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

[Aldarc]

No surprise there really. Charisma (or its equivalent) is king in a lot of CRPGs, allowing one to bypass or avoid battle in the first place.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

No surprise there really. Charisma (or its equivalent) is king in a lot of CRPGs, allowing one to bypass or avoid battle in the first place.

BG3 has Tasha-style floating attribute modifiers, so half-elves are no more or less charismatic than the other races.

 

[Aldarc]

BG3 has Tasha-style floating attribute modifiers, so half-elves are no more or less charismatic than the other races.

But I was responding to the picture prior to my post that shows that the three most popular classes are the Charisma-based ones: i.e., Paladin, Sorcerer, and Warlock.

 

[delericho]

These days, my preference is that species choice should be entirely cosmetic - instead, have the player pick a handful of traits for their character and let them justify them however they want (maybe Bruenor has darkvision because he's a dwarf, Geralt has it due to his mutations, and Arya has it due to her special training...)

Failing that, I'd rather they introduce a set of "X heritage" feats, one per species, giving some of the traits of that species. So a half-elf is then a human with the "elf heritage" feat (or an elf with "human heritage") - that allows for any mix of species, and it also allows for a character discovering a hidden heritage during play (by taking the appropriate feat).

What I think we'll be getting is what we've seen so far - a bunch of species provided, with half-elves being a matter of reskinning either elves or humans... and over the next few years effectively disappearing from use as people increasingly don't bother.

 

[Minigiant]

But I was responding to the picture prior to my post that shows that the three most popular classes are the Charisma-based ones: i.e., Paladin, Sorcerer, and Warlock.

Well your earliest companions are the classic 4: Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard.

So people won't double up on class. The last 2 are the healer classes because you get Shadowheart early.

Monk is monk.

And the wizard.

 

[Aldarc]

Well your earliest companions are the classic 4: Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard.

So people won't double up on class. The last 2 are the healer classes because you get Shadowheart early.

Monk is monk.

And the wizard.

I hear what you are saying BUT having played CRPGs like Planescape: Torment or Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2, and many others, I tell you that it’s no secret that your character should be the “talker,” since that is the character who primarily has to navigate social situations. And I think that’s why the Rogue and Bard also rank highly.

 

[Scott Christian]

okay, I don't follow Wizards and D&D much, but I gather that half races (or ancestries or whatever they are calling it now) is going away?

ummm, why?

I'm half asian, half white. I don't see any issue.

I think the problem may be a bit overblown, but there are a few ways to look at it.

The first, they left out half-elves and half-orcs in the playtest. Therefore, people believe WotC has implied they will leave them out of OneD&D. This has yet to be confirmed. The sidebar (pick two races and take traits from a single one) has been greatly discussed. Some people like it, other people don't.

The second point is, elves and orcs and dwarves, and the rest are different species. So, they may let tables choose whether an elf and human or orc and dwarf can have a child. That table would use the sidebar rules. Other tables may say no, they are different species, therefore, they can't interbreed.

I personally would like them to leave them out of the PHB, and then come out with an entire book that talks about half/half lineages. Make them unique and discuss how growing up in the culture of one might have influence. But WotC has to try and walk the fence here. And in doing so, they will choose the option that appeals to the greatest amount of players. Which one that is, I do not know.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

These days, my preference is that species choice should be entirely cosmetic - instead, have the player pick a handful of traits for their character and let them justify them however they want (maybe Bruenor has darkvision because he's a dwarf, Geralt has it due to his mutations, and Arya has it due to her special training...)

Failing that, I'd rather they introduce a set of "X heritage" feats, one per species, giving some of the traits of that species. So a half-elf is then a human with the "elf heritage" feat (or an elf with "human heritage") - that allows for any mix of species, and it also allows for a character discovering a hidden heritage during play (by taking the appropriate feat).

What I think we'll be getting is what we've seen so far - a bunch of species provided, with half-elves being a matter of reskinning either elves or humans... and over the next few years effectively disappearing from use as people increasingly don't bother.

I'm generally the opposite. I want species to have even more defining abilities and features compared to the 2014 PHB humans and half-elves, both of which are painfully dull. Though move anything culture related out of species completely and into background instead.

The main thing I'd change is making planetouched into feats rather than individual species (and have everyone get a free level 1 feat to enable that). That way you can apply those templates to any species for way more variety. Fire genasi elf, aasimar lizardfolk, dhampir goliath, construct aarakocra, half-dragon orc, etc.

In many ways I prefer how pathfinder has handled species and planetouched more than DnD, though in typical pathfinder style it's way overcomplex, with 932,874,672,672 feats to pick from for every species.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The second point is, elves and orcs and dwarves, and the rest are different species. So, they may let tables choose whether an elf and human or orc and dwarf can have a child. That table would use the sidebar rules. Other tables may say no, they are different species, therefore, they can't interbreed.

Thing is, irl many different species can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. Our own species interbred with at least two other species in the past, which is why some modern humans have DNA from neanderthals and/or denisovans.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I'm generally the opposite. I want species to have even more defining abilities and features compared to the 2014 PHB humans and half-elves, both of which are painfully dull. Though move anything culture related out of species completely and into background instead.

The main thing I'd change is making planetouched into feats rather than individual species (and have everyone get a free level 1 feat to enable that). That way you can apply those templates to any species for way more variety. Fire genasi elf, aasimar lizardfolk, dhampir goliath, construct aarakocra, half-dragon orc, etc.

In many ways I prefer how pathfinder has handled species and planetouched more than DnD, though in typical pathfinder style it's way overcomplex, with 932,874,672,672 feats to pick from for every species.

i wonder if you could make a category of 'level 1 exclusive' lineage feats that are a bit above the standard power curve for most feats but seeing as you can only ever take one (or two with Vhuman/custom lineage) they wouldn't have to worry about major imballance issues from stacking

are lineage feats significantly all that different from previous editions templates?