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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 6235915" data-attributes="member: 22779">One way of looking at this is, should the rules provide a Lingua Franca that everyone playing D&amp;D can use?&nbsp; This has been on my mind a lot of late since it's something that's getting applied to second language teaching.&nbsp; English as a Lingua Franca is taught significantly differently than English as a second or foreign language.&nbsp; We don't worry so much about the more complex language constructions but instead focus on clarity and ease of use.Humans have always been like this in D&amp;D.&nbsp; Regardless of setting, humans are pretty much identical mechanically.&nbsp; Athasian humans don't have dark vision and, AFAIK, are identical to Forgotten Realms humans.&nbsp; So, why not apply the same concepts to races?&nbsp; Sure, if the race is significantly enough different (ie. gully dwarves or Mul's) then they might need more mechanical differences.&nbsp; After all, a gully dwarf is probably closer, physically, to a halfling or a gnome than a dwarf.&nbsp; But, an Athasian Dwarf, other than being bald, isn't all that much different than a standard PHB dwarf.&nbsp; How much mechanical tweaking do we need to do here?&nbsp; Do we really need fifteen different kinds of elf, each with its own mechanical benefits and restrictions?&nbsp; Really?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 6235915, member: 22779"] One way of looking at this is, should the rules provide a Lingua Franca that everyone playing D&D can use? This has been on my mind a lot of late since it's something that's getting applied to second language teaching. English as a Lingua Franca is taught significantly differently than English as a second or foreign language. We don't worry so much about the more complex language constructions but instead focus on clarity and ease of use. Humans have always been like this in D&D. Regardless of setting, humans are pretty much identical mechanically. Athasian humans don't have dark vision and, AFAIK, are identical to Forgotten Realms humans. So, why not apply the same concepts to races? Sure, if the race is significantly enough different (ie. gully dwarves or Mul's) then they might need more mechanical differences. After all, a gully dwarf is probably closer, physically, to a halfling or a gnome than a dwarf. But, an Athasian Dwarf, other than being bald, isn't all that much different than a standard PHB dwarf. How much mechanical tweaking do we need to do here? Do we really need fifteen different kinds of elf, each with its own mechanical benefits and restrictions? Really? [/QUOTE]

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