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

[Yaarel]

@Scribe

To represent an Eladrin, I would choose the following spells for my Elf character.

Level 0: Fire Bolt, Frostbite
Level 3: Charm
Level 5: Misty Step

Close enough.

Languages: Elf, Common, Sylvan
Abilities: +2 Charisma, +1 Any

 

[Scribe]

To present an Eladrin, I would choose the following spells for my Elf character.

Level 0: Fire Bolt, Frostbite
Level 3: Charm
Level 5: Misty Step

Close enough for the flavor.

Not remotely. Come on now. Dont ruin one of the legitimately interesting races like that lol.

 

[Yaarel]

Not remotely. Come on now. Dont ruin one of the legitimately interesting races like that lol.

There are different versions of the Eladrin.

For Summer magic, Fire Bolt
For Winter magic, Frostbite
For Autumn magic, Charm Person
For Spring magic, Misty Step can target an ally (I would specify this irregularity when gaining this spell)

(I would make Charm Person be Spring magic because, you know ... . But as is is fine.)

Note. All versions of the 5e Eladrin gain Misty Step at level 0. This early access works well in my games. It is powerful but once per rest balances fine in my experience. That said, the Origins UA suggests the designers are avoiding powerful features for first level characters. I would rather have Step at level 0. But I can live with getting it at level 5.

Moreover, the seasonal magic is decided during each long rest in Mordenkainen Presents, and must happen immediately after using Misty Step. For me, this is an unnecessary complication. To cast the Firebolt and Frostbite cantrips whenever I want is good enough, and to cast Charm Person and Misty Step at a time of my choosing, is good enough flavor for me to feel like my character is Eladrin.

 

[Remathilis]

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.

I have to laugh. For the first part of 5e's lifestyle, people were furious about how Forgotten Realms had infected the Core Rules. The sample human ancestry. The sample factions. The sample calendar and prominent deity list. People on this very board wanted the Core Rules to be setting neutral, devoid of lore that would infect players expectations.

And somewhere, a monkey paw finger curled.

This was what people wanted. An elf write-up so generic that it could be used with Sun elves, Valley elves, Silvanesti elves, Arenel elves, and your personal home brew elves who have never even heard the name Correlon. This is what the D&D fan base wanted. Be careful what you wish for...

 

[MoonSong]

@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.

Notice that until that post, I have only used the word heritage and similar words. Only used "race" in response to you using the word "race". To me this has been about ethnicity all along, and even you keep entangling that meaning when referring to real world people.

Now, my bigger point. I'm of mixed heritage, I don't really fit under any "racial" grouping. I like half-elves and they existing in the game -with that dedicated two-page spread in the PHB, the random NPC in adventures, and the characters in the ancilliary fiction and games- made me feel represented in the game. Them not having that in the future makes me feel no longer represented -and the lead up to that happening makes me feel offended and less welcome-. That's it. If African Americans concerns about the orc/half-orc/drow are legitimate, so are mine about losing half-elf.

 

[Scribe]

This is what the D&D fan base wanted.

Should go without saying that the 'big tent' encompasses a lot of different views.

 

[Yaarel]

Now, my bigger point. I'm of mixed heritage, I don't really fit under any "racial" grouping. I like half-elves and they existing in the game -with that dedicated two-page spread in the PHB, the random NPC in adventures, and the characters in the ancilliary fiction and games- made me feel represented in the game.

I get self-identifying with a fantasy species. I get self-identifying with individuals and groups who are multispecies.

Them not having that in the future makes me feel no longer represented. ... [My] concerns are legitimate ... about losing the half-elf.

The 2024 Players Handbook will have multispecies as an option. The Human-Elf will still exist in 2024.


You want a "dedicated two-page spread" in the Players Handbook for the Human-Elf, the same page count as a core species gets. I agree. The popularity of the Human-Elf deserves the same space that popular species have. Look how the statistics from DnDBeyond and Baldurs Gate 3 and elsewhere demonstrate the demand for it. It deserves a full writeup in core.

At the same time, the Human-Elf is a multispecies, not a species. It is an excellent example for how to build a multispecies character.

Notice that until that post, I have only used the word heritage and similar words. Only used "race" in response to you using the word "race". To me this has been about ethnicity all along, and even you keep entangling that meaning when referring to real world people.

I never "entangle" the term "race". When I use the term "race", I mean "species".

"Racism" is an error, because it incorrectly interprets human diversity as if different species − or different subspecies. Historically, racism emerged as a pseudoscience that attempted to hijack darwinianism to propagate hatespeech. Especially today with a sharper understanding of DNA, we know that racism is garbage.

Happily in D&D, "race" means "species". The Human race is the species Homo sapiens. Elf and Dwarf and others are different species.

 

[Remathilis]

Should go without saying that the 'big tent' encompasses a lot of different views.

Should go without saying that it was hyperbole, but it was still a common refrain.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The great dilemma of mixed ethnic folks

I'm not really White. I'm not really Asian. But I am both White and Asian, both internally from my own point of view, and externally to others point of view.

What a lot of people fail to understand is that this evolving of identity takes many years. As an adult, I came to appreciate what I was, but even through my 20s, it was very difficult trying to find out where I "belonged".

Also makes me wonder about what's the experience of a half-elf born to two half-elf parents, rather than a human and an elf?

Once again are they the same as their parents or different again?

 

[Remathilis]

Also makes me wonder about what's the experience of a half-elf born to two half-elf parents, rather than a human and an elf?

Once again are they the same as their parents or different again?

Also of interest would be something like Eberron's half-elves who are multi generational and have powerful families and dynasties. A half-elf born of generations of half-elves in House Medani does seem to have an even further removed experience.