Human only campaigns - good? bad? tips? ideas?

[S'mon]

S'mon, Why do you not think I am an elf?

EN World is access-restricted to early 21st century Earth, a world without sentient species other than humans or any means of inter-planar access. Ergo you're a human, possibly a human who thinks s/he is an elf.

And aquatic humans are mermen (or 'merfolk').

 

[Deedlit]

I believe mermen do not have any of the human racial benefits(Favored class any, Bonus feat, Bonus skill point, No ability modifiers).
And I access this computer through the astral plane.

 

[hong]

EN World is access-restricted to early 21st century Earth, a world without sentient species other than humans or any means of inter-planar access.

Suuure. That's what they ALL say.

 

[Humanophile]

We elves are varied. Though we may all have pointed ears, live long, like nature, and be good looking, our race contains everything from wild elves to aquatic elves(When was the last time you saw aquatic humans) to drow. Individual variation can also be great when they aren't even a different subrace.(Ever compared Dalamar to your average Silvanesti)
Humans may be adaptable and versatile, but all races have great variations.

See, that's the thing I like about humans. You can find humans in any field, whereas most half orcs you'll meet are fighters, barbarians, or wizards, and you'll be hard pressed to meet a gray elf who isn't a wizard, a wood elf who's not a fighter class, or a drow who's not a pretentious arse.

Besides, if you play with all elves, you should enjoy all elf games, and let us humans stick to playing ourselves. I mean, I'd be happier if people didn't play all us humans as either crude barbarians, or overly refined parodies of sophistication. In turn, I think you'd prefer not to have all your race portrayed as either Humans With Funny Ears, or else nauseating hippie-snobs. (No, I don't think your average gamer can play a demihuman as properly alien. Sue me.)

 

[sword-dancer]

I have a couple of questions regarding a campaign world with only humans as a player race.

1. Would this bother you as a player to not be able to play <insert favorite race here>?

Usually not, it ist the GMs right to define which races, subraces or classes/variants are suitable for his world(Campaign.
I didn`t like grey elves and Ididn?t feel the Gnomes in WFRP are fitting so i banned them as PCs.
Only if its favoring á player i would be disturbed, but I personally would made exceptions to a character concept or such, or the one Xrace PC could be plot device.
In Midgard best and oldes German FRPG demihumans are a rarity.

3. What do you think of assigning different racial traits to different cultures? This would still give the player some choice to fill the gap left by not being able to play elves, dwarves, etc. I would tie it to where you were raised, not your genetic background. So, for example, people raised among hardy hunter & gatherers might have a con bonus and wilderness lore as a bonus class skill instead of the standard human bonuses.

No, but don`t let thig et into races.
Decide between cultural and genetical differences, but Iwould go with the feats skill a WoT and let it be.

LOL! Good point, but then again Conan is in a world like this but has his fair share of exciting creature features. Perhaps that would be a good model to base it off of. Instead of having a dungeon crawl with several different strange creatures to fight in succession you can design them with more buildup leading to one strange creature. Hmm...how to do good buildup though that lasts for a decent amount of game time? Or maybe something kind of like H.P. Lovecraft's "In the Mountains of Madness" too - how would you pull something like that off?

You're right. It seems pretty difficult.

I´m never for the dungeoncrawl.
Use the creatures very sparingly.

This is why it is so much more work with an all human game. As a DM you have to create cultures the players find interesting and can use to define their character. Using elves, dwarves, etc the cultural stereotypes give many players a keen edge to ROLEPLAY with. It is different than their daily culture. I personally love all human worlds and games, but find that all of the players have to be familiar with the world and its cultures, or it may not work.

Why?
I don`t think it´s more interestic to play an human scout to an elven seafarer.

Ace just put a fiunger on something that's been bothering me about d20. Why would these hardy hunter gatherers get a con bonus? To me a human racedescribed as hardy and rugged, but (for example) rather rough and lacking in manners would simply mean your typical huntergatherer would have their highest stat in Con and lowest in Cha. Without making them a +2 Con, -2 Cha, it leaves open the option of someone playing an atypical PC from this group, someone with more charisma, or less healthy.

Why did erveryone believe, tchnological not so advanced culture and societies, did lacking in manners and intelligence.
Go with feats and skills, and let it be done, I would restrict skills for such a cultures and give others as natural class skills accordingly to their environment, technological level.
The scythians and celts were renowned for their abilities as goldsmiths
The modification of charisma due to races is the hard to understand for me.

