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Ozreth
Learned Scribe
240 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Jan 2026 : 16:26:20
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I am curious what list of races and classes you allow in your campaign? Note which edition as well.
Currently we use:
Core classes (with a fairly large list of PrCs from various realms and core 3e/3.5 sources).
Dwarf: Gold, Shield, Wild
Elf: Moon, Sun, Wild, Wood
Gnome: Rock
Half-Elf: Common, Sea, Drow
Half-Orc
Halfling: Lightfoot, Strongheart
Human: Calishite, Chondathan, Damaran, Illuskan, Mulan, Rashemi, Tethyrian
We play 3e.
If you allow monstrous/evil leaning races in your game, how do you handle them with neutral to good aligned parties and in more "civilized" areas?
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Edited by - Ozreth on 06 Jan 2026 16:37:46
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4495 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2026 : 16:26:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
I am curious what list of races and classes you allow in your campaign? Note which edition as well.
Currently we use:
Core classes (with a fairly large list of PrCs from various realms and core 3e/3.5 sources).
Dwarf: Gold, Shield, Wild
Elf: Moon, Sun, Wild, Wood
Gnome: Rock
Half-Elf: Common, Sea, Drow
Half-Orc
Halfling: Lightfoot, Strongheart
Human: Calishite, Chondathan, Damaran, Illuskan, Mulan, Rashemi, Tethyrian
We play 3e.
While my group does a variety of editions, I don't think we dis-allow anything really made by WotC in terms of options. For the times that I DM, I'll cover the options in our current campaign:
Core Classes (4E): I allow all classes from all three Player's Handbooks, in addition to the Swordmage from the Forgotten Realms Player's Guide, the Artificer, and a few other options from the Heroes of (Insert name here) books. I don't think I've ever outright banned a class, though I do urge players to skip ones that aren't very effective (I'm looking at you Binder and Vampire classes). I've also added a few classes like the Witch (from a 3PP supplement called World of the Witch), the Necromancer, and my friend's 4e version of the Factotum. Lastly, I do insist on things like racial restrictions for certain classes, such as only Eladrin (Moon, Sun, Star elves), Elves (Wood, Wild), and Half-Elves being able to take the Bladesinger (Wizard) class. Not even Drow are allowed. If someone wants to be a non-elf and wield magic and steel together, then you can use the Swordmage or be a Hybrid Wizard|Warlord (which, to be honest, has crazy synergy). The Bladesinger is off limits. I have acquiesced about allowing anyone to be a Battlerager, which is simply a Fighter class option from Martial Power, instead of only letting them be Dwarves.
The weird thing is that despite some decent support in both magic items, feats, and later supplements, no one in my group is keen on trying their hand at Psionic classes. They were introduced in the PHB3 (Ardent, Battlemind, Monk, and Psion) but aside from a monk here and there, no takers.
Species (4E): I try to give my players an understanding of societal expectations from the populace of Faerūn. That being, in more cosmopolitan settings (Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Suzail, Westgate) you're going to find more acceptability among people when you're not a generic species (ie. most from the PHB). Yet, when you add in things like Goliaths, Minotaurs, Drow, Gith, and even Half-Orcs you're going to draw attention - often violent attention - even in these centers of civilization. And it only gets worse in regions where the towns are small and the people are simple and more often prejudiced.
In Waterdeep, you can probably get away with a cloak over your head as a Drow and not get stopped by every single Watch Commander you see, but try that in the Dalelands or in the Western Heartlands, or what was Lurar (Silver Marches) and you're going to have a significantly harder time NOT fighting every person you see.
So I try to give my players that tid-bit of info as they choose their characters species. Some really like the challenge and others just pick Human. Some of the PHB3 species are really....interesting and I can see a lot of fun RP potential, but the stir it'll cause the people they meet may not be for everyone's cup of tea.
For example, I had a player that wanted to choose the Shardmind, a crystalline creature consisting of hundreds of small shards of translucent colored crystals assembled into a humanoid form and animated by pure force of Psionic (or Arcane) energy. Now they had no idea for a backstory and wanted them to be a Wizard. SO I devised a concept that they were once a Tel'kiira that fractured during a magical incident and imbued them with living strands of the frayed Weave, and even inherited the smallest faction of Mystra's ebbing power (Mystra didn't die in my 4E Realms, merely wounded and regenerating), thus granting them sentience and a bigger form. It worked out pretty well but they had to use illusions when going into towns for supplies and such.
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
If you allow monstrous/evil leaning races in your game, how do you handle them with neutral to good aligned parties and in more "civilized" areas?
We've had only a handful of evil characters in our groups. One player consistently enjoys playing the Lawful Evil trope, but because they often stick within the boundaries of the established law or enforcing "law" on the fringes of society, there's never really any blow-back from that. As for those kinds of species, like I said earlier they're often treated as you'd expect them to be treated given the level of societal norms. While Tieflings and Chromatic colored Dragonborn are less likely to be attacked on sight, you can't be certain everywhere you go. And there are LOTs of options for players to choose from that would be considered "evil" species like Bugbears, Bullywugs, Drow, Duergar, Gith, Gnoll, Revenants, Shades, Shadar-Kai, etc. Some can get by easier like Vyrloka (a changed human that's similar to a Dhampyr) that - for the most part - just look human. |
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Which races & classes are in your campaign?
