Playable races and their ECL

[generaljimX]

I typed this up quite a while ago, and decided to share. I used to flip through my MM everytime I had a chance to play something new. Now, I only have to find the specific thing I want to play. They are listed from lowest ECL to highest. Thoughts, anyone?


Creature Ecl


Lycanthrope(afflicted) animal hit dice+2
Lycanthrope(natural) animal hit dice+3
Pixie(Sprite) 4(6 if can use Otto’s irresistible dance)

Deep Dwarf 0
Elan 0
Aquatic elf 0
Gray elf 0
Wild elf 0
Wood elf 0
Forest gnome 0
Goblin 0
Tallfellow(Halfling) 0
Deep Halfling 0
Kobold 0
Maenad 0
Orc 0
Xeph 0
Dromite 1
Duergar (dwarf) 1
Half-Giant 1
Hobgoblin 1
Aasimar(planetouched) 1
Tiefling(planetouched) 1
Drow(elf) 2
Githyanki 2
Githzerai 2
Gnoll 3
Svirfneblin 3
Lizardfolk 3
BugBear 4
Grimlock 4
Thri-kreen 4
Troglodyte 4
Azer 6
Centaur 6
Ogre 6
Yuan-ti(pureblood) 6
Satyr 7
Doppelganger 8
Minotaur 8
Gargoyle 9
Archon, Hound 11
Janni(genie) 11
Troll 11
Ogre Mage 12
Rakshasa 14
Mind Flayer 15

[Benicus]

You trying to find something to play? If so, goblins and kobolds all the way (unless it's for RttToEE...)!

[generaljimX]

I did take a look at it. And then decided to share with the masses.

[Takkaryx]

What edition are you pulling those numbers from? I think some of them are wrong. I could swear that Drow are a 3, and dopplegangers are a 4.

[generaljimX]

3.5. I never re-checked my work, which is something I should have done before posting it......*mumbles about being stupid*

Edit: No, both are correct. Drow just have a +2 LA. Dopplegangers have a +4 LA with 4 HD, for an ECL of 8.

[Doomsmile]

I sometimes go and make up new stuff, then haggle with a DM. For example, I might be playing a half-yrthak in a one-shot D&D game soon. Or the half-golem template. The trick is to get something that leads to such an awesome character that the DM wants you to play it and to pass it around for comments to make sure everyone thinks it's ballanced (and be willing to re-work it if they don't). Some rather interesting characters have resulted from this.

[LynMars]

Drow were 2 ECL even in 3.0. I've played one during the system switchover. Only time I ever played with ECL, too. A little weird, and as a spellcaster, slightly annoying at first. Evened out by the end, though.

[Takkaryx]

Ah, my mistake.

[nightinverse]

Ah, my mistake.

Actually, more my mistake.

[generaljimX]

Sooo....Has anyone found my addition useful? I know I did it mainly for myself, but I have an ego.....

[nightinverse]

It has allowed me to avoid the morass of Savage Species - and caused me to realize a major mistake after the fact.

[generaljimX]

Savage Species has something similar? I had no clue, as I've never even opened the front cover....

[Tashalar]

Hm... drow have an ECL of 2? Actually that is not true... they have to have at least one HD which brings them up to ECL 3.

That's a little nit-picky though, but I really think you should change your table to differentiate between LA and racial HD, both of which constitute ECL.

It's often quite important how many HD you actually have to work with if considering to play a monstrous race at a certain level... :)

Edit: There's something in the errata saying that the animal class level is never the first that is taken by a lycanthrope - the first level is always a class level. That would increase the two kinds of lycs' ECL by one each... (not 100% sure on this though)

[akiko]

SRD Drow Link (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm#drow)
These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.

+2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
Darkvision out to 120 feet. This trait replaces the high elf’s low-light vision.
Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
Spell-Like Abilities: Drow can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire. Caster level equals the drow’s class levels.
Weapon Proficiency: A drow is automatically proficient with the hand crossbow, the rapier, and the short sword. This trait replaces the high elf’s weapon proficiency.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin. This trait replaces the high elf’s automatic and bonus languages.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Favored Class: Wizard (male) or cleric (female). This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.
Level adjustment +2.
As you see in this race block Drow do not have racial HD. Like all PC races (elves, dwarves, humans, etc) the first Class HD takes the place of a Racial HD. So a first level drow (Fighter1) has an ECL 3, yes. But the race is often described as having an LA 2 since there are no racial HD.

And I don't find it too useful though I am sure there are some that do. I pretty much know all the creatures that are playable in the MM since I too have flipped through so many imes.

[Linklegacy77]

Tashalar: When you look at a race to see if it is playable, you must consider the following-

If the race has more than 1 racial hit dice, then in order to play it you must take all of the racial hit dice. If it only has 1, then you do not have too take it.

[zachol]

Well, I wouldn't suggest doing that with elementals, outsiders or plants, but those are just my personal DM quirks.


Also, I could've sworn I'd seen a similar table somewhere (in a WotC book).

Well, this is mostly helpful, and while I've personally memorized most of those numbers (yay for long stretches of marathon scratch character building!) it would be helpful if I'm just looking for a quick list of things to play at early levels.


Once you get past ECL 4 for starting level, though, a list like that in general will become less useful, because at that point character concepts are things you make before seeing if they're viable.

You don't really say "Hmm... why don't I make this bard... a... oh, I don't know.... ah! How about an Azer? That fits, I guess."


But, nice... this is the sort of thing that could go on one of those SRD sites.