D&D (2024) YOU are in charge of the next PHB! What do you change?

[teitan]

SCAG was very experimental when it came to subclass design, being it was the first project outside the PHB to add new ones. It's not surprising they dropped the racial requirements on subclasses (and removed it off the one they reprinted). In light of races becoming less important mechanically, I don't think this is design space WotC has any intention to explore except for those youthful dalliances.

I don't like the removal of Elf from Bladesinger as it was a cultural thing in a famously xenophobic race. As a DM I'd prefer to do a handwave of the requirement while retaining the flavor of it.

 

[teitan]

Meh. You're rolling stats randomly with the expressed knowledge that you could end up with a very strong or a very weak set of scores. You know the risks, let the dice fall where they may. Only rolled a 14? Don't expect racial mods to bail you out.

Ha, only rolled a 14! HA. HA!


HA!







Only a 14....



HAHAHA



;-)

 

[teitan]

The ASIs and ribbon abilities were supposed to reinforce archetype, but now they are moving (rightly so, imo) away from that to allow more variety in characters and to distance the game from essentialism. Racial feats, like in pathfinder 2e, could be the solution of allowing both for archetype and variety, but I feel that gets too crunchy and potentially bloaty for many if not most 5e players.

It also ignores that Feats are not a core rule, they are an optional rule and I don't see WOTC moving back to 3e era design. One of the strengths of 5e has been that it is a very easy entry game, moreso than any other edition has been. They cracked that code quite successfully. Making Feats core would complicate the game because they are inessential to playing the game.

 

[teitan]

Instead of feats, just bake them into the class as choices, like they're doing for Level Up. When you reach whateverth level, pick one of these 2-3 options. Ditto for races. You are an elf, so pick one of these options. Back in 3e, it seemed like every book was coming up with new feats, but if they're reduced to choices within a race or class, I don't think people will be racing to make as many new ones.

So Pathfinder 2e.

 

[Faolyn]

So Pathfinder 2e.

Not quite. Those are feats, so knowing what I know of PF, there's probably a bunch of new racial feats already published.

I mean more like, you play an elf, so when you make your character you get to choose between a cantrip or getting to Hide even when only lightly obscured. More like what's covered by subraces now, but not actually being subraces.

 

[teitan]

Not quite. Those are feats, so knowing what I know of PF, there's probably a bunch of new racial feats already published.

I mean more like, you play an elf, so when you make your character you get to choose between a cantrip or getting to Hide even when only lightly obscured. More like what's covered by subraces now, but not actually being subraces.

So Tasha's optional race rules.

 

[Faolyn]

So Tasha's optional race rules.

Combined with more standard racial abilities. Like, I think we can all agree on trance and fey heritage for elves. Then you'd get your additional options to customize your elf.

 

[Minigiant]

Combined with more standard racial abilities. Like, I think we can all agree on trance and fey heritage for elves. Then you'd get your additional options to customize your elf.

So you are saying make High, Wood, or Dark choosable options for every race.

Fey: fey step, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Dark: superior darkvision, light sensitivity, 3 darkness spells, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
High: bonus wizard cantrip, bonus language, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Hill: Toughness
Low: +5 speed, nimble escape, bonus tool,
Mountain: light and medium armor
Sea: swim speed, speak with sea animals. 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Wild: bonus druid cantrip, Sylvan, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Wood: +5ft speed, mask of wild, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons

So if your dwarves live in forests, you can pick Wood + Dwarf. Whereas a playing a druidic dwarf is Wild + Dwarf

 

[Faolyn]

So you are saying make High, Wood, or Dark choosable options for every race.

Fey: fey step, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Dark: superior darkvision, light sensitivity, 3 darkness spells, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
High: bonus wizard cantrip, bonus language, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Hill: Toughness
Low: +5 speed, nimble escape, bonus tool,
Mountain: light and medium armor
Sea: swim speed, speak with sea animals. 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Wild: bonus druid cantrip, Sylvan, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons
Wood: +5ft speed, mask of wild, 2 bonus simple weapons, 2 bonus martial weapons

So if your dwarves live in forests, you can pick Wood + Dwarf. Whereas a playing a druidic dwarf is Wild + Dwarf

You definitely could. I see three ways you can go:

Keep them racial. Fey, Dark, High, Wood, etc., are options only for elves and half-elves. Hill, Mountain, etc. are only for dwarfs and half-dwarfs.

Make them regional, possibly using the type of terrains available to Land Druids as a baseline (and possibly also expanding upon those). If you grew up in the Forest, you can choose Wood for your racial trait. You can also combine them with Culture, if you want to use that as well. If a possible Culture is Great City, then someone from a Forest Great City would have different traits than someone from a Dark Great City.

Make 'em mix-and-match. Pick what you want. Fey dwarf, Dark human, Sea gnome. A bit wild, but if these traits are written in a way to help push backgrounds and other meaningful choices, then good.

 

[JEB]

You definitely could. I see three ways you can go:

Keep them racial. Fey, Dark, High, Wood, etc., are options only for elves and half-elves. Hill, Mountain, etc. are only for dwarfs and half-dwarfs.

Make them regional, possibly using the type of terrains available to Land Druids as a baseline (and possibly also expanding upon those). If you grew up in the Forest, you can choose Wood for your racial trait. You can also combine them with Culture, if you want to use that as well. If a possible Culture is Great City, then someone from a Forest Great City would have different traits than someone from a Dark Great City.

Make 'em mix-and-match. Pick what you want. Fey dwarf, Dark human, Sea gnome. A bit wild, but if these traits are written in a way to help push backgrounds and other meaningful choices, then good.

These are cool ideas, but why not all of the above? Have some generic cultures/subraces for regions or environments or the like, and also some intended for association with specific species, that you can also apply to characters from other species to represent upbringing. Half-orcs are orcs with human cultural traits or humans with orc cultural traits, for example. But any character race can have "Underdark" or "Desert" or "Urban" traits.