Favorite race/class?

[Silfir]

Bashing on trolls is okay, they really are an acquired taste. Orcs consume the same food and don't have draconic experience requirements. Don't mix the two up!

EDIT: AoLS is first priority for my wishes. Second is 7LBs Long Stride and Quick sort of achieve the same for archers, but the effect of 7LBs is just too extreme to pass up. Of course, Barbarians, Beastfighters and Monks don't need them.

[B_C_]

Gnome Wizard. I prefer their early game toughness and skill set to elves. I frequently died around mid-game before finally getting to the water temple (and later, winning) for the first time. Wizards late game are just ridiculous. Step 1: Get some corruption removal to buy time. Step 2: Train Magic Missile and Burning Hands to level 50 or so. Step 3: Walk through end game (I cleared D:50 w/o a single potion or prayer, with help from Preserver from the icy room.)
I've always liked Troll Healers, too. Drakelings are nice, but I'd rather have that monstrous early St and To than acid spit. And even if you can't find stomafillia, cooked lizards make food no problem.

[Silfir]

The real kicker with trolls for me is the experience penalty, not the food

[vogonpoet]

Play a trollish merchant - doesn't matter if you level up or not due to extreme suckyness of merchant abilities. Just ignore XP stat entirely.

[omega_red]

Levels give skills, and skills are good.

[vogonpoet]

Skills are ultimately unnecessary for game completion.

[Silfir]

Trolls only get three skill advances per level anyway because their Learning sucks. And the few worthwhile skills a merchant has you don't need many of them for.

[gut]

Troll bards get 5 skill increases per exp. level. This is really nice, as bards
tend to have excellent modifiers (usually at least 4d4) to their stats, and
trolls have some good ones.

[CheatMan]

i'd have to say my favorite is any type of Gnome. Possible shot at a Heir talent WITH alertness for treasure hunter OR strong of will for MWM. Or even both if you end up with 5 starting talents. Any type of gnome or hurthling can accomplish this, but the cursed ring i don't perticularly enjoy. Cheap Crossbow skill is a nice bonus.

That being said, i like playing gnomish thieves for the simple fact that theives' heir item is a adamantium dagger of penetration.

So go with a gnomish thief!

[Silfir]

Sure, they can boost their Learning hella high with Gemology, they get extra talents (Heir sucks mostly anyway), they get crossbow bonus, they get decent toughness making them sturdier than elves, but c'mon, they're gnomes. Freaky little midgets who stink. Even hurthlings are more badass than gnomes (at least there is one hurthling who singehandedly defeated a goddamn giant cave spider. A level one hurthling farmer to boot!)