D&D (2024) No Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc suborgins, lineages, and legacies

[Yaarel]

They’re also super religious.
And super tradition-bound.
And extremely clannish.
And stubborn and unwilling to forgive.
As artisans/miners, they have an affinity with fire and earth.
There are frequently portrayed as prone to greed.

Seems they have quite a few notes actually.

But these are all the same note. Every D&D Dwarf is this.

To a significant degree, D&D lacks diverse Dwarves.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

But these are all the same note. Every D&D Dwarf is this.

To a significant degree, D&D lacks diverse Dwarves.

Right. All the dwarves are the same guy.

 

[tetrasodium]

“Mr./Mrs. Reluctant Hero” is also an archetype that can be profoundly obnoxious in game. Shame that it is a traditional halfling archetype.

Very much true. IME any "reluctant hero" PCs either shed their reluctance immediately because they were never intended to be reluctant or they fall into one of two profoundly disruptive bins. The first bin is one where the player is constantly working to drive a spike through any planned adventure unless the bribes their PC with endlessly escalating power. The second bin happens when the group steps in first and is the one constantly working to convince override or fix∆ Bob's PC so they can enjoy the adventure as much as possible while developing Bob's character instead of their own. In both cases Bob relies on the social contract to shield himself while saying that he's a ROLEplayer and just playing his character but never thought for a second to ask anyone at the table if they want to play the role of therapist/life coach/cheer squad/etc for that PC.

∆the point of the game is to go off and be adventurers. When Bob makes a PC that doesn't want to be an adventurer he has failed at the most basic of hurdles right out of the gate.

 

[Yaarel]

Right. All the dwarves are the same guy.

Heh. If 5e 2024 came out and officially said the D&D Dwarf species is an army of clones ... that wouldnt even be problematic.

 

[Remathilis]

“Mr./Mrs. Reluctant Hero” is also an archetype that can be profoundly obnoxious in game. Shame that it is a traditional halfling archetype.

It's also widely misunderstood. Bilbo needs a push but once he's out in the world, he's enjoying it. Frodo does it out of obligation and duty. Both are very good motivation, assuming reluctancy is shed early or there is a long-term goal to push them forward.

 

[Minigiant]

Aside from art, how do you explain them to your players? Are they well-versed in Asian mythology?

What I'm getting at is that these days most D&D players are fairly casual, and don't spend hours studying rulebooks. When they choose a species, they are generally basing their idea of that species on pop culture stuff picked up outside of D&D. So cat people are popular because most people know what a cat is like, and so on. If the player can't get a clear idea of what a species is like based on prior knowledge, they are unlikely to choose that option.

My group lean hard into know Asian myth and religion and anime. And comics.

So 3 eyed men and Kryptonians are common touchstones for people I know.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Heh. If 5e 2024 came out and officially said the D&D Dwarf species is an army of clones ... that wouldnt even be problematic.

 

[Yaarel]

It's also widely misunderstood. Bilbo needs a push but once he's out in the world, he's enjoying it. Frodo does it out of obligation and duty. Both are very good motivation, assuming reluctancy is shed early or there is a long-term goal to push them forward.

There are adventurous Halflings because of themes relating to "curiosity" and "fearlessness".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

“Mr./Mrs. Reluctant Hero” is also an archetype that can be profoundly obnoxious in game. Shame that it is a traditional halfling archetype.

There are no obnoxious archetypes, only obnoxious players.

 

[FrozenNorth]

But these are all the same note. Every D&D Dwarf is this.

Except they aren’t.

You can create an extremely religious character that is not Norse, Scottish, a warrior, a miner or an artisan that is recognizably a dwarf.

You can create a character that is conservative and tradition-bound that is not Norse, Scottish, a warrior or a miner or an artisan that is recognizably a dwarf.

Not that even suggesting that Scottish or Norse (let alone both) is one-note is kind of ridiculous.