WotC WotC general D&D survey just went live.

[Parmandur]

True, but that approach will certainly favor Human+ combinations, since they have an extra feat to pay the "hybrid tax" with.

Which favors the genre fiction, to be honest.

 

[Mistwell]

None of that makes the actual product owned. That's all after market stuff.

LOL that's a meaningless distinction. No, it's not all "after market stuff" to print to PDF. Come on Micah, if you want to have it on your computer (if you consider a PDF on your computer "owned") then you can do it, legally, without much issue. If instead you want to whine about WOTC "renting" you stuff without taking the steps open to you to have it not "rented" in your mind (which I also think is a meaningless distinction in this context but obviously you do not) then that's one you but it makes your point much weaker.

People who feel the need to use the products off-line, can do so. No matter how many times you repeat the lie that it's "rented" it remains an untrue claim. The only valid claim there is it's more difficult than it should be to use it offline. That's it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The new rule opens that up in the game in a big way, it doesn't detract from it. Wanna be a Half-Dwarf, Half-Goliath? Easy peaay.

Unless you want to be of both peoples in a mechanically meaningful way.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Background Feats go a long way towards making a more cosmetic hybrid have some individual mechanical heft

This will only be true if they actually provide feats that correspond to Elfiness, Dwarviness, Orcishness, etc.

If they don't, then the background feats fail to restore what was lost, and it remains a purely cosmetic thing. Because, as far as I've understood for "One D&D," anyone can take Underwater Basketweaver or Moisture Farmer (etc.) as their background feat. There are no limits other than "it must be a first-level feat," everyone ultimately picks from exactly the same list.

 

[Parmandur]

Unless you want to be of both peoples in a mechanically meaningful way.

There are always tradeoffs: the future D&D solution of simple refluffing with no mechanical consequence opens up personal storytelling options, amd avoids the mess of powergameable mechanical systems tied to Species...whi h WotC does not want for any price.

 

[Parmandur]

This will only be true if they actually provide feats that correspond to Elfiness, Dwarviness, Orcishness, etc.

If they don't, then the background feats fail to restore what was lost, and it remains a purely cosmetic thing. Because, as far as I've understood for "One D&D," anyone can take Underwater Basketweaver or Moisture Farmer (etc.) as their background feat. There are no limits other than "it must be a first-level feat," everyone ultimately picks from exactly the same list.

I reckon something along those lines will come.

 

[Parmandur]

This will only be true if they actually provide feats that correspond to Elfiness, Dwarviness, Orcishness, etc.

If they don't, then the background feats fail to restore what was lost, and it remains a purely cosmetic thing. Because, as far as I've understood for "One D&D," anyone can take Underwater Basketweaver or Moisture Farmer (etc.) as their background feat. There are no limits other than "it must be a first-level feat," everyone ultimately picks from exactly the same list.

But as an example for what is doable now: an Orc Arcane Trickster with an Elf parent can take Magic Initiate to get some extra magical ability, and so Backgrand and subclass abilities serve to mechanically represent the story of the character. This expands options, it doesn't limit them.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

But as an example for what is doable now: an Orc Arcane Trickster with an Elf parent can take Magic Initiate to get some extra magical ability, and so Backgrand and subclass abilities serve to mechanically represent the story of the character. This expands options, it doesn't limit them.

No, it does limit them. Because we lose things that used to be present, and gain nothing that wouldn't have been present anyway.

Background feats would be there either way. That's not even remotely up for debate. But half-elf and half-orc, with distinct mechanics, won't be there. That is a loss with no gain, unless the aforementioned ancestry feats are provided. If such feats do not materialize, they will have axed a distinctive thing and replaced it with nothing. Being able to be an Orc with Magic Initiate and pretending that that makes you part-Elf-y is not a replacement.

 

[Parmandur]

No, it does limit them. Because we lose things that used to be present, and gain nothing that wouldn't have been present anyway.

Background feats would be there either way. That's not even remotely up for debate. But half-elf and half-orc, with distinct mechanics, won't be there. That is a loss with no gain, unless the aforementioned ancestry feats are provided. If such feats do not materialize, they will have axed a distinctive thing and replaced it with nothing. Being able to be an Orc with Magic Initiate and pretending that that makes you part-Elf-y is not a replacement.

Limiting all hybrid possibilities to just Human-Orc and Human-Elf is undesireble, and making mechanical representationfor everybpoaaibliry is infeasible: something has to give, and mechanical elements are what gave.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Limiting all hybrid possibilities to just Human-Orc and Human-Elf is undesireble, and making mechanical representationfor everybpoaaibliry is infeasible: something has to give, and mechanical elements are what gave.

Hence why I said what I said. If we get "dual bloodline feats" or the like, the sacrifice is small enough to be not really a concern. If we don't, I fully expect more than a few upset fans.