D&D General My Problem(s) With Halflings, and How To Create Engaging/Interesting Fantasy Races

[Crimson Longinus]

I am honestly surprised people like genasi as they are badly built and are like the less cool middle child out of the plane touched humans.

I don't remember how they're mechanically, but I can see them being popular. They're plane-touched humans like you say, but at least to me they seem instantly cooler than aasimar which are basically angel-humans and it is hard to get lamer than that. They also are not so desperately edgy than tieflings (though I can respect desperately edgy.) They also are basically four races in one, as each element has their own themes. Whatever sort of character you want, it's likely some type of genasi would make thematic sense with it. I could easily see a setting where there was just humans and genasi and it would work just fine. Hell, even a setting with just genasi and no normal humans at all would work.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean, look at genasi. Mechanically? I can see why people want to play them. They have some nice racial benefits, although I'd be curious to see what percentage are fire genasi. But culture? Lore? Pretty threadbare. Ooh, one of your parents boinked a genie. Hope they got their wish!

Always get your wish before you have sex with a genie.

And yes, whenever I've asked someone to tell me about their genasi character, I get a lot of vague shrugs. As opposed to the aarakocra players, who go into insane detail about being a bird person.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't remember how they're mechanically, but I can see them being popular. They're plane-touched humans like you say, but at least to me they seem instantly cooler than aasimar which are basically angel-humans and it is hard to get lamer than that. They also are not so desperately edgy than tieflings (though I can respect desperately edgy.) They also are basically four races in one, as each element has their own themes. Whatever sort of character you want, it's likely some type of genasi would make thematic sense with it. I could easily see a setting where there was just humans and genasi and it would work just fine. Hell, even a setting with just genasi and no normal humans at all would work.

The best thing about genasi, IMO, is you can reskin them as janni and use them in an Arabian Nights setting easily. Otherwise, it's hard to see what their place is in most D&D worlds.

Maybe you could have water genasi among sea elves and the like, but I don't know where the societies of people who interbred with genies would be, otherwise. They're originally from the Forgotten Realms, I think, so maybe there's a big society there I haven't heard about.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I don't remember how they're mechanically, but I can see them being popular. They're plane-touched humans like you say, but at least to me they seem instantly cooler than aasimar which are basically angel-humans and it is hard to get lamer than that. They also are not so desperately edgy than tieflings (though I can respect desperately edgy.) They also are basically four races in one, as each element has their own themes. Whatever sort of character you want, it's likely some type of genasi would make thematic sense with it. I could easily see a setting where there was just humans and genasi and it would work just fine. Hell, even a setting with just genasi and no normal humans at all would work.

I find the platonic elements weak as a character background plus it is missing number five.
also elementals in dnd are kind of dull they do not have much function or goal so half elemental has few role-play options.

 

[jayoungr]

Again, there is this recurring trend of people making an argument to remove tools they dont personally use from the community toolbox. Why does this keep coming up?

Between this and the one about getting rid of Tier 4 levels, I've been wondering about that too.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The best thing about genasi, IMO, is you can reskin them as janni and use them in an Arabian Nights setting easily. Otherwise, it's hard to see what their place is in most D&D worlds.

Maybe you could have water genasi among sea elves and the like, but I don't know where the societies of people who interbred with genies would be, otherwise. They're originally from the Forgotten Realms, I think, so maybe there's a big society there I haven't heard about.

They seems to tagged on in most settings yes, and I wouldn't include them unless I was making a setting basically built around associated themes. Like an animistic world where humans interact with spirits and children are born blessed by the elements a bit like in Avatar the Last Airbender. And I wouldn't include them alongside with standard fantasy races, they would replace them. So instead of sea elves you have water genasi, instead of dwarfs and goliaths you have earth genasi and so forth. Hell, you could even include other elements, nature and void genasi might have a place in such a setting.

 

[jayoungr]

Tolkien was perfectly open that the word hobbit was based on the word rabbit. Which is why the books begins "in a hole in there ground there lived...".

Source for this? Wikipedia and Tom Shippey say Tolkien rejected that connection.

Hobbit - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He did acknowledge a connection with Sinclair Lewis's Babbit, though.

 

[Mind of tempest]

They seems to tagged on in most settings yes, and I wouldn't include them unless I was making a setting basically built around associated themes. Like an animistic world where humans interact with spirits and children are born blessed with the elements a bit like in Avatar the Last Airbender. And I wouldn't include them alongside with standard fantasy races, they would replace them. So instead of sea elves you have water genasi, instead of dwarfs and goliaths you have earth genasi and so forth. Hell, you could even include other elements, nature and void genasi might have a place in such a setting.

what if sea elves are just water genasi for elves?

 

[Cadence]

I don't remember how they're mechanically, but I can see them being popular. They're plane-touched humans like you say, but at least to me they seem instantly cooler than aasimar which are basically angel-humans and it is hard to get lamer than that. They also are not so desperately edgy than tieflings (though I can respect desperately edgy.) They also are basically four races in one, as each element has their own themes. Whatever sort of character you want, it's likely some type of genasi would make thematic sense with it. I could easily see a setting where there was just humans and genasi and it would work just fine. Hell, even a setting with just genasi and no normal humans at all would work.

I apparently never really read the material on Tieflings or forgot it if I did.

"People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings."

While genre obvious, this feels especially awkward to roleplay and I'm kind of surprised I don't remember it coming up (at least for comparison) on any of the threads about half-orcs.

Maybe you could have water genasi among sea elves and the like, but I don't know where the societies of people who interbred with genies would be, otherwise. They're originally from the Forgotten Realms, I think, so maybe there's a big society there I haven't heard about.

Barbara Eden hooking up with Larry Hagman seems a lot happier than some horrible pact with Asmodeus...

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I apparently never really read the material on Tieflings or forgot it if I did.

"People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings."

This feels especially awkward to roleplay and I'm kind of surprised I don't remember it coming up (at least for comparison) on any of the threads about half-orcs.

That's like the reason to play a tiefling. If your devil-person is just a normal part of a society and no one bats an eye, what's even the point?

Though one thing I find hilarious that the tiefling and the drow, two races the PHB especially says are generally hated and mistrusted in many places get a bonus to their charisma, actually making them better than average getting along with people!