D&D General Race Has No Mechanics. What do you play?

[Reynard]

I think its an odd position and worth digging at. If something's appearing in like, Fantasia and Narnia, to say nothing of other well known works, there's a point where we can say its a part of the general fantasy zeitgeist and could reasonably be encountered in any sort of generic fantasy setting, the likes of which most D&D settings are. I also think its important to the overall question, if you're going outside of human? You're going to roll things that have inspired from other media. LotR is obvious the big shot here, but likewise media with centaurs easily could come up as an option.

Wacko species to me sounds like "So atypical from your standard fantasy convention that you would not reasonably expect to encounter them", but centaurs are as in-built to this genre as elves and dwarves. Once again I'd bring up Gith as something that goes into wacko territory, because wrinkly humans who lay eggs is more a sci-fi type of thing

I think for @Lanefan anything not in the 1E PHB is "wacko".

 

[Corinnguard]

Looking like a dragon, being the heirs to a collapsed empire before humans and elves rose, connection to God's and planar beings not commonly found in humanoid pantheons. There are lots of things that make dragonborn cool.

Or being transported to Toril from Abeir during the Spellplague, and creating the Dragonborn nation of Tymanther.

 

[Reynard]

Or being transported to Toril from Abeir during the Spellplague, and creating the Dragonborn nation of Tymanther.

Sure. I was just spitballing non mechanical cool stuff.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I could be misreading some folks, but this thread sure makes it seem like most posters do not care about their characters beyond the mechanics. they aren't interested in the lore surrounding their choice of race, or how it impacts play beyond when they get bonuses or penalties. I am legitimately surprised.

A lot of them are acting like there isn't any lore for reasons that are bizarre and confusing.

 

[Corinnguard]

Sure. I was just spitballing non mechanical cool stuff.

Until someone adds it to their homebrew by giving it some cultural mechanics.

 

[Mecheon]

2 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, a mouth, and (thanks to BG3)...well never mind all that.

Gith are certainly more 'human' than a half-horse.

Not about being human-ish, its about if you're likely to encounter one in game. Gith are, for all intents and purposes, basically a Star Trek alien. We've had the "oh someone comes and wants to play a vulcan what do?" thread dozens of times here but Gith absolutely lean into that hard.

I absolutely think centaur should be a much simpler ask than gith in any fantasy system, because they're more likely to be a request. Centaur aren't some obscure sci-fi property creature, they're downright common in fantasy literature. A hypothetical mechanicless system should be supporting what you expect to see as a fantasy game, not Star Trek aliens.

I think for @Lanefan anything not in the 1E PHB is "wacko".

Probably. But like.... I heard about centaurs well before I knew about fantasy elves or dwarves. Its a poor term for it and I will drag it

 

[Scribe]

Not about being human-ish, its about if you're likely to encounter one in game. Gith are, for all intents and purposes, basically a Star Trek alien. We've had the "oh someone comes and wants to play a vulcan what do?" thread dozens of times here but Gith absolutely lean into that hard.

I absolutely think centaur should be a much simpler ask than gith in any fantasy system, because they're more likely to be a request. Centaur aren't some obscure sci-fi property creature, they're downright common in fantasy literature. A hypothetical mechanicless system should be supporting what you expect to see as a fantasy game, not Star Trek aliens.

Especially in relation to the bold, and in a 'Non-D&D' setting, I can certainly agree.

 

[Lanefan]

I think its an odd position and worth digging at. If something's appearing in like, Fantasia and Narnia, to say nothing of other well known works, there's a point where we can say its a part of the general fantasy zeitgeist and could reasonably be encountered in any sort of generic fantasy setting, the likes of which most D&D settings are. I also think its important to the overall question, if you're going outside of human? You're going to roll things that have inspired from other media. LotR is obvious the big shot here, but likewise media with centaurs easily could come up as an option.

Wacko species to me sounds like "So atypical from your standard fantasy convention that you would not reasonably expect to encounter them", but centaurs are as in-built to this genre as elves and dwarves.

Centaurs as monsters or exotic creatures met in distant lands? Sure. Sign me up! Same for bird-people.

But as a common PC-playable species that then has to be bland-ified down to balance with the other PC-playables? No.

The 5e idea of making more and more monster species PC-playable is IMO foolish.

Once again I'd bring up Gith as something that goes into wacko territory, because wrinkly humans who lay eggs is more a sci-fi type of thing

Gith also aren't PC-playable (I hope!).

 

[CreamCloud0]

A lot of them are acting like there isn't any lore for reasons that are bizarre and confusing.

Can we be certain any lore will be applicable in any given campaign? It’s highly vulnerable to all being discarded because the GM is running their own setting or even just that they don’t care about established canon.

 

[Corinnguard]

Gith also aren't PC-playable (I hope!).

I think they're referring to the Githyanki and the Githzerai, who are now PC-playable.