RACE RELATIONS

The definitions in the Dungeon Master’s Guide that defi ne the amount of racial mixture in a city—isolated, mixed, or integrated—present the percentages but not the whole story. An important question is how the races relate to each other, and particularly how the members of the dominant race (generally the largest group) relate to the other races in the city. The district types (see Chapter 1), by including dwarf, elf, gnome, and halfl ing neighborhoods, assume a fairly integrated society, in which members of all the races retain their own customs while being equal citizens of the city. The goblinoid ghetto district could follow the same model, or—true to its name—it could imply a situation where the goblinoids are an isolated and somewhat persecuted minority within the city. Consider the following models when defining the roles of the races in your city and their relations.

Assimilation: One race has been completely assimilated into another. Its members share neighborhoods, customs, clothing, mannerisms, and language with the members of the dominant race. The assimilated race’s cultural traditions are all but forgotten. Racial prejudice, if it exists at all, is minimal, since even members of the dominant race tend to see the assimilated ones as just like them.

Ghetto: Members of one race are confined to certain city neighborhoods or outlying reservations within the territory of the other race. Very little interaction occurs between the two races, which at least allows the lesser race to maintain much of its culture and traditions, as well as a certain degree of autonomy. The ghetto is governed from within, though its members are subject to the laws of the nation they reside in. They might leave the ghetto areas, at least temporarily, but usually are required to carry legal papers and must return to the ghetto by nightfall.

Integration: Members of both races are equal citizens of a single nation, while retaining their own customs, traditions, and even languages (though a common tongue makes trade and other interactions possible). Neither law nor common practice gives preference to either race.

Slavery: The members of one race or culture are enslaved by the other, probably as the result of war or colonization. Slavery has a profound and far-reaching infl uence on the culture of the enslaved: where that race’s cultural traditions survive, they are usually practiced in secret since they are most likely prohibited by the enslaving culture, and they often undergo signifi cant transformations under the infl uence of the dominant culture. It is possible, as in ancient Rome, for individual slaves to rise to positions of power and infl uence, but most slaves live in impoverished and dehumanizing conditions. The institution of slavery should always be regarded as an evil by any good-aligned characters in a campaign.

Underclass: The members of one race form a separate and very unequal social class in the dominant society. They might be freed slaves or the remnant of a conquered nation, and their status in the society remains second-class at best. Little or no opportunity for advancement is afforded to the members of the underclass, and personal prejudice against them is deeply ingrained in the dominant society. Acts of violence or mob “justice” against members of the underclass are not uncommon. The native culture of the oppressed race is viewed with scorn by the dominant race.

RACIAL CONFLICT

In some cities, racial interaction is not harmonious. One city might welcome all the standard races, but treat its small goblinoid population as slaves. Another treats most of the standard races as equals, while persecuting those of mixed heritage such as half-elves and half-orcs. A third might be dominated by humans and elves, who treat dwarves as second-class citizens and heavy laborers, while a fourth is so thoroughly human-dominated that all other races are relegated to poverty and underrepresentation in the government.

On a societal level, a persecuted race normally dwells in race-specifi c districts or ghettos, most of which are quite impoverished. They cannot hold government positions and might be forbidden to serve in the military. In extreme cases, they cannot own property and are permitted to work only the most menial of jobs. These slums have a high crime rate, both because they are full of desperate people, and because the city guard rarely worries about patrolling them (except possibly to watch for signs of social unrest). PCs and adventurers of these persecuted races face overt hostility or at least condescension, and must prove themselves many times over before they earn even half the respect granted to others of their abilities. In some cases, merely owning a weapon or knowing how to cast spells might mark them as criminals.

Sometimes, when conditions grow too difficult to endure, a racial uprising results. In most instances, these revolts are swiftly put down by the better equipped and better trained militia, but if the persecuted population is large enough, or if they have other citizens on their side, they might succeed in actually overthrowing the government, or at least forcing change.

PCs might take it upon themselves to protect the persecuted races from crime and monsters, since the watch will not do so. They might supply the poor districts with goods that those districts cannot legally acquire. They might even take on the city, protecting the persecuted from abuse or attempting to change the legal and cultural status quo.

Racial conflict can be a very sensitive subject. Prejudice is all too common in the real world, and some players prefer that it not rear its head in their games. The DM should be aware of his players’ comfort levels and avoid dealing with racial confl ict if it appears to be making any of them uncomfortable.

If a city officially and legally persecutes specific citizens, reduce its law rank by 2, and penalize any legal rolls involving members of that race by 4. If the city does not formally condone persecution, but informally allows it, reduce the law rank by 1, and penalize rolls by 2. Most cities that formally oppress one or more races are lawful, while those who informally allow such persecution tend to be chaotic. No good society permits this sort of racial persecution.