Fantasy Racial Preferences

[MunkeeGamer]

I've noticed in my long career of D&D that there are some people who have serious racial biases with their character creation. For me, it's High Elves/Eladrin (depending on what system we're talking). Another I've seen on the boards is Tadkins, who loves Gnomes with the same irrational fervor. I had a buddy in high school who would only play dwarves.

So the point of this thread is this is to ask a few questions. Which race do you have an irrational affinity for? Why do you like that race so much? Is it mechanical or flavor? To take it further, is it a specific race/class combo that's important?

If you don't have that special, must-have race, what is it that makes you pick different races each time? What's your outside perspective on why people have certain racial affinities?

I want to collect information on this to strengthen my knowledge of the different type of D&D players. Also, I think it's fun to get into people's heads.

My Answers:
So obviously, my race is Eladrin. I liked elves in D&D3.5 and in Eragon's universe as well. But the 4e did something great by distilling the elf races down to their core components (as did The Elder Scrolls' and Blizzard's universes). It is more the elves that have created a real civilization of buildings and towers and magical academies and less the hippy elves who exist as one with nature. There's nothing wrong with those "wild elves" but they don't capture what I find attractive about high elves.

I believe I enjoy that race so much because it represents exactly how I would change the world if I could. Being that this is fantasy, it lets me exercise how I would rather things be. It's escapism at its finest and I embrace that.

The first thing I enjoy is the lifespan. Depending on your universe, elves live on time scales between centuries and millenia and even straight immortality. Personally, I hate human mortality and I find this feature of high elves to be very attractive.

The next thing is the state of development their civilization is in. It's culture is unmatched in its nuance and complexity. Their politics are befitting creatures of such long life. And if it weren't for magic, you know they'd be technological powerhouses. But since there IS magic, they mastered it instead. They're basically great at everything except one little thing...

Their only consistent drawback is their perceived "haughtiness". To which I brashly reply-- if you knew you were better than everyone else, wouldn't you act on that fact? :smallamused:(Of course, I'm biased, so take that with a grain of salt, haha.) But seriously, I can deal with their pride and self righteousness. Given all the benefits, I don't see this drawback as being detrimental enough to cause any damage to my fanatacism.

So tell me about your race! :smalltongue:

[GPuzzle]

I have a soft spot for Half-Elves. Seriously, I loved 4e from the moment I first read the PHB and said "Hey, Half-Elves aren't useless anymore!". You know, they can be refflufed with such ease for different scenarios.

They can be completely hunted down by the elves, because since they aren't pure blooded, they aren't worthy. They can be diplomatic people who learned how to survive by making friendships with those that are powerful, switching between the one that is in the power. They can be savage people who live in the border of human civilization, abandoned by those that know the deep forests and those that know the stone towers. Liars, travelers, survivors, diplomats, a friendly hand or a hidden chessmaster, pragmatic leaders, charming seductors, whatever you want them to be.

Besides, it doesn't have a particular thing to it. I mean, humans are pragmatic in their ways of civilization, elves dwell in their forests, dwarves in their mountains, half-orcs are savage and halflings sneaky. But what is the stereotype for a half-elf?

There is none. It's up to the player to create. Write your own story.

[Zaq]

My dislikes are stronger than my likes. I don't like elves (4e eladrin are even worse), or any other race where the default fluff is "they're better than you." And I don't like unnecessarily painting dragons everywhere, so dragonborn are no joy to me. (3.5 has no fewer than five books devoted solely to dragons and dragon-related things, and only ONE dedicated to dungeons. That kind of thing has soured me a bit.) And I roll my eyes at D&D kobolds, both because they're tied in with the dragon nonsense and because I love Kobolds Ate My Baby-style kobolds. (All hail King Torg!)

