Best race for each class?
- Thread starter Ogre Mage
- Start date
Viktyr Gehrig
First Post
Bards and Rangers both benefit strongly from the extra feat and skill of the Human. Any of the skill-boosting feats is a boon for these classes, or an extra combat feat. Even with their new-and-improved skill points, both classes have far too many good skills to ever have enough skill points.
For the archery Ranger, Elf is a solid choice, since that Dexterity bonus is particularly useful.
The racial bonus to Diplomacy and Gather Information is a good benefit for the Half-Elven Bard.
Halflings make better Rogues than Elves, though, due to size bonuses to Hide and Move Silently. Their small size doesn't hurt their damage much as sneak attack dice aren't adjusted.
For the archery Ranger, Elf is a solid choice, since that Dexterity bonus is particularly useful.
The racial bonus to Diplomacy and Gather Information is a good benefit for the Half-Elven Bard.
Halflings make better Rogues than Elves, though, due to size bonuses to Hide and Move Silently. Their small size doesn't hurt their damage much as sneak attack dice aren't adjusted.
BiggusGeekus
That's Latin for "cool"
Don't rule out the halfling for the barbarian, the rage ability more than makes up for the STR penalty and the small size helps with limited armor selection.
Don't rule out the dwarf for wizard. That +2 CON is a 25% hit point bonus for that class.
Just my two cents.
Don't rule out the dwarf for wizard. That +2 CON is a 25% hit point bonus for that class.
Just my two cents.
krunchyfrogg
Explorer
Barbarian: Human, Dwarf, Half-Orc. Humans get more skills, and the feat (this will be a repetitive theme, and applies for all human entries here on in). Dwarf gets CON bonus (very important for Rage), CHA negative (who cares?), and with the new movement rules, a Dwarven Barbarian in Medium Armor moves just as fast as any other race. Half-Orcs get STR bonus (good), and an INT and CHA penalty (who cares?).
Bard: Human, Half-Elf, Gnome. Gnome because of the bonus cantrips and bonus to illusion DC's (many Bard spells are illusionary). The Gnome's bonus to CON helps a lot, and the STR penalty doesn't hurt the Bard very much. Half-Elves get a bonus to Diplomacy now, and that's a major skill for Bards.
Cleric: Human, Gold Dwarf (FRCS). Gold Dwarves (+2 CON, -2 DEX) aren't bad, and the new movement rules for Dwarves allow them to be just as mobile as other characters in heavy armor.
Druid: Human, Gnome. I'd suggest putting your lowest stats in STR and DEX, because you can overcome these deficiencies with Wildshape. Gnomes get a bonus to CON (you always need HP), and the STR penalty doesn't really hurt them.
Fighter: Human, Wood Elf, Half-Orc, Dwarf. Wood Elves because of the Stat modifiers (you need to watch that CON, but the INT penalty shouldn't matter, since there aren't any good Fighter skills anyway, and you get bonuses to two physical stats). Half-Orcs (+2 STR, -2 INT & CHA), for similar reasons as the Wood Elf, but the Half-Orc doesn't get a CON negative, and darkvision is nice. Dwarves now move as fast as any tall race in armor (and your fighter should be wearing armor!), get a CON bunus, and a CHA penalty -- sounds good to me. One thing to note: Fighters are very customizeable (is that a word?), and a case could be made for any race to be a very good fighter, it it's own regard.
Monk: Human. Skill points are scarce, and you want as many as you can get. The extra feat really helps too.
Paladin: Human, Gold Dwarf. See Cleric.
Ranger: Human, Elf, Wood Elf. Elves and Wood Elves both have CON penalties, but the DEX bonus helps a lot since they need to wear light armor, and the archery combat path is heavily reliant on DEX. Watch your CON, and make sure you rolled a high INT if you're going with Wood Elf (you're going to want skills).
