D&D 5E "When Running a 5E Campaign I Always Ban at Least One Core Race, Class, or Sub-Class" (a poll)

[el-remmen]

Once again. . .

The premise:
True or False: "When Running a 5E Campaign I Always Ban at Least One Core Race, Class, or Sub-Class"

Note, it says "CORE" for the purposes of this poll not allowing stuff from non-Core books is not "banning" it is "not using an option," which is different.

 

[TwoSix]

Nope, haven't banned a thing in numerous 5e campaigns. I discouraged a few racial choices in my Ravnica game, but they were allowed if the player really wanted to fit them in somehow.

I'm also very opening to reskinning if the player wants a certain mechanic; we just change the presentation into something that fits the setting's themes a little better.

 

[Stormonu]

If the player really wants it, core or not core, I'll find a way to make it work.

Though, fitting dragonborn into Greyhawk has been a mind-boggle.

 

[Shardstone]

I don't ban SH*T. Why would I? Bust out your Twilight Cleric dedicated to Silvery Barbs, its whatever, there's a lot of ways to pull tension in a game and I don't rely on straight forward, fair combats, because to me, if you have magic, you're never gonna be lookin' for a fair fight with the PCs...doubly so if you don't use magic. My players understand this, and no they'll eat trash if they think cheese and gimmicks can fodderize everything. Still give them some easy wins because its a game and they deserve to feel cool, but no official core material has ever, ever, ever unbalanced one of my games.

 

[Laurefindel]

I usually let the major themes of the game known before characters are made. Nothing is off that table but players typically make characters that align with the campaign-to-be.

I have played a campaign where the main gimmick was "use any of these pre-selected races", none of which was in the PHB. But that was an exception rather than norm.

 

[iserith]

I prefer to call it a white list of allowable options than a ban list of disallowed ones.

But yes, I absolutely curate what races and classes and other options are available in a given adventure or campaign according to what will best support the theme and play experience I intend.

 

[Yaarel]

For me, it is true.

Ideally, a setting focuses on about four or seven interesting races. Such as a five-guy-band trope. Each race is saliently different from the other. Together, they set the themes and the tone of the entire setting.

Anything that distracts from this starts to interfere with the focus of the setting. There can be some more in the background around the central group, say upto thirteen altogether, but still focusing on the salient ones. Any else is in the distant periphery, normally never encountered but there if the players switch their local setting to a different local setting. Sometimes, there are races that are simply not part of the setting because they would conflict with the themes and tone of the setting.

A setting can be like carving a sculpture from a block of marble. What one removes is just as important as what remains.

D&D has many many possibilities. Not all of it is useful for a particular story that one wants to tell.

 

[commandercrud]

Drow. Always drow.

 

[Reynard]

I don't, but I have one player that almost always makes me wish I had.

 

[Burnside]

I haven't ever baned any PHB material race, class, or sub-class in 5+ years of running 5E. I might if I ever ran something in Theros or Ravnica, where some of the PHB races don't exist.

 

[the Jester]

True. In my campaign, Drow are not a pc race option. They are mysterious, almost never seen, demon-touched, insanity-ridden monsters.

 

[overgeeked]

Once again. . .

The premise:
True or False: "When Running a 5E Campaign I Always Ban at Least One Core Race, Class, or Sub-Class"

Note, it says "CORE" for the purposes of this poll not allowing stuff from non-Core books is not "banning" it is "not using an option," which is different.

Core game premise first, PC options second. If it doesn’t fit the premise, it doesn’t belong in the game. Doesn’t matter what book it’s in. So sometimes true, sometimes false. The “always” makes it really hard to answer true. Unless you alwys play in the same world and a core bit violates that world.

 

[CleverNickName]

False. I'm not the one who bans anything...that rests firmly on the shoulders of the players.

When we roll up new characters at 1st level, the players are allowed to use any race or class they want--not just in Core, either, but also in splatbooks like Xanathar's and Tasha's. When they're done and the characters are finished, I remove almost all of the unused options from the game. Why would I need a ton of story and lore for Dwarves, Artificers, Gnomes, and Warlocks, if nobody at the table is ever going to play them?

 

[Yaarel]

False. I'm not the one who bans anything...that rests firmly on the shoulders of the players.

When we roll up new characters at 1st level, the players are allowed to use any race or class they want--not just in Core, either, but also in splatbooks like Xanathar's and Tasha's. When they're done and the characters are finished, I remove almost all of the unused options from the game. Why would I need a ton of story and lore for Dwarves, Artificers, Gnomes, and Warlocks, if nobody at the table is ever going to play them?

This is the ideal.

 

[DEFCON 1]

False, due to the 'Always'.

Every game I run is usually in a new setting (or a returned to setting that doesn't really connect to the previous game), and thus any bans will come out of what the setting asks. So one setting might be open, another might have requirements for what can or cannot be chosen.

My two Realms games (Tyranny of Dragons and LMoP) allowed for anything. My CoS game was all humans. My Eberron game allowed anything (and in fact I lightly nudged players in more out-there directions because it did so.) My Theros game is only the races from that setting. If I decide to run Witchlight at some point I'll probably give out a strongly recommended race list that is all the animal hybrid and fey races and not allow the base humans, dwarves, halflings etc. (just to change up the dynamic).

 

[not-so-newguy]

"Usually" but not "always". My typical campaign is set in Mystara and there are restrictions because of that.

 

[iserith]

False. I'm not the one who bans anything...that rests firmly on the shoulders of the players.

When we roll up new characters at 1st level, the players are allowed to use any race or class they want--not just in Core, either, but also in splatbooks like Xanathar's and Tasha's. When they're done and the characters are finished, I remove almost all of the unused options from the game. Why would I need a ton of story and lore for Dwarves, Artificers, Gnomes, and Warlocks, if nobody at the table is ever going to play them?

I need it for when I grind their characters up into a fine, pink slurry and they want to roll up something different.

 

[Shiroiken]

I don't always ban something, but I don't avoid it either. Permitted races are based on what's appropriate for the campaign.

 

[Ashrym]

"Always" is a bit of a strong word. "Rarely" is more like it for me.

I find that a character concept that doesn't match the rest of the campaign theme creates opportunities instead of negatively impacting the overall theme.

 

[GnomeWorks]

When I run games in my setting - and I only run games in my setting - I ban all core classes and all core races other than human.

I am not Tolkien, and I am not running a world he would have written. I run my setting, with my preferences and thoughts regarding worldbuilding, and so I have no need or desire for elves or dwarves. Unfortunately, past me hadn't figured that out, so they did exist once upon a time, and are part of the history of the setting, but are no longer present and are no longer an option for PCs.

As for banning all the core classes: I just don't like the overall feel, and so have replaced them with my own.

I sometimes don't tell prospective new players about this, however, because I find it useful to help gauge whether someone is a good fit. Anyone who shows an inkling of interest in playing a tiefling or warlock is politely shown the door.