This is meant to be a light-hearted thread. let's not get too serious or self-righteous about it.

The title says it all. Of all the myriad of playable races that now exist in D&D, which one is the most cringe? Which one makes you roll your eyes when you turn to that page in the book, and makes you just that little bit annoyed when someone chooses to play one?

From what I've seen around the internet, the Tiefling and the Tabaxi get the lion's share of the hate out there, but my vote is for the Dragonborn. Of all the animalian races in D&D, Dragonborn look the most to me like just sticking an animal head and some scales on a human. Their PHB lore breaks down to "they're noble warriors". Seriously. You have a creature that is a sorcerous mix of two species that absolutely should not be able to interbreed, and that's the best you could come up with? Boring. The Forgotten Realms lore for them just throws up its hands and says "fuck it, they came from...somewhere". They look dumb, their lore's dumb, and worst of all, they take space away from the much cooler classic lizardman.

Humans. A boring race that unimaginative players take and portray with bad, exaggerated Monty Python accents. They're either Tolkien ripoffs or cheesy pastiches of real world human cultures.

Come at me, bros.

Gnomes. 4E was right to put them as an optional race in the Monster Manual (yeah, all the people bitching about no gnomes in 4E missed that they were actually there in an appendix that was basically reprinted in the PHB2 to stop the whinging of the ten* actual gnome PC fans.

Also Kender, but that's more a player problem that needs to be solved via ritual shaming and the walk of a thousand four-siders. When someone says you can't play D&D wrong... point to Kender and then laugh in their face.

* I wanted to guess high... I only have anecdotal evidence of one actually existing... and they were also a Kender fan.

Any animal race from 5E, make it lame and gay was WotC's design methodology.

Quote from: honeydipperdavid on August 05, 2024, 12:05:54 AMAny animal race from 5E, make it lame and gay was WotC's design methodology.

Quote from: ForgottenF on August 04, 2024, 08:46:12 PMThis is meant to be a light-hearted thread. let's not get too serious or self-righteous about it.

The title says it all. Of all the myriad of playable races that now exist in D&D, which one is the most cringe? Which one makes you roll your eyes when you turn to that page in the book, and makes you just that little bit annoyed when someone chooses to play one?

From what I've seen around the internet, the Tiefling and the Tabaxi get the lion's share of the hate out there, but my vote is for the Dragonborn. Of all the animalian races in D&D, Dragonborn look the most to me like just sticking an animal head and some scales on a human. Their PHB lore breaks down to "they're noble warriors". Seriously. You have a creature that is a sorcerous mix of two species that absolutely should not be able to interbreed, and that's the best you could come up with? Boring. The Forgotten Realms lore for them just throws up its hands and says "fuck it, they came from...somewhere". They look dumb, their lore's dumb, and worst of all, they take space away from the much cooler classic lizardman.

Dark elves.  Freakin emo Drizz't wannabes.

Also, I love kender as PCs.  I barely have to do anything as DM because all of the action develops out of their drama.

Fremlin from the Complete Book of Humanoids.  Who thought it was a good idea to give immunity to non-magical weapons to an annoying joke race?

I would say Astral Elves because the new Spelljammer did nothing at all interesting with them.  They are just snootier elves with a extra free ability.

Quote from: yosemitemike on August 05, 2024, 01:24:19 AMI would say Astral Elves because the new Spelljammer did nothing at all interesting with them.  They are just snootier elves with a extra free ability.

Atral Elves and Scro are very good from 2E Spelljammer.  It is a little bit odd having Astral Elves Navy ruling the Astral Seas, I'm sure Gygax has some words to sputter on it.

Quote from: David Johansen on August 05, 2024, 12:56:36 AMFremlin from the Complete Book of Humanoids.  Who thought it was a good idea to give immunity to non-magical weapons to an annoying joke race?

I had not heard of that one before, but that's part of why I made the thread. Yeah that's baffling.

Quote from: Chris24601 on August 04, 2024, 10:50:35 PMGnomes. 4E was right to put them as an optional race in the Monster Manual

They are a popular pick for annoying players IME. Gnomes and Halflings are the PC version of Orcs and Goblins for me.  A setting really doesn't need both.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on August 04, 2024, 09:08:33 PMHumans. A boring race that unimaginative players take and portray with bad, exaggerated Monty Python accents. They're either Tolkien ripoffs or cheesy pastiches of real world human cultures.

Hey, sometimes they're Conan ripoffs! What does a Tolkien ripoff human look like, though? Do you mean people just literally playing Aragorn?

Dragonlance ruined Gnomes and Halflings were lucky they did not get caught up in the hate for Kender.

2e's Humanoid book had WTF things like the Swanmay as a PC race. Were-swans... 2e and the RPGA also gave us... half-kobolds... because of course.

WotC for a while was really pushing the Wren, that weird bigfoot/wookie race for who knows why. I am surprised they arent in 5e.

5e has the Autognome because we needed to be reminded why gnomes are still hated. Thanks so much Dragonlance.

I can't limit it to one particular race. There are quite a few that are bad IMO:

-Tieflings, Dragonborn: two races that scream "power gamer".

-Kender and Tinker Gnomes: they're the reason that Dragonlance as a game setting sucks

Quote from: blackstone on August 05, 2024, 08:26:05 AM-Kender and Tinker Gnomes: they're the reason that Dragonlance as a game setting sucks

  You forgot the gully dwarves. Kender and tinker gnomes at least have more playable variants in the Fifth Age (afflicted kender and thinker gnomes), but gully dwarves ... no. Just no.

Quote from: Armchair Gamer on August 05, 2024, 08:36:05 AMYou forgot the gully dwarves.

It's less that I forgot them and more that I blotted them from my mind.  This one wins though. 

Quote from: Mishihari on August 05, 2024, 12:32:50 AMDark elves.  Freakin emo Drizz't wannabes.

I don't think a Dark Elf would be fun to play. Let's play the good Nazi and role-play the discussion with the locals how this one is different from every other Dark Elf every time we enter a new town/kingdom/whatever. Sounds tedious and sounds like an assassin magnet. Maybe if the campaign was limited to the Underdark it might work. Otherwise its lame.

If we are talking lamest race ever, I would have to go with the Shardmind from 4E. A piece of rock. Really?