In the d20 systems I've gotten involved with (3.5, 4e, Legend), I often end up playing humans for mechanical reasons. I like gnomes and dwarves, and in fact, dwarves are the only D&D race where I often (not to say always) take the stereotype and play it to the hilt. Beards, axes, hammers, stonework, ale, gruff-but-loyal, the works. Love it. I tend to at least tweak the other default fluff (not to say that I've never done so for dwarves), but I can take the most stereotypical dwarf imaginable, almost but not quite a parody thereof, and have a blast with it.

My gnomes do tend to be pranksters, but more in the Pinkie Pie vein than anything else. Also, I just realized that both gnome characters I've played for more than a one-shot have been female casters. Huh.

In 3.5, my absolute favorite race (100% as far as fluff goes, and very often as far as mechanics are concerned) would have to be the illumians. But they're not exactly something you'll find mechanics for in other systems, so if you want one, you've gotta refluff something. My longest-running 4e character was (is? The campaign's on indefinite hiatus, but I've never officially retired him) an illumian with human stats (I reject the 4e illumian fluff, what little there is; they are NOT the Sneetches, dammit). I guess Legend has the Runed transformative race, but the transformative races are kinda sketchy (and definitely not 1.0). But I'm a pretty hardcore word nerd, so a race that's literally Word Made Flesh is like candy to me. (Plus, as someone else put it, their default fluff reveals them to be "blatant, unrepentant powergamers." Which is awesome.)

[Calen]

I have played several races and enjoyed them all. The only race that I really avoid is human. Maybe because I think it is to plain? I'm not really sure.

[Actana]

Honestly, my preference is really vanilla: humans.

I like humans the best, concept wise. That's because they fit everywhere. While I like that 4e makes races equal balance-wise, it has the side effect of making parties seem like you pulled half a dozen random beings from all sides of the world and shoved them together. I like the more unusual races like deva or vryloka when used in moderation, but when you have a party where there's a single member of a common race without any specific reason, it really suspends my disbelief.

Point in case, in a previous campaign I was in we ended up with a warforged, kenku, vryloka (myself), hamadryad and a dwarf (who was some sort of crystal-eating dwarf subrace thingie I'm not familiar with). It just felt really silly, having such a massive circus of a party. The current one that continued from that kept the hamadryad, dwarf and warforged, but added a drow, kobold, deva and a human. So we have a single common race in a party of 7 (I'm not counting the dwarf because of the subtype). Granted, this ensemble works better because the campaign is a spelljammer-esque game, so world hopping and unusual creatures are part of the charm.

Due to the aforementioned circus syndrome I do prefer humans when it comes to characters. They might be plain, but they make for the best stories and most varied characters. Very often you could just replace another race with a human and only minor details would need to be changed. For example, in Eberron the halflings. Sure, they ride dinosaurs and are awesome and stuff, but why do they need to be halflings? They could as well be replaced by dinosaur riding humans and the setting would still be intact. The same with gnomes. Dwarves too, to an extent. In Eberron and outside of the setting-specific races (of which all except warforged are half-human to begin with), only the elves and goblinoids have a place in the setting beyond putting them there because people expect all the different races. Some have better places (orcs and dwarves) in Eberron, while others could just as well be replaced by humans (halflings and gnomes).

To be entirely honest though, I find that very few settings do anything interesting with halflings or gnomes. They always just seem to be there for no other reason than they're there.

Not to mention my dislike for dwarves, as they're always the same. Races are so easy to stereotype, which is another reason I prefer humans.

On the non-human side of things, I do enjoy warforged because they're so unique among the races. They actually have something that distinguishes them from humans other than a hat most non-human races wear.

[Elkreeal]

I have a thing for the Drow race, mainly I keep them neutral evil, because I tend to play neutral evil characters, as in, I have my interest and will look for them with priority, but that doesn't mean I'll let a party member die over greed or die because of weak choices, although I would rip them a new one verbally after grave mistakes or poor fighting display.

At least I aim for a what would be a typical drow attitude, but one that gave up on the idea of enslaving other races or down-right assuming they're inferior, or at least until they've proven themselves.

