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Narmoth
2007-01-15, 09:03 AM
I was wondering what kind of rases you usually allow in your games of all the rases available from the rules for that game.

Personally I use only Humans, Dwarfes and Elves in my AD&D campaign, allthrough there are rules for using maybee 10 other demihuman rases, including, half-orc, gnoll and Aaracocra

Athenodorus
2007-01-15, 09:38 AM
No elves.
Human, Halfling, Dwarf, possibly Gnome.

DeathQuaker
2007-01-15, 09:43 AM
Anything in PHB or Monster Manual that is no level adjustment or LA +1. I.e., most core races and their subraces, plus some savage humanoids.

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-01-15, 10:08 AM
PHB races for players.
All races for the DMs.

Thomas
2007-01-15, 10:14 AM
Humans, pretty much exclusively. RuneQuest races aren't balanced - a dark troll is always mechanically better, in every way, than a human, and a duck is worse in every way. (Besides, Gloranthan nonhumans are too cool and alien to be allowed as PCs or to be portrayed decently by anyone who's not a Glorantha fanatic. They're not just humans with pointy ears or big beards.)

Currently, everyone has to play a Sartarite human from the same extended family of the Red Cow Clan of the Cinsina Tribe.


In D&D, it varies. Usually it's all LA +0 races; in the latest game, it's races with up to +2 LA, subject to DM approval. (No catfolk, no thri-kreen, etc.)

ExHunterEmerald
2007-01-15, 10:14 AM
I'm going to allow them all, but I shouldn't have any problems with half-template LA+5 monstrosities. I have the most experience of the bunch (that being more than none), and they won't likely know much beyond the books I lend them.

...and if it becomes a problem, I'll just Tarrasque their asses. :D

I also had an idea for a game where the mythical races are as they are in literature, and that means massive LA for them.

Talya
2007-01-15, 10:18 AM
I allow people to use level adjusted races...it screws them later on. Seriously...nothing hurts your effectiveness so much than playing an OMG COOL Drow and being 2 levels below everyone else.

Goliath, Aasimar, Tiefling have a low enough adjustment for their abilities to be useful.

Ashes
2007-01-15, 10:46 AM
PHB races. EOD.

Subraces not allowed. We use cultural differences to illustrate different breeds. The Drow of Xen'Drik (playing in Eberron) gets weapon proficiency with the longknife and the boomerang and instead of the bonus to save vs. enchantment they get it vs. poison. But other than that, they are just black elves.


Besides, no one in our group wants to suck up LA or the weirdness of playing screwy characters. Hobgoblins are kinda cool though.

Closet_Skeleton
2007-01-15, 11:05 AM
Depends from campaign to campaign. We had a level 8 "anything goes" with a Half-Emerald Dragon Monk, a Half Iron Golem Goliath Barbarian, and a human rogue. We had one game where there were no humans, just gnomes and elves while in d20 modern we enforced humanity. If we're playing in a campaign setting we allow any races standard for that campaign (ie every one in the FrCS but not everything in Monsters of Faerun).

Golthur
2007-01-15, 11:14 AM
Depends on the world I'm running in, always.

I usually homebrew my settings, so I usually present a list to my players of permitted races (some core as-is, some core changed, some homebrew). In general, I only allow LA+0 races to players, since I always start at 1st level. I might allow an LA+1 race, but I'd have to get an awesome justification for it.

I have noticed, though, that I usually ditch half-elves and halflings for some reason :smallamused:. I suppose at some point to even it out I'll have to make a world where halflings are the dominant race, and the humans are in chains...

Matthew
2007-01-15, 11:45 AM
As Golthur says, depends on the game.

