D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[MoonSong]

It is fine when a character has parents who belong to different species. Likewise, it is fine when there is a community who descends from mixed ancestry.

The "racist" part is when a "half-breed" is considered as if a separate "race", somehow no longer a member of the races of ones parents.

The solution is to mention the Human-Elf and other multispecies in a context that shows they are still members of their parental species. So a Human-Elf is still a Human and is still an Elf.

I take for granted, the Human-Elf and the Human-Orc will be in the 2024 Players Handbook but not as separate species. They will appear in a section about characters who descend from multiple species

So, let me see if I understood you well enough. "It is fine that you exist. It is fine that you find a community if you have the luck to have others like you. However it is not fine that you find a sense of identity that isn't just a carbon copy of the heritage the dominant culture considers more exotic.It doesn't matter if it gives you a place to belong or even a sense of normalcy. It is not ok, you are not allowed to not be a weirdo with your heritage being more than just the sum of the parts." Did I understand you correctly? Because that is what I understood.

Tell me then, if we aren't any distinct from "our parent races", what race am I? What race is @RareBreed ?

 

[Yaarel]

@MoonSong

The misunderstanding between you and me is because the term "race" is problematic.

If I ever say "race" again, I mean "species".

But your post is using the term "race" to mean "ethnicity".

It is important for WotC to discontinue the term "race". During flack about the Spelljammer Hadozee, a Black African commentator referred to "that racist game" − and everyone understood he was talking about D&D. That widespread connection between D&D and racism is bad public relations and is bad for business. The connection is impossible to dismiss because there is some truth to it here and there, and to point out that "D&D has races but these arent races", is a less than helpful soundbite. From 2024 onward, I hope I never see the term "race" again.

So, let me see if I understood you well enough.

"It is fine that you exist.

Yes, obviously. There are many ways to be human, and I am glad each of us exists.

It is fine that you find a community if you have the luck to have others like you.

Yes, it is enormously helpful for personal wellbeing to find others who one can relate with. This includes belonging to various communities who help actualize various aspects of ones self-identity.

However it is not fine that you find a sense of identity that isn't just a carbon copy of the heritage the dominant culture considers more exotic. It doesn't matter if it gives you a place to belong or even a sense of normalcy.

To be clear. A D&D "race" is a species, not a "culture". A D&D "background" is a culture.

It is fine when we find an identity that diverges from the dominant culture. Our species remains the same, of course, regardless of the diversity of cultures.

In D&D terminology. A Human is a "species". An Elf is a different "species". Because of magic, different species can and do reproduce multispecies children.

Background is a culture. A culture can be large like an empire, or small like how a wizard university operates. A background can represent any of these.

A player character can have a background identity that differs from the "dominant" background. Obviously.

Also, characters who are different species can all be members of the same cultural background. This multispecies background is typical for towns that are populous and cosmopolitan.

It is not ok, you are not allowed to not be a weirdo with your heritage being more than just the sum of the parts."

It is ok to be a "weirdo". When roleplaying a D&D character, being a weirdo is much of the fun.

Did I understand you correctly? Because that is what I understood.

I feel you didnt understand me because the word "race" caused confusion.

Tell me then, if we aren't any distinct from "our parent races", what race am I? What race is @RareBreed ?

You are the same species as your parents. We are all homo sapiens.

You may or may not be the same culture as your parents.

In D&D terms, the background of a character might differ from the background of the parents.

In the case of a Human-Elf character. This character is still a member of the Human species and is still a member of the Elf species.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

In the case of a Human-Elf character. This character is still a member of the Human species and is still a member of the Elf species.

I'll admit I've never really thought about this aspect. And even when applied to irl hybrids I've not thought about the answer.

Is a narluga a narwhal or a beluga? Or is it both? Or is it neither?

Or is it all of those things?

 

[CreamCloud0]

A D&D "background" is a culture.

not to nitpick but i'd say backgrounds are much closer to a 'profession' than a 'culture', given that backgrounds being such things as a town guard, a guild merchant, noble or charlatan.
i don't think that there's a proper choice to represent a character's culture in their build options, it's half encapsualted in species choice due to species equalling culture with things like 'elven weapon proficiency', stonecunning and languages learnt being from your species.
honestly i'd prefer if we could have a fourth character creation point for culture.

 

[Micah Sweet]

@MoonSong

The misunderstanding between you and me is because the term "race" is problematic.

If I ever say "race" again, I mean "species".

But your post is using the term "race" to mean "ethnicity".

It is important for WotC to discontinue the term "race". During flack about the Spelljammer Hadozee, a Black African commentator referred to "that racist game" − and everyone understood he was talking about D&D. That widespread connection between D&D and racism is bad public relations and is bad for business. The connection is impossible to dismiss because there is some truth to it here and there, and to point out that "D&D has races but these arent races", is a less than helpful soundbite. From 2024 onward, I hope I never see the term "race" again.





Yes, obviously. There are many ways to be human, and I am glad each of us exists.



Yes, it is enormously helpful for personal wellbeing to find others who one can relate with. This includes belonging to various communities who help actualize various aspects of ones self-identity.



To be clear. A D&D "race" is a species, not a "culture". A D&D "background" is a culture.

It is fine when we find an identity that diverges from the dominant culture. Our species remains the same, of course, regardless of the diversity of cultures.

In D&D terminology. A Human is a "species". An Elf is a different "species". Because of magic, different species can and do reproduce multispecies children.

Background is a culture. A culture can be large like an empire, or small like how a wizard university operates. A background can represent any of these.

