D&D General Are the Races of D&D races of Human or seperate Species according to lore?

[PsyzhranV2]

Except, well, canon. But, other than that...

5e is walking that back. Most Orcs are disinterested in sex with non-Orcs except as a way to strengthen their tribe by bringing in new blood. As a result, they are very strict in choosing their mates. Most "savage" Half-Orcs are the result of political marriages between allied Orc and Human tribes.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Except, well, canon. But, other than that...

Canon changes, and also doesn’t matter unless a group chooses to care about it.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Canon changes, and also doesn’t matter unless a group chooses to care about it.

I feel like you just summed up all my posts in this thread in one sentence.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I feel like you just summed up all my posts in this thread in one sentence.

Glad I could help!

 

[Michael Silverbane]

This, to a degree. The word "ethnicity" is also a word that looks too modern to put in the game. "Races" in D&D are things like dwarf, orc, goblin, and elf. Gygax's early modules referred to non-human creatures like bugbears and gnolls as "humanoids". I prefer the term "demihuman", at least in a setting where human dominance is inferred. I like the implicit/explicit "fantasy racism" of "demihuman". In more cosmopolitan settings, or among parties or groups that are majority non-human, I use the less offensive "metahuman", a term I shamelessly cribbed from Shadowrun. I mean, except in like, elf society. In high elf society I imagine that everyone who is not an elf is just looked down upon as a lesser being, full stop.

I'm pretty use metahuman wan't first coined in Shadowrun. Comics where the original source I think.

2nd Edition (and other editions) used demi-human mostly for elves, dwarves, and the other 'goodly' races and humanoid for orcs, goblins, and the other 'evil' races.

3rd edition used the humanoid type for all of the less fantastical races that have two arms and two legs and are not too big, including humans, elves, orcs, and so on, but excluding things like pixies (fey type) and mind flayers (aberration type) and giants (giants type).

 

[Hussar]

Canon changes, and also doesn’t matter unless a group chooses to care about it.

BURN THE HERETIC!!!!!!

LOL. Good grief, we had four years of people constantly bitching about canon changes to show you how important people think canon is.

I totally agree with you, but, good luck in convincing others.

Now, as far as the "political marriages" thing goes, where is that from? I'm looking at the 5e monster manual right now and it says:

Luthic, the orc goddess of fertility... demands that orcs procreate often and indiscriminately... The orcs' drive to reproduce runs stronger than any other humanoid race, and they readily crossbreed with other races.

That doesn't really sound like much of a change.

Granted, there is a line in the 5e PHB about barbarian orc and human tribes sometimes coming together. But, let's be honest here, the whole "product of rape" thing is still very much part of the game even if it is largely lampshaded in the PHB.

 

[lall]

2e book of elves: “The other gods saw this example and set about infusing life into their own sadly misshapen vessels, with varied results. Alas, all other races were but sad imitations of the Elves.”

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Now, as far as the "political marriages" thing goes, where is that from? I'm looking at the 5e monster manual right now and it says:

That doesn't really sound like much of a change.

Granted, there is a line in the 5e PHB about barbarian orc and human tribes sometimes coming together. But, let's be honest here, the whole "product of rape" thing is still very much part of the game even if it is largely lampshaded in the PHB.

Half-Orcs
The lore of humans depicts orcs as rapacious fiends, intent on coupling with other humanoids to spread their seed far and wide. In truth, orcs mate with non-orcs only when they think such a match will strengthen the tribe. When orcs encounter human(sic) who match them in prowess and ferocity, they sometimes strike an alliance that is sealed by mingling the bloodlines of the two groups.

A half-orc in an orc tribe is often just as strong as a full-blooded orc and also displays superior cunning. Thus, half-orcs are capable of gaining status in the tribe more quickly than their fellows, and it isn’t unusual for a half-orc to rise to leadership of a tribe.

Copied from DnDBeyond, so I don't have a page number. It's underneath the table of Orc names in the section Orcs: the Godsworn in Chapter 1 of the book.

 

[Hussar]

Cool. Don't have that book, so, was unaware of the changes. Totally see why though. It's a fair bit more PG 13.

Funny how WotC can now get away with chucking decades of lore - the whole product of rape thing goes all the way back to AD&D and possibly before - without pushback. It's spectacular to see.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Cool. Don't have that book, so, was unaware of the changes. Totally see why though. It's a fair bit more PG 13.

Funny how WotC can now get away with chucking decades of lore - the whole product of rape thing goes all the way back to AD&D and possibly before - without pushback. It's spectacular to see.

"Before" would be Tolkien, and Tolkien's half orcs are the product of selective beading by Saruman.