MichaelSomething
Legend
Because it's better to do one thing well then three things poorly...
My grievance with D&D races
- Thread starter Matthias
- Start date
Because it's better to do one thing well then three things poorly...
Jack Daniel
Legend
This wasn't a problem when racial classes or level limits were the norm.
Just sayin'.
Just sayin'.
Estlor
Explorer
That's a very Basic/1e/2e viewpoint.
Once upon a time, humans were the dominant race in D&D because they were either the assumed race for a class (BECMI) or the only race that could advance without regard to level limit. In other words, you played an Elf, Dwarf, or Halfling because you wanted to play a very specific type of character, otherwise you played a human.
3e took away that motivation. Now you play a dwarf or an elf because you like dwarves and elves.
Fluff-wise, the base 10-15 years of D&D has actively promoted that opposite view. Humans are not the dominate race of the world, they're just one of a number of races that generally get along in the face of mounting evil.
I would imagine 90% of D&D tables would be upset if dwarves, elves, and halflings were not present in the game in some form. Probably 70% of tables would also be upset at the lack of half-orcs and gnomes. So multiple, human-like races are present.
Besides, being another race is fun. I have to wake up and go about every day as a human. Let me be an elf for four hours a week if I want to.
Once upon a time, humans were the dominant race in D&D because they were either the assumed race for a class (BECMI) or the only race that could advance without regard to level limit. In other words, you played an Elf, Dwarf, or Halfling because you wanted to play a very specific type of character, otherwise you played a human.
3e took away that motivation. Now you play a dwarf or an elf because you like dwarves and elves.
Fluff-wise, the base 10-15 years of D&D has actively promoted that opposite view. Humans are not the dominate race of the world, they're just one of a number of races that generally get along in the face of mounting evil.
I would imagine 90% of D&D tables would be upset if dwarves, elves, and halflings were not present in the game in some form. Probably 70% of tables would also be upset at the lack of half-orcs and gnomes. So multiple, human-like races are present.
Besides, being another race is fun. I have to wake up and go about every day as a human. Let me be an elf for four hours a week if I want to.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
I have never quite seen the draw of playing a human. I play a human every day and really have no desire to build a Mary-Sue of myself in D&D though which I exercise my hero-fantasies.
Last edited:
Hmm. In 2e, where non-humans were strictly better unless you both reached racial level limits and didn't house-rule them away, anyone who realized that would only play a human for role-playing reasons. In 3.x, where humans are pretty much the strongest 'standard' race, I saw a lot of humans (you only played a non-human for role-playing reasons or in oddball corner cases; no standard race offered something more useful than a feat and a skill point per level). In 4e, where things are pretty balanced (humans aren't the 'best' race for anything, but they're never a bad choice), humans are less common, but still by far the most-played race.
john112364
Explorer
This is just my opinion but I consider Pathfinder all the various retro-clones to be DnD sold by other companies. So the analogy still stands.
Just sayin'
Ed_Laprade
Adventurer
Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes were around for millenia before Tolkein showed up. (Halflings should be kicked to the curb and stomped on.) 
ArmoredSaint
First Post
For some people, the game just isn't enough of an escape from their mundane life unless they can play something totally off-the-wall--a complete and utter radical departure from the geeky burger-flipper they are in their humdrum daily lives.
I love running human-only games. I once ran a GURPS Conan game for half a dozen friends sometime in the mid to late 1990s. One of them was completely unfamiliar with the source material beyond having seen the 1982 film once or twice. His jaw hit the floor when he learned that the setting included no playable races other than humans. He whined and complained loudly, refusing to be mollified until he was allowed to play a satyr. He spent much of the campaign hiding outside towns and cities in the woods while the rest of the party indulged in intrigue, debauchery and violence within the city walls.
The great irony was that he wound up being more bored playing his unique, weird, special snowflake race character than he would have been if he had just gone with the rest of the group and played a boring ol' human. Everyone else enjoyed themselves immensely.
When I read or hear people getting upset because their favorite weird non-traditional race might not be included in the 5e core rules, all I can think of is that guy, and his "I wanna be something unique, dammit!" ranting is what I hear echoing in my head when I read any of their posts...
I love running human-only games. I once ran a GURPS Conan game for half a dozen friends sometime in the mid to late 1990s. One of them was completely unfamiliar with the source material beyond having seen the 1982 film once or twice. His jaw hit the floor when he learned that the setting included no playable races other than humans. He whined and complained loudly, refusing to be mollified until he was allowed to play a satyr. He spent much of the campaign hiding outside towns and cities in the woods while the rest of the party indulged in intrigue, debauchery and violence within the city walls.
The great irony was that he wound up being more bored playing his unique, weird, special snowflake race character than he would have been if he had just gone with the rest of the group and played a boring ol' human. Everyone else enjoyed themselves immensely.
When I read or hear people getting upset because their favorite weird non-traditional race might not be included in the 5e core rules, all I can think of is that guy, and his "I wanna be something unique, dammit!" ranting is what I hear echoing in my head when I read any of their posts...
Last edited:
OnlineDM
Adventurer
I just wanted to share a quick tale of an all-human party. It happened at GenCon 2011 in a Living Forgotten Realms game. There were four players (me and three of my friends) who knew each other beforehand but hadn't coordinated our characters at all. Then there was a married couple who might have had some coordination between their two characters, but I don't believe this was the case. It just so happened that everyone brought a human character to the table. Six players, six human PCs.
We noticed this about 30 minutes into the game, and no one at the table could recall ever having seen such a thing before. It can happen, though!
We noticed this about 30 minutes into the game, and no one at the table could recall ever having seen such a thing before. It can happen, though!
Glade Riven
Adventurer
I see the Op's point, and wouldn't mind it.
Such as may be, players are often more comfortable with racism between fantasy races than between human ethnicities. WotC has little choice but to be a bit politically correct concerning humans - it could easily lead to bad press and other nasty backlashes. So the differences between humans is usually cultural and reserved for splats or third parties who can get away with things WotC can't.
Such as may be, players are often more comfortable with racism between fantasy races than between human ethnicities. WotC has little choice but to be a bit politically correct concerning humans - it could easily lead to bad press and other nasty backlashes. So the differences between humans is usually cultural and reserved for splats or third parties who can get away with things WotC can't.
Similar Threads
