I’m working on a story revolving around an unstable alliance of four dark lords. Two of them are a Drow Matron Mother and a Hoblgoblin Emperor. They also have a number of other “evil” races serving in their armies. Such as other Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragons.

But I’ve allowed PC’s to play as those races if they choose. (Chromatic Dragonborn in place of Chromatic Dragons as race options) In my settings, no race is naturally all good or evil. But races typically seem as “evil” are often demonized and discriminated against because the gods who created them are evil. But in my settings, the gods who created these creatures went bad AFTER they had created them. Members of these races CAN still be evil. But here, they usually join evil causes or go bad out of fear or because they’re resentful at society for how they are often treated by it. Or because they continue to follow their gods after they went bad. Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs... even Chromatic Dragons, that's how they go bad in my settings.

But I digress. If a PC of mine chooses to play as a traditionally evil race, how much or little prejudice should they get from PC’s? I don’t want their characters to be tokens. And I have pondered portraying communities of Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragonborn as living in ghettos and they want to fight this threat as much as everyone else. I even have a few good aligned Chromatic Dragons penciled in as NPC’s. And of course, I will be reminding players that their characters will face racism in their stories.

The question is, how much should be used? It has to be the proper amount. Use it too much, PC's will quit. Use it too little, and it loses it's meaning. And what forms should it take?

There is no singular correct answer to this - every single playgroup is going to have a different experience and different threshold for their tolerance of these plots.

You should not be asking strangers on the internet - especially not here.  This forum has a lot of people on the “do whatever racist thing you want” side of the spectrum and the “you should avoid racism entirely” side of the spectrum.  I do not think either is a good answer (though, the second at least tends to come form a place of genuinely caring about others).

My personal method is the Potter Stewart “you know it when you see it approach” - I watch my players carefully to judge where the lines are and make sure that, when dealing with complex themes, I bend the lines sometimes for effect, but never fully break them. That works for me as I have been playing with my players for a while (or, for new players, only invite folks i either know already outside of D&D or one of my existing players vouches for). I would not recommend this approach with complete strangers or if one is not comfortable in their ability to read your players and pull back before it is a problem.

The safest and generally best approach is to speak with your players, discuss things in advance, and make it clear they can come to you if you have any problems. If you are in a position where you are uncertain about where the lines are - which you clearly are, or you would not be making a thread on it - then you really do need to talk to your players instead of us strangers online.

Quote from Caerwyn_Glyndwr >>

There is no singular correct answer to this - every single playgroup is going to have a different experience and different threshold for their tolerance of these plots.

You should not be asking strangers on the internet - especially not here.  This forum has a lot of people on the “do whatever racist thing you want” side of the spectrum and the “you should avoid racism entirely” side of the spectrum.  I do not think either is a good answer (though, the second at least tends to come form a place of genuinely caring about others).

My personal method is the Potter Stewart “you know it when you see it approach” - I watch my players carefully to judge where the lines are and make sure that, when dealing with complex themes, I bend the lines sometimes for effect, but never fully break them. That works for me as I have been playing with my players for a while (or, for new players, only invite folks i either know already outside of D&D or one of my existing players vouches for). I would not recommend this approach with complete strangers or if one is not comfortable in their ability to read your players and pull back before it is a problem.

The safest and generally best approach is to speak with your players, discuss things in advance, and make it clear they can come to you if you have any problems. If you are in a position where you are uncertain about where the lines are - which you clearly are, or you would not be making a thread on it - then you really do need to talk to your players instead of us strangers online.

 This has to be hands down the best advice I have seen about this topic to date! Very well said.

The answer to this kind of question regarding topics that can be uncomfortable is always "it depends" - specifically on the needs and wants of the player. We each have different needs and wants from the game (although hopefully a table will be roughly aligned), so you need to account for that.

For example, I'd be comfortable with it if it's portrayed as being an evil (not necessarily in the view of the racist, but more that you're not trying to justify it, that it's given a negative tone etc, so it doesn't feel like you're communicating that it's actually a good thing even if it's not your intent). I'm sure there are other caveats, like not being laid on too thick, but that's something I'd be uncomfortable with. Others might not be wanting it at all - and I'd be completely supportive of that. We play tue game to escape reality, and maybe they don't want to have to deal with it there in their games too. Others might want it more neutrally portrayed or laid on thicker. Well, whatever works for their table, forgive me if I don't want to play with them in that game. However, if you want to do that and they want it, that's something you should consider.

