D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Gothic Lineages & New Race/Culture Distinction

The latest Unearthed Arcana contains the Dhampir, Reborn, and Hexblood races. The Dhampir is a half-vampire; the Hexblood is a character which has made a pact with a hag; and the Reborn is somebody brought back to life.

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Perhaps the bigger news is this declaration on how race is to be handled in future D&D books as it joins other games by stating that:

"...the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage."

 

[TwoSix]

I mean, at least one can say that they have come up with a number of systems that players can choose and use if they feel like it.

You want to do Racial Scores, you can. You want to Tasha it, you can do that too. You can(according to this UA) Lineage it, if the system goes well, etc etc.

Pick your poison and tell anybody that doesn't agree or want that to get lost at your table.

Considering the diversity of opinions on these matters among the community, providing a host of selectable systems seems like a smart move.

 

[Weiley31]

Considering the diversity of opinions on these matters among the community, providing a host of selectable systems seems like a smart move.

Which falls in line with how 5E is referencing the modular/selectable ping nature of 2E.

 

[Scribe]

Considering the diversity of opinions on these matters among the community, providing a host of selectable systems seems like a smart move.

It would be smart to maintain the pre TCoE system, and then simply have the other option of "You get +2 and +1, regardless of your biological choice (cuz we dont want to call it race) so just do whatever you want."

However I highly doubt that will be the path forward. As shown here. They are just going to go +2/+1, have fun, and another aspect of the game goes away.

 

[Charlaquin]

I mean, at least one can say that they have come up with a number of systems that players can choose and use if they feel like it.

You want to do Racial Scores, you can. You want to Tasha it, you can do that too. You can(according to this UA) Lineage it, if the system goes well, etc etc.

Pick your poison and tell anybody that doesn't agree or want that to get lost at your table.

Yeah, I guess options are nice. It just feels so inelegant and kludgy to me to layer optional subsystem on top of optional subsystem to try and “fix” fundamental “flaws” with the underlying rules structure. Seems likely to alienate folks who like the underlying structure the way it is, while still failing to satisfy the folks who agree the underlying structure is flawed, and making the whole system significantly more cumbersome in the process.

Like, personally I’m glad to see them finally moving to separate biology and culture. That’s been something people have been pushing for, for a very long time. But trying to do it with these bolt-on options is such horribly inelegant design. Even if they don’t want to or can’t make a new edition, at least present a variant lineage-and-culture system that replaces the race system entirely instead of trying to kitbash the existing system into doing something it was never designed to do.

 

[Wrathamon]

If in CM we will see Vistani, all our hopes to see Ravenloft CS or AP will be abandoned. Personallyif they do Innistrad and not Ravenloft I will be VERY UPSET.

What if it's a book that contains both for running grim & dark horror campaigns?

 

[Weiley31]

What if it's a book that contains both for running grim & dark horror campaigns?

I'd say Grim Hollow already exists, but then the counter response said back to me would be that's third party.

 

[Charlaquin]

Considering the diversity of opinions on these matters among the community, providing a host of selectable systems seems like a smart move.

I think the diversity of options is good, but I would rather the options be between multiple fully realized systems built from the ground up to do the thing they’re trying to do, rather than a single baseline with several bolt-on options meant to make it kind-of-sort-of do things it wasn’t built to do.

 

[Weiley31]

I think the diversity of options is good, but I would rather the options be between multiple fully realized systems built from the ground up to do the thing they’re trying to do, rather than a single baseline with several bolt-on options meant to make it kind-of-sort-of do things it wasn’t built to do.

Maybe too much to ask of 5E. We love DND but we'll all agree that it's not a perfect game.

 

[Charlaquin]

Maybe too much to ask of 5E. We love DND but we'll all agree that it's not a perfect game.

Right, which is why I say this has done a lot to convince me both that a new edition is necessary and that it ain’t happening any time soon.

 

[Jadeite]

Since the Dhampir's bite counts as a simple melee weapon, can it be used as a monk weapon? Is the Con bonus in addition to the Str/Dex bonus or does it replace it?