D&D (2024) How did I miss this about the Half races/ancestries

[Corinnguard]

You pick an Ancestry and then every one of those gets a heritage. The heritage is the "half-elf" part of the equation. Periodically you get feats for your Ancestry, so a half-elf can pick either elf or human feats. It works well, but that's not how D&D is designed. I think the "take a feature" part is just clunky and I'd be really surprised if it survives.

Another element from Pathfinder 2e to incorporate into 5e, perhaps?

 

[Eubani]

Simplicity for its own sake is bad as being too complex. Simplicity must be tied to a goal to be of value.

 

[Corinnguard]

It's a Goldilocks thing, really. Not too simple and not too complex, but just right.

 

[Micah Sweet]

My issue is, you aren't playing a "half orc half dwarf" you are playing an Orc who looks kind of dwarfish or visa versa.

That's like saying they should have one stat block for humanoids and just choose what you look like. "I'll put my +2 in Dex and I look like an Elf!" "I put my +2 in Str and look like a Dwarf!" Everyone just gets Darkvision because why not.

I feel there are folks who would find that acceptable.

 

[CleverNickName]

My issue is, you aren't playing a "half orc half dwarf" you are playing an Orc who looks kind of dwarfish or visa versa.

That's like saying they should have one stat block for humanoids and just choose what you look like. "I'll put my +2 in Dex and I look like an Elf!" "I put my +2 in Str and look like a Dwarf!" Everyone just gets Darkvision because why not.

This is pretty close to the custom race options in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (except I think it's called "origins" instead of race.) We've been using them for over a year now, and so far, no complaints.

 

[Yaarel]

I like the ODD update that allows any Humanoid species to reproduce offspring together. To choose one parent species for the stats keeps the rules simple, balanced, and useful.

If it is important for the character concept to have certain stats from an other parent, then use the Background mechanic to sdd these. Background is able to grant a magical benefit as well as a nonmagical benefit. Cantrip-like abilities such as Gnome animal speaking are easy for a Background to grant.

 

[Corinnguard]

I feel like there is one thing that we all seemed to have overlooked. How common are the half races compared to everybody else in a setting? There probably are a number of individuals whose parents come from separate races such as humans and elves. But their numbers could be so small that you are not going to run into one of them any time soon.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I feel like there is one thing that we all seemed to have overlooked. How common are the half races compared to everybody else in a setting? There probably are a number of individuals whose parents come from separate races such as humans and elves. But their numbers could be so small that you are not going to run into one of them any time soon.

It would depend on the setting I guess. A setting where long distance travel is commonplace and has been for a long time will have a lot of hybrid species everywhere, as there is tons of opportunities for mixing. Not only will there be lots of half-elves, but half-elves will also be mixing with other half-elves (at that point are they even a half-elf or something else entirely? Diversity would be everywhere.

In a setting with extremely limited travel, where the factors which have caused such speciation are still in play, there will probably be very few hybrid species. The parent species will just not have had the chances to meet and reproduce very often.

 

[Horwath]

I feel like there is one thing that we all seemed to have overlooked. How common are the half races compared to everybody else in a setting? There probably are a number of individuals whose parents come from separate races such as humans and elves. But their numbers could be so small that you are not going to run into one of them any time soon.

Silverymoon, city in FR.
3rd ed, 37,000 population. half elves 12% of total. that is 4440 in kind of a small area.

 

[Von Corellon]

How would this affect Eberron? Dragonmarks, Khoravar and House Lyrandar, House Medani, House Tharashk, etc.? Would an entire campaign setting have to be revised for this initiative?