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

[Micah Sweet]

Do you believe that no 5E rules should be removed or altered? There is precedent.

If they want it to be the same edition of the game, yes.

 

[Scribe]

Would you be interested in the Custom Lineage rule from Tasha's being expanded to call out Mixed/Chimeric species options, so that half-elves and half-orcs are not the only mixed species that can be mechanically represented in the game? Perhaps something like below.

Oh, and no. I would rather Tashas be removed from existence.

 

[Remathilis]

Option A - Unique/Custom Species Variant

1. Pick one or more species to represent your parents/species of origin. These represent your species keywords.
2. Pick S or M size, appropriate from any of your species of origin. Either way, your speed is 30.
3. Pick between a skill or Darkvision 60' if appropriate for any of your species of origin.
4. Pick another skill.
5. Pick 2 (or 3, depending on how it balances out) level 1 feats.
6. Describe your character cosmetically how you want, and they can identify how they want.

Personally, I think the custom lineage model is criminally underused due to its limited nature, but that could be fixed so easily by adding some options to it.

Size: S or M
Speed: 30 ft
Language: Pick one

Pick two minor features: a skill, darkvision, fey ancestry, water adaptation (breath water/swim), ferocity (1/day don't drop to 0 HP), energy resistance (fire, cold etc), etc.

Pick one major feature: limited flight, spellcasting (pick a cantrip, 1st and 2nd level spell) or bonus level 1 feat.

These are just a few examples, more ideas could be added.

The benefit to this method is that it can be internally balanced. You aren't relying on features built for other races to balance with one another in an ever-growing list of options. As long as the minor features are mostly balanced and the majors all are, you won't need to worry about Frankenstein hybrids dominating.

The downside is that you aren't getting true chimera abilities and it will be hard to represent a dragonborn's breath weapon or changeling"s shapechanging without a little creative use of spellcasting to fake it.

Personally, as long as CL doesn't outshine normal species and allows you to squint and make most hybrid options, it would be a fine option in the PHB. Then let the DMG have a species building system if you want a more technical type of building.

 

[MoonSong]

I believe the root of this discussion is a 'soft skills' problem. This is not a crunch or mechanic or rules issue. This is 'touchy feely' how people feel. This is a question of people feeling welcome, feeling represented.

On those grounds, it seems absurd to me, to remove Half Elf and Half Orc, when the company VERY MUCH likes to paint itself as in touch with the 'soft skills' side of things.

So while you are correct they absolutely have removed and altered things, in this case? They are fools to do so and its a bad look.

Bingo!

Also, I'm sure they are well meaning, but IMO they kicked the hornet's nest unnecessarily. The problem was they overcorrecting when wanting to make African Americans more welcome -by fixing the racist legacy lore, which can only be good- and accidentally stepping on shaky ground in the process. Sensitivity issues are sensitive and not easy.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Do you believe that no 5E rules should be removed or altered? There is precedent.

2014 Backgrounds look like they'll be replaced.
2014 Variant Humans look like they'll be replaced.

Would you be interested in the Custom Lineage rule from Tasha's being expanded to call out Mixed/Chimeric species options, so that half-elves and half-orcs are not the only mixed species that can be mechanically represented in the game? Perhaps something like below.

Choose one of these two Custom Lineage options:

Option A - Unique/Custom Species Variant

1. Pick one or more species to represent your parents/species of origin. These represent your species keywords.
2. Pick S or M size, appropriate from any of your species of origin. Either way, your speed is 30.
3. Pick between a skill or Darkvision 60' if appropriate for any of your species of origin.
4. Pick another skill.
5. Pick 2 (or 3, depending on how it balances out) level 1 feats.
6. Describe your character cosmetically how you want, and they can identify how they want.

Option B - Mixed/Chimeric Species Variant

1. Pick two or more species to represent your parents/species of origin. These represent your species keywords.
2. Pick one species to be dominant that gives you your base species abilities. You don't get the abilities of your other species of origin.
3. Pick S or M size, appropriate from any of your species of origin.
4. Describe your character cosmetically how you want, and they can identify how they want.

These options let players create a mechanically effective variant species, but they can choose how they cosmetically appear and how they identify.

I honestly don't think they will rewrite all races to be a chaotic, ever-growing buffet of species abilities to choose from.

I wouldn't want the Tasha's "custom race rules", no, because they were terrible and without flavour.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Bingo!

Also, I'm sure they are well meaning, but IMO they kicked the hornet's nest unnecessarily. The problem was they overcorrecting when wanting to make African Americans more welcome -by fixing the racist legacy lore, which can only be good- and accidentally stepping on shaky ground in the process. Sensitivity issues are sensitive and not easy.

That tends to happen when you are changing things to appease people on the Internet as opposed to actually believing in the reasons you are changing it.

 

[Remathilis]

I wouldn't want the Tasha's "custom race rules", no, because they were terrible and without flavour.

As opposed to a "pick the best traits of your parents' species?"

The only flavorful option is dedicated species write-ups for each combination. And unless you are willing to fill a decent sized sourcebook to cover every variant, you are creating two castes of hybrids: legitimate (those with stats) and illegitimate (those that don't).

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Well it's confirmed. The half-elf NPC from phandelver has been retconned into a drow.

Seems like hybrid species are being actively retconned out of the adventures and official settings.

 

[Scribe]

Well it's confirmed. The half-elf NPC from phandelver has been retconned into a drow.

Seems like hybrid species are being actively retconned out of the adventures and official settings.

Gross. Very disappointing.

 

[Yaarel]

Well it's confirmed. The half-elf NPC from phandelver has been retconned into a drow.

Seems like hybrid species are being actively retconned out of the adventures and official settings.

It is true what was a half-drow became a "drow". This might just be until the new multispecies rules become official.