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

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm serious. When is the last time you cast a Sleep spell on a PC?

Couple months ago, at most?

How many monsters actually have a Charm spell of any kind? Sure, there are some like harpies or whatnot, but, the overwhelming majority of monsters don't have any sort of charm effects.

I’m not gonna do a deep dive but…yeah nah my PCs save against charm all the time.

I just finished a 16 level Candlekeep campaign. I'm struggling to think of a single adventure, of the ten or twelve that I've just run, that has a single creature with a charm effect in the entire module. The last campaign I ran was Ghosts of Saltmarsh - again, zero charm effects. Before that I played in a Storm King's Thunder campaign - zero charm effects.

I'm actually struggling to think of the last time I use or saw used by another DM a charm effect.

Okay.

 

[Hussar]

There's definitely some anti-Thayan prejudice though, and Forge's dialogue suggests that Soufina would be subject to stares and different treatment if she didn't hide the fact that she is Thayan.

To be fair, Thayan isn’t a race. And when your group murders millions of people and turn them all into zombies, a bit of negativity might be in order.

It’s not really all that different from someone tattooing a swastika on their forehead.

 

[Hussar]

Couple months ago, at most?

I’m not gonna do a deep dive but…yeah nah my PCs save against charm all the time.

Okay.

My point being, physical appearance, long lifespan, past lives - these are the things that define being an elf. Magic affinity maybe.

In previous editions I’d point to the multiclassing rules as defining elf.

But “advantage in a saving throw” isn’t much to base a character off of. Not really central to portraying that character.

Although, now that you say it, maybe that’s why I see far more “humans that can see in the dark” than actual attempts to portray an alien being. Could be.

 

[MGibster]

Or would you have said "no, this isn't cool and you need to be a better DM"?

I probably would have said, "You need to find a better analogy to make your point."

 

[Faolyn]

I probably would have said, "You need to find a better analogy to make your point."

I think it makes my point fine.

Just because something is technically in the rules doesn't mean you're "volunteering" to be have to deal with it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My point being, physical appearance, long lifespan, past lives - these are the things that define being an elf. Magic affinity maybe.

In previous editions I’d point to the multiclassing rules as defining elf.

But “advantage in a saving throw” isn’t much to base a character off of. Not really central to portraying that character.

Although, now that you say it, maybe that’s why I see far more “humans that can see in the dark” than actual attempts to portray an alien being. Could be.

Nah. I don’t know what to tell ya, man. If you don’t see the impact on a person’s personality and perspective of not sleeping and being difficult to charm…

I’m tired of this overly pedantic interaction. Trying to win rhetorical points isn’t going to convince anyone that their perspective on how being multiracial is represented in the game isn’t valid.

 

[MGibster]

Just because something is technically in the rules doesn't mean you're "volunteering" to be have to deal with it.

I think it does. Just like when you go to a movie you've volunteered to view the content.

 

[Remathilis]

As I drove to pick up some hibachi chicken and shrimp for dinner, it suddenly occurred to be that the D&D movie had racial prejudice. Doric did not like humans believing them to be liars. She was only willing to work with humans to defend the only people she was able to find acceptance from.

Doric was hurt because some of the important humans in her life (her parents) abandoned her and the only family she found was with the elves of the Emerald Enclave. None of the other heroes react to her in a negative light, nor is her species brought up by anyone except her. And to be fair, it's brought up as a personal flaw that she has to overcome.

There's definitely some anti-Thayan prejudice though, and Forge's dialogue suggests that Soufina would be subject to stares and different treatment if she didn't hide the fact that she is Thayan.

Edgin shows some definite Thayan prejudice, but every character calls him out on it. Xenk is there to deliberately challenge the notion of all Thayans are bad. It's the Red Wizards that are feared and hated, and considering their reputation, that's not an unwise thing. But again, Edgin and Xenk are used to remind us it's the Red Wizards, not the Thayans, that should be feared.

In both cases, Edgin and Doric learn to grow past their biases. It is part of their character growth. That is very different than having the PHB say "tieflings distrust humans" or "Thayans are feared and hated outside of Thay."

 

[Hussar]

Nah. I don’t know what to tell ya, man. If you don’t see the impact on a person’s personality and perspective of not sleeping and being difficult to charm…

I’m tired of this overly pedantic interaction. Trying to win rhetorical points isn’t going to convince anyone that their perspective on how being multiracial is represented in the game isn’t valid.

I’m saying it’s something that rarely if ever comes up in play. And considering you agreed with my point - one sleep spell months ago- and the next poster after me said their experiences mirrored mine,I’m kinda surprised about the level of push back here.

My initial point was that I wonder if WotC has learned that there is a significant number of players who don’t really care about racial mechanics when choosing a race. It would nicely explain why WotC is de-emphasizing racial mechanics.

 

[Dragonhelm]

I liked how Matt Mercer handled mixed ancestries in the Tal'Dorei Reborn book. Essentially, you choose one parent ancestry and replace a couple of traits from the other parent ancestry. There some advice on how to keep it all balanced, i.e. replacing one set of skill bonuses to another.

Here's a link for anyone curious: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn - Darrington Press | DriveThruRPG.com