Fantastic Races and Where to Find Them

[Amateur Hour]

The only position I have on this is not putting all the new, cool, interesting races in Andunor. I like to play Good characters, and making the majority of interesting races non-good only is just annoying.

[Rievetel]

I wouldn't mind a few exotic races added into the rotation, however the absurdity of overly crazy monster races and color seems too much for the setting of Arelith.

I would however like to see, as one or a few others mentioned, some additions to reward perks and a even a restructuring of "Noble" reward. Right now in the world Nobility itself doesn't seem to present itself very well in NPC interactions and honestly the limitations for housing equated to noble/landed noble status doesn't accommodate the quantity of individuals with the reward. The fact that that reward alone is a Minor Award seems far too generous when compared to the resources available to them. That said, some nifty little perk rewards that may perhaps expand on Minor Gifts could be a nice little bonus for low-tier rewards. A more controllable lycanthrope race for higher-tier. Maybe even a playable Myconid race and some clear differentiation between Seelie and Unseelie fey because right now they are clustered into one but they are really much more different from each other when the option for Evil Aligned fey is now an option. That's just a couple thoughts I had.

[silverpheonix]

The only position I have on this is not putting all the new, cool, interesting races in Andunor. I like to play Good characters, and making the majority of interesting races non-good only is just annoying.

Having some sketchy but tolerated-ish surface races would be neat.

[Babylon System is the Vampire]

I am personally not against a shift towards the fantastic, but I do think it is unrealistic to expect a high fantasy creature to be roleplayed in accordance with our expectation of how it should be represented.

Expectation is a strong word. You want Arelith to be a welcoming place to all skill levels, it's what makes the server what it is. That means that sometimes people get it wrong. Sometimes even the best players have weak spots with certain races. As a middling player I certainly have races I do better than others. Sometimes that leads to characters that are wrong. This is always going to be true no matter what direction in the road you take, less or more, ect.

But that shouldn't stop you from being what a better choice in word would have been, and that's aspirational. Being aspirational means you have some guard rails to preserve certain things that require a bit more knowledge to play, but it also shouldn't stop you from taking a chance on a player who is likely to go down in flames trying it out. People get better by doing after all. And as long as they understand that the server aspires to be at a certain level of roleplay, most will be more receptive to feedback if they are getting it wrong.

[Rubricae]

genie is already out of the bottle. limiting what people have only contributes to FOMO and people playing the so-called "forever-chars" instead of rolling them, esp. when you consider that some people have never, in all their years, gotten a greater or even a major. the award CD has only inflamed that feeling, too.

hearing the phrase "rotation" makes me think i should spend my current awards NOW rather than think a character through. this exact same thing happened when the giants got removed.

the real issue with the fantastical races is that they are, for lack of a more appropriate phrase, not "moderated" properly - inversely on the major-award side of things, some of them are so coveted that players who use those awards feel incentive to play "carefully" so as to keep their character in a playable state. fey'ri/vampires are a good example of this. (once you're outed you might as well call it quits.)

the team shouldn't worry about changing the scope of available award races until they decide how exactly they want these things to be integrated in the server in a way that doesn't (inevitably) get boiled down to race+ syndrome. (genasi, tieflings, etc.) they need to feel like their own "thing" before the racial bonuses figure into things. instilling culture in a race/area of any RP server is incredibly difficult, but if it can't be done, there's no point in having awards.

award races must be discrete beyond the stats they give.

time and time again, if you saw an earth genasi human, that's a weaponmaster. if you saw an air genasi elf? that's an arcane archer, probably shevarashi. earth genasi h-orc? that's a ranger weaponmaster. the stats pigeonhole the builds/characters, and the awards are frustrating to get, so people want to get the most "juice for their squeeze" instead of focusing on the character itself. that isn't a "bad" roleplayer problem, either.

and yeah, i realize it's incredibly difficult to moderate all the unique creatures running around when you've got a playerbase of 200ish people and maybe 20 staff on a good day, but changing what's available won't fix that. it doesn't matter if avariel and fey'ri are replaced with githzerai and githyanki if, say, the gith don't come in swinging hard as "WE ARE GITH. WE ARE DISTINCT FROM OTHER THINGS. FORGET MY +2 WILL, IM ALIEN."

