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

[Scott Christian]

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.

I understand the science behind it. I know all about neanderthal and its genetic distribution. I have read about neanderthals' slight affects on things like back hair (less interestingly enough) and circadian rhythms. (Interesting note, I have more neanderthal DNA than 99.9% of people. )

That is not what I am referring to when I am discussing fantasy games or Wizard's possible take on it. There is a lot of handwaving when it comes to culture, species, etc. in fantasy. This is one of them. Just say they are species that don't produce offspring. There are many examples of that in nature too. It is literally possible to just choose one, since as the game creator, they get to play, not just God of creation, but also God of science and magic.

 

[NaturalZero]

You mean the Class Data for BG3? We have that, not in combo with races, but stand alone.

View attachment 292990

Looks like half-elf gets a "free" +2 AC by using a shield on 4 out of the top 5 most popular classes. Having an always-on numerical advantage over other options is a possible explanation for their popularity. They're just better for a min-maxer than human (no darkvision) or elf (no shield) for popular builds.

 

[MoonSong]

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.

'cause -and actual quote- "the half construct is inherently racist", but fear not, cause now you can have your freeform mix and match with any two races ancestries/species. You just choose one as "the true one" (the one you get all of your mechanics from) and reskin with the other.

I don't like it either. And I'm considering skipping the new edition/whatever over the loss of half-elves.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Half-Elves have been one of most popular D&D races for decades (and Critical Role's first campaing had fully 50% of their PCs as that race), yet a few people on the Internet decided they were problematic in around 2019 so now we must be rid of them.

 

[TheSword]

I guarantee if humans got a free 1st level feat and nothing else, then human would be the most popular.

Half-Elf is just better mechanically than human. Darkvision is not to be sneazed at in games where the light system with automatically reflect that. Having to keep recasting light is a pain! (As is having to keep recasting pact weapon funnily enough!)

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I assure you, people like half-elves independently of their mechanics. They were super popular in 2E despite being slightly-less powerful elves with a little bit higher level limit in some classes.

 

[fuindordm]

Half-elves could have been given a better name from the outset, but they are a good racial model for the common trope of fairy changelings, humans with a touch of fey/supernatural ancestry, or humans influenced by fey magic in other ways. I would be sorry to see them go.
Half-orcs also have a rich legacy throughout the editions, but they don't have the mythological support that half-elves do. Now that orcs have been rehabilitated by World of Warcraft, I'm happy to see them included in the PH.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Half-elves at this point are their own people; descended from men and elves, but now distinct. They should get their own name, absolutely, as well as their own culture and drop the default Tanis angst.

Horcs are... they're orcs, guys. They're orcs that people were allowed to play because they weren't allowed to play the 'evil' orcs. But now the stupid biological evil thing is dying for orcs, we can just have orcs and orcs can be a people who do things and have a culture without the idea that every single one of them is beholden to their drunk stepdad of a god while no PC species were ever shackled and brainboxed to whatever weird jerk made them.

 

[CleverNickName]

I didn't mind the half-elf as it was written in the PHB. I thought it was the most versatile choice, alongside V.Human: the player was allowed to assign ASIs to whatever ability score made sense for their character, and the player could choose their own languages and skill proficiencies. Where the V.Human got to start with a feat, the half-elf got darkvision and advantage on certain save throws.

Even before Tasha's Cauldron of Everything made it official, I was letting my players choose their own skill proficiencies and allocate their own ability score increases regardless of their ancestry choice at 1st level. In hindsight, I would have preferred they move these things to Background instead of schpeethees (sorry, I hate using 'species' in this context), but that's a minor gripe.

 

[MoonSong]

I assure you, people like half-elves independently of their mechanics. They were super popular in 2E despite being slightly-less powerful elves with a little bit higher level limit in some classes.

In 3.x they are completely vanilla and without the human advantages.