D&D (2024) After my players tried to break it, we discovered that the new half-race rules are hilarious and terrible.

[Chaosmancer]

just tell me it didnt sparkle - doubling down on the demonic vampire gothic is failure in my heart (if not my mind)

Game hasn't started yet, but he is playing a bard.

 

[NaturalZero]

To offer a counter-example, I just sat down with some kids to use these new rules to make new characters. The actual character creation was a disaster (not due to rules, but due to specific individuals who showed up and did not mesh well) but just about everyone made mixed race individuals. Here is what I remember without looking at their sheets.

This post represents, IMO, the purest essence of table top RPGs. This all is a feature (if not the soul) of TTRPGs.

 

[Yaarel]

In the past there were magic items that had additional abilities if you were of a given race, usually elvish or dwarven.

I think this can work as a culture. For example, the prereq is to speak a specific language, in order to attune to a specific magic item.

 

[Yaarel]

just tell me it didnt sparkle - doubling down on the demonic vampire gothic is failure in my heart (if not my mind)

Heh, somehow it didnt occur to me until now. The sparkling vampire is supposed to be a variant of the bursting-into-flames-in-sunlight vampire.

 

[Knight_Marshal]

The problem is that it isn't a system. It's just them telling us we can do what we were already doing to keep them from having to make actual rules.

 

[Remathilis]

The half-race sidebar is a punt since any actual racial mixing rules would eat up more space in the PHB than they want to use on it. Either they will do a more robust racial mixing ruleset in a supplement or leave it to 3pp or DMs to fill in the deficit. (Like what they did with psionics).

Until then, it's permission to play half-elves, half-orcs, and half-drow tieflings, but don't expect a rules advantage for such mixtures.

 

[Undrave]

The solution is really simple. Silo at least one trait for each race under a different label and allow that trait to be swapped with a similarly labelled trait(s) from another race.

My solution would be to have 'Major Traits' and 'Minor Traits' and just let you swap Minor Traits with your second race pick.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Still in favour of 1st level heritage feats, which are only for human and only at level 1. 2 Examples, half elf and half orc could be in the phb.

 

[Corinnguard]

Still in favour of 1st level heritage feats, which are only for human and only at level 1. 2 Examples, half elf and half orc could be in the phb.

The heritage gifts in Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition are basically 1st-level feats.

 

[Parmandur]

The half-race sidebar is a punt since any actual racial mixing rules would eat up more space in the PHB than they want to use on it. Either they will do a more robust racial mixing ruleset in a supplement or leave it to 3pp or DMs to fill in the deficit. (Like what they did with psionics).

Until then, it's permission to play half-elves, half-orcs, and half-drow tieflings, but don't expect a rules advantage for such mixtures.

Probably just won't t touch it with a ten foot pole.