Ridding D&D of All Races - Multiple Choice Poll

ad_hoc · Dec 8, 2018

I'm okay with a few races who don't play a prominent role in the world. Some of them will be so few in number as to not have any cities or even any communities.

That said, I feel like 5e is already over saturated with races. Tielflings have like 10 variants now. That removes any sort of identity they had (not that I liked them at all). Mix and max abilities and then slap on some flimsy themes is not the way 5e should go.

clearstream · Dec 8, 2018

lowkey13 said:
There's only two things I hate in this world.

First, those who are intolerant of other people's selection of race while playing D&D.

Second, gnomes.

I gnome what you mean. If there's someone out there who loves gnomes they should play them to their heart's content.

They just can't expect me to do any work to create adventures for them. I'm a DM, not a servant.

Cobalt Meridian · Dec 8, 2018

clearstream said:
I gnome what you mean. If there's someone out there who loves gnomes they should play them to their heart's content.

They just can't expect me to do any work to create adventures for them. I'm a DM, not a servant.

I like Gnomes and in the game I GM Gnomes are a prominent race, far more common than Elves. Furthermore there are no Halflings currently - I can't stand them but my players seem to like them so I have let them know that I will include them at the appropriate point.

It seems to me that this discussion keeps cropping up, and has done so for decades, even though most players and GMs are OK with the idea that both parties should discuss available races and race choices before the game starts (or at least before the player gets invested in a character that the GM isn't going to welcome). I understand the sentiment of not being a servant when being a GM but my players are my friends and I want them to have fun.

Still the poll is interesting, thanks.

Azzy · Dec 8, 2018

doctorbadwolf said:
But...not, at all?

How are they that, in any way?

First, it's a joke, Susan.

Secondly, Big, bald, and edgelordy. Like most of Vin's roles (Groot and Iron Giant notwithstanding).

clearstream · Dec 8, 2018

Cobalt Meridian said:
I like Gnomes and in the game I GM Gnomes are a prominent race, far more common than Elves. Furthermore there are no Halflings currently - I can't stand them but my players seem to like them so I have let them know that I will include them at the appropriate point.

I do like campaign worlds in which unexpected races are prominent. It can be used to give that world a very distinctive feel, and it can allow development of more nuance in that race. I might like a world in which gnomes were the majority more than one in which they are a sideshow.

Cobalt Meridian said:
It seems to me that this discussion keeps cropping up, and has done so for decades, even though most players and GMs are OK with the idea that both parties should discuss available races and race choices before the game starts (or at least before the player gets invested in a character that the GM isn't going to welcome). I understand the sentiment of not being a servant when being a GM but my players are my friends and I want them to have fun.

Absolutely. I'm mainly just pointing out that the DM is allowed to have fun: they're one of the people at the table. For me, tremendous satisfaction in DMing comes from world creation: it's something I enjoy doing. Gnomes as often portrayed in official material don't chime with my worlds. I don't want a lot of clockwork and tinkering, nor funny, bumbling, whatever geniuses.

I liked the deep gnomes of Blingdenstone. I think because they came across to me as a heavily oppressed people trying to reclaim their natural home. They had an inherent optimism, levity, and irony, that suited a struggle against cruel drow and crazed demon lords.

Ragmon · Dec 8, 2018

Half-orc need to go, and should be replaced by Orcs as a core playable race.
Same for Half-elfs, remove them, we already have elfs.

Halfling, their just half humans, the gnomes already cover every small person angle. Even the hobbits in Tolkien's works are just a parody on people from the country-side. Then they just slowly transformed into small, stereotypical gypsies. The game doesent need a race that is just a parody of a parody.

Also if ya don't like a race just don't use em in the game.

doctorbadwolf · Dec 8, 2018

Azzy said:
First, it's a joke, Susan.

Secondly, Big, bald, and edgelordy. Like most of Vin's roles (Groot and Iron Giant notwithstanding).

*le gasp!* I’ve been Susan’d!?

But also they aren’t edgelordy? Whatcha talkin ‘bout?

Garthanos · Dec 8, 2018

jmartkdr said:
If something's too strong half the time and too weak the other half, it's in balance none of the time.

Good quote.

Garthanos · Dec 8, 2018

WaterRabbit said:
For example, in Dark Sun, warlocks could be reskinned to be templars whose pacts are held by the dragon kings.

Reskinning can do wonders with the right ability selections you can weave a race or class into something which very much fits a campaign ... like a hybrid of two divine classes come out feeling like a bloodweaver/bloodwright vampire who uses blood manipulation with a hunger that bleeds between the cracks in their discipline to infect their allies with their hunger (mechanically a cleric/invoker hybrid).

I seen someone who reflavored all the core races as human heroic archetypes.

delericho · Dec 8, 2018

It really depends what question you're asking.

If you're asking what races 5e should get rid of from the published books... well, that's a moot question - they're not going to change the roster until 6e rolls around (or, I suppose, 5.5e - but I don't see that happening).

If you're asking what races I'd put in the 6e PHB (or, if I had a time machine, which ones I'd put in 'my' 5e PHB), my answer is "the same as the current PHB". I think the idea of including all those races that had appeared in a main PHB for any of the editions was a good one. (In fact, the big change I would make would be to add a couple of classes, to round out that roster in the same way - bring in an Assassin class, a Warlord class, and a Mageblade class to represent the BECMI Elf.)

If you're asking which ones I would include in a campaign, again it depends. When running a published setting, I'll typically allow the ones the setting recommends (so Eberron has the PHB races plus Warforged, Kalashtar, Shifters, and Changelings; Dark Sun has Muls and Half-giants but no Gnomes; and so on). When creating a campaign setting, I'll pick some set of races that seems good to me.

I usually encourage players to make their race selection really quickly: if they have a burning desire to play a member of a particular race, they should play that. But if they don't have a strong desire, they should default to human. Don't agonise over the decision!

I also tend to quietly discourage players from choosing 'oddball' races - that is, the ones that aren't in the PHB and aren't explicitly called out for the setting. However if a player does want to play such a race I'll almost always allow it, unless the setting lore specifically argues against it. (That is, if a player really wants to play a Tabaxi in FR, I'll allow it; but a player asking for a Drow in Dragonlance is going to be disappointed.)

Finally, I should note that I'm not particularly opposed to WotC publishing more races for 5e. However, I have no particular desire or interest to see any more (again, excepting the setting-specific races, which should be published alongside the rest of the setting). I'd much rather they published something else in the space.