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."

 

[Tonguez]

Sure, plenty of closely-related species can interbreed, but in 1D&D, all humanoid “species” can do so, which is pretty extreme. Moreover I think it’s absurd to say that all the variety of elves are different species, but they’re also all elves. Is elf a genus now? Then it’s even weirder that every species within that genus can interbreed with every other humanoid species, which I guess must also be their own genera? Cause like dwarf and duergar are both species of dwarf. Unless we want to start using the term subspecies for the different varieties of elf, dwarf, gnome, etc. And that doesn’t really feel any less scientifically racist than using the term race if you ask me.

well in the real world we already break down things into Order-Family-Subfamily-Tribe-Genus -Species-Subspecies
Primate-Hominidae (great apes)-Homininae-Hominini-Homo-H.Sapiens-H.Sapiens sapiens (Modern Humans)

The fact is species isnt clearly defined and the borders between species and genus are permeable, especially when you also get the issue of morphs (same species different phenotype) which probably applies to Elfs in particular. So yeah assuming they're all mammals Orcs-Elfs and Humans are certainly the same Family, maybe evensame Genus with species proliferating from there

 

[Marandahir]

We have subclasses, which could just as easily been called archetypes or specializations.

Subclass is less problematic because it doesn’t refer to a people. But I wouldn’t be opposed to using archetype or specialization instead.

Heck, I've heard official D&D talking heads use the shorthand of Archetype instead of the subclass Jargon. There was even a push in the past to get rid of Ranger Archetype and replace it with Ranger Conclave because every other class had their own unique subclass group name, save Fighter and Rogue with the otherwise generic Martial Archetype and Roguish Archetype (and whom of all the classes could truly get away with that because of how generic Fighter and Rogue are). And even THEN, you have D&D designers bemoaning that Fighter was too catch-bin a class, where Champion and Battle Master were generic and could be all sorts of concepts, while Eldritch Knight, Samurai, Cavalier, etc were more thematic and made more sense as unique iterative subclasses - they wished that Champion and Battle Master were separate dials from subclass, and then you could have each subclass be reflective of its own unique concept. And if that becomes the case with One D&D, they can retire Martial Archetype even and say something like "School of Battle" or something else cool (honestly, I'd have used Fighting Style as the Fighter subclass, but they wanted that to be a feat family accessible by all Warriors and semi-Warriors, so…).

And if all the above are taken as evidence, I would NOT be surprised if by late next year we're seeing Take 3 on these 48 Class Options feature the term subclass replaced entirely by Archetype, with each class having their own generic epithet for their archetypes (not specific epithet, for that would be the actual archetypes themselves alongside their genera - i.e., Primal Path of the Berserker would be the specific epithet, while Primal Path is the genera reflective of the Barbarian Class… ugh, this Linnean taxonomic structuring of character options is a dark hole of cladistic madness…)

 

[raist2099]

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."

this woke stuff kills me. are we so sensitive that a word like race is really that bad. so call it species, heritage, ethnicity...i could argue woke crap about all of those as well. this generation of wokeness is ridiculous.

 

[Jackdaw McGraw]

Does every choice have to be made from a political perspective?

Many people tend to say 'political' when 'cultural' is more accurate. We're not litigating or voting on what's appropriate, but we are trying to come to an inclusive consensus via cultural channels - like community forums. So yes, every choice has to be made from a cultural perspective when you're in the business of selling the printed word.

That said, 'species' changes the tone of the genre, especially if the term is used in-game. The term 'race' can be denigrating but if a NPC tossed out the line "...the elven species" it would sound, well, racist and distancing imo.

 

[Tonguez]

I’m fine with species, it’s accurate to what it’s identifying so it’s good enough for me.

lineage and ancestry sound too specific IMO like you’re tracing back your family tree rather than your general biology,
heritage sounds like it’s describing your culture as much as your biology and I thought those two things were something that people wanted to detangle from each other (EG:if i want to be a dwarf raised by elves why would I have dwarven weapon proficiency, is it genetic or something?)

Lineage is perhaps a more appropriate term given the new pushs for build your own species and the notion that instead of half-races players can now mix and match based on their parental biology ...

 

[Charlaquin]

well in the real world we already break down things into Order-Family-Subfamily-Tribe-Genus -Species-Subspecies
Primate-Hominidae (great apes)-Homininae-Hominini-Homo-H.Sapiens-H.Sapiens sapiens (Modern Humans)

The fact is species isnt clearly defined and the borders between species and genus are permeable, especially when you also get the issue of morphs (same species different phenotype) which probably applies to Elfs in particular. So yeah assuming they're all mammals Orcs-Elfs and Humans are certainly the same Family, maybe evensame Genus with species proliferating from there

Except all of this is silly because the peoples of D&D didn’t arise through evolution by natural selection and don’t have a common ancestor. Real-life taxonomy makes no sense when applied to them.

 

[Charlaquin]

Heck, I've heard official D&D talking heads use the shorthand of Archetype instead of the subclass Jargon. There was even a push in the past to get rid of Ranger Archetype and replace it with Ranger Conclave because every other class had their own unique subclass group name, save Fighter and Rogue with the otherwise generic Martial Archetype and Roguish Archetype (and whom of all the classes could truly get away with that because of how generic Fighter and Rogue are).

Rogues had Schemes instead of Archetypes in the Next playtest.

 

[Cadence]

Except all of this is silly because the peoples of D&D didn’t arise through evolution by natural selection and don’t have a common ancestor. Real-life taxonomy makes no sense when applied to them.

I mean, is there any reason they couldn't have? (How did they show up in worlds without gods, for example?)

 

[Von Ether]

I agree the change was needed. Not a fan of "species" in a fantasy game, but that's all highly subjective.

e.g. I believe psionics can be in fantasy and that too "sci-fi" for others. Neither of us is wrong

 

[Dire Bare]

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.

Sure, plenty of closely-related species can interbreed, but in 1D&D, all humanoid “species” can do so, which is pretty extreme. Moreover I think it’s absurd to say that all the variety of elves are different species, but they’re also all elves. Is elf a genus now? Then it’s even weirder that every species within that genus can interbreed with every other humanoid species, which I guess must also be their own genera? Cause like dwarf and duergar are both species of dwarf. Unless we want to start using the term subspecies for the different varieties of elf, dwarf, gnome, etc. And that doesn’t really feel any less scientifically racist than using the term race if you ask me.

I think you are overthinking here.

The game term "species" like "race" before it, will be imperfect. But while duergar and dwarves are both dwarves . . . are they simply different cultures or have they biologically evolved a bit apart over the eons? In the real world, where we draw the line between two closely related species is up for debate scientifically, so why not in the fantasy world also? And as others have noted, closely related species in the real world can interbreed, it's not a stretch that the various humanoid species in the fantasy world are closely related enough to produce viable offspring.

Are elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, and even orcs really all that different, physically? Certainly more so than the ethnic differences in the real world, but it's not much of a stretch to view them as biologically distinct species, that are closely related enough to have offspring.

Warforged and dwarves? Thri-kreen and elves? Greater differences for sure . . . but then when you throw crazy wizards into the mix, anything is possible.