Many years ago (97? 98?...) I played in a group that included a Kender. For reasons unclear to me the kender player dropped out for several weeks (forever?) and for some reason the GM decided that we NEEDED the Kender, so various players took over for the Kender player. I played the damn thing straight and serious and it was determined by all and sundry that I was 'doing it wrong' and 'disruptive'.

That's right: Playing a kender in a non-disruptive way was 'disruptive' and 'wrong' by group decree.

Make what you will of that.

my votes for races that make me sick:

• Kender
• Drow
• Half-Anythings

I'm a duck-apologist after playing one as my very first character in RQ circa '79, so they're a lot like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  Sure i realize it's juvenile silliness, but it was FUN so i look at it through those glasses...
maybe people who played Kender were just "having fun", but i tend to agree with Stuart that those people were just unfunny dicks.

Hi!
  I vote Kender too. Man, DL was a big shock for me. I tried to play it but never read the books, needless to say the first time a Kender tried to act "Kender" in my campaigns it did not end well...
  Also, Human, they always get the finger
  Finally, Half-Orcs... They are over balanced (wasn't it a int cap of like 12 or less or something and it was so not worth it that anyone who picked it was obviously a munchkin). Plus half-orcs are prolly many teens' introduction to rape...

  I do cringe when I hear about Tieflings and Dragonbloods, but I haven't played in a game with one so I don't know how bad the munchkinism is with them...

Quote from: GrimJestaDon't blame the concept because the majority of the players fucked it up. Insanity is usually subtle and scary as hell, so Malkavians should be as such. It's just the generations of retarded LARPers made them into pogoing idiots wearing tutus and bapping people over the head with fish.

-=Grim=-

I'd agree with you on this, but in actual play I've never seen a Malkavian played with subtlety that inspired fear. They seem destined to be vehicles for disruptive players whether the original designers wanted them to be or not, because that is how they are too often played.

I'm pretty sure that Kender were originally created as just a convenient plot device for the Dragonlance novels that went horribly wrong as a player character race. It's the same situation for me.

I have never seen any Malkavian that wasn't either a Fish-Malk or another clan in drag.

I'm wondering - in this thread - if all the drow hate is really just generalized Drizzt hate.

I'm on board with the Drizzt-hate.  Heck; I don't like the Forgotten Realms drow in general.  I mean, when you have enough emo-sad overcoming-the-burden-of-their-race drow crawling around that they merit their own goddess, I think you're missing the point.

I love the oldschool, Greyhawk drow, however.  You know, the malevolent kind from D123.

-O

Quote from: obrynI love the oldschool, Greyhawk drow, however.  You know, the malevolent kind from D123.

Well, this thread is talking about fantasy races that are playable as PCs.

To quote Stuart's laser-like critique on what's wrong with kender:

Quote from: StuartAny race that encourages people to be disruptive at the table would be best left out of a game.

"Crazy-infantile" characters are one sort of disruptive character.  Malevolently Evil and backstabbing is another sort of disruptive character.  Thus I'd argue that the malevolent old school Greyhawk drow has no business being in most games as a PC.  Again, to borrow a quote from Stuart, "the less done to encourage that, the better."

Personally, I'm also quite tired of "evil but not evil" characters.  I'm tired of the vampire, drow, devil, demon, zombie, etc. with a heart of gold.  What it almost always looks like to me is that someone wants all of the badass cool of an evil character without actually being bad.  

Maybe it's the byproduct of watching too much Fonzie as kids.  Yeah, he gets to wear a leather jacket and gets all of the deference of a thug, yet he's a harmless fuzzball that spends his time helping his nerdy friends.  Yeah, let's play a tough character like that. :rolleyes:

(Yes, I'm dissing the Fonz.  What's he really gonna do about it?  Glare at me?  Bang on the side of a jukebox or jump a shark on water-skis to show me how cool he is?)

I actually prefer an out-and-out evil PC to a loner badass who occasionally lets out a single tear to show how full of angst he is.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineI actually prefer an out-and-out evil PC to a loner badass who occasionally lets out a single tear to show how full of angst he is.

Somebody take note of the temperature in Hell because I'm agreeing with Pseudoephedrine here.

Quote from: obrynI'm wondering - in this thread - if all the drow hate is really just generalized Drizzt hate.

I'm on board with the Drizzt-hate.  Heck; I don't like the Forgotten Realms drow in general.  I mean, when you have enough emo-sad overcoming-the-burden-of-their-race drow crawling around that they merit their own goddess, I think you're missing the point.

nah, my drow hate is just that.  i don't see how a bunch of power-mad backstabbers would have survived in any environment, let alone the underdark.  any more organized species/race/what have you should've swept in and exterminated them while they were busy turning on each other. :rolleyes:

Quote from: pseudoephedrineI actually prefer an out-and-out evil PC to a loner badass who occasionally lets out a single tear to show how full of angst he is.

you betcha.

I think drow are best used as NPCs, and on my terms.

In other words, hawt.

Quote from: pspahnI like lizard men or gnolls for that.  Far too underused and underappreciated--if you've ever been close to a real hyena, those things are creepy.  

I saw Hyenas at the incredibly excellent Singapore zoo, which uses natural barriers instead of cages.

A pack of hyenas looking down from a bluff at us, and you could tell they wanted to kill us, but couldn't make the jump.  One of the creepiest things I've ever seen.  Incredibly frightening animals, they felt positively malignant.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonI'll toss in my vote for kender, as well. This is particularly true now that 4e is modeling halflings after them.

Oh lord... please say it isn't so.  Looks like 4th Edition will get a pass afterall.

I vote for Kender as well.  The only race, authentically played by an utter twit in my old group, that actually had my Paladin seriously consider going bad and committing some pretty horrific attrocities for the good of the world.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!I think drow are best used as NPCs, and on my terms.

In other words, hawt.

Are you quoting Eliminster?

Quote from: GunslingerAre you quoting Eliminster?

Uh...maybe?