If the current DDO Manual is any insight the next 2 races after half-orc will be...

[ghettoGenius]

I'm taking note of all the people bashing half-elf now and will be spamming PMs of laughter and ridicule once they are seen in game with said race lol. Seriously, didn't your mom teach you to never judge a book by it's cover? Watch it come with enhancements that push it beyond what is currently capable in terms of character generation and open up a whole new series of powerful builds that everyone flocks to like bees to honey!

As far as I'm concerned, after 4 years, anything new is good by default.

[Entelech]

I'd bet that Gnomes are next on the list for implementation after Update 7. House Sivis, the Gnomes bearing the Dragonmark of Scribing, is the last of the Dragonmarked races to lack representation in DDO.

Heaven only knows what they're going to do for that Dragonmark though, since House Sivis specializes in languages and documents.

Need a telegram sent? Need some ancient inscription translated? Need an interpreter to talk to the local Drow tribe? Need the quivalent of a Notary Public to witness a contract? House Sivis has it covered. And NONE of that is relevant to DDO.


I'd guess Tieflings and Kalashtar and Shifters are even lower on the list than those.

- Without Psionics, Kalashtar are exactly the same as humans. Why bother until we have the Psion class?

- Shifters are simply a nightmare to build all the models for. You *know* there will be a bitter and bloody flamewar between the various "furverts" as to whether the Cat Shifters, the Wolf Shifters, and the Gerbil Shifters should all have the same /dance emote.

- Tieflings didn't really even exist in Eberron lore until 4th Edition. And if anyone even breathes a whisper of 4e in DDO, Atari's lawyers will be all over us like a second-hand suit.

[William_the_Bat]

Gnomes are considered "core". They're really the only ones left to sorta have the old-school set complete.

So yeah, we know they're coming sooner or later.

But, much like half-elves, there's really nothing super cool about them that makes everyone want to be one... at least until people see the enhancement lines and everyone realizes they want to roll up an illusionist. They'll throw in "weird" and maybe some limited "phantasmal forces" (with a selection of effects) and a few other things to make illusion worthwhile beyond hypnotic pattern and PK and yeah, people will want to roll a gnome.

Oh yeah, see the thread about half-elves and intimidate if you don't think people are going to roll them.

But tieflings are just so cool that all the fanboys will want one as soon as they come out. They will all be chaotic "neutral" (no evil in DDO) and half of them will go around for the first week attempting to grief their own pugs in some attempt to "rollplay evil"

Kobolds, though... now that has potential. Throw in a shaman PRE, another PRE for trapmakers who throw bombs, and a really cool dance and you have pure win. Of course if they still seem too wimpy (they are small, after all) maybe they get mobility for free (think "shifty" from 4e) and everyone who wants spring attack for tempest or just because it's awesome will roll one.

[Mr_Ed7]

But tieflings are just so cool that all the fanboys will want one as soon as they come out. They will all be chaotic "neutral" (no evil in DDO) and half of them will go around for the first week attempting to grief their own pugs in some attempt to "rollplay evil"

Perhaps just offer the choice of "evil" to add more flavor and options to characters?

Being evil does not mean you have to grief you party members.

[t0r012]

I'm all for kobolds so long as I get to hop backwards up walls like those frakin' shaman in the harbor.
it would actually make ranged useful no need to kite just hop back perch and shoot. grab a good reflex save and evasion/improved evasion and viola darn near invincible.
still take you 6 years to kill anything but we have nothing but time to waste.

[Entelech]

Mr_Ed7 is correct in observing that "just because you're evil and roleplay it, you do not HAVE to be a jerk or griefer to other PC's."

In fact, all but the most crazed evil people are generally quite careful to treat their allies with respect. After all, if you turn your allies into enemies, it's bad for your own survival.

For example, consider the Showtime TV series Dexter, or the rl politician Hillary Clinton. Both are dangerous Lawful Evil sociopaths that nonetheless manage to work well with others.

Unfortunately, the AD&D alignment system is vague, subjective, and generally useless. So much so, in fact, that some could argue that an evil character HAS to be disruptive as a party member or he's not truly evil. Others could make the case that Dexter is Lawful Good and would make a rocking Half Elf Paladin/Rogue Inquisitive of House Medani.

Regardless of which alignment you pick in the dropdown menu at character creation, you do not have a right to be a griefer or to treat other PLAYERS badly and ruin their fun, any more than they have a right to grief you.

The alignment system does not change that.

[William_the_Bat]

That's why they are -chaotic- evil, silly.

And trying to compare RL people with the DnD alignment system is tricky.

Hitler was evil, sure. Is the Paladin who slaughters the orc village good or evil? It's the Paladin way to smite evil, sure, but a -really- good Paladin would live among them and convert them to the ways of good. (I imagine he'd have to be super-tough to avoid assassination)

Oh man, I think I have an awesome idea for a PnP campaign now.

But I digress, given the choice between "evil" and "stupid" I usually assume someone is the later.

[Entelech]

Sigh.

Chaotic alignments are not necessarily disruptive to parties either. The problem is that Law, Chaos, Good and Evil are defined very abstractly in the rules, and there's no obvious link between alignment and behavior.

Got problems with an authority figure?

That could be lawful Good if you believe the authority figure is unjust.

That could be Chaotic Good if you feel that the authority figure is a big downer and can't we all just get along?

That could be Lawful Evil if you think the authority figure is incompetent and wish to replace him with someone you like better...like maybe yourself.

That could be Chaotic Evil if you like gibbering over in the corner and consider bunny slippers and a bloody knife to be a hip fashion statement.


When roleplaying a character, I find it far more useful to figure out his (or her, although as a male I find roleplaying female characters more difficult to do well) attitudes, beliefs, and goals, then write True Neutral on the character sheet and proceed to gleefully ignore the whole clunky alignment system.

And, interestingly, the designers for 4e seem to agree with me.

[Entelech]

Or, for instance, Create Undead is considered an "EEEEEEVIL!!!111oneoneone" spell according to the rules.

Yet the Elves of Aerenal have based their entire society and religion around the use of this very spell, and they have been happy, benevolent, and stable for longer than any other bipedal civilization on Eberron.

Somehow, I have a hard time labeling the Priests of the Transition as Evil.

[TiranBlade]

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!!! What does this button do?!?!"
-Dee Dee(C/E), Dexter's Laboratory

Never take her into a trap infested dungeon......
......Nuff Said.

[LordPiglet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqFPujRZWo

Only thing I agree with 4th Ed, Gnomes should be monsters....nasty little things

yeah, but if gnomes come out, I'd have a hard time not rolling up a perma-lowbie gnome barbarian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KqjOGdOMtA

[Emili]

Gnome mechanic

Gnome Illusionist

Gno commercials, Gnomercy!!!

Gnome Alaska?

[ryingar]

Gnome Alaska?

Please Gnome more jokes

[Emili]

Please Gnome more jokes

Oh I was just wondering where his mechanic, illusionist and such were from and we know all elves come from here.