D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Crimson Longinus]

People seem to have quite differnt ideas about what 'playing a race X' even means. Like some people suggest that playing a living statue that looks like an elf would be playing an elf and playing a small treant that uses warforged rules would be playing a warforged. To me neither of those would be true. To me it is the lore and the archetype that defines the race, not the rules.

 

[Maxperson]

Yes.
The key thing is in D&D, the Players have to care about what the DM likes but the DM doesn't have to care about what the Players like.


The DM can care about Player desires if they choose to. However it is not required. And a DM can get away with not care due to DM scarcity and workload.

I disagree. If the DM doesn't care about the players, they go play Basketball or have fun another way. They don't need to play D&D to have fun, and in my experience players would rather have fun doing something else than playing D&D miserably.

 

[Oofta]

Criticism isn't an attack, and being included in a group of people whose behavior is being very mildly criticized is hardly personal.

Right. My honest question is a farce, a ridiculous caricature, following the rules of the game as explicitly spelled out in the PHB and DMG is a red flag is "just criticism". When I clearly stated that I was asking for clarification. Kind of like saying an insult is "just a joke".

If I've gotten something wrong, if you can explain your logic better than one of the two options, then explain your position without resorting to what basically boils down to "you're doing it wrong" or red herrings.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

I gave my personal reasons for a curated campaign here. As far as working with the players I will of course try to work something out. Drow aren't allowed buy I'd ask why they want to play a drow. From an RP perspective? I'm sure we can work something out. They won't be a drow but can be an outcast with a dark past, sure. So it seems like we agree there. I think.

What if I offered up the following character in your campaign....

Drow Anyclass (stats unimportant): Thrown into the river for being sickly and not expected to live the child Charname was expected to die like all the others. The goddess X took pity on the child and had it caught up on some floating debris to ride its way to the surface. A passingby farming family noticed the crying child on the riverbank and rushed to save it.

Upon climbing down into the reeds the family recoiled in horror as they viewed a tiny drow, creatues of their nightmares. As the father reached down to drown the infant a vision of the goddess X appeard in the rippling waves and spoke to them.

"I have saved this ones life for my own purposes. I charge you with raising it as one of your own. To help you do this I will change her likeness to fit in with your society.

End result: I have a drow (in genetics and mechanics) raised by humans who has the appearance of a human being.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Right. My honest question is a farce, a ridiculous caricature, following the rules of the game as explicitly spelled out in the PHB and DMG is a red flag is "just criticism". When I clearly stated that I was asking for clarification. Kind of like saying an insult is "just a joke".

This is all blatant mischaracterization of my statements.

 

[Gammadoodler]

So can you tell me why in 500 words or less why you believe curated campaigns are wrong? If they are not, why you argue against them?

Because I'm being quite sincere in my request from this post. Can we have an explanation that counters my logic for having a list of acceptable races?

Why would I spend 500 words defending an assertion I never made?

Hell..broke my own rule.

 

[billd91]

The DM can care about Player desires if they choose to. However it is not required. And a DM can get away with not care due to DM scarcity and workload.

Emphasis mine. You make it sound like it's shady or something.

 

[Oofta]

What if I offered up the following character in your campaign....

Drow Anyclass (stats unimportant): Thrown into the river for being sickly and not expected to live the child Charname was expected to die like all the others. The goddess X took pity on the child and had it caught up on some floating debris to ride its way to the surface. A passingby farming family noticed the crying child on the riverbank and rushed to save it.

Upon climbing down into the reeds the family recoiled in horror as they viewed a tiny drow, creatues of their nightmares. As the father reached down to drown the infant a vision of the goddess X appeard in the rippling waves and spoke to them.

"I have saved this ones life for my own purposes. I charge you with raising it as one of your own. To help you do this I will change her likeness to fit in with your society.

End result: I have a drow (in genetics and mechanics) raised by humans who has the appearance of a human being.

Except in my campaign the drow are not native to Midgard (prime material) and a drow probably wouldn't survive long. I gave my explanation here and I'm not going to type it up again.

It's not that I couldn't it's that I've decided for a variety of reasons I don't. If you want to allow any race in the book, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But that doesn't address what I was asking. Why is it wrong for the DM to set up limitations for their campaign?

 

[Oofta]

This is all blatant mischaracterization of my statements.

I literally quoted your words back to you. Are you going to explain your position? Because I'm done with this bitch-fest.

 

[Oofta]

Why would I spend 500 words defending an assertion I never made?

Hell..broke my own rule.

I was trying to have a conversation to clarify what people believe because you claim I misrepresented your opinion. That's all.