Rogue: Human, Halfling, Gnome, Elf. The DEX bonus the Elves and Halfling offer really helps a lot, as DEX is the most important stat for Rogues. Halflings get bonuses to a few really important Rogue skills. The penalty to STR that Gnomes and Halflings get shouldn't matter too much, since you want your damage to be sneak attack damage anyway, and that outweighs a +/-1 anyday. Lowlight vision of the Gnome and Elf is really nice for people who want to sneak around in the dark. As with Fighters, Rogues are extremely customizeable, and you can go a lot of different directions with this class.
Sorcerer: Human, Gnome, Halfling, Elf. I like small spellcasters. The spells are just as powerful, STR penalties don't matter, and even with a reduced speed, your movement is just as good as most party members (and faster than the heavy-armored ones). The small guys get an AC bonus too (and you take it where you can get it with spellcasters!). The Halfling gets a DEX bonus (more AC; better initiative), and a bonus on all saving throws. The Gnome gets a higher CON (HP's are even more important than AC), gains a few extra cantrips (more spells are your friend!), and a bonus on all illusion spells. WOW! I think the Gnome really is the best race for Sorcerer, but the Human and Halfling really do need to be mentioned. If someone were looking to play an Illusionist, I'd steer them towards a Gnome Sorcerer instead, but I guess I'm a bit biased. An Elf gets some nice added Weapon Proficiencies (a longbow is nice for when you run out of spells), but the CON penalty would have me steer clear.
Wizard: Human, Gnome, Halfling, Elf, Dwarf. See Sorcerer. Dwarf was added because CHA isn't needed for a Wizard, and a CON bonus really helps anybody with 1d4 HD out. As noted above, I'd rather go with a small sized Wizard than a Human, Elf, or Dwarf.
~munchy krunchy out
ON EDIT: I know you said "Core Races only," so ignore the parts I wrote about Wood Elves and Gold Dwarves. Many DM's will allow these non-PHB races, so I'm not going to edit them out.
Spelling errors fixed too.
Bard: Human, Half-Elf, Gnome. Gnome because of the bonus cantrips and bonus to illusion DC's (many Bard spells are illusionary). The Gnome's bonus to CON helps a lot, and the STR penalty doesn't hurt the Bard very much. Half-Elves get a bonus to Diplomacy now, and that's a major skill for Bards.
Cleric: Human, Gold Dwarf (FRCS). Gold Dwarves (+2 CON, -2 DEX) aren't bad, and the new movement rules for Dwarves allow them to be just as mobile as other characters in heavy armor.
Druid: Human, Gnome. I'd suggest putting your lowest stats in STR and DEX, because you can overcome these deficiencies with Wildshape. Gnomes get a bonus to CON (you always need HP), and the STR penalty doesn't really hurt them.
Fighter: Human, Wood Elf, Half-Orc, Dwarf. Wood Elves because of the Stat modifiers (you need to watch that CON, but the INT penalty shouldn't matter, since there aren't any good Fighter skills anyway, and you get bonuses to two physical stats). Half-Orcs (+2 STR, -2 INT & CHA), for similar reasons as the Wood Elf, but the Half-Orc doesn't get a CON negative, and darkvision is nice. Dwarves now move as fast as any tall race in armor (and your fighter should be wearing armor!), get a CON bunus, and a CHA penalty -- sounds good to me. One thing to note: Fighters are very customizeable (is that a word?), and a case could be made for any race to be a very good fighter, it it's own regard.
Monk: Human. Skill points are scarce, and you want as many as you can get. The extra feat really helps too.
Paladin: Human, Gold Dwarf. See Cleric.
Ranger: Human, Elf, Wood Elf. Elves and Wood Elves both have CON penalties, but the DEX bonus helps a lot since they need to wear light armor, and the archery combat path is heavily reliant on DEX. Watch your CON, and make sure you rolled a high INT if you're going with Wood Elf (you're going to want skills).
