Neirikr, I assume you meant Oreads not Shaitans, correct?
Yes, Oreads. I would totally play a full-blooded genie if I got the chance, though. :)
1. Aasimar
2. Half-elf
3. Human
4. Gnome
5. Drow or Elf
least favorite:
1. Changeling ("they are always female")
2. Half-orc
3. Tiefling
4. Dwarf
5. Ifrit
1: Halfling
2: Tiefling
3: Cyclops
4: Kobold
5: Ratfolk
Two of my top 5 I have never actually played.
1: Human
2: Aasimar/Tiefling
3: Half-Orc
4: Dwarf
5: Halfling
1. Human
2. Skinwalker
3. Aasimar
4. Tiefling
5. Elf
Honorable Mentions:
Samsaran
Strix
Halfling
Ratfolk
Dwarf
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Half Elves Love the caught between the world concept, which can be played with in an infinite number of ways.
Humans Doesn't let racial stuff get in the way of a good character concept.
Gnomes Fun to play with without being boring.
Assimar/Tiefling See half elves, but with more built in drama.
Half Orc different variaty of built in racial drama.
Others: Changling, Kitsume, elemental plane touched, Samasaran.
Least favorite
Drow They should not be good guys or even neutral. They should be hunted. Bluntly, some races should be villan only.
Aasimar The power of the heavens behind you, plus I love all the extras from Blood of Angels
Human Its what I know best, plus the extra feat, skill points, and versatility doesn't hurt.
Elf When I feel like putting on airs, and being magical.
Half-Orc "Half-Orcs are rude, crude, crass, and generally obnoxious," so that's how I play them. Not to mention, reckless.
Dwarf I play them stereotypical: Brawlin, drinkin, with a touch of the Gaelic, "Och!"
Neirikr, I assume you meant Oreads not Shaitans, correct?Yes, Oreads. I would totally play a full-blooded genie if I got the chance, though. :)
The powers you actually get from genies aren't usually worth the kind of level investment it requires.
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The powers you actually get from genies aren't usually worth the kind of level investment it requires.Neirikr, I assume you meant Oreads not Shaitans, correct?Yes, Oreads. I would totally play a full-blooded genie if I got the chance, though. :)
It might be worth it if one really just wants to play a genie. :)
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Giving this an attempt:
1. Orc - The Blizzard/Elder Scrolls/non-evil kind that is. That's always been what orcs are for me, and I've loved them as such ever since finding them. :) That combination of something primal and something more human just appeals to me.
2. Tiefling/Aasimar - Counting together, because they hit similar enough buttons. The sheer variety of possibilties they bring to the table is priceless, and they are wonderful for playing outsiders in standard campaigns or for driving home just how expansive planar campaigns can be.
3. ....
Dammit, no this is too hard.
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1. Daelkyr Halfblood - Aberration with symbiotes. Nuff said.
2. Kalashtar - humanoids fused with spirits of dreams. Even more so when they released a feat that allowed differant Quori heritages, like instead of having a being of pure light and peace in you you have one of pure rage. Barbarian/Soulknife is awesome.
3. Gnolls - Fluffy. Badass. And 3,000 lbs of jaw pressure.
4&5. Aasimar & Tieflings - Tied.
Human (Kaidanese, the inhabitants of the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror PFRPG)
Tengu (the variety from Kaidan)
Henge (hengeyokai of Kaidan)
Kappa (variety from Kaidan)
Korobokuru (gnome-like barbarian race in northern Kaidan, in development)
A slight rephrasing on what somebody said in another thread - if you can't love what you help create/write/design, why create at all?
in order:
5) Dwarf- i'm not entirely sure why i like them so much, maybe its because i look like a 6'2" dwarf... i love their racial weapons and there's a bunch of builds for them that i really like or am really intrigued by.
4) Sylph- i hate taking a penalty to Con, but flight and seeing through fog/mist/etc as racial feats is a pretty combo (makes for a killer arcane archer- drop obscuring mist and then fly around raining death on your enemies with no concern for your low Con)
3) Tiefling- tons of options for stat arrays, cool SLAs, good racial feats... the only reason they're not higher is that i really like not taking a penalty to any stat.
2) Human- +2 to anything with no minus, bonus feat, extra skill points (that you can trade for other stuff)... humans are the most flexible race and always make for a good choice for any kind of character.
1) Aasimar- all of the good things about tieflings with no downside, plus i really like the flavor; they're not the most optimal choice for every character (and sometimes they just don't work at all flavor-wise for what i want to make) but definitely my favorite race.
Contributor
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Hmm.
Vanara
Vishkanya
Elf
Catfolk
Dhampir
(of the Golarion in print races)
If I got to play anything from my own setting:
Vidyadhari might replace Elf.
