Race Character Optimisation: Just Choose Dwarf

[UngeheuerLich]

I could also see that elves get +2 to int or dex, +2 wis. As it stands now, we have no clear statement about the elf stats.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In the light of dwarfs beeing able to chose between str and wis, i believe, the mul should have been: Str +2, Con or Wis +2 (like the non available minotaur in dark sun)

 

[Sunseeker]

I thought they were meant to be vaguely Scottish. Flavor is easy enough to alter anyway. I mean look at the cannibal halflings in Dark Sun or the creepy police state gnomes of Eberron.

I wonder where this comes from?

So (and again, we are stereotyping) they are musical, like green, likely to be unemployed with lots of children...

Scottish is better.

But german or scandanavian is still best.

Scottish or Irish, their all-too similar relation to "poorer" groups of Europeans is well worked into their design, their height, for one, as the old use of the world "tall" used to mean enlightened, respectable, old depictions of the Irish and Scottish showed them as almost ape-like, evidenced in Dwarves by their copious amount of hair, the squat statue and sizeable girth. They are portrayed as having a love of all things "common", and they are diligent workers, another annoying stereotype placed upon the "lesser" Europeans to show that their role was best for toiling in the earth, taken quite literally.

Unless there is a massive reworking of the dwarves to make them a more unique race with a culture less steeped in lame "poor european" stereotypes, I'll continue to reject the dwarves wholesale.

This generally results in my DM sessions or personal stories to simply have made the Dwarf race extinct.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Dwarves would be the perfect race if not for their horrible body odor, extreme halitosis, and utter lack of hygiene--or is that only the dwarf in my campaign?

 

[scylis]

Scottish or Irish, their all-too similar relation to "poorer" groups of Europeans is well worked into their design, their height, for one, as the old use of the world "tall" used to mean enlightened, respectable, old depictions of the Irish and Scottish showed them as almost ape-like, evidenced in Dwarves by their copious amount of hair, the squat statue and sizeable girth. They are portrayed as having a love of all things "common", and they are diligent workers, another annoying stereotype placed upon the "lesser" Europeans to show that their role was best for toiling in the earth, taken quite literally.

Unless there is a massive reworking of the dwarves to make them a more unique race with a culture less steeped in lame "poor european" stereotypes, I'll continue to reject the dwarves wholesale.

This generally results in my DM sessions or personal stories to simply have made the Dwarf race extinct.

Do you have those repugnant, imbecilic half-breed half-orcs, which are obviously shots against the mingling of a better race with barbaric, inferior stock?

How about tieflings, which might easily be seen, with their red skin and infernal heritage, to be thinly veiled stereotypes of "non-European", non-Christians, who were typically cast as "devil worshipers" who would "consort with foul demons" instead of living "enlightened" Christian lives?

Halflings went from being lower class British folk (hobbits) to being untrustworthy, thieving gypsy-folk. Who else really has the "wanderlust" but dirty gypsies?

Gnomes are clearly a more fey-themed dwarf, so do they get the axe, too?

OH, don't get me started on warforged! Why, they're obviously a lesser race. Do they actually have souls? And they were quite literally made for unquestioning servitude. I bet that if they were mostly wood and not metal, they'd be of a positively darker hue that a fine white oak. So many times it's found that warforged, when left to their own devices, simply have no idea what to do with themselves. It would be a much more proper arrangement to simply keep them in servitude, wouldn't you think?

Minotaurs? Unnatural union of man and beast! Why, they used to be monsters, only!

Goliaths? Only uncivilized barbarians come from the mountain-folk!

Wilden? Tis devious fey magics that makes nature rise up against the people which rule over it!

Shardminds? Ok, you got me on that one. No clue there.

Changelings? Have you even read any of the folklore to the things named "changelings"? Hideous, murderous, evil things left in place of children stolen in the night!

I can go on and on about pretty much any of the races in 4E, save honest humans, devas, and maybe dragonborn. So, really, why bother? The races these days are much more and better than the myths, legends, and stereotypes that spawned them and to hold those old myths, legends, and stereotypes against them when that is far removed from they have become, in the case of the Dwarves - strong, proud and noble (and often about the richest people around), is... well, it's a little nutty.

TL;DNR: Chill pill, dude. Not being around in a custom setting is one thing, but never around, ever? A bit over the top.

 

[Shin Okada]

I just wonder about the human. I mean, it would be sort of neat if people actually played them again.

I still see at least one or two human PC in typical 5-men party in average.

They are indeed strong, numerically. They have the best Nads, +1 feat, +1 skill and +1 L1 at-will. Also, human racial feats are good.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Dwarves - rock 'ard drunkards with big beards, short tempers and sharp axes. What's not to like, even without their awesome second wind!

 

[Dice4Hire]

If you are melee, dwarves are a great choice. If you are a caster, they seldom are. Humans are great for both sides. Granted, it takes a while for humans to come into their own, they need to get a few class feats usually before they start taking their great human feats. I usually cannot get action surge till 8th or so.

 

[Jools]

I've read a couple of times that the original Tolkien dwarfs were probably based on the miners of Wales.

I wonder where this comes from?

So (and again, we are stereotyping) they are musical, like green, likely to be unemployed with lots of children...

Scottish is better.

But german or scandanavian is still best.

 

[Jools]

If you are melee, dwarves are a great choice. If you are a caster, they seldom are. Humans are great for both sides. Granted, it takes a while for humans to come into their own, they need to get a few class feats usually before they start taking their great human feats. I usually cannot get action surge till 8th or so.

Dwarves make excellent Invokers and phenomenally good Con warlocks. They can use hammers as an implement and even use Eldritch strike as a Con based MBA for high damage that slides the target and gets curse damage added on. Additionally, many Infernal lock powers provide yet more damage if the monster has the audacity to hit you back on its turn.

Dwarves are unstoppable!