D&D (2024) No Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc suborgins, lineages, and legacies

[Neonchameleon]

in the 5e phb it defines two great categories of the player options common and uncommon, halfling is listed as a common options and in pre 5e was and always include in official settings option for some reason.

it should have never been like this as halflings are the hardest to use in a way the setting designers want

Halflings aren't hard to use. They are just there, getting on with their lives. And rarely seen in palaces (other than as servants) or major players. And they work really well for some character types.

The problem people have using halflings is wanting to make everything cool. Part of the point of halflings is not being cool.

 

[Yaarel]

in the 5e phb it defines two great categories of the player options common and uncommon, halfling is listed as a common options and in pre 5e was and always include in official settings option for some reason.

it should have never been like this as halflings are the hardest to use in a way the setting designers want

Based on the most recent DnDBeyond popularity in 2023, the default setting should probably have the following common and uncommon species, in order:

COMMON
• Human
• Elf

UNCOMMON
• Tiefling
• Dwarf
• Dragonborn

RARE
• Halfling
• Orc
• Genasi
• Gnome
• Goliath
• Aasimar
• Aarakocra


Of course, it is the setting that determines which species are present.

 

[Hussar]

The goalposts keep moving so you can discriminate against halflings.

Oh please. "Discriminate"? Seriously?

Halflings are almost as popular as dwarves, yet you're not talking about ditching them. If you were talking about gnomes only, you might have a case. And of course removing both halflings and gnomes like you seem to want is utterly bonkers. These species are very similar, so getting rid of both would remove small human-like option altogether. (No kobolds or goblins are not the same thing.) It would be like removing both elves and half-elves.

Since the two similar options are basically never getting anything like traction why is it bonkers to eject them both? Note, we've already gotten rid of half-elves as well, and folded them into "mixed heritage" lineages. Poof. Half-orcs and half-elves have already been folded together into a single entry that includes all other mixed lineages.

But, sure, spin this as "discrimination". Gimme a break.

Sheesh.

 

[Yaarel]

When looking at the 2023 DnDBeyond data scrape of over a million character sheets, the frequency of each species is as follows. (The million has duplicates and unfinished, so removing these from consideration yields the following.)


Elf: (full various, half): 25.7%
Human: 21.5%

Tiefling (PH, Feral): 7.59%
Dwarf: 7.47%
Dragonborn: 7.24%

Halfling: 5.02%
Orc (half, full): 4.65%
Genasi: 4.00%

Gnome: 3.72%
Goliath: 3.58%
Aasimar: 3.53%

Aarakocra: 2.75%
Changeling: 1.4%
Tabaxi: 1.2%

 

[CreamCloud0]

The problem with orcs is that we also have goliaths sitting in the "large burly guy" spot. And orcs aren't known for magic.

I wonder if orcs could better lean into the primal caster themes than the arcane ones, I don’t think there’s strong opposition in their themes and lore for a more divine caster direction but probably not as a subspecies, runes would work for them imo

 

[Neonchameleon]

I wonder if orcs could better lean into the primal caster themes than the arcane ones, I don’t think there’s strong opposition in their themes and lore for a more divine caster direction but probably not as a subspecies, runes would work for them imo

Unfortunately runes have gone to giants and through them the elemental goliaths. Which doesn't separate them as the big, beefy races. And primal + orcs needs handling with care and sensitivity.

 

[Corinnguard]

Gnomes have always been a problem case and the best edition removed them from the PHB. The problem is that "gnome" just means "little magical person" with little beyond that and includes anything from humanoids to rock-spirits with sizes anywhere from inches tall to halfling-height. There's no clear mythological consensus other than "small and magical" and no clear D&D consensus, with the strongest D&D vision probably coming from tinker gnomes.

We could always have the Gnome being an Elemental. Elemental - Wikipedia

Paracelsus[edit]​

In his 16th-century work A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits, Paracelsus identified mythological beings as belonging to one of the four elements. Part of the Philosophia Magna, this book was first printed in 1566 after Paracelsus' death.[2] He wrote the book to "describe the creatures that are outside the cognizance of the light of nature, how they are to be understood, what marvellous works God has created". He states that there is more bliss in describing these "divine objects" than in describing fencing, court etiquette, cavalry, and other worldly pursuits.[3] The following is his archetypal being for each of the four elements:[4]

• Gnome, being of earth
• Undine, being of water
• Sylph, being of air
• Salamander, being of fire

 

[Yaarel]

Orc culture with Cleric is a core tradition.

Zealot Barbarian makes sense here too.

 

[Yaarel]

We could always have the Gnome being an Elemental. Elemental - Wikipedia

Paracelsus[edit]​

In his 16th-century work A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits, Paracelsus identified mythological beings as belonging to one of the four elements. Part of the Philosophia Magna, this book was first printed in 1566 after Paracelsus' death.[2] He wrote the book to "describe the creatures that are outside the cognizance of the light of nature, how they are to be understood, what marvellous works God has created". He states that there is more bliss in describing these "divine objects" than in describing fencing, court etiquette, cavalry, and other worldly pursuits.[3] The following is his archetypal being for each of the four elements:[4]

• Gnome, being of earth
• Undine, being of water
• Sylph, being of air
• Salamander, being of fire

Definitely, Latin gnomus as an Elemental.

At the same time, in Pan-European literature when written in Latin, this term "gnomus" was often used to translate local concepts of house sprites, the spirit of a home, namely a plot of land.

Suppose "Halfling" is a nickname for the land being, a species called Hin

Halfling Cultures
• Gnome (Feywild)
• Rock, Gnomus (Earth Elemental Plane)
• Hin (Material Plane)

 

[Scott Christian]

Except for the fact that humans are, and always have been, number one. So the notion that people start with "esoteric" and "beautiful" doesn't really work. Blaming the "youths" for this seems a pretty tall order.

In any case, the reason is largely irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. But, then again, I'm not going to get sucked into this deep, dark rabbit hole again.

Oh, I am not blaming anyone. I was just throwing a hypothesis out there. I even stated it could be wrong. I was just speculating on the why, while also admitting we don't know the why.