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."

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

If you want to limit this to combat effectiveness, what's less effective about a Str/Con-based rogue in combat? Swapping more hit points for one point of AC, and having exactly the same weapon stats with a finesse weapon using strength?

Less AC, as Rogues only get Light Armor, less access to ranged combat, less ability to use Hide to get Sneak Attack, and less useful skills (overall). Evasion also only works for Dexterity-based saving throws, and many subclass features are based off of Dexterity (Assassinate), etc).

 

[Vaalingrade]

Does that mean that no story from now on is allowed to have a villain? Because whatever group that villain belongs to will bring out the response, "How DARE you suggest that people of (villains group) are villains!"

Oh my god, we are trying to have a mature discussion here. Can you not for just two pages?

 

[Scribe]

You can have 'people's' who pillage and subjugate. The issue is that orcs are an entire race who do it because they are inherently like that and who are coded with the tropes of tribal peoples.

Like, a group of orc bandits who are raiders and naughty words is fine as long as the entire species isn't just nothing but bandits who are constantly dressed up like genocide victims... for the purpose of making it okay to genocide them.

In fact, that's the thing people are trying to get away from: not murderhoboing, not home invasions, but genocide. All these 'always evil, kill on sight' naughty words old school fantasy considers monsters in need of cleansing.

And like I said, Kingdom of Many-Arrows, they are already (how old is that arc now?) moving away from this.

I dont have issue with 'in game/universe' questions of racism, genocide (how many goblinoids have we killed in our lives folks as players?) I'm ONLY saying, that to equate in game monster races with actual people, is a bridge too far.

 

[Mind of tempest]

It might be worth a moment to consider that as an RPG, the very essence of the game is to kill things and take thier stuff rather than negotiate peace treatise and cultural exchange with them. Maybe the whole premise of the game is inherently flawed and should be jettisoned?

the what would we even do? plus humans as a whole love violence. perhaps bulking up encounter solution options might be a good place to start?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Does that mean that no story from now on is allowed to have a villain? Because whatever group that villain belongs to will bring out the response, "How DARE you suggest that people of (villains group) are villains!"

No, as long as that group the villain belongs to is not portrayed as universally (or nearly so) as villainous.

 

[Scribe]

Like here's the thing. Its pretty much fact, that Orcs and Dwarves have engaged on a genocidal level. I would assume Elves and Orcs as well. Thats OLD history, they are RACIAL enemies.

Yes its a flaw, yes its a problem.

That does not mean we associate it with the real world.

 

[Arial Black]

Have you ever heard the phrase 'You're one of the good ones'?

You are implying that there is something wrong with coming from a primitive culture.

I don't need to say the vile phrase, "You're one of the good ones", because I take people (including orcs) as I find them.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

How about not portraying them as 'tribal'.

How about we as gamers and game designers rub two creativities together and give them a culture that isn't directly ripping off folks who have been traditionally brutalized by our culture?

I can't really agree with this. Portraying tribal cultures is and should be perfectly fine; it is historically super prevalent form of society. I'm currently building a late stone age/early bronze age inspired setting, so you can imagine it has a lot of 'tribal' cultures.

 

[Arial Black]

How about not portraying them as 'tribal'.

How about we as gamers and game designers rub two creativities together and give them a culture that isn't directly ripping off folks who have been traditionally brutalized by our culture?

So we cannot portray other cultures at all?

Tribal cultures have been brutalised in real life, therefore stories about tribal cultures are forbidden? Shall we erase them from history?

Portraying tribal cultures as irredeemably 'worse' (by whatever metric) is problematic. Portraying tribal cultures as 'existing' in our stories cannot be forbidden. That would be wrong.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Like here's the thing. Its pretty much fact, that Orcs and Dwarves have engaged on a genocidal level. I would assume Elves and Orcs as well. Thats OLD history, they are RACIAL enemies.

Yes its a flaw, yes its a problem.

That does not mean we associate it with the real world.

Ok, I can't resist coming back in.

Let's say we don't have to associate it with the real world. It's a choice. But, for the sake of argument, imagine that there are lots of people who do associate it with the world. People who face an uphill struggle every day because of prejudices that won't go away, who face challenges that the dominant ethnicity does not, who feel the sting of racism when they read those descriptions, because they think, "Yeah, that's what they said about my ancestors for centuries, and what some people still say about me today."

You may disagree with them. You may think they are over-reacting. You may think they are too sensitive.

But they really feel that way, and because of it they don't really enjoy playing D&D. And there are lots of them.

Then the editors at WotC call you up and say, "Hey, we've been following you on Enworld and we think you are deeply insightful. What should we do? Change the language, or tell that particular audience to 'get over it'? It's your call."

What do you tell them (before you wake up)?