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."

 

[Marandahir]

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

I think the Droid Gotra would like to have a word with you.

 

[MNblockhead]

I dislike the term species as this could imply the biological species concept as members of a population that can potentially interbreed. Where does this leave half-orcs, half elves etc? Its too loaded a term to be of use for the game as is race. My preference is ancestry

I don't have an issue with it. Even if you read the term in a strict biological sense, fertile hybrids are possible in the real world.

If chimpanzees and bonobos can interbreed, I don't see an issue with orcs and humans.

 

[Yaarel]

Technically the adjective for "species" is "special".

I find myself needing to mispronounce the adjective as: "speecial".

Or even: "SPEE-shee-al".



A neologism may be in order. The term species derives from a Latin noun. So:

"Specid" : Species :: Rabid : Rabies

Then again:

Special : Species :: Serial : Series

 

[Charlaquin]

I like that they’re discontinuing the use of the term race, but species is a poor alternative. Can duergar no longer have children with dwarves? Svirfneblin with gnomes? What about all the varieties of elf, are we really saying they’re all different species now? No, this doesn’t work. Call them ancestries, or heritages, or lineages, or peoples. Species is just fraught in a different way than race.

 

[Charlaquin]

This was proposed wasn't it? Half Elf/Orc, going away.

Only as distinct races species with mechanical features. You can still play a character that was half-orc and half-human, or half-and-half of any two… umm… species you want (which makes the term woefully inaccurate). You just have to pick one parent to get the mechanical features from, and mix-and-match visual traits from each as you like.

 

[Scribe]

Only as distinct races species with mechanical features. You can still play a character that was half-orc and half-human, or half-and-half of any two… umm… species you want (which makes the term woefully inaccurate). You just have to pick one parent to get the mechanical features from, and mix-and-match visual traits from each as you like.

Yeah, which...I mean I get, but yeah.

 

[Teemu]

They should just use ancestry. Yeah, Pathfinder has it. So what? Ancestry fits fantasy a little better than species. We can give them feedback, the term isn’t set in stone yet.

 

[Bolares]

This elfgame, the term doesn’t need to be scientificaly acurate. I like species because it tells imediately to the player what choice they are making in character creation.

 

[Marandahir]

I like that they’re discontinuing the use of the term race, but species is a poor alternative. Can duergar no longer have children with dwarves? Svirfneblin with gnomes? What about all the varieties of elf, are we really saying they’re all different species now? No, this doesn’t work. Call them ancestries, or heritages, or lineages, or peoples. Species is just fraught in a different way than race.

You may have missed my post earlier in the thread (though I agree with you that that ancestry is FAR better):

Species ≠ Mutually Exclusive Reproduction.

Especially in Fantasy settings, but also in real life.

There are NUMEROUS examples of hybridized cross-species, and not just ones that are sterile, but plenty that "breed true".
Let alone the idea that an individual "MUST" be able to have children to be considered their own thing. >_>

I hate the cutting out of Half-elf and Half-orc, but I'd be sort of okay with it if they just plop the Custom Lineage option from Tasha's into the 2024 PHB and suggest that your Half-elf character may be statted as an Elf, a Human, or mix and match using Custom Lineage.

 

[Marandahir]

They should just use ancestry. Yeah, Pathfinder has it. So what? Ancestry fits fantasy a little better than species. We can give them feedback, the term isn’t set in stone yet.

Does Paizo have a trademark on the usage of the term in this context? If not, then WotC should use it too. They might be wanting to avoid a lawsuit, of course, much like everyone else uses GM instead of DM.