D&D General Why do you play non-human races?

[Big J Money]

I would like to gather opinions on why folks like to pick a demihuman (non-human) race. I'm not even going to suggest a possibility or color folks' answers with my intention for asking; I just want to learn peoples' raw thoughts.

 

[Salthorae]

To be something inherently "more" than human.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I would like to gather opinions on why folks like to pick a demi-human race. I'm not even going to suggest a possibility or color folks' answers with my intention for asking; I just want to learn peoples' raw thoughts.

Can you specify what you mean by "demi-human"? I've seen it used differently at different times.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

A few reasons, sometimes in combination, sometimes not.

Perspective. I like to explore an inherently different perspective from my own. In a world that contains both humans and Goliaths, I can’t sleeve into the perspective of the biggest, strongest, stoic danger-bear in the room. Or the little guy who fools don’t take seriously because of his size and friendly demeanor.

Beyond that, a human simply cannot have certain perspectives, like leaving home as an expert with 80 years of study in a subject, who isn’t fully considered an adult, socially. Or being a person who grew up having conversations with small animals. Or whose whole family and society is magical.

The Look. I get an image of a small person riding a war dog in half-plate, talking to his falcon, and I want to play a Forest Gnome Paladin or Cavalier.

 

[ccs]

Why would I want to restrict my choices to only ethnicities of Humans?

 

[MGibster]

For the stat bonus. But from my perspective the majority of D&D races are just humans with funny makeup who might be taller or shorter.

 

[Tony Vargas]

(Demi-human in the sense of part human)

It's a chance to explore, IDK, "tethered otherness," maybe, in a metaphorical context?

It's a character with built-in conflict?

In the classic game, it was the only way to access certain class combinations?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

For the stat bonus. But from my perspective the majority of D&D races are just humans with funny makeup who might be taller or shorter.

I don’t mean this as a challenge or criticism, but it’s odd to me that this perspective can persist in the face of so many people over years explaining how the other races can be more than that.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Sometimes I want to play as somebody with a closer connection to the setting or the DM's (meta)plot than the average Joe human Fighter. Maybe the dwarves of this setting have a conenction to the BBEG's plots in the past; I want in on that. Maybe the dragonborn and the gnomes in the setting have a rivalry that me and another player at the table want to bring to the forefront and the DM is willing to work into the session plans.

Sometimes I want to work out some issues that I'm dealing with in real life without turning the table into an outright therapy session. The "human, but also not" nature of demihumans provides both an allegorical hook and a safety filter to prevent those emotions from becomjng too debilitating. While I'm usually meh on playing tieflings myself, I can see and sympathize with how they're popular with people wanting to express their frustrations on being hated and discriminated against just for who they are. I prefer settings that acknowledge and accommodate these RP preferences, not just limited to tieflings but in general.

Sometimes I just want to play something weird or cool, and not being a human helps with that. I don't think that should be a black mark on my character or a judgment of my roleplaying "skill" by some gatekeeping standard as long as I'm not being obnoxious about it.

 

[Charlaquin]

Lots of reasons. Sometimes I want the mechanical benefits of the race. Sometimes I really like the aesthetics of the race. Sometimes I like the lore tied to them. Sometimes the race fits the character archetype I’m going for.