D&D General Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings of Color

[TheSword]

Further to my Wheel of Time example I’m just working back through the books now. I’d forgotten how cool some of the concepts are from a diversity perspective.

In comparison to Ravenloft’s ham fisted approach to Vistani, Jordan’s travelling folk are far far more nuanced. Seeking the song, formal and ultra-peaceful - following the way of the leaf. Nevertheless distrusted and accused of being thieves and untrustworthy by villagers suspicious of anyone not from the area. The stereotypes are there but turned on their head by the truth of the story that shows a far more positive view of travelling folk (though they have their own flaws and aren’t cookie cutter). Perrin’s scenes with the them are some of my favourite.

They also have a twist that brings a tear to my eye every time I read it... “Ten thousand... linking arms and singing, trying to remind a madman of who they were and who he had been, trying to turn them with their bodies and a song.” Taking them from merely interesting to pretty damn awesome.

Goosebumps for anyone who has read it.

 

[billd91]

I think this is the primary disconnect. The descriptions of non-humans are generally different than any human ethnicity, and they should be. They are a completely different species with their own ethnic differences (the sub-races). The problem is the artwork being done by people with only a passing familiarity with these descriptions, inserting their own preconceptions instead. I've seen it repeatedly in RPGs, CCGs, boardgames, and even religious artwork.

It's not just preconceptions - it's also art background. If the artists are predominantly white and get the most practice illustrating faces like their own (I'm not knocking them - the most convenient model to work with for facial structure and skin tone is probably a mirror), that's where their skills are going to lie. Doing a good job of illustrating faces with different structure and tone without making it look like caricature takes practice and technique that needs be deliberately developed. Good representation of people of color in RPG art takes more than painting a different skin tone on an otherwise European-looking character.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

As a DM, I can't imagine telling a player that they can't play a character with a specific skin tone. Nor would I feel the need for there be any sort of in-world justification. It just is. After all, the native dwarves of Chult are mostly albinos; the grounds for requiring any sort of rationale would be shaky at best.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Is it still canon in 5e Eberron, to use any Elf stats (Drow, High, Wood) for any Eberron Elf?

No. Drow are definitely distinct: they were created by the giants from normal elves. Aereni elves are High elves, Tairnadal are Wood elves. Khovairan elves can be either, and elves with the Dragonmark are mechanically a separate subrace.

Of note is that the tairnadal elf illustration has dark brown skin.

 

[GMMichael]

C'mon, doesn't D&D take enough flak as it is? I haven't seen the Cauldron yet, but I'm sure it makes great strides toward diversifying D&D's former whiteness.

I treat my races as, well, races, which are about as uniform as eggs at the farmer's market (some blue ones show up). So I wouldn't expect to see different races of humans or different races of orcs - but there are always exceptions.

The descriptions of non-humans are generally different than any human ethnicity, and they should be. They are a completely different species with their own ethnic differences (the sub-races). The problem is the artwork being done by people with only a passing familiarity with these descriptions,

Technically, the non-humans are the same species as humans are because they can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. It is a problem, yes, if the art doesn't line up with the text, but I think it's a bigger problem to have rules that assign qualities based on how a character looks.

+1 for point-buy or ala carte systems!

 

[Haldrik]

No. Drow are definitely distinct: they were created by the giants from normal elves. Aereni elves are High elves, Tairnadal are Wood elves. Khovairan elves can be either, and elves with the Dragonmark are mechanically a separate subrace.

Of note is that the tairnadal elf illustration has dark brown skin.

I realize that.

I meant, can you, for example, use the Wood Elf stats (Wis, fast speed, etc) to build an Eberron Drow character?

 

[Bitbrain]

I realize that.

I meant, can you, for example, use the Wood Elf stats (Wis, fast speed, etc) to build an Eberron Drow character?

Officially? Probably not.

Me personally? I see nothing wrong with it.

To be fair though, I rework the racial ability scores for every race and sub-race in my campaigns, to better fit how I see them within each setting.

 

[DnD Warlord]

My first D&D game I DMed... I had brow and middle eastern liking dwarves and elves and gnomes and haflings... I was a teen and just assumed all the races had all the range of humans.

bu the time 3e had come around I even had drow being purple skinned (as seen in a lot of art) so a black elf didn’t ever get mistook for a drow. I was well into my 20’s before the first time I heard someone (and it was at gen con) say elves could only be white...

 

[Tonguez]

I did once briefly consider having a clan of gnomes that had blue skin, but then I sobered up.

The wild gnomes imc paint their skins with blue woad, they are also eusocial with one breeding female in a clan of around 100.

as to OP there were a whole slew of race colour threads up a month ago. Thecconcensus was diversity is good but in fantasy every colour can be represented including purple humans, grey elves and scoria red dwarfs

 

[ChaosOS]

I realize that.

I meant, can you, for example, use the Wood Elf stats (Wis, fast speed, etc) to build an Eberron Drow character?

Drow are still kept separate, although I know Keith feels they're problematically underdeveloped and would like a chance to revisit them. Canonically per Rising the distinction between wood & high elves is more firm, but Keith heavily disagrees with that editorial decision.