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."

 

[Guest 6801328]

Only if you accept 3 in int

Happily.

/evilgrin

 

[Guest 6801328]

So what? The Str 15 fighter got something that the Str 16 fighter didn't. It may or may not help them in combat but they got something.

Like 10 Cha instead of 8 Cha?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Like 10 Cha instead of 8 Cha?

For example. That's an increased chance of success on several important skills.

 

[Guest 6801328]

For example. That's an increased chance of success on several important skills.

Roger that.

 

[Sacrosanct]

On a completely different note, I think this UA is the harbinger of 6e. Doing a complete revamp of how races have been handled for decades, the shift away from sacred cow alignment, are all significant shifts away from how core 5e was designed.

So I am almost positive that were seeing some of the frameworks of what to expect in 6e.

Also, it's not unusual for an edition, when they've reached the point of gonzo/significant character options, a new edition soon followed. 1e unearthed arcana, 2e when all the splatbooks for non-core class races came out, etc. And now Tasha's does that same thing.

 

[Scribe]

On a completely different note, I think this UA is the harbinger of 6e. Doing a complete revamp of how races have been handled for decades, the shift away from sacred cow alignment, are all significant shifts away from how core 5e was designed.

So I am almost positive that were seeing some of the frameworks of what to expect in 6e.

I still lament that downplaying (to put it lightly) of alignment meaning anything at all.

 

[JEB]

On a completely different note, I think this UA is the harbinger of 6e. Doing a complete revamp of how races have been handled for decades, the shift away from sacred cow alignment, are all significant shifts away from how core 5e was designed.

So I am almost positive that were seeing some of the frameworks of what to expect in 6e.

Also, it's not unusual for an edition, when they've reached the point of gonzo/significant character options, a new edition soon followed. 1e unearthed arcana, 2e when all the splatbooks for non-core class races came out, etc. And now Tasha's does that same thing.

As pointed out upthread, it's particularly reminiscent of late 3e, where you could see those 4e ideas brewing throughout the later sourcebooks: Tome of Battle, Monster Manual IV and V, etc.

Of course, Tasha's already provided some clues that fundamental design rethinks were in the works. It was just easy to dismiss their significance when it was all optional. The statement in that sidebar, on the other hand...

 

[Remathilis]

Agreed. 5e D&D should strive to have the mechanics generic enough to cover any real world culture (and it mostly is) rather than have a game mechanic that hyperfocuses on a specific culture (like the samurai and kensei).

Well, goodbye bard, druid, paladin and monk classes...

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Well, goodbye bard, druid, paladin and monk classes...

The paladin is detached from real world "paladins" enough to still exist in D&D. It's not offending anyone, and is one of the most popular 5e classes. Same with the bard.

Druid and Monk have issues in their own right, but they don't need complete dropping, just slight revisions. Monks are too stereotypical ninja/martial artist for my tastes, and could be opened up a bit to include WWE style wrestlers. Druids could also be opened up a bit to include the Shaman archetype, filling the role of someone that draws magic from nature from any real life cultures.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Agreed. 5e D&D should strive to have the mechanics generic enough to cover any real world culture (and it mostly is) rather than have a game mechanic that hyperfocuses on a specific culture (like the samurai and kensei).

I very strongly hope that your preference on this matter is not met.

Things like the kensei should be more common, not less.