D&D 5E Humans!?

[Pvt. Winslow]

Yes. I've adapted the old AD&D loyalty modifiers for use with 5e. I've been planning on posting the results in the home brew forum. One of the things they're good for is reaction checks to establish if an NPC/monster is hostile, indifferent, or friendly in the first place. Without getting into too much detail, it's a Charisma check modified by a number of factors including the race and alignment of the PC who is speaking as we'll as his/her "associates." Racial hatred gives a penalty of -2, preference give +2. It's pretty much straight out of the 1e DMG.

Sounds really interesting. I might have to keep an eye out for it if you end up posting it on the home brew forum. I started with 3E so I haven't seen such a system yet.

 

[Herr der Qual]

You know, this always makes me curious, because I've had nothing but trouble with this concept in the past. A lot of published adventures, modules, and even the bulk of a lot of custom made material often features humans as being the most prolific race. Usually, other races have certain stigmas, prejudices, stereotypes, or other shennanigans attributed to them, either true or untrue.

How often do DM's actually have their populace react logically to a group of demi-humans walking into a town that is nearly 90% human? It's easiest when the demi-humans are the old staples, like dwarves, elves, halflings, etc. However, I often see people list their party, and it's full of tieflings, gnolls, half-minotaurs, pixies, drow (that are totally good), and other more bestial races. Do DM's ever have people run in fear? Do mothers shield their children and usher them inside? Do groups of guards suddenly appear, shadowing the party as it moves through town? Do innkeepers frown and secretly up their rates as the gnoll barbarian slobbers on his countertop?

Sometimes I think a lot of parties fall in love with the idea of playing half-bastard spawn of dragons, but DMs basically just treat them as humans for all the world responds to their presence. I feel like that's really cheating groups out of potentially awesome RP, and also somewhat breaking an internal consistency in campaign logic. It also makes me wonder when people talk about how they can't understand why people would play a human, if that poster plays in a game with bestial races that are treated as human by the campaign world.

In such a case, I totally agree, why play a human if you can play any race you want and be treated as human?

So the party I'm playing in right now consists of:
-Dwarf Barbarian/Ranger
-Half-Elf Fighter
-Dragonborn Life Cleric (Tamara is his deity).

We each have specific backgrounds, my Dwarf was an outlander and was recruited into the campaign and he is suiting his own ends, he's trying to find something. The half-elf was a soldier, the Dragonborn was betrayed by the officials in his temple and has not been welcomed anywhere except the town we have found ourselves in. The dragonborn healed many people who were sick when he came across the town and has been tentatively accepted (still not well liked), my dwarf and the half-elf squabble and make fun of one another constantly. (Think Legolas and Gimli, lord of the rings movies).

In all the campaigns I've been a part of or DMed with this gorup, everyone is accustomed to being refused service, stripped of weapons entering towns, being refused entrance to town, being falsely arrested we've never really strayed too far from the accepted races in the books. The reception we receive depends on our race and the racial make-up of the town. Part of the reason why I enjoy playing non-human races, I like the challenge and in real life I'm an outcast of society.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

I still want to run an all gnome adventure under the floorboards of a major city

Neither a Borrower nor a Kender be.
And this above all: to thy gnome self be true - Polgnomius

 

[Pvt. Winslow]

In all the campaigns I've been a part of or DMed with this gorup, everyone is accustomed to being refused service, stripped of weapons entering towns, being refused entrance to town, being falsely arrested we've never really strayed too far from the accepted races in the books. The reception we receive depends on our race and the racial make-up of the town. Part of the reason why I enjoy playing non-human races, I like the challenge and in real life I'm an outcast of society.

Good stuff. Sounds like a pretty interesting group. I like that you've been able to weave the backgrounds into the game in a way that fosters reactions from the world around them. Very cool.

You must see where I'm coming from though, with bringing up non-standard races in a campaign world. If done well, such as what I'm seeing in your examples, it can enhance certain aspects of the RP and game. If ignored entirely, it can make choice of race come down to simply crunch and numbers, where everything is basically painted in a human veneer.

In such a case, I think it might make more sense to you why so many people choose human instead of rolling up a different race. What do you think?

 

[abirdcall]

The reception we receive depends on our race and the racial make-up of the town. Part of the reason why I enjoy playing non-human races, I like the challenge and in real life I'm an outcast of society.

So you relate more to demihumans than humans as humans represent the popular culture that you are outcast from?

Just trying to see where you are coming from. I imagine this has a lot to do with the popularity of Drizzt.

How do you feel about Drizzt?

My entire group doesn't care for that sort of trope and we mostly like to play humans.

 

[Herr der Qual]

You must see where I'm coming from though, with bringing up non-standard races in a campaign world. If done well, such as what I'm seeing in your examples, it can enhance certain aspects of the RP and game. If ignored entirely, it can make choice of race come down to simply crunch and numbers, where everything is basically painted in a human veneer.

In such a case, I think it might make more sense to you why so many people choose human instead of rolling up a different race. What do you think?

I do get where your coming from, but I've never encountered that problem in game, I've been gaming with pretty much the same group for 8 years despite a few swap outs.

So you relate more to demihumans than humans as humans represent the popular culture that you are outcast from?

Just trying to see where you are coming from. I imagine this has a lot to do with the popularity of Drizzt.

How do you feel about Drizzt?

My entire group doesn't care for that sort of trope and we mostly like to play humans.

I think you analyzed it very well, I've been an outcast for most of my life, and I like to play characters that are outcast or are judged immediately. I'm an ex-con, biker and extreme metal junkie, people judge me by my appearance every day, so I can identify with characters that think differently than normal people and are judged by their appearance. The Drizzt books were a major part in getting me through my seven year prison stint, I love the series but the character I found that I most identified with was Bruenor, lofty goals, a take charge attitude, a guy that protects his friends. My characters are always difficult to befriend, I keep my distance from my party, but once we've gained a few levels I start to bond with them, share my character's back story slowly, after a while I protect the hell out of my party, no one messes with my party, coincidentally my character gets arrested a lot. lol.

 

[Pvt. Winslow]

My entire group doesn't care for that sort of trope and we mostly like to play humans.

Which trope are you referring to here, as Drizzt is an icon for two? Do you mean the trope of being an outcast in society and having to deal with all the issues that causes, or the trope of being heroic and good despite racial prejudices and norms? I believe you mean the former, but I just want to make sure.

 

[Hussar]

Our current lineup of 7 PC's has 3 humans - Dragonlance

Last campaign - 7 PC's, 2 humans (IIRC, it's been awhile) - Dark Sun

So, we're running a fairly large minority on humans. And humans outnumber all the other races individually.

That's generally been my experience all the way through.

Although, to be honest, in 1e we almost always played humans because of the racial level limits. There'd be the odd man out demi-human from time to time, but characters were far more likely to be human than not.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Some people want to play Han Solo, some (weird) people want to play Chewbacca.

 

[Herr der Qual]

I guess I can understand why people want to play humans but I live the human existence every day. Trying to role play a mythical race and bring them to life in a genuine fashion is just so much more fun for me. I think I would enjoy playing the only demihuman in a human party would be a good experience for me. I think in a future game I might even give a human character a chance. I really appreciate the great input on this thread.