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

[Mind of tempest]

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.

eh aarakocra is never getting into the phb too many dm hate flying options.

I like the idea of infusing the types of giant into Goliath but they would both need better giants and a setting where they are important both giants and goliaths.
kinda why I want some more restrictive and out-there setting so things can get focused on the lesser-used options or to craft something new.
do we even have a wis and int options beyonf elf and dwarf?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

do we even have a wis and int options beyonf elf and dwarf?

Literally every species these days.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Literally every species these days.

you know what I mean something themed around it as to me the goliath is still str coded and dwarf is con coded what with the will resist most stuff that will kill us, an option the feels coded but not restricted for each of the core six stats seems a logical setting design idea.

 

[Remathilis]

To loop around a little to the original premise of this thread, if you were to add a subclass for the three species mentioned in the title what new theme would you add for each of them?

I don’t know what id give the orc/h-orc but id kinda wanna branch them out away from the strong angry brute pigeonhole they’re in right now, giving them a choice of fighter fighting style would be cool if not very inventive.

I dunno, but I'm kinda getting tired of the difference in subspecies being "list of bonus spells". I'd much rather they swap out different traits like astral/eladrin/sea elves do than make it "this type of dwarves has XYZ spells per day, but this other type has ABC spells per day nonsense.

Also, I don't think every race needs subspecies. Elves have it because they environmentally adapt. Goliath and tieflings to represent parent origins. Gnomes because WotC can't decide if they are fey or tinkerers. But the difference between a mountain and hill dwarf is how deep underground they live and halflings if they were hobbit- or kender -based. We sure don't need them for orcs or most other species. If a species has a choice point (like aasimar 's celestial manifestation) then make just a feature. If it represents different branches of the same family (like genasi) make them separate species with a tag. But the lineage system is a middle ground compromise that basically says "pick three on theme spells".

 

[CreamCloud0]

well given we have at least three presently viable settings with halflings as well as endless homebrew I do not think they would be worried if we had a few more oddball settings where some bit are not included strategically, maybe also three settings.

Sure yes, have curated settings I have no issues with doing that, my point was that Wizards themselves are unlikely to ever actually do that again, from what i gather all the current curated settings are holdovers from previous editions as fans vehemently wanted a return of previous lore, but curation of settings typically means telling people XYZ options aren’t compatible with the lore we’ve created, and people don’t like being told they can’t use their toys that they’ve bought and the result is the customer won’t end up buying one or the other of the products which Wizards doesn’t want as it’ll get them less money.

so just Thrall from warcraft?

Ive never touched or been interested in warcraft so no idea what those are, sorry.

we could just merge dwarf, gnome and halfling as subraces of something?

No i was thinking more broadly than that, lean more into the nature spirit deal and say gnomes can be produced from any species and the type of species they derived from determines determines the type of gnome they are, kinda like how both aasimar and tiefling are both (vaguely) human+outer planar entity creating a separate offspring, gnome offspring are [nature magic]+(species)=gnome subspecies

 

[Remathilis]

I think the whole common and uncommon divide is pointless and unnecessarily. It also took me years to realise that it even existed, I just kept wondering why the species are not in alphabetical order.

It was a compromise to grognards who might be triggered if a player asks to play something that's in the PHB.

 

[Remathilis]

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.

Eberron made orcs the progenitors of the druidic orders who search for signs of incursions from planar entities. I think you could generalize that and make it work.

 

[Micah Sweet]

you know what I mean something themed around it as to me the goliath is still str coded and dwarf is con coded what with the will resist most stuff that will kill us, an option the feels coded but not restricted for each of the core six stats seems a logical setting design idea.

I expect coding for mental stats, even without the ASI, would still raise the hackles of the folks who complained before.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I expect coding for mental stats, even without the ASI, would still raise the hackles of the folks who complained before.

20 bucks says there is a narrow way to do it, a golden route to get wis, cha and int just it is likely exactly one formulation and likely deeply difficult.

 

[Micah Sweet]

2o says there is a narrow way to do it, a golden route to get wis, cha and int just it is likely exactly one formulation and likely deeply difficult.

What's 2o?