I'm looking to see how others handle situations where a PC is playing a rare race that the majority of NPCs would not have seen before. I am running a new campaign with a few brand new players and one very experienced player. I don't have as much time to prep as I used to so we are running through Tyranny of Dragons. The new players are easy enough to deal with, a human druid and an elf ranger, but I am looking to see how others have handled interacting with something odd, like a Loxodon Barbarian.
Initially, I tied the Loxodon race into the story by setting them up as a desert culture that has been subjugated by Thay far in the east for centuries, but now that he is on the Sword coast I have made it clear that most people have never seen anything like him. I think this opens up a lot of interesting interactions with most NPCs. We are about to get to chapter 3 though where the PCs go into the base camp of the Cult of Dragon. The adventure is set up to allow the PCs to go into the camp without much trouble since nobody is wearing uniforms and there are a lot of hired mercenaries. If I am being consistent, everyone at the camp would be just as surprised to see a big elephant man walking around camp and possibly even have heard about a Loxodon fighting against them the day before in Greenest. This might make the situation significantly more dangerous than would have ever been intended and they might not learn anything. I want to be consistent, but I don't want to turn the whole chapter into a waste of time.
Here is what I have been thinking about how to handle this situation, but before we get into this chapter I was hoping to hear some of y'all's ideas too. I am especially interested in the more general cases about how you deal with rare races in any given situation rather than the specific situation I am about to run into.
Obviously the Loxodon would stand out, so I figure the mercs and cultists will notice him, but probably most don't know who all ahs been hired. They might even mention surprise that the cult was able to find someone like him to hire out. I do think I'll give some kind of penalty for any deception about trying to blend in as a cultist though.
My other idea running around in my head is to have one of the mercenary groups hired out by the cult be a more fleshed out low level party, similar to the PCs. That party could contain another Loxodon and might even open up some interesting ongoing rivalries throughout the rest of the campaign.
Also, I know a lot of you don't like using Loxodon because they are from MTG, and if that is important to you, just sub in some other rare or monstrous. race like Triton, Minotaur or Goblin or something.
The population make up of the Forgotten Realms is entirely on you the DM. Regardless of what is written, if you want Loxodon more or less integrated or exotic into Faerun's make up it's your call, with fair warning to the player for all the complications you lay out in your post.
I mean the Cult of the Dragon have to hide a half dragon on its way through Baldur's Gate, but that is specifically because of its dragonness. In my game, the major cities see all types from all over the world and even extra planar visitors. But yes the more uncommon you are, the more you are likely to stand out in a crowd, particularly if you have great stature on top.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
We are still in the pretty early stages, but I think once they get to the bigger cities like Baulder's Gate or Elturel, I'll sprinkle in some Loxodon on occasion or at least make people not react as strongly as they are in Rural Greenest. I know I am in control of how rare the race is. I could sub Loxodon for dwarves if I wanted to make them common enough. I'm interested in seeing how other people deal with rare races in general. Do you usually just ignore the fact that they are a rare race and let them blend in more or less like humans, or do you make them feel more unique in the world? I suppose like everything is is "it depends" but I'd like to hear how you and others treat this.
There is a Tortle and a Leonine in my party. In rural locations the Leonine is treated with great suspicion and occasionally down right hostility. In urban locations, they’re more used to outsiders, so noone gets excited by a leonine walking the streets. Most people in my world have never heard of Tortles so assume she is some kind of triton. Very occasionally a very worldly person will recognise her as a Tortle.
What does the player want? Do they want to RP culture clash? Do they want physical comedy where they break every chair in the tavern trying to sit down? Or maybe be treated with the insane joy and happiness I imagine talking elephants would inspire? Maybe they just like the image they have in their heads and it doesn't need to impact on the game.
What you've described seems like the natural state of affairs for any massive terrifying barbarian in a party, so I think you're on the right track. Dude is 9' tall and 1000 lbs, he's the tank.
Yeah, the movie in my head didn't include loxodons; but positing that Loxodon-land exports a lot of mercenaries, and so you see them on battlefields and in adventuring groups not uncommonly seems totally reasonable to me.
