Those are really different things though. A wizard truly can do things that your regular, somewhat smart book-reader can't, like casting spells. What can my D&D orc or half-orc do that your typical big, brutal guy can't? See well in the dark? Be shunned by society? Have a bite attack?vagrant wrote:Maybe for the same reason they want to play a wizard in a fantasy world instead of a guy who is somewhat smart and reads books a lot? Who cares, it's their fantasy.
It's not a rhetorical question, I'm genuinely curious as to why 'being an orc' feels so substantially different to 'being a big, ugly bruiser' that it's important to provide the option. Same goes for elves and whatnot. I've just never understood the appeal. I mean, is it just aesthetics? The physological differences are negligible, as are the mechanical differences in most flavors of D&D.