Humans

It seems in the early days of the game, it was presumed your human would be of a medieval European style background.  Little detail was put into describing humans, unless it revolved around your social standing.  As various settings got published, any number of human cultures. In most cases, they seem to match some real world culture with the serial numbers filed off.

For my generic D&D world, I do like to have a base human (as represented by the system’s given core rules) and then some regional benefits. In the interest of keeping options open, I shy away from specific cultural associations and instead lean towards generic descriptors, examples below:

• Humans are ubiquitous throughout the lands.
• Humans are often viewed with mistrust by other races, however they tend to be distrusted "equally" among the lands, including by other humans.
  
• Human kind have spread for ages, meaning folk of all appearances can be found in enclaves in any given region.
• Most humans are seen as adults when they move out from under their parents roof, often by their mid teens.
• Humans speak a regional tongue common to most folk of the area, and some may speak a pigeon trade language or the languages of other nearby folk.
• The further one gets from population centers, settlements become increasing agrarian and simple. Human cities operate at an almost an early renascence level of technology, wherein sorcery is the logic and science of the land. Outlying regions can be near antediluvian is daily life.
• Depending on upbringing, Humans can have additional traits (rule information modified to fit your system)
  
• Common: Nothing particular, you have the typical game stats and languages for humans.
• Cosmopolitan: You hail from an area where cultural exchange is the norm, allowing you a chance to communicate with creatures despite language differences and gain a bonus to social interactions when you do share a language.
• Hill Folk: You gain a bonus to climbing and leaping.
• Northmen: You can travel across and survive the snow and ice with no penalty
• Dune Dweller:You gain a bonus to survive hot and dry climates, ignoring heat that would hobble others.
  
• Forrest Runner: You can always find food and water for 1d4 creatures in woodlands.
• Horse Lord: You have a bonus to ride and handle horses and similar mounts.
• Sea Dog: Bonus to swimming, seamanship, and ocean survival.
  
• Outlander: You have a skill or talent that is un-heard in the region, but you do not initially speak the common tongue.
• Noble: Double your starting money and gain a bonus to social interactions among the upper crust.

Halflings

In many ways, figuring out what a base D&D Halfling means to me was more difficult than for Elves.  Whereas Elves have a multitude of interpretations and aspects, Halflings have almost none.  You have Hobbits, Kender, and Athasian Cannibals/or other "Extreme" interpretations. 3e did away with the three distinct subgroups (tallfellow, stout, hairfoots) which I think is a shame as it gave something special to them as a race choice.  It was an understandable choice since it was tied to a percentile roll.

Baseline Halflings:

• The origins of Halflings, Hobbits in their own language, has been lost along with many aspects of their history, culture, and language.
• Halflings can be found throughout the realms, typically in proximity to other groups.  Much like humans their appearance and traits vary depending on the region.
• Their lifespans and aging a similar to humans, but they tend to be more spry in their older years.
  
• There are a small number of Hobbit lands, usually in out of the way area.  In these places more traditional (if not original) Hobbit lifestyles are prevalent.  Their relative isolation has given rise to distinct family traits among the inhabitants. 
• In areas where other cultures have overtaken the lands, Halflings generally adapt to the local customs.
• While they don't tend to form their own neighborhoods or enclaves in these cases, they do group along extended family lines.
  
• The Hobbit mind tends to be averse to complexity.  They enjoy simple work, and comforts, working to get things "just so"
  
• The Hobbit language has generally been reduced to a few words and colloquialism mixed into the common tongue.  Even within Hobbit lands, it is reduced to academic or ceremonial use.  Many Halflings don't even know it anymore, instead speaking the languages of other nearby cultures.
  
• Re-discovery of their shared culture is often a driver for adventuring Hobbits.

So there you have it.  Turning the fact that there is so little exploration of Halflings, and that no one ever takes Halfling as a language into their Culture.

