D&D (2024) One D&D Permanently Removes The Term 'Race'

In line with many other tabletop roleplaying games, such as Pathfinder or Level Up, One D&D is removing the term 'race'. Where Pathfinder uses 'Ancestry' and Level Up uses 'Heritage', One D&D will be using 'Species'.

Moving On From 'Race' in the 2024 Core Rulebooks

We understand "race" is a problematic term that has had prejudiced links between real world people and the fantasy peoples of D&D worlds.

www.dndbeyond.com

In a blog post, WotC announced that "We have made the decision to move on from using the term "race" everywhere in One D&D, and we do not intend to return to that term."

 

[Lanefan]

For sure. My biology is like..grade 10 level but I was thinking on this.

Human - Elf -> Half Elf - Sure, easy.
Half Elf - Half Elf -> Human, Elf, or Half Elf?

Half-Elf.

Half-Elf - Human -> Quarter-Elf.
Half-Elf -> Elf -> 3/4-Elf.

This is why we went to calling them "Part Elves" and "Part Orcs" ages ago, with gradated mechanics for each 1/8 step.

=============

As for the bigger point: 'species' is fine with me, and IMO considerably better than most of the other suggested terms e.g. Ancestry, Heritage, etc. A Part-Elf is simply a mix of two species in the fiction, that has its own mechanics in the rules as if it was a separate species of its own.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Fractional Elf

 

[Matchstick]

As long-time fan of alliteration, I, for one, look forward to the advent of the specious speciesist arguments!

So you're "an alliteration advocate anticipating the advent of the alternate ancestry arguments"

 

[Faolyn]

Ick.
Too Sci-Fi
I prefer Heritage

(It's up BTW)

If it makes you feel better, the word originates in the 14th century.

 

[MNblockhead]

It's good to see "race" gone, but the linguist in me wishes they'd chosen a replacement word with an adjective form. For example, the traits your PC gets from their ancestry would be their ancestral traits, and so on. There's not a corresponding word for species, unfortunately.

Biologists use "specific". Using "generic" (related to genus) and "specific" (related to species) traits is, however, a bit awkard in that that is not how people will read these terms in common usage. Then again, talking about "traits specific to elves" or "dwarf-specific traits" reads well enough to me.

 

[Marandahir]

Hmm, "parentage." I like it from a Gygaxian perspective, but I'm not sure that's a word that the broad audience necessarily knows.

What if your parents aren't the same species as you?

What if you are a species without parents, like an Autognome or a Shardmind or a Plasmoid?

 

[Davies]

Race -> racial
Ancestry -> ancestral
Species -> special?

Yes, that is the adjective form -- though I'm now informed that biologists use a different one -- and possibly a good argument against using that noun in this instance, as is the existence of characters who are non-biological in origin, like warforged.

 

[Scribe]

What if you are a species without parents, like an Autognome?

A robot isnt a species, beyond 'Construct' anyway?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What if your parents aren't the same species as you?

What if you are a species without parents, like an Autognome?

Good points.

I vote we go with "Thingy."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

A robot isnt a species, beyond 'Construct' anyway?

What is the blank on the character sheet called for an autognome character, then?