I like drows because of they're the perfect fit for most classes I like to play (this would explain my slowly growing affinity for Vrylokas as well).
I like Dex Primary or Cha primary, or even have both those stats as their primary and secondary, I've played a drow monk, a drow monk|rogue, a drow rogue, a drow assassin and lately a drow wild magic sorcerer (such fun much wow), and a drow druid(in a recent one-shot, gotta love them human sized spiders that turn into drows), be it for long or one shot campaigns.

As far as I can think back I've always liked Thief|Rogue-type characters, inherently stealthy and agile, but with a certain affinity for words. This becomes obvious when all the classes I listed above are all dex primary, cha secondary, one is the reverse and only one did I trade Cha for Wis.

The drow fits in perfectly in the classes I like to play, plus they have dark vision and a racial ability based on magical darkness, it's just awesome to me.

[Surrealistik]

Tieflings, flavourwise and mechanically; Infernal Wrath kind of sucks (but can be replaced with awesome alternate options) everything else is great.

Humans get honourable mention.

Love Pixies mechanically, hate them flavourwise.

[GPuzzle]

I have a thing for the Drow race, mainly I keep them neutral evil, because I tend to play neutral evil characters, as in, I have my interest and will look for them with priority, but that doesn't mean I'll let a party member die over greed or die because of weak choices, although I would rip them a new one verbally after grave mistakes or poor fighting display.

At least I aim for a what would be a typical drow attitude, but one that gave up on the idea of enslaving other races or down-right assuming they're inferior, or at least until they've proven themselves.

I like drows because of they're the perfect fit for most classes I like to play (this would explain my slowly growing affinity for Vrylokas as well).
I like Dex Primary or Cha primary, or even have both those stats as their primary and secondary, I've played a drow monk, a drow monk|rogue, a drow rogue, a drow assassin and lately a drow wild magic sorcerer (such fun much wow), and a drow druid(in a recent one-shot, gotta love them human sized spiders that turn into drows), be it for long or one shot campaigns.

As far as I can think back I've always liked Thief|Rogue-type characters, inherently stealthy and agile, but with a certain affinity for words. This becomes obvious when all the classes I listed above are all dex primary, cha secondary, one is the reverse and only one did I trade Cha for Wis.

The drow fits in perfectly in the classes I like to play, plus they have dark vision and a racial ability based on magical darkness, it's just awesome to me.

Wow, someone that doesn't play Drow like Drizzt Do'urden.

I think that a Lawful Good Drow would be hilarious.

[MunkeeGamer]

I have a soft spot for Half-Elves.

I have one girl in my standard D&D party who always plays Half Elves. She doesn't usually dive into the diversity of possibilities, she's almost always a fringe outsider who becomes independent from a lack of support. I really enjoyed your perspective though, I might half to take advantage of it in my future writings. :D


In 3.5, my absolute favorite race (100% as far as fluff goes, and very often as far as mechanics are concerned) would have to be the illumians.

I never actually played one back in my 3.x days but I remember making some character concepts in my head around this race. Definitely pretty cool and I enjoy your take on them.


The only race that I really avoid is human.

I tend to agree with you there. It's the same reason I don't play sports video games. Anything I can do in real life, I'd rather just go do in real life. I'm usually a human on a day-to-day basis, so I don't get much out of roleplaying as a human.


Honestly, my preference is really vanilla: humans. ----On the non-human side of things, I do enjoy warforged because they're so unique among the races.

On the other hand, I do enjoy your perspective on normalcy. It just occured to me how ridiculous appearing most of my group's parties are. It pretty much requires a high fantasy setting to accept a minotaur druid running around with the group. Or I could be a douchebag DM and make every encounter in a city get hung up on the fact that there's a monster with the main party.

The warforged are one of my favorite parts of the Eberron world. I haven't yet convinced my group to play an Eberron campaign but it's definitely my favorite pre-fabricated D&D world from a storyline perspective. And the Warforged are so very quintessentially Eberron. Fantasy cyborgs for the win. I especially like how they can be made in several different models. Lightweight and dexterous for sneaky characters or huge and armored for tough guys or full of psychic crystals for the "Psi-forged". So cool.