Dwarfs

 Dwarfs (or Dwarves) are an easier fit than Elves.  They have been portrayed fairly consistently across editions and popular culture at large.  Sleepy, Bashful, Doc could fit right in along Gimli or Flint Fireforge.  Really the only trick is their sudden ability to use magic in modern D&D.

My baseline for D&D Dwarves

• Dwarves is a mis-translation of the their word for themselves which means roughly "Born of the Earth" and in their own tounge sounds closer to "Dwarfs".  It has since come to be used to describe any short person in the human tongues.  Dwarves do not care for this fact, and this may contribute to their reputation for grumpiness.
• While they can live for centuries, they age in a manner proportional to humans, lending most Dwarves an aged appearance for most of their lives.
• Dwarves are burly and wide compared to humans, their arms are broader and longer as well but their hands are deft.
  
• Dwarfs believe they were crafted by higher powers and trace the most ancient parts of their culture to mountain strongholds.
  
• Hair is not seen as unattractive on Dwarf women, many have facial and body hair of varying prominence.  Some Dwarf women have adopted the trends of their neighbors, leading to some confusion about the existence of Dwarf women and/or their beards.
• Dwarfs value toil, self sufficiency, and clan/family commitments.  This gives them a unique outlook on trade with outsiders.  This has led to misunderstandings which are the origins of their reputation for greed and in some cases wickedness. 
• Dwarfs have always used magic, but their traditions are steeped more in animism and they tended to distrust the more "sterile" magic practiced by humans.
  
• Most Dwarves tend to keep to themselves, be it in their mountain cities, local mining  settlements, or within a city trade district.
• Dwarf settlements, particular those in the mountains are are dizzying maze of mining tunnels, work spaces, and dwellings.  Grand halls and other specified areas are typically the vision or a particularly motivated leader or individual.  When you see a specific fortress, hall, or building made for outsiders, it is usually less a gesture of hospitality and more one of practicality, to keep outsiders from getting int he way.
• Dwarfs have learned to leverage the particular ecosystem of the world below to cultivate all manner of specialized flora and fauna, providing adequate agriculture.
  

This basically covers your traditional D&D/Tolkien dwarf, leaving room for the various sub-races and your more ancient Norse/Howardian malevolent being that bursts from the ground. 

Elves

I carry around a Baseline D&D world in my head.  It is built of all the bibs and bobs of fantasy and D&D lore smooshed together.  The goal I think it to try and make all fit and make sense in a satisfying way.  While much of it is a matter of taste, I have settled on some assumptions that work for me.

Today the topic is Elves.  The below sets a baseline of what my D&D Elves are like.

• Elves, Eladrin in their own tongue, originally hale from another realm ("Across the Sea", a different plane, continent, planet, time) the exact nature of which is a matter of conjecture.
• The Oldest/Original Elves are Ageless and Immortal.
• Very few of them are present any more, many having returned from whence they came or having been slain in age old conflicts.
• Elves born of the earth realm retain youthful looks through most of their lives, which can span centuries
• They have large bright eyes in proportion to their heads.  Their lithe frames also give them the appearance of extra height.
  
• Elvish lifespans do seem to be shortening, some attribute it to a property of living among mortals, others to the taint of human blood (we will get to Half-Elves later)
• Their homelands are remote and claim borders that extend far from their gates, typically in ancient forests they have protected and cultivated for untold ages.  
• They have build strong relations with the sylvan creatures in order to create a safe and secure zone around their homes.  This relationship often causes other folk to confuse aspects of Nymphs, Dryads, Satyrs and other woodsy races with those of the Elves.
  
• These homelands tend to be wondrous "cities", grown in and among the natural beauty.  Ancient Elven magics have delicately coaxed stone and metal from the ground to form towers, bridges, and homes among the trees or other natural features.  (Think Lothlorien from the Lord of the Rings movies).
• This same ancient magic keeps these seemingly fragile dwellings warm, dry, and secure.
• In the same way, they use such magic to procure abundant food and other resources from their lands.
• Near every Elf is of some "royal" blood as they organize themselves into houses for a grand game of court.
• These resources allow them to spend their centuries in idle amusement.  At times seeming aloof and others wanton.
• In short, the Elven mind is different.  What can at times seem like stoicism, debauchery, or malevolence,  or other "unkind" behaviors or emotions are simply the result of being such a long lived race with a different view of the World they currently inhabit.
  