Runner-ups: Changelings, Grippli, Skinwalker
If I went beyond CR 1/3: I would love to play a Sphinx, {D]apsara, Rakshasa, Weretiger, Half-Jinni, or Moon Naga.
Human
Half-Elf
Tiefling
Dhampir
Skinwalker
Tiefling/Aasimar: Yeah, planetouched. I always loved them.
Changelings: Playing a half-hag was probably the most fun character I had until then.
Humans: Oh, so versatile. And easy to relate to. ;)
Drow: I guess I really like the "dark" folks.
Catfolk: Whee cats!
Humans
Half-Elves
Aasimar
Dhampir
Goblins
Notably, my group seems to prefer some odd races at times. Except for gnomes. They're generally not welcome after the last one...
Kobolds
Lizardfolk
Dwarves
Gnolls
Wyvarans
I've liked Kobolds since way back in 1st edit. D&D. I wish they had a less evil outlook in Pathfinder.
Humans
Half-Orcs and full orcs (I'd actually prefer more Blizzard-y orcs that are usable as PCs, but half-orcs work okay as presented in Golarion)
Dwarves (my most common character choice behind humans, though my current favorite PC is a half-orc)
Genasi/Elemental-kin, particularly oreads and ifrits. I would really prefer these as always-available choices to the tieflings and aasimar in PFS, but ah well.
Honestly, I can't think of any characters that I really loved playing that weren't one of those. I don't really care for most of the other common D&D races as PCs.
I would be a happy gamer if I never saw another animal-person race presented as original content for a game. About the only ones I can stand are the charr from Guild Wars, just because they're a little more interesting about it, and come off closer to mechanized dwarf/orcs than animal-people.
In no particular order:
Human
Human
Human
Human
Human
Nothing beats an extra feat at 1st level.
Elf
Tiefling
Assimar
Human
Sylph
While halflings secretly rule the world,
there are gnomes and kitsune as well.
Right after that come Sylph and ifriiti.
Then maybe elves.
1)Grippli
2)Nagaji
3)Skinwalker
4)Catfolk
5)Tengu
1) Tiefling, no contest victory for the part fiends!
2) Suli, I like the elemental based outsiders, but I don't like having to choose an element.
3) Human, it's for the bonus feat, I admit it.
4) Half-Elf, I like them more than regular humans for flavor, but Skill Focus, really?
5) Sylphs
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1) Drow
Both the Evil and non-Evil variety. I was first introduced to drow when I discovered the Faiths and Pantheons entry on Eilistraee from the Forgotten Realms. My 'Good' drow character was made before I ever learned of the existence of Drizzt. Everything described about Eilistraee's faith and appearance I considered really beautiful (and not in an ERMAGERD NEKKID DROW CHICK kind of way, either). The dark skin contrasting with white hair and silvery armor was a really pleasing aesthetic for me, and her portfolio of song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, and moonlight was the cherry on top. I've always held a fondness for beauty and the moon. Sacred hunts through moon-dappled forests, nude except for a blade, stalking some beast to slay in your goddess' name? Cool!
I also may have felt inspired by or connected to her in a way due to how her followers were persecuted, but still tried to do good in the world. When I first read about Eilistraee, I was facing a lot of vitriol about my sexual orientation, and most of that hatred was coming from my own family. I've heard a few detractors of hers criticize the nudity aspect, but I've never seen nudity as an exclusively sexual thing. Eilistraee choosing to take such a form seemed more like a celebration of joy and freedom, and a sign of their purity, than some base fanservice on the author's part. Her death was one of the nails in the coffin concerning the Realms and 4E for me, and I still think it was a mistake on the part of WOTC to kill her off. She would have made a great 'point of light' in the setting. But the anti-good drow crowd seems to have won out, here, and got her decapitated in the lore and story. I've encountered several posters of this mindset who, to this very day, gleefully and seemingly spitefully say that Eilistraee was an abomination and it's a good thing she is dead, etc. I've never understood wanting to 'twist the knife,' so to speak. Mikaze's Post Here illustrates my point. Then again, she could have also been killed off because Drizzt needed to stay unique to continue earning income, and an entire cult of good drow on the surface was in the way of that. All IMO, of course.
