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Monday, July 13, 2015

Least Liked Classic Demi-Human Race

We all have one. When you open up the Player's Handbook and look for a race for your latest character and go to yourself "I really don't want to be a..."

Apparently for WotC, that race was the Gnome. Often overlooked and seen as the red headed step brother of the dwarf, I've overlooked them myself.

Folks seem to love or loath halflings.

I've never fully understood the half races and wether or not they can breed amongst themselves.

But for me, the last race I'd personally choose would be an elf. Something about them just makes me want to avoid them these days. Maybe it's the amount of fighter / magic-users and fighter /magic-user / thieves I'd see in my early days of gaming.

So, what classic demi-human race do you avoid playing?
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31 comments:

  1. James M. SpahnJuly 13, 2015 at 12:08 PM

    Gnomes. My fantasy, especially OSR fantasy, is so deeply influenced by Tolkien that gnomes just feel... off. Also, I often see them played as annoying, hyperactive and generally obnoxious by other players I've gamed with over the years.

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    1. Raging OwlbearJuly 13, 2015 at 5:18 PM

      That's a shame. Dragonlance kind of ruined Gnomes (and Halflings, for that matter) and unfortunately, WoW continued that stupidity.

      Before the "tinker" stereotype, Gnomes were actually pretty interesting woodland fey (as opposed to their earth-dwelling Dwarf cousins)... I was not a fan of Gnomes until Pathfinder rebooted them. They can still be somewhat annoying depending on the player, but the backstory is much better and moves far away from the "tinker" gnome idea (which is a horribly bad one).

      Delete
  2. Tony T.July 13, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    Add +1 to your scoreboard on Elves...I just don't like them..nuff said!

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  3. Adam NessJuly 13, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    Kender are the most hated, by a *long* margin, but they're Dragonlance specific, unless your DM is a real prick.

    A distant second is Gnomes, though I've always had fun with them since 3rd ed gave them the ability to speak with burrowing wildlife at will :)

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    1. Gavin NormanJuly 13, 2015 at 1:42 PM

      I believe gnomes' ability to speak with burrowing mammals goes right back to AD&D. I always found that cool :)

      Delete
    2. TheShadowKnowsJuly 13, 2015 at 1:52 PM

      I hate everything to do with Dragonlance, so I have to agree with you about kender.

      Not to be a pedant, but gnomes in 1e could speak with burrowing animals. It's right in the PHB.

      Delete
    3. Raging OwlbearJuly 13, 2015 at 5:33 PM

      Gnomes as woodland fey work better than any other concept that came later (i.e. - tinkers).

      @TheShadowKnows - Isn't AD&D == 1e... ? Or did you mean 0D&D? I was going to check the brown books to see if any reference to Gnome PCs exist in 0D&D...

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    4. TheShadowKnowsJuly 13, 2015 at 7:46 PM

      1e is the same as AD&D. I was responding to the original post, which said gnomes talking to burrowing animals was a 3e innovation. Gnomes weren't available as PCs in OD&D.

      Delete
  4. hdanJuly 13, 2015 at 12:25 PM

    Used to dislike Gnomes, until Pathfinder.

    I still dislike Kender.

    I guess these days it would be Tieflings and Dragonborn.

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  5. Anthony BirdJuly 13, 2015 at 1:10 PM

    All of them. As a player I'm exclusively human. Otherwise, any race that debuted in 3e onwards.

    I love gnomes though.

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  6. DonegalJuly 13, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    Gnomes. Don't get me started on Gnomes...

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  7. MarkJuly 13, 2015 at 1:14 PM

    I have recently only played Humans, but I played a dwarf for several years. I Think I ran "dwarf" into the ground, I would not play a dwarf again.

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  8. Rod ThompsonJuly 13, 2015 at 1:43 PM

    Gnomes, why did it have to be gnomes.

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  9. Rod ThompsonJuly 13, 2015 at 1:43 PM

    Gnomes, why did it have to be gnomes.

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  10. Doctor FuturityJuly 13, 2015 at 2:27 PM

    Dwarves, never run one as a player.

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  11. UnknownJuly 13, 2015 at 2:57 PM

    Tieflings. Eff those things.

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  12. HandgrenadealienJuly 13, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    Gnomes/ Halflings. Never really broke out from playing Human or Dwarf fighters.

