Written by: Trip
I love playing as a Human in D&D5e. Not just from a narrative perspective, but also mechanically. And no, I’m not talking about Variant Humans with the extra Feat at 1st Level, just the plain old “+1 to each Ability Score” Human. Sure it might not be as sexy as the Innate Spellcasting of several other Races or the Aasimar’s Super Saiyan mode or the Tortle’s natural AC of 17, but I still think adding essentially +0.5 to your weapon damage, armor class, and basically every D20 roll you’ll make for the rest of the game is nothing to sneeze at. And even when I’m not playing a Human, I’ve found I tend to lean more towards the human-like Races. Elves, Half-Elves, Goliaths, and the like.
And this extends beyond just D&D. I’ve played in a few other systems and I tend to lean towards more-grounded characters. For an example, let me tell you about the cast of the Monster of the Week game I was in several years ago. The Party consisted of:
- Vera: a Vampire who was also the head of basically the Supernatural FBI. She later ended up dabbling in Lichdom in an attempt to combat an apocalyptic threat from inside her own organization.
- Pri: A wereleopard who could do Shadow Magic and has been on the run from her father–the Alpha of the pack and leader of one of, if not THE most-dangerous supernatural crime syndicate in the world–for her whole life. By the end of the game she had inherited the power of a Fea queen and physically tore the veil that separated the supernatural world from the mundane, forever altering the world at a fundamental level.
- Charlie (me): a Burglar who happened to break into the aforementioned wereleopard’s house and got caught up in the supernatural nonsense that followed. Notable feats include: driving really fast, and being the only member of the party with a positive Charm (Charisma) Stat.
One of these things is not like the others. 😅
Now. Why did I bother saying all that? What was the point? Well I’m glad you asked, hypothetical person that I’m apparently talking to. I actually have 2 points I’d like to make in defense of playing the “Mundane” races, classes, playbooks, or whatever your system calls your character statistics.
- Point #1: “Exotic” and “Weird” do not necessarily = “Interesting”.
I’m sure we all know at least one player who feels like they have to be the most-outlandish PC at the table or they can’t have fun. And like, I’m not gonna judge or anything. If you wanna play a Rhinoceros-folk Chronomancer with sub-specializations in Baking and Transmutation magic so that you can create a literal army of Gingerbread Men to protect the sacred timeline, more power to you. But more often than not these exotic characters usually end up losing their luster after about two sessions because by then their gimmick has grown stale. Now, I’m not saying that exotic characters = gimmick characters, but it can definitely tend to happen when a player is so focused on being weird and different that they forget to create a character with room for growth. Because no matter how interesting you think your character is, by the nature of Party dynamics, their gimmick will wear off and the exotic Race they’ve chosen will cease to be shocking or novel. And if the only thing the character had going for them was how shocking and novel they were, then there won’t be anything of substance left.
Contrast this with John Averageguy, the Human Fighter. He’s far more likely to develop and grow as a character because he has room to do so. He’s a blank slate to be filled by the Player’s creative mind. Maybe the first quest in the campaign involves finding some rare herbs, and maybe John Averageguy is the one to successfully find them. So the Player decides that John really likes flowers now and boom! A personality trait has been unlocked. Maybe John will start a Flower shop as a side gig? Or perhaps he might find himself accepted by an enclave of Druids?
- Point #2: Being “Average” at many/all things can be very handy sometimes.
In most systems that allow you to pick a Race, “Human” is often the option that grants a small bonus to a lot of different areas, rather than being more-focused on one aspect of play. Take 5e for example: gaining +1 to all 6 Ability Scores, rather than +2 to one, +1 to another, and a few Feats. Of course it might not feel quite as impactful as the Tiefling’s Innate Spellcasting, fire resistance, and Darkvision, being consistent across the board can have its advantages. You know what they say about a Jack of All Trades, right?
… Actually it’s entirely possible you don’t know, or rather, that you’ve only heard half of the saying. The idiom, in its entirety, actually reads “Jack of All Trades, master of none, is still better than the master of one.” Translation: being kinda decent at a lot of things is better than being very good at only one thing.
And this isn’t just limited to Race. Classes that have simpler mechanics can often mean their abilities are more-broadly applicable. Sticking with D&D, let’s use Fighter as an example. Their primary features are
- Action Surge: allowing them to take additional actions in a single turn. This will always be useful in any situation and can be used both offensively and defensively.
- Second Wind: Regenerate HP. Again, always applicable since you’re always going to be losing HP as an Adventurer. It’s as inevitable as death and taxes.
- Fighting Style: While you only get to pick 1, you have several options ranging from passive damage bonuses and even a few defensive options. So you get to pick whatever fits your playstyle.
Contrast that with something like, say, the Barbarian. Whose Rage feature offers an offensive bonus, If you’re wielding Strength-based weapons. And a Defense buff, but only against Physical attacks. Is it still broadly-applicable? Yes, absolutely. But not quite as versatile as extra actions or regaining HP.
In conclusion… I dunno, try playing a Human Fighter? Or don’t. I’m not your mom. 😅
About the Author
My name is Trip and game design is my passion. I started out with D&D about 10 years ago, but have played a few other systems like Fellowship and Monster of the Week. I’ve even tried my hand at designing my own TTRPG a few times (maybe one of these days I’ll actually finish one?) I love both playing and running games, but I also love the oft-overlooked joy of learning new game systems. It always sparks my imagination seeing a new take on mechanics and rules, and I’m always excited to test the boundaries of those rules to see if they work as-intended and whether they can be improved upon. And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll successfully create my own game and become a household name in the TTRPG sphere? A boy can dream. 😅
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