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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr_Ruminahui" data-source="post: 5143984" data-attributes="member: 81104">Yeah, it sounds like part of the OP's reaction is that the races are new and unfamiliar, given that was his/her admitted reaction to the new races in the PH1. Not that I'm suggesting that one's like/dislike of new material (including the OP's) is necessarily linked to it be "new", but such is a factor and I'm greatful (and admiring) of the OP recognising as much. Personally, I think that whether a person thinks a race is cool or not depends the personal connection they have to the race as a whole - either to its art, its background, its mechanics, or their past experience with similar races. So, persons who have enjoyed minotaurs or rockmen in the past will likely enjoy the new variations, unless they find that the new versions contain diviations from what they most liked about the old ones (whether that be in mechanics, background, art, or whatever). Myself, I don't think the new races are any weaker than the old ones. Personally, before 3e, for the core races I didn't really like halflings (too hobbity), in 3/3.5e I didn't like gnomes (felt they were just trickster halflings), half-orcs (didn't like mechanics) or half-elfs.  In 4e, I like many of the races, but still don't like half-elves or gnomes, and don't like tieflings as is (the background/mechanics dissonance of being cha/int rather than int/con or cha/con is part of it). Half-orcs I like (due to their improved mechanics) now, as I do halflings (with their more interesting background). As for the PH3 races, I quite like both the wilden (though I hate the art - I would have them be more like living twig/stick creatures), shardminds (for which I like the art, but dislike the name and background). Minotaur's who I have never been interested, have been given a very interesting background - still not likely to play one, but that's The Gith, on the otherhand, do absolutely nothing for me - but that may have something to do with my utter ambivalence about monks and psionics, which seem to be a large part of the Gith's flavour.  So, I can't say the PH3 races are weaker than any of the others. Indeed, if there is anything I like about them, its their "stat boost, then choose one of two stat boosts" mechanic - I actually prefer the more constrained design style of having 2 stat boosts, with only humans being special. That said, they aren't the races I would have added - personally, I would love to have kobolds and kenku made PC races. That, or some more (and interesting - not just halfling/gnome knock offs) small races. Or some races with the shadow key word (but, again, interesting ones - not just more "emo" ones like the Shadar Kai).</blockquote>

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