i think this hits part of the issue's nail right on the head and then pulverises it, frankly

[Aluviya]

this server confuses me at times. drow who go onto the surface server to rp are under incredible scrutiny, yet fey, fey'ri, vampires, minotaurs, avariel, genasi, tieflings and god knows what else get free reign to just plod about as they please unchecked despite being incredibly difficult to rp correctly and rarer than drow in setting. either start cracking down on people not rping their award races correctly equally across the board, or be rid of it all and let us go back to the days of goblins in cordor. can't have both. give us beholders i say and go full goon mode or we go back to the days of every award pc being super rare and uncommon.

remove wild elf, aquatic elf, derro etc from awards btw. it's silly.

I pretty much agree with this as a newbie on the server. I also feel like this shouldn't be a decision based solely on what the majority wants because it's clear that adding new races isn't the real issue here—people will always be interested in more options to roll for, just for the sake of something new (as the statistics also prove). I don't think new racial options should come at the cost of an already delicate balance between races. To be honest, as someone who has been playing on the server for around a year, I'd rather see stricter balancing for existing classes, items, and available races rather than adding more into a system that is already inherently imbalanced. After all, even though this is an RP server, it's also a PvP server, so giving certain people a very powerful race, whether it's RP-compliant or not, doesn't seem like a valid perspective if it will disrupt the PvP balance.

From an RP perspective, I also see very little guidance on how players should "behave" as certain races, like Beholders, for example. There are certain times of the day when it feels like Adunor is filled more with monsters than with the actual inhabitants you'd expect in the Underdark. And this really feels quite odd to me being surrounded by giants and monsters (that should normally not even be able to pass the classic Int check to communicate)—or maybe it's just me.

[Spriggan Bride]

.

I am personally not against a shift towards the fantastic, but I do think it is unrealistic to expect a high fantasy creature to be roleplayed in accordance with our expectation of how it should be represented. A goofy acting human or halfling, I feel, is far less arresting than an illithid or mummy behaving the same way. If we do nudge open the flood gates, I think it important to first understand the likely ramifications for the server environment.

I do think there are players capable of RPing weird creatures the way they should be but the server just doesn’t and probably can’t support going that weird. You’d have to arrive as an epic character outfitted with appropriate gear and have an appropriate place to base yourself out of because even Anundor can’t easily support a mummy or illithid. It’s not players who can’t RP, it’s the mechanics of the game because we all have to do a lot of day to day stuff to level and maintain our characters and that stuff only supports normal fantasy races or slightly odder variations.

[Irongron]

I guess there is also an argument to be made that adventuring is about the relatively normal travelling to far off places and encountering the strange and the unusual.

The impact that might be had from a band of brave adventurers, wrapped in heavy cloaks, their broadswords hanginging from their sides, setting off from Skaljard to ascend Dun Torun, to the Cursed Glade, where such dark fey-folk dwell as have have stirred fear and wonder in the village folk for generations, is somewhat undercut if one of their party is a half-dragon fairy rainbow princess riding a unicorn.

As has been pointed out above, it also creates something of a double standard if players are then also expected to treat the underdark and denizens with trepidation.

[Spriggan Bride]

There's that, but there's also that most of all of our time in the game is spent leveling, crafting, gathering, going to meetings or socializing in a city or faction... It doesn't matter if you're in Skal, Cordor, Brog or Anundor, it's all pretty similar experience and it's entirely catered towards standard races with some odd subraces of those or creatures who can pose as them. Or in Anundor, certain humanoids who are social enough to fit into a society that traditionally allows some goblins and kobolds such, but even then you can only get so far removed.

I don't see how you start as a level 3 mummy or beholder and do writs and get a bank account and hang around chatting and all these banal things and still hold on to what makes you so far removed from human or near-human. I think that's why we ask why all these weird exotic races don't act like weird exotic races... It's tough to do so with the avenues to build and maintain and socialize a character that we have. So we end up with these characters who act like they may as well be a standard race 90% of the time and only have occasional opportunities to let their freak flag fly.