The Lolth-worshiping drow of other settings never really interested me. I found them boring, bland and homogeneous. Oh, another dominatrix-dressed hater of men? Okay... (To be fair, I liked pre-Lolth when she was presented as Araushnee, the Weaver of Destiny.) But when Golarion's dark elves were said to worship various demon lords, I was intrigued. I had developed an interest in Demon Lords in no small part thanks to James Jacobs articles of the Demonomicon series in Dragon. Learning about Iggwilv, Malcanthet, and Graz'zt were what really drew me in. I quite like Golarion's evil drow, especially with the Demoniac Prestige Class, though I wished we saw more of them (either raiding the surface, or in confrontations with foolish surface-dwellers who delve into the darklands). Nocticula is really cool, even better than Malcanthet I think, and not as sexist either, since Nocticula allows male Demoniacs and clerics. But I've yet to find a full stand-in for Graz'zt, who was by far my favorite demon lord. Socothbenoth tries to fill his shoes, but I've found him lacking thus far (probably due to the scant info on him). Maybe that will change in the future! But yeah, demon-worshiping drow? Count me in!
2) Elves
Like drow, but without the accusations of being a Drizzt clone, having someone roll their eyes at you, or being told 'you're doing it wrong and having badwrongfun!' Yeah, I like them because they're a 'pretty' race and aesthetically pleasing to me. Though I wouldn't mind dropping the 'typically CG' tag, since I think most mortal humanoids, especially the core races, should flow along the Neutral part of the alignment bar in regards to Good and Evil. It'd also fit more with their 'main' deity in Golarion, Calistria (also CN). I've always thought that Good and Evil individuals should be exemplars of the core races, while the majority of people just focus on living life and getting by (hence, Neutral). I wouldn't mind seeing some more focus on the different ethnicities, highlighting their different cultures and appearances, like the 'wild' elves of the Mwangi Expanse, the Snowcaster Elves, the Mordant Spire elves, or desert elves from Garund (all have the same stats as base elves, mind, much like how humans have different ethnicities but keep the same game stats - see below).
3) Humans
My go-to race for concepts which don't immediately come to mind as fitting another core race. Golarion's inclusion of numerous human ethnicities is great, especially since humans are supposed to be a varied lot. They have such a wide choice for character concepts, from pale-skinned barbarians in the Land of the Linnorm Kings, to aristocratic and arrogant bronze-skinned dandies from Taldor, to dark-skinned and suave merchants in Osirion. Pathfinder has done an excellent job (IMO) of providing humans with a large amount of diversity, which is supposed to be one of their key (if not THE key) defining traits in Golarion.
4) Merfolk
Merfolk were the first subject I learned how to draw, all the way back when I was a toddler and fond of Disney's The Little Mermaid. I like both the beautiful, singing, shy variety, and the creepy, sinister, might-eat-you variety. I'd love to see more of them, and maybe even some freshwater groups which live in large rivers or lakes. League of Legends has Nami and River Spirit Nami, who I enjoy playing.
5) Tieflings
Because they're a way to play demons in humanoid form! :P
In summary, the thing that typically draws me to a race is its aesthetics. I'm a sucker for pretty things. But above that, I like VARIETY. It strikes me as more realistic (and yes, I know how describing something as such in a fantasy world can be seen). But also IMO it provides more opportunities for someone, somewhere, to like that particular aspect of that race, whereas before they may not have been a fan. For me, that would be dwarves. It's not that I dislike them. It's just that I never found them particularly interesting. I think they have a valuable place in fantasy tradition, sure, but I would have never considered playing one personally. However, Golarion's recent inclusion of the Pahmet dwarves in Osirion has made me pause for a moment. There are also several tribes of 'wild' dwarves in the Mwangi Expanse. While I'd still say it's unlikely for me to play one, the fact that it gave me pause is a neat thing! Variety, diversity, new takes on races, or even just fresh takes of the same old concept, can be great things. :)
Just my 2 cents!
Aasimar: I like playing the "accidents of the heavens" type of characters, and the aasimar is basically a race dedicated to this.
Gnome: I actually prefer the Golarion gnomes, fey-likes and close to nature rather than the "warcraft" gnomes of ugly small people who is technophile. ( and Gnomes are better than halflings... creepy little F*^**ers )
Humans: I like the variacy they can have, and being human is easy to do, but its the wide field of thing they can fit into that can easily put them into any role without having to fall into stereotypes.
Tieflings: Like a counterpart to the Aasimar, but they have a pretty high chance of being of the dark, brooding and "edgy" type of characters in a "redemption" fashion or outright murderhobo.
Half-elves: They are kind of the same thing as humans, but have a higher chance of falling into the "racism is a thing" backstories.
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heartfelt stuff about Eilistraee
For whatever it's worth, Eilistraee is alive and well and the primary deity of elvenkind in my homebrew setting. She's also a big part of the reason the drow dark elves are a surface race now. Common perception is that they come from the oldest, darkest, spookiest forests. And she's the big reason why most elven cultures reveres nighttime so much. :)
And another thing:
I pray things are better now.