Rogue: Human, Halfling, Gnome, Elf. The DEX bonus the Elves and Halfling offer really helps a lot, as DEX is the most important stat for Rogues. Halflings get bonuses to a few really important Rogue skills. The penalty to STR that Gnomes and Halflings get shouldn't matter too much, since you want your damage to be sneak attack damage anyway, and that outweighs a +/-1 anyday. Lowlight vision of the Gnome and Elf is really nice for people who want to sneak around in the dark. As with Fighters, Rogues are extremely customizeable, and you can go a lot of different directions with this class.
Sorcerer: Human, Gnome, Halfling, Elf. I like small spellcasters. The spells are just as powerful, STR penalties don't matter, and even with a reduced speed, your movement is just as good as most party members (and faster than the heavy-armored ones). The small guys get an AC bonus too (and you take it where you can get it with spellcasters!). The Halfling gets a DEX bonus (more AC; better initiative), and a bonus on all saving throws. The Gnome gets a higher CON (HP's are even more important than AC), gains a few extra cantrips (more spells are your friend!), and a bonus on all illusion spells. WOW! I think the Gnome really is the best race for Sorcerer, but the Human and Halfling really do need to be mentioned. If someone were looking to play an Illusionist, I'd steer them towards a Gnome Sorcerer instead, but I guess I'm a bit biased. An Elf gets some nice added Weapon Proficiencies (a longbow is nice for when you run out of spells), but the CON penalty would have me steer clear.
Wizard: Human, Gnome, Halfling, Elf, Dwarf. See Sorcerer. Dwarf was added because CHA isn't needed for a Wizard, and a CON bonus really helps anybody with 1d4 HD out. As noted above, I'd rather go with a small sized Wizard than a Human, Elf, or Dwarf.
~munchy krunchy out
ON EDIT: I know you said "Core Races only," so ignore the parts I wrote about Wood Elves and Gold Dwarves. Many DM's will allow these non-PHB races, so I'm not going to edit them out.
Spelling errors fixed too.
Last edited:
Barbarian: Dwarf/Half-Orc/Human
Bard: Elf/Human
Cleric: Dwarf/Human
Druid: Gnome/Human/Dwarf
Fighter: Dwarf/Half-Orc/Human
Monk: Half-Orc/Human/Dwarf
Paladin: Dwarf/Human
Ranger: Human/Dwarf
Rogue: Halfling/Elf/Human
Sorcerer: Halfling/Human/Gnome
Wizard: Halfling/Gnome/Human
The decisions also changed based on what kind of class you want to be. For instance, a duelist-fighter would be great for an elf. Also, a half-elf pretty much falls wherever elf does, but generally speaking its weaker. Half-elf is best at doing wacky combinations of classes, but even then, humans can do it better (in most cases). The half-elf blood is good for a growing number of prcs also. Human appears somewhere next to all of them, because humans make good anythings with the bonus feat and skills.
Technik
Bard: Elf/Human
Cleric: Dwarf/Human
Druid: Gnome/Human/Dwarf
Fighter: Dwarf/Half-Orc/Human
Monk: Half-Orc/Human/Dwarf
Paladin: Dwarf/Human
Ranger: Human/Dwarf
Rogue: Halfling/Elf/Human
Sorcerer: Halfling/Human/Gnome
Wizard: Halfling/Gnome/Human
The decisions also changed based on what kind of class you want to be. For instance, a duelist-fighter would be great for an elf. Also, a half-elf pretty much falls wherever elf does, but generally speaking its weaker. Half-elf is best at doing wacky combinations of classes, but even then, humans can do it better (in most cases). The half-elf blood is good for a growing number of prcs also. Human appears somewhere next to all of them, because humans make good anythings with the bonus feat and skills.
Technik
FluidDragon
First Post
Barbarians: Dwarf the con bonus helps and fast movement negates one of the races weaknesses
Monk: 1/2 Orc, Dwarf, Human. 1/2 Orcs Str bonus realy helps this class out. the way the game is set up monks really need a high str.
