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<blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 8691753" data-attributes="member: 6801228">For me, it ends up being a bit of narrative bloat. I'm not saying you can't, but for example, I hate the idea that we have Tritons and Sea Elves. They are both good aligned, water people who rule the oceans. Narratively they fill the exact same niche. Visually and even mechanically, they start having the same niche. So, when we get an expansion of racial feats, like we got in Xanathar's... what's likely to happen? Well, they may both get one... but the Sea elves are tied to elves, and they are more consolidated under a single lore. So, more than likely, they will get more support. Which has already happened, because Sea Elves are elves, so they get elf specific feats, classes, and items already. Which means that eventually, the Tritons are... just there. No one cares about them, because anything they get as support can just go to the Sea elf, who is already more supported and therefore more popular. So, when you realize you want a small race, but there are a lot of them, you start wondering what you can cut, and what you can focus on. Because presenting all of them is too much, and dilutes the focus.This isn't a problem that cannot be overcome. You can obviously and clearly have solutions to this, but it creates a pressure. There may be incredibly excellent monsters in the 3.5 MM #4, but they will never be as popular as the stuff which covered the same niche first, and got the support. To beat this pressure, they have to have a powerful hook that draws attention to them, that makes you go &quot;AHA, that is perfect for my needs!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Chaosmancer, post: 8691753, member: 6801228"] For me, it ends up being a bit of narrative bloat. I'm not saying you can't, but for example, I hate the idea that we have Tritons and Sea Elves. They are both good aligned, water people who rule the oceans. Narratively they fill the exact same niche. Visually and even mechanically, they start having the same niche. So, when we get an expansion of racial feats, like we got in Xanathar's... what's likely to happen? Well, they may both get one... but the Sea elves are tied to elves, and they are more consolidated under a single lore. So, more than likely, they will get more support. Which has already happened, because Sea Elves are elves, so they get elf specific feats, classes, and items already. Which means that eventually, the Tritons are... just there. No one cares about them, because anything they get as support can just go to the Sea elf, who is already more supported and therefore more popular. So, when you realize you want a small race, but there are a lot of them, you start wondering what you can cut, and what you can focus on. Because presenting all of them is too much, and dilutes the focus. This isn't a problem that cannot be overcome. You can obviously and clearly have solutions to this, but it creates a pressure. There may be incredibly excellent monsters in the 3.5 MM #4, but they will never be as popular as the stuff which covered the same niche first, and got the support. To beat this pressure, they have to have a powerful hook that draws attention to them, that makes you go "AHA, that is perfect for my needs!" [/QUOTE]

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