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

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

the yoke of the cruel and demeaning gnomish empire.

It's not our fault that everything would be better if we were in charge, highpockets.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And fluff that's largely ignored at most tables I'd wager.

If fluff is largely ignored at tables, then we can probably shut down the majority of ENWorld threads and much of Twitter's D&D discourse.

 

[Faolyn]

This is what I'm trying say. The proposed system removes good narrative and worldbuilding ideas from the public consciousness, if not from actuality, in favor of a "everyone gets along everywhere except for a few individual bad apple NPCs" philosophy. Of course you can handle heritage relations however you want in a published setting or at your table. But does the default  have to be sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other?

It removes narrative and worldbuilding ideas, maybe, but they're not good ideas. They're mediocre tropes that don't make much sense considering the rest of the setting. You can't logically expect that a world with a hundred different intelligent beings and magic and active gods that regularly and obviously interfere and a completely different history to function exactly like the real world, with its no magic, one (known) sentient being, and gods that don't obviously interfere.

Also, you're being very dramatic when you say "sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other." Having the PHB not say "half-whatevers are subjected to prejudice" is not the same as saying "everyone loves each other."

 

[MGibster]

If fluff is largely ignored at tables, then we can probably shut down the majority of ENWorld threads and much of Twitter's D&D discourse.

That I pointed to a specific fluff that was largely ignored does not imply all fluff is ignored.

 

[Remathilis]

I mean we're getting planetouched feats according to the UA. So seems like a 'why not both' scenario. And interestingly they're not redundant with the actual planetouched races. So you can stack them.

Still think planetouched epic boons would be cool though.

Oh. I thought you meant replacing the aasimar, genasi and tiefling species with a feat (much like how Pathfinder does it). If you were just talking about the Planescape feats as another option rather than a replacement, I retract my objections.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Oh. I thought you meant replacing the aasimar, genasi and tiefling species with a feat (much like how Pathfinder does it). If you were just talking about the Planescape feats as another option rather than a replacement, I retract my objections.

I was talking about replacing them with feats!

But maybe dnd has done it a better way post planescape. They're available as races. But they're also feats. And you can stack the races and feats without them being redundant in case you want double the the theme and mechanics.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It removes narrative and worldbuilding ideas, maybe, but they're not good ideas. They're mediocre tropes that don't make much sense considering the rest of the setting. You can't logically expect that a world with a hundred different intelligent beings and magic and active gods that regularly and obviously interfere and a completely different history to function exactly like the real world, with its no magic, one (known) sentient being, and gods that don't obviously interfere.

Also, you're being very dramatic when you say "sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other." Having the PHB not say "half-whatevers are subjected to prejudice" is not the same as saying "everyone loves each other."

I read the new species descriptions in the playtest. It sure looked like sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other to me.

 

[Incenjucar]

I read the new species descriptions in the playtest. It sure looked like sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other to me.

They're pretty neutral, and tend to be from the perspective of that species rather than a judgy narrator.

"Young orcs are often told about their ancestors’ ancient conflicts with elves in forests, dwarves under mountains, and invaders from evil planes of existence. Inspired by those tales, young orcs often wonder when Gruumsh will call on them to match the heroic deeds of their ancestors, and if they will prove worthy of the One-Eyed God’s grace"

 

[Hussar]

It removes narrative and worldbuilding ideas, maybe, but they're not good ideas. They're mediocre tropes that don't make much sense considering the rest of the setting. You can't logically expect that a world with a hundred different intelligent beings and magic and active gods that regularly and obviously interfere and a completely different history to function exactly like the real world, with its no magic, one (known) sentient being, and gods that don't obviously interfere.

Also, you're being very dramatic when you say "sunshine, lollipops, and everyone loves each other." Having the PHB not say "half-whatevers are subjected to prejudice" is not the same as saying "everyone loves each other."

Well we know that’s not true. Apparently DnD players need WotC to explain outsider tropes and bigotry to them. Otherwise how could they possibly know anything about bigotry?

 

[Faolyn]

Well we know that’s not true. Apparently DnD players need WotC to explain outsider tropes and bigotry to them. Otherwise how could they possibly know anything about bigotry?

I was just thinking this. I got rid of that first playtest so I can't go back and check, but if what @Incenjucar quoted about orcs was accurate for all the entries, that's certainly not at all fluffy happiness. It gives simple facts (there are conflicts between orcs and elves/dwarfs) and allows for the GM to decide if the orcs were particularly evil in these conflicts or if they engaged in honorable battle for just causes.