Any Core in D&D 3.x, sometimes others
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Half Elves and Half Orcs in my Homebrew (A)D&D Campaign

geez3r
2007-01-15, 11:57 AM
So long as the player has an awesome RP reason to play an "exotic" race, I'll allow nearly anything under the starting ECL. Exceptions do of course exist. Most of the time I admit LA +1 with hardly batting an eye after hearing the RP reason. LA +2 and higher gets carefully looked over. I keep my players under +4 LA, which usually isn't a problem...usually.

reorith
2007-01-15, 12:31 PM
just the core races + the planetouched because they're awesome. i've never had a player want to make a character that was anything else. except for a kobold one time. that character died pretty quickly :(

Viscount Einstrauss
2007-01-15, 12:40 PM
I allow everything, and have on ocassion made some new ones up. The game's more fun when you can play what you want to play, and if I think you're unbalanced then I'll find ways to deal with you in the course of the game's challenges.

Desaril
2007-01-15, 12:51 PM
It varies with the campaign, but like Golthur, I almost always ditch the same races (gnomes, halflings & half-orcs). I replace half-orcs with either hobgoblins or orcs using the half-orc stats.

However, Like the Viscount, I make exceptions if requested and it furthers the gaming fun. And I will rebalance the game as soon as I see evidence of munchkinism.

Fax Celestis
2007-01-15, 12:57 PM
Standard SRD + Faerunian races + Psionic Races + Ameena (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Ameena), Grippli (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Grippli), Kar (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Kar), Russiti (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Russiti), Ahihele (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Ahihele), Haukea (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Haukea), Hekiliao (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Hekiliao), Kaimana (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Kaimana), Leilani (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Leilani), and Noelani (http://www.corporation.walagata.com/fax/wiki/index.php/Noelani).

Fhaolan
2007-01-15, 01:07 PM
I allow Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Orcs, as well as halfbreeds like half-elves, and half-orcs. Nobody's asked for half-dwarf or a non-human half-breed yet, so I haven't needed to deal with that question. :smallsmile:

I have a homebrew version of Gnomes which hashes up gnomes, halflings, and goblins together. In the campaign I run normally, either gnomes or halflings fit the culteral niche I was trying to fill, but not both so I merged the two together.

I also allow Centaurs, Half-Ogres, Lizardfolk, Kobolds, and 'Beast Men' (Gnolls/Minotaurs/Satyrs/etc), but on a case-by-case basis as these are foreign races from where I normally start campaigns.

For those races with LA, or racial HD, I use a variant of the Savage Species racial level system so people can all start at 1st level when necessary.

Errata
2007-01-15, 01:30 PM
I never want to play anything but human, myself. LA really hurts, and I haven't seen many LA +0 races that can compete with a bonus feat, bonus skill points, and favored class any.

JadedDM
2007-01-15, 01:50 PM
In general, on my current homebrewed world, the playable races are: Human, Gnome, Half-Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Elf, Gnoll, Kobold, Sprite, Goblin, Hobgoblin and Bugbear.

adanedhel9
2007-01-15, 01:56 PM
Generic/Greyhawk game: any PHb or MM race.

My homebrewed world: custom races based loosely on humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, half-elves, and kobolds, with each (except the half-elves) having 4 subraces.

Oh, and cultural stuff is split out from the racial stuff, so a Kilerin (aquatic dwarf) from the Watery Depths is different from a Kilerin from Dawncleft.

Bryn
2007-01-15, 02:00 PM
Anything with LA +0 to +1, or higher in a higher levelled game. Since we don't really play at high level, +0 to +1 is the most common.

I don't really restrict based on books, since we don't have that many with really broken races.

clarkvalentine
2007-01-15, 02:04 PM
I keep reading the thread title as "raises", not "races"; I've been playing Dogs in the Vineyard all weekend, a game which has a mechanic called Raise - and what is allowed for a Raise and what isn't sometimes is in question, so I've thought about five times today "Cool, a Dogs thread!"

Heh. Anyway.

In my current d20 game, humans only (it's Westeros, non-humans are really freakishly scary). When I play D&D, it's usually Dragonlance, so the stock standard PHB races are pretty much in (minus the half-orc, which DL doesn't have).