• Elves travel outside of their homelands for a number of reasons,  amusement, novelty, seeking a sense of purpose (at least for the time being).  To humans, an Elven settlement or neighborhood may seem permanent, to the Elves it is viewed as but a summer vacation rental.
• Elves that hunt and farm and otherwise go about their lives in a way similar to other races, are "doing as the mortals do" and fitting in with the neighbors. 
  

All of the above is an attempt to find room for all the depictions of Elf kind throughout the ages and editions. If Elves are fairie adversaries as in Three Hearts and Three lions, separate from the lands of mankind, you have it.  If they are spread out among the lands, you have it.  Are they stoic and almost Vulcan like (as seemed to be the case in the early 80s), there is a reason for that perception.  The great thing with Elves is their long lives allows you to write off any depiction as a "passing fancy".

Random Encounters 2

 So, establishing I like random encounters... How do I do them.

I went about consulting many encounter rules across different editions and blogs.  I once had a goal of including all the SRD creatures in their proper terrains with wieghted chance of encoutner by HD and exoticism.  Because who doesn't love "systems".

In the end I ended up with a 2 tier system.  A detailed one for when hexploration is the crux of play, and one quick and dirty setup for dungeon centric play.

The Hexploration model has more steps and complexity with the goal of being able to inject more variety into play. First I split the days into 4 hour chunks starting at Midnight.  Each terrain type has a different chance in 20 for an encounter, allowing me to roll on a d20.  

• Plains: 1-2
  
• Wooded: 1-4
  
• Hills: 1-2
  
• Mountains: 1
  
• Marsh: 1-4
  
• Desert: 1
• Water:1 

Next there is a d12 roll for what sort of encounter.  This can be modified by +2 for each Hex from civilization/-2 if the area is patrolled/controlled.  The idea being, the further off the beaten path, the odder the encounter.  These categories are designed to help inform the ecology of a given hex or area.  There are 6 examples, so that one can roll for an outcome if inspiration is wanting.

• 1-5: Mundane (Critters, Travelers, Patrol/Toll, Grove/Spring, Corpse/Spoor, Camp)
  
• 6-8: Hazard (Impediment, Barrier, Pests, Disease, Trap, Mold/Ooze)
  
• 9-10: Monster/Beast (Beast, Goblinoid, Bestial/Orc, Giant/Ogre, Fey/Plant, Exotic)
  
• 12: Phenomena/Special (Lair/Cave, Magical Zone, Storm/Fire/Quake, Shrine/Ruins, Powerful Monster, NPCs)
  

As a supplement to the above, I have a quick chart of general creature/hazard types for each terrain type (and types of humanoids) if I feel I need even more inspiration/detail.  The charts are numbered for die rolls, but I will often use them more to have a quick scan and remind me of oddball options.

If needed a d4 can be added to the mix to determine the exact hour in the chunk an encounter occurs.

In a dungeon or quick travel scenario, where terrain changes are not likely to come up I have truncated it to a simple 1 in 6 roll per trip/day or 1 in 6 per 4 hours if they are resting in hostile territory.  As for the type of encounter, that is usually based on the area.  If it is in and around a set dungeon, it will be based on the types of hazards in said dungeon.  this can quickly be jotted down based on the content of the module.  I like to follow the same general spread of 1/3 each Mundane, Annoying, Threatening types of encounters.

For each of these systems, even though they are described as being "steps" of rolls, I typically roll all the dice types in one go.  A previous version of this system had more tables to justify rolling one of each type to determine the encounter.  While there was a certain charm to that, it was too much to parse in one roll.