D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[TwoSix]

In each species description, organize the traits into feat-size thematic clusters. Every playtest species has three feats worth of design space (not including the intro of Creature Type, Size, Speed, Lifespan, and one prominent Language).

So if a player wants a multispecies, pick three species feats from any of the species already described. There is no need for extra page count except for a brief section that allows a player to do this for a multispecies character.

Multispecies rules are easy and brief.

That's doable, especially since ad-hoc creation or modification a feat is easy.

I suppose other people might have problems with it since it means most PCs will end up as a multispecies, but that doesn't bother me any.

 

[Remathilis]

I see only 2 ways to depict this kind of design in a book:

1. Build a Bear: Design every possible species ability to be rated against other abilities (perhaps a point/rating value) and let the player pick and choose from those abilities to build something new.
2. Hybridize Everything: Design hybrid species for every single species hybrid combo. That is hundreds of species.

Neither are viable for D&D design, whether due to design space, balance, or storytelling flavor. Every species deserves at least a blurb to give it a core identity to work off of.

Someone can wow me and prove me wrong. However I find it highly unlikely.

I've been saying this for months now.

 

[Yaarel]

I suppose other people might have problems with it since it means most PCs will end up as a multispecies, but that doesn't bother me any.

Plus, if each species is solidly appealing, players will tend to use the species as-is, without multspeciesing. It parallels many players using a class as-is, without multiclassing.

 

[TwoSix]

Plus, if each species is solidly appealing, players will tend to use the species as-is, without multspeciesing. It parallels many players using a class as-is, without multiclassing.

It'll be table and player-specific, I'm sure.

The best way to handle your "three feat" approach would be to have the three feats per race synergize in some fashion, so that picking from 2-3 different pools is less optimal; I have little confidence that WotC would have the design chops to pull something like that off.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

My only caveat here is that this sort of rule only supports the narrative that a multispecies character will be some sort of midpoint between the traits of their ancestors. What about the narrative that being multispecies creates an individual that is more or distinct from the sum of their parts? What is being part-human and part-elven, for example, gives a distinct ability that neither of their parents had?

Half orc did this, and I preferred it by a mile to the half elf.

It's often seen in irl hybrids too. The resulting offspring are sometimes completely different to the sum of their parts.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Why would a multispecies gain totally unrelated traits?

Interactions between two different features can have strange results.

An example is narwhals and belugas. Both are open water hunters which prey on fish, but in different ways. Male narwhals use their tusk to 'stun' fish to eat them. Belugas and female narwhals are suction feeders.

Narlugas however have a completely unique set of teeth, formed by interactions between the belugas toothed jaw and the narwhals tusks. You would expect the offspring of two open water hunters to also be an open water hunter. But instead it's a bottom feeder, using its shovel-like teeth to scoop prey out of the sand instead.

 

[Yaarel]

Narlugas ... But instead it's a bottom feeder, using its shovel-like teeth to scoop prey out of the sand instead.

That is a good example.

Even so, it would be noneconomical design to mechanically snowflake every species combo in D&D.

Any unusual outcomes are better handled by choosing a feat to express it, rather than statting an entire separate multispecies. Since every species comprises three feats of design space, a multispecies can select one feat from each ancestral species plus use the third feat to represent a surprise. Easy enough.

In any case, all of the Human/Elf traits resemble both parental species. Ability improvements are irrelevant. There is no surprise.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I see only 2 ways to depict this kind of design in a book:

1. Build a Bear: Design every possible species ability to be rated against other abilities (perhaps a point/rating value) and let the player pick and choose from those abilities to build something new.
2. Hybridize Everything: Design hybrid species for every single species hybrid combo. That is hundreds of species.

Neither are viable for D&D design, whether due to design space, balance, or storytelling flavor. Every species deserves at least a blurb to give it a core identity to work off of.

Someone can wow me and prove me wrong. However I find it highly unlikely.

i feel like the idea of creating a 'half-template' alongside every species repeatedly gets overlooked as a third option, it wouldn't take up much more room than an additional subrace entry per species, you just fit the two halves together and voila: one hybrid species ready to play, maybe an additional rule that allows one additional species trait from one parent to offer a touch more customisability and a similar rule about picking an extra trait if you've got redundant overlap, and you’ve made a very serviceable hybrid creation framework without making an entire system of all potential traits or a custom design for every potential combination.

 

[Epic Meepo]

I see only 2 ways to depict this kind of design in a book:

1. Build a Bear: Design every possible species ability to be rated against other abilities (perhaps a point/rating value) and let the player pick and choose from those abilities to build something new.
2. Hybridize Everything: Design hybrid species for every single species hybrid combo. That is hundreds of species.

Neither are viable for D&D design, whether due to design space, balance, or storytelling flavor. Every species deserves at least a blurb to give it a core identity to work off of.

Someone can wow me and prove me wrong. However I find it highly unlikely.

If you want a quick and dirty way to combine two Species, there's also the old Gestalt rules option: you get all traits from both of your Species. If you have only one Species, you get some extra Ability Score Improvements. Reduce or remove the Ability Score Improvements from Backgrounds as needed to hit your desired power level.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

If you want a quick and dirty way to combine two Species, there's also the old Gestalt rules option: you get all traits from both of your Species. If you have only one Species, you get some extra Ability Score Improvements. Reduce or remove the Ability Score Improvements from Backgrounds as needed to hit your desired power level.

Interesting... Perhaps choose either a Single species, or a Hybrid of 2 species.

1. Choose a single Species: You get all the abilities of your species, as well as Four (4) +1 Ability score mods, which can be stacked up to +2 per ability if you wish.
2. Choose two Humanoid Species that represent your mixed parentage, or chimeric origin: You get the Species abilities for both those Species. The tradeoff is that you get no Ability Score modifiers at level 1.

(There are NO benefits if there is an overlap of abilities like Darkvision or Flight. You only take one option, and there is no ability to swap things out.)​