Human Fighters Most Common Race/Class Combo In D&D

*Deleted by user*

 

[BookBarbarian]

Doesn't matter what alignment Sean Bean is playing, his character will still be dead before the second episode so there's no need to fret over it.

Except Richard Sharpe. 15 years playing the role. Never Died.

 

[Lawrence Bryan]

I'm a bit surprised at how far down the sorcerer is. I suppose because they are rather power-light to start. But after level 10 or so, in a campaign where the opponents might be anything, I'd rather have a sorcerer. The versatility of available spells is an overwhelming factor versus wizards.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Except Richard Sharpe. 15 years playing the role. Never Died.

Read between the lines. Sharpe is obviously in Purgatory.

 

[prosfilaes]

Yes, I will happily grant that it's somewhat narratively "lazy" to simply retrace the well-trodden paths. That doesn't make it racist, either knowingly or sub-consciously.

Which conflicts with much of that analysis of the Lord of the Rings, which ignores the problems of having the people who look like us be good and the people with bad teeth and green skin be evil.

However, the Good vs. Evil trope appeals, in a very Jungian way, to us humans, and so it's a useful narrative mechanism. Is it wrong to propagate the misconception? I dunno. Maybe.

D&D is a world where, at least traditionally, a number of characters have had the ability to check for evil supernaturally, to find an evil halfling or a not-evil orc. Always evil orcs is not necessary for Good vs. Evil. Even if you prefer to keep races tightly tied to alignments, a more diverse set of good races makes it clear it's about Good vs. Evil, not humans and demi-humans against things that don't look like us.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Which conflicts with much of that analysis of the Lord of the Rings, which ignores the problems of having the people who look like us be good and the people with bad teeth and green skin be evil.

I think, sir, that you might be looking for a problem where isn't one. Yes, you can perform a racially charged reading and further analysis of LotR and people's D&D games, but I question how productive it will be due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of readers and players are not coming into contact with the material from a perspective other than racial conflict. If you want to battle inequality, do it. Get out into the world and make a difference. Join an NGO, talk to your local government leaders, volunteer, work abroad, etc.; looking for holes to punch in other people's fantasy worlds, however, is not a productive way to go about it.

It's a ten times easier to rip things apart than to build them up, but the latter is equally more effective in causing social and legal change.

 

[Lanefan]

D&D is a world where, at least traditionally, a number of characters have had the ability to check for evil supernaturally, to find an evil halfling or a not-evil orc. Always evil orcs is not necessary for Good vs. Evil. Even if you prefer to keep races tightly tied to alignments, a more diverse set of good races makes it clear it's about Good vs. Evil, not humans and demi-humans against things that don't look like us.

There's generalities, and there's specifics.

Generally, Elves are societally a bit Chaotic and somewhat Good. But specifically, any given Elf you meet might be of any alignment.

In Human cultures parsed in D&D terms, Romans would societally trend toward Lawful Neutral while the Norse might trend more Chaotic Good/Neutral. But any specific individual could be anything, and even sub-societies within the main one could vary greatly.

The difference, perhaps, between a Good culture and an Evil one is that a Good culture allows and more or less tolerates some diversity where an Evil one maybe doesn't...so you might well find Evil Romans along with Good ones. But why are there very few if any Good Orcs? Because the Evil ones killed 'em off and ate 'em. Same with Drow - even more so as they are so very much dominated by one particularly nasty deity whose Clerics' word is often the law, such as it is among Drow.

And there's a second question: are we killing these things because they don't look like us, or because they're trying to eat us?

Lan-"wipe them out - all of them"-efan

 

[prosfilaes]

I think, sir, that you might be looking for a problem where isn't one.

And I think you're ignoring a problem where it's been well established there is one. Is everything open for discussion except for anything that might make you slightly uncomfortable? I think history makes it quite clear that arguing against existing problems is an important step in causing social and legal changes.

 

[prosfilaes]

There's generalities, and there's specifics.

Sure. I was replying to someone upset about good orcs, though, and other non-traditional races.

But why are there very few if any Good Orcs? Because the Evil ones killed 'em off and ate 'em.

It seems quite likely that some neutral orcs could escape their community, that some young orcs might end up in an orphanage instead of getting murdered by paladins.

And there's a second question: are we killing these things because they don't look like us, or because they're trying to eat us?

From the external perspective, the problem is defining those things that are trying to eat humans in the setting as being ugly and inhuman. D&D 5 is a lot better in this, in that the available races aren't all demihumans. There's also the difference in expectations; if a Good culture tolerates some diversity, then they should glare at kobolds trying to trade gems, or a trade caravan having a couple of orcish staffers.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

And I think you're ignoring a problem where it's been well established there is one. Is everything open for discussion except for anything that might make you slightly uncomfortable? I think history makes it quite clear that arguing against existing problems is an important step in causing social and legal changes.

And arguing about things on the internet is absolutely the way to solve it. *shrugs*

 

[prosfilaes]

And arguing about things on the internet is absolutely the way to solve it. *shrugs*

You're sitting here arguing with me. If you're so concerned about solving things, go solve them. I'm discussing why 5E's racial selection is better than humans, elves, halflings and dwarves versus "monsters", why that old-school selection is known to be problematic.