D&D General What are humans?

[UngeheuerLich]

Sweating goes a long way into allowing humans to cool down, which is partially what makes us so good at endurance.

Other playable species might not sweat nearly as much (or at all in some cases), therefore not allowing them to stay cool during constant exertion.

Maybe. But there is nothing in the rules that indicates that.

 

[Aldarc]

Other races are astonished that Humans invented pants.

 

[steeldragons]

Humans are the baseline. Which is why it makes sense that every other species has some bonus to something they are, genetically and culturally, by their creation and/or culture and/or magic, superior to humans in whichever attribute or feature of their -non-human, non-real world, not actual ";persons"- species.

Humans are the "floor." The basic. The not special. The things we are every day. The creatures that exist in the natural parameters of 3- 18 in their standard, normal, abilities.

They neither deserve nor need nor should have any bonuses to anything.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Featherless bipeds with broad, flat nails.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Humans are the baseline. Which is why it makes sense that every other species has some bonus to something they are, genetically and culturally, by their creation and/or culture and/or magic, superior to humans in whichever attribute or feature of their -non-human, non-real world, not actual ";persons"- species.

Humans are the "floor." The basic. The not special. The things we are every day. The creatures that exist in the natural parameters of 3- 18 in their standard, normal, abilities.

They neither deserve nor need nor should have any bonuses to anything.

But in a post-racial level limits world, why would anyone play a species that, according to what you've described, is demonstrably less powerful than any other?

 

[steeldragons]

But in a post-racial level limits world, why would anyone play a species that, according to what you've described, is demonstrably less powerful than any other?

Sucker for a personal challenge? shrug* Interesting character concept/idea/personality you just really want to explore/bring to life?

I have no idea. I haven't played humans since 2e (and even in 2e, I was firmly in a Elves and/or Half-elves for just about any character.)

 

[Shardstone]

Humans having no creator god is a little bit eerie.

 

[Tonguez]

Hmmh. By that reasoning every bipedal humanoid should gain +2 con.
It is not inherently human to be very efficient walkers.
Elves, dwarves, orcs should be equally adapt at persistence hunting.

I've always taken Dwarfs to be high stamina but specialized to cool mountain environments. They can certainly endure hotter, lowlands environments but they dont adapt to it like humans do - this makes there endurance less efficient outside their natural alpine homes.

Elves might be more ambush predator than persistence hunter, they have the time to wait for prey to come to them. Regardless we know Elves are hyper-adaptive, so when they enter new environments they become entirely different subspecies - the result is less corporate identity as 'elfs' than humans have as 'humans'.

Orcs might well be persistence hunters like humans, but for them its the penalty to Cha thats important

 

[Bluenose]

Featherless bipeds with broad, flat nails.

"That's just a Pangolin." Diogenes.

 

[Tonguez]

Humans are the baseline. Which is why it makes sense that every other species has some bonus to something they are, genetically and culturally, by their creation and/or culture and/or magic, superior to humans in whichever attribute or feature of their -non-human, non-real world, not actual ";persons"- species.

Humans are the "floor." The basic. The not special. The things we are every day. The creatures that exist in the natural parameters of 3- 18 in their standard, normal, abilities.

They neither deserve nor need nor should have any bonuses to anything.

But why should humans be the baseline rather than Dwarfs or Orcs?
Other than author bias what is it that makes Humans so basic to reality that every species in the multiverse must be based on them?