Question on fantasy races

[Ed_Laprade]

I have never really thought of it that way. Maybe it would be more of an effect if I take the races and alter them a little then throw the players into a world where things are different. I like the idea of having different things that are unique enough that it keeps people guessing, instead of knowing all the ins and outs before the adventure ends.

Maybe I will alter them then and try that first. I definitely don't want the tree-hugging elves or antisocial dwarves. Any uggestions or examples of someone doing this?

The more 'new and unique' stuff you throw at your players, the more you risk confusing them. Also, bear in mind that the characters live in your world. They've heard all the myths, legends and adventuring stories available in their area. (At least, I would expect them to if they are hell bent on risking their lives as adventurers in the first place!)

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Aurumvorax]

The problem with the "traditional" fantasy races is that they're based on humans with human-like morals and sensibilities. The unfortunate fact is that the more non-human you make a race, the less players can connect with them.

There was a whiplash over 4E making metallic dragons unaligned but it makes perfect sense to me. Why should this race, which has its own culture, connect with humans at all? Why should they build their civilizations or form methods of thinking based on human thought? If the alignment system was designed from a human perspective (and the gods or creators usually take some kind of human form), it makes absolute sense why some creatures are seen as absolute evil and others good.

 

[jsears2002]

I don't feel I've truly explored everything I can yet about those races as player characters. Maybe if I exhaust all possible new ideas concerning them, then I may feel the same. Until then, I've just gotta have 'em.

I think, after dwelling on it today, that might be close to what I feel. It isn't so much that I don't like those races, but, except for maybe Dragon Age, the feeling of the classic fantasy races have gone 'cartoony'. I guess I kinda like the idea that if the idea of evolution were ever presented, it could be believed.

I personally think that other races should be present in the world too; that just humans isn't always far enough from reality that I would seek that out.

As far as new races, I've thought about taking some ideas from Sci-Fi settings, especially Star Trek, and re-fluffing a bit for some new races.

As far as borrowing from Sci-Fi races, I like some of the Mass Effect races, and could consider changing them around for a fantasy race.

They've heard all the myths, legends and adventuring stories available in their area. (At least, I would expect them to if they are hell bent on risking their lives as adventurers in the first place!)

I think I need to clarify what I meant about knowing the ins and outs of myths and legends. I wasn't talking the characters in the game. I was referring to the players who have gamed in other worlds and have seen elves living in trees, the drow in caves, the dwarves mining ore, and the trolls who only die by fire or acid. I meant to say I want to knock them off their meta-gaming pedestals.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I think I need to clarify what I meant about knowing the ins and outs of myths and legends. I wasn't talking the characters in the game. I was referring to the players who have gamed in other worlds and have seen elves living in trees, the drow in caves, the dwarves mining ore, and the trolls who only die by fire or acid. I meant to say I want to knock them off their meta-gaming pedestals.

Then what I said still goes. Of course, that means that you have to give the players any new myths, legends, etc. that their characters have grown up with all their lives. And make sure you tell them that things are different in this world. I think about doing that from time to time, but at the end of the day its just more work than I want to do. YMMV.

 

[Pig Champion]

There isn't any reason why you can't have the best of both worlds. You can still have all the races that give the game and gamers a familiar feel but then add new spins on them to make them feel less-cookie cutter or whatever.

Kobold Quarterly has an ongoing article about doing so, you should check it out for some inspiration.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Welcome to the boards!

1) It is perfectly possible and acceptable and even FUN to have Human only fantasy campaigns.

2) Elves and Dwarves can be cookie cutter, but they don't have to be. I've got campaigns in which Elves were plantlike (something like the Woodling template) and Dwarves were actually carved from stone. And what stone a given dwarf was carved from affected their stats and affinities for certain classes.

3) For nifty races, check out books on world mythology, scour the boards, then use your own imagination. Personally, I've posted about the Elves & Dwarves above, but also about Fey who were actually Grey Aliens (think X-files or Close Encounters, etc.), Warforged who were like Cybermen or Daleks, Awakened Animals and re-skinning & reworking those river-dwelling halflings into a quasi-dwarflike race of sentient, bipedal Snapping Turtles to name but a few.

