Race Balance: Hoblings

Do you believe that Hobling Racial Downsides/Req's are in line with available Racial Abilities?


  • Total voters
    69
  • Poll closed .
Hobling ability v. requirement is in no way balanced due to the unlimited purchases of Racial Dodge.

I think Racial Dodge is very different from the various Racial Resist "x" abilities, so I do not support a blanket alteration of Racial ability costs.

Each Resist negates a single effect group whose value depends on the Chapter you play in, and the monsters/NPCs your Plot team prefers to use. Allowing them as unlimited purchase with fixed cost doesn't bother me.

Racial Dodge negates ANY packet, or weapon delivered effect. You can go to any Chapter and get good mileage from Racial Dodge. That puts it in a whole different league from Racial Resists from a balance/utility point of view.

Additionally Racial Resist does not duplicate any class's signature ability. I'd argue the ability to Dodge has always been one of the Rogue type's iconic, and most mechanically useful, abilities. So Racial Dodge is a racial ability that duplicates a skill, which this edition has been working to remove.

Issues of individual skin/health interactions with costuming aside, Hobling racial requirements are minimal. The base monetary cost of basic sideburns is less than 5$. Time to apply them 2-10 minutes depending on make-up v. prosthetic. Possibly more depending on adhesive used.

There's also the "x" Rogue v. Hobling anything Dodge cost analysis. Bottom line a Rogue must first invest 30 points in Rogue skills then pay 5 for a single Dodge. This effectively places the cost of a single Dodge at 35 points initially then 25 for each after for a Rogue. For 30 points a Hobling of any class may have three Dodges. That does not make sense to me on any level.

I don't like the idea of simply reverting to 1.3 single purchase mechanic. It creates a unique mechanic which goes against the streamlining principles of the new system. However, an increasing cost/purchase, or "x"purchases/level mechanic is already used in the new edition. I could see both mechanics being used quite effectively to scale Racial Dodge in a more appropriately balanced fashion.
 
Sideburns only being equated to a single prosthetic -- Resist Poison -- would be a simple solution, I imagine.
 
Sideburns only being equated to a single prosthetic -- Resist Poison -- would be a simple solution, I imagine.

That is how they where when I started playing back in the nero days.
Needless to say their where not very many hoblings.
 
Out of curiosity, how would people feel about a racial discount to Dodge instead of Racial Dodge?

This would also take Racial Dodge away from Kyn, which would make -me- sad, but maybe would be good for the game as a whole.
 
Taking out Racial Dodge, in general, would be more in line with the removal of other Racial skills like Slay, Proficiency, and Assassinate, as well as eliminate another complication of Build-replicating-build, semi-related to the Magic Items replicating Build Skills topic we're moving towards.
 
That is how they where when I started playing back in the nero days.
Needless to say their where not very many hoblings.
To be fair, Dryads only get 1/2 cost herbal lore and resist binding, which in my opinion is worse than resist poison, but I know that others disagree. To get that, they have costume and makeup requirements, as well as a number of restrictions in 1.3 (armor and edge weapons). I am all for doing a rebalance of all of the races.
 
Oh I am not arguing unlimited dodge buy is fair or balanced, just saying hoblings didn't always have it. I didnt become a hobling for any other reason then the dodge to be honest. Though at the time oblits and shatter spirits where the norm.

Resist bind seems like a solid racial to me. Not being able to touch metal not so much.

I dont think the races can truly ever be fully balanced and on flavor. You have to sacrifice one or the other. I think they have decided flavor over balance. Which is fine, if that is the intended goal.
 
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