Personally, I do not think it is the job of the Dungeon Master to come up with the player's backstory and initial reputation at the campaign's beginning, which is what seems to be the situation now. It appears that they created a general framework, but left you in the dark overall, and that makes it a little difficult on you.
I always ask characters to answer three specific questions in their backstory--three questions that are particularly important if someone is playing a race that is relatively rare in the campaign setting: (1) Where they came from and the culture of their people; (2) how they came to be in the Sword Coast and how long they have been there; and (3) how they have been received so far in the Sword Coast (and whether there has been any animosity/curiosity/reverence based on their rare race).
Once you have that information, everything else can fall into place. Maybe they want their Loxodon to be part of the Sword Coast--some enclave in a city somewhere. Or perhaps they want to be a stranger in a strange land. Or perhaps they want to do something entirely unpredictable. That third question in particular can be helpful in the case of a rare race--the player themselves will tell you how they want to be treated, and you can act accordingly.
What does the player want? Do they want to RP culture clash? Do they want physical comedy where they break every chair in the tavern trying to sit down? Or maybe be treated with the insane joy and happiness I imagine talking elephants would inspire? Maybe they just like the image they have in their heads and it doesn't need to impact on the game.
These are excellent, underrated questions. While you as the DM have the ultimate say in how exotic races are handled in-universe, you also could be missing an opportunity to give your player something that enhances their game experience.
You know your player best. If they're into RP, you can always throw them a few scenarios with different local yokel reactions and see how they respond, then tailor the Sword Coast culture to that. Or you can just ask them outright if they had envisioned what it'd be like on this continent. And if they aren't into RP, maybe you don't make it a big deal at all. Have people stare but not engage. Handwave it. It's okay to have worldbuilding gaps or plot holes.
Your original question was how other DMs handle unusual races, so on that point...I pretty much ignore them. I don't personally like fantasy racism elements in my game, so when exotic races enter a small town, the locals mostly treat them like anyone else. My setting is a huge melting pot and there really isn't a majority race in any one nation. However, one of my players is a leonin bard with the Far Traveler background. It doesn't fit well with my universe because nobody bats an eye at weird in fantasy New York, but I make exceptions for NPCs to marvel at him on occasion so his bard feels special. That's what he envisioned for his character, and it's no real skin off my nose to let him have that from time to time.
Your original question was how other DMs handle unusual races, so on that point...I pretty much ignore them. I don't personally like fantasy racism elements in my game, so when exotic races enter a small town, the locals mostly treat them like anyone else.
Yeah, I suppose I should add that I came by my current position through experience. I was playing with a nephew who had a lizardfolk druid and we ran through a nerfed version of the old U-series (Saltmarsh - Final Enemy). I thought it would be cool to do it from a lizardfolk pov. I didn't have the human NPCs be particularly bad (imo), but the scowls he got and the suspicious whispers and etc, didn't play well with him at all. I adjusted in real time, but I was left thinking that however compelling a story you have in your head, do check with your players first. It's all about everyone having fun.
I, too, am running HotDQ. Just started and we're into 3 sessions so far. At a table of 6, 5 of them are dragonborn, and one fairy. I set my world up so that 80% of the population is humankind, but that magic use is very very very rare in humans. Elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings are much more commonly seen throughout Faerun, and though many have heard of dragonborn, they definitely get looks, especially when a bunch of them show up randomly in Greenest at the same time! XD.
As someone who’s been a player fora similar situation in HotDQ, there is a chance that you won’t have to worry about it. My group, despite dm hints that it would work out okay, didn’t infiltrate the base because we were nervous about our Goliath standing out after challenging the Half dragon earlier.
I think either one of the options you have sounds great! The rival party sounds very interesting.
Think it's an interplay between you and the player much like TimCurtin said though you have your feeling about the world your portraying
I'm running HotDQ with aims to go onto RoT I think I tend to portray Grim Dark... I think in a way the world needs to be pretty rotten corrupt and the average life not worth spit if the cult of the dragons goals are to have any traction
But that certainly wouldn't stop me from changing things if it was making a player of mine in anyway unhappy
edit
maybe our dear Loxodon will find a ring of Disguise Self in their stocking... or trunk
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Set the races for your setting and let the players know what to pick as they go. For me, as the campaign progresses, I will unlock other races through exploration. If you want to bring him to the campaign, lore wise they came into D&D via Spelljammer. The easy way would either have him have amnesia or ship crashed hundreds of years ago and the survivors were a small Loxadon tribe.
