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. https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/gothic-lineages Perhaps the bigger news is this declaration on how race is to be handled in future D&D books as it joins...

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."
 

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Ah! Ok, in that case, sure. I think other comments have demonstrated how, in a world with floating ASIs, racial traits like lucky and nimble make the halfling fighter “differently good” from a Goliath or Half-orc fighter. If what you’re suggesting is more such traits to make the races feel suited to different roles, I’m in support of that.
I cannot figure out for the life of me why have a floating ASI. It is the exact same things as increasing a point buy. I mean, if you attach it to something specific: race, class, background, culture, I get it. But if it is just floating, you do not need them at all.
 

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Vaalingrade

Legend
I cannot figure out for the life of me why have a floating ASI. It is the exact same things as increasing a point buy. I mean, if you attach it to something specific: race, class, background, culture, I get it. But if it is just floating, you do not need them at all.
Not everyone uses point buy!
 

G

Guest 6801328

Guest
Yeah but usually it just shows people looking for something that might not be there.

Like....the way so many people keep looking for a whiff of political correctness in the arguments against racial ASIs?
 


Faolyn

(she/her)
Yeah but usually it just shows people looking for something that might not be there. Projection is very much a thing and I think people should follow the advice of a certain Jewish man from Nazareth: let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Or it shows that some people are so used to or are accepting of the problems that the problems just seem normal to them, and then get annoyed when it's pointed out to them that no, those things are actually bad. Also, that quote basically means "don't try to fix anything because you yourself aren't perfect."
 

That may have been the impetus that pushed Wizards to make the change. So? If Wizards makes a change that improves the rules, it's still an improvement even if they had non-rules-based reasons for making it.
Assuming that it is an improvement and assuming that the price you pay is conscious as I previously said.
 

G

Guest 6801328

Guest
Not everyone uses point buy!

Yeah, for people who roll dice, having a couple ASIs at chargen can mean a lot.

Since I use Point Buy or Standard Array, I'd personally be perfectly happy with a system that just has more points. Or, honestly, the same points.
 

Hurin70

Adventurer
I cannot figure out for the life of me why have a floating ASI. It is the exact same things as increasing a point buy. I mean, if you attach it to something specific: race, class, background, culture, I get it. But if it is just floating, you do not need them at all.
Players : Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?

WotC : [pause] These go to eleven.
 
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