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  13. G-woulfJuly 13, 2015 at 7:39 PM

    I have never been a fan of Kender because it seems like they were designed for players to abuse. Seriously, a culture that is based on kleptomania and racial immunity to fear just doesn't sound like a culture that is meant for survival.

    Gnomes, I have always felt were under appreciated thanks to the stupid tinker perspective that was forced on them... I agree with others here that they work best as being woodland fey that are as acclimated to the woodlands, just as dwarves are acclimated to the cavern environment. I always felt that by giving them access to Illusionist magic, Gygax was creating a work around to his own rule that Dwarves did not have access to arcane magic. Otherwise, why would so many of the special abilities be similar?

    Personally, I had a bias against humans & dwarves for the longest time, but that was because I had a false impression of mundanity regarding them... Nowadays, I am more likely to pick a race (and class) just for the challenge of making a character that is just a little off from expectations. This opens the door for many additional role playing opportunities, but without having to cause unnecessary strain on the party.

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  14. AnonymousJuly 13, 2015 at 8:26 PM

    Since we are talking "Player's Handbook" here, the one race that NO ONE in my group ever played was the Half-Orc. A few feeble attempts were made to play one as a "challenge" but it always ended badly. Either no trusted the character or, well, no one trusted the character, if you catch my drift.

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    1. G-woulfJuly 13, 2015 at 9:00 PM

      I have to admit that the half orc didn't even cross my radar... there was nothing about the race that spoke to my heroic story teller side.

      Delete
  15. VicJuly 13, 2015 at 10:17 PM

    Gnomes generally--no good. Deep Gnomes (Svirfneblin)=awesome.

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  16. CapheindJuly 13, 2015 at 11:15 PM

    I hate halflings for two reasons, they are all either Hobbits... which robs the LotR stories of their entire point since the idea was that adventuring hobbits were as rare as hens teeth, or attempts to cool them up as "not-your-fathers-hobbits" which are generally about as cool as middle aged white people in mom jeans rapping and overusing "My name is X and I'm here to say".

    Elves and Dwarves can be cool, but can also be boring and generic, Gnomes are always awesome in my book.

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  17. jvinesJuly 14, 2015 at 12:05 AM

    Dwarfs suck period! Either you get the heavily armored battleaxe tank, or to "shake things up" a shield and hammer totally original concept. Their abilities usually drip with suckage too.

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  18. AnonymousJuly 14, 2015 at 1:54 AM

    Generally, I think I could play a poodle and have fun doing it, so... ;)
    But half elves... what's their purpose? They are just elves or humans, depending on who plays them...
    And gnomes are awesome. Thief/Illusionists for the win. But it only works if your halfling ARE hobbits, so the difference is great enough for them to stand apart.

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  19. (M)EFGJuly 14, 2015 at 6:54 AM

    Gnomes are my favourite race, as long as you leave the "tinker" aspect out.

    Kenders are pretty bad.

    I have to agree with Anthony Bird that any race that debuted in 3e onwards is craptastic. Dragonborn? *barf* Goliath? *pukes* Fucking Dow??? *stabs Salvatore*
    The 3e-and-onward tiefling deserve a special place in hell for turning an actually interesting race - it had d100 tables in 2e to see what strange features an individual had - into a bland uniform (all have horns and a tail) race which is probably best friends with the drow player.

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    1. VicJuly 14, 2015 at 5:05 PM

      Drow as a race made their debut in Unearthed Arcana, which was 1e, not 3e.

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    2. VicJuly 14, 2015 at 5:10 PM

      UA, published in '85, predates R.A. Salvatore's The Crystal Shard ('88) by three years.

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    3. (M)EFGJuly 15, 2015 at 4:19 AM

      This changes nothing about my dislike for the race as a player race. I'm not very experienced in the 1e. Thanks for the correction. And although you seem to interpreted it that way, I did not want to imply that I think Salvatore invented them. I just think that he made them "cool and awesome and special"...that's when the race went downhill.

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  20. Knight of RosesJuly 14, 2015 at 11:34 AM

    Gnomes, just never got a good handle on them. But I think I could do a Pathfinder flavored one or maybe a 5th ed one.

    Kender are great plot devices for the DM but as a race they make no damn sense at all.

    Tieflings, apart from the name, have some interesting story potential but less so if they are all forced into the same mold.

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