D&D General No More "Humans in Funny Hats": Racial Mechanics Should Determine Racial Cultures

[Minigiant]

I just want some dang fantasy races, man.

I can play other games to grim normal humans and human mutants.

I wanna be a spiderman spiderman does whatever a spider can.

 

[Scribe]

I wanna be a spiderman spiderman does whatever a spider can.

Clearly the Dhampir is your man.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Or...WOTC can keep their word wrt the word "optional" which seen throughout that book. I have been lurking on this site for sometime, and obviously just started posting. And I am fully aware what the moderators here do with political posts. But I will say this. Only two types of people use Tasha's and the offshoot rules in char builds: Powergamers and those who want to make a political statement.

The PHB has 9 species in it. There are now in excess of 56 if you include the new UA. If someone can't find a char to build using static species bonuses, as opposed to floating ASI's, those players are not building chars in D&D are not trying hard enough. This argument has been going on for over a year now, and the sides are intractable on this one, so I am not trying to change anyone's mind. All I know that D&D is not Pokemon.

 

[Scribe]

But I will say this

You probably shouldnt, considering your preface. It wont end well for you.

BTW: Tasha's remains optional, because its in that book.

Its no longer referred to as Tasha's, its now simply an update to the way a race is defined. Fizban's is, I'm 99.9% sure, the format going forward, unless they realize they are going to have 60 pages of elf and tiefling races, so they decide to put some of them in tables.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Only two types of people use Tasha's and the offshoot rules in char builds: Powergamers and those who want to make a political statement.

No. Just plain no. If you believe this, you don't know what you're talking about, and are likely trying to start a flame war. This thread is not meant for that. Read the OP for what the true topic of this thread actually is, as it's gotten on a tangent that has resulted in warnings from a moderator.

Can we all either let this thread die down for now, or return to the topic, please? This goes for everybody, including myself. @Faolyn, @Lyxen, @Scribe, @Minigiant, and so on. Either return to the topic of racial mechanics influencing the cultures of those races, or I'll ask moderation to intervene (even closing the thread if necessary).

Understood?

 

[Arilyn]

Or...WOTC can keep their word wrt the word "optional" which seen throughout that book. I have been lurking on this site for sometime, and obviously just started posting. And I am fully aware what the moderators here do with political posts. But I will say this. Only two types of people use Tasha's and the offshoot rules in char builds: Powergamers and those who want to make a political statement.

The PHB has 9 species in it. There are now in excess of 56 if you include the new UA. If someone can't find a char to build using static species bonuses, as opposed to floating ASI's, those players are not building chars in D&D are not trying hard enough. This argument has been going on for over a year now, and the sides are intractable on this one, so I am not trying to change anyone's mind. All I know that D&D is not Pokemon.

I use Tasha's. Some of it could have been more carefully thought out but I appreciate the changes and new subclasses. I am not a power gamer and I never make characters to score political points. That's a strange accusation.

As to your second point. I do not hunt for a race to match particular mechanical details, so your advice will not work. If I'm picturing a wise elven druid, switching over to a Firbolg for the wisdom boost will not make sense.

I use floating ASIs to help me craft a character that will more closely match my vision. That's it. It opens up design space. Sometimes that +2 will be in the class's main stat, other times not. And it is the same for my players at the table.

 

[Azzy]

Or...WOTC can keep their word wrt the word "optional" which seen throughout that book. I have been lurking on this site for sometime, and obviously just started posting. And I am fully aware what the moderators here do with political posts. But I will say this. Only two types of people use Tasha's and the offshoot rules in char builds: Powergamers and those who want to make a political statement.

PoWErgaMeRS AnD tHosE wHo wANt tO MaKE a pOLitIcAL STatEMenT.

 

[Umbran]

And I am fully aware what the moderators here do with political posts. But I will say this. Only two types of people use Tasha's and the offshoot rules in char builds: Powergamers and those who want to make a political statement.

Mod Note:
On your first post, to do the "I know what they do but..." thing, to launch into casting aspersions on folks, was terribly unwise of you.

As a new poster, you get off easy once. But pushing your luck again isn't going to fly. I hope that's clear.

 

[Minigiant]

I kept trying to shift the discussion back to the original discussion.

Anyway

I like the idea of gobliniods, goblins ,hogoblins,and bugbears, having an alien sense of ownership.

Goblins do to their small stature, good speed, sticky fingers, and large litters can't keep hold of anything. So the concept of personal property outside of the clothes on your back, is foreign. How can you own things if your 12 siblings or 20 gangmates can steal it?

Cookies belong to whole gang. Boss decide who get first bite. Boss is who stole most cookies.

Hobgoblins are similar. Army owns everything. Army owns soldier. Quartermaster hands out loot.

Bugbears are to lazy to care about keeping their property. So stealing isn't a real thing, man.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

The way 5e is going, I think I’ll actually be embarrassed to teach a newbie. It would probably go something like this…
Newbie “ Wow, look at this one, a Minotaur, I want to play something big and strong like that”.
Me “Erm, well you can be strong but you’ll be just as strong as this one”
Newbie “What, that kid with the hairy feet, how does that work, I’m massive”
Me “Well, erm actually you aren’t, despite what it appears like in the these pictures and these plastic figures, you are actually the same height as a human, as is this small kid with the hairy feet.”
Newbie “Er, alright. I’ve seen Lord of the Rings. I want to be like Legolas, live hundreds of years. I’ll have pointy ears, I won’t be like this big, well not big, Minotaur thing, all clumsy, I’ll be really good with a bow”
Me “Well, the Minotaur is just as good with a bow, you can have pointy ears but you won’t live longer than anyone else”
Newbie “Ok, screw that, I’ll be a Dwarf and I’ll go kill lots of Orcs and Goblins”
Me “Well, although he’s called a Dwarf, they aren’t actually shorter than the average human. You shouldn’t really want to kill Orcs and Goblins either as they might be quite nice people actually when you get to know them.
Newbie “I’m not playing this stupid game”.

Or...

New Player: I want to play a big hairy super strong guy who isn't that bright.

DM: Great. So what you want to do is put your highest number in STR and your lowest number in INT. How do you feel about how nimble they are?

Stats are assigned

DM: Awesome , that is great for a barbarian like you want to play....so what do you want your barbarian to look like?

Player: I want to be the little kid barbarian from that old DnD cartoon.

GM: Super! Do you want to be an actual human kid who is crazy strong or maybe a halfling or gnome who is short but an adult?

Player: Gnome sounds cool, let's go with that.