Ridding D&D of All Races - Multiple Choice Poll

[doctorbadwolf]

My players are great. I’m not sure how my view on Gnomes reflects on my players. They don’t even play gnomes. . The few people I’ve played with who’ve played Gomes (as a player, usually in a pickup group) played them in typical annoying fashion.

I mean, issa joke, but also, "Sorry you've had bad players in the same group as you" is a pretty minor change. Either way, you've seen dumb gnomes because you had players who couldn't play without using dumb stereotypes.

I'd have to ban dwarves, clerics, most elves, halflings, and farmboys if I banned game options based on bad players!

It really depends upon the campaign setting. Is it a "D&D default" style setting, ala the Realms? Then allow all races. Is it more thematic? Then include races to fit the theme.

I generally don't allow goliath, dragonborn or tieflings, because I don't really like them aesthetically and they tend to clash thematically with my homebrews (don't get me started on shardminds).

Now if I had a player who absolutely "had to" play a dragonborn or tiefling, I would try to encourage them to play one of the other races, but alter it slightly. A human with demonic heritage that shows up in subtler ways than goofy horns and tail. Maybe a sub-race of "storm elves" that live in high mountains and have an affinity with dragons. That sort of thing.

I'd just point out, in case it's ever helpful, that tieflings don't have to look a certain way. I'm curious why goliath clash thematically, btw? It's hard to imagine a world they can't easily fit into.Are there no large, tall, mountain ranges?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

How's this:

I want races refactored so that there's enough design room to include more powerful but not uncommon player wishes. Half Ogres, minotaurs, centaurs, fliers, what-have-you. Which will also allow more design space for the existing races to make them more interesting.

(Bonus point: For some races there are racial classes you can multiclass into that further expand out the race for features that would be "too much" for a starting character.)

At that point, I want enough races that tailoring a race list to match a setting becomes standard practice.

I'm here for it.

Give the basic races an extra feat at level1,or 3, or something, but don't give it to the "bigger" races like werewolves and half-ogres.

 

[Azzy]

II'm curious why goliath clash thematically, btw? It's hard to imagine a world they can't easily fit into.Are there no large, tall, mountain ranges?

Maybe because they're Vin Diesel, the Race.

 

[Mercurius]

I'd just point out, in case it's ever helpful, that tieflings don't have to look a certain way. I'm curious why goliath clash thematically, btw? It's hard to imagine a world they can't easily fit into.Are there no large, tall, mountain ranges?

As with the other "post-traditional" races, more than anything else it is an aesthetic quality that I don't connect with. I have an aversion to video games as a whole (another topic), and when I think of dragonborn, tieflings, shardminds, goliath etc, I just imagine them running around in a World of Warcraft simulation.

As for goliath specifically, they are the least "offensive" and, to be honest, I'd probably allow them. But I'd probably customize them to my setting and say that they are something like the descendents of a race created by dwarves during a darker era of their history to be slave-warriors.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Jester David]

While things can (and possibly should) vary on a world-by-world basis, I don’t think D&D should eliminate any races.

That said, killoren/wilden are laaaaame and desperately need to be reimagined and tied to existing plant monsters...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Counterpoint: we see dumb gnomes because gnomes are, inherently, stupid. I mean, sure, gnomes are vicious little spiteful creatures, like a cross between a badger and your co-workers 5 year old after they've eaten the office candy, but still. Gnomish, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.

Gnome characters got no reason
Gnome characters got no reason
Gnome characters got no reason
To be played
They got little hands
And little eyes
And they walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet

Well, I don't want no gnome characters
Don't want no gnome characters
Don't want no gnome characters
In D&D.

You've confused Gnomes with Dwarves, I fear.

Seriously, get rid of dwarfs and harflings and keep gnomes.

While things can (and possibly should) vary on a world-by-world basis, I don’t think D&D should eliminate any races.

That said, killoren/wilden are laaaaame and desperately need to be reimagined and tied to existing plant monsters...

Wilden are great, and I don't understand why you hate that which is good.

Seriously, though, I prefer them as manifestations of the primal spirits, rather than as plant creatures, as such.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

As with the other "post-traditional" races, more than anything else it is an aesthetic quality that I don't connect with. I have an aversion to video games as a whole (another topic), and when I think of dragonborn, tieflings, shardminds, goliath etc, I just imagine them running around in a World of Warcraft simulation.

As for goliath specifically, they are the least "offensive" and, to be honest, I'd probably allow them. But I'd probably customize them to my setting and say that they are something like the descendents of a race created by dwarves during a darker era of their history to be slave-warriors.

I don't get it, but if it works for you, great.

I really really don't get how goliaths fit into any of that, though. They aren't video game reminiscent at all.

And like...they are big giantish people who live in the high mountain, why the need for any rewrite?

idk, like I said, you do you, I just don't get it at all.

Maybe because they're Vin Diesel, the Race.

But...not, at all?

How are they that, in any way?

 

[MNblockhead]

Not fair to add the Devo reference. Just hearing the word Devo I have to repeat that line. It isn't even a conscious decision.

Someone needs to stat up a Devo race.

 

[Jester David]

Wilden are great, and I don't understand why you hate that which is good.

Seriously, though, I prefer them as manifestations of the primal spirits, rather than as plant creatures, as such.

They’re just entirely tacked on and unrelated to established lore and the dozens of existing plant monsters and floral humanoids.
They’re not “hey this is a humanoid shambling mound” or “an intelligent twigling/ vibe blight”. They’re just new and out of nowhere.

It’d be simmilar to if they wanted to make a new race of pure good outsiders and didn’t even remotely connect them to angels and the like.