Looking for a race with a Wisdom bonus

[Tait Ransom]

I'm hoping to start a 3.5 FR campaign. One player would like to play a cleric and asked if any race has a Wisdom bonus. The only races I've found that do have a level adjustment, and we'd rather not have to deal with that.

Any suggestions for races with a Wisdom bonus and a 0 level adjustment? Thanks in advance!

[Doc Eldritch]

So far the only one I can think of that does not have a level adjustment, is the Buoman from the Planar Handbook. Other than that I am not really sure!

Only other choice I could think of would be to allow the PC to have a +2 Wis bonus at the expense of a -2 on a physical stat of his choice.

[Lewd Beholder]

forest gnome.

[Mr. Teapot]

The Vanara from Oriental Adventures have it if you aren't using the Dragon mag issue that updated OA to 3.5.

The Lesser Aasimar (like normal aasimar, but they are humanoids, not outsiders, from one of the Forgotten realms books) have it.


There is almost certainly an elf subrace that gets it. There's an elf subrace for every occasion.


You could play a character who is older than middle aged. Being Venerable would give you +3 to all mental stats (but, unfortunately, -6 to physical ones). You could get around the Con penalty by being a necropolitan, or possibly all of them via being a kobold and a cheesy interpretation of the Dragonwrought feat...

[Mr. Teapot]

Anthropomorphic animals from Savage Species typically have good Wis adjustments and no LA, but they do typically have some monstrous hit dice. And are often kind of ludicrous.

[Unferth]

Anthropomorphic animals from Savage Species typically have good Wis adjustments and no LA, but they do typically have some monstrous hit dice. And are often kind of ludicrous.

Anthropomorphic bats make the world's best spellcasting clerics, with no LA and a +6 wisdom. (Under the Savage Species rules, a race with 1 racial hit die and no LA gives up that hit die to take a class, so they're not stuck paying for the monstrous humanoid hit die.) But as with so much of Savage Species, they're poorly balanced.

And seriously goofy.

Most D&D books seem to have been written on the assumption that racial bonuses to mental ability scores are not balanced on an ECL 0 character. Not all books stuck with that assumption - most notably in the various elf subraces - but there aren't many of them.

[selfcritical]

I'm hoping to start a 3.5 FR campaign. One player would like to play a cleric and asked if any race has a Wisdom bonus. The only races I've found that do have a level adjustment, and we'd rather not have to deal with that.

Any suggestions for races with a Wisdom bonus and a 0 level adjustment? Thanks in advance!

Just let him use level buyoff from Unearthed Arcana, and take the +1 or +2 race

[naturaltwenty]

From Mythic Races by Fantasy Flight Games:

• +2 Wisdom, –2 Strength: Coivalds are wise creatures, but their small size means they are not as strong as the larger races.

• Small: As Small creatures, coivalds gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters.

• Coivald base speed is 20 feet.

• Low-light Vision: Coivald can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy, Innuendo, and Sense Motive checks: Coivalds are practiced in the art of saying both less and more than they mean.

• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks: This bonus applies to any particular craft chosen during character creation. Coivalds are dexterous and skilled with both artistic and practical crafts.

• +2 racial bonus on Heal and Knowledge (nature) checks: Coivald have a strong empathic bond with both the natural world and other creatures that allows them to excel in the arts of healing and natural lore.

• Automatic Languages: Common and Coivald. Bonus Languages: Celestial, Elven, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, and Sylvan. The clever coivalds often learn the languages of those that live near them, both friends and enemies.

• Favored Class: Cleric or Druid. A multiclass coivald’s cleric or druid class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. The character’s favored class must be selected at character creation and cannot be changed. The coivalds’ affinity for spiritual and natural attunement as well as their wisdom and learning allow them to more easy learn the skills of the divinely favored.

[Mr. Teapot]

Anthropomorphic bats make the world's best spellcasting clerics, with no LA and a +6 wisdom. (Under the Savage Species rules, a race with 1 racial hit die and no LA gives up that hit die to take a class, so they're not stuck paying for the monstrous humanoid hit die.) But as with so much of Savage Species, they're poorly balanced.

That's the general rule from the Monster Manual, actually. But still crazy. +6 Wis for no LA is ridiculous. Doesn't the anthro bat also get some form of flight? That's another thing that generally is restricted in LA 0 races.

[Unferth]

+6 Wis for no LA is ridiculous. Doesn't the anthro bat also get some form of flight? That's another thing that generally is restricted in LA 0 races.

Yep. 5 foot ground move, 20 foot flying move with average maneuverability.

Anthropomorphic toads also have +6 wisdom for no LA, but their only movement is a 5 foot ground move so they're not very playable in most campaigns.

And yet neither is the most broken thing in Savage Species. Or even the most broken anthropomorphic animal - I think baleen whales take that dubious honor.

Man, that was a weird book. And a shame such an interesting topic got such an uneven treatment.

[Redbeard67]

The Vanara from Oriental Adventures have it if you aren't using the Dragon mag issue that updated OA to 3.5.

The Lesser Aasimar (like normal aasimar, but they are humanoids, not outsiders, from one of the Forgotten realms books) have it.


The Lesser Planetouched are in Player's Guide to Faerun, page 191.
They change from outsider to humanoid to become 0 LA.

Since my DM wouldn't let me use Lesser Tieflings, I'm abusing Alter Self and changing into various outsiders. Earth Mephit's have +6 natural armor, are small sized and fly. As an outsider, I can use Alter Self to change into one - making my 3rd level wizard very less squishable than the 4th level party. :mad:

The Lesser Planentouched are fairly powerful as 0 LA races. But they really do give up power and immunities when going from outsider to humanoid (charm person, hold person, etc.)

[Ferrus Animus]

The Lesser Planetouched are in Player's Guide to Faerun, page 191.
They change from outsider to humanoid to become 0 LA.

Since my DM wouldn't let me use Lesser Tieflings, I'm abusing Alter Self and changing into various outsiders. Earth Mephit's have +6 natural armor, are small sized and fly. As an outsider, I can use Alter Self to change into one - making my 3rd level wizard very less squishable than the 4th level party. :mad:

The Lesser Planentouched are fairly powerful as 0 LA races. But they really do give up power and immunities when going from outsider to humanoid (charm person, hold person, etc.)

Lesser Planetouched actually count as outsiders for most spells in addition to their humanoid subtype. Depending on the DM that can be a bad idea.

And if you want to abuse Alter Self + Outsider type:
Look at the dwarf ancestor from MMIV
That's a tasty +18 NA