D&D (2024) How to import "race" flavor into D&D 2024 inclusively

[CreamCloud0]

1. Dragonborn- Chromatic, Essence, Gem or Metallic?
2. Halfling Culture- Kithbain, Mustbairn, Stout or Tunnel?
3. Background- the closest I can find is Trader. https://a5e.tools/rules/trader
4. Sorcerer- Annihilator, Draconist, Enigma, Traveler, Stoneheart, or Warder subclasses?

I feel like this is light ribbing happening here but yes, pretty much this but sincerely, a subrace to your species, multiple cultures to pick from for a species(they’re not a monoculture) and even other non-species-denominational cultures, assorted jobs and livelihoods with the skills and traits they add, and of course classes with subclasses.

Character creation is pretty simple in 5e but at the same time even at 1st level like 70% of your character’s significant traits are going to come from your class, picking species and background are like being able to pick the trim and button colours on an outfit, sure you’re putting your own spin on it but the majority is already prepared with your base selection

Merchant was referring to the 5e background: guild artisan (variant-guild merchant)

 

[Corinnguard]

I feel like this is light ribbing happening here but yes, pretty much this but sincerely, a subrace to your species, multiple cultures to pick from for a species(they’re not a monoculture) and even other non-species-denominational cultures, assorted jobs and livelihoods with the skills and traits they add, and of course classes with subclasses.

Character creation is pretty simple in 5e but at the same time even at 1st level like 70% of your character’s significant traits are going to come from your class, picking species and background are like being able to pick the trim and button colours on an outfit, sure you’re putting your own spin on it but the majority is already prepared with your base selection

Merchant was referring to the 5e background: guild artisan (variant-guild merchant)

It wasn't my intention to rib you over what you wanted to see from Yaarel. When a player is designing a character for a TTRPG, a lot of doors are potentially opened up for them. I wanted to show what doors were opened by your choices. And as everyone knows, one choice leads to another.

 

[CreamCloud0]

It wasn't my intention to rib you over what you wanted to see from Yaarel. When a player is designing a character for a TTRPG, a lot of doors are potentially opened up for them. I wanted to show what doors were opened by your choices. And as everyone knows, one choice leads to another.

No worries, I’d only taken it in a playful ‘comical exaggeration’ interpretation, and that you were still fundamentally agreeing with me in your jest.

 

[Yaarel]

so i can make a dragonborn sorcerer, raised in halfling culture who has the skills of a merchant.

The Dragonborn grows up in one of the Halfling cultures.

Ideally, the Players Handbook lists a sampling of Backgrounds that are distinctive for each of the Halfling cultures. The Tallfellow nomads are merchants, traveling the boat ways from town to town. (Some families are wagoneers.)

If the Players Handbook doesnt list this Background specifically, it will say you can legally create it. So pick the appropriate Proficiencies and Feat. This kind of "Halfling Merchant" can be Persuasion, a Skill relating to your wares, and Vehicle (Boat) for the Toolset, and whichever Feat you feel is appropriate. Develop the narratives, including how your family became part of the Halfling community, and work with the DM to figure out where and how the Tallfellow fit within the local region.

 

[CreamCloud0]

The Dragonborn grows up in one of the Halfling cultures.

Ideally, the Players Handbook lists a sampling of Backgrounds that are distinctive for each of the Halfling cultures. The Tallfellow nomads are merchants, traveling the boat ways from town to town. (Some families are wagoneers.)

If the Players Handbook doesnt list this Background specifically, it will say you can legally create it. So pick the appropriate Proficiencies and Feat. This kind of "Halfling Merchant" can be Persuasion, a Skill relating to your wares, and Vehicle (Boat) for the Toolset, and whichever Feat you feel is appropriate. Develop the narratives, including how your family became part of the Halfling community, and work with the DM to figure out where and how the Tallfellow fit within the local region.

I continue to disagree with your interpretation that culture and profession/background are part of the same thing and should be part of the same mechanical option, not to mention that combining them increases the amount of redundancy when you have to make separate specific ‘merchant’ backgrounds for various species when you could have a single merchant background and just pair it with an independent culture,

Even if a specific clan of halflings do have a merchant culture that doesn’t mean every individual one of them is a fully trained merchant and that’s all anyone in that clan does,

 

[Yaarel]

I continue to disagree with your interpretation that culture and profession/background are part of the same thing and should be part of the same mechanical option, not to mention that combining them increases the amount of redundancy when you have to make separate specific ‘merchant’ backgrounds for various species when you could have a single merchant background and just pair it with an independent culture,

One of the problematics with a separate mechanic for culture is, to insist that EVERY member of the culture does something that is Intelligence or Constitution, starts to get racist in practice.

But to say within the same culture, this character is a Librarian and that character is a Deer Hunter, is no problem.

For example, when D&D does Norsesque, it never seems to remember the high-tech Intelligence or the ubiquitous presence of mages and magic. The misrepresentation always comes across as inaccurate and insulting. Plus the ragged fur clothes are wrong.

 

[Yaarel]

Even if a specific clan of halflings do have a merchant culture that doesn’t mean every individual one of them is a fully trained merchant and that’s all anyone in that clan does,

That is the point.

Not every Tallfellow is a boating merchant.

The Tallfellow culture is diverse.

It is made out of many different traditions.


But if you want to represent both a Halfling culture and a merchant, then pick that.

 

[CreamCloud0]

One of the problematics with a separate mechanic for culture is, to insist that EVERY member of the culture does something that is Intelligence or Constitution, starts to get racist in practice

I never said that culture would be handing out ASI’s,
skills, proficiencies and situational traits, maybe even a few spells? Yes, but not ASI.

But if you want to represent both a Halfling culture and a merchant, then pick that.

So you mean, pick their culture and background from different categories? Like what I’ve been saying all along?

 

[Corinnguard]

I never said that culture would be handing out ASI’s,
skills, proficiencies and situational traits, maybe even a few spells? Yes, but not ASI.

So you mean, pick their culture and background from different categories? Like what I’ve been saying all along?

Better yet, why he does want them to be the same when clearly they are not? They are different categories that when put together with Species/Heritage/Race defines a character's origin within the setting.

 

[Horwath]

To be honest, a Halfling with a greatsword or other polearm gives me pause. Recently, I have been scrutinizing height, weight, and weightlifting, and proportional relationships between them. A Halfling is remarkably small, somewhere from a 2 year old to a 5 year old. Even if they have the mature neurology of an adult and are remarkably strong, it is difficult to imagine how they would wield an oversized weapon.

likewise,
3.5e did it right by reducing damage die by one step.
a very, very generous penalty considering size difference, keeping overall game balance and some sense of realism.
less weapon damage, +1 size AC and it could be balanced.


same goes with depiction of oversized weapons for any character.

proportions of Krusk's axe were stupid more than 20 years ago and they are stupid now.

No matter how strong you are, you cannot be effective in battle with that lump of iron on a stick.

that is an executioner axe at best or just an ugly "wall-hanger" at worst.