D&D General Old School DND talks if DND is racist.

[Remathilis]

I'm fine with a world's culture having suggested alignments/worldviews, but I'm not okay with it being attached to race/lineage.

I worry about the the volume of knowledge that having multiple cultures for every monster in the monster manual and race in the PHB is going to look like. There are hundreds of sentient beings in D&D from aarakroca to zorbos, and we are suggesting multiple diverse cultural elements for each. That's heavy lifting for any guide book to do. The only way it works is to combine certain creatures into large mega-cultures (such as an alliance or a horde) or take a thrasher to a large swath of sentient creatures (something I'm firmly against).

 

[Oofta]

I worry about the the volume of knowledge that having multiple cultures for every monster in the monster manual and race in the PHB is going to look like. There are hundreds of sentient beings in D&D from aarakroca to zorbos, and we are suggesting multiple diverse cultural elements for each. That's heavy lifting for any guide book to do. The only way it works is to combine certain creatures into large mega-cultures (such as an alliance or a horde) or take a thrasher to a large swath of sentient creatures (something I'm firmly against).

Same here. In addition, there is no one D&D world. We don't share factions, organizations or cultures. We have some suggestions like the generic planar structure but people pick and choose even from that or toss it all aside.

Alignment and some mono cultures are bad, but the options are worse. It's a vast oversimplification but for the most part it works and has for half a century.

 

[Zardnaar]

Thoughts on various topics over last few pages.

If something is non sentient it's not evil even if it enjoys eating babies. Giant ant that baby is food. Doesn't mean you have to let them do it obviously.

Sentient species that needs to eat another sentient species or use them to breed eg egg laying, mind flayers. Probably evil.

A good aligned mind flayer would almost be impossible based in dietary considerations and reproduction. If they can mitigate the diet (undeath, magic etc) and not reproduce maybe. Otherwise it's like Dexter Morgan who hunts the baddies to feed his compulsions.

Semi sentient. Species is intelligent but doesn't have free will. Eg hivemind, possession. Can go either way.

Traditional Orcs are all evil do to nuture, irc babies raised elsewhere probably fine. Linda like Aztecs and their religion.

Other races might not have that option but see limited free well. Eg they have been infused with abyssal soul stuff etc combined with nurture. Eg hell orcs raised in vats as spawn 0 chance of being non evil without magic being involved. Baby orcs don't exist.

Orcs on different worlds eg Eberron non evil is fine (no Gruumsh).

 

[Umbran]

I worry about the the volume of knowledge that having multiple cultures for every monster in the monster manual and race in the PHB is going to look like.

That's why you don't do this separately and explicitly for each and every one. You do culture as a template. You do like, two dozen culture templates, and any can be applied to almost any race...

 

[Haffrung]

That's why you don't do this separately and explicitly for each and every one. You do culture as a template. You do like, two dozen culture templates, and any can be applied to almost any race...

Then what is the dramatic function of race? If an ogre community can be aggressive or gentle, brutal or sophisticated, collective-minded or individualistic, then what does the community’s ogre-ness bring to the table? Why make them ogres at all, and not humans? Or centaurs?

 

[Charlaquin]

Then what is the dramatic function of race? If an ogre community can be aggressive or gentle, brutal or sophisticated, collective-minded or individualistic, then what does the community’s ogre-ness bring to the table? Why make them ogres at all, and not humans? Or centaurs?

I see your point, these three things would be completely interchangeable if they could have similar cultural tendencies.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Getting rid of alignment entirely would be an excellent first step. The idea that groups are inherently bad or evil and ESPECIALLY in need of correction has historically been the precursor to genocide, slavery, and etc.

Until we meet another sapience we don't sex to death like we did Neanderthal, I feel like most of us are of the understanding that outside of extreme xeno-fiction, sapience = people = free will and we probably shouldn't greet any people with murder on sight.

Now, people are going to go 'how about demons'? And I'll be the brave one and say yeah, them too. Yes, they are, in D&D literally made of Evil, but it's alignment Evil, which through five editions of the game still remains not actually mutually exclusive to Good and so far from actual morality that the light from morality takes sixteen years to reach its surface.

 

[Vaalingrade]

And the Great Wheel Comes crashing down.

You might not like the Planescape setting but it’s been a big part of the game for a very long time.

Maybe it's a dumb question, but... why isn't Planescape a setting on it's own?

Admittedly, I started playing in 3e and I know it was a setting on it's own before then, but why is Planescape haphazardly stapled on to the main game, forcing us to pretend to care about alignment and Sigil and some angry lady with a maze fixation minotaurs envy instead of just being it's own thing.

Dark Sun doesn't make us use Defiler magic all the time. FR doesn't make D&D core have ten million gods. Eberron and Spelljammer don't force all games to be awesome. So why does Planescape get to dictate the core?

 

[Minigiant]

Humans have been the sole "Paint on a culture to make different types" race in D&D for too long.

Time for other races to get in on the fun.

 

[HJFudge]

I see your point, these three things would be completely interchangeable if they could have similar cultural tendencies.

Serious question:

Aside from how they look, what IS the difference? If Ogres and Humans and Centaurs all built cities and raised families and were of a similar culture, why would you not interchange them?

If each had the same culture the way they would behave would be, well, so similar as to be almost indistinguishable (as large groups). Is this not the ideal, in your argument, that no sentient race holds the place as 'enemy' according to official lore?

That in each kingdom or empire, friend or enemy is a product not of how they look or their race, but of the group/culture they belong to? So on both sides in a war you'd have races of all types?