D&D 5E The Human Problem Pt 1

[Zardnaar]

In D&D the game tends to be humanocentric and the various humanoids are often portrayed as humans in funny suits with perhaps exaggerated human characteristics.

D&D has always been a bit silly about the amount of sentient races available. This seems to me that humans would not be the dominant race. At least potentially. Reality they have to sell this game to humans.

Anyway how about this scenario. Humans are not the dominant race. Even worse from our PoV they have been restrained in some way.

If the world was Earth they are restricted to a geographic area and blocked from expanding. They rule something like Madagascar, UK, NZ, or at best an area like western Europe or east coast of America/Australia.

There's a race that's more advanced in technology/magic or reproduction. Perhaps they're plant based and don't like humans tendency to expand and consume.

Said race doesn't want to conquer humans but will defend itself and will easily win any conflicts.

The powers that be don't allow human colonists or citizens at best a relative few diplomatic embassies. There's either no room to colonize or any such colonies are treated as an act of war or banned by treaty.

So your thoughts on another race or races essentially blocking human expansion but otherwise no threat. The Human lands can be any government system, alignment, religion etc.

Going by our consumption patterns and human caused extinctions assume the other races are right at least from their PoV. Maybe their Druids can see the future. Human existence en masse is a long term threat to other races existence.

If this goes well pt 2+ has some other scenarios I'm thinking of. Assuming other species might have completly alien minds or worldviews to our own.

 

[Yaarel]

I feel the human is powerful. After all, reallife humans are the most powerful and the most dangerous species on planet earth.

Humans evolved to specialize for knowledge, tool use, and community survival.

I think D&D can define the human race as a powerful race with these themes in mind.



What will the human stats be the 50th anniversary edition?

I predict there will no longer be a "standard" versus a "variant" human in the Players Handbook. The Players Handbook will only have a standard human, but it will be reasonably powerful.

I expect the 50e human to look something like:

Human (50e Players Handbook)
Abilities: +1 to any three abilities
Prodigy: Choose three proficiencies from any skills, tools, and languages. Additionally, you gain expertise (double your proficiency bonus) for one of your proficiencies.

Human variant (50e DMs Guide)
Depending on your setting, you as the DM might allow a player of a human character to swap Prodigy for an other feat that you and the player agree on.

 

[Zardnaar]

That human looks a bit meh.

I think human= bonus feat is gonna be hard to shake.

 

[Yaarel]

Regarding pushback against the expansion of the human race?

In some ways, my animistic setting does this. The wilderness is sentient, and looks out for its own interests. There is a realm of humanity and a realm of wilderness beyond it − and boundaries are fluid between them.

Nature is inherently dangerous. The fates shape when an how humans venture into the wilderness. A constructive coexistence is the ultimate future.

 

[Yaarel]

That human looks a bit meh.

I think human= bonus feat is gonna be hard to shake.

Prodigy is a feat from Xanathars. It is perfect for the default feat. And swapping it for an other feat is something that both the DM and the player need to agree on. It will depend on the setting.

In my campaigns, expertise in a tool set is very powerful. It relates to crafting magic items, healing herbs, armor and weapons, navigating, and so on, as well as all knowledgeability relating to the tool use. A tool set represents specialization of knowledge.

This expertise can also instead apply to any skill, including Perception, Stealth, and so on.

Prodigy makes an excellent human.



I am tempted to add a weapon proficiency in addition to the ability score boosts and Prodigy. Something like proficiency in one martial weapon, all simple weapons, shield, or light or medium armor. But I am unsure how to formulate this "hunting" instinct.

 

[Zardnaar]

Regarding pushback against the expansion of the human race?

In some ways, my animistic setting does this. The wilderness is sentient, and looks out for its own interests. There is a realm of humanity and a realm of wilderness beyond it − and boundaries are fluid between them.

Nature is inherently dangerous. The fates shape when an how humans venture into the wilderness. A constructive coexistence is the ultimate future.

I like that. I was kinda thinking a nicer Shadow circle effect.

Shadow circle = 2E Druids extremism anti civilization.

 

[Zardnaar]

Prodigy is a feat from Xanathars. It is perfect for the default feat. And swapping it for an other feat is something that both the DM and the player need to agree on. It will depend on the setting.

In my campaigns, expertise in a tool set is very powerful. It relates to crafting magic items, healing herbs, armor and weapons, navigating, and so on, as well as all knowledgeability relating to the tool use.

This expertise can also instead apply to any skill, including Perception, Stealth, and so on.

Prodigy makes an excellent human.



I am tempted to add a weapon proficiency in addition to the ability score boosts and Prodigy. Something like proficiency in one martial weapon, all simple weapons, shield, or light or medium armor. But I am unsure how to formulate this "hunting" instinct.

I know where it's from. If you do a curated bonus feat level 1 it's fine. Something like that and a bonus microfeat would probably be fine.

With power creep on races you could probably do that and a bonus 5E feat.

 

[Yaarel]

I like that. I was kinda thinking a nicer Shadow circle effect.

Shadow circle = 2E Druids extremism anti civilization.

In my animistic setting, a shaman (in other words a Bard) is a fluid boundary between humanity and nature. Certain features of nature like a sacred mountain can become members of the human community. Meanwhile the shaman has the job of reconciling conflicts between members of the community, including between human members and animistic members. If the mountain gets annoyed, the shaman will find out about it, and figure out what the human annoyer can do to remedy the situation.

In this setting, the Druid is normally a feature of nature. The Druid wields elemental powers. An animistic being doesnt "control" an element like frost, the animistic being actually is the frost itself. The frost has a mind. That said, it is possible for one kind of nature being to become an other kind of nature being, a kind of immigration, like fire deciding to become a human (such as Logi). Oppositely, a human could become a being of fire, and this way wield fiery elemental effects.

 

[Yaarel]

I know where it's from. If you do a curated bonus feat level 1 it's fine. Something like that and a bonus microfeat would probably be fine.

With power creep on races you could probably do that and a bonus 5E feat.

Yeah. Balancewise, a 50e human is fine as follows:

Ability Scores: +1 to any three
Feat: Prodigy (or DMs and players choice of feat)
Halffeat: some kind of choice weapon or armor proficiency (actually relating to the darkvision or cantrip of other races)

But again, I am unsure how to best to define this halffeat for the weapon/armor proficiency.



Also, notice. Xanathars Prodigy is one skill, one tool, and one language. But this future version of Prodigy allows any combination, such as three tools, three skills, or two tools and one language, or whatever.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The title of the thread is a bit misleading, FWIW.

Anyway, I ran a campaign I developed where 90% of all humans disappeared suddenly. The effect was catastrophic for the other "good folk" races as humans were by far the most abundant race which kept the "evil folk" at bay. The players who wanted to play humans had to roll to see if their "character" survived the purge so could in fact be played. Otherwise, they had to play other races.

In the end, the PCs reversed the purge to bring back the humans to the world. It was a very dark campaign which ran for over two years until the players finished it.

So, having a game setting where humans are non-dominant can work of course if you develop the scenario why. Good luck!