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."

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ah so is this the root of it then? People are afraid that if presented with 2 options, that the DM will pick against them? So truly the only solution is to remove choice and force floating on everyone?

This is the problem I have with your position. You’re reversing the case from its actual nature. You can still, as a DM, ignore floating ASIs. You don’t have to allow new lineages, and you can impose static ASI bumps on them so that they conform with other race mechanics if you want.

Floating ASIs as a basic rule means players have more options, and DMs don’t actually lose anything.

 

[Faolyn]

And I understand why one might be uncomfortable with that. But in that case one simply should not have a setting with sapient non-human species, as the concept simply requires certain amount of biological determinism. Aarakocra simply are biologically wired to be better flyers than humans, Sahaquins better swimmers. Differnt species are biologically differnt from each other, that's what makes them different species. If you don't want that in your game, it is super easy to just play in a human-only setting.

Those are both true. And biological determinism is absolutely fine when it's based around something that's actually biological in nature. But neither wings nor gills are bonuses to stats.

And a half-orc who does all the same things would logically still be stronger, because they're not three feet tall. You might not care to have that sort of verisimilitude in your game, but the concept itself certainly is not dumb at all.

But again, we're not talking about changing ASIs around so that all halflings get bonuses to Strength. We're making it so that a halfling player character has the option of putting their bonus into Strength.

With a predetermined bonus, 100% of halflings get +2 Dex. With a floating bonus, 99.999% or more of halflings get a +2 to Dex and that remaining 0.001 get a bonus to something else of their choosing.

Why are people so adamant that PCs--people who are literally supposed to be protagonists--can't break the mold?

 

[Catulle]

So, the problem is that the DM has “lost” the option to say, specifically, “Your Hexblood has +2 Charisma and +1 Int because the book says so”?

I mean...it’s hard to really take that seriously as a problem.

Especially when it’s literally only new lineages going forward that work that way.

It's a power/authority thing. To those in a position of privilege, equality feels like oppression.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Those are both true. And biological determinism is absolutely fine when it's based around something that's actually biological in nature. But neither wings nor gills are bonuses to stats.

Of course halflings not being as strong as half-orcs is biological! It is biological in the same way than wolves tending to be stronger than foxes is biological. It is utterly absurd to draw some distinction which biological differences are problematic based on what sort of mechanics is used to represent them.

But again, we're not talking about changing ASIs around so that all halflings get bonuses to Strength. We're making it so that a halfling player character has the option of putting their bonus into Strength.

With a predetermined bonus, 100% of halflings get +2 Dex. With a floating bonus, 99.999% or more of halflings get a +2 to Dex and that remaining 0.001 get a bonus to something else of their choosing.

Why are people so adamant that PCs--people who are literally supposed to be protagonists--can't break the mold?

So that PC halfling is stronger than all other halflings because they're so exceptional. Why can't for the same reason that half-orc PC to be stronger than all other half-orcs and thus be even stronger?

 

[Don Durito]

I do have trouble with the very notion that Halflings should be able to get a bonus in Strength equal to everyone else.

They're half the size of most characters. Strength is a function of size. To my mind it would be very reasonable to put a maximum cap on the strength of halflings.

To my mind insisting that haflings need to be able to have the same strength of Half-Orcs and Goliaths is like insisting they need to be able to fly, because Aarockras can.

The difference is that of course that Strength is important to several classes so restricting Strength makes those classes difficult for halflings. (Although it's really only an issue for the Barbarian - every other class can go Dex for melee - so it's not even like the halfling doesn't an alternative route to the same end).

I'm fine with PCs breaking the mold, but it's an odd thing when there isn't even a mold to break. If I was using something like 13th Age's One Unique Thing, and the player said "my character is the child of the halfling god of strength" then I might say "sure you can go to 20 Strength" - now there is a mold and you just broke it.

 

[Scribe]

So, the problem is that the DM has “lost” the option to say, specifically, “Your Hexblood has +2 Charisma and +1 Int because the book says so”?

I mean...it’s hard to really take that seriously as a problem.

So the problem is that given a clear option, it was not good enough and needs to be rendered the only option?

Why? Why was Tasha's being 'optional' not only not good enough, but it needed to be the ONLY official option?

Floating ASIs as a basic rule means players have more options, and DMs don’t actually lose anything.

That simply is not how it works at all. If Tasha's as optional was not good enough (and it being made the only way forward seems to indicate that is true) then saying its good enough for people that didnt want it screams hypocrisy.

Anyone know where to grab the latest SRD? EDIT: Nevermind, 5.1, I think I found it.

 

[Faolyn]

Of course halflings not being as strong as half-orcs is biological! It is biological in the same way than wolves tending to be stronger than foxes is biological. It is utterly absurd to draw some distinction which biological differences are problematic based on what sort of mechanics is used to represent them.

And that's why orcs, goliaths, and others have that Powerful Build trait, and why half-orcs do extra damage on crits.

Those abilities are completely apart from a +2 Strength bonus, and those races will continue to have those traits to represent their might no matter where they put their +2 bonus.

So that PC halfling is stronger than all other halflings because they're so exceptional. Why can't for the same reason that half-orc PC to be stronger than all other half-orcs and thus be even stronger?

There is absolutely nothing stopping this from occurring by RAW. In fact, as it is, everything is encouraging it.

So why can't there be a singular halfling PC who is stronger than a goliath?

 

[Scribe]

So why can't there be a singular halfling PC who is stronger than a goliath?

At level 1? There can, at your table.

 

[bedir than]

So the problem is that given a clear option, it was not good enough and needs to be rendered the only option?

Why? Why was Tasha's being 'optional' not only not good enough, but it needed to be the ONLY official option?


That simply is not how it works at all. If Tasha's as optional was not good enough (and it being made the only way forward seems to indicate that is true) then saying its good enough for people that didnt want it screams hypocrisy.

Anyone know where to grab the latest SRD?

View attachment 132288

SRD: https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/SRD-OGL_V5.1.pdf
Sage Advice: https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/SA-Compendium.pdf
Errata for PHB: https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/PH-Errata.pdf

But the most relevant to this discussion is from the PHB

Your character race not only affects your ability scores and traits but also provides the cues for building your character’s story. Each race’s description in this chapter includes information to help you roleplay a character of that race, including personality, physical appearance, features of society, and racial alignment tendencies. These details are suggestions to help you think about your character; adventurers can deviate widely from the norm for their race. It’s worthwhile to consider why your character is different, as a helpful way to think about your character’s background and personality.

Emphasis added as it has been ignored for 100+ pages

 

[Crimson Longinus]

And that's why orcs, goliaths, and others have that Powerful Build trait, and why half-orcs do extra damage on crits.

Those abilities are completely apart from a +2 Strength bonus, and those races will continue to have those traits to represent their might no matter where they put their +2 bonus.

And this is not problematic biological essentialism because..? Also why we have an ability score called 'strength' if it doesn't measure how strong the creature is?

There is absolutely nothing stopping this from occurring by RAW. In fact, as it is, everything is encouraging it.

Yes there is. +2 ASI is best you can get at beginning, half-orcs already had that, so the PC one cannot be stronger than that. They cannot be similarly exceptionally stronger than the rest of their species than the halflings with floating ASIs can.

So why can't there be a singular halfling PC who is stronger than a goliath?

Why can't there be a dwarf that is better flyer than an aarakocra?