Allow me to elaborate on Races of Destiny. My biggest issue is with the space spent discussing humans themselves. Humans are supposed to be the easiest race for people to get their heads around, since, with very few exceptions, most players are humans themselves.
Thus, 28 pages spent telling you how to play yourself seems ... wasteful.
Here is how the book uses space:
Chapter 1: Humans. Pages 5-32. 10 basic topics: A Day in the Life, Psychology, Lifestyle, Society and Culture, Relations with other races, Religion, History and Folklore, Language, Cities and Settlements, and Character Advice.
2 new deities, each of which gets about a page of space. Other forms of worship are mentioned (Pantheism, Monotheism, and Deism) but only get a paragraph each (1/4 page total). Assorted creation myths are given over the space of 2.5 pages. A new language, Gutterspeak (a corrupted form of common), is introduced, and a short phrasebook is given (a little over half a page for both). 3.25 pages are spent describing a human city, but it is mostly some specific places and the NPCs that inhabit them (2 pages).
Much of the rest is a discussion of Human societies, but generalized, offering such dazzling insights as: Humans work hard. Humans play hard. Humans value social standing. If there is an city under siege, there is also a second army besieging it. This can lead to a stalemate if both forces are evenly matched. Human architecture builds from the ground up. Human buildings don't blend in with nature. Druids don't like human architecture.
Chapter 2: Half-Elves and Half-Orcs. Pages 33-50. The same list of 10 basic topics is covered separately for each, giving Half-Elves 9 pages and Half-Orcs 9 pages.
Chapter 3: Illumians. Pages 51-90. Same 10 basic topics.
Illumians are magically altered humans, created only a few hundred years ago from an order of Monks.
Chapter 4: Other Races of Destiny (Aasimar, Doppelganger, Half-Ogre, Mongrelfolk, Sea-kin, Sharakim, Skulk, Tiefling, and Underfolk). Pages 91-110.
Monster classes are given for the Doppelganger and Skulk. For the rest, abbreviated character traits sections like the race descriptions in the PH for Humans, Elves, etc., basically 1 page each. For some, 60% of this information is already in the Monster Manual.
Sharakim, Sea-kin, and Underfolk are races as new as the Illumians, but they get much less space.
Chapter 5: Prestige Classes. Pages 111-146. 7 Prestige Classes.
Chameleon: Human or Doppelganger.
Loredelver: Illumian only
Menacing Brute: Half-Orc only
Outcast Champion: Half-Elf, Half-Orc, or Half-Ogre
Scar Enforcer: Half-Elf only
Shadow Sentinel: Illumian Only
Urban Soul: Human
The format for Prestige Classes gives each about 5 - 5.5 pages of informtation. Of course, part of that 1-1.5 pages, is the sample NPC (which repeats in full all of the information for each of its class abilities).
A Note about the Scar Enforcer: Its reason to exist is because, in a certain city where Elves and Humans lived in peace, a war broke out between them. Although there is now peace again, both sides pick on the Half-Elves. So these Half-Elves hate both sides of their ancestries. Unless you have a similar city, or care to add one, this particular PrC will require a good deal of re-work to fit into a game.
Chapter 6: Character Options. Pages 147-170. Skills, Feats, Spells, Psionics, and Racial Substitution Levels.
Some new skill uses: using certain skills to be able to map out the power structure of a religion, or a street gang, or a noble house, etc.
Several of the new Feats relate to Illumians only. Of 25 general feats, 9 are Illumian-specific, 4 are specific to Humans, 6 have no racial requirement at all, and the rest are available to Half-Humans.
Illumians get no Racial Substitution Levels. Half-Elves get Bard, Fighter, and Ranger levels; Half-Orcs get Barbarian, Druid, and Paladin levels.
Some spells are interesting. Notes are given for using the new City and Destiny domains in the Forgotten Realms and Eberron.
Chapter 7: Is missing. The next chapter is numbered 8.
Chapter 8: Campaigns of Destiny. Pages 171-192.
This chapter is mostly about Cities and Towns. It discusses "Elements of a Town", Community Attributes (poverty-stricken, declining, booming, etc.), City Folk (typical jobs, social status, roleplaying notes).
The next section is Sample NPCs (13 pages) with encounters (groups assembled from the Sample NPCs). The Sample NPCs are given full stat blocks (which means they again repeat in full all class abilities). There are about a dozen humans, with 5-6 each of Half-Elf, Half-Orc, and Illumian NPCs as well.
