Races

Before I go into detail with rating each race, let me just give the quick "short list".

Races

Chasers : Githzerai, Elf, Drow, Razorclaw Shifter, Half-Elf

Martyrs : Deva, Shadar-Kai (Epic only), Revenant

Ninjas : Elf, Drow

Critvengers : Half-Elf, Half-Orc.

Bloodlines

Martyrs : Vistani. Another off-action attack power FTW.

Chasers : Vistani. Can't approach usually means runs.

Critvengers : Vistani, +4 damage & CA for your Nova turn.

Now, onto the detailed ratings.

PHB

Dragonborn

You stat buffs are pointless for most avengers, and your racial feats don't lend themselves to fishermen. Pass.

Dwarves

Wis is crucial. Neither Con nor Strength are wasted... and with that second wind, you might just survive your targets friends. Probably make better Martrys than Chasers, but honestly can work in either path since most Chaser powers don't reference your base speed. You probably will wield a warshovel, certainly at low level.

Eladrin

No wis bonus, but you do get a Dex and an Int bonus. You do like the extra skill (Insight comes to mind), and the racial weapon training is also nice (warshovel).

Elves

The perfect stat bonuses for the path of Pursuit, the speed bonuses helps when your whole point is running around the field of battle, and no one is better at making sure an important kicker lands. A prime Avenger candidate. Since you have to choose between Wis and Int, you'll never have perfect Retribution stats. That's ok, you're still great. Elves now have access to some racial variants. Wood elves are great, because you're already pretty good at not missing, and having Init based off of a skill you want to pump means your init pretty quickly gets silly almost for free.

Half-Elves

As of Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms , you get Wisdom and Con. But that's almost irrelevant, because getting Twin Strike as a true At-Will is priceless. If you don't like Twin Strike , then there will be other powers that are of use. The Cleric Wis-based MBA comes to mind, as does the Warlock MBA. Or really, the alternate racial power isn't bad. And you'll horribly confuse people.

Halflings

Avenger's get no inherent mulitattack options, so they typically want the biggest weapons they can find. Being small really hurts that (Picks, Rapier). +2 Dex doesn't help enough. If you wanted to go Implement attacks (you don't, but if) you need Int, not Dex. So ... nada.

Humans

A nice choice. The bonus feat is great here, as Avenger's can easily be feat starved up until Epic. +1 to all defenses and the racial feats are all tasty. The bonus at-will is of limited utility as is the extra skill, but all in all, solid and bordering on SkyBlue.

Tieflings

Avenger's are not quite as hungry for hit bonuses due to the oath, so they can afford not having bonuses to their hit stat. Bonus damage against bloodied opponents is right in character, and you do get a bonus to Intelligence. Retribution might be in your racial flavor, but you are lacking in the durability to milk that path.

PHB2

Devas

Your stat bonuses lead perfectly to the path of Retribution, and your racial power helps you land the big blow, and your defenses bonus against bloodied creatures might keep you alive. You also have some racial feats that assume you'll drop: and as a Retribution Avenger, you likely will.

Gnomes

The default assumption of Big-weapon wielding avengers doesn't work with gnomes, but at least Picks won't look stupid. The stats and feats don't fit at all. If you do go this route, you'll probably want to be a Martyr, and use your fade ability as the "I'm done taking damage know, kthx" off switch. (+5 to AC, even if you don't have a stealth score worth mentioning)

Goliath

Str helps you get Power Attack, Wis help you hit. But nothing about the Racial feats yells out to me: you're usually better off with a superior weapon than a martial one and an extra feat. (Wis is the flex stat introduced in D397)

Half-Orc

One good secondary stat and extra speed on a charge should help you pursue. A racial power that makes you hit harder is prime striker fodder. Decent.

Longtooth Shifter

+Wisdom, and a racial power that saves you healing surges. (Post MM3, very rarely will regeneration be sufficient for in-combat uses). Great stats for PMC Rangers, but that path is too feat heavy to really take.

Razorclaw Shifter

A great race for the chase. Perfect stats and extra speed. I think elves are a little better though, as the always-on speed boost is better than half-the-battle ... but you've got a nice racial PP for pure avengers.