[JelliedJoseph]

From an RP perspective, I also see very little guidance on how players should "behave" as certain races, like Beholders, for example. There are certain times of the day when it feels like Adunor is filled more with monsters than with the actual inhabitants you'd expect in the Underdark. And this really feels quite odd to me being surrounded by giants and monsters (that should normally not even be able to pass the classic Int check to communicate)—or maybe it's just me.

But the actual inhabitants you'd expect from the Underdark are monsters. This includes ogres (the 2e sourcebook for Skullport, which Andunor is based on, include well-dressed and bathed ogre bouncers) and even more outlandish things.

As for whether or not it ruins the magic of the setting: modifying the scenario of adventurers with heavy cloaks and broadswords delving into the fantastical, why shouldn't they have met a half-dragon fairy rainbow princess, who travelled from the realm of good Fey and is offering her support them in their delve into the den of evil? One who decides to stay for a while, help others and do some good in this strange new land?

Plenty of adventures stories include allies that are strange and exotic, a gith pirate crashlanding in Skal is outlandish but as long as we keep in mind the pastiche and weird fantasy pedigree of settings like the Forgotten Realms, I think it can serve to enchance the magic of the setting and players can have plenty of fun with it. I know I would.

And the setting is very strange. To prove my point, here are some NPCs from Waterdeep from Volo's Guide to Waterdeep

Additionally: these races are meant to be roleplayed by DMs - they are thus not meant to be impossible to roleplay. Perhaps mummies and beholders are a step too far (personally I would love a beholder just living their "normal" life in Andunor, I'm sure in sourcebooks exactly such things happen, given that a lot of the inspiration for D&D races seems to be "What if these mythological creatures had societies where they lived their lives?")

I also wanted to mention that players on Arelith fulfill the dual role of usual adventurer PCs and set-dressing NPCs, so they are a part of the world. And I was going to argue that since they are a part of the world, that they can afford to be a bit stranger. I also wanted to add some softening of my message to say that Arelith is its own setting that doesn't need to follow Forgotten Realms, but I think I spent too much time on this post as is.

Basically I just like the strange and an opportunity to interact with the strange in real-time.

[Irongron]

I also wanted to mention that players on Arelith fulfill the dual role of usual adventurer PCs and set-dressing NPCs, so they are a part of the world. And I was going to argue that since they are a part of the world, that they can afford to be a bit stranger.

This is a great point, I feel.

[chris a gogo]

Being an old(er) role player, I much prefer the more gritty feeling of 90's D&D.
I think anything that looks even vaguely monstrous should be chassed out of town with torches and pitchforks.

That said I don't mind the current numbers of award races, wouldn't want the more outlandish things, and but I do like it when players play a truly alien race well.

[Security_Blanket]

I'm personally not a fan of all the subraces and just how common it's becoming to see winged character running around. It does nothing for me honestly, I have always and shall always play a human. I like the interactions I have with dwarves, elves, halflings, half-orcs, and yes, even gnomes. I think some of the monster races have been a great addition, like orcs, gnolls, and drow that breath life into the Underdark (not as big a fan of level 30 goblins and kobolds). Beyond that though, I'd be just fine if the rest of them just disappeared.

Less is more, to me, playing an exotic race is more of a crutch, because I think this way I have the freedom to spend my awards on my lame, no wings, no tail, no extra language, humans. I can even throw a human-supremacist angle in my RP "Skyrim is for the Nords!"

When you guys added Favored Soul I was afraid you'd be adding the wings, I'm so glad you guys didn't, this coming from someone who's favorite character was a Favored Soul. That's just my thought and it seems to not be the majority based on the poll.

[LasharaDyran]

I completely agree with the people who have argued against rotation because it creates a FOMO and forever characters.
I'm in favour of MORE flavour, more varity of races, without rotation or application or even locked beyond awards.
I think it's telling that in spite of the award races and even all the options that exist even without awards, humans are by far the most common race on the server. I suspect (hope) that people are using fantastic races when it makes their story arc more interesting. I think humans have a mechanical advantage build-wise, and I hope it stay that way, even if Dragons come back.

