D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[Mirrorrorrim]

A perfectly valid approach, popularized imo with Eberron like settings.

For those who like it, sure. But it's been done. To death. (For me.)

It's too close to the racial xenophobia that is prevalent in so many older fantasy worlds. Those worlds further racist tropes. Normalize them. Inspire people to defend them as valid.

I care not for them. And I really hope that future D&D lore moves away from race/species being the primary conflict generator.

 

[Scribe]

And I really hope that future D&D lore moves away from race/species being the primary conflict generator.

I think that is well over at this point. Bad guys are cultists, or evil outsiders, or far realm monsters, or twisted gods, or specific bands of baddies.

The days of Elf vs Orc are long gone.

 

[Yaarel]

I think that is well over at this point. Bad guys are cultists, or evil outsiders, or far realm monsters, or twisted gods, or specific bands of baddies.

The days of Elf vs Orc are long gone.

Heh, even the Aberrations, I might prefer to see divide by cultures and factions.

When I try to make sense of the Aberrations, I see them as all the thoughts that were nonuseful for the creation of reality. In other words, the Astral Plane is the conscious, and the Far Realms is its unconscious. But sometimes, the conscious assumptions fail, and dont work as well as they might have in the past. Then the conscious needs to come up with some new ideas to survive. These new ideas can come as treasures within the discarded trash in the unconscious. In this way, there can be Aberrations that are beneficial who help reality.

In practice, only those Aberrations that are "Humanoid" would convey this more nuanced view.

 

[Scribe]

Heh, even the Aberrations, I might prefer to see divide by cultures and factions.

When I try to make sense of the Aberrations, I see them as all the thoughts that were nonuseful for the creation of reality. In other words, the Astral Plane is the conscious, and the Far Realms is its unconscious. But sometimes, the conscious assumptions fail, and dont work as well as they might have in the past. Then the conscious needs to come up with some new ideas to survive. These new ideas can come as treasures with the discarded trash within the unconscious. In this way, there can be Aberrations that are beneficial.

I just view it as the disorganized hallucinatory unconscious. Where perception breaks down and random thought takes over.

Opposite of the Astral is a good hook I think.

 

[Yaarel]

I just view it as the disorganized hallucinatory unconscious. Where perception breaks down and random thought takes over.

That too. Heh, you might notice I appreciate Jung.

Opposite of the Astral is a good hook I think.

It helps my worldbuilding.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

See, I'm not really interested in every community being cosmopolitan. Majorities are a real thing, and they define a large part of a culture.

Thing is, I enjoy cosmopolitan settings where everyone is diverse and mixed together...

But I don't want that to be all that's on offer. I also want settings where travel hasn't been happening as easily and for as long, so the different cultures have had very little interaction and mixing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In your worlds, maybe. In older, race-focused worlds, sure. I am not limited to such assumptions. I have little interest in separating places via race/species-based tropes. I've dealt with that fantasy baggage for 30+ years. I've outgrown it.

Dwarves are the best smiths. Everyone else is worse. Bleh.
Halflings are all pastoral foodies. Boring.
Elves are the best at... whatever Elves are the best at. Whatever.

You are welcome to state your preferences, but I object to the term "outgrown", as it indicates that believing differently than you on this issue is a sign of immaturity, which is directly insulting.

 

[Micah Sweet]

For those who like it, sure. But it's been done. To death. (For me.)

It's too close to the racial xenophobia that is prevalent in so many older fantasy worlds. Those worlds further racist tropes. Normalize them. Inspire people to defend them as valid.

I care not for them. And I really hope that future D&D lore moves away from race/species being the primary conflict generator.

I on the other hand really hope that sources of conflict that conflict with your modern sensibilities aren't removed altogether, as seems your preference.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think that is well over at this point. Bad guys are cultists, or evil outsiders, or far realm monsters, or twisted gods, or specific bands of baddies.

The days of Elf vs Orc are long gone.

How is that not at least as boring? How many antagonists in WotC adventures turned out to some flavor of cultist under the sway of an individual semi-godlike villain?

 

[Scribe]

How is that not at least as boring? How many antagonists in WotC adventures turned out to some flavor of cultist under the sway of an individual semi-godlike villain?

I didnt say it wasnt.