The Power of "NO". Banned Races and Classes?

[Nergal Pendragon]

I never banned, but I informed players up-front that I do play racial hatreds up-front. Amazingly, the player who made a drow didn't protest when they ended up in jail the entire time the party was in an elf settlement. But the player also didn't make a drow again after that.

 

[Umbran]

I don't have a general rule - I choose on a campaign by campaign basis. I've usually found the PHB to be sufficient for my needs, but if players want something beyond that, we can talk and see if it fits in the world.

 

[Hussar]

It's certainly going to be campaign by campaign, but, generally, I don't outright ban anything.

 

[steeldragons]

I feel its a matter of...perspective. I don't "Ban" anything...because certain things to do not exist in the game world in the first place. They aren't there...I don't have to say they "aren't there." If you want to say "It's in the PHB its LAW!!!" then, I suppose, I do "ban" things.

Dragonborn, Tieflings, Shardminds, Wilden (those were the plant people right?), "Fey-stepping Eladrin", any setting specific races, including but not limited to: kender, warforged, thri-kreen, half-giants, et al. do not exist in the game world. Hence, they are not up for grabs for PCs.

Minotaurs & Drow are evil-by-nature creatures. Most goblinoids as well (though I would likely allow a hobgoblin or goblin PC. No one's ever asked). My world's version of "Grey Elves", whether or not you want to equate that to "Eladrin" (I wouldn't but some might). None of these, though they exist in the world, are available for PCs.

Setting specific or other game system classes are not permitted. No artificers. No [PF] summoners. No [PF] cavaliers...etc...Pretty much anything that is considered a "prestige class" is out. I don't know what books they're from or if they're prestige classes or what, but no duskblades, soulknives, the dozen different "guys with magic and swords" n' all that business.

Barbarians are a human culture and class in my game world. Your halfling with anger management issues is not/and will not be a "Barbarian" class in my games.

...and Halflings have bushy-topped hairy feet/don't wear shoes.

As a player, you have...liberally, about a dozen or so races, including 6-8 cultures of human...a dozen to 15 or so sanctioned classes (more if you want to count each arcane specialist as a separate class)...if you can't make a PC you want to play out of those combinations...shrug. Because something is in a PHB does not make it any more "mandatory" than in a DMG or MM or any further supplement.

 

[Lalato]

Oh... I'm a firm believer in making each campaign world unique. Banning classes and races is one way to do that. Houseruling them is another way.

I also rather enjoy worlds that aren't based on medieval Europe.

 

[The Human Target]

Nothing.

I don't get hating a game thing enough to ban other people from enjoying it, and I've never run into something so broken that it ruins the game.

Being the DM doesn't make my opinions about this stuff more important than my players.

I'd never want to play a shadar-kai spiked chain wielding death cleric, but if ya want to I'll work with it.

 

[Umbran]

I don't get hating a game thing enough to ban other people from enjoying it, and I've never run into something so broken that it ruins the game.

Hyperbolic. I have banned things for some games. It isn't out of "hate" - "hate" is reserved for things that cause real-world harm to real-world people.

When I've done it, it is because the thing in question simply didn't fit with the other thematic elements, social structures, and such.

 

[Lalato]

I don't look at as hating something. Though some might ban things because they hate.

I look at it as creating a living, breathing campaign world. If you're building a post-apoc campaign setting, some races and classes may not make sense. Maybe a particular race was wiped out by the cataclysm. Maybe the tools required for a certain class archetype no longer work. Maybe physics works differently.

If you're trying to model a campaign around a great novel you read. And let's say that novel doesn't mention certain races, you might ban them because they don't fit the setting. Alternatively, you might modify existing races to make the new campaign setting work.

If a player later comes along and wants to play something that doesn't fit in the world... you're always welcome to allow it, but that player should be ready to play the very first of the species in the campaign world. People will react to such a creature in interesting and maybe dangerous ways.

Anyway... it's not about hate, at least not for me. It's about telling the story of your campaign.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Yep. It’s a campaign by campaign basis, really, but I don’t feel the need to ‘ban’ anything. Except Kender, obviously, as they suck…

Classes I feel are a bit superfluous, however, include the Barbarian and Sorcerer (as of 3rd edition experience). In the case of the Barbarian, I think it’s more of a background rather than a class - I think a lot of the archetype could have been handled under the umbrella of a Fighter (with specifically chosen traits and skills). Similarly, Sorcerers just seem like a mechanical difference to Wizards to me, that could have been handled with some sort of ‘spontaneous magic’ trait or feat. I’d have argued the same sort of thing for Warlords, although they no longer exist as a class (although they may end up as some sort of background or Bard speciality perhaps). I’ll wait and see how Sorcerers pan out in 5e though.

 

[Kobold Stew]

In 3.5 and 4 I've always wanted everything in the core three books -- so that includes monsters as player races at the back of the MM, but nothing else without specific permission. It's a clear benchmark that is egalitarian and represented a safe benchmark from which to add.

But I always prefer to add than subtract. 5th might be the first time something in the core three books doesn't get included by default.

And if that's the case, it's my job to see that as a virtue of the system, and not as a problem.