I also think more diversity in race options and reduced 'gating' will help ease the problem of over-representation of any individual "flavour" race in the same way that you are less like to roll a 1 on a d20 than a d6. Giving people more options will result in less of them choosing the same option, and so that Aarakocra you bumped into in the Lotus will be more unique in a world that also has Tabaxi, Dragons, Yuan-Ti, Dhampirs and Centaurs, than it would be if you open a window for the Aarakocra race and 25 people trip over themselves trying to create a character before the class option goes away unannounced.

(As an aside, if any of the devs out there want to create a sentient weapon playable race that falls to the ground if the character "carrying" them logs out (like a corpse does) and can teleport itself on a cooldown so that it doesn't get left somewhere off the beaten path........please DM me because this has been on my 5% dreams list for years).

[Irongron]

That's just my thought and it seems to not be the majority based on the poll.

I'm in a similar position, and can relate to both your post, and that if Chris above, but I asked if Twohand wanted to make this poll, as I rather expected the results we are seeing; as I said above - this is 2024 after all.

There was a time, maybe a decade ago when I was more determined that Arelith stick to my own vision, one which I laid out in the settlements and areas I was making - tranquil riverbanks, the 'new' Cordor and even the Shadow Plane, Andunor, Guldorand and the Twilight Grove - these were grounded locations, that fit to my own understanding of what the Forgotten Realms is.

It certainly would have barely crossed my mind to make locations as fantastical as the Dis Concourse, or even Jotunhold as anything other than dungeons, but neither was I blind to just what a blast of fresh air they were in a setting that was increasingly being defined solely by myself.

An expanded team, with creatives being given far more freedom to put their stamp on the server, I am aware that so many of our players have moved with them. I don't want to be some weird old dude insisting thousands of strangers play exactly as I was 20 years ago because we somehow knew better then.

While I'm certainly not relinquishing control, or putting development down to majority rule, I am heavily inclined to respect the wishes of our playerbase in expressing the kind of game they want to be playing here. Beholders and dragons will almost certainly remain a step too far for me, but giant-born, satyrs, dryads and other strangeness? I'm willing.

[MrHishprung]

So I'm going to give my 5 cents into the discussion. Many of it will be controversial and likely never implemented, but still it's something.

So the highest reward I've spent with my ~ 5-6k hours on Arelith (from 7555h total) was a greater reward. Never had a major and it's really disheartening for me at times to see people playing some exotic characters because they had enough luck that they hit 5-10% for the reward. Im one of those more conscious players and wage my time is put into things vs reward i get, and the current reward gaining system doesn't come close to the line i would be willing to sacrifice with all the RP expectations towards me and all cooldowns for the reward (even if i rolled maybe 1-2 characters 26+ in entire playtime) to try again. I'm also a guy who gets quite attached to my main characters and thought that I will never be able to play as one is worth above any reward a Team would offer to me (I'd rather not play Arelith at all if I was forced to roll them).
I will gladly see the point system implemented, but also expanded into a "mix and match" system as well. If we're going to introduce more exotic races into the mix then it would be nice to not be forced into "one reward per character" even if you need DM approval for it.

I like to play characters that have some challenge to overcome, usually societal, like trying to live among people you're not welcome to because of the race or your skills. I did that few times, required a long time and the right people but I did it 2 out of 3 times. The last one failed because currently rules disallow the whole concept no matter the circumstance.
Eliath - Jergalite necromancer? Had a few falls (and monetary fines) but in the end I managed to convince people of "old" Guldorand and even Radiat Heard knights that if he's pulling his undead card then it's for people's good. It took me about half a year to manage that and hearing "Eliath is necromancer-animator, but I vouch for his willingness to sacrifice for the good of people" from a high ranked knight was a grand surprise and put a smile on my face for a week.
Xyrmoira "Ghost" - fallen elf in UD, gave me a few weeks of very hard time especially after trying to live in Andunor on my own without collar similarly to other now legendary fallen elf Duvain, it had few ups and lot of downs but when i had room and people willing to keep her close was fun moments. Her enslavement under the Temple of Dark Seldarine was an awesome time, but sadly UMD change culled the majority of the Temple community at that time.
My good drow Esta's campaign sadly failed, having to start from scratch about 3 times each attempt taking a month and all of them failed, either by pesky archer elves or current rules. Feeling unfulfilled i left the Arelith for about 1,5 year