I like the idea a lot, my own primary campaign world is human-dominated and 90%+ of the PCs are human, although I've allowed elves, half-elves, half-orcs and dwarves. An all-human world a la REH would be even better, especially with a Conanesque through Cthuluesque pulp dark fantasy feel. Probably a good idea to make the spellcasting classes rare as well, although at low levels they're weak enough that as PCs they don't harm a low-fantasy feel.

One thing I do in my low-magic game is use a lot of exotic variant demons that are weaker than the MM standard - mostly CR 2-3 with no DR, suitable for threatening low-level PCs without magic weapons.

Conan is a part of the Ctulhu Mythos.

 

[Clint]

You said that you were soliciting "me, too" posts.

An all human campaign can be wonderful. Since most people play demi-humans as a simple personality stereotype, you can easily do what many others on this thread are suggesting and have different cultures for the humans.

And to echo another sentiment, fantastic creatures feel more fantastic when your party is all humans. It's all about contrast.

 

[Voadam]

An all human campaign can either distinguish characters by culture as in FR or WoT or just allow humans straight out of the PHB. Since they are flexible in the PH sticking with that allows them to customize their characters according to their concepts.

There is nothing wrong with having a monoculture campaign. A Beowulf we are all vikings campaign can be fun. It all depends on the mood and setting you want for your game.

Removing humanoids entirely so that the monsters are monsters, aberrations and magical beasts can make a great unambiguous us versus them bug hunt type game. The other route is that the adventure could be politics driven and it is us working against the cabal, evil nobles, etc.

Just be up front with the players and say this is the world I'm running, here are the backgrounds and what is allowed and what is not.

I expect some campaigns to allow PC half-fiend troll sorcerers and I expect some campaigns to not have any non human humanoids as part of the setting or as options for PCs.

A game with players required to be humans in a typically cosmopolitan D&D setting would be fun as well requiring players to decide how they interact with nonhumans. Similarly an all orc (or whatever) game could be interesting.

 

[kenjib]

Okay, what do you guys think of this mechanic for differentiating human cultures? I'll include just a sample of a few of the cultures below. I've got 15 available to the PC's so far from parts of the world that are near where the players will be starting.

This is using the Sovereign Stone classes and magic system, but you can ignore the advantaged element thing and substitute in two PHB classes for the ones I present to get the basic idea.

Is this enough to make up for not having elves, dwarves, etc.?


GENERAL HUMAN RACIAL TRAITS
· Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
· Human base speed is 30 feet.
· 1 extra feat at 1st level, because humans are quick to master specialized tasks and varied in their talents.
· 4 extra skill points at 1st level (character level, not class level) and 1 extra skill point at each additional level, since humans are versatile and capable.
· Automatic Language: Cultural Language(s) (see cultural background below). Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). Humans mingle with all kinds of other folk and thus can learn any language found in an area.



Additional Sorecian (South Islander) Traits
· The following skills receive a +1 racial bonus and are considered class skills for all of the character's classes: Appraise, Profession (Sailor), Swim
· Favored Class: Fighter or Sailor - whichever is higher (probably fighter and expert or rogue in D&D).
· Advantaged Element: Sorecians are advantaged in water magic and disadvantaged in fire magic.


Additional Tsa-Shotu Traits
· The following skills receive a +1 racial bonus and are considered class skills for all of the character's classes: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), Perform
· Favored Class: Elemental Mage or Void Mage - whichever is higher (sorceror and cleric in D&D).
· Advantaged Element: Tsa-Shotu are advantaged in air magic and disadvantaged in earth magic.



Additional Ice Barbarian (including Yasut, Masuuk, Tlahani, and others) Traits
· The following skills receive a +1 racial bonus and are considered class skills for all of the character's classes: Intuit Direction, Spot, Wilderness Lore
· Favored Class: Barbarian or Stalker - whichever is higher (barbarian and ranger in D&D).
· Advantaged Element: Ice Barbarians are advantaged in fire magic and disadvantaged in water magic.


---CULTURAL BACKGROUND---

Sorecians (North Islanders)
"Our kinsmen all slain and our castles all burned, born of the sea, to the sea we return."
- From the folk song, Ballad of the Three Kings (author unknown)

LANGUAGE
Sorecians speak Sorecian, although almost all Sorecians also speak Dorian. There are no distinct dialects on the southern isle, and regional accents are mild enough that comprehension is never a problem.

