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drag/201103abilities#73590

Wizards finally got around to giving ability score options(like where you can choose between two abilities for one of your stat boosts) to all published races, in addition to the ones offered in the Essentials books and PH3. The article is above, what do you think?  

[Lord of the Vine]

It allows for a more focused class/race combination. Definitely nothing wrong with that.  

[Rain Yupa]

Initially, and up to this point, I've been extremely aggravated at the PHB3 races, for the fact that they had better ability options than the rest. They shouldn't have been more versatile, and honestly, I STILL feel like they should have had this very table in PHB3, so the first two could benefit from it.

But now I'm no longer bent out of shape about the PHB3 races, because now it's fair for everyone.

Thanks for the heads up, Arc!  

[Arc Vembris]

Unfortunately, there's still nothing to suggest a tiefling should ever pick up a sword, unless he's a leader. Or the odd tief-adin  

[SporkMaster5000]

Arc Vembris

Unfortunately, there's still nothing to suggest a tiefling should ever pick up a sword, unless he's a leader. Or the odd tief-adin

Unless he wants to be a battlemind. I really want to start a paragon game as a tiefling fighter multiclass bard. there's a paragon path that requires you be a bard and any martial class from one dragon issue that lets you sub cha for any physical stat on martial attack powers.

on the topic at hand, I was kinda miffed when I heard these were gonna be in dragon. I have DDI for a little while longer (their content has thinned out lately, i'm not feeling the incentive to keep it up) but it seemed a poor decision. I'm glad they made this free, it's been a long time coming.  

[Rain Yupa]

Arc Vembris

Unfortunately, there's still nothing to suggest a tiefling should ever pick up a sword, unless he's a leader. Or the odd tief-adin

Isn't Swordmage Int-based? And Ardents are Cha-focused as well.  

[Arc Vembris]

Rain Yupa

Arc Vembris

Unfortunately, there's still nothing to suggest a tiefling should ever pick up a sword, unless he's a leader. Or the odd tief-adin

Isn't Swordmage Int-based? And Ardents are Cha-focused as well.

I said leader, but you're right about swordmages. It's odd, Tieflings are described as being very direct and more apt to deal damage than play around with their foes, so what do their stats support? "I'm a fairy warlock!" so now(as in, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdom) now they get their con bonus so they can be as good an infernal warlock as they are with fey pact and that also synergizes well with swordmage. "I'm a defendy swordmage!" great again.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Arc Vembris

Rain Yupa

Arc Vembris

Unfortunately, there's still nothing to suggest a tiefling should ever pick up a sword, unless he's a leader. Or the odd tief-adin

Isn't Swordmage Int-based? And Ardents are Cha-focused as well.

I said leader, but you're right about swordmages. It's odd, Tieflings are described as being very direct and more apt to deal damage than play around with their foes, so what do their stats support? "I'm a fairy warlock!" so now(as in, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdom) now they get their con bonus so they can be as good an infernal warlock as they are with fey pact and that also synergizes well with swordmage. "I'm a defendy swordmage!" great again.

but con comes at the price of int, so they're not as good at infernal pact as fey pact, and they don't synergize as swordmages.  

[Rain Yupa]

Not knowing key abilities yet, it wouldn't surprise me if Tieflings made good Hexblades too.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Rain Yupa

Not knowing key abilities yet, it wouldn't surprise me if Tieflings made good Hexblades too.

hexblades are just essentials warlocks. cha and int mostly. tieflings were made for it.  

[Arc Vembris]

Ah. Clearly I was confused about the tieflings and my entire point is nullified.

Although I remember Hexblades using Charisma and Dexterity  

[Virulent Lover]

This excites me quite immensely.

Combined with the fact I've been craving getting back into writing, I may take up D&D again.

Edit: Sadly, after further inspection, it saddens me there's only one race that can do Str/Int, still.

=/