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."

 

[reelo]

Subspecies is super fraught, as the “sub” prefix is demeaning.

I don't see the problem, tbh. It's a purely hierarchical term. It doesn't mean the "species is sub", it means there is a distinction between different members of a species that is below the threshold for assigning a different species.
It's like folders and subfolders.

 

[amethal]

If this was TSR, we could expect books to contain rules for chariot species and "speciesing against time".

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

If this was TSR, we could expect books to contain rules for chariot species and "speciesing against time".

Someone made a joke on Reddit about how OneD&D's version of "Pass without Trace" will be "Pass without Tspecies".

 

[ilgatto]

Perhaps now would be a good time to ask WotC to also remove the term 'lantern' from their publications - its use always leaves me feeling grievously offended. Perhaps they can replace it/them with 'lamp'.

 

[Jahydin]

I don't care what they call it, I just want stat bonus/penalties back.

 

[Branduil]

I don't care what they call it, I just want stat bonus/penalties back.

Good news, no one will stop you from putting a 17 Dex and 8 Con on every Elf you play.

 

[phuong]

how about Breed. Elf Breed Dwarf Breed Etc. And I have no problems with subclass as a word for a Rogue Thief.
Or the sub class like Seawolf. Or Sub Class $5 foot long.

your racism betrays you

 

[AnotherGuy]

@phuong I got thread-banned last week for joking about that because of fantasy race and I even couched that with a 10 minute comedic video clip of Craig Fergusson absurdly and constantly accusing his producer of being one over the years. And it didn't save me. Prob best you modify your post before it gets reported.

 

[ilgatto]

Yeah. I think because in D&D we do not use race to reflect culture as it has been done in real life. Even when I'm playing in published settings with a distinction between masses of human people, we do not refer to them as x and y race. I do not claim to have an answer for this.
I think perhaps a table should determine what the in-game word for it would be and use that.

The elven monarch, pushed back his chair, causing everyone to turn to his direction as his chair scrapped along the stone-tiled floor. Standing up and placing his fists upon the hard oak table, he leaned in, "We have discussed this long enough, which [fill in the word] can we count on to fight united against this impending threat?"

The elven monarch, pushed back his chair, causing everyone to turn to his direction as his chair scrapped along the stone-tiled floor. Standing up and placing his fists upon the hard oak table, he leaned in, "We have discussed this long enough, which [who] can we count on to fight united against this impending threat?"

meh...

The elven monarch, pushed back his chair, causing everyone to turn to his direction as his chair scrapped along the stone-tiled floor. Standing up and placing his fists upon the hard oak table, he leaned in, "We have discussed this long enough, which [lamp] can we count on to fight united against this impending threat?"

meh... again.

 

[Branduil]

The elven monarch, pushed back his chair, causing everyone to turn to his direction as his chair scrapped along the stone-tiled floor. Standing up and placing his fists upon the hard oak table, he leaned in, "We have discussed this long enough, which [who] can we count on to fight united against this impending threat?"

meh...

The elven monarch, pushed back his chair, causing everyone to turn to his direction as his chair scrapped along the stone-tiled floor. Standing up and placing his fists upon the hard oak table, he leaned in, "We have discussed this long enough, which [lamp] can we count on to fight united against this impending threat?"

meh... again.

Honestly, this is just pointing out another major problem with D&D and fantasy tropes, where virtually every nation is an ethnostate.