Is "scion of humanity" worth it?

[heavyfuel]

Warning: No cheesing in this area.

Counting as a humanoid instead of an outsider is a double-edged sword if there ever was one. On one hand, you can be targeted by Enlarge/Reduce Person, two very potent buffs. On the other, you're also vulnerable to a bunch of humanoid targeting debuffs such Charm/Dominate/Hold Person.

Other factors must be accounted for, such as the prevalence of npcs with "Favored Enemy: Humanoid (Human)" over npcs with "Favored Enemy: Outsiders (Native)"

Overall, it seems like Scion of Humanity is only worth it if you really want some Human Race Trait (not to be confused with Human Racial Trait), but they don't seem anything too out of the ordinary.

[ChrisAsmadi]

There's more than a few classes that have good human FCBs and either no (Shamans), bad (Sorcerers) or very niche (Oracles) ones for Aasimars, and the same often applies to other races with Scion of Humanity-esque options.

Given that a good FCB can be worth a few feats (if not more), and Humans get some excellent ones, that alone can make it worthwhile.

[Geddy2112]

The "scion of humanity" and other "I am an outsider race but not mechanically" are furiously popular at my table, as most of our homebrew settings get really wokny about extraplanar races and/or creatures. A lot of times, taking the human suit trait is the only way to even be one, or it makes life exponentially easier.

Personally I like playing alternatives to visually absurdly perfect aasimar and freak of nature tieflings, even if I want the fluff and crunch of those races under the hood.

[heavyfuel]

There's more than a few classes that have good human FCBs and either no (Shamans), bad (Sorcerers) or very niche (Oracles) ones for Aasimars, and the same often applies to other races with Scion of Humanity-esque options.

Given that a good FCB can be worth a few feats (if not more), and Humans get some excellent ones, that alone can make it worthwhile.

Good point. Hadn't though about FCBs.


The "scion of humanity" and other "I am an outsider race but not mechanically" are furiously popular at my table, as most of our homebrew settings get really wokny about extraplanar races and/or creatures. A lot of times, taking the human suit trait is the only way to even be one, or it makes life exponentially easier.

Personally I like playing alternatives to visually absurdly perfect aasimar and freak of nature tieflings, even if I want the fluff and crunch of those races under the hood.

This seems more an issue of playing at your table than a general thing. I've never had a DM that allowed these races but applied massive penalties like "everyone distrusts you". I mean, why allow the race in the first place if you're going to apply such severe RP penalties?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by heavyfuel
I've never had a DM that allowed these races but applied massive penalties like "everyone distrusts you". I mean, why allow the race in the first place if you're going to apply such severe RP penalties?

I have a player running a tiefling at my table, and for him it was part of the package that tieflings are often viewed with suspicion, if not outright hatred. He’s a great roleplayer and it works out fine.

His roleplaying is good enough, in fact, that when one of the villains tried to recuit the tiefling—“Join us, fellow creature of darkness, yadda yadda”—five minutes of over-analytical response from the tiefling left the villain facepalming for all he was worth and wondering what he’d gotten himself into.

[Necroticplague]

I've never had a DM that allowed these races but applied massive penalties like "everyone distrusts you". I mean, why allow the race in the first place if you're going to apply such severe RP penalties?

To balance freedom of choice vs versimilitude. You’re free to make the choices, they just carry consequences. However, I’m not gonna entirely redo this part of the setting for you, as it would damage the believability of the setting.

[inuyasha]

This seems more an issue of playing at your table than a general thing. I've never had a DM that allowed these races but applied massive penalties like "everyone distrusts you". I mean, why allow the race in the first place if you're going to apply such severe RP penalties?

It's the same way with half orcs though. These guys are the half-breed spawn of what every commoner is taught to fear and either kill or flee from on sight. Why should half-orcs be treated like people in most settlements? If someone finds out you have blood of an actual physical incarnation of evil within your veins, there shouldn't be a very friendly response.

[martixy]

I have a player running a tiefling at my table, and for him it was part of the package that tieflings are often viewed with suspicion, if not outright hatred. He’s a great roleplayer and it works out fine.

His roleplaying is good enough, in fact, that when one of the villains tried to recuit the tiefling—“Join us, fellow creature of darkness, yadda yadda”—five minutes of over-analytical response from the tiefling left the villain facepalming for all he was worth and wondering what he’d gotten himself into.

Well, given the tiefling's extended monologuing, the villain's mistake is quite understandable.


To balance freedom of choice vs versimilitude. You’re free to make the choices, they just carry consequences. However, I’m not gonna entirely redo this part of the setting for you, as it would damage the believability of the setting.

Have you considered that redoing the cookie-cutter "oh look, everyone distrusts non-humans, and by everyone I mean other humans" part might actually do your setting some good?

There comes a point when defaulting to the stereotype actually hurts that verisimilitude you are chasing.

[Necroticplague]

Have you considered that redoing the cookie-cutter "oh look, everyone distrusts non-humans, and by everyone I mean other humans" part might actually do your setting some good?1. It's not humans vs. nonhumans. it's whatever the locals are vs. everybody who isn't like them.

2.This is a result of where mechanics and worldbuilding meet: your average person doesn't have the level or ranks to have much knowledge of any creatures. Thus, they don't know much about the incredibly dangerous world they live in (but must face the inevitable danger). Danger+lack of knowledge=reflexive fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown applied to others becomes reflexive xenophobia.

I could change that, but that would require building a world where the mechanics don't mesh with the setting, something I'm loathe to do for obvious reasons.