D&D 5E Ravenloft NPC reactions to the various PC races

[thorgrit]

If your dungeonmastering means the players' choice will lessen their enjoyment of the module, better to say no outright.

(Even better, of course, is to change your dungeonmastering so their choices doesn't lessen their enjoyment of the module!)

I'm definitely trying to aim for the latter. My words to them more specifically were that what I know of glancing the original I6, and the 3.5 Expedition, was that they'll probably be trying to seek safe haven in a town that's run ragged from a variety of monster attacks. Folks barricaded in a tavern may take some extra special convincing in order to let some bull-headed beastmen inside. One of them wants to play an enchanter wizard though, so mind control might be a possible alternative to some social encounters.

I suppose one cheap way to do it would be to sign off on the minotaur idea, but then the spooky mists that bring them and prevent them from leaving also change them to look human. Everybody looks human. Those elves look human. That tiefling looks human. That awakened frog that a druid brought in looks human, but acts really weird. Would be cosmetic only, no stat changes, or my charop player would cry foul. Might add an extra layer of mystery to the place (not that it needs it), wondering who really is human, and wondering what people are if they're not.

But after reading your parenthetical, I have come to understand that in the universe of possibilities, it isn't so bad.

Now that I remembered, I believe one of them mentioned, instead of playing a minotaur, they wanted to play three goblins standing on each other's shoulders in an obvious minotaur costume. Everybody laughed. I didn't ask how serious they were being because maybe I don't really want to know.