[MunkeeGamer]

I have a thing for the Drow race--

I have had surprisingly low support for Drow in my groups. I've only just recently added a new player who chose Drow Frost cheese Archer Ranger. Which I totally support, our group was lacking a hard hitting striker. I personally think they're awesome in their own way (just one step down from my love of Eladrin). Also, nice Doge reference. :)


Tieflings, flavourwise and mechanically---

I never liked Tieflings until 4e's interpretation. I liked how they baked in that there are many tieflings who choose to rise above the demonic heritage. Aasimar have always been my thing, historically. It might help if I read the Tiefling handbook.


Love Pixies mechanically, hate them flavourwise.

I've had this idea that if I played a diminutive pixie, like Navi from Ocarina of Time, and played some artillery class like sorcerer or heavy hitting barbarian, I would really enjoy the irony. But alas, I always DM and I feel like I would only enjoy doing this to be a pain for someone else DMing.

[Surrealistik]

An annoying Naviesque pixie build I had in mind was a Cunning Sneak Rogue with the Vigilante background, Underhanded Tactics and Harrowing Swarm style.

Hit some poor monster with Sly Flourish: -4 to hit and marked by something that's on the other side of the battlescape and hidden (and probably somewhere inaccessible). You can also off-hand a Staff of Aversion to get a +2 bonus to all of your defenses against it. Doable as early as level 2.

[MunkeeGamer]

An annoying Naviesque pixie build I had in mind was a Cunning Sneak Rogue with the Vigilante background, Underhanded Tactics and Harrowing Swarm style.

Hit some poor monster with Sly Flourish: -4 to hit and marked by something that's on the other side of the battlescape and hidden (and probably somewhere inaccessible). You can also off-hand a Staff of Aversion to get a +2 bonus to all of your defenses against it. Doable as early as level 2.

Dear god. You monster. You would definitely have to scream, "HEY! Listen!" as you attacked to account for the -4 to attack rolls.

[Surrealistik]

Dear god. You monster. You would definitely have to scream, "HEY! Listen!" as you attacked to account for the -4 to attack rolls.

Lol; -6 effectively between the mark and Staff of Aversion, no matter who gets targeted. If they're trying to hit you through hidden with range/melee, -11.

[Elkreeal]

Wow, someone that doesn't play Drow like Drizzt Do'urden.

I think that a Lawful Good Drow would be hilarious.

Let's break out the Drow Chaladins of Bahamut :smallbiggrin:



I have had surprisingly low support for Drow in my groups. I've only just recently added a new player who chose Drow Frost cheese Archer Ranger. Which I totally support, our group was lacking a hard hitting striker. I personally think they're awesome in their own way (just one step down from my love of Eladrin). Also, nice Doge reference. :)

Honestly, the drow has good or average support for most classes(some times none), and really awesome support for example the rogue class, or primal-classes (at least leaving the drow druid one feat away from being as good as their elf counter part).
But even if they didn't there's something so cool to me about the drow, the darkvision, their racial powers, the role playing possibilities in what concerns the upper-world and your presence in it, your social development, but other than that they feel so natural in play, although they are fragile I feel they have an affinity with nature in a different way elves do (the type of knowledge that derives from the understanding of death in nature, instead of the life in nature), and they have the skills to live in the darkest corners of the earth unscathed, that somehow seems appealing to me. A race that thrives through cunning means and agility, in their world full of strife. They are built for stealth and death, to lie and cheat, but in the midst of this there's a vague notion of honor among thieves or more honor among few friends of value.

