Because they don't need to breathe. Well, unless they're incapacitated. Oh, and they can cast levitate--a 2nd-level spell--once per long rest from 1st level.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
The ability to not breathe only comes into play if you are put into situations that makes that beneficial. Other than something like avoiding effects Stinking Cloud and Cloudkill or mayby some gas traps. It's situational.
Levitate? Really? You cant even move laterally with Levitate. Aarakocra get flying at will. Fire Genasi get spells, resistance, and darkvision which will come in handy much more often than holding your breath.
I'm not sure the sort of things that happen in your campaign but in mine, we often find ourselves navigating traps and things that are significantly easier if you cross over areas without touching the floor with some plan for helping the others get across. Of which, tight roping has been a thing. But what I have noticed is that some of the seemingly insignificant spells can have massive impacts under certain circumstances. Especially if you make those circumstances happen.
My favorite example of this is my Mystic that I run in my primary campaign. At level 10, my turns often follow this pattern: If target is against the wall, Brute Strike (+1d6 per point spent) as bonus, attack, knockback on hit (Move target back 10 ft per point spent, +1d6 per 10 ft they cant move due to the wall) as a reaction. Normally, Knockback has a limited use but I capitilize on it by setting up the situation.
Tavern brawler often seems useless but if I grapple an enemy after using an attack (knockback if they are up against the wall) I can use Mighty Leap to jump 20ft per point spent (Although my DM and I agreed that that is a bit OP considering I have another person with me via grapple so we decided on 10ft per) then literally drop them into either a trap or slam them onto the ground.
So with that in mind, let's take Levitate. Levitate can be used as an intimidation tactic by hovering the target over a trap. After the first saving throw, there's no way from them to break free without telling you what you want to know. It can be used as a method of carrying a rope up a lateral surface because you can climb walls while levitating which would for all intents and purposes auto succeed on any athletics check. It can be used to leap from wall to wall to avoid complex traps. It can be used to stop someone from falling if the fall is significant. If readied before stepping onto a pit trap, you won't fall. It can be used to move heavy stones and statues onto trigger plates. It can be used to move anything into the way of a trap, it can be used to stop swinging axes. It can be used to carry a body out.
Not being able to breathe? Stinking cloud is one use. BEING PUT INTO A BAG OF HOLDING IS ANOTHER! This one is my favorite because we have smuggled my mystic into a prison via a bag of holding. Normally, a living being would die because it is air sealed. No air? No problem. Portable ally. What up.
The limit on how these tricks is simply learning how to flip these situations into your favor.
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You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Im not saying they are unusable. But they are highly situational. And I for one would much rather have resistance, a cantrip and a 1st lvl spell than Levitate.
If your group is more focused on combat than so be it. Mine, I find so many of those situations where I can use them, it doesn't feel like such a bad trade off.
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You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Im sorry dude but just because you and your group might find situations were levitate is helpful does not make it a well balanced race. Fire genasi have resistance to the most common damage type in the game, an at will spell, and darkvision which is going to come into play a lot more that levitate...its an objectively better set of abilities than one 2nd lvl per long rest. And thats within the same race.
You cpuld argue that kobold can be very effective in situations, but that dosent make being the only race with a negitive to an ability score a positive thing.
I'm personally a fan of the air genasi, but then I tend to play in games with a big focus on exploration and social as well as combat. In addition, air genasi get a bonus to dexterity, arguably the most powerful ability score to have in general across the classes.
Also, just for future reference, the orc race also has a negative to its ability score (-2 intelligence).
See what I did there? But seriously why are they so weak even compared to the other genasi?
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Because they don't need to breathe. Well, unless they're incapacitated. Oh, and they can cast levitate--a 2nd-level spell--once per long rest from 1st level.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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The ability to not breathe only comes into play if you are put into situations that makes that beneficial. Other than something like avoiding effects Stinking Cloud and Cloudkill or mayby some gas traps. It's situational.
Levitate? Really? You cant even move laterally with Levitate. Aarakocra get flying at will. Fire Genasi get spells, resistance, and darkvision which will come in handy much more often than holding your breath.
I'm not sure the sort of things that happen in your campaign but in mine, we often find ourselves navigating traps and things that are significantly easier if you cross over areas without touching the floor with some plan for helping the others get across. Of which, tight roping has been a thing. But what I have noticed is that some of the seemingly insignificant spells can have massive impacts under certain circumstances. Especially if you make those circumstances happen.
My favorite example of this is my Mystic that I run in my primary campaign. At level 10, my turns often follow this pattern: If target is against the wall, Brute Strike (+1d6 per point spent) as bonus, attack, knockback on hit (Move target back 10 ft per point spent, +1d6 per 10 ft they cant move due to the wall) as a reaction. Normally, Knockback has a limited use but I capitilize on it by setting up the situation.
Tavern brawler often seems useless but if I grapple an enemy after using an attack (knockback if they are up against the wall) I can use Mighty Leap to jump 20ft per point spent (Although my DM and I agreed that that is a bit OP considering I have another person with me via grapple so we decided on 10ft per) then literally drop them into either a trap or slam them onto the ground.
So with that in mind, let's take Levitate. Levitate can be used as an intimidation tactic by hovering the target over a trap. After the first saving throw, there's no way from them to break free without telling you what you want to know. It can be used as a method of carrying a rope up a lateral surface because you can climb walls while levitating which would for all intents and purposes auto succeed on any athletics check. It can be used to leap from wall to wall to avoid complex traps. It can be used to stop someone from falling if the fall is significant. If readied before stepping onto a pit trap, you won't fall. It can be used to move heavy stones and statues onto trigger plates. It can be used to move anything into the way of a trap, it can be used to stop swinging axes. It can be used to carry a body out.
Not being able to breathe? Stinking cloud is one use. BEING PUT INTO A BAG OF HOLDING IS ANOTHER! This one is my favorite because we have smuggled my mystic into a prison via a bag of holding. Normally, a living being would die because it is air sealed. No air? No problem. Portable ally. What up.
The limit on how these tricks is simply learning how to flip these situations into your favor.
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Im not saying they are unusable. But they are highly situational. And I for one would much rather have resistance, a cantrip and a 1st lvl spell than Levitate.
If your group is more focused on combat than so be it. Mine, I find so many of those situations where I can use them, it doesn't feel like such a bad trade off.
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Im sorry dude but just because you and your group might find situations were levitate is helpful does not make it a well balanced race. Fire genasi have resistance to the most common damage type in the game, an at will spell, and darkvision which is going to come into play a lot more that levitate...its an objectively better set of abilities than one 2nd lvl per long rest. And thats within the same race.
You cpuld argue that kobold can be very effective in situations, but that dosent make being the only race with a negitive to an ability score a positive thing.
I'm personally a fan of the air genasi, but then I tend to play in games with a big focus on exploration and social as well as combat. In addition, air genasi get a bonus to dexterity, arguably the most powerful ability score to have in general across the classes.
Also, just for future reference, the orc race also has a negative to its ability score (-2 intelligence).
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