Fantasy Races and Originality

[Jürgen Hubert]

I have frequently come across the claim that using the "standard" fantasy races - elves, dwarves, halflings and so on - is unoriginal, and that making up completely new races that are not related to Tokien's writing is much preferable.

I must disagree. One of the best examples to the contrary is Terry Pratchett's Discworld. On the surface, his dwarves are rather stereotypical - they quaff lots of beer, always wear axes and chainmail, and lust after gold.

But over time, Pratchett has developed dwarven society much further than that, especially in his "City Watch" books (like "Feet of Clay", "Fifth Elephant", and "Thud"). The basic sterotypes are still true, but now dwarven society and culture forms a coherent whole. Gender issues, the conflict between the "modern" city-dwellers and the "deep down dwarves", the introduction of the "grags" as keepers of dwarven lore, mining signs... all this seems to me to be far more inventive and original than inventing a new fantasy race out of whole cloth and which end up being nothing more than sterotypes again - just different stereotypes.


And it was with this in mind that I decided not to deviate from the "standard" D&D races when set out to design Urbis. All the known races are in the world, and all the standard sterotypes are still true to one degree or another - but I have expanded nonhuman societies from them and in some cases twisted them to make them hopefully fresh and interesting again. Thus, there are things like an elven island kingdom that has recently broken off its ancient isolationist stance and is trying to "modernize" itself by patterning itself after human magical and technological achivements.


So what are your thoughts on this? Can fantasy worlds use the "standard races" and still be original? Or are wholly new races neccessary to make a setting fresh and new?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, considering that most of the Core races have a presence in literature before Tolkein got his paws on them, I think there's plenty of room for originality with those races...in theory.

However, in application, the real game is a little different. The last (only?) D&D setting to do anything truly different with the core races was DarkSun. So I welcome races like the Warforged and the Half-Giant, as well as opening up certain races out of the various MM type books for use as PCs.

And, to be honest, most DMs of my acquaintence don't mess around much with the printed races- they use them as is.

Still, a little houseruling can be good as well. I have a couple of Elf and Dwarf variants that really are different from the norm.

My final answer? Yes, the core races & a good imagination are all you need to have an interesting array of cultures and PC options, but new blood doesn't hurt.

 

[jdrakeh]

Can fantasy worlds use the "standard races" and still be original?

Yes. So long as they present the tried and true in a different light. Take the insect-like Elves or curse-wracked Dwarves of of Cell Entertainment's Gemini, for example. Here are two fairly typical racial sterotypes found in many fantasy RPGs, though they have been twisted to deviate from the bog-standard. Similarly, padding out a racial stereotype with a detailed economy, social order, customs, and other cultural background removes it from the realm of the utterly commonplace.

New races are not needed in fantasy, but I believe that new perspectives on existing racial stereotypes in fantasy are (needed, that is).

 

[amethal]

I like the standard races. I suppose they must be one of my D&D "sacred cows", although I hadn't really thought about them in that way until now.

What interests me is culture, not race.

I try to come up with interesting cultures for my homebrew, (with varying degrees of success!) and assign them to the standard race(es) that I think fit the best or make the most interesting combination.

For example, I have a global trading empire, which relies on their expert seamanship and the favour of the sea god to carry goods from one continent to another. I could have created a new race, but decided to make them an elven "subrace". (Although they are mechanically identical to standard elves - I'm not running the Forgotten Realms!)

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Of course you can use the "standard" races of fantasy and still be pretty creative. All it depends on is the details and the packaging to determine what feel they have, after all. Look at Sovereign Stone, for example. Elves with a very militaristic, japanese-like society, nomadic dwarves that are born in the saddle of their hardy ponies, and orcs that excel at seafaring. You don't have to deviate that far from established "clichés" either. The Iron Kingdoms has dwarves under the mountains and elves in the wood, but it fleshes them out beautifully, and gives them a slight twist. Dwarves are industrious, clannish, honor-driven and deeply religious, but they also freely cooperate and trade with all human kingdoms around, their inter-clan battles are ruled by a very strict set of rules, and their women have their own little pantheon of godesses. The elves are a people that excel in magic, especially divination, create things of beauty and awe-inspiring powers, are graceful and very talented with sword and bow. On the other hand, their last living goddess is slowly dying, they are far from long-lived, and a xenophobic lot that has recently started to tear itself apart through internal strife and politics.

So...yes, it's possible to stay with established races and still make them interesting. Just like with humans.

 

[Graf]

If I were going to make a bit of a generalization I would be inclinded to say that people who see a racial sterotype as the sum total of roleplaying are the ones who are most inclined to want to play some "new" race.

Personally I see few new races developed that make much sense or are at all interesting (both Psionics handbook and, especialy, Magic of Incarnum come to mind).

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

You don't need any non-human species to create an original fantasy adventure.

You don't even need any fantasy monsters to create an original fantasy adventure.

 

[MonsterMash]

I always feel that there is plenty of scope in the basic races, especially by using and developing the cultures. I tend to suspect players who say that core races and classes are 'boring' either lack imagination or else are trying to find some kind of munchkin setup that will give them an excessively powerful character.

 

[Blue]

I don't have a problem with PH races in D&D, they're what you're player expect. But you need to make them your own. IMC, all of the races they've come across are either fleshed out, or mysterious. I did change elves, which are now more fey and a +1 LA race, but for the most part it's been expanding the races in cultural, economic, religious, and historic ways that make it fun. And don't forget the interaction - who would have thought that halfing farmers and human farmers would come to a religious war over their god.

The races are what you make them. My campaign will be resetting soon, and some of the other humanoid races will be opened up becuase of their established presens in the kingdoms - orc, lizard man, and possibly centaur (if I can get past the low starting level vs. racial HD + LA, perhaps with a SS progression).

In a different campaign, I might redesign the races.

Cheers,
Blue

 

[Aaron L]

I am of the opinion that there are already too many humanoid races, so I dont think that adding new ones just for somethng different is necessary. But then again, everbody ants somethign different for there game, so I cant say anything bad about them wanting more, but so many i read about are just repackaged elves or dwarves, or sometimes are just ridiculous crud, that it makes me cringe whenever i see any mention of new races.