Sell me on the Races books

[Bihor]

I liked the three races books (wild, stone, and destiny), I agree that destiny is the weakess, probably why you got oi for half price.

I like the fluff for each races, maybe not for the half-orcs and humans they had nothing to say.
The races substitution level are good (elf wizard is strange), feat give a good racial flavor, spells are ok.
At the end of each books they give more or less ideas for adventures, festivals, and NPCs.
The new races are very different and give a new feel of the game.
the weakess part of all I thinks its the Prc, most of them don't seems to have a real purpose (in my point of view). I prefered those in the books of Bad Axe Games, Heroes of High Favors, wurlf gives a good reason for the Prc.

All-in-all ther're nice book, sure most long time players won't find them too usefull because they already have a good idea about the races.

 

[Psion]

The way I see it, I'm glad I only payed $15. Are the other Races books this bad?

No. Races of Stone is actually a pretty cool book.

Races of the Wild, on the other hand...

There's about three things from that book I find useful: the substitution levels (I'll cut to the chase here: the elven wizard substitutions make them not suck at their supposed forte), feats, and killoreans are sort of cool. Raptorians are dull and mechanically unenticing AFAIAC. I think Green Ronin's Bow & Blade makes a much cooler book on elves.

 

[The_Gneech]

I picked up Races of the Wild for the archery feats within; I was amused that it covered as much background info in one chapter on elves as the entire 2e Complete Book of Elves, really (and without the annoying arrogant tone) ... but that's largely because the kits and such from CBoE are mostly scattered elsewhere in 3.x books I suppose.

I haven't read the others, so I can't really say about them, but I thought Races of the Wild had some pretty nice fluff. For my purposes, it worked well. (It also had an "elf-friend" prestige class, which I thought was a neat idea.)

-The Gneech

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Worst part of all of them-- except Races of Eberron-- was the new races. Ain't a single one of them I'd ever play or include in a homebrew setting.

Other than that, I've actually enjoyed the fluff in all of them, and the supplemental rules have included some awesome material that isn't necessarily limited to characters of those races.

 

[Crothian]

Considering all of the other info out there about the "Halfs" and the fact that most RPG players are human, that means that 23% of the book was UNNECCESSARY!

I'm pretty sure we can say that all players are human. But not all PCs are human, is that why you think it is a wasted space because they have info on races you don't play? If you want a book on humans, then get a history book. It's the fictional non humans that need to be defined like this books does.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm pretty sure we can say that all players are human.

I stand by what I wrote!

But not all PCs are human, is that why you think it is a wasted space because they have info on races you don't play?

Quite the contrary- I'll play any race, and indeed, over the past 28 years, I've played all of the PHB ones, certain setting specific ones, and "monsters" & homebrews besides.

Its just that, as far as humans go, I have ample enough clues on how to play them without the content of this book based on life experience, and my readings of history, mythology, fiction, and other game materials.

And the Half-Orcs and Half-Elves are amply covered within the PHB, IMHO. The book added nothing to the lore.