Round Table Summary (1) - Dark Races

Hello everyone,

Our first round table I think went very well!  We got a lot of good discussion in and I think that our races are better off from it.  For those of you who don't want to scroll through the (admittedly long) discussion text in #round-table here is the TL;DR talking point version.


General details

• Dark races are not inherently evil.  They are antagonistic and breed conflict, but they are the heroes of their own story.  We want to avoid shallow Snidely Whiplash as the norm.
  
• Dark races are not going to be shoved in a cave somewhere and set to raid with no further goals.
  
• Races should be balanced mechanically against one another.  All at the same ECL.
  
• Our religious Lore should be present in the motivations of all races, including the dark ones.
  
• Dark races should be given tools and opportunities to show their incongruity with the other races.
  
• All races will be given the opportunity to play expanded character types with our new lore.  Less restrictive, more depth and complexity.
  
• There must be enough places on the map that each race can visit to maintain the darker races as a viable option.  Story has to happen in multiple places and there must be a way for them to be included.
  
• Though we are going to have some mechanics tied to the day/night cycle.. we don't want some races to be stuck in caves forever without ever showing their faces.  For that reason we're going to loosen the restrictions on Shadow Elves in sunlight and make sure Darklings can move around there too.  A debuff is better than items exploding or being blinded.
  

Orks

• Ork politics shift very quickly, but many of them are in a position to interact with other races.
  
• Our orks are physically different than the traditional image of them.  Description will be updated when the race pages are live (but spoiler: they have horns)
  
• The conflict inherent in the race is a generational conflict.  Older Orks want to hold strong to their traditions and many younger ones shirk those ancient ways to live and work with others for their own means.
  
• Our lore should drive home their emotional instability and the divine influence on them.
  
• The internal conflict (Tradition vs freedom) will permeate their lore and many character's stories.  They can, however, still play as a raiding focused small tribe.  However as said before.. no race will be given an impenetrable fortress to live in.
  
• Our Orks are motivated by testing their own skills, throwing themselves into situations to prove they can do it.  They don't punish weakness because defeating a weak enemy hardly proves anything.
  
• Orks embody conquest and personal growth.
  

Shadow Elves

• Distinct from Faerun Drow.  Based closer on Eberron drow in behavior but with a custom setting.
  
• Cultured to see every interaction with anyone outside their familial or personal ties as "us vs them"
  
• Personified by jealousy and machination, but can still feel emotion.
  
• Still maintain their haughty superiority from elf-kind.  
  
• Will be able to, with the right planning and maneuvering, to work alongside other races.  Simply because they aren't ravenous Evil Elementals that attack everything in sight while baring their pointed teeth.
  
• They shouldn't lack social intelligence.  Just because they are chaotic and dark, it doesn't mean they see fighting as the only option.
  
• Shadow Elves embody passion and envy.
  

Darklings

• Unique race for our setting based on classic horror monsters.
  
• Branching feat paths (Wolf, Bat, <unreleased yet>) with unique mechanics.
  
• Specifically humans corrupted by Shadow.  They can be played from level 1 or humans can become Darklings through RP.
  
• The curse is not transmittable by Bite or Blood, it is a religious experience.  Those born with it are to have been paid as tribute to the Shadow before their birth.
  
• They will be mechanically balanced against the feats of other races.  Each branching path will have its own bonuses and penalties.
  
• Unlike traditional lore, they're not hated simply because they're cursed.  They're hated because they are followers of a God who has very little sympathy for causing destruction and havoc.  
  

Some of these details may change in the writing, but I think we have a better grip on what people want.  The original transcript is still available in the #Round-Table room.

Thank you to everyone who showed up for our meeting and I hope to see you all at the next one.  We'll be discussing Elves, Dwarves, and Treekin.  We're also going to touch on the role of heroism and the storytelling spotlight.  Finally we'll hit a last important point: A player's Agency in roleplaying and how we as staff can help players tell the stories they want to tell.