1) Gnome
2) Halfling
3) Ratfolk
4) Goblin
5) Dwarf
More or less in that order, I guess
1)Skeleton (human)
2)Human
3)Wight (human)
4)Githyanki
5)Harpy (wingless)
Honorable mentions: Vegepygmy, Gnoll, Lizardfolk, Drow, War/Gear-forged, Goblin/Kobold, Orc (civilized or not), Half-Ogre (NOT Ogrekin).
1. Kobolds!
2. Kitsune (specifically the 3rd party version from "The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way #2—Red Jack" supplement by Zombie Sky Press)
3. Aasimar / Tiefling
4. Android
5. Sylph
...I really like the weirder ones, but most of them are such a blast to roleplay.
1) Humans
2) Changeling
3) Tiefling
4) Elf
5) Dwarf
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In no particular order:
1) Chelaxian/1.5) Ustalavic humans
2) Tieflings (from anywhere in Golarion)
3) Gnomes
4) Halflings
5) and Half-elves/Half-orcs
Reasons:
1) Cheliax fascinates me for its culture, its orderly nature, and its brimstone flavor. Also, "Council of Thieves" was my first Pathfinder campaign and I fell in love with tabletop roleplay games ever since.
1.5) Ustalav's flavor is different but still gothic, something that is growing on me.
2) Tieflings are favs of mine 'cause they allow for so much (challenge-wise) in roleplay scenarios, variance in appearance, and their abilities giving them an edge.
3) Gnomes because they're so much fun.
4) Halflings are also fun and can always surprise you.
5) Half-elves and half-orcs are not the same race, but they are tied for the same position in my mind. They fill similar (but not the same) roles in roleplay, but their traits allow for them to fill different roles elsewhere.
Wow, tough to pick only 5.
I'll actually arrange these as groups of similar races...
1. Half-Orc/Oni-Spawn Tiefling - these two races end up doing similar things for me. The Oni Spawn is mechanically more powerful, but can't be enlarged and doesn't get orc double axe. Half-Orc is very versatile stat-wise, but usually if I'm playing one I'll give him STR. Dwarf kinda fits in this category since the whole point is to play a tough and gruff character, which dwarves also do well.
2. Kobold/Nagaji/Lizardfolk - I love the idea of playing a reptilian race, and personally feel that lizardfolk ought to be a core race. Probably will never happen, but one can hope.
3. OMG Strix!!! Don't think I'll ever find a GM that will let me play one, but they are very cool. Love the idea of playing a winged race; I think they would have a unique outlook on the world. Aaracockra if they exist too. Wyvaran, if that would be allowed.
4. Ifrits, because BOOM! Heh, heh... also Lava Gnomes, for the same reason. I don't mind the other geniekind but mechanically Ifrits seem to work best, at least as sorcerers, which is probably what you want as a geniekind (not counting Suli). Oreads could make decent clerics, maybe Undine too, though a -2 to STR is rough for a cleric. Sylphs can make good wizards but Air Affinity does nothing for a Sylph wizard.
5. Gillmen. The story of their creation is interesting, though mechanically they seem fairly weak. Being an aquatic race that can still function pretty normally on land though makes them pretty neat.
Honourable mention: Tengu, Suli, Ratfolk, Wayang, Kasatha, Thri-Kreen, Centaur, Dogfolk, Magespawn.
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Refuse to play:
1. Human. Booooooooooring! Everyone says "you must play a human because bonus feat" and while it is easy to make a human character that is mechanically good, I would have to say that most racial ability packages are well worth a feat, especially with alternate race options.
2. Dhampir. Interesting, but it seems like you would need the whole party to be configured around your vulnerabilities and strengths. In a "dark" campaign (like Ravenloft, maybe) with necromancers and such I might play one, but then half the party could be made up of these guys.
3. Fetchling, Drow, Svfirnibeln - too powerful for a low level character. I would have liked to see a version of these with "toned down" abilities. Drow have some problems depending on your campaign world.
4. Half-Elf. They seem really silly mechanically since the point seems to be to make a race that is good at multiclassing, but Pathfinder is a system that punishes multiclassing.
5. Catfolk. I don't mind the concept but the execution of racial abilities seems very lame. Also I feel that EX abilities should never be "times per day" as that smacks of magic.
Half-Orc
Human
Dwarf
Kobold
Aasimar
After some time has passed now I can say that Kobolds are definitely up there with the half-orks. And the reason I never got to play an aasimar most likely is that I only like them for their power, not their fluff.
My least favourite race, by far is dhampir. They should really be sentient undead imo. If they were I could even see myself playing one or playing alongside one, in the right group/setting that is.