Which PHB race doesn't fit into YOUR fantasy campaign?

Doc_Klueless · Feb 10, 2002

In my campaign and all the others I've run over the last 20+ years, gnomes have never played a part. Just don't like the little buggers! I can't seem to figure out what niche they fill.

How about you?

Holy Bovine · Feb 10, 2002

I allow all standard races from the PHB.

I am also (in my next campaign - coming soon to a theater near you!) going to start using some 'alternate' human races (from the DM's COmpanion that came with the Scarred Lands DM Screen).

But I will NEVER allow Drow.

Nope. Never. The munchkins race of choice as far as I'm concerned.

Crappiest. Race. Ever.

BluWolf · Feb 10, 2002

No gnomes.

I also forgot to vote for no half-orcs either as there are no Orcs in my campaign. Ooops.

Ravellion · Feb 10, 2002

Gnomes will "win" this poll by a landslide. There was a similar poll three weeks ago (give or take a week)

Indeed, no niche.

Rav

Zarrock God of Evil · Feb 10, 2002

Holy Bovine said:
I allow all standard races from the PHB.

I am also (in my next campaign - coming soon to a theater near you!) going to start using some 'alternate' human races (from the DM's COmpanion that came with the Scarred Lands DM Screen).

But I will NEVER allow Drow.

Nope. Never. The munchkins race of choice as far as I'm concerned.

Crappiest. Race. Ever.

With the new ECL system "munchkin" (there goes that silly and ambivalent word again) races are no longer an issue.

-Zarrock

corndog · Feb 10, 2002

Heh, Gnomes are running away with the poll results!

Doesn't surprise me, I too have never used them. Considering that we have Halflings and Dwarves, it is difficult to fit another race of short, fun loving, miner/craftsmen in. I do use Gnomes as a "monster" race, but I have determined that they are too rare to be a viable PC race. (I run a game where the PCs come from fairly normal backgrounds, and are shaped in powerful heroes, I don't really like the idea that PCs should start as super-men or feakish outcasts as has been the trend in RPGs lately.

If you want to get technical, I don't use Half-elves either. I have a race called Endra (A term I picked up in online greyhawk circles some time ago, but have forgotten the source, so apologies to the original author) that are mechanically identical to half-elves. In game though, they are a distinct race, and not halfbreeds. I do allow Half-Orcs on the theory that Orcs are human like enough to be consider simply an offshoot Homo-Sapien breed, and not another race entirely, like elves.

corndog · Feb 10, 2002

Oh, and about Drow. I agree. They were very cool as a monster. They are pretty lame as a PC class. I don't like the idea of PCs being evil to the core, and IMO, Drow as a race are inherently and utterly evil, like Illithids or Red Dragons. In my game, you might encounter a nuetral or even good aligned orc, goblin or kobold now and then, but you will never find a non-evil Drow, period. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but it is my game, and rule 0 outweighs any argument about how ECL justifies Drow wonkiness.

If one of my players wants to play the angsty hero (read, drizzt like, a good guy from a evil civilization) I tell them to play a character raised by the Scarlet Brotherhood, or brought up as a slave in the Pomarj, or born into the infernal mess that is Iuz' empire. If they still demand that a Drow is the only way to go, I start to question why they really want to play it, which does in fact lead to mind words like "munchkin"...

Moon_Goddess · Feb 10, 2002

All of them things.

Human's should be the heroes, monsters should be reserved for the DM

Nah, honestly I'll allow all sorts of thing, but I really do believe that 90% of the PC's should be Human

BiggusGeekus · Feb 10, 2002

I just don't see where gnomes fit in. Take the stereotypes given in the PHB from which we are supposed to use as assistence to derive our characters:

* humans: are humans. So far, so good.
* elves: magic humans
* dwarves: grumpy humans
* half-orcs: violent humans
* half-elves: not really a true race but rather an option for indecisive players
* halfings: short humans
* gnomes ....

What are they? Magic people who also like to use gears and stuff? I'm not a Weiss-Hickman fan, but at least they did something with the race. As it is you can't play a gnome without stepping on dwarf, elf, or halfling turf.

Personally, I like the idea of evil gnomes who experiment with the undead. Call them "Gnecromancers". But a race of happy-go-lucky tricksters who -- for reasons that can only be describes as "because its in the rules" -- also like machinery.

I removed them from my campaign setting because I didn't think of the "gnecromancer" idea until much later. Sorry, gnome lovers.

Oh, and drow? The ECL doesn't make up for that magic resistence. I say remove the magic resistance from player drow. Have something sufficently silly like once a drow sees the light of the sun their magic resistance leaves them. But their have been worse player-races. Consider the flumph ...

Tiefling · Feb 10, 2002

I can't believe this! I love gnomes! Why is it the they have to have a niche? Humans don't have a niche! I don't think races should have a single, defining characteristic (grumpy, magic, violent, short), they should be different in many ways. A race seems pretty boring to me if they're just humans with an extreme of a physical or mental characteristic.