The only way to know where they stand is to ask them. Don't rely purely on judging physical signs of reactions, people can be quite hidden or display mixed or contradictory reactions. What they're reacting to might not even be what you think they're reacting to. While you don't have to badger them with the same questions, even with close friends, I'd ask at least once. If they're close enough friends, then you should have your finger on the pulse so you'll hopefully detect if their views might evolve enough that you have to revisit what is or is not acceptable. You should also nurture a feeling of openness, that people can come to you at any time and say if something is uncomfortable...or if they've changed their stance. Just remember that you're not trying to avoid overt reactions, you're trying to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that cause the reactions.

In short, your table knows how much, if any, racism is acceptable. None of us do or even can. Make this a part of your session 0 (or if it's gone past that already, then a session X.5). 

If a DM wants racism to play a role in campaigns, how much is necessary?

In my experience, far less than one might expect and far more than one might realize. Prejudice of that nature is kinda like blue cheese, or anchovies. It’s a really strong flavor that doesn’t require a lot to impart the essence into something, and can easily overpower what a DM cooks up if they’re heavy handed with it. By the same token it is also like a very large, very old, very gnarlyn tree. It’s been around for so long that it’s become a part of the landscape and everyone accepts its existence as an ugly part of the landscape, and therefore too entrenched and too big to remove easily. It also casts a very wide shadow over everything around it and blocks out the light which makes it difficult to see things clearly, especially the closer one is to the trunk. Perhaps worst of all is that it’s roots are so deep, and branch out so far, and have grown so thick that they literally change the landscape throughout which they exist and exert enough pressure on the surrounding structures to crack their very foundations.

So while it really only requires a small amount in the right places to make its presence known, actually realizing all the different ways it manifests itself and influences things so as to portray the concept and practice of institutionalized racism properly is difficult to get right.

This is something to discuss as a group with everyone involved being there whether it's session 0 or just another session to get thing out and in the open. I get what your going at I have the thoughts that any member of a PC species can be good or evil. Why make all of the commonly referred to evil races be evil that's just being a lazy story planner, look at all the evil things humanity has done to each other, we don't need a race of monsters in the game when at times we have been those monsters.

In addition to the great answers above, I would add that this might be a perfect example of a time to use one of the various safety tools. Even if the tool doesn't get used by the players during the game, knowing that they can use it, and that it will be respected can bring some comfort.

Lot of good advice in here already, I would just add that if you make racism a prevalent force in the game world, there's a good chance your players will want to do something about it. If you're not prepared for this impulse to divert your intended story somewhat, I would not include racism in the setting.

I would also make sure you understand the difference between prejudice (individual people's individual wrong opinions about people of certain groups) and racism (a structure in society that privileges some racial groups over others). If people are mean to your character on the street, that's prejudice; if your character can't get a loan at a bank or is disproportionately subject to police violence, that's racism.

I agree with everyone else, but I’ll add, how racist the PCs are (which is the way I read the OP’s question) isn’t really up to you. Assuming you’ve had a session 0 and everyone is on board, etc. After that, it will be up to the players to decide how their character interacts with the world — and how comfortable they are with it as a player. For some people it may be hard to bring themselves to act a certain way even in game.

If the OP meant NPCs, then I’d just stick with what everyone else was saying.

ok... this is definably a session 0 question for your players. There are a bunch of premade session 0 questionnaires people have made but the basics are asking players what is OK and not OK for their personal play. Some players might want a Darksouls/soul crushing harsh game, some players might just want a fluffy fun campaign, most  sit somewhere in between. 

My table has: Mind control (any loss of agency), S.A., Child and Animal abuse as table taboos. Yet at the same time I run the games with Dark Souls level difficulty,  and reward the players with the best loot drops. 

But that is because each table is different. 

I would have the Racism as a background theme, but only make it something the players need to deal with if the story needs it, and I would never take it past where players feel comfortable. 

Example, I played in a p2e game a few years ago, I played a Goblin Alchemist, and the game started in the Bog standard pathfinder starting area. (ie the one in the sample material) which means Goblin Racism was something I had to navigate as there is a guy with a shop placing goblin body parts outside as decorations. And the town was dealing with goblin raids. 

I think the character I had, and the RP with her was some of the most fun I've had as a player. But at the same time, I don't think everyone would be OK with dealing with that level of targeted Racism, nor could they counter that racism with the insane chaotic good responses I had. 

Quote from DruidofMN >>

I’m working on a story revolving around an unstable alliance of four dark lords. Two of them are a Drow Matron Mother and a Hoblgoblin Emperor. They also have a number of other “evil” races serving in their armies. Such as other Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragons.

