Have We Seen Half-Orcs Yet?

[Paraxis]

I agree with that prediction 100%, we also know that we will see Shifters written up as a PC race in the MM. I would bet there is also an MM version of Warforged.

The main concern I have is with talk of additional options being available for members of varius races as they advance and the limited room in the MM we might not get all we need to play them compared to those races in the PHB.

 

[Aeolius]

I do think including elves, eladrin and half-elves as three of the seven or eight PHB races seems like an awful lot of conceptual overlap unless there's actually going to be more than seven or eight PHB races, though.

And yet people think that having sea elves, locathah, tritons, sahuagin, and so on is overkill for the MM. Not all DMs allow air-breathing races, you know.

 

[Desdichado]

And yet people think that having sea elves, locathah, tritons, sahuagin, and so on is overkill for the MM. Not all DMs allow air-breathing races, you know.

*sigh*

Yes, yes, I know about your game. But the PHB races are the *default* situation that all the millions of D&D players will be expecting to see, so having three races with a similar concept is overlap.

I get it; you need more water-breathing races than any other D&D player in the world as far as we know. That doesn't mean that your anecdotes are a convincing model on which to build a new game that has to apply to other groups than your own.

 

[Wormwood]

While I can't speak for your group exactly, I think half-elves aren't played a lot because of the options that they are given in the PHB. There just isn't any upside to playing one game-wise.

No, you pretty much nailed it.

Their bland flavor doesn't compensate for their lame mechanics.

 

[Nifft]

We only need five races in the PHB:
- Elf
- Half-Elf
- Eladrin
- Dwarf
- Tiefling

... and maybe Warforged. Okay, that's six.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Jhaelen]

Since 2000, my games have seen a half-dozen half-orcs, one gnome, and zero half-elves.

In my 3E campaign so far:
- zero gnomes, halflings, half-elves or elves
- one half-orc
- two dwarves
- about 20 humans

After introducing the Eberron races, I may get to see a warforged and a changeling character once the players' current characters suffer final death.

 

[Aeolius]

... the PHB races are the *default* situation that all the millions of D&D players will be expecting to see, so having three races with a similar concept is overlap.

Agreed. I was simply stating my concern regarding a variety of playable aquatic races in the MM. While we're at it, here's hoping the night hag, green hag, annis, and sea hag are all in the 4e MM.

Let's see, if we put the half-races (half-orc and half-elf) in the MM as templates and put the gnome in the MM as a playable race, that'd free up quite a bit. Keeping the tiefling out of the PH would make it even better.

 

[Oldtimer]

We only need five races in the PHB:
- Elf
- Half-Elf
- Eladrin
- Dwarf
- Tiefling

...and Gnome! *jumping up and down with excitement*

 

[GreatLemur]

Sure you get role-playing flavour, but you know most ppl can do that with just about any race. ... I dont think this is the full reason ppl are ok letting half-elves go.

What in the crap is so difficult about typing the word "people"?

 

[Nahat Anoj]

You folks are giving me such a haddock.

Alright, alright, now this conversation is really jumping the shark.