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I'm looking to see how others handle situations where a PC is playing a rare race that the majority of NPCs would not have seen before. I am running a new campaign with a few brand new players and one very experienced player. I don't have as much time to prep as I used to so we are running through Tyranny of Dragons. The new players are easy enough to deal with, a human druid and an elf ranger, but I am looking to see how others have handled interacting with something odd, like a Loxodon Barbarian.
Initially, I tied the Loxodon race into the story by setting them up as a desert culture that has been subjugated by Thay far in the east for centuries, but now that he is on the Sword coast I have made it clear that most people have never seen anything like him. I think this opens up a lot of interesting interactions with most NPCs. We are about to get to chapter 3 though where the PCs go into the base camp of the Cult of Dragon. The adventure is set up to allow the PCs to go into the camp without much trouble since nobody is wearing uniforms and there are a lot of hired mercenaries. If I am being consistent, everyone at the camp would be just as surprised to see a big elephant man walking around camp and possibly even have heard about a Loxodon fighting against them the day before in Greenest. This might make the situation significantly more dangerous than would have ever been intended and they might not learn anything. I want to be consistent, but I don't want to turn the whole chapter into a waste of time.
Here is what I have been thinking about how to handle this situation, but before we get into this chapter I was hoping to hear some of y'all's ideas too. I am especially interested in the more general cases about how you deal with rare races in any given situation rather than the specific situation I am about to run into.
Obviously the Loxodon would stand out, so I figure the mercs and cultists will notice him, but probably most don't know who all ahs been hired. They might even mention surprise that the cult was able to find someone like him to hire out. I do think I'll give some kind of penalty for any deception about trying to blend in as a cultist though.
My other idea running around in my head is to have one of the mercenary groups hired out by the cult be a more fleshed out low level party, similar to the PCs. That party could contain another Loxodon and might even open up some interesting ongoing rivalries throughout the rest of the campaign.
Also, I know a lot of you don't like using Loxodon because they are from MTG, and if that is important to you, just sub in some other rare or monstrous. race like Triton, Minotaur or Goblin or something.
Excited to hear some of your thoughts.
The population make up of the Forgotten Realms is entirely on you the DM. Regardless of what is written, if you want Loxodon more or less integrated or exotic into Faerun's make up it's your call, with fair warning to the player for all the complications you lay out in your post.
I mean the Cult of the Dragon have to hide a half dragon on its way through Baldur's Gate, but that is specifically because of its dragonness. In my game, the major cities see all types from all over the world and even extra planar visitors. But yes the more uncommon you are, the more you are likely to stand out in a crowd, particularly if you have great stature on top.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
We are still in the pretty early stages, but I think once they get to the bigger cities like Baulder's Gate or Elturel, I'll sprinkle in some Loxodon on occasion or at least make people not react as strongly as they are in Rural Greenest. I know I am in control of how rare the race is. I could sub Loxodon for dwarves if I wanted to make them common enough. I'm interested in seeing how other people deal with rare races in general. Do you usually just ignore the fact that they are a rare race and let them blend in more or less like humans, or do you make them feel more unique in the world? I suppose like everything is is "it depends" but I'd like to hear how you and others treat this.
I play on the rarity.
There is a Tortle and a Leonine in my party. In rural locations the Leonine is treated with great suspicion and occasionally down right hostility. In urban locations, they’re more used to outsiders, so noone gets excited by a leonine walking the streets.
Most people in my world have never heard of Tortles so assume she is some kind of triton. Very occasionally a very worldly person will recognise her as a Tortle.
What does the player want? Do they want to RP culture clash? Do they want physical comedy where they break every chair in the tavern trying to sit down? Or maybe be treated with the insane joy and happiness I imagine talking elephants would inspire? Maybe they just like the image they have in their heads and it doesn't need to impact on the game.
What you've described seems like the natural state of affairs for any massive terrifying barbarian in a party, so I think you're on the right track. Dude is 9' tall and 1000 lbs, he's the tank.