This is how normally I play a drow, but varies depending on the party or background:
To me any drow has immense respect for someone else's own abilities if they prove to be an asset, and can quickly fit in any party if the party looks on to him with acceptance, battle bonds will form leaving the drow loyal to his party and friends but, when I play them I still think they have no reason to lose ruthlessness or brutality. The drow should not be understanding, no matter how many years pass, of strangers or of anyone that proves to be a just the slightest of a nuisance. To me the drow was raised in strife in such a way that I think only a century in the upper-world will make him stop looking over his shoulder or stop fast-talking people into his advantage.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I really dislike people that keep role-playing drows like Drizzt, he's the exception not the rule.

The only drow I played who wasn't instinctively ruthless was the Wild Magic Sorcerer, he was insane/bi-polar chaotic good 98% of the time and had brief moments of clarity with a chaotic evil personality 2% of the time , he had the Chaos Made theme, he was in a drow cult that did not worship Lolth but worshiped Tharizdun instead, they made a mistake and got transported in a ritual to the elemental chaos while trying to access the abyss, we all got flayed by corrupted elemental energy and then banished from the elemental chaos, we all ran form the priests of Lolth when they heard the sound of us being banished out of a plane, we ran in a strange daze and got separated on the way to the upper world. So in sum, the only good reason to play a good drow is if he screws up a stupid ritual to begin with, gets blasted with elemental energy and gets chased by angry priest of Lolth and on top of that becomes insane ahah.




I never liked Tieflings until 4e's interpretation. I liked how they baked in that there are many tieflings who choose to rise above the demonic heritage. Aasimar have always been my thing, historically. It might help if I read the Tiefling handbook.

Tieflings are a race that each day that passes I like more and more. I understand what you mean, the idea I had before was that they had a direct connection to hatred and demons, they now seem to me sometimes as if they've fallen from grace, or are depressed, feel alone and hopeless and/or all of the above and still not losing faith in finding their place in the world.

[Gavran]

Eladrin for me. I like the parallels to Midsummer's Night Dream-style fae. Also high elf types though, which don't always have that. I like the superiority to humanity, and the perspective that plus longevity gives them too.

[GenericGuy]

Humans mostly, however whenever I do play another race its always when I'm also playing as a female (I'm male). I also go for the less "feminine" races when I do it, dwarves, orcs, etc., perhaps I just like the contrast.

[Gabe]

For me its either humans or half elves. I loved half elves in 3.5 and imo they've only gotten better in 4th.

I know Humans are bland and half-elves could be considered the 2nd blandest, but in a world full of a myriad of colorful and weird races, I think a splash of bland isn't a bad thing~

[Herabec]

For me, I'd have to honestly answer that my favorite race is human. They can literally be anything - from cowardly rogue to knight-templar paladins, a kingdom of merchants or a xenophobic empire. Their sheer versatility is highly appealing.

Oh, and who doesn't love their racial power?

"Does 24 hit his AC?"

"Haha, no."

"28?"

"...I hate you with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns."

"I know. /trollface"

[Angel Bob]

It is a rare occasion when I don't play a human. I prefer characters who are special and exciting because of their tools and trade, not because of their genetic traits. It doesn't take much to happen to be born as an elf or a dragonborn, but it does show effort and commitment to train as a wizard or barbarian or whatnot. So group me with the rest of the thread in favoring humans above all else.

[BlckDv]

I've always loved Half-elves myself, and half-elf "bard" (actual class may vary) types in particular. Ranging from happy-go-lucky wanderer, to shunned outcast trying to earn a place in the world, I really enjoy the play.

But, my enjoyment of half-elves is a mild feeling indeed compared to the reverse. I loathe halflings. Loathe, despise and hate them with a deep and abiding fury. I know the kernel of my hate was that these were obviously meant to be Hobbits, but with every member of the race as Bilbo rather than his adventurous streak and burglar talents being an oddity, yet still written as if this would not have any impact on them as a people. But now the rage just abides. I know that they've changed and been reimagined many times, but the hate has never died. To be fair, significant deviations like Kender and Dark Sun in which their roots are well and truly purged incite far less rage in me.

