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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 6828274" data-attributes="member: 6790260">That's certainly not the sense I get out of it."Humans are the most common people in the worlds of D&D, but they live and work alongside dwarves, elves, halflings, and countless other fantastic species." Failing to name the other races, despite them actually being present and mentioned in literally the paragraph beforehand (where they are called "true exotics"--a term I'm not especially fond of), strongly implies that these four races are as universal as humans are--that there shouldn't be a world that doesn't have them.Then we get this gem: "Dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans are the most common races to produce the sort of adventurers who make up typical parties. Dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings are less common as adventurers. Drow, a subrace of elves, are also uncommon." Given the way Drow are presented, this strongly implies that the "exotic" races are as uncommon as Drow.In each of the four "common" race entries, we get specific interaction information...exclusively for the other three "common" races. They're intentionally portrayed as always being together as a unit. And then, on the second page of the Dragonborn entry, instead of getting a blurb about Dragonborn culture or their relations with other species, we get this (emphasis/footnotes mine):"UNCOMMON RACESThe dragonborn and the rest of the races in this chapter are uncommon. They don't exist in every world of D&D,(1) and even where they are found, they are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans.(2) In the cosmopolitan cities of the D&D multiverse, most people hardly look twice at members of even the most exotic races. But the small towns and villages that dot the countryside are different. The common folk (3) aren't accustomed to seeing members of these races, and they react accordingly.(4)"1: And now we get the statement. "Uncommon" or "true exotic" races don't exist in every world of D&D, but the "common" races do. Otherwise, why mention that ONLY the exotic races don't exist in every world of D&D?2: There is never D&D a world where dragonborn, or gnomes, or whatever else are more widespread than any of the common races. Ever. No exceptions (despite the numerous exceptions.)3: "The common folk" = "members of the common races." So now all those random villages are always populated by dwarves, elves, halflings, or hobbits.4: "If you play an exotic race, it's okay for the DM to play everyone as racist and terrified of you, even if you never do anything wrong." The following blurbs be damned--because I've literally seen people saying exactly that on this very forum. I can get quotes, if you like.</blockquote>

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