D&D (2024) Racial options without built in spells

[Yaarel]

I mean, this is how 5e has always been. Right there in the PHB, the high elf just picks a cantrip and the tiefling's stuff is just spells from the the spell list. The Oracle and Evoker have the same spells and might even have the exact same loadout as the Dragon Bloodline Sorc, even though they're different classes! I don't necessarily see them moving farther in this direction, only taking no steps to fix the watering down of features.

• The 5e High Elf is a cantrip.

• The 5e Fey Teleportation race feat in Xanathar is exclusively for High Elf only, and it grants the Misty Step spell.

• Even the Detect Magic is implied in various 5e narratives: "As a high elf, you have a mastery of magic," and so on. Sensitivity to magical energies helps communicate this affinity.