PHB3

Githzerai

The perfect stats for either official build make it an automatic blue, the Storvakal Racial PP is quite nice, and good Racial feats rounds out the list.

Minotaur

+2 Wis (optionally) makes it blue, and some of the racial feats from Dragon don't hurt (D369, the PHB3 racial feats aren't as interesting). You might want to consider the Beastblooded Minotaur path rather than Pitfighter.

Shardmind

Perfect stats for two of the three censures, and the racial power is a striker power (although not what you typically want), and +2 to any skill you want (Perception?) But there's basically no support, so blue is as high as it gets.

Wilden

Good stats for the chase, a bonus to stealth for the Ninja, and a choice of racial powers (Destroyer seems the default). Racial feats can make you a bit more durable than most. But it doesn't quite make the short list.

Eberron Player's Guide

Changelings

Either secondary stat, a decent racial PP, and a heroic feat that translates to "minor action at-will gives Combat Advantage". But the racial power (which is a striker power) is based off a nominal dump stat. Ah well, you can't have everything.

Kalashtar

A Wisdom bonus is all that saves it from Purple. Telepathy is great, as is the floating skill bonus, but you don't make use of Charisma, the racial power doesn't help any, and I think they forgot to print the racial feats in EPG.

Warforged

The survivability would allow you to survive Martyrdom, but the racial stats give no love. Head toward Crit-Fisherdom, and look at Axes if you go this path. Try and keep your Int modifier positive, as you're not going to be chasing anyone down.

Dark Sun Campaign Setting

Mul

You're wise and tough, and you can handle one of the biggest problems for a striker: control when you can least afford it. A bit lacking in support though.

Thri-Kreen

Perfect stats for the chaser, and a 7 base speed. You don't get the elf's reroll power, instead you get another minor action melee attack power, and a free battle-harness. It's a little lacking in support, but did I mention the minor action melee attack power?

Forgotten Realms Player's Guide

Genasi

Bonus to Int helps your kickers, bonus to Str gets you Power Attack faster. The wide flexibility in the racial powers really matters. The feats all seem to assume you're arcane or are strong, so you won't take many of them. The default +Striker choice is Stormsoul for Promise of Storm for bonus damage on your nova turn. Acidsoul's move-action attack isn't melee, so no oath. Embersoul s might be good for a Martyr that needs an off-switch, or Sandsoul for one who wants more insubstantial.

Heroes of the Feywild

Pixie

Technically, you're a tiny race, but for practical terms, you're small with extra benefits like the ability to share a square with your target. Your fly speed helps you ignore many of the standard ways encounters slow down strikers. While you don't really have a racial (as a striker. It's a good leader's racial), you have a racial feat for auto CA when charging. Awesome. For an avenger, the ability to share a space is probably more important than even the flight, due to the way you'll really really punish some artillery and controllers. The nominal downside is that you're stuck with a rapier instead of a warshovel. You'll live. The real downside is that so many of your build choices just because auto-picks. Power of Skill , Streak of Light , martial MC for Deft Blade , looking for a Horned Helm to go along with your Vanguard Rapier , etc. You know the build.

Satyr

+2 Dex does't suck, and the Racial could get you your oath one round. But unless there are some killer feats in the book, I think that's all that you've got here.

Heroes of Shadow

Revenant (D376)

The race is perfectly thematic for an avenger, at least one that doesn't know any clerics, but there is going to be a strong system mastery issue. The stats slightly favor Pursuit, the Vitality feature slightly favors Retribution, but all of that will get overshadowed by the second race you choose. Half-Elf and be a crit fisherman(at the risk of being nerfed)? Drow for the Dark Cloud? Eladrin or Shader-kai for teleports? Elf for the reroll? The racial PP is also decent for those that pump Dex, even if the powers don't benefit from your oath.

Shade (HoS)

Dex secondary, and training in a skill you were going to take anyway, so effectively another class skill. Darkvision is good. But, -1 surge? Seriously? That's why I didn't bother mentioning Int, because Shades make horrible martyrs And the lack of a useful in combat racial utility also really hurts.

Vryloka (HoS)

Good speed, good skill bonus. Necrotoic resistance is golden, and the lack of two HP on your surge value won't kill you as a chaser. The real value is the racial power, which basically reads "RRoT Charge your first target, then grab the +2 to attacks on your Nova Turn on the 2nd target". Racial utilities is a great mechanic, but I'm not seeing you actually taking any of those utility powers: Avenger powers are just too good.

