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."

 

[Kannik]

Count me in the group that is happy with both the exploration of other legacies/archetypes for use as PC ‘races’ (whether the ones in this UA are tuned well or have yet plumbed the full possibilities of the legacy concept is immaterial, that’s what playtesting is for), as well as the flexibility provided with the Tasha rules. I find it highly amusing being able to breathe fire (or stoutness to poison, or innate magic, or multiple limbs, or...) appears to be, for some, less of a marker of a different species/race than a +2 to DEX. On the whole, I personally find attribute bonuses the least interesting way of differentiating between species/races, while also restricting RP and flavour. Creative and evocative abilities (like breathing fire) are a superior way in my book.

In addition, attributes are not just a measure of meat or ingrained or genetic coding, they are equally a measure of one's upbringing, development, training, and more. To use the common example of STR, as a martial artist I have seen how much form and muscle recruitment can be just as important as (and often moreso than) the amount of meat you carry. (For lifting and carrying and etc, that’s what the size modifier is for.) This is something that 5e already nods towards, since every PC has a max of 20 in any particular attribute, regardless of their racial choice. Every PC can develop themselves towards that same pinnacle.

(Oh, and also count me in as being keen on seeing a system that more completely incorporates (and separates) species, cultural upbringing, and background/profession. I've used ideas like such from 2e onwards )

 

[Scribe]

Well, of course there are optional rules. Now we get to quibble over whose preferred rules get to be "standard" and which are "optional".

If there is anything I've seen here in the last few weeks alone, it is that anyone and everyone can run their game however they like.

At least leave the option and an official 'if you wish instead you may select this Lineage with a more limited ASI of +1 Con/+1Str/+1Wis instead of 2/1 you may'. That's all I am asking for. Dont take away the other option.

Thats all I'm saying, I dont care if Tasha's because the default as it certainly appears to be. I hope I have made my point clear, I dont know how much more can be said, but again I appreciate the discussion.

 

[Weiley31]

I find it highly amusing being able to breathe fire (or stoutness to poison, or innate magic, or multiple limbs, or...) appears to be, for some, less of a marker of a different species/race than a +2 to DEX. On the whole, I personally find attribute bonuses the least interesting way of differentiating between species/races, while also restricting RP and flavour. Creative and evocative abilities (like breathing fire) a

Makes ya wonder, if a 6E did happen or if they had another Tasha's style book, if the Custom Race system would get updated to allow say, a Gnome to have the Breath Attack of a Dragonborn, or a Elf to have the There's Leonine Roar, and etc, etc.

 

[Minigiant]

One thing I hoped D&D would bring back is the idea of different types of arrays.

Your commoner has 10s in all their ability scores before "adjustments"
Your noble is sporting a 16, 2 12s, and a 14.
A 5e PC is rolling 4d6 drop the lowest.
Characters like people aint using the same rules.

I would be cool with D&D going with one array/roll method uses standard racial adjustments and a slightly less powerful one with the more freeform ability adjustment choice.

 

[Weiley31]

One thing I hoped D&D would bring back is the idea of different types of arrays.

Your commoner has 10s in all their ability scores before "adjustments"
Your noble is sporting a 16, 2 12s, and a 14.
A 5e PC is rolling 4d6 drop the lowest.
Characters like people aint using the same rules.

I would be cool with D&D going with one array/roll method uses standard racial adjustments and a slightly less powerful one with the more freeform ability adjustment choice.

I'm actually surprised they do t have a list of Arrays. Possibility that could come about at some point?

 

[Blue]

That's why I don't like it, a universal floating +2/+1 is boring af. I'd rather use that design space to for a "feat and a half" of lineage specific cool stuff.

We can do both. I agree with you that +2/+1 is boring. But even with the PHB mods we can give every single race a feat and a half of more stuff - it doesn't upset the balance because they all get it, and now there's enough design space to do things like actual large or tiny PCs, or flying or whatever.

 

[Kannik]

We can do both. I agree with you that +2/+1 is boring. But even with the PHB mods we can give every single race a feat and a half of more stuff - it doesn't upset the balance because they all get it, and now there's enough design space to do things like actual large or tiny PCs, or flying or whatever.

Verily! Had things been designed as such to start with, the number of points and/or the point buy costs would have been adjusted for attributes and more could have been added to racial/species features with more interesting options provided....

 

[Blue]

You know what this makes me want? A second stab at genasi using the the new lineage design model. Not just as a way to introduce better ability packages, but so you can mix and match their heritage and appearance more. Want your PC to look like a dwarf made of living stone or an elf with hair of flame? Great. Want to look like a more generic humanoid but stipulate that one or both parents were elves or dwarves and the elemental influences just predominated? That works too, same stats, no problem.

I'd love to see this. Heck, run with that idea - divorce the subraces from the races, and make subraces general variations you can take with any race. So I might have a dwarf (stout) or a halfling (stout), but I could just as easily have a elf (celestial-blood) or a halfling (fire). And Elf (stout) might make perfect sense in some settings. Human (elf-blood) vs. human (orc-blood) vs. human (fiend-blood) vs. human (forest).

 

[Weiley31]

As a fun one off fact: The Iron Kingdom: Requiem 5E version, now on Kickstarter, is apparently offering its own take, as well as standard, on character creation rules called Essence.

So there ya go: another optional system: even if it is third party.

 

[Weiley31]

I'd love to see this. Heck, run with that idea - divorce the subraces from the races, and make subraces general variations you can take with any race. So I might have a dwarf (stout) or a halfling (stout), but I could just as easily have a elf (celestial-blood) or a halfling (fire). And Elf (stout) might make perfect sense in some settings. Human (elf-blood) vs. human (orc-blood) vs. human (fiend-blood) vs. human (forest).

Considering Eladrin started out as Celestial Fey elves, that makes a good amount of sense.