If you had to cut two core races from your game....

[The Human Target]

I voted for the half-races.

While they usually see more play than halflings or gnomes from my group, I just think for me they would be the easiest to cut.

They don't have any abilities that are unique, and I've never been the biggest fan of true breeding half races.

 

[Wombat]

G'bye, half-orc & halfling

 

[awayfarer]

It's against the nature of the poll but I voted exclusively for the half-elf. I find them boring and too human-like to really be necessary. Half-orc stayed simply because I like semi-monstrous races.

 

[Feldspar]

None of this stupid, "my mom was human and my dad was a orc". Garbage. As if a human lady would be into a savage cruel orc.

Ummm, I suspect that in most cases the human lady *wasn't* into the orc. See also, Tanis Halfelven's origin.

The two I voted for were Half-Orc and Half-Elf - my problem is that they're basically races without their own cultures. All those races bring to the game are changes to the stat block. Its all up to the player to decide how their heritage affects them in deciding how they'll role-play the character, which is fine, but as its been said you don't really need a new race to do that. You could just pick one of the parent races and have everyone role-play out the rest.

I'm not crazy about Gnomes as written; I *really* don't like Bard as a favored class. But I think they have untapped potential to be tweaked into something much cooler. My plans involve really mining their relationships to the burrowing animals they can talk to and how that would have influenced their development - such as them making their "dens" in nice safe and defensible underground burrows. Clerics are out and Spirit Shamans are in - while all Gnomes have a limited ability to speak to burrowing animals, the Shamans that guide them have made a connection with a guiding animal spirit.

I do quite like gypsish take on Halflings. With Halflings being so small, and horses being just as big as they usually are, Halfling should find life on the road in their wagons far more comfortable than humans ever could. For me, this is the obvious, spiritual and historical, home of the Bard.

But I also imagine some chaotic time period that created a Halfling diaspora and that those who didn't become rovers settling into halfling ghettos in larger cities. These 'warrens' would be reminiscent of the famous "Walled City" that existed in Hong Kong - only in this case, the lawlessness coming from the fact that with everything rebuilt to halfling standards it becomes simply too difficult, and dangerous, for humans to police the inner sections. Territory would be clained by "sheriffs" - gang leaders mostly with the occasional people's hero. And some (Hexblades) have even perfected that gypsy Evil Eye and will hex you if cross them.

Oh yes, Gnomes and Halflings are definately going to find places in my ideal setting.

 

[VirgilCaine]

No humans. People play them too often. It's the freakin' feat. I can see why, but I want some different blood in my parties.

No elves. Don't like 'em. Sure, they will exist--but not as PCs.

Maybe half-elves. Children born from women seduced by the Seelie or Unseelie. That would work.

 

[donremus]

Humans, it's fantasy after all, might force some roleplaying outa some

Half-Elves, too close to human and nerfed in 3.5

 

[Endur]

Gnomes and half-orcs. Neither are all that useful.

Humans, elves, dwarves. halflings, and half-elves were all used in the Lord of the Rings.

 

[crazy_cat]

Goodbye Gnomes.
Goodbye Halflings.

 

[Tonguez]

In my homebrew I have

dropped
Elfs, Dwarfs, Halflings

morphed
Half-Elfs and Half-Orcs are both considered 'tainted' humans*

added
Goblins and Half-giants

so my race line up: Human, Human (Fey touched), Human (Opunga)**, Gnome, Goblin, Giant

Gnomes have definately flavour as mortal fey, they are mischivious, talk to animals and do tricks - Gnomes are Druids, but Bard works too (Illusion + Secret Knowledge).
Halflings are pointless, Dwarfs didn't fit my setting and Elfs still exist but are Fey (Sidhe)

* other tainted humans include the Sea People (Aquatic) and Winged Humans
** Punga is the god of ugly creatures (eg Sharks, Abberartions, Reptiles) and his taint is what affects 'Half-Orcs'^
^ Orcs also don't exist IMC, the main antogonistic race is Sahuagin (the children of Punga and Sekola)

 

[Nikroecyst]

Its odd, the two races voted most likely to be cut (half orc and gnome, so far) are the only two races I play. Im sad now . . . . . .