[MunkeeGamer]

To recap, it sounds like there's a clear, outlying preference for humans and half-elves, Eladrin in distant third with sporadic votes for the other races. No votes for monstrous races and lots of baked in hate for certain races as well.

All of these perspectives have definitely motivated me to branch out of my comfort zone with future characters I create.

Some ideas I really wanna try as a result of this thread--

-Human Psion or elemenatalist refluffed as Psionic (just 'cuz I wanna)
-Half-elf Bard or Skald (just to see what all the hubbub is about)
-A dwarf or a half-orc slayer or barbarian (I never play gruff, hairy, drunk, or savage. I'm ready to do all four.)
- A Warforged Artificer specifically in an Eberron campaign (who studies artifice to learn more about himself and also wants to destroy the King of Blades)
- Finally, a Tiefling Battlemind because I've never really made a defender

[GPuzzle]

For the hate...

I would say the Elves.

They're bland and boring. Not Human or Half-Elf bland, which is the empty canvas for you to create something. They're the canvas painted white and exposed in a New York museum where people make an almighty song and dance about it so you can't create anything with it.

They're always in a single stereotype, and it isn't even a fun one to RP, like the Scottish Dwarves (although I prefer Old Prospector). I mean, crunch-wise, they're great. Fluff-wise, they're a race full of snotty Valley Girls and feminine guys that hugs trees and is God-like with bows.

Then again, Dark Sun and Eberron.

[Actana]

For the hate...

I would say the Elves.

They're bland and boring. Not Human or Half-Elf bland, which is the empty canvas for you to create something. They're the canvas painted white and exposed in a New York museum where people make an almighty song and dance about it so you can't create anything with it.

They're always in a single stereotype, and it isn't even a fun one to RP, like the Scottish Dwarves (although I prefer Old Prospector). I mean, crunch-wise, they're great. Fluff-wise, they're a race full of snotty Valley Girls and feminine guys that hugs trees and is God-like with bows.

Then again, Dark Sun and Eberron.

I actually have the exact opposite viewpoint on elves and dwarves. I find elves infinitely better than dwarves, who are always the same. Every dwarf I've ever seen played is just a walking stereotype. And if they're not that, they're an extremely obvious parody of everything a dwarf is. Maybe it's because I don't enjoy a character whose defining traits are being stubborn, preferring axes and drinking a lot of beer.

But elves? There are a lot of different types of elves (just look at the subraces), and they can easily be adapted into different settings in different ways. You can have the typical LotR style high elves and wood elves, but you can always create and tweak different cultures for the elves, or have something completely different, like Eberronian elves with their necromancy stuff. People have far less expectations about elves in a setting because elves themselves aren't that defined beyond pointy ears and long lives. They are often snotty superior folk, but don't have to be. Elves are far more malleable than dwarves.

Whereas dwarves? They're always only dwarves. People always expect dwarves to be the same, and often rail against changing dwarves in any way because apparently we need short beer drinking elf haters in every setting.

[GPuzzle]

Depends. It's hard to break a stereotype, and I prefer to break the one that at least has some connection with the type of character I play (defender/leader). I hate the classic Tolkienesque Dwarf. It's like they're Scottish. But it is more fun to break that stereotype, IMO, than find one of the 16396749832 different Elf subraces that I actually like (two elves once walked into a bar and now there is a bar elf subrace).

[Elkreeal]

Just to join the band wagon (although I'm not really sure it's that big of a band wagon):
I am also fond of Half-elfs and humans, I understand every argument that eventually ends in "humans" are bland. But honestly and I think it's been said before, they are what you make them and they have more often than not great chances at greatness.

I'm gonna list a number of characters I've played with that made me really like the race, normally me and my friends start a random campaign more often than not so that everyone gets a chance at DMing and try new things while having one or 2 major ones that we play twice or three times a month:

My love from humans comes from:
Playing a human fighter named Galba Augusto, with a kind of roman gladiator-fluff, he hit paragon and already had these defenses: 29/33/27/20, he had high dex and combat agility and used a flail, it was one of the most fun characters I've ever played concept wise, I remember the party killing a solo monster without the round even ending.