Scorpina
2007-01-15, 02:05 PM
I pretty much always run FR, so I allow: Humans, Moon Elves, Sun Elves, Wild Elves, Rock Gnomes, Hill Dwarves, Gold Dwarves, Lightfoot Halfling, Strongheart Halflings, Ghostwise Halflings, Half-Elves, Half-Drow, Half-Orcs, Orcs, Lesser Drow, Lesser Duergar, Lesser Svirfneiblen, Lesser Aasimar, Lesser Tieflings, Lesser Water Genasi, Lesser Air Genasi, Lesser Fire Genasi, Lesser Earth Genasi, Deep Imaskari... and I can be talked into allowing other races.

Of course, that list is often significantly shortened for a specific campaign. If it's set in Candlekeep, you won't be playing an Orc. No.

John_D
2007-01-15, 05:03 PM
I'm not a huge fan of the approach that has thousands upon thousands of sentient races, especially if done poorly. In one campaign I realised that the DM, between first and fourth level, had introduced us to precisely one of pretty much every humanoid-looking race in the MM. This included a first-level encounter with a party consisting of a tiefling, an aasimar a githyanki and githzerai. Possible, yes, but eyes were rolling.

Even when handled well I find it's very difficult to give each race the right amount of cultural identity. For the campaign I'm currently running, I've cut it back to four player races (maenad, human, halfling and half-orc) and a couple of NPC ones. I'm quite happy with the balance.


Race-heavy DMs, I am not hatin' on your game! I just think that the amount of effort needed to properly model more than a half-dozen races mingling in one world is far beyond me or anyone I game with.

Bryn
2007-01-15, 05:07 PM
That's an interesting issue actually. You could instead find out what the PCs (and you) want to play, and incorporate those into the world, dropping everything else. A world is a large place, so there might be room for a few more races to hail from, say, the Far North or something to that effect. Hmm...

Viscount Einstrauss
2007-01-15, 05:23 PM
I explain everything on a territorial basis. Elves, for instance, live in forest areas most often, and elven NPC's are seen about 80% of the time around these forests. The only race you can count on seeing everywhere is human.

I do tailor to the PC's a lot. I've included entire cultures just to fit in with a particular PC's race. Like right now, I suggested that there was a kingdom that was ruled by a (severely inbred) half-dragon lineage, and that the party's half-dragon was part of the royal family a long time ago. The kingdom has since been destroyed, but the PC now really looks foreward to going "back" to his homeland and seeing what remains of it. So I did my job right- I made the player excited about the game.

Krimm_Blackleaf
2007-01-16, 10:49 AM
I usually go on a case-to-case basis on what I allow. My group in general is very flexible about what we allow in games, like half-ogre frenzied berzerkers running around(thank you, Steadfast determination (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Steadfast_Determination,PH2)) and it never really creates a problem for us, because with as much power gaming there is in every session, there's an equal amount or more of puzzles, obsticles and roleplay to go with it.
My current group has only 1 or 2 normal races. It consists of a shifter barbarian, a human ebon phoenix mage, a half-succubus bard, a githyanki fighter and a lumi paladin of tyranny. So far the only real annoyance is that the person playing the lumi won't f**king stop casting light on things.
If anything should ever get out of hand then I'll set some limitations on races playable or not playable. But that aside, most of the characters in many other campaigns are just normal things, like changelings, warforged, fire elves and gnomes. :smallbiggrin:

Wolf53226
2007-01-16, 11:03 AM
In the world I am currently building, Humans, Dwarves (Although Rare), Elves (Although Rare), Halflings, Gnomes, Orcs, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Minotaur{ although these last two are getting nerfed a little to get the LA down}, and the half-elves, and half orc. The elves are rare because their nation has had closed it's borders and the dwarves are rare because the continent they mainly lived on feel into the ocean, so the only ones left are ones that didn't live there at the time.