CULTURE AND RELIGION
There are two major religions among the Sorecians. The old religion is worship of the Sea Mother. This religion is being slowly replaced in recent generations by the Nomitic Faith, especially in the larger urban centers where the Nomitic Church has a strong presence. The Nomitic Church was brought to the Sorecian Isles along with Dorian colonial power and is currently the majority religion. It achieved much of its popularity by providing free charity services for orphans, the poor, and the sick. These gestures of good will, all funded with money collected through taxation and in return funneled back into the church by the Emperor in Doria, have done much to attract followers.
Worshippers of the Sea Mother still compromise a sizable percentage of the population. Those who continue to worship the Sea Mother usually keep a small shrine in their home, which they regularly consult for guidance and blessings. Regular offerings are also given to the Sea Mother, usually in the form of food, scented oils, or incense.

LIFESTYLE AND ECONOMY
Sorecians rely on trade and fishing as the backbone of their economy. Sorecia is a bustling trade hub for the western seas and ships from far and wide stop in at its welcoming harbor. Some local exports are produced, including wool from shepherds that live inland and textiles made from this material in towns and villages. Fish are also exported in abundance, and salt for preserving them is imported from the South. The majority of the goods that come into port in Sorecia however, are bound for other places. Ta'el Airelay is an important place of exchange for people from the South, East, and North.
The sea is a very important part of Sorecian life, and most of the larger towns on the island lie along the coast. Sorecians are taught to sail at a young age, and most islanders know at least the bare minimum needed to handle a small boat. The inland of the island is more sparsely populated, with shepherds tending flocks of sheep over low, rolling hills, and small villages with looms and weavers as well as craftsmen to tend to the needs of the shepherds. Farms lie in the more flat areas in valleys and toward the coast, providing food for the coastal towns in exchange for seafood and manufactured goods.
Sorecians eat a diet heavy in seafood. This is supplemented with millet, oats, potatoes, beets, radishes, onions, and cabbage. Pork and mutton are eaten inland where seafood is less common. Sorecians are fond of strong ales, which they brew in abundance.



Tlahani
"The sun honors the singer, for the song is life."
- Excerpt from the Lists of Clan Kalalu

LANGUAGE
Languages vary from tribe to tribe along the Great Ice Plain. It is even common for the larger tribes to have several dialects, or even languages, within. A few of the larger clans even have dialects all their own. The ability of various dialects and languages to communicate with each other varies widely, as the Great Ice Plain has a rich and complex linguistic history. The Tlahani in particular have three different languages, each with numerous dialects. Most speakers of one of the dialects within a given Tlahani language can understand each other to a large extent.
Written language does not exist among the Tlahani, but historical records are maintained through a rich oral tradition. Each clan maintains it's own version of "The Lists," which are collections of songs and poems detailing the history, religion, and traditions of the clan. Different clans share many of the same stories with assorted variations. Closely inter-related clans will often have very similar versions of the Lists.
The older stories tend to be more symbolic and religious, whereas the newer stories are often relatively accurate historical accounts of events or people in the recent past that, as they grow older, tend to appear in more and more variations and as a result become less and less accurate. Some of the oldest stories are shared by almost all of the clans, such as the legend of Tluluk, the mighty trapper who captures the sun, a mighty bird of fire, every evening at dusk, after which it promptly escapes every morning at dawn with the help of it's ever faithful handmaiden, Nashwamma. According to most variations of the legend, the first time that the sun was captured by Tluluk so that he could skin the bird for its brilliant plumage, Tluluk was utterly enamored with Nashwamma when she appeared to rescue it, but he knew that because of his deed he could never win his love. Likewise, Nashwamma had fallen in love with Tluluk, but could not give him her hand because of her loyalty to her master, the Sun, and the terrible deed that Tluluk had committed against it. Thus, every evening Nashwamma watches from hiding as she secretly allows Tluluk to capture the sun, and every morning Tluluk watches from hiding as he secretly let's her free him, as this is the only way that they will ever see each other again. Neither one knows the secret of the other.