Other RPGA Legal

Bladeling (MotP, D419)

Get the perfect bonuses to chase, which would make them blue, but they lack support. Basically, it's stats and nothing else.

Drow (FRCS)

Perfect stats to chase, the racial darkness power ought to get at least one round of Pursuit, and their feats generally assume they're strikers. Darkvision is always handy.

Gnoll (D367)

+Dex, +Speed, and striker racial abilities add up to a solid choice for a striker. If you don't pump strength, remember to take Melee Training so your racial charge powers will still work out well.

Hengeyokai (D404)

+Wis and Dex. Besides pure stat boots, and a good speed, the only thing you'll get out of this race is an alternate movement type, and a RP-useful ability to become an animal. (Ok, the ability to talk to a few animals might also be helpful). Obviously, fly speeds (swallow, +2 Perception) or Burrow speeds (Badger, +2 Endurance) are very interesting. If you go badger, remember the rules for combining movement modes (RC:204) because they work out extremely well for you. If you have speed 7, and thus burrow speed 3, and half that speed (1) through hard rock... You can still move 1 square through hard rock, and 6 squares toward the target as a single move action. (Obviously, badgers will want to get a base speed of 8 rather badly)

Hobgoblin (D419)

Only one secondary stat (the worse one). A racial handy for avoiding control and yet another reason to use Warshovels or Flails. Decent for Defengers or Chargers, but you'll miss your stat boosts.

Shadar-Kai (D372)

Thanks to D397, perfect stats to chase, a good racial power (mobility + resistance). And they have some great racial feats, and that makes all the difference in Epic.

Monster Manuals 1 and 2

Bugbear (MM)

One secondary stat and a good power can't make up for the lack of support, and the likelyhood of a nerfbat ruining the Large Fullblade. Go Crit Fisherman to put that strength to some use.

Bullywug (MM2)

Dex is nice, but that's really all you've got. The racial power is a trap: Monsters almost never spend surges.

Doppelganger(MM)

You want Changeling (EPG).

Duergar (MM2)

Wisdom bonus should be worth Blue by itself, and the racial power is Good (save-ends ongoing poison as an encounter?) But the racial power is based off of an off-stat, and there's no support.

Githyanki (MM)

One good secondary stat, and some mobility to go with it. The initiative bonus will also be put to good use.

Goblin (MM)

Stealth bonuses, dex, and mobility make this interesting to Ninjas. Small size makes it only interesting to Ninjas.

Kenku (MM2)

Dex and Stealth bonuses are nice, and Ninjas should be interested. The +3 feature doesn't quite follow the rules, but your DM can figure it out. But the racial power is wasted, since Bluff isn't a class skill, and Charisma won't be pumped.

Kobold (MM)

Stealth bonuses, dex, and mobility make this interesting to Ninjas. Small size makes it only interesting to Ninjas.

Orc (MM)

The powers are good. You can use the mobility and the survivability. But the stats are all wrong, and there's no support yet. Be a Half-Orc raised by Orcs instead.

Bloodlines

Dragon has mentioned 3 bloodlines so far. A bloodline is a feat chain that represents a half-race. Of the three (Damphir, Deva-ish, and Vistani), Vistani is the most relevant to Avengers

Deva Heritage (D374)

This is mostly of note for Masters of Defense, and I don't think most of them should bother. The feats it opens up aren't that great either.

Vampiric Heritage (DA2009)

Because the extra racial power is based off of physical stats, this is only for Chasers, Ninjas, and Critvengers. And none of you have great Fortitude AND Reflex defenses, so you aren't going to keep hanging on to someone. And grabbing someone means you didn't do actual damage with a standard action, so that's usually a bad idea too. That said, the healing is nice, and some of the new feat options don't suck.

Vistani (D380)

The bonus racial power is very nice for a chaser, but not great... until modified by a couple of feats. Enmity's Eye adds a damage roll, which means it becomes a second-off-action attack power for Martyrs, and Vistani Fencer is great for Crit Fishermen who envy the Ranger's Called Shot feat chain.