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."

 

[Longspeak]

Like others here, I don't like the word they picked, but I agree with the removal of "race." I have been and will continue to use "Ancestry."

 

[Charlaquin]

No it isn't.

It isn't a rigid category. It's a category whose lines are debated by scientists all the time. But it's not meaningless, not by a long shot.

As humans, we like clearly defined and rigid categories when we classify things . . . but the more we learn about the natural world, the more we realize nature doesn't play that way.

No of course it isn’t meaningless in real life. It would be meaningless in a world where dragons freely interbreed with humans, elves with thri-kreen, and centaurs with tritons. It’s meaningless in a world where our understanding of biology can be freely overridden by magic. Taxonomy, as we use it, is simply not applicable in a world where these unbelievably diverse life forms did not evolve from common ancestors but were directly created by gods, or materialized from pure elemental energy, or migrated from other realities, and all of them can be freely hybridized “because magic.”

And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that as a setting conceit. It’s fantasy, it doesn’t need to (and in my opinion shouldn’t) be bound by real-life science. However, “species” isn’t a meaningful term in a setting with such conceits.

 

[Vaalingrade]

That's not the only meaning of species though, Charlaquin.

And like I said before, most of the other alternatives don't actually solve the problem. They're words already steeped in a lesser or sometimes historically worse versions of the same rhetoric as 'race'. Believe me, growing up in the American South, I heard a lot of talk about 'heritage' and 'ancestry' from people trying to be 'intellectually' racist.

 

[Umbran]

D&D races don't have to follow the "rules" of real world biology, but tracking generally with that understanding is already a thing, regardless of the words we use.

I don't disagree with you. But I this looks like you didn't see my point.

What I described "generally tracks" with what we see in the world - indeed, what I said was essentially the common worldwide understanding of breeding when humans started breeding domesticated animals and plants, several thousand years before the invention of the microscope or the discovery of genetics.

I merely substituted "spiritual essence" for "genes". I noted that it allowed for us to make breeding work however we want - and if what you want is "generally tracking", well, you can have that, while still having dragons able to breed with anything, and gnomes not breed with other humanoids.

It isn't rocket science, and it shouldn't be rocket science, because it is fantasy.

 

[Atomoctba]

What about "birthright"? Supposing they does not resurrect the setting with the same name, because there, the word have a very special connotation

 

[Justice and Rule]

Species is odd, lineage would probably be better if you don't want to crib from someone else's notes, but moving away from "Race" is a good first step.

Black RPG dude check-in: I’m OK with various takes on simian inspired fantasy & sci-fi playable species as long as they aren’t cribbing notes from RW bigoted stereotypes.

They show up in all kinds of genre fiction, after all.

In the recent PF2 release Impossible Lands they have the Vanara, which I believe are based of a Hindu myth? But I haven't seen any complaints yet about them.

What I'd like to see?
Ancestry: things you're born with, your DNA. Hair color, eye color, etc. "Nature"
Background: things you were taught, your upbringing. Social aptitude, language, culture. "Nurture"
Class: what you do for a living, your expertise. Training, knowledge, practice. "Career."

Which is pretty much what we have already, especially if we use the options in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. I'd make a few minor tweaks, like mapping ASIs to each category instead of feats, but I can cope.

I'm going to assume this is not a Pathfinder joke, but this is literally how PF2 does it, and is even how they order it in their Core Rulebook. I'm not sure if it is officially called the ABC system, but I see it called that a lot.

 

[payn]

In the recent PF2 release Impossible Lands they have the Vanara, which I believe are based of a Hindu myth? But I haven't seen any complaints yet about them.

Vanara been round awhile. I recall in the PF1 Serpent Skull AP they appeared a bit. Dont remember much about them.

 

[Justice and Rule]

Vanara been round awhile. I recall in the PF1 Serpent Skull AP they appeared a bit. Dont remember much about them.

Sure, my point was more to accent Danny's own point that there isn't really a need to fear making/releasing monkey ancestries, as evidenced by Paizo doing it within the last month. What matters is how you actually put it together.

 

[payn]

Sure, my point was more to accent Danny's own point that there isn't really a need to fear making/releasing monkey ancestries, as evidenced by Paizo doing it within the last month. What matters is how you actually put it together.

Right, just affirming that Vanara been around awhile and not been an issue...yet.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm going to assume this is not a Pathfinder joke, but this is literally how PF2 does it, and is even how they order it in their Core Rulebook. I'm not sure if it is officially called the ABC system, but I see it called that a lot.

Huh...I honestly didn't know that. I haven't even read PF2, let alone played it.

I might have to check it out.