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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6519997" data-attributes="member: 4937">On the contrary, you don't get it at all.  That's what's frustrating me.No one plays a demihuman in my setting.  It's not allowed.  But that doesn't mean what you think it means.  No one plays a demihuman in my setting because goblins, elves, dwarves, sidhe, fey, idreth and orine are not considered 'part human' or 'subhuman' or 'semihuman'.  These races aren't held in comparison to humans, and none of them would see the others as more or less mundane than the other.   The collective term for these races is "Free peoples".   True demihumans, say a minotaur or a centaur, are considered too weird for a player to even relate to (even if they could be balanced).In fact, humans in the setting are viewed as uncommonly strong strange and powerful beings, greatly to be feared and somewhat to be admired and envied.  What evidence would any creature within the setting have that humans are less mighty, mythic, and magical than any other being?  The powers that to you might seem mundane aren't mundane to a dwarf, idreth, or orine. What bothers me is that most of the time, they don't seem to exist in the shared fantasy reality either.  Instead, what you see is dwarfs having traits that are entirely the result of them not existing in our reality, but which they shouldn't have if they actually exist in the imagined reality.  It strikes me usually that most fantasy races are just funny shaped humans even if biologically they should be really different than humans and see the world in a very different way.  It strikes me most usually that an RPG race is much more well realized mechanically than they are as characters, and it often seems that mechanical attraction is the over riding concern in selecting a fantasy race with the choice in no way really informing how the character is played.To give you some idea:Elves: Age at about 1/9th the rate of humans.  Childhood last decades.  Pregnancy is a 7 year investment.  Very few material things feel in any way permanent to them.  Even rocks can visibly age.  Must consume beauty in order to survive and will die without it as quickly and as surely (and as painfully) as a human deprived of water.  Fragile compared to humans, and to avoid illness must avoid uncleanliness and communal living much more than humans.  Unable to replace losses in war for centuries, and so must avoid violence and when they must defend themselves do so from ambush and with ranged weapons to minimize any possible losses.  Deeply connected to and conversant with animals and plants.  Able to subsist on a strictly vegan diet, and generally avoid meat for much the same reasons that a human - even one that enjoyed meat - would not eat their pets.  Less passionate than humans in many areas, particularly regarding violence and sex.  Why they would not think humans are mundane: "They can live in filth and darkness and not die.  They can make their own light from within.  The fire within them burns short, but so bright and fierce! They are just as adaptable as we are, but far stronger and more durable."  Humans are from the perspective of elves legendary and mythic!Goblins: Nearly obligate carnivores.  Subsist poorly on vegetable protein. Nocturnal. Eyes emit rays that allow them to see in the dark like radar (but conversely this means bright broad spectrum light overwhelms their vision leaving them in a 'white out' state).  Age about 20% faster than humans, and mature at about twice the rate of humans.  Engaged in widespread selective breeding of their own race to produce perfect physical examples of a caste.  Basic goblins for example are meant to be of the laborer castes, and so require little subsistence, are highly tolerant of pain, heal quickly, have high resistance to disease and poisons, and are generally instinctively loyal and obedient (this last part is still being tweaked).  High disease resistance means that they can live in squalor, filth, and cramped conditions with comparatively little fear.  Highly social creatures, they actually prefer communal living and become distressed if alone.  Unlike most other races, they see themselves as being as hideous and ugly as other races see them.  Most take pride in their disgusting appearance.  Highly fecund and can interbreed with most other races (and find pretty much every race more attractive than themselves).  Humans are particularly prized as partners, and carefully introducing certain human traits to certain castes is known to be a species wide project.  Why they would not think humans are mundane: "You have to respect success.  Consider the power of the humans and learn from them.  They are an enemy that deserves our respect.  They are not weak in their minds like the other races.  They are as cunning as elves, as hard as dwarves, and as fierce as goblins.  They make good slaves, and know how to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. They are lords of the day as we are lords of night.  Even though they are not as varied as we are, each individual is capable of more.  If we are to defeat them, we must learn their ways and find superior ones."And so forth.</blockquote>

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