But back to the topic of the discussion, and what I personally dream to play as, and would put a really ton of effort into playing them right.

1. As mentioned above - good moonie drow living in surface settlement. As I imagine it, it shouldn't be an easy and short campaign to achieve, and would require a lot of cooperation between me, the DM Team (for the matters of how it goes, NPC relations/reactions etc.) and the settlement government. A number of stages could be agreed on starting from being tolerated on the territory of said settlement, being allowed to enter it for minor stuff under supervision, stay in it and ending on being an accepted member of the settlement's community. Lots of RP, lots of player involvement and a ton of RP hooks for the DM to exploit to further the story of my character and others as well.
2. Death Knight - non-evil undead raised for unknown reason by an divine entity looking into a way to redeem itself by aiding the living OR a servant of Jergal willing to continue its service as scrivener beyond to mortal time. There is even a 2e reference of existence of such character https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Miltiades
3. Obsidian Dragon or dragon blooded drowess - a member of the house that needs to fight its draconic urges. Can be done with any type of evil-dragon but I like obsidian type so yea Compared to two before this one is quite tame, but 5% is a grand barrier for me.

So yea, im for giving players some exotic opportunities to play but having spent a few hours on Amia i don't want to see that big level of "do what you want". After seeing a drow with tail, horns and wings going on the surface as it wants I never returned there.
I like playing unusual characters but even I have some standards.

[Royal Blood]

There's a lot of good opinions here. I think my vibe is like

1: I feel like my overall opinion is we're slipping a tad too far over the line of unique. I guess my annoyance with that is when we have such a big abundance of unique races, they stop being unique. The characteristics that would usually create a defining role play / Narrative moment are glassed over because there's a dozen other characters with wings, or some other feature.

I think it's important to allow for creative outlets, but how do we balance it? I am worried that if we go -too- far the reason to play a unique race is reduced to simply catering a visual niche and not actually adding any narrative value.

2: I've been ehh, about the reward system in the past. But i've been here for like idk more than 5yrs at this point and I've never seen something beyond a normal reward. I'm not like a level-and-dump kinda player either but I would -like- to explore some more unique races but don't get the chance.

3: I think we should continue to do applications for unique races. I think these are valuable for all writers because getting feed back on a concept can help make it more fulfilling or allow us to consider something we had not. I also think it's important because it helps keep everyone in the same 'realm' of play to a degree. We can understand each other because we're all playing from the same like rule book and the DM's help maintain that.

[Babylon System is the Vampire]

That's just my thought and it seems to not be the majority based on the poll.

An expanded team, with creatives being given far more freedom to put their stamp on the server, I am aware that so many of our players have moved with them. I don't want to be some weird old dude insisting thousands of strangers play exactly as I was 20 years ago because we somehow knew better then.

I can't save you from being a weird old dude, we all get there sooner or later. I've been here for years. But one of the great things arelith has going for it that isn't tapped into enough is that with all the settlements and pure size you can have all the worlds at once. You can have the city where everyone is free to be and the city where the pitchforks come out at the first sign of horns. And after some growing pains it might even become a good source of conflict for years to come.

[Xkallubar]

I'd love a surface monster town. Bonus points if it's somehow connected to Andunor so the monster playerbase isn't split apart. If we don't get a surface monster town, monsters that are actually from the surface such as goblinoids, ogres, etc., are still gonna be stuck down in the UD for the most part, and having EVERY new monster race thrown down to Andunor just because it's a monster is really lame.

Give us a surface goblin town or something where goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and even Ogres can start at!