CULTURE AND RELIGION
The Tlahani are animist by nature, with animal spirits taking the prominent role in their myths. In legends, animals (representing the animal spirits) are often anthropomorphized and encountered by humans with varying results. The myths and figures of the belief systems will vary somewhat from clan to clan. Clans often adopt stories from other clans after modifying them to fit with their unique worldview.
Family is the core of the organization of the Tlahani people. Extended families live and migrate together as clans. These different clans within the tribe do, however, share similar beliefs, myths, and religious practice that bring them all together. The Tlahani consider religion to be a private affair within the tribe, and do not discuss it with foreigners. Similarly, foreigners are strictly forbidden from attending religious ceremonies.
Foreigners often see Tlahani as distant and reserved, but close friends can attest that this is not their true nature. Tlahani are slow to make friends but loyal to the end. They value their clan, family, and friends, above all else and treat them with great reverence and affection. New acquintances must prove their trust to a Tlahani clansman before being welcomed into their inner circle of friends, a selective process that can sometimes take years. Once a Tlahani considers someone a friend, however, they become a friend for life.

LIFESTYLE AND ECONOMY
The large Tlahani tribe occupies a long range of inland terrain that stretches from north to south in the central-eastern region of the Ice Plain. Their way of life is typical of the majority of the ice barbarian tribes. They tend to ground in one place during the summer months living in small, light tents, but when snow cover falls, the various Tlahani clans pack up their camps, load up their dog pulled sleds, and migrate several times a year to various seasonal grounds, following game and avoiding the extreme northern reaches during the harsh winter.
The Tlahani eat the various animals they catch, mostly caribou, hare, and elk, and gather wild roots, berries, nuts, and some vegetables. Salmon is also an important part of Tlahani life. They are harvested annually during spawning seasons as they make their way upstream toward the headlands of the Ma Sari peaks. Fish are eaten fresh during the season and also cured for use throughout the year. The Tlahani are also renowned trappers, collecting the furs of sable, ermine, and ferret to trade west, where they eventually find their way to the Chowash Bay and the rest of the world. They prefer to receive manufactured goods in exchange.



Tsa-Shotu: The People at the Edge of the World
"After first light and before the rising of the sun there is the Tsa. In the reed that bends to the very point of breaking there is the Tsa. In the incongruity of action and intent there is the Tsa. The Tsa resides, eternal, in all the places of the in-between."
- Ancient Proverb

LANGUAGE
The Tsa-Shotu speak Shotuni, although several dialects exist. In all there are several dozen dialects but the most prevalent is Ku La, which is spoken throughout most of the West and South as well as various areas throughout Tsa-Masu. The second most common dialect is Bichu, which is spoken in the southeast. It has been heavily influenced by the language of the Zrahani that live in the lowlands east of the mountians. The various dialects are similar enough that some rudimentary communication is possible, but complex ideas do not tend to translate well. Bichu is a notable exception and speakers of this dialect cannot understand or be understood by most of those who do not also speak it. A third dialect of note is Tsani, the language of the priests. It is reserved only for the priests of the Tsa-Shotu, and for anyone else to learn it is a very strict taboo. It is spoken for the most part only in religious ceremonies and rituals. Speakers of other dialects cannot understand Tsani. Priests of the Tsa all know at least one language in addition to Tsani, as it is learned during their training for the priesthood.
Only the Tsani dialect exists in written form. The alphabet derived from the Zrahani alphabet many centuries ago but was modified greatly to fit the Tsani language. Most priestly documents are written on parchment scrolls, although fine paper is occasionally imported from the South and kept for the more important documents.