Edit1: Rewording a bit
Edit2: How can I forget the Kobolds?

Chris_tian
2007-01-16, 11:03 AM
I actually allow just about anything.

I have three rules
1. It has to work, in some way, with the rest of the group

2. The player has to create a believable backstory

3. If I say no, it means no, I usually have a reason

pestilenceawaits
2007-01-16, 11:06 AM
For our group anything goes and LA generally keeps people from playing anything more than a +2. The only other caveat is that they have to fit in with the power level of the party.

Draz74
2007-01-16, 04:00 PM
My homebrew campaign I'm working on has the following options:

Human
Elf
Gnome (which is actually more like a Dwarf mechanically, but with Small Size)
Kobold
Orc
Flumph (go ahead, laugh ...)
Gearwound (kind of similar to Warforged)

Plus a homebrew variant of the "Bloodlines" system from UA, to add variety to these 7 options. Players can add Aquan, Celestial, Clockwork, Deep-Earth, Dragon, Feral, Fey, Fiendish, Giant, Phrenic, or Shifter racial elements to their characters in various strengths.

JadedDM
2007-01-16, 05:42 PM
I would totally play a flumph.

Fax Celestis
2007-01-16, 05:43 PM
I would totally play a flumph.

Flumphs are awesome!

potatocubed
2007-01-16, 06:49 PM
No warforged, and other than that anything so long as it's a) approximately humanoid and b) sentient.

Although I do have a soft spot for planetouched. Mm-mm, tasty genasi.

Golthur
2007-01-16, 08:56 PM
Flumphs are awesome!
I like the fremlin, myself. It's a friendly gremlin! :tongue:

Scorpina
2007-01-16, 08:57 PM
I wish I knew more about flumphs...

Orzel
2007-01-16, 09:07 PM
I only allow Human, Koopas, Yoshis, Toads, Goombas, and Apes.
I only make Mario campaighns.

Jack Mann
2007-01-16, 09:10 PM
Facts:

1. Flumphs are aberrations.
2. Flumphs flumph ALL the time.
3. The purpose of flumphs is to flumph out and amuse people.










...Okay, I'm sorry. I'll... I'll just go and sit in the corner now.

Scorpina
2007-01-16, 09:12 PM
Facts:

1. Flumphs are aberrations.
2. Flumphs flumph ALL the time.
3. The purpose of flumphs is to flumph out and amuse people.

*listens studiously and takes notes*

Science is fascinating...

JadedDM
2007-01-16, 10:00 PM
Dude, I once heard this story about this flumph eating at a tavern. And this guy dropped his fork and the flumph totally flipped out and flumphed everyone in the room!

Jack Mann
2007-01-16, 10:16 PM
What have I done?! *Cradles his head in his hands*

clarkvalentine
2007-01-16, 10:31 PM
No warforged...


Warforged are NPC only in our on-again off-again Eberron campaign - but they're the comic relief. There's one particular warforged recurring NPC who is directly inspired by Kronk from the Disney film Emperor's New Groove (the big not-too-bright but surprisingly competent guy voiced by Patrick Warburton). It's hilarious.

"OK, fine, I'll talk to the orcs. Criminy. Uh... Grunt grunt gruntie grunt. Grunt-grunt, uh, grunt gruntie grunt." *The orcs welcome us into their tribe*

Ashes
2007-01-16, 10:35 PM
To me, it seems really weird that people are easily accepting goliaths, planetouched, spiders-from-outer-space and all sorts of odd creatures, but not Warforged. Why is that?
Warforged have great potential for roleplaying.

My Warforged cleric was great, even though he was soooo far from optimal.

JadedDM
2007-01-17, 12:46 AM
Someone should totally play a warforged based off of Bender.

Jack_of_Spades
2007-01-17, 01:16 AM
All the races in the PHB.

