Humans: Essential Race or Sacred Cow?

[Arkhandus]

Does D&D really need Humans anymore? Is there really any reason to keep Humans in D&D? Dwarves are better at almost everything, halflings and gnomes are better spellcasters and skillmonkeys, half-orcs are better bruisers, and anything humans can do elves can do better (or so common fantasy tropes tell us)!!

Hell, we've got half-ogres, whisper gnomes, goliaths, thri-kreen, and elans now! Who needs Humans, really?!?

 

[Imp]

Cows: Essential Animal or Sacred Cow?

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Of course it doesn't need them. But then, it doesn't need Elves, or Dwarves, or etc. either. (I suppose it does need Dragons! ) But then, I'm one of those who rarely actually played Humans until 3E came along and made it worth doing so.

 

[Nifft]

Humans: Essential. Baseline race, and many players can relate to them.

Now, two joke threads on the same topic in one day: essential, or forum-crapping?

Looking forward to earnest answer, -- N

 

[Dragonhelm]

Humans are absolutely essential! They'll breed with anything! Without humans, we would have no half-breed races.

What would the gods do without humans? Oh, some have their pet races, but by and far, humans will worship just about any god.

And if this thread was about Dragonlance races, I would be first in line to say that minotaurs are the ultimate sacred cow.

 

[GAAAHHH]

Humans are absolutely essential! They'll breed with anything! Without humans, we would have no half-breed races.

That's what dragons are for.

And for the original question, no Humans aren't essential. Playing Dungeons and Dragons isn't essential either (lots of people don't), but life would be a lot less interesting without it.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Mooooo.

D&D requires only elves, dwarves, and hobbits. Stupid overpowered, over-flexible humans.

 

[Shadeydm]

Humans are great with fava beans and a nice chianti.

 

[Alnag]

Hm... humans. So well, what we know about those sacred cows anyway. They produce milk. Oh yeah. And they have horns.

Now, well humans produce milk also. That is suprising level of coincidence. We should cut them out of books immediately. But wait? Do they have horns? Ah. Here is the problem. No horns, man.

But thieflings on the other hand... they are actually cows. Kill them. Kill them all and take their stuff.

And now more seriously. Humans are essential, because the player are humans. I would probably question the other races, which are much more just "archetypes of some human virtues and/or flaws". Humans usually offer the greatest level of role-playing freedom, because they lack any kind of predetermined character concept.

 

[green slime]

No holy bovine litter around here, thank you very much.

Nor any profane feline herd.

Lets keep it clean.