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

[UngeheuerLich]

You're referring to the traits commonly held by all members of a given heritage? curious

I can't make anything out of your post...
can you rephrase that?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

As I mentioned in another thread, I like how Fantasy Craft handled half-species with feats. For example, Half-Elf would be

Elf-Blood
Prequisite: Non Elf; taken at Level 1 only
Benefit: (insert Elf Blood feature(s))

Half-Orc would be:

Orc Blood
Elf-Blood
Prequisite: Non Orc; taken at Level 1 only
Benefit: (insert Orc Blood feature(s))

So you use human and spend both feats to become half elf, half orc?

 

[Pedantic]

So you use human and spend both feats to become half elf, half orc?

Fantasy Craft is pretty different, even from the 3e D&D it's most closely related to. The most obvious way to get two species feats at level 1 is to use the Sorcerer specialty (which is more like a background in 5e terms) which is open to any species. You'd need to figure out the narrative, but you could be an Ogre, Orc, Goblin with Orc and Elf blood or even the more exotic Rootwalker (think ent) or Drake (quadrupedal dragon).

 

[Bedrockgames]

So you use human and spend both feats to become half elf, half orc?

In D&D using a mechanic like feats for something like being a half elf feels quite off to me

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In D&D using a mechanic like feats for something like being a half elf feels quite off to me

For me too... but it might be the most simple solution.

Have every half species as a feat package and just use tasha's cauldron's custom lineage and fetch 2 feats to start with.

 

[Bedrockgames]

For me too... but it might be the most simple solution.

Have every half species as a feat package and just use tasha's cauldron's custom lineage and fetch 2 feats to start with.

Again, I am not the target audience but this really strikes me as a tortured design path fix something that simply isn’t broken. All these solutions seem convoluted, oddly kludged it like they are watering down the concept. Are half elves really this big an issue for most tables?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Again, I am not the target audience but this really strikes me as a tortured design path fix something that simply isn’t broken. All these solutions seem convoluted, oddly kludged it like they are watering down the concept. Are half elves really this big an issue for most tables?

Why do you ask me. I am in the wrong position to criticize...

but having only 2 out of 45 possible options out of the PHB only seems rather limiting.
So having a system that allows for more would be neat.

 

[Corinnguard]

I can't make anything out of your post...
can you rephrase that?

Sorry about that. In A5e, every heritage starts out by saying characters with X heritage share a variety of traits in common with one another. Those traits being Age, Size, Speed, Senses (such as Darkvision) and one or more Signature abilities (such as an Elf's Fey Ancestry and Trance). I was thinking this is what you meant by generic elf traits and generic halfling traits. Were you referring to these commonly shared traits?

Pedantic then mentioned:

The Mixed Heritage sidebar calls out that you can adjust size/lifespan/physical appearance, so you could play either as a small or medium character.

So there is an option to mix and match the commonly shared traits.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Sorry about that. In A5e, every heritage starts out by saying characters with X heritage share a variety of traits in common with one another. Those traits being Age, Size, Speed, Senses (such as Darkvision) and one or more Signature abilities (such as an Elf's Fey Ancestry and Trance). I was thinking this is what you meant by generic elf traits and generic halfling traits. Were you referring to these commonly shared traits?

Pedantic then mentioned:


So there is an option to mix and match the commonly shared traits.

Thank you for clarifying.

Lets take the halfling elf for example:

I meant those traits of a heritage that are not jn the gift section that wevery halfling or elf gets:

For halflings I was thinking of fearless, nimble steps and lucky, for the elf I was thinking of fey ancestry and trance.

So my elfling, how I call them should get
Fearless, nimble steps and fey ancestry. That is impossible if I read it correctly.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Thank you for clarifying.

Lets take the halfling elf for example:

I meant those traits of a heritage that are not jn the gift section that wevery halfling or elf gets:

For halflings I was thinking of fearless, nimble steps and lucky, for the elf I was thinking of fey ancestry and trance.

So my elfling, how I call them should get
Fearless, nimble steps and fey ancestry. That is impossible if I read it correctly.

To my mind, the ideal way to do what you're asking for would be to apply a point value to every trait or gift, and every PC gets the same number of points to spend. One of the Level Up third party books has actually done this, so it is definitely a doable method.