Dragonborn - will you ban them?

[Lord Fyre]

Actually, the first guy i thought of when i heard someone mention dragon-people in video games was Garland from BoF3:

Of course, the fact that draconians pre-date BoF3 by more than a decade pretty much invalidates any theory that DnD stole from it.

Stop letting the facts get in the way of the internet. Next thing you know, people will start expecting Wikipedia to be accurate.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I'll likely allow them as is, but I tend to allow all sorts of oddball stuff anyway. However, it will all be a moot point if I decide that the rules suck.

 

[Ruavel]

without the information on the race that one might expect to find in the PHB (game mechanics & flavour), I'm surprised anyone can make a serious call either way...

... I shall reserve judgement until that information actually becomes available some time next year.

 

[ivocaliban]

No idea. Unless 4e has really won me over, I'll probably run 3.5 and allow a 3.5 version of them should a player ask for them.

If I do run 4e, I'd be more liable to ban (or put a 1/party limit on) them, because them being core is likely to create a rush of players playing them, and I don't want them to be that common.

I think exotic races are okay in moderation, but making them core is overkill.

QFT

 

[Mercule]

Like many of the changes in 4E this actually fits rather well into one section of my current 3.5 campaign world. I'll have to see how they pull it off, but I'd be leaning towards yes.

Much of 4E seems to mesh nicely with things I either want or have already implemented via house rules.

Races are the big area where I've heard nothing exciting and much to dislike. Most other things are either "cool" or "eh, could be cool, if done right". Tiefling and dragonborn, both, are unlikely to meet the flavor of any world I run. Actually, tieflings might fit as a very rare race that really doesn't warrant attention in a primary book. I haven't seen the final treatment, so I could be surprised, though.

The racial ability trees have me a bit skeptical, but I could see them working well. If I can ignore the breath-weapon and wings of the dragonborn (i.e. treat them as lizardfolk), they may find a niche in a remote area of my world. Mainly, I'd do that just so I don't have to ban stuff in the primary player book -- kinda like gnomes, now (though I did ban halflings).

 

[Patlin]

It's unlikely I'll ban them, and if I do it will be because they are mechanically flawed. As we don't have mechanics yet, I'll stick with the snowflake option.

 

[Voss]

How can you know before you see them if you want them?



How do you know it is "dragon people"? How do you even know what "dragon people" means until you see it?

Because they already exist? I know some of the flavor will change, but humanoid dragons are easy to picture, across various incarnations spanning draconians, the *current* dragonborn, spellscales, or just slightly odd looking humans with horns, tails and pointy teeth. None of these fit in my homebrew. I'm aiming for a cap of about a dozen sentient races- its all I need, and all I can reasonably fit in the setting and keep the historical and 'flavorful' feel that I want. My geography and history is fairly well established. There isn't a place for another race (with its own history, needs and requirements), and spontaneously transforming one of the existing cultures doesn't appeal to me, nor does it fit with the themes I'm working with in the setting.

 

[Tharkun]

I was going to reply with a sarcastic comment about not having seen them but ban them anyway because I would assume they suck/overpowered. Though I will see if that is so first.

 

[Aeolius]

without the information on the race that one might expect to find in the PHB (game mechanics & flavour), I'm surprised anyone can make a serious call either way..

From the information thus far we know that "Each race seems to have a clear “homeland”... Dragonborn to deserts (at least their great empire were in desert)."

Remember when I said that so long as they meet the minimum requirements for PCs in my game, I wouldn't have a problem with them? The minimum requirements are than the PC have a natural swim speed and the ability to breathe underwater without the use of magic. I wouldn't disallow them because they were dragonborn. I would disallow them because they aren't aquatic.

Mind you, if there's a "dragon turtle" dragonborn, I'm all for it.

 

[Siberys]

Well, since I run Eberron almost exclusively, here goes:

I'll probably allow 'em, But I'd like to see 'em first. If they are literally born-of-dragons, no way is a PC being one ('less he's got a BRILLIANT backstory and hooks), as they'd probably be the 4e equivalent of half-dragons, which are EXTREMELY rare. (I'll use the same tack on Tieflings - the one I currently use for all planetouched, as a matter of fact. Very rare and all.) If they aren't literally born-of-dragons, but still draconic, they'll be from argonnessen, so likely not to make it into a campaign any time soon, except as NPCs.

If they're closer to Lizardfolk, I'll probably just use them for that, unless the mechanics reflect a more 'civilized' lizardman - in which case I'll use whatever they have in the MM as lizardfolk.

As for gnomes, I WANT THEM! The Trust is just too cool NOT to have them!