Bard: 1/2 elf
Sorceror: gnome, elf 1/2ling
wizard: same
druid: elf
cleric: dwarf, human
paladin: human
rogue: halfling, human
ranger: 1/2 orc, elf, human
Monk: 1/2 Orc, Dwarf, Human. 1/2 Orcs Str bonus realy helps this class out. the way the game is set up monks really need a high str.
Bard: 1/2 elf
Sorceror: gnome, elf 1/2ling
wizard: same
druid: elf
cleric: dwarf, human
paladin: human
rogue: halfling, human
ranger: 1/2 orc, elf, human
Norfleet
First Post
By and large, human is a great default choice for any class: An extra pick-your-own-feat and an extra skill are never wrong. For other race/class combinations:
Fighter, Barbarian: H-Orc, Dwarf: The half-orc is an obvious choice for the extra strength. Int and Cha are often regarded as dump stats for warriors anyway. Dwarf is another decent choice for the +Con. In heavy armor, under the new rules, the dwarf is as fast as anyone else, and as a barbarian, fast movement offsets the dwarf's slower base.
Monk: H-Orc, Dwarf: Half-Orc gives the obvious benefit of +Str, and no Wis hit. Dwarf's +Con isn't a bad deal, and Monk Fast Movement offsets dwarf's slower movement. The stealthy monk benefits in both cases from darkvision.
Ranger: Elf: The elf makes a decent ranger: The dex helps for any archery you might do, although the base 3E ranger really has no specific aptitude towards it. More importantly, having nightvision is always a plus for any stealthy characters interested in performing nocturnal missions.
Rogue: Elf, Halfing, Dwarf: The obvious dex bonus is hard to overlook, and rogues can use all the dex they can get. Great help in career as a sniper. Free upgrade to longbow for the elf rogue sniper, too. Hafling size AC bonus not bad, lack of nightvision small hindrance, however. Dwarf is another decent choice: Full darkvision can allow a dwarf rogue to operate in total darkness with impunity: Racial bonus to stone-related traps not a bad thing, either, although hardly a dealmaker. Still, icing on the cake.
Wiz: Dwarf, Gnome: +Con on both is a real perk when it's roughly equal to an average of +25-50% HP. Also helps with Concentration. Gnomes also have racial spell focus and size adjusted AC bonus. Elf, despite favored class, really lacks any aptitude for this, other than weapon proficiencies. Con penalty bites for same reason that con bonus rules.
Sorc: Gnome: Racial spell focus still good. Dwarf loses out here on account of chr penalty.
Bard: Elf, Gnome: Elf +Dex isn't a bad selection for a bard. Free weapons. Con bonus stings slightly, but bards aren't heavy casters. Gnome racial spell focus not bad either, particularly since many bard spells are illusionary.
Half-Elf is, by and large, worst-of-both-worlds: Neither the feat and skills of the human, nor the +Dex and racial weapons of the elf. Other traits largely irrelevant. Half-elf bashing to be continued elsewhere, but by and large, anything that you might be considering a half-elf for, a human or an elf would be a better choice.
Cleric and Paladin: No specific nonhuman race shines here. The elf is hampered by the lack of Con, which stings warriors and casters, although not as much as it does for a wiz/sor. Dwarf's -Chr stings slightly for the cleric, rather cutting into your turn undead ability, which you may or may not consider to be a writeoff anyway, and a lot for the paladin, since many Pal abilities are Chr-based. General lack of strong contenders basically hands these jobs off to the human by default.
Fighter, Barbarian: H-Orc, Dwarf: The half-orc is an obvious choice for the extra strength. Int and Cha are often regarded as dump stats for warriors anyway. Dwarf is another decent choice for the +Con. In heavy armor, under the new rules, the dwarf is as fast as anyone else, and as a barbarian, fast movement offsets the dwarf's slower base.
