Below is an excerpt of how Echelon will handle races. While plenty of playtesting remains on making sure the races are balanced throughout the tiers, this is pretty much how they should work. The decision hasn’t been made on whether all the attributes happen at once, or spread out through XPRs. The idea to enable players to select a number of attributes at tiers or XPRs is on the design table as well.

Race and Languages

All characters know how to speak Common. An aasimar, dragonborn, dwarf, eladrin, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, halfling, or tiefling also speaks a racial language, as appropriate. A character who has an Intelligence bonus at 1st level speaks other languages as well, one extra language per point of Intelligence bonus as a starting character. Power related languages: characters that purchase ranks in certain Powers can choose a few languages as bonus languages even if they’re not on the lists found in the race descriptions. These power related languages are as follows:

Divine: Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal.
Sorcery: The language related to chosen bloodline.
Wizarding: Draconic.
Wyld: Sylvan

Favored Powers

Races gravitate towards Powers that come naturally to them. Dwarves are excellent smiths and crafters, so naturally they have an affinity for Artifice. Halflings have developed the knack to blend in with their surroundings for protection, so they have an inclination for the Covert arts. A race can purchase favored Powers at a reduced cost. A new rank for a favored Power costs its rank less in Experience Points.

Small Characters

A Small character gets a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks. A Small character’s carrying capacity is three-quarters of that of a Medium character. A Small character generally moves about two-thirds as fast as a Medium character. A Small character must use smaller weapons than a Medium character.

Dwarves

Racial Traits:
	Average Height	: 4’3” – 4’-9”
	Average Weight	: 160-220 lbs.
	Speed	: 25 ft.
	Vision	: Darkvision
	Automatic Languages	: Common, Dwarven
	Bonus Languages	: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon
	Favored Powers	: Artifice, Close Combat
	Size	: Medium
Heroic Tier:
	Ability Scores	: +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
	Skill Affinities	: +1 Dungeoneering, +1 Endurance
	Weapon Familiarity	: Dwarves are proficient with dwarven waraxes, dwarven urgoshes, throwing hammers, and warhammers.
	Cast-Iron Stomach	: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
	Elude Magic	: +1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
	Greenskin Enmity	: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against goblinoids and orcs.
	Slow and Steady	: While a dwarf moves slower than average for medium size races, he does not reduce his movement due to armor or heavy load. Terrain and magical effects still affect dwarves normally.
	Stability	: Dwarves gain a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
	Stand Against Giants	: +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of giant type.
	Stonecunning	: A dwarf receives a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, regardless of whether or not they are actively looking.
Paragon Tier:
	Ability Scores	: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
	Skill Affinities	: +1 Endurance
	Blood of the Earth	: +2 to Craft and Streetwise checks concerning metal and stone.
	Rooted to the Earth	: When an effect forces you to move — through a pull, a push, or a slide — you can move 1 square less than the effect specifies. This means an effect that normally pulls, pushes, or slides a target 1 square does not force you to move unless you want to. In addition, when an attack would knock you prone, you can immediately make a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
	Shake Magic	: +1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
	Stone Gullet	: +4 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
Epic Tier:
	Ability Scores	: +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
	Skill Affinities	: +1 Dungeoneering
	Flesh of Bedrock	: You improve your damage reduction by 3, or gain DR 3/- if you currently do not have damage reduction.
	Defensive Stance	: You can use defensive stance as an encounter power.
	Resist Magic	: +1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
	Steel Gullet	: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
Legendary Tier:
	Ability Scores	: +1 Constitution
	Skill Affinities	: +1 Endurance
	Adamantine Gullet	: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
	Defy Magic	: +1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
	Immoveable Mountain	: While a dwarf is in his Defensive Stance, he receives an additional +4 bonus on checks to resist being bull rushed or tripped while standing on the ground. Also while in his Defensive Stance, the Rooted to the Earth ability also increases in strength, allowing the dwarf to move an addition 2 squares less (for a total of three squares) if an effect forces you to move. A dwarf receives an addition +2 bonus to his Armor Class during his Defensive Stance.

Listening to: Crowbar – Odd Fellows Rest – Planars Collide

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