Ecology of the Dragonborn up

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I actually hate Tolkien (Tried three times to read the trilogy, never made it further than book 2), I prefer grittier Sword and Sorcery settings.

Eladrin look far more human than lizards. But yes, I'd not have such fey be part of civilised society either - my humans are more xenophobic than the idealised, star trek-like people in the PoL setting of 4E.

If you want, you can have both.

Xenophobia requires something alien to fear. Dragonborn, Eladrin, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Tieflings are not "Xeno" in the Point of Light setting, because they are all sharing communities. They are mixed. (At least they are not more "alien" then an immigrants quarter might be - which can still be a lot, but it's not "open" xenophobia in most cases. It is a general distrust or unease, but not hostility and fear)

But any other race is still alien. Lizardfolk might look a little like Dragonborn, but the only thing you've ever heard about them is how they attacked a village - unprovked! - and killed all women and children 10 days from here - your cousin second grade heard it from some traveler of the Kings Road!
And the last time you heard from the Drow was in history when they helped some Hobgoblins in destroying the Elven settlement a few miles from here.

 

[Wormwood]

But in regards to Dragonborn or Tieflings, sure, 4E PoL is more "Sigil" then "Warhammer".

Upgrade, I'd say.

 

[Fenes]

Yes, but their mindset is much more alien.
Humans and Dragonborns have more or less the same mindset. Eladrin on the other hand have think in completely alien ways as they live much longer and are fey.

Dragonborn look more scary at first, but unless they are complete strangers and the humans have never heard of them they would imo be more fearful of Eladrin because of their strange powers, nature and way of thinking.

Lizards thinking like humans is another point in the "just scaly humans" pile. It doesn't really make me like them even a bit better, it just makes them even more boring. "Humans in a rubber suit" is not really an interesting concept.

 

[Fenes]

If you want, you can have both.

Xenophobia requires something alien to fear. Dragonborn, Eladrin, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Tieflings are not "Xeno" in the Point of Light setting, because they are all sharing communities. They are mixed. (At least they are not more "alien" then an immigrants quarter might be - which can still be a lot, but it's not "open" xenophobia in most cases. It is a general distrust or unease, but not hostility and fear)

But any other race is still alien. Lizardfolk might look a little like Dragonborn, but the only thing you've ever heard about them is how they attacked a village - unprovked! - and killed all women and children 10 days from here - your cousin second grade heard it from some traveler of the Kings Road!
And the last time you heard from the Drow was in history when they helped some Hobgoblins in destroying the Elven settlement a few miles from here.

If all the PC races are not alien, what's their point then? Just some differences in looks, but they think alike, and all live in harmony? If they are alien, why would they live in harmony, and why would people fear lizardfolk, who just want to live alone in swamps, and not fey, who steal children according to myth? And where's the difference between elves killing loggers, and lizardfolks killing prospectors?

I really don't see the point in this artificial divide between politically correct reptilians, and "kill on sight" reptilians.

 

[Hussar]

What races are extremely magical and virtually immortal, and walking down the street? Neither dwarves, nor elves, nor eladrin are immortal, and all are not really "extremely magical", not compared to a human/halfling/whatever wizard.

I was referring to older editions actually, where elves are, for all intents and purposes, immortal. And highly magical.

But, if you want to stick to 4e, eladrin certainly come to mind - a race that can teleport at will? Yeah, that's not a problem.

Meh, the idea of xenophobia is something to leave up to DM's. 1e tried to force the issue with the race relation tables and that got left on the cutting room floor a couple of decades ago. If you want race X to be hated, go for it. Why expect it to be in the PHB?

 

[Fenes]

I do not expect the default community in a PoL setting to be a miniature-sigil.

 

[rounser]

I really don't see the point in this artificial divide between politically correct reptilians, and "kill on sight" reptilians.

A draconian, a saurial and a dragonborn walk into this bar, see, and the bartender says...no, wait, I'll start again. See, a lizardfolk, a dragonborn and a yuan-ti walk into a bar, and the bartender hides behind the counter and reaches for his masterwork longsword...no, wait, maybe if he notices one of them has breasts he'd feel better...hmmm...

...and then the dragonborn sneezes and the tavern burns down, and the D&D party has nowhere to meet dark strangers offering them quests, so the campaign ends.

All because of dragonborn in the core. Just say no to core PC race dragonborn. They'll make your campaign world a silly place. Then burn it down.

But, if you want to stick to 4e, eladrin certainly come to mind - a race that can teleport at will? Yeah, that's not a problem.

That's kind of silly too. Makes everything high magic. Stuff doing this sort of thing should be hiding out in the woods away from man, doing whatever fey do...playing fetch with the blink dogs and thinking unknowable thoughts, maybe. Not downing tankards with farmers, and then blinking to the bar to pay for the round.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If all the PC races are not alien, what's their point then? Just some differences in looks, but they think alike, and all live in harmony? If they are alien, why would they live in harmony, and why would people fear lizardfolk, who just want to live alone in swamps, and not fey, who steal children according to myth? And where's the difference between elves killing loggers, and lizardfolks killing prospectors?

I really don't see the point in this artificial divide between politically correct reptilians, and "kill on sight" reptilians.

They still have their own cultures. (And racial abilities, of course, but that's more a gamist thing). That makes them a "little" alien, but not in the "oh my god, they are scaled and want to kill us all!", just like scots don't make me run and shout "oh my god, they wear kilts and want to kill us all!".

 

[rounser]

That makes them a "little" alien

Oh, pull the other one! They breathe fire and "look like dragons" (apparently).

What, exactly, would be a "lot" alien? Extra heads? Tentacles? A "Hug Me, I'm From The Far Realm" t-shirt?

 

[Fenes]

I really don't see much of a difference between them and lizardfolk - other than "those are PC races, and threfore good, those are nPCs, so kill'em all!"

It simply feels not logical, and contrived to me. Like all that went into developping them was "We want some kewl dragon-thing, let's write them in, logic, cosistency, and common sense be damned! Let's just make them humans in rubber suits!"