My great love towards Half-elf:
I played what I honestly think was the best character I've ever had and I plan on playing him again, he was a Half-Elf Euphoric Ardent greatspear user, he literally lived off of happiness and (described by the DM) was able to some times pinpoint hatred or sadness, and I normally would do my best to confort people (because of his personality) this lead to more friendly NPC's than the DM could count. It was in darksun, so throughout his yuong life he was bullied (elf scum and the likes) and he discovered he was an ardent because of that. Half-elf fitted so perfectly in this that I instantly fell in love, I even think they're more versatile than humans by a long shot. Because of the personality I specialized him in healing to some point and once per day I could: Spend my second wind, give everyone 15+ temp hp + make someone regain a healing surge in hp without using the losing the surge + another ally can use his second wind as a free action. This as a Standard without using the Ardent's healing power. This got the party out of some though situations, sure it could have been done with another race, but it would feel so natural.

Another race that I like that doesn't require much explaining, because I played more like a "beast", was a Gnoll Harrier Battlemind (dex secondary) and a Gnoll Stonefist Monk that gave the thunder key word to melee attacks and used mark of Storm, and the explanation was that he "pulled back" his claws, like a Pistol Shrimp and went around snapping his claws and creating sonic booms.
Although they are PC's I still think they're more of a monster race, they just have feats to brag about to the other monster races.

[Rhaegar14]

Let's see...

I've loved Half-Elves since I was a little kid, but I find myself frustrated by the fact that they frequently either a) suck in general or b) suck in classes I actually like to play in the two systems I'm familiar with (3.5e and 4e).

Since Drow were talked about a lot in this thread, I really like Drow that don't fall to either extreme. To me, playing a cartoonishly evil caricature that your "typical" Drow represents is just as boring as playing a Chaotic Good rebel (though I love the Drizzt books). I like my Drow solidly Neutral or on the Evil side of Neutral... not malevolent just because, but extremely pragmatic and merciless. You know, the kind of non-Evil Drow that could actually survive Drow society.

Eladrin were also talked about a lot. I don't love or hate them as a whole, but I REALLY like two of their subraces, the Dusk Elves (though they're statistically Elves, not Eladrin) and the Winterkin Eladrin.

I love the idea of the Dragonborn because I love dragons, but I've never had the chance to play one; they never fit with my character ideas.

I have a soft spot for Tieflings, but one of the problems with their race is that if you aren't stereotypical with it and have them struggle with their heritage then you almost have to wonder why you're playing a Tiefling. But then, I really love archetypal characters.

I might be the only person with this opinion, but I also really, really like the fluff of Shades.

So I managed to talk about six separate races when the question was for one... hmm.

[Dimers]

So the point of this thread is this is to ask a few questions. Which race do you have an irrational affinity for? Why do you like that race so much? Is it mechanical or flavor? To take it further, is it a specific race/class combo that's important?

Dwarves all the way, baybeeee :smallcool: I'm a dwarf man because some of the things I like most about myself (or how I see myself, anyway) are dwarfy: stolid, wise, earthy, good work ethic.

If there's no mechanic to back up the flavor, I probably won't play the dwarf. That's true for any race or class, though. I don't play devas cuz they don't play like ancient souls, I don't play goblins cuz they don't play like dirty cunning grunts, I don't play 3.X fighters cuz they can't fight ... Actually there aren't a whole lot of good examples of 4e races that don't match fluff to mechanics; one more reason I love this edition. Back on track: dwarves are more enduring and more solid than other races mechanically in 4e, so yay.

I don't actually like running dwarves as mundane most of the time, though fluff indicates they should be. I love them as casters and psi-warriors and elementally-empowered badasses.

[Tegu8788]

Did Tolkien write about them?

No?


Then I'd like to play it.


Dragonborn, Tiefling, Shardmind, Goliath, Warforged, Genasi, Minotaur, Thri-Kreen, the list goes on. The less human it is, the more I like it.

