D&D General Does Your Fantasy Race Really Matter In Game? (The Gnome Problem)

[CleverNickName]

What irks me is that Gnomes can have as high strength as half orcs! Should be capped at 12 or something, in my opinion

Back in 3rd Edition, we had a house rule that ability scores were capped at 18 + racial modifiers. So a dwarf (+2 Con, -2 Cha) could have up to a 20 in Constitution but could never have a Charisma higher than 16. I'm sure that you could implement a similar house rule in 5th Edition fairly easily if you wanted.

But listen to me. This is my second "back in the older editions of D&D" post in a row. I'm practically a rocking chair away from yelling at kids to get off my lawn. Feel free to ignore me; I assure you I'm harmless.

 

[Oofta]

For me it usually does matter what race I play. I try to run my characters from their perspective and race is one of the aspects that influence how they would think and approach various situations.


I think that's one of the reasons I have problems playing elves or halflings; elves are just "human but better" and halflings are just short. But a gnome? Sure. Inventive, fast talking, either ties to the natural world (forest) or contraptions (rock/tinker), fond of puns and practical jokes.


Dwarves are easier in some ways. Very pragmatic, blunt to the point of being insulting to non dwarves, always tries to consider the long term. Half orcs are easy as well. They feel like they never really belong, tend to be short tempered and brash.


Could I also have these features in a human? Of course. But for me, the different races come with certain archetypes built in that help me build a unique personality, cultural history and POV.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I like gnomes because they are the little ugly duckling, unpopular among most of players. In the right hands they can be characters so cool like Tyrion Lannister.

About metagame their racial traits are to used like illusionist spellcasters or stealth classes like rogue.

I guess the solution may be the racial traits to be replaced by an optional list of racial feats, like in Pathfinder 2.

Halflings and gnomes aren't races to play classes who wear heavy armour.

I don't respect the canon very much.

My version of the halfling aren't like the kenders from Dragonlance, maybe like the ones from Dark Sun, but softer. Let's say my halfling and gnomes could be used for a preteen cartoon version of D&D.

 

[GreenTengu]

Elves absolutely have too many subraces, but at least the base race has a clear and consistent identity.

I think the base concept of Gnome is fairly consistent.
They are small, smart, studious and long-lived. And they live in damp, musky, mossy underground areas, often dimly lit and out of sight and mind of the bigger people who might seek to do them harm.
And they probably keep lots of books and lots of vials of either herbal or chemical stuff.

Whether they use their intelligence to master magic and nature to the point that utilizing such abilities becomes second nature to them or they utilize their intelligence to advance science beyond the standard boundaries of the setting, those are both just applications of their base core concept.

 

[Seramus]

And, heavens forfend you can't summarize *an entire race of people* in a neat little stereotype! The horror!

I think the stereotypes are important. Certainly not the best thing from an IRL perspective, but within the realm of fantasy those racial stereotypes are what makes those races distinct. You can play to the stereotype, subvert the stereotype, or do all kinds of neat narrative things with the stereotype... but without that anchor? Elves and a Dwarves just become Humans with different stats.

Granted, there is no one true stereotype. But having one is what makes them unique.

 

[Celebrim]

Ok DMs, Have you made any race a scape goat/unwanted in certain towns?

The PC's tried to get entry into a certain large town. One character was a half-elf with a very large bear companion. The customs officer cheerfully told the character that they would be responsible for all damage inflicted by their pets and to not leave it alone in public, but no big deal.

One of the PC's was a hobgoblin. Entry positively refused until one of the other PC's told the customs agent that the hobgoblin was his man-servant with very excellent references and name dropped that formerly he had worked for a very prominent wizard. At that point the customs official agreed to allow the hobgoblin entry, but angrily complained about what this thing might do to their lovely town and the consequences that might happen if it did.

At which point one of the PC's leaned over to the hobgoblin and whispered, "They consider you lower than the bear."

Exactly right. And yes, walking around with a bear attracted curiosity, but walking around with the hobgoblin provoked terror, muttered curses, and wards against evil.

And if they'd tried to go into the hinterlands, where people were less open minded, less used to the foreign and the weird, and had nearer and dearer grievances to hold and nurse, they probably would have tried to lynch the hobgoblin on the spot.

Of course, there are places you can go as a human and receive as hostile of a welcome, or be the wrong sort of human and receive about as nice a welcome from other humans.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Perhaps the point of fantasy races is that they make the stereotypes less obvious. Everything that D&D dwarves are - grumpy, drunken, belligerent, avaricious, clannish, good engineers, etc - could also be done with a Scottish stereotype. But such national stereotyping is usually regarded as, at best, artistically lazy. Make em dwarves instead and you add a layer of distance, of plausible deniability.

Ofc Tolkien's dwarves weren't originally Scottish, they were Jewish, but along the way they've switched ethnicity.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

It's just kind of expected, isn't it? If I invited you over to play some D&D it would not be unreasonable of you to expect to play any one of the races from the Player's Handbook.

Players don't want to play "one of the races". They want to play "whatever race you've not included."

If you allow all races, no-one will play a gnome. If you say, "Allowed races are human, elf, dwarf" then that guarantees someone will want to play a gnome. They will complain bitterly about how unfair you are at not including gnomes. Then if you allow them to play a gnome, and people in the game world comment on this member of a rare race, the player will then complain about how you are picking on them.

My thinking is that just because a race or class or option is in a book, that doesn't mean it's necessarily allowed in a game. The people crafting the game world should only add the classes, races, etc that fit the game world, and no more.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Players don't want to play "one of the races". They want to play "whatever race you've not included."

If you allow all races, no-one will play a gnome. If you say, "Allowed races are human, elf, dwarf" then that guarantees someone will want to play a gnome. They will complain bitterly about how unfair you are at not including gnomes. Then if you allow them to play a gnome, and people in the game world comment on this member of a rare race, the player will then complain about how you are picking on them.

My thinking is that just because a race or class or option is in a book, that doesn't mean it's necessarily allowed in a game. The people crafting the game world should only add the classes, races, etc that fit the game world, and no more.

IME gnomes are played more than dwarves or halflings, less often than elves or Tieflings or Dragonborn.

 

[GreenTengu]

Ofc Tolkien's dwarves weren't originally Scottish, they were Jewish, but along the way they've switched ethnicity.

Gnomes became the Jews, and it was all too obvious if you know negative Jewish stereotypes in 1st and 2nd edition.
Big noses? Check.
Obsessed with gold and gems? Check.
Intellectual with little physical power? Check.
Could in many ways be described as rat-like? Check.
Insisted on constantly wearing funny hats? Check.

I am sure there are many other traits that could be added to this when the race was even further expanded on.

Which makes it all the more ironically unnerving that the Gnomes are the first race that people want to exterminate from the game because they don't see what benefit they bring and can't figure out what to do with them.