Is ECL used in the RPG?

I'm wondering how such diverse playable aliens can be balanced to one another.

 

What is 'ECL'?


Most of the aliens provided are weighted against Humans, which is the so-called 'standard'. One thing Star Wars has had very few of is powerful, god-like aliens with a huge spread of powers, abilities, and monstrously huge physical stats. Aliens are balanced often by taking hits to physical stats, a Wookie might get +4 to Strength, but suffers a -2 to Dexterity, Wisdom and Charisma. The nonsense in Phantom Menace that only aliens could podrace because of superior reflexes, for example, fall to pieces when held up against the fact that, while Wedge Antilles and every other Rebel pilot lacked Force powers, they were still able to navigate the Death Star trench and internal tunnels. Somehow I suspect an X-wing or an A-wing is a hell of a lot faster than a racing pod. So as long as the alien is balanced and not crippled, there should be no problem.

 

Whats a 'ECL'?

For the most part, alot of times, it almost looks like the designers were making aliens from palpatine's point of view, IMO.

 

ECL is Effective Character Level. It is when you use a character race that is more powerful than a standard race so you are considered to have levels above your playing level. For instance I had a Tiefling that had one level of Fighter and one level of Wizard. He was a level 2 character but because he was a tiefling he progressed as if he was a level 3 character because Tiefling is 1 effective level.
I imagine Wookiees would be a 2 or 3 and Jawas a -1 effective level if the races couldn't be balanced.

 

It doesn't use this ECL at all. Species get certain bonuses (and more rarely penalties). There hasn't been any published super-species. The writers keep them balanced. Even humans get certain bonuses, unlike most games.

 

Um DL thanks for the example and I got the drift, but I don't play D&D so whats a Tiefling?

 

a human with a little abyssal heritage.

 

'abyssal heritage'?

 

yeah. it means they have slight demonic blood.