D&D 5E D&D Needs "Weirder"/More Unique Races

[Steampunkette]

What there aren’t, as far as I know, are humans who don’t have the impulse to collect in the first place.

Physical needs, and all, assign value to necessities. And then that value is translated into an abstract shared across both necessities and other items, tricking the human mind into thinking most objects have inherent value beyond their utility. This abstract is then exchanged for time and effort, to which people assign different values and so on and so forth.

That's why Bonobos will exchange sexual acts for favors from other apes. They perceive orgasms and other acts as having interchangeable values.

It's also why Crows will perform complex tasks to gain a reward, but express anger if the reward isn't equal to the effort they put forth on previous iterations of the exchange. They recognize that their work is worth a certain amount or more, and will be upset if given less.

Same thing with rats and mice.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Physical needs, and all, assign value to necessities. And then that value is translated into an abstract shared across both necessities and other items, tricking the human mind into thinking most objects have inherent value beyond their utility. This abstract is then exchanged for time and effort, to which people assign different values and so on and so forth.

That's why Bonobos will exchange sexual acts for favors from other apes. They perceive orgasms and other acts as having interchangeable values.

It's also why Crows will perform complex tasks to gain a reward, but express anger if the reward isn't equal to the effort they put forth on previous iterations of the exchange. They recognize that their work is worth a certain amount or more, and will be upset if given less.

Same thing with rats and mice.

Okay.

I’m not sure what point you’re making, here.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Okay.

I’m not sure what point you’re making, here.

that basic economic activity is not unique to humans.

the question on how to make something suitably alien but still playable means messing with our traits and remixing them to make something different.

 

[Steampunkette]

that basic economic activity is not unique to humans.

the question on how to make something suitably alien but still playable means messing with our traits and remixing them to make something different.

Bingo Bango! Mind of the Tempest gets the Cupie doll!

It's entirely possible that "Economic" interactions are occurring in any 'society' on Earth at any time, regardless of how rudimentary. Because such interactions are the most basic function -of- society: Reciprocity.

I do one job a -great deal- so that other people are able to do other jobs in the community, and we combine the results of our efforts to share and thus cover any failings in other members.

Currency becomes the abstraction. A way to create a central system of trade rather than working through a strict barter system. Whether your currency is gold, paper, beads, or salt.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Bingo Bango! Mind of the Tempest gets the Cupie doll!

It's entirely possible that "Economic" interactions are occurring in any 'society' on Earth at any time, regardless of how rudimentary. Because such interactions are the most basic function -of- society: Reciprocity.

I do one job a -great deal- so that other people are able to do other jobs in the community, and we combine the results of our efforts to share and thus cover any failings in other members.

Currency becomes the abstraction. A way to create a central system of trade rather than working through a strict barter system. Whether your currency is gold, paper, beads, or salt.

Okay, but I wasn’t positing a person with no understanding of economic interactions, I posited a person with no understanding of collecting more than what is needed to live, who sees possessions as a burden as their natural mindset, rather than a learned or chosen ideology.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Bingo Bango! Mind of the Tempest gets the Cupie doll!

It's entirely possible that "Economic" interactions are occurring in any 'society' on Earth at any time, regardless of how rudimentary. Because such interactions are the most basic function -of- society: Reciprocity.

I do one job a -great deal- so that other people are able to do other jobs in the community, and we combine the results of our efforts to share and thus cover any failings in other members.

Currency becomes the abstraction. A way to create a central system of trade rather than working through a strict barter system. Whether your currency is gold, paper, beads, or salt.

cupie doll? what is it?

 

[Steampunkette]

cupie doll? what is it?

Kewpie Dolls (I mispelled it) were an incredibly common prize people would win at the fair when they succeeded in Carnival Games.

It's an over the top way of saying "You got it!"

 

[Mind of tempest]

Kewpie Dolls (I mispelled it) were an incredibly common prize people would win at the fair when they succeeded in Carnival Games.

It's an over the top way of saying "You got it!"

ah, I get your point, I do now question the sanity of the segment of the population who would want those items.

 

[Mind of tempest]

question what is it people want from player races to begin with?

 

[Vael]

"Need" may be a hyperbolic statement, but I do support having a wider array of PC races. I like the "Mos Eisley Cantina" vibe for a DnD party, but even in Star Wars, the most exotic protagonist were the droids and the Wookie, not all the other less humanoid species.

Previous attempts, also, haven't resonated. Killoren, Shardmind ... I think being weird or different isn't enough to create resonance and a fanbase to keep such efforts into another edition.

OTOH, Thri-kreen have. So clearly there is space, it's a matter of how you do it. I think, part of it is that such races need context. Probably what would make one succeed is if it were a feature of a new campaign setting. For example, Shardminds. As a semi-background to the Nentir Vale, which never lasted past 4e, meh. Shardminds as a core feature of a new setting that players want to use and trumpet into a future edition ... yes please.