Racial Maneuver Bonus, Encumbrance, Hoarding, and You
So I have a heck of a time settling on a character, which is why in my many years of playing off and on I've never brought one past the mid-20's. I think I've settled on a profession (Warrior, though I'm still eyeing Paladin), but settling on a race has been difficult. I don't like leaving treasure behind, so my first inclination is to go Giantman. Then I worry about the huge, slow target I'd be and wonder if I should go for a somewhat smaller, but much faster race. Half-Elf, Dark Elf, but not Halfling or Gnome (I can't stand the idea of becoming encumbered every time I pick up a toothpick.) Half-Krolvin is a less-slow option than Giantman, but I'm not a fan of their penalties. The racism (trading penalty) in the Landing is terrible, with may Influnce and Trading only reducing the 25% penalty to 6.5%. Then there's the Logic penalty. Leveling takes long enough as it is. From an RP perspective, I have ideas for who each of the first three races I've mentioned would be, so that's a non-issue for me.
Unencumbered Carrying Capacities,Racial Maneuver Bonus(before max Armor Support), Weight to Increase Encum. by 1%:
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With max Armor Support in full Plate, you'd get an extra 35 LBS on top of those numbers. (Giving giants a whopping 180 LBS of encumbered carrying capacity, or one and a half Burghal Gnomes.) Also, even once a Giantman is encumbered, it takes 3.6 LBS of stuff to go up just 1% (and thus lose 1% dodge DS and whatever the penalty is to maneuver defense). This is a pretty significant advantage for a warrior who would need to keep at least some herbs/potions on them for emergency purposes along with the usual multiple weapons and some fluff. I haven't been able to find a table showing when exactly given levels of encumbrance add Round Time, but even without these specifics or maneuver penalty specifics, carrying capacity seems to be superior from the perspective of maximizing hunt lengths and treasure gain vs. survival.
The differences between Giantman and Dark Elf/Half-Elf (currently my preferred options) are 50/45 LBS of capacity, or a difference of almost 31%/35%. That means a Giantman could stay out hunting 30% longer before having to return due to encumbrance. There's also the obvious strength differences as well. Then again, if the giant gets killed regularly by maneuvers that the Half/Dark elf can easily dodge, that increased carry capacity means very little. Yes, I could play Half-Krolvin and be slightly less slow, but I find the racism of the Landing and the trading penalties to be too annoying. Humans are just plain boring. Why are you playing a fantasy game if you're just going to be what you already are?
Pros:
Giantman - 30%/35% more carrying capacity, greater strength, positive Influence bonus (good for war cries & trading), easy dead body dragging, tall (better vs. some maneuvers?), huge HP pool (not very important)
Half-Krolvin - 18%/23% more carrying capacity, 4 second natural RT reduction, greater strength, not as slow as giantman, easy dead body dragging, huge HP pool (not very important), cold crit padding
Dark Elf - Good racial maneuver bonus, 4 second natural RT reduction, no Logic penalty, less hated than half-krolvin (except in the EN, but f those guys), slightly better magic defense
Half-Elf - Good racial maneuver bonus, 4 second natural RT reduction, no Logic penalty, not hated at all (again except the racist EN bastards)
Cons:
Giantman - Negative AGI/DEX bonuses/3 second natural RT reduction (consideration for lager/slower weapons), small Logic penalty, larger height seems to mean easier maneuver target for some attacks
Half-Krolvin - 17% less carrying capacity, Large Logic penalty, hated by many (especially in the Landing), negative Influence bonus
Dark Elf - 35% less carrying capacity, no Strength bonus, negative Influence bonus, disliked by many (hated by some)
Half Elf - 30% less carrying capacity, no Strength bonus, disliked in the EN
A lot of people seem to enjoy the insane killing ability of the lance, which would be slower in the hands of a Giantman without enhancives. I can't say I'd never use a lance, but the idea of anyone not mounted on a horse wielding a 10 foot pointy stick is just ridiculous.
To bring this (finally) to my questions for those who have played any of these races to the late/end game:
-How much impact does the Racial Maneuver Bonus have? Has anyone enumerated a close approximation? (I.E. Good vs. Average is like having 30 more ranks of Combat Maneuvers)
-Does the height of Giantman make them a bigger target for some maneuvers, and if so, do they also defend better against other maneuvers because of their size?
-Would it be better to be able to carry more without being encumbered and thus have no dodge/maneuver penalties (even with only Average maneuver chances), or to have better dodge/maneuver chances with much less carrying capacity? (Better in this case meaning average hunt survival vs. maximizing hunt length and treasure gain. As I said above, mechanically and mathematically carrying capacity seems to be better, but there are too many unknowns for me to be sure as I've never made it to the late/end game.)
-For any late/end-game Half-Krolvin players out there, how much slower has leveling been? Do you end up using a different character to sell stuff in order to avoid the penalty in areas where Krolvin are hated?
So yeah. That's my dilemma. Currently leaning towards Giantman (I have a giant warrior almost to 10). Otherwise Half-Elf seems like the next best option (Although 45 LBS less capacity seems sucky.)
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read all of this.
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