CULTURE AND RELGION
Life is very difficult in the cold, rugged highlands of the north where the Tsa-Shotu live. Perhaps as a result of this hardship, the Tsa-Shotu have developed a highly complex and ritualized lifestyle that is pervasive throughout the culture. Tsa-Shotu commoners live life by ritual. There are rituals for every major event in life and many of the typical common day-to-day activities in the life of the people. Tsa-Shotu tend to be soft spoken and passive, even to the point of neglecting to pass on useful advice to a person who could have used it. A strong trust in fate is a prevalent mindset among the Tsa-Shotu.
Their way of life is known as the "Tsa." The word "Tsa" has many other meanings including divinity, nature, and life force. This multiplicity of meaning in this word reflects one of the principle tenets of the Tsa, which is the embracing of ambiguity. Tsa itself is seen as an indefinable and unquantifiable force.
The priesthood of Tsa is organized in layers. The five outer layers consist of the lay clergy. These priests serve a vital role in Tsa-Shotu community, ensuring through sacrifice and ritual that fields yield crops, people stay healthy, and married couples have many children among their more common duties. The five inner layers consist of the occult clergy, whose members are known as shapers. The shapers hold many secrets within their ranks that are jealously guarded from the uninitiated. Among their many secrets, the shapers are reputed to have the ability to channel and focus the ambiguity of Tsa in order to turn bend and twist reality itself. They also believe that the very act of shaping ambiguity upsets the balance of Tsa in such a way that will be compensated somewhere else in the world. For this reason, the shapers believe that it is improper to use their abilities without good cause.
This concept of the balance of Tsa is also the driving force behind the sacrificial rituals of the Tsa-Shotu. By fasting or sacrificing food, goods, livestock, or even human beings, the Tsa-Shotu believe that they will, in return, bring the reverse of the sacrificial act, which is good fortune, to themselves and their community. Sacrificial victims are often those who have breached one of the many taboos of the Tsa, although in truly desperate times the priests may simply choose victims from the unmarried daughters of the population.
Tsa priests are animist in nature and do not have any godlike figures. To the Tsa priest, everything contains a spirit apart from its material existence, even living beings, and these spirits are venerated and honored under the Tsa. The spirits of ancestors hold a special place in Tsa-Shotu culture. The deceased are cremated and enshrined in the homes of their descendants in sacred spirit chests where their ashes are mixed with the ashes of those that have passed before them. Many homes have spirit chests that go back several centuries or possibly even longer. Some regions also have specific spirits that take a more prominent role than most other spirits. The spirit of the Nitandu River, for example, holds great sway in the lives, rituals, and customs of some of the tribes that live along it's banks. In some of these tribes, the pre-eminence of the river spirit even eclipses all other spirits to a near deific state. This is, however, the exception rather than the norm.
Temples of Tsa dot the countryside. Smaller temples are found immediately outside villages. Larger temples are found in remote locations, often established in very dramatic settings. The more remote temples are typically of much older construction, some of them being over a thousand years old. The oldest and grandest of them are falling apart, but even as they crumble they continue to be used by the priests of Tsa.
Typically, only priests are literate in Tsa-Shotu culture. The common people have little need for reading and writing. Folk traditions are maintained and passed on from generation to generation orally.
Music and dance play a very important role in preserving and enriching culture. Stories of history, genealogy, and parables that reflect the values of Tsa-Shotu culture are retained through song and dance. The body of songs varies for each village, and specific songs will even exist in varying versions from village to village. The most common traditional instruments include hand drums and cymbals, bells tied around the wrists and ankles, the Ga Kotu, a bowed instrument with a single string, several shapes and sizes of the Cha-Ha, a mandolin-like instrument, and the Psao, a straight wooden trumpet with fingerholes.

LIFESTYLE AND ECONOMY
The people of Tsa-Masu are materially very poor. Tsa-Shotu usually live simple lives in small multi-room huts which may house several families. They wear clothing typically made from various furs and the wool of llamas. The staple of the diet consists of long grain rice and a bean similar to the lima bean that grows well in the short growing season of the high altitude, cold, climate. Animals are occasionally eaten, but religious regimen establishes very clearly on which days of the month meat can be eaten and what types of animals can be eaten at those times. Tsa-Shotu have a long cultivated tradition of herbal tea and specialty varieties vary from region to region. There is also great expertise in preparing herbal remedies for all manner of afflictions.
The soft Tsa-Masu wool is highly sought after throughout the North and even to the south in the central lowlands. Tsa-Masu tea also fetches high prices in foreign markets. Herbal remedies are another lucrative export of Tsa-Masu, and the exotic ingredients in some of these remedies can fetch very high prices. The trade routes in and out of Tsa-Masu, however, are difficult to traverse. They are not well kept, nor are they well guarded.
In the last ten years, black opium (also known as black gold) has become another important export from fields where it is grown in the highlands. Used almost exclusively in religious rituals by the Tsa-Shotu in the past, the powerful narcotic effects of the drug have been discovered by traders of the Central Kingdoms and the demand has been increasing at a much faster rate than the supply. Because of the great value that black opium will fetch in the South, many people have begun to cultivate this extremely low yield plant for trade, a practice that greatly disturbs the bulk of the conservative religious population. As competition over control of this resource begins to emerge and brings with it violent confrontation, the peaceful way of life of the Tsa-Shotu people may never be the same again.

 

[kenjib]

I don't normally bump, but something strange happened in the posting cgi and I think the thread stayed on page 7 even after I added the reply. Page 7 also says that the post by Voadam was the most recent post so hopefully this extra post will fix the problem.

EDIT: It worked!

 

[GreyOne]

Bump