If there was an Insectiod Centaur, I'd be playing one. Feathered Naga, count me in. I like 'em strange, and I like them odd.

[Tvtyrant]

I like Muls, Goliaths, Dragonborn, and Devas of the critters available in 4E normally. I also like Kobolds, Pixies, and Githyanki. Generally I am fond of things with a focus on awesome abilities that are going to be used frequently.

[Surrealistik]

I like Muls, Goliaths, Dragonborn, and Devas of the critters available in 4E normally. I also like Kobolds, Pixies, and Githyanki. Generally I am fond of things with a focus on awesome abilities that are going to be used frequently.

So Humans? :smalltongue:

Also why no mention of Revenants or are they too cheddary for your liking??

[Scow2]

My favorite race is Gnolls, especially when I play up the "Post Apocalyptic Spotted Hyena People" thing - well, they're not Post-Apocalyptic yet, but they're trying to bring it about. Mechanically, they're meh, but Butcher's Lure is too fun to not grab - With one feat, you have all the voices in the world (A shame it takes a standard action instead of minor or free to use the Ghost Sound ability).

They're a barrel of hedonistic and insane fun when you go with the Butcher route, though the nature-hippy route is too seriousface for me to play.

[Tvtyrant]

So Humans? :smalltongue:

Also why no mention of Revenants or are they too cheddary for your liking??

Haha, basically! I like some other groups too, but my preference is probably a little humancentric. I do like the Genasi, Dwarves and those weird tree people.

I never even really considered them. I generally do not do dragon magazine.

[Tragak]

If there was an Insectiod Centaur, I'd be playing one. Like a Formian? :smallwink:

[obryn]

Dwarves, Humans, and (in 4e) Half-Orcs for me!

Of course, I'm playing a pixie in an upcoming game, so...

[tadkins]

Another I've seen on the boards is Tadkins, who loves Gnomes with the same irrational fervor.

I do love gnomes. Can't really explain why. Most people tend to go with humans or elves too often; perhaps it's just a good way to be different.

They're whimsical and unconventional. You wouldn't see them field an army of soldiers like most other races would; they'd lure you into deadly and humiliating traps. Depending on the setting they're usually either masters of technology or magic, sometimes both.

Made a number of gnome characters over the years in different games. So many that I've got my own little world based around them. The class doesn't really matter to me. I find the typical gnomish classes to be an exercise in good ol' fashioned powergaming, and the ones they don't usually excel at to be a fun challenge. Recently played a Gnome Swordmage in a two-shot game, and it was hilarious to see this little person protect her entire group of larger companions.

This isn't to say I don't play other races, though. I like dwarves for another reason I like gnomes; their ties to the earth. I've played a number of humans in games where I want to have an easier time of RPing, or in games where it's requested to have characters with a certain level of realism. I actually wouldn't mind playing some weird combinations of the more exotic races, but most games I find myself in don't seem to allow them.

"What do you mean I can't play a warforged warlock, and be a flying robot that shoots lasers?"

[Living_Dead_Guy]

I have a love for halflings and pixies. Although any small race will do.

Usually using over-sized weapons and displaying excessive amounts of rage.

[Eachuinn]

Warforged, Mul, Dwarves, Humans, Gnolls, Orcs, Half-Orcs, Gnomes and Duergar.

[Nod_Hero]

I've always liked Dwarves and I think they are excellent in 4e.

A long time ago you used to be able to play a frogman race (Grippli, maybe?) and I found that fun.

[Echobeats]

I like the Hengeyokai. Because it's just fun to be apparently human for the first hour, and then suddenly turn into a sparrow and fly into a tree.

I've only played them in one-shots though, so I don't know how it would be long-term. I had a Cat Hengeyokai Monk and a Sparrow Hengeyokai Chaos Sorceror.


A long time ago you used to be able to play a frogman race (Grippli, maybe?) and I found that fun.

4e has Bullywugs.