D&D General What it means for a race to end up in the PHB, its has huge significance

[CreamCloud0]

Yes, that's why they've replaced it with a new hybrid system.

a hybrid system that creates offspring with zero hybridisation in them. 10/10 mechanics good jorb.

 

[Remathilis]

a hybrid system that creates offspring with zero hybridisation in them. 10/10 mechanics good jorb.

I, for one, welcome our flying, fire breathing aarakorca/dragonborn overlords!

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I, for one, welcome our flying, fire breathing aarakorca/dragonborn overlords!

I assume that any mechanical hybridisation system would bring limitations.

Such as providing a 'major' and 'minor' set of abilities for each species, and you can only pick one major and one minor set from each.

(I'd also put in limitations of what can breed with what in my setting, so no Dragonborn Thri-Kreen)

 

[Hussar]

a hybrid system that creates offspring with zero hybridisation in them. 10/10 mechanics good jorb.

But, again, you're presuming that mechanics correlate to in game reality.

A half-elf, using elf for the mechanics, is still a half elf. How do I know? Because it's my character and I'm telling you that I'm playing a half elf. The picture I use for my character is a half-elf. He's described as a half-elf and everything about him screams "I am a half elf".

The fact that he has proficiency in longsword? WHO CARES? Why does it matter? The difference between half-elf and elf was so negligible before, but, now it's suddenly this vastly important gulf? Half-elves have NEVER had unique abilities. They were always just watered down elves. They were even SPECIFICALLY typed as elves - Fey Ancestry.

Oooh, two +2's to two skills. Yeah, that SCREAMS half elf to me.

Talk about making mountains out of mole hills.

 

[Remathilis]

I assume that any mechanical hybridisation system would bring limitations.

Such as providing a 'major' and 'minor' set of abilities for each species, and you can only pick one major and one minor set from each.

(I'd also put in limitations of what can breed with what in my setting, so no Dragonborn Thri-Kreen)

That requires every species ever made to be redesigned to allow for such hybridization, and the list would grow larger with every new species. Effectively, that's a wholesale redesign of 60+ species and every new one added.

And while you as DM may ban certain combos, the rules itself wouldn't.

 

[CreamCloud0]

But, again, you're presuming that mechanics correlate to in game reality.

if mechanics aren't correlating to in game reality then what the hell are they meant to be doing?

A half-elf, using elf for the mechanics, is still a half elf. How do I know? Because it's my character and I'm telling you that I'm playing a half elf. The picture I use for my character is a half-elf. He's described as a half-elf and everything about him screams "I am a half elf".

i could give you a grey featureless blob and call it a half elf, that doesn't make it one

The fact that he has proficiency in longsword? WHO CARES? Why does it matter? The difference between half-elf and elf was so negligible before, but, now it's suddenly this vastly important gulf? Half-elves have NEVER had unique abilities. They were always just watered down elves. They were even SPECIFICALLY typed as elves - Fey Ancestry.

Oooh, two +2's to two skills. Yeah, that SCREAMS half elf to me.

just because the mechanics were bad representation of the thing they're meant to represent isn't a reason to get rid of them, you instead try to improve them

Talk about making mountains out of mole hills.

some people actually care about these things, if you don't then fine but don't get in the way of other people's desires if it doesn't harm your experience.

 

[Aldarc]

But, again, you're presuming that mechanics correlate to in game reality.

A half-elf, using elf for the mechanics, is still a half elf. How do I know? Because it's my character and I'm telling you that I'm playing a half elf. The picture I use for my character is a half-elf. He's described as a half-elf and everything about him screams "I am a half elf".

The fact that he has proficiency in longsword? WHO CARES? Why does it matter? The difference between half-elf and elf was so negligible before, but, now it's suddenly this vastly important gulf? Half-elves have NEVER had unique abilities. They were always just watered down elves. They were even SPECIFICALLY typed as elves - Fey Ancestry.

Oooh, two +2's to two skills. Yeah, that SCREAMS half elf to me.

Talk about making mountains out of mole hills.

I'll be honest, Hussar. Your rude snark is not winning me over to your position about half-elves. Quite the opposite.

 

[CreamCloud0]

That requires every species ever made to be redesigned to allow for such hybridization, and the list would grow larger with every new species. Effectively, that's a wholesale redesign of 60+ species and every new one added.

a one-time hurdle, after you do it it's done, and every subsequent species would be designed into the system as it already exists so zero extra work there

And while you as DM may ban certain combos, the rules itself wouldn't.

and your point is what? the game is rife with things that can be combined in unexpected ways for broken combos that DMs may have to curate if they're bothered by them, like look at all the CHA class multiclass nonsense you can do.

 

[Belen]

a hybrid system that creates offspring with zero hybridisation in them. 10/10 mechanics good jorb.

It is a system I will not use at my table. I will retain the old versions. I also do not see ever having something like a gnome/dragonborn etc. If the combos made sense like lizardman/dragonborn, maybe. Dragonborn in my current campaign world are rare, noble-blooded lizardmen.

The new system is just lazy and seeks to solve a problem that was not plaguing a majority of the player base, although I could be wrong and there was an underlying desire by huge swaths of the players to fix this issue.

And I say lazy, because it is designed to fill a checkbox on DDB for statblock.

I will look over the new information and see if there is anything useful. For instance, none of my players use the Tasha's version. They all prefer to have the old style of set stats.

 

[Parmandur]

a hybrid system that creates offspring with zero hybridisation in them. 10/10 mechanics good jorb.

Right, the fact that it if fluff rather than mechanics is a good thing: not everything should be mechanics, and this is precisely one thing that shouldn't be.