So Badgerborn would be a race? Because . . . the brotherhood of mammals . . . I guess? The same thing for intelligent animals?
Sounds like Redwall, Narnia, or a variety of anime based campaigns. Could work.
So Badgerborn would be a race? Because . . . the brotherhood of mammals . . . I guess? The same thing for intelligent animals?
I have only two wishes with races . . . Two, clear demarcation between core and optional races.
Well, in organized play that's exactly the case: if a race is in an allowed book then it's allowed, and the DM has no choice.I'd rather get rid of the idea that just because the race exists in a book, it should therefore exist in the world. Having the option to include them is fine, but there's times where I see people seem to assume that because it's in a book, it must be included in a world.
Not a fan of dragonborn or tieflings, but they've been core for a long time, so I didn't vote them out. However, I did vote monstrous races, and all the "half" races (despite them being core for a long long time). Why? Because if you have half orc and half elf, then by extension you should have half everything else. Half halflings? half gnomes? Half dwarves? You've either set the precedence that humans can breed with any other humanoid, or you don't. I choose, "you don't".
Monstrous races have always been a one off exception, and should stay so.
Well, in organized play that's exactly the case: if a race is in an allowed book then it's allowed, and the DM has no choice.
That same mentality bleeds over into home games*, leaving the DM stuck between either allowing something she doesn't want in her game or being the villain and saying no.
I think keep the races but drop a bunch of subraces. There should be no difference between a hill and mountain dwarf they are both dwarves.
Your wish has already been granted. The Player's Handbook has a side bar beside the dragonborn that says "The dragonborn and the rest of the races in this chapter are uncommon. They don’t exist in every world of D&D, and even where they are found, they are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans."
Or should it be a three-quarterling, as it's a halfling (i.e. half a human) mixed with a full human...I maintain that a half halfling should be called a quarterling and their existence promptly denied.