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

[Scribe]

Background is cultural.

Each culture is known for various backgrounds.

It is unclear why this fact is confusing for some.

A background, may be cultural. A Background (capital B) is a game object. It is not cultural by definition, though it could be.

Background: Haunted One - This is a specific game object. It is not cultural.

There is no Culture object, in 5e, and as such no way to associate Backgrounds (capital B) with the Culture (capital C) object.

Your desire's however to redefine the game objects, is noted.

 

[Yaarel]

A Background can be highly specific to a locale.

Example.

PRISMARI STUDENT
(Strixhaven)
You are an artist, preparing to hone your craft according to the traditions of Prismari College. Whatever your medium − sculpture, dance, paint, music, drama, architecture, or any other field − you have grand visions of bringing your art to life in a fusion of magic and creativity.
Background Feat: Prismari Initiate
Background Feature: Spells Known (!)
Ability Improvements: +2 to any ability score, or to the casting ability score
Skill Proficiencies: Performance, [Arcana]
Tool Proficiency: Choice of Artisan Tools or Musical Instruments
Language: Choice

BALDURS GATE CRIMINAL
(Descent Into Avernus)
No career criminal in Baldurs Gate operates without being aware of the Guild. Some studiously keep a low profile, carrying just the occasional smuggled load in with legitmate merchandise, or only breaking knees when it can plausibly be claimed as an act of personal revenge. Others join up with crews for protection, or with the Guild itself.
Background Feat: ...
Background Feature: Baldurs Gate Criminal Connections
In Baldurs Gate, crime is just an other business. As a result, you can arrange a meeting with a low-ranking operative of nearly any buisness, patriar family, crew, government institution, or − certainly − the Guild. This operative will hear you out and, at their discretion, take your information or request up their chain of command. These mettings almost always occur in shady venues.
Ability Improvements
Skill Proficiencies: [Persuasion, Intimidation]
Tool Proficiency
Language: [Thieves Cant]


And so on. Backgrounds can be highly specific to the culture of a locale.

 

[CreamCloud0]

A Background can be highly specific to a locale.

yes, it can be, that still doesn't meant it's the same as a culture

 

[Yaarel]

yes, it can be, that still doesn't meant it's the same as a culture

The culture is the sum of the Backgrounds within it.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Weird that they don’t know how to spell gnome, the superiour master race.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

The culture is the sum of the Backgrounds within it.

That is just your opinion. It doesn't make it factual math. Culture isn't properly defined as a rules object in D&D, and while you can suggest that it does going forward, until it is, it's not something to base design decisions on. It's discussing the minutiae of a "what if".

 

[Yaarel]

Culture isn't properly defined as a rules object in D&D

That is my point too. So far, 5e lacks the technical term "culture".

However, Background is this. It pertains to the cultural aspects of a characters upbringing, in a way that isnt species or combat-style (class).

If you want to stop using the term "Background" and instead use the term "Culture" and "Cultural Feat", in reference to a specific local culture, do that. It is the same thing.

 

[Scribe]

The culture is the sum of the Backgrounds within it.

Considering outside of specific cases, which I made allowances for, every culture (lower case C) can have the same Backgrounds (capital B game object) then that would mean potential each culture (lower) is the same, as they are a sum of Backgrounds (capital).

Obviously, that is nonsense.

The correct conclusion, is that culture in 5e, is a lore/fluff consideration, largely divorced from any mechanical weight, even less important than Alignment (capital A) to the humour of all.

A Background (capital) is a game object. There is no Culture or Cultural Feat game object(s) and as such they are meaningless terms within the context of the discussion. They are not real, within 5e.

Species - Your biological, innate attributes. Such as Breathing Water, running Faster, or seeing better in the dark.
Class - Your 'profession' as an adventurer. Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, Cleric.
Background - An ASPECT of your characters background (lower case b). No mechanical ties to culture (lower), and no lore ties, unless specifically called out in the fluff.
Feats - Localized mechanical objects that grant a subset of rules/actions.

Those are your 4 options.

The astute will notice that Culture, does not exist within the context of 5e, as it is not a Game Object, and as such cannot contain other Game Objects.

Character, is an object, mechanically defined by Species (formerly Race), Class, Background, and Feats.

That is the totality of what defines Character.

 

[gamerprinter]

I chose "Other" as since I don't play D&D or 5e, I don't really have a horse in this race. Though I'm certain this issue may or already has shown up into Paizo systems - I play PF and develop for Starfinder as 3PP mostly. I did publish a Spelljammer product on the GM's Guild for 5e as third party, but uncertain whether I'll continue to publish for it, it's not a system dislike issue, more practical from a business point of view (not seeing the same success that my PF/SF products tend to do...)

That said, because I'm half Japanese (and I say that outloud, all the time). Yes, I'm Japanese - as my Mom is full blooded and natively from Japan, but my Dad is Irish/Scottish/German mix breed American. It's easier to say "half Japanese", than I'm Japanese, Irish, Scottish and German. And I'm proud of all my heritage both European and Asian descent. So I'm a solid fan of 'half races'. Now 'races' seem to be an issue, so as a publisher, I have no issues with the standard language preference change in using 'species' instead, but that still doesn't preclude 'half species' as a viable alternative. All past editions with any slight differences between half races (which I've never noticed much difference in the editions). I did play D&D from AD&D 1e up to 3.5, only dabbling in 5e.

Unsure how BG3 will handle it, but there's seems to be a need - and I favor it's inclusion, but still no horse in this race...

 

[Mistwell]

The Backgrounds in the 2014 Players Handbook are "generic" and "meh". But in some of the later books, there are backgrounds that are specific to a locale and flavorful.


For 2024, EVERY Background can be highly specific to a locale.

So let me see if I follow you here. In this quest to purge every possible scintilla of suggestion of conceivable racial overtones in any way, we not only need to scrap all traditional versions of elf and make them all one, and scrap half-elf, and make biological elements of species into cultural elements instead, but now we're changing the entire background system to meet this concept?

This is just excuses to change a bunch of stuff you don't like. It's not related to the racial issue, now you're just coming up with concepts you like for the game, slapping a "For anti-racism!" label on it regardless of applicability, and declaring everything needs to change.

Do I have that right? At this point I don't think I am being uncharitable, given the sheer quantity of non-racial elements of the mechanics you've now proposed this be done to "for the greater good."