But I’ve allowed PC’s to play as those races if they choose. (Chromatic Dragonborn in place of Chromatic Dragons as race options) In my settings, no race is naturally all good or evil. But races typically seem as “evil” are often demonized and discriminated against because the gods who created them are evil. But in my settings, the gods who created these creatures went bad AFTER they had created them. Members of these races CAN still be evil. But here, they usually join evil causes or go bad out of fear or because they’re resentful at society for how they are often treated by it. Or because they continue to follow their gods after they went bad. Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs... even Chromatic Dragons, that's how they go bad in my settings.

But I digress. If a PC of mine chooses to play as a traditionally evil race, how much or little prejudice should they get from PC’s? I don’t want their characters to be tokens. And I have pondered portraying communities of Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragonborn as living in ghettos and they want to fight this threat as much as everyone else. I even have a few good aligned Chromatic Dragons penciled in as NPC’s. And of course, I will be reminding players that their characters will face racism in their stories.

The question is, how much should be used? It has to be the proper amount. Use it too much, PC's will quit. Use it too little, and it loses it's meaning. And what forms should it take?

Know your players. The Dwarves and Elves used to dislike each other greatly, despite both being "good" races. Those with mixed lineage were generally distrusted by both sides of the genetic blend. Now the word race is considered problematic, so WotC switched to species.

So one of the nations in my world is prejudice against all half races, and anything Goblinoid or Orc (goblins, orcs, hobgoblins etc). So the nation has Dwarfs, Elves, Humans, etc but if any 2 cross species and have a baby and are not rich enough to cover it up and send the baby away then in the best circumstances parents and child are put into slavery when found out, and in the worst cases they are executed. All orcs and goblinoids are just enslaved, and there lands have been ransacked leading to the rest of the continent having a number of Refugee camps and enclaves set up for these species. 

The players have already been involved in helping a family escape this nation, and one of the players (half elf) has found out they are from there. 

In terms of how I play it, the people from that nation are arrogant, look down on any half race, with some even refusing to talk to them. It has led to some great roleplay moments between players and NPC's especially as the majority of the nation they have come across are ambasadors or envoys under the protection of the king so they cant just hit them. But, it is clear that this is in game and not how anyone feels in real life. When an NPC calls a character a Mongrel or Halfbreed scum then that is the character talking. When they question the inteligence of the Orc in the party, or treat it like an animal that is the NPC behaving. I also talked to my players ahead of time and make sure they where all happy with the how I am roleplaying the NPC's they all insist I am doing a great job in making them "hate" these characters, but, they have also come acros members of this nation who think differently and are working to try and enact change. 

I have racism in my world. The reason I have it is because it is an issue with something today in our real life. I want people to find a solution to stop it. If you do not want to participate in that part of the world, then you make that one of the things you don't want to participate in when you are in my campaign. It won't be brought up. 

I also have slavery in the world. And I had two players leaned into hard but in the opposite direction. They started an underground railroad to free slaves. They also started a rebellion agains the slavers. It is exactly what I was looking for.

As DMs we create problems that we want the players to solve. If you find a solution, run with it. Again if you are not comfortable with that content, mention it and the DM will do what they can do to make sure it is not a problem.

In my personal opinion what you have described is not racism in any sense of the word.  What I do see is how we can look up on it as a reflection of our own experiences or what we have heard. I think that is partially why D&D has adopted the term Species, as I hope we all will. 

Quote from DruidofMN >>

I’m working on a story revolving around an unstable alliance of four dark lords. Two of them are a Drow Matron Mother and a Hoblgoblin Emperor. They also have a number of other “evil” races serving in their armies. Such as other Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragons.

But I’ve allowed PC’s to play as those races if they choose. (Chromatic Dragonborn in place of Chromatic Dragons as race options) In my settings, no race is naturally all good or evil. But races typically seem as “evil” are often demonized and discriminated against because the gods who created them are evil. But in my settings, the gods who created these creatures went bad AFTER they had created them. Members of these races CAN still be evil. But here, they usually join evil causes or go bad out of fear or because they’re resentful at society for how they are often treated by it. Or because they continue to follow their gods after they went bad. Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs... even Chromatic Dragons, that's how they go bad in my settings.

But I digress. If a PC of mine chooses to play as a traditionally evil race, how much or little prejudice should they get from PC’s? I don’t want their characters to be tokens. And I have pondered portraying communities of Drow, Goblinoids, Minotaurs, Orcs, and Chromatic Dragonborn as living in ghettos and they want to fight this threat as much as everyone else. I even have a few good aligned Chromatic Dragons penciled in as NPC’s. And of course, I will be reminding players that their characters will face racism in their stories.

The question is, how much should be used? It has to be the proper amount. Use it too much, PC's will quit. Use it too little, and it loses it's meaning. And what forms should it take?

 I'd pretty much say it makes sense for drow to look at every other race as inferior and I think that is all that is needed.  The other races need not have any specific views.