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."

 

[Jahydin]

When did this thread become about Ancient Aliens?

::History Channel has entered the chat::

Haha, imagine my confusion after spending a good couple of hours formulating my last post, hitting "Post reply", then trying to puzzle out what the hell happened.

Honestly thought I posted in the wrong forum...

 

[Remathilis]

Haha, imagine my confusion after spending a good couple of hours formulating my last post, hitting "Post reply", then trying to puzzle out what the hell happened.

Honestly thought I posted in the wrong forum...

Considering most threads end up becoming trench warfare about legacy settings and cannon, this felt a little refreshing.

 

[Tonguez]

Considering most threads end up becoming trench warfare about legacy settings and cannon, this felt a little refreshing.

well it did spin off from discussion of Dark Suns Scorcerer-kings and Mul slavery in the bronze age

 

[foreverelf]

So....with the lastest developments...I guess the word 'race' is back...

 

[Ondath]

So....with the lastest developments...I guess the word 'race' is back...

Nah, SRD 5.1 keeps it because that's what the original document had, but there's no way the OneD&D books will have it on release.

 

[wingsandsword]

Nah, SRD 5.1 keeps it because that's what the original document had, but there's no way the OneD&D books will have it on release.

The term got dumped into CC's.

6th edition may not use the term, but it'll probably be used by every open-source game and product derived from earlier editions thanks to the OGL and CC.

 

[Bagpuss]

The term got dumped into CC's.

6th edition may not use the term, but it'll probably be used by every open-source game and product derived from earlier editions thanks to the OGL and CC.

True but there are plenty of OGL products out already that dumped "race" before WotC did.

 

[Hex08]

Yes, because everything the mainstream doesn't accept is quickly labelled a conspiracy theory so it can be misaligned and easily dismissed.

This is exactly the problem that exists that the so-called professional archaeologists who are unwilling to explore different hypothesis nevermind update the current dogma given the mountain of growing evidence which tears holes through The Narrative.
There is a video between Graham Hancock debating the very thing you stipulate here re the Sphynx with the head honcho of Egypt who dismissed him (without reason I might add) as well as the German Archaeological Institute that determined age of the Gobleki Tepe in Turkey to be over 11,000 years in age. There is massive gatekeeping by professionals - to keep the current paradigm fixed.

And if you do not toe-the-line you are quickly smeared and the funding stops. That is not how science progresses.

This isn't meant to be offensive or condescending, but you are not understanding how the sciences work. Scientists, archaeologists included, are always examining and testing different hypotheses but they won't examine every alternate one because it doesn't make sense to do so if the source is known to unreliable (either the person or the idea presented). These people are experts in their field and have spent more years becoming educated on the topic than a non-professional so they can check others work and make detailed analysis of it. The sciences have peer review processes in place where work is checked by other professionals and either verified or shown to be incorrect. If it is verified often enough it enters the mainstream of scientific knowledge, if it is shown to be flawed it is discarded. This process exists for a good reason; people are flawed and will make mistakes or be incorrect so others check their work to help validate it. The more times it is validated the more likely it is to be true. Non-professional people simply don't have the deep educational background to realize where they may be making errors or realize they are re-treading old ground that was long ago shown to be wrong.

So yes, there are gate keepers to the sciences and there should be. It helps keep the well-intentioned but uninformed out of the process. Just look at the history of perpetual motion machines and cold fusion, the proponents of those technologies aren't being excluded because of some concerted effort to exclude them, it's because the experts have determined time and time again that they don't work.

And yes, the peer review process isn't perfect and that is accepted by the community and there are attempts being made to fix some of its issues but just because there are problems doesn't mean it is fundamentally flawed and wrong.

 

[Scribe]

So....with the lastest developments...I guess the word 'race' is back...

Nope.

Except for any 5.1 SRD product that chooses to use it, but I doubt many would care to at this point. They will use Ancestry or something proper.

Unlike Species...

 

[Clint_L]

So....with the lastest developments...I guess the word 'race' is back...

I don't see what the OGL situation has to do with this issue. The reasons for dropping the term haven't changed. I suppose 3PP could choose to use it with their products but to do so would be making a very odd statement. WotC aren't going back to it and neither will anyone who wants their products to be D&D compatible.

Of all the discussions that got buried by the OGL controversy, this was the one I was hoping wouldn't resurface. C'est la vie.