D&D 5E Wow! No more subraces. The Players Handbook races reformat to the new race format going forward.

[Benjamin Olson]

I think "no more subraces" is interpolating too much into the decision to present things in the most clearly comprehensible format (race/subrace-wise) for this UA. I personally like presenting things with subraces when multiple subraces are presented together with the race like in the PHB or the Volo's section on Aasimar, but it is irritating when you encounter subraces on their own to need to reference back to some other source for the race, and much more irritating if it involves bringing an extra book to the table to play your character.

 

[Staffan]

Heh, what I dont want is a million elf subraces.

I would rather have one fluid elf race that is inherently diverse. Let the player choose which traits one wants for their own elf character concept. It is ok if a setting preselects these traits for a "typical" elf in that setting, as long as the player has the final say for their own elf character.

That's basically how Pathfinder 2 does it. In PF2, these are the traits common to all elf PCs:

• 6 hit points (this is a one-time adjustment, in addition to the N+Con bonus/level you get, and 6 is pretty low).
• Size Medium.
• Speed 30 ft (faster than average).
• Low-light vision.
• The common and elven languages, plus Int modifier languages chosen from a default list that can specifically be expanded by other languages available in your region.
• A boost (+2) to Dexterity and Intelligence as well as any one other stat, and a penalty (-2) to Constitution.

In addition to these, you choose a Heritage, which to some degree fills the same role as a 5e subrace, but on a smaller scale. These are (with some exceptions) not directly linked to any ethnical groups, though some are more common in some groups than others. These are the ones from the core book:

• Arctic Elf: Adapted to cold climates, get some cold resistance and reduce the effects of environmental cold.
• Cavern Elf: You gain darkvision.
• Seer Elf: Can cast Detect Magic at will, and get a bonus to identify magic or decipher writing on magic.
• Whisper Elf: Finely tuned hearing lets you Seek for invisible creatures in a larger area than normal, and with a bonus if they're within the normal area.
• Woodland Elf: Can climb faster in woodlands and has an easier time finding cover in woodlands terrain.

In addition to these, you also get to choose an ancestry feat. At higher levels, you get more ancestral feats, and access to more powerful ones. At 1st level, an elf using the core book can choose:

• Ancestral Longevity (requires 100+ years of age): Each day you can choose a skill to treat as Trained, as you recall skills you once learned but that now has mostly atrophied.
• Elven Lore: You become trained in Arcana, Nature, and Elf Lore.
• Elven Weapon Familiarity: You become trained in traditional elf weapons.
• Forlorn: Save bonus against emotion effects.
• Nimble Elf: +5 ft Speed.
• Otherworldly Magic: Learn an arcane cantrip you can cast at will.
• Unwavering Mien: Reduce the duration of Mental spells by 1 round, and gain a save bonus against sleep effects.

I really like this way of doing ancestries. The effect is that "elf" is a very wide umbrella, but it's still fairly distinct from "dwarf". And for outlier cases, there's a general feat you can take that unlocks another ancestry's feats for you, as long as those feats aren't based on that ancestry's physiology (as determined by the GM). For example, an elf with Adopted Ancestry (Orc) couldn't take the Tusks feat, because elves don't have tusks.

 

[Umbran]

It's a UA article.

Yeah, I don't think you should take a UA article to indicate THE WAY THEY WILL DO THINGS FOREVERMORE!

UA is playtest material, not final format material.

 

[Tonguez]

Yeah I think that may be jumping the gun, its an example build in a UA article, not a standard on how the next Players Handbook is going to be structured.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

An alternate explination of why it's presented as its own race is because they made several changes to the base elf abilities like fey ancestry and trance, and it's simpler to just write that out as a full race than to say, "you get all the base elf traits, but not the dex bonus and these ones are changed, see sidebar."

They are probably testing these core changes for the 2024 update.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, I don't think you should take a UA article to indicate THE WAY THEY WILL DO THINGS FOREVERMORE!

UA is playtest material, not final format material.

I agree, but I do think it’s an indication of what they’re considering doing, provided the response is positive enough.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

I doubt they're going to remove subraces in the next PHB. It would mean dedicating far too much page count to redundant information.

 

[Minigiant]

One option is that they have a "core" dwarf (or whatever) race then have an options list to pick from with defaults. Maybe some sort of point allotment with different options having different costs.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's rules for more detailed custom race options, likely in the DMG. Time will tell.

I don't expect points system.
I could see all Dwarves getting to choose between 3 of Armor Training, Darkness Training, Magic Training, Rune Training, Smith Training, Strength Training, Toughness Training, or Weapon Training,

Then they give suggestions.

Hill would be Smith, Toughness, Weapon
Mountain would be Armor, Strength, Weapon
Dark would be Darkness, Magic, Strength
Mul/Half would be Smith, Strength, Toughness

 

[TerraDave]

They will be looking for feedback. There will be a process. This is just starting.

 

[Oofta]

My guess is that they may repeat the information if it's a splatbook so you don't have to go back to the PHB. That and they did modify the wording a bit so they're probably getting feedback on that as well.