Alright, I thought it was about time I posted on this topic. Managed to resist a long while, but that other thread just got me to worked up.
Let me begin by saying that I believe Races should not nessacarily be balanced with EACH OTHER, but within themselves. If you compared any ONE races to the 'old human norm' you could say: "Yes race X has such and such a bonus, and such and such a negative. I like humans better, don't need to worry about strengths and weakness" So it is my belief that for every bonus given to a race, an equally strong disadvantage should be given.
However, lets be realistic. A 100% revamping of races likely won't happen. Tweaking on the best and the worst races likely will happen. So these are the changes I would recommend for another try at balancing out the races.
Lets start with Dwarf. Now I know everyone will say "Yeah, cuz you play a dwarf." However, I plan to go aphabetically through the races.
Dwarves as they are have decent utilitarian skills for crafting. This has drawn a heck of a lot of dwarves to the game. However, their only purpose is to craft items. For the most part these item crafters/miners rarely level past 30, fewer reach Avatar, only a handful are Tri-Avatar, and less then that epic. Why? They don't have any combat skills for either magic or melee. For survival in epic, thats a disadvantage.
What needs to be done to dwarves? We don't need to encourage people to become dwarves, we need to encourage them to level their current dwarves. We do this by giving them a little bit of a combat bonus.
Dwarf: Mine Prospecting, Regen while Drunk (its only cute, not useful for combat), 'Feral Rage' like effect while drunk.
I would recommend +0.1 Attack per level (max +5attack), +3 damage every other level (Max +75damage), -1 wis/int every tenth level (max -5) and finially -0.1 mobility per level (max -5 mobility) for the "Drunken Rage"
Now onward to Elf. I would leave them basically the way they are. I like how their magic is specialized into a certain area. However, I would give them one small bonus just to make them slightly more fun to Roleplay. Give them the innate ability to barter for a better price with mobs, like bards can do now. (both selling and buying, however)
Its Gerps next. Almost forgot these little guys. Had to come back and write them in. That says something about their fame, no?
Gerp: Everything they have now, plus Mine Prospecting. HECK, the whole reason they are gerps is they were the dwarves that mined in radioactive mines! Would add a little something to the game to have two mining races anyway, especially when one can eat rocks and the other drinks too much ale.
Time for the infamous Gnome race. What would I do? I would remove all that nasty magic complexity completely and do something simular to elves. Gnomes like to tinker with items and magic, hence they would be very well schooled in Enchantment. They would also know a lot about items (lore). Lastly I feel that the weaker gnomes would all have died out from natural selection during their magical experiments leaving only those with Magic Resistance.
Gnomes: Innate Lore, Magic resistance +1 per level, +20% Enchantment Complexity
Halflings, another one I almost forgot. Whats that say about the race?
Halfling: Good as is. Maybe give innate skill with slings simular to the Phasians down below.
Human's turn now. This will be a long one indeed. I will need to go by starsign of course. The main problem with most Starsigns is that either the bonuses have no use once your Tri-Av and in epic, their negatives strongly out weigh the bonus, or the other starsigns are just SO much better.
Avatar: Favor stays max'ed, easier to become crowned
Beauty: As is, plus innate ability to charm mobs
Clover: Good as is
Comet: -2 pounds weight carriable per level (max -100 pounds) +1 speed every other level (max +25), This would be a perment effect (not activated effect) and would stack with current spells, potions and bard songs. Think 'Speedy Gonzales'.
Cyclone: +90% resist air (doesn't effect resist max), weapons and spell damage BECOMES air damage (A sword might still sever, but it does airnot slash damage), Astral walk for free, -20% resist blunt
Fist: +3 damage per level (Max +150), +1 attack
Furnace: +2 complexity every 10 levels (max +10 complexity), +25% mana cost
Guardian Spirit: halved costs for flee, supplicate, and recall. Also give +10% exp gain, +2 luck, -1 MR ever 2 levels (max -25 MR)
Hospic: Leave as is, and ammend so vamps work with hospic
Landslide: +90% resist blunt (doesn't effect resist max), weapons and spell damage BECOMES blunt damage (A sword might still sever, but it does blunt not slash damage), +2 DamRed per level (max +100), -20% resist air
Moon: forced into Werewolf at night. Regen (limp + HP), DamRed, and HP gain based on the phase of the moon(Closer to full the more they get). For a negative, Werewolf form uses Blood Points, if char gets vamp'ed they instantly die (removing the vampire effect upon slay).
Reed: +3 DamRed per level (max +150), +1 Mobility per 10 levels (max +5), -1 Damage every level (max -50)
Shadow: when activated: Invis -lvl 15, Sneak lvl 30, Hide lvl 40, Passdoor lvl 50. (Max would be Invis + Sneak + Hide + Passdoor at level 50) Negative: Mute when skill is activated (all channels)
Shield: +1 MR every other level (Max +25), +1 all saving throws every 5 levels (Max +10), -10% HP
Sun: +90% resist fire (doesn't effect resist max), weapons and spell damage BECOMES fire damage (A sword might still sever, but it does fire not slash damage), Immune Vampirism, +1 regen in sun per 2 levels (max +25) -20% resist cold
Tower: Ability to tell EXACT location on map (Long and Lat), see 5 spaces farther on map, +0.1 Mobility per 2 levels (max 2.5)
Voids: Immune magic, not able to cast magic, IMMUNE VAMPIRISM (or a mob-potion to cure them), (maybe make a mob-potion so they can regenerate limbs somehow? Maybe could call it "Concoction of glue and staples"?)
Waterfall: +90% resist cold (doesn't effect resist max), weapons and spell damage BECOMES cold damage (A sword might still sever, but it does cold not slash damage), Aquabreath, -20% resist fire
Lizardmen finially get there well earned attention.
Lizardmen: Aquabreath, GREATLY improved Balance (maybe x2 or x3 since they have tails!), Ability to secrete 10 sips of decent poison every 3 hours(a good poison please), +50% poison resist, -50% cold resist (they are cold-blooded after all)
Ogres the misunderstood giants that nobody plays. They have good balance, and are the model (along with Elf) of what a race should be. They just are not as cool as elves. We need to make them cooler.
Ogre: 10% stronger at physical and body magic, +10 HP per level (Max +500), +1 damage per level (Max +50), -50% resist electricity (easily hit by lightning?)
Orcs, I always liked the idea of playing an Orc. Almost made a Tri-av once using this race. Pixies slaughtered him too baddly though
Orc: 10% weaker at magic, Feral Rage whenever they BLEED, no extra damage from berserk or aggressive combat styles
I would also make Feral rage based more off level. Feral Rage is too powerful for lowbie and too weak for Tri-av. If it was on a level-based curve it would be better for game balance. Having it happen whenever your bleeding would help quite a bit more then an HP trigger.
Phasians who needs them anyway? Oh well, might as well balance them too...
Phasians: give them 99% skill max with Blowguns, and +5 attack roll with Blowguns. Also give them a +10% to mind complexities.
Pixies, the evil little imps of the game.
Pixie: +20% magic complexities and innate fly when NOT kinshaped. When kinshaped -0.1 mobility and -0.1 attack per level (max -5). (Why? because sudden change in size would make them clumsy.) -50% air resist (because air attacks would blow them around)
