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

[Yaarel]

A max level rogue of any setting would appreciate your attempts at evasion.

Heh.

What is the tone of the text. Good/Positive, Evil/Bad, or 'Nuanced'.

It seems to me, the text is player-facing and inviting players to consider choosing the Tiefling species for their player character.

(It can also serve as a reminder to the DM to let the Tiefling player enjoy the game.)

When the 2024 Monster Manual and various settings describe certain Tiefling factions in certain locales, the Evil goals and machinations of their lineage founders who are Devils and Demons, will be more relevant.

 

[Scribe]

It seems to me, the text is player-facing and inviting players to consider choosing the Tiefling species for their player character.

The text is making several statements. Are they:

Good/Positive.
Evil/Bad.
Nuanced.

I've played Tiefling since 2e. I need no invitation to the species.

 

[Yaarel]

The text is making several statements. Are they:

Good/Positive.
Evil/Bad.
Nuanced.

I've played Tiefling since 2e. I need no invitation to the species.

Nuanced.

They can have various ethical alignments and each offers ethical conflicts. Their origins are Evil, but some famous accomplishments are Good.

There is nuance here. Both for the player and for the DM.

 

[Scribe]

Nuanced.

Please outline the 4 lines, what is ACTUALLY STATED BY WIZARDS, and the nuance.

 

[Yaarel]

Please outline the 4 lines, what is ACTUALLY STATED BY WIZARDS, and the nuance.

The text you cited only has four sentences! How can you expect four statements of nuance?

In any case:
• Tieflings originated in the Lower Planes of the Evil alignments.
• Tieflings can be mistaken for inhuman Fiends.
• Many other Tieflings seem to be part of the "fiendish incursions on many worlds".
• Tieflings elsewhere needed to earn the trust from other Humanoid species.

 

[Scribe]

The text you cited only has four sentences! How can you expect four statements of nuance?

INDEED.

• Tieflings originated in the Lower Planes of the Evil alignments.

True, this says nothing of the species, only where SOME are born and they OFTEN leave from. No moral judgment, though most would think LEAVING Hell is a good thing.

• Tieflings can be mistaken for inhuman Fiends.

True, this says nothing of the species itself. No more judgment is possible against the species itself.

• Many other Tieflings were part of the "fiendish incursions on many worlds".

This is NOT stated in the text. This is FALSE.

• Tieflings needed to earn the trust from other Humanoid species.

Objection, speculation your Honour. This is conjecture at best. This is FALSE.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Unless they're a PC. Then they're all heroic and everyone gets along in the all-cosmopolitan worlds.

D&D focuses on heroic fantasy as the baseline, which is perfectly acceptable for the core game that is intended for the intended age range.

In fact, I don't care for the villainous PC backgrounds to be 'showcased' in the PH. I also didn't like the Evil "Ideals" and other nasty Background options in the 2014 PH.

I'm fine with lessening the focus of evil in the PH. Lacking evil does not mean the game lacks subtlety. A Good-Neutral spectrum is still an acceptable spectrum that has the shades of gray.

 

[Scribe]

D&D focuses on heroic fantasy as the baseline, which is perfectly acceptable for the core game that is intended for the intended age range.

In fact, I don't care for the villainous PC backgrounds to be 'showcased' in the PH. I also didn't like the Evil "Ideals" and other nasty Background options in the 2014 PH.

I'm fine with lessening the focus of evil in the PH. Lacking evil does not mean the game lacks subtlety. A Good-Neutral spectrum is still an acceptable spectrum that has the shades of gray.

See and thats 100% fine. Thats how a personal preference, reflecting the updated tone of the game over the last several years, can be openly expressed with honesty.

 

[Yaarel]

INDEED.

True, this says nothing of the species, only where SOME are born and they OFTEN leave from. No moral judgment, though most would think LEAVING Hell is a good thing.

True, this says nothing of the species itself. No more judgment is possible against the species itself.

This is NOT stated in the text. This is FALSE.

Objection, speculation your Honour. This is conjecture at best. This is FALSE.

Details about the setting and how a species fits into the setting belong in a Setting Guide. Core rules are setting-neutral, or at least versatile.

The Tiefling species is factually Humanoid, has free will, and can be "any" alignment. So obviously no species-wide judgment.

I edited to clarify the "fiendish incursions" included Evil Tieflings that inhabit the Fiendish planes.


Hmmm. Actually.

"The earliest Tieflings joined with Nontieflings to repel the fiendish incursions, earning the trust of those who might have mistaken them for Fiends."

The only thing that distinguished the Tiefling from other fiends is their ethical behavior.

"The earliest Tieflings" suggests the origin story of the Tiefling species is a mass-rebellion against the Devils who created them.

Since then, Tieflings are understood to be ethically normal, like Humans.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I'd hope that if they're scrubbing all lore in the core books (and anything in forgotten realms) of anything even touching on evil, then they'd be willing to introduce settings with plenty of things on the evil side of the alignment.

But they've already said they're not touching Dark Sun or anything similar with a barge pole from now on.

Often the reason you're fighting the 'bad guys' is because they're doing evil things. If a bad guy is practicing slavery, then the heroes want to go and stop the bad guy. But now bad guys seem to be not allowed to do 'bad bad' things, and when they go back over those modules like LMoP they strip any mention of them, as well as deleting half-species because apparently racial purity is required now.