D&D General Race Has No Mechanics. What do you play?

[Reynard]

EDIT FOR CLARITY: The supposition here is that the raves still have lore and in-fiction impacts related to the setting, which you can either define as your preferred setting, or default to whatever bits are to be found in the core books. Dwarves are dour, elves are aloof, etc...

Hypothetical sitation: you are joining a new campaign in which all other factors are positive (you know the GM and group, it's in a setting you like, whatever) but there is one hitch: race/heritage/species is cosmetic only.

So, assuming it is a very open setting in which pretty much any reasonable humanoid species is available, but none of them have any mechanical effects (including size, vision and movement types; everyone, including humans, are basically human mechanically). What species do you pick for your character?

Would race being cosmetic only be a turn off for you?

 

[Scribe]

Would race being cosmetic only be a turn off for you?

10000%

In your scenario? I play a Human, because who cares.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Would race being cosmetic only be a turn off for you?

Oh definitely this, i want my species to have an actual impact on my character.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It seems to me to be an utterly meaningless choice at that point, unless the setting has a lot of story behind each choice - at which point I'd pick whatever sounds interesting out of that, but without that, I'd probably either be human, or make up something that amuses me.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

10000%

In your scenario? I play a Human, because who cares.

yeah, ditto.

 

[Reynard]

10000%

In your scenario? I play a Human, because who cares.

So there is no value to the lore and other non mechanical aspects of that choice?

 

[monsmord]

When you say "cosmetic," it seems to exclude what is arguably the most important choice for roleplaying: what is the place and role of that race/heritage/species in the campaign world?

For me, an inhuman appearance is fun, but not as crucial as the other considerations.

 

[Reynard]

Oh definitely this, i want my species to have an actual impact on my character.

There are certainly non mechanical impacts of the choice, no?

 

[Scribe]

So there is no value to the lore and other non mechanical aspects of that choice?

Who's made the lore? Is this 5e where there is no meaningful canon? Is this 3e where there is canon, and actual cultures? Is it something where 'any species can be from any culture' nonsense?

If there is no mechanical reason, and the lore is as shallow as 5e has been, nah, it doesnt matter. Human, LE (because now I'm cranky) Paladin of Conquest.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

So there is no value to the lore and other non mechanical aspects of that choice?

there  is, but with no mechanical support for any of it, it'll either feel disjointed or else could just be equally applicable to humans imo. that, and if i didn't want race to play a part in how my character plays, i would not be playing dnd.