Monk: H-Orc, Dwarf: Half-Orc gives the obvious benefit of +Str, and no Wis hit. Dwarf's +Con isn't a bad deal, and Monk Fast Movement offsets dwarf's slower movement. The stealthy monk benefits in both cases from darkvision.
Ranger: Elf: The elf makes a decent ranger: The dex helps for any archery you might do, although the base 3E ranger really has no specific aptitude towards it. More importantly, having nightvision is always a plus for any stealthy characters interested in performing nocturnal missions.
Rogue: Elf, Halfing, Dwarf: The obvious dex bonus is hard to overlook, and rogues can use all the dex they can get. Great help in career as a sniper. Free upgrade to longbow for the elf rogue sniper, too. Hafling size AC bonus not bad, lack of nightvision small hindrance, however. Dwarf is another decent choice: Full darkvision can allow a dwarf rogue to operate in total darkness with impunity: Racial bonus to stone-related traps not a bad thing, either, although hardly a dealmaker. Still, icing on the cake.
Wiz: Dwarf, Gnome: +Con on both is a real perk when it's roughly equal to an average of +25-50% HP. Also helps with Concentration. Gnomes also have racial spell focus and size adjusted AC bonus. Elf, despite favored class, really lacks any aptitude for this, other than weapon proficiencies. Con penalty bites for same reason that con bonus rules.
Sorc: Gnome: Racial spell focus still good. Dwarf loses out here on account of chr penalty.
Bard: Elf, Gnome: Elf +Dex isn't a bad selection for a bard. Free weapons. Con bonus stings slightly, but bards aren't heavy casters. Gnome racial spell focus not bad either, particularly since many bard spells are illusionary.
Half-Elf is, by and large, worst-of-both-worlds: Neither the feat and skills of the human, nor the +Dex and racial weapons of the elf. Other traits largely irrelevant. Half-elf bashing to be continued elsewhere, but by and large, anything that you might be considering a half-elf for, a human or an elf would be a better choice.
Cleric and Paladin: No specific nonhuman race shines here. The elf is hampered by the lack of Con, which stings warriors and casters, although not as much as it does for a wiz/sor. Dwarf's -Chr stings slightly for the cleric, rather cutting into your turn undead ability, which you may or may not consider to be a writeoff anyway, and a lot for the paladin, since many Pal abilities are Chr-based. General lack of strong contenders basically hands these jobs off to the human by default.
Last edited:
Seule
Explorer
Barbarian: 1/2 Orc (obvious, others work well too)
Bard: 1/2 Elf (easy winner here)
Cleric: Any (depends on concept, clerics vary a lot)
Druid: Elf/Gnome (any can work well)
Fighter: Human/Dwarf/Any (depends heavily on concept)
Monk: Elf (that dex bonus really helps, with Weapon Finesse)
Paladin: Human (bonus feat almost required)
Ranger: Elf (for archer, others work for melee types, it's the best way to get two-weapon feats with low dex for Humans / 1/2 Orcs / Dwarves)
Rogue: Halfling (skill bonuses are perfect for stealth) or any (with other concepts)
Sorcerer: Gnome (this should have been the Gnome favoured class)
Wizard: Gnome (+2 Con is great for both these, plus you look harmless)
--Seule
Bard: 1/2 Elf (easy winner here)
Cleric: Any (depends on concept, clerics vary a lot)
Druid: Elf/Gnome (any can work well)
Fighter: Human/Dwarf/Any (depends heavily on concept)
Monk: Elf (that dex bonus really helps, with Weapon Finesse)
Paladin: Human (bonus feat almost required)
Ranger: Elf (for archer, others work for melee types, it's the best way to get two-weapon feats with low dex for Humans / 1/2 Orcs / Dwarves)
Rogue: Halfling (skill bonuses are perfect for stealth) or any (with other concepts)
Sorcerer: Gnome (this should have been the Gnome favoured class)
Wizard: Gnome (+2 Con is great for both these, plus you look harmless)
--Seule
Similar Threads
- Locked
