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Does Your Fantasy Race Really Matter In Game? (The Gnome Problem)
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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 7635900" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p>I can't speak for anyone else's campaign, but in mine, yes, it matters. The way other creatures interact with you and perceive you starts with your appearance- and that starts with your race. (It also includes things like how you are dressed, whether you are clean, etc- but all things being equal, if a dwarf and an elf interact with someone and the two of them are both filthy, the elf's filth will be <em>noticed,</em> while the dwarf's filth will be <em>taken for granted</em>.)</p><p></p><p>Beyond that, races come with different cultural defaults. While your elf may not be an effete poetry-writing tree-hugger, most are, and that's how most people will assume you to be until they know you better. So if the party meets a band of bards, they're probably going to assume that you're the one with genteel taste and a fondness for the arts, while they're probably going to avoid pitching their art ideas at the (perceived) stolid, humorless, anti-fun dwarf guy. Likewise, the legendary chef you meet is going to be more inclined to compare culinary notes with the party halflings than anyone else. </p><p></p><p>Naturally, members of each race violate the stereotypes of those races, but those are exceptions. The way I see it, certain parts of the culture of each race are more-or-less inborn. They arise from the races' biological differences. This is also why I prefer racial modifiers that are both positive and negative for nonhumans, since those indicate the difference between that race and humans in basically genetic terms. </p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p>Gah. Strongly disagree. No wonder you're questioning this. </p><p></p><p>New races are the pieces of player-side content I am <em>least likely</em> to allow, because they require the most work to slot into my setting. I have no interest in rewriting my world to accommodate someone's desire to play a race I am not into allowing. </p><p></p><p>Drow, for instance, are not pcs in my campaign; they are monsters. And they are as rare and mysterious as they were in 1e before the Fiend Folio dropped. They don't appear often, they're terrifying and memorable when they do, and they aren't represented by any major friendly npcs on the surface. Just no. They do not fit that role in my game, and they aren't going to be available as a pc option because of the role they do fill.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>As long as your setting supports that race, sure. But it's entirely reasonable to limit the available options in a campaign. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Totally with you. In general, if it's not in the PH, you have to check with me to see if you can play it, and you're best off assuming that the answer is "No" so you don't get disappointed. I do have a few non-PH races that I'm all good with- tabaxi have been a racial option in my game since 2e, goliaths since 4e, warforged and aasimar since 3e. And I have a custom race that's sort of like a dolphin-were. But kenku, goblins, wilden, thri-kreen, etc.? No.</p><p></p><p>Now, all that said, that's my default approach. Sometimes the circumstances allow options I wouldn't normally let someone play. For instance, a pc got Voided by the Deck of Many Things; the group set off to rescue him from his captor on Pandemonium (who the party described as a "meth dragon" after seeing the pic of a howling dragon in the 3e Draconomicon), and the player of the Voided pc made a new character to play in the interim. Because he came in in Pandemonium, he got to play a shadowswyft (a 3e planetouched race), with several other weird racial options available to choose from. So circumstances might allow for unique/limited exceptions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 7635900, member: 1210"] I can't speak for anyone else's campaign, but in mine, yes, it matters. The way other creatures interact with you and perceive you starts with your appearance- and that starts with your race. (It also includes things like how you are dressed, whether you are clean, etc- but all things being equal, if a dwarf and an elf interact with someone and the two of them are both filthy, the elf's filth will be [i]noticed,[/i] while the dwarf's filth will be [i]taken for granted[/i].) Beyond that, races come with different cultural defaults. While your elf may not be an effete poetry-writing tree-hugger, most are, and that's how most people will assume you to be until they know you better. So if the party meets a band of bards, they're probably going to assume that you're the one with genteel taste and a fondness for the arts, while they're probably going to avoid pitching their art ideas at the (perceived) stolid, humorless, anti-fun dwarf guy. Likewise, the legendary chef you meet is going to be more inclined to compare culinary notes with the party halflings than anyone else. Naturally, members of each race violate the stereotypes of those races, but those are exceptions. The way I see it, certain parts of the culture of each race are more-or-less inborn. They arise from the races' biological differences. This is also why I prefer racial modifiers that are both positive and negative for nonhumans, since those indicate the difference between that race and humans in basically genetic terms. Gah. Strongly disagree. No wonder you're questioning this. New races are the pieces of player-side content I am [i]least likely[/i] to allow, because they require the most work to slot into my setting. I have no interest in rewriting my world to accommodate someone's desire to play a race I am not into allowing. Drow, for instance, are not pcs in my campaign; they are monsters. And they are as rare and mysterious as they were in 1e before the Fiend Folio dropped. They don't appear often, they're terrifying and memorable when they do, and they aren't represented by any major friendly npcs on the surface. Just no. They do not fit that role in my game, and they aren't going to be available as a pc option because of the role they do fill. As long as your setting supports that race, sure. But it's entirely reasonable to limit the available options in a campaign. Totally with you. In general, if it's not in the PH, you have to check with me to see if you can play it, and you're best off assuming that the answer is "No" so you don't get disappointed. I do have a few non-PH races that I'm all good with- tabaxi have been a racial option in my game since 2e, goliaths since 4e, warforged and aasimar since 3e. And I have a custom race that's sort of like a dolphin-were. But kenku, goblins, wilden, thri-kreen, etc.? No. Now, all that said, that's my default approach. Sometimes the circumstances allow options I wouldn't normally let someone play. For instance, a pc got Voided by the Deck of Many Things; the group set off to rescue him from his captor on Pandemonium (who the party described as a "meth dragon" after seeing the pic of a howling dragon in the 3e Draconomicon), and the player of the Voided pc made a new character to play in the interim. Because he came in in Pandemonium, he got to play a shadowswyft (a 3e planetouched race), with several other weird racial options available to choose from. So circumstances might allow for unique/limited exceptions. [/QUOTE]
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