Yeah, the movie in my head didn't include loxodons; but positing that Loxodon-land exports a lot of mercenaries, and so you see them on battlefields and in adventuring groups not uncommonly seems totally reasonable to me.
Personally, I do not think it is the job of the Dungeon Master to come up with the player's backstory and initial reputation at the campaign's beginning, which is what seems to be the situation now. It appears that they created a general framework, but left you in the dark overall, and that makes it a little difficult on you.
I always ask characters to answer three specific questions in their backstory--three questions that are particularly important if someone is playing a race that is relatively rare in the campaign setting: (1) Where they came from and the culture of their people; (2) how they came to be in the Sword Coast and how long they have been there; and (3) how they have been received so far in the Sword Coast (and whether there has been any animosity/curiosity/reverence based on their rare race).
Once you have that information, everything else can fall into place. Maybe they want their Loxodon to be part of the Sword Coast--some enclave in a city somewhere. Or perhaps they want to be a stranger in a strange land. Or perhaps they want to do something entirely unpredictable. That third question in particular can be helpful in the case of a rare race--the player themselves will tell you how they want to be treated, and you can act accordingly.
These are excellent, underrated questions. While you as the DM have the ultimate say in how exotic races are handled in-universe, you also could be missing an opportunity to give your player something that enhances their game experience.
You know your player best. If they're into RP, you can always throw them a few scenarios with different local yokel reactions and see how they respond, then tailor the Sword Coast culture to that. Or you can just ask them outright if they had envisioned what it'd be like on this continent. And if they aren't into RP, maybe you don't make it a big deal at all. Have people stare but not engage. Handwave it. It's okay to have worldbuilding gaps or plot holes.
Your original question was how other DMs handle unusual races, so on that point...I pretty much ignore them. I don't personally like fantasy racism elements in my game, so when exotic races enter a small town, the locals mostly treat them like anyone else. My setting is a huge melting pot and there really isn't a majority race in any one nation. However, one of my players is a leonin bard with the Far Traveler background. It doesn't fit well with my universe because nobody bats an eye at weird in fantasy New York, but I make exceptions for NPCs to marvel at him on occasion so his bard feels special. That's what he envisioned for his character, and it's no real skin off my nose to let him have that from time to time.
Yeah, I suppose I should add that I came by my current position through experience. I was playing with a nephew who had a lizardfolk druid and we ran through a nerfed version of the old U-series (Saltmarsh - Final Enemy). I thought it would be cool to do it from a lizardfolk pov. I didn't have the human NPCs be particularly bad (imo), but the scowls he got and the suspicious whispers and etc, didn't play well with him at all. I adjusted in real time, but I was left thinking that however compelling a story you have in your head, do check with your players first. It's all about everyone having fun.
I, too, am running HotDQ. Just started and we're into 3 sessions so far. At a table of 6, 5 of them are dragonborn, and one fairy. I set my world up so that 80% of the population is humankind, but that magic use is very very very rare in humans. Elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings are much more commonly seen throughout Faerun, and though many have heard of dragonborn, they definitely get looks, especially when a bunch of them show up randomly in Greenest at the same time! XD.
As someone who’s been a player fora similar situation in HotDQ, there is a chance that you won’t have to worry about it. My group, despite dm hints that it would work out okay, didn’t infiltrate the base because we were nervous about our Goliath standing out after challenging the Half dragon earlier.
I think either one of the options you have sounds great! The rival party sounds very interesting.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Think it's an interplay between you and the player much like TimCurtin said though you have your feeling about the world your portraying
I'm running HotDQ with aims to go onto RoT I think I tend to portray Grim Dark... I think in a way the world needs to be pretty rotten corrupt and the average life not worth spit if the cult of the dragons goals are to have any traction
But that certainly wouldn't stop me from changing things if it was making a player of mine in anyway unhappy
edit
maybe our dear Loxodon will find a ring of Disguise Self in their stocking... or trunk
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Set the races for your setting and let the players know what to pick as they go. For me, as the campaign progresses, I will unlock other races through exploration. If you want to bring him to the campaign, lore wise they came into D&D via Spelljammer. The easy way would either have him have amnesia or ship crashed hundreds of years ago and the survivors were a small Loxadon tribe.