(Speaking of Ogres, please make Ogres no longer locked behind rewards, I want to play as an Ogre!)

[The GrumpyCat]

I firmly believe two facts are true

1) People tend to like playing unique races. People like having unqiue appearences, new rp hooks, ect. This is somewhat shown in the poll.

2) The vast majority of our players want to play on the surface. This isn't to take away the awsomeness of the underdark, and certainly a lot of people want to play there too- more than enough to deserver a lot of support! But the majority I'd say... just looking at numbers on the various servers... prefer the surface. Besides, we regularly see comments like 'why isn't there a Kobold/Drow/Underdarker settlment on the surface!' I can't ever recall seeing a serious request of 'Why can't there be an elven/dwarven/human settlment in the underdark?'

3) This is a game. People play to have fun. It's difficult to force people to do something they do NOT consider fun. They will, when they can, try for the fun option more often than not, or lean towards it anyway. This isn't a hard rule, of course. But it's a rule with some truth in it.

With these three things in mind, I posit that:

Already too much: I miss when Arelith had fewer planetouched and other colorful races around. I want less of them, not more.

Is not really possible... certainly not in the short term, and maybe not in the long term.

Ok, so lets say the Devs took an absolutly nuclear option and decided to remove ALL award races. All of them. No one can ever make an award race again.

Well, that's nice but people have lots of these special races currently being played, also played in their vault. How are you going to stop them from playing these grandfathered races- short of forced character deletions? I know it'd make me even less willing to consider deleting any of my special characters!

I think that decision is going to be vastgly unpopular.

There were suggestions, at one time, of making it so you couldn't roll for characters, unless you deleted existing special ones - or some such. But frankly, again - unless you're offering some really neat stuff for the awards, I'd personally, unless I had a truly awsome concept in my head, or the options were spectacularly good - I'd be inclined just to sit on the awsome characters I had.

The djini bottle is open.

I think honestly the issue was never that there were 'so many unique races' but rather that awards are just so, so much easier to get now compared to ten years ago. At one point you could probably literally grind out a normal award per week at the least.

People want to play the unique looking races

People want to play on the surface

So whilst they CAN play such races, they will.

The only way to stop them is to delete vaults.

If we delete vaults, then I think people will be really, really, really upset. I know I would.

For my postion, i perosnally am happy with the current amount of special races. I wouldn't mind a few more being added, but I won't distraught if they arn't. I absolutly like the idea of more none-racial awards being added- especially at the 'minor' and 'normal' level of award. I think that'd be a fantastic idea, and would definatly help with slightly less of a 'zoo' (carrot is better than stick)

My only other super strong feeling is that I don't want to see racial awards being limited to the underdark. Look: The underdark is cool. It is. I'm not against it. I think it deserves some support. But you can't FORCE people to play down there, at least not the way you want them to play.
If you force award races into the underdark, one of two things will be the likely outcome.
1) Most likely people just won't use or care about awards
2) People will use the award, play the race- but play it as they want.... which might not suit the setting.

So yes, I'd implore the staff not to make award races purely underdark. I know it'd put me off tremendously.

EDIT

Just to backup my points, take a look at the latest race counts.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5956&p=342772#p342772

Grrodd and Snow Goblins are minor/normal awards
Half Giants were on the greater/major tier by contrast (as I recall)

Dragons have been discontinued for years now.

But this graph clearly shows:

Only 16 Grodd/snow goblins
But 22 Half giants

And still 2 Dragons.

I think those numbers prove my points well enough.

[Kalthariam]

Half the Races forced into the under dark are not even races that generally are seen in the under dark.

I still don't understand why this is a thing, it shouldn't be a thing. There's so many examples of these "Underdark" races having established footholds on the surface and have writs dedicated to them, but nope. To the underdark with you if you are a "Monsterous" race.

Frankly it's always been my biggest gripe about Arelith. Actual Banites can live on the surface have their own area, and be able to do openly Banite-y and evil shit (Literally what? Three four transitions from the major paladin area? Guess being near each other isn't a problem) However, if you want to play something like a Thayvian Gnoll? Which is super lore canon? Nope, you don't get to be in Thayvian Places, you have to go to the underdark. Because you're a "Monsterous" race and therefore must be quarantined to the underdark.