A player character can have a background identity that differs from the "dominant" background. Obviously.

Also, characters who are different species can all be members of the same cultural background. This multispecies background is typical for towns that are populous and cosmopolitan.



It is ok to be a "weirdo". When roleplaying a D&D character, being a weirdo is much of the fun.



I feel you didnt understand me because the word "race" caused confusion.



You are the same species as your parents. We are all homo sapiens.

You may or may not be the same culture as your parents.

In D&D terms, the background of a character might differ from the background of the parents.

In the case of a Human-Elf character. This character is still a member of the Human species and is still a member of the Elf species.

This is why I prefer Level Up's origin system. Over there, "culture" is culture, and "background" is background.

 

[Yaarel]

not to nitpick but i'd say backgrounds are much closer to a 'profession' than a 'culture', given that backgrounds being such things as a town guard, a guild merchant, noble or charlatan.
i don't think that there's a proper choice to represent a character's culture in their build options, it's half encapsualted in species choice due to species equalling culture with things like 'elven weapon proficiency', stonecunning and languages learnt being from your species.
honestly i'd prefer if we could have a fourth character creation point for culture.

Strictly speaking, each profession forms its own "culture". Also, it is normal to talk about a "systemic culture" in a sector, such as professional sports or pharmaceuticals or academia.

That said.

Backgrounds can be anything. The town guard background for one town can be quite different from the town guard background for an other town. Each town can be culturally distinctive.

The best way to handle an ethnic culture is to think of it as an assemblage of prominent backgrounds. Where each background is like a card, the wider culture is the deck of cards. New backgrounds can gain prominence in a culture, while old backgrounds become obsolete. So a culture continues to adapt and evolve.

Example. Lolth Priestess can be a background that is prominent among most Lolth "Udo" communities. In Menzoberranzan this background starts out as a seminary student at the Arach-Tinilith Academy. At higher levels, it becomes a House Matron and a member of the government council. Additionally: "Fungus Farmer", "Spider Herder", "Drow Poisoner" (specializing in producing sleep poison and inflicting it via the handbow), Cavern Architect, Lightbearer (keeping the Underdark city magically luminous), Sorcere Academic, Melee-Magthere Academic, Bregan D'aerthe Outcast, Bazaar Merchant, etcetera. Lolth cultists have a slave trade, but perhaps it is better to avoid player characters normalizing slavery via any backgrounds for it.

Elsewhere there are other Drow cultures, including "Aeven" under icy glaciers, where "Drow Tailor" magically fashions clothing. And so on.

Each culture and subculture can comprise an assemblage of various backgrounds.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Strictly speaking, each profession forms its own "culture". Also, it is normal to talk about a "systemic culture" in a sector, such as professional sports or pharmaceuticals or academia.

That said.

Backgrounds can be anything. The town guard background for one town can be quite different from the town guard background for an other town. Each town can be culturally distinctive.

The best way to handle an ethnic culture is to think of it as an assemblage of prominent backgrounds. Where each background is like a card, the wider culture is the deck of cards. New backgrounds can gain prominence in a culture, while old backgrounds become obsolete. So a culture continues to adapt and evolve.

Example. Lolth Priestess can be a background that is prominent among most Lolth "Udo" communities. In Menzoberranzan this background starts out as a seminary student at the Arach-Tinilith Academy. At higher levels, it becomes a House Matron and a member of the government council. Additionally: "Fungus Farmer", "Spider Herder", "Drow Poisoner" (specializing in producing sleep poison and inflicting it via the handbow), Cavern Architect, Lightbearer (keeping the Underdark city magically luminous), Sorcere Academic, Melee-Magthere Academic, Bregan D'aerthe Outcast, Bazaar Merchant, etcetera. Lolth cultists have a slave trade, but perhaps it is better to avoid player characters normalizing slavery via any backgrounds for it.

Elsewhere there are other Drow cultures, including "Aeven" under icy glaciers, where "Drow Tailor" magically fashions clothing. And so on.

Each culture and subculture can comprise an assemblage of various backgrounds.

I still think the best way is Level Up's culture system. 5e is woefully inadequate here (and in many other places IMO).

 

[Scribe]

No no no no. We cant be back at the point where "IT professional" is a culture are you? I thought we had moved past that at this point.

Ancestry (Origin/Species/Race/Whatever you are when you pop out of the womb/egg/factory)
Class
Background

Thats it for 5e.

Culture, is a setting specific thing that need not have any mechanical heft, because Wizards wants it that way.

 

[Yaarel]

I still think the best way is Level Up's culture system. 5e is woefully inadequate here (and in many other places IMO).

The only thing that every member of culture shares is a language − and even then sometimes not.

The UA Origins has the Background give a choice of any language (even a rare one), to represent some kind of cultural community that speaks that language, or is familiar with it for various cultural reasons.

Otherwise, any "culture" is the sum of its backgrounds.



Also, defining a culture by whatever backgrounds are prominent allows a fluidity that avoids essentialism. Otherwise, to say that every member culture X does Y seem inescapably doomed to become racist stereotypes.

Focus, on the prominent backgrounds, and allow individuals within the culture to have divergent backgrounds that are nonprominent.

 

[Scribe]

The only thing that every member of culture shares is a language − and even then sometimes not.

The UA Origins has the Background give a choice of any language (even a rare one), to represent some kind of cultural community that speaks that language, or is familiar with it for various cultural reasons.

Otherwise, any "culture" is the sum of its backgrounds.

This is because Wizards is getting out of Culture, because its too specific for their overly bland, generic, 'multiverse' approach to character creation and settings.