Shifter, Half Giant (They just don't gain a 4th level when everyone else does. Wel they technically get it; they just don't gain anything from it. It keeps them from getting ganked at the early levels.), Warforged, Drow (I don't think they should be EL+2. I make them +1 and have them not gain a 4th level like with the half-giant.) and anything else with EL +1 or less.

Thorodin
2007-01-17, 01:31 AM
In my campaign I use all the standard races as playable races, plus Orcs. Since Orcs are a fairly major part of the world. At least as much so as Dwarves. I don't encourage it, but if a player wants to play a creature class, I will allow pretty much anything.There are obvious drawbacks to playing creature races. I am always amazed at how surprised players are that their Drow character doesnt get a warm welcome when they go into town for supplies.

Dhavaer
2007-01-17, 01:39 AM
Human
Shadowkin (D&D Human)
Elves
Half-elves
Dwarves
Hin (halflings)
Gnomes
Goblins
Half-orcs
Orcs
Snakebloods (part yuan-ti)
Gnolls
Bugbears
Aasimar
Tieflings
Dragonbloods (part dragon)
Half-ogres
Half-dragons
Ogres

Drow are present, but unsuitable as PCs due to psychological and societal issues.

Emperor Tippy
2007-01-17, 02:26 AM
I usually allow any race that you feel like playing, if it has an LA of 0 you don't even have to ask.

twipper
2007-01-17, 01:47 PM
To be honest, as a DM I really don't care what race the players run. As stated above, if someone really plays something exotic (like the bat ghoul from a while back) it causes its own problems. This can really add to campaign's flavor.

Brian

Karellen
2007-01-17, 06:13 PM
I generally don't like races much; I allow them (and I guess I'd allow anything, so long as it vaguely suits the campaign), but it only works if pretty much everybody else is human in the party. If everyone's some weird race, the whole thing fall aparts.

In my Glorantha campaign, I've had a great experience with a guy who plays a superintelligent trollkin merchant spy in an otherwise all-human party. It was hilarious and brilliant. All the other characters treat the poor thing like crap (and rightly so), but somehow he kept on surviving and managed to be an asset to the party. It helps that he had a perpetual half-a-dozen trollkin slaves whose major purpose was to take be doppelgangers when he's about to get lynched by city officials, the enemy or the rest of the party. They need to be replaced at the rate of at least one every two games or so. ;D

Piedmon_Sama
2007-01-17, 06:19 PM
If I've got the book, I'll pretty much allow it (within reason).

This means that in a typical game, I'll allow the six PHB races, plus anything from Monster Manuals I-IV and Fiend Folio that is up to ECL +2. The extra races presented in Frostburn, Sandstorm, Psionics Handbook, and Races of The Wild/Stone/Destiny/The Dragon, and Magic of Incarnum are all acceptable to me.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I allow the Undead racial classes presented in Libris Mortis also.

icedrake
2007-01-17, 08:51 PM
Its easier to accept humanoids than it is robots. When it comes down to it, warforged = robot in many people's mind and its hard to get beyond that.

On topic, I like Eberron a whole lot so I include the PHB races + Eberron. If someone wants to play a strange race, they'll need to pass it by me but it often doesn't really worry me too much. I don't allow ECL races though, any thing less than 1 can be palyed in my game.

Ashes
2007-01-17, 09:02 PM
Its easier to accept humanoids than it is robots. When it comes down to it, warforged = robot in many people's mind and its hard to get beyond that.


But if you've read any small bit of the fluff, you'd instantly see that they weren't robots. It kinda annoys me.

Norsesmithy
2007-01-17, 10:31 PM
BUt ItS a mAn m4DE of M3TAL!!111 HoW is iT noT A r0b0t?

LOL, I love intelegent constructs, they are a way to introduce other possiblilities without having a ridiculous amount of native sentients.

Scorpina
2007-01-17, 10:41 PM
Well, there's no reason that say, elves, have to be 'native'. In Faerun they (and Orcs, and Dwarves, maybe...) are an 'interloper' races from other planes.