[Ufired]

How about minor rewards for different human cultures?

For example

Illuskans - + sail bonuses

Chultans - + animal empathy nature stuff

Uthgardt - + str

Cormyr + charisma

Calishites or shou - + dex

Tuigan - + combat riding + ride stuff

you can limit human skin tones and heads according to their respective cultures

stuff like that

[Security_Blanket]

That's just my thought and it seems to not be the majority based on the poll.

I'm in a similar position, and can relate to both your post, and that if Chris above, but I asked if Twohand wanted to make this poll, as I rather expected the results we are seeing; as I said above - this is 2024 after all.

Just because something is up to date doesn't make it better, maybe we are right and things were better back in our day. I know I would trade 2024 for the 1990s in a heartbeat.

There was a server that recently popped up after a lot of hype but then went offline again. It was damn near impossible to login because it was always full, it had a lot of emphasis on RP, it was a low magic server where magic where you could only level to level 18. So don't believe for a second that there isn't a longing for something more down to earth, maybe it's not represented in this poll but I truly believe that if you build it they will come.

Already too much: I miss when Arelith had fewer planetouched and other colorful races around. I want less of them, not more.

Is not really possible...

Ok, so lets say the Devs took an absolutly nuclear option and decided to remove ALL award races. All of them. No one can ever make an award race again.

. . How are you going to stop them from playing these grandfathered races- short of forced character deletions? I know it'd make me even less willing to consider deleting any of my special characters!

I think that decision is going to be vastly unpopular.

The only way to stop them is to delete vaults.

If we delete vaults, then I think people will be really, really, really upset. I know I would.

I see a lot of this "reasoning" that an something shouldn't get done because people will get upset, even if it would be a welcome change in the end to a problem that has run amuck. I think Arelith has a few of them and could in fact be fixed if some hard stances were taken, if a sweeping deletion of items available in the loot bin and toning down the crafted item properties, deleting characters in every single vault, since it also wipes out all the gold floating around. If the issue is the backlash of upset players, I would use the Hegelian dialectic on the playerbase. "Oh no, someone stole my computer, and my backups, I lost the playervault, we may as well use this opportunity to our benefit" It's a good thing I'm not calling the shots then because I'd do it.

People will be upset, but they'll get over it, it is a game, and the mere fact that people are so damn attached to their character that they'll freak out if they lose it is all the more reason to me to give them a reality check.

If you force award races into the underdark, one of two things will be the likely outcome.
1) Most likely people just won't use or care about awards

I don't see that as an issue, there are other things you can spend awards on. I think these special award races that live on the surface have likely given people more reason to play on the surface. I think there shouldn't be any award races, just the base underdark and the surface races. You can still have subraces of dwarves, elves, and so on, but you don't need planetouched, gloomings, and the like.

TL;DR
Go nuclear if you build it, they will come.

[Eyeliner]

I'd personally like to see more boons to standard races as rewards, and even stat templates that let you be the one halfling who was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger to let people who want that extra strength take that instead of playing a genasi who isn't a genasi to get it. I mean I know awards aren't supposed to be for power but that influences a lot of the choices so maybe just let people spend a greater on a +2 str/-2 wisdom and charisma template, and at least that will mean one less rare race who was only played for the stat.

But I'd also say there's room for weirdness, maybe it just needs to be quarantined more, like make the Shadow Plane a starting area for odd and planar races (and others who choose it) and set up some starter quests in the city and Shadow Wharftown. Or could be Dis, or I'd really love to see some version of Sigil. But the biggest problem is dumping them in Cordor, I think... I don't sense most players want Cordor to be a city full of exotics. Or maybe just make Skal and Anundor the only starting options for certain races.

[Kalthariam]

Vault nuking should never be remotely considered.

It's a complete disregard of the time people have spent on the game, and what they have accomplished.

Even if you don't like the fact they have things you do not.