One of my favorites was the Nephilim. They were my (more flexible) take on 3.X's Planetouched- you know, the Aasimar, Tieflings, Fey'ri, and so forth. Essentially what I did was use Monte Cook's AU/AE rules on racial classes (themselves an improvement on Savage Species monster racial levels), and have a variety of menus that let you build PCs of all kinds of otherworldly heritages.

Others have posted about Celirians (sentient gliding reptiles), conversions for RIFTS Wolfen and others.

If that isn't enough or you find yourself with writer's block, just post a thread about what you're looking for in a new race and watch the suggestions roll in. There are a lot of helpful people here at ENWorld.

 

[Starfox]

To me, an all human campaign easily drifts off into racism. I had an arabian-nights themed campaign where I tought it ieaser to have the world populated by orks, goblins, elves, dwarves, and ogres that to deal with the complexities of Turks, Chinese, Greeks, Jews, and Kurds. This is because if I use humans only in a game, I prefer those humans to be racially diverse and to confirm to different stereotypes. The old Stormbinger game from Chaoisum did this well; there were a plethora of human or variant human races, each quite different. As that was a completely imaginary world they escaped the racism angle. In my Arabian game the real-world parallels are close and poignant.

As for the triteness of elves and dwarfs, I don't think its a problem. Fantasy thrives on stereotyopes. I get much more annoyed if there is a race of pseudo-elves that differ from real elves only by name and degrees than I do by having the real thing present and confirming to type.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Do you feel that various races are needed to make a complete fantasy setting? Or are humans with various culture enough to make a fun fantasy realm?

--snip--

While I was thinking about creating my own campaign world, I started thinking about elves and dwarves - and I see them as the cookie-cutter fantasy races. Used almost ad-nauseum. Does anyone else agree? I am juggling with the idea of creating new races.

What Umbran said. Like, the lot - Tad Williams included.

If I do decide on making new fantasy races for my campaign world, does anyone have any tips, resources, or suggestions about creating new races that aren't too outlandish and could believably exist in a fantasy realm?

The easiest way, again, is to take something that's already done for you, cherry-pick whatever you like from it, and adapt/convert as required.

One resource that springs to mind is RuneQuest (that is, Glorantha.) A rich, detailed world, with similarly rich and detailed races peopling it. Mythology is deeply entwined with, well, nearly everything. That's the kind of thing I like, but of course YMMV. Just thought I'd mention it.

You can check out that campaign setting via old or new RPGs, or quite possibly, some website or other.

 

[Jhaelen]

Do you feel that various races are needed to make a complete fantasy setting? Or are humans with various culture enough to make a fun fantasy realm?

Well, one of my favorite 'settings' is Mythic Europe in Ars Magica. Since it's basically historical europe with a couple of twists - nope, you don't need any fantasy races.

The second is this. While I was thinking about creating my own campaign world, I started thinking about elves and dwarves - and I see them as the cookie-cutter fantasy races. Used almost ad-nauseum. Does anyone else agree? I am juggling with the idea of creating new races.

Here is the last section. If I do decide on making new fantasy races for my campaign world, does anyone have any tips, resources, or suggestions about creating new races that aren't too outlandish and could believably exist in a fantasy realm?

Well, yes and no. I kind of agree that it's refreshing if a setting doesn't rely on the vanilla races or at least makes sure they're culturally different from vanilla.

E.g. in my current 3e campaign elves (and gnomes) are off-limits as player races since I wanted them to be capricious fey-like beings with an alien worldview.

I'd be careful about creating your own races, though. The problem is: Your players need to have a very good idea what it would be like to play one of them. Unless you're willing to invest a lot of work, that's difficult to pull off.

Reskinning or modifying racial cultures is the easier way to go. A good example imho is the Eberron setting or Dark Sun. They use the standard races, but they're very distinct from the vanilla versions.