D is for Demi-Humans

The original Kingdoms of Kalamar booklets, as well as the D&D3 Sourcebook, work elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings into the setting mostly by noting where they fit among the human population centers, but also giving elves and dwarves a few cities of their own and a couple of footnotes in history. Seriously, that's it. The most notable thing any demi-human has apparently ever done in the known history of the world is cursing the King of Brandobia with triplets so that they could squabble over daddy's empire, Charlemagne's-sons-style. Other than that, the entire emphasis on humanity.

The reason is pretty simple: KoK was originally conceived as a systemless setting, one that could be used for GURPS or Rolemaster or Tunnels & Trolls just as easily as AD&D. Each of those have their own takes on demi-human races, so why bog the setting down with AD&D's assumptions of mutli-classing vs. level limits?

Now later books, like the KoK Player's Handbook and some of the splatbooks, did contain more details--primarily in the form of a dozen sub-races for each of the playable races of D&D3. This, as with many of the 3e mutations of Kalamar, tended to erode the setting's uniqueness of being a realistic, rare-magic, humanocentric, yet (unlike Harn, which came with its own system) thoroughly D&Dish world with a minimum of canon to have to master. Indeed, when you've got a few dozen demi-human sub-races to choose from, each with its own description, culture, and perks, while human characters are just treated as the regular old baseline, you inevitably end up with a party of mostly non-humans.

B/X D&D largely averts that by having race-as-class and level limits. You don't end up with every halfling being a thief, nor every thief a halfling--that being such a common player choice that the Forgotten Realms portrayed halflings as a race of somewhat venial con-men while Dragonlance simply turned the race into the kleptomaniac kender.

Race-as-class, by limiting the selection of non-humans, shapes the game world towards humanity. Want to play a cleric or a thief? Then you'll have to play a human. Want to play a single-classed wizard? Human. Want to continue into high-level play? Human again. Indeed, the mere fact that there are four human classes to three demi-human classes in B/X means that you're going to end up with a party that is mostly human, which fits perfectly with the Kingdoms of Kalamar.

However, race-as-class does require some in-setting explanation for players who want to know why they can't play a dwarven fighter-cleric or whatever. So here's what I've derived out of my interpretations of both B/X and the Kalamar setting:

First, human history in Tellene--at least as known by those in the present--only goes back about a thousand years. Obviously, the world is far older than that, and there were many great empires by the Dejy, demi-humans, and even monsters that rose and fell on the mainland long before the rest of mankind emerged from Svimolz. The elves, dwarves, and halflings we see today lack the knowledge and might of their ancestors: An elf today is limited to the 10th level of experience due to the slow fading of his people, but the elflords of old knew no such constraints.

The present age is the age of Man because the humans are the chosen people of Law. This is why only humans can become clerics and why the human passion for taming the wilderness is without precedent in the history of Tellene. Even though halflings are nominally allied with Law and both dwarves and elves will sometimes ally with Law against pure Chaos, none of them had the passion for imposing order on the world or the blessing of the Saints of Law that humans have. Consequently, humans are presently the only race with no upper limit to their advancement (though 14th level is probably as high as the vast majority will ever go).

Nevertheless, humans share the world with many other races, including,

Dwarves (Adurek) aren't just short, bearded humans, but a race of fleshy earth elementals, much as described in the Dwimmermount campaign. I actually like the idea that "baby" dwarves are literally carved from stone and given life, but that particular detail may be nixed already by campaign canon--one of my players has a dwarf character who wears a wedding ring. While no details about his wife and children (if any) have yet emerged, this obviously mitigates the idea that dwarves have no real concept of gender. Nevertheless, I like the idea too much to let it go, so I may work it into the campaign at some point.

In any case, the dwarves of Tellene are deeply tied to earth and stone on an almost empathic level. They are often thought of as greedy, but what they are actually obsessed with is beauty that lasts. They love gold so much because unlike iron and steel, it never rusts, and unlike silver, it never tarnishes. They love gemstones for much the same reason. But they also love more base materials that others overlook. A dwarven clan that discovered a hill of solid granite lwould consider it a treasure beyond measure, and would spend a thousand years shaping it into a monument-city of such beauty as to make even a dull-hearted human weep. And if it were ever stolen from them, they would spend another thousand years and the blood of a hundred thousand dwarves to get it back and take vengeance on the thieves who stole it.

Any dwarf of name level may create magic items appropriate to their race: Weapons, armor, items of metal and stone.

The Elves (Lathlani) claim to be the eldest of the many races of Tellene. Even so, they are a fading people, withdrawing into increasingly shrinking forests and wilderlands as humankind continues to spread abroad. They do not rule great kingdoms as men do, but rather cities and strongholds of surpassing beauty. Most PC elves are Lathlani (High Elves) and have dark hair, pale skin, and light eyes. 

There are other sub-races of elves. Wood-elves (Aralarai) are a sub-race of the Lathlani. While rustic by the standards of their cousins, they still have some innate magical ability. The Doulathan, or grey elves, have hair of blonde, platinum blonde, or even white, and are, if possible, even more arrogant than their Lathlani cousins. There are also rumors of “wild elves” who live so deep in the forests that they have never met mortal men, and “shadow elves” who live deep beneath the earth and have never known the light of the moons. 

Elves are intrinsically magical and have a martial culture, so all elves are both fighters and magic-users (though in my home campaign, wood-elves are a combination of hunter and magic-user). Wood elves seldom bother with the heavy books that most elves and magic-users are known for; in each of their villages stands an irminsul into which is carved all of the spells known to that tribe. Any member of the tribe can study it to memorize their spells each day or before setting on a journey.

Halflings (Gurin) are found throughout Tellene, though they are more concentrated in the northern lands and cities. Some legends say that they once ruled a pleasant realm deep in the Wild Lands. Most peoples scoff at the idea; how could such a small and weak folk ever hold a land of their own? The Gurin themselves do not speak of the subject. They are treated as unwanted refugees by most other than the dwarves; sadly, the halfling love of open sky and rolling hills means that few would wish to settle in or near the high mountain holts the dwarves favor.

Halflings are indeed a stealthy folk, getting a +1 to all surprise checks and being able to move silently or hide in shadows as a thief of the same level. Despite these bonuses, prejudice against the Small Folk is such that few thieves guilds will admit them. No halfling may begin play as a thief—most simply lack the mechanical skill to open locks and disarm traps—but if they have at least a 16 Dexterity and can make contact with a thieves' guild willing to admit them, a halfling may be able to progress as a thief indefinitely.

Finally, thanks to their small size meaning they need less calories (though they are big eaters when they have the luxury) combined with their natural stealth and skill with missile weapons means that a halfling working alone or with other halflings gets a +1 to his chance of foraging and hunting.

I'll be the first to admit that my conception of the demi-human races was shaped first and foremost by The Lord of the Rings, but I do like adding elements of other sources as well. For example, the elves of my Tellene are not necessarily good, but like the faerie folk of Three Hearts and Three Lions, are a fey and dangerous people to mere mortals. Being neutral, they are just as often at war with human civilization as they are with the forces of Chaos.

The halflings I've come to love as a race. Unlike Middle-earth, where the Shire benefited from the guardianship of the rangers and a particularly powerful wizard, the halflings of Tellene have been left to their own devices, and long ago lost their own homeland. In many ways, I imagine them being like the Jews in Medieval Europe--suffered for a time when they are thought to be useful, but then expelled at the whim of future rulers. Consequently, the Shire-less Gurin are a tougher race than the Shire-folk--or perhaps reflect the innate toughness of Tolkien's little people in times of crisis.