D&D (2024) D&D species article

[Chaosmancer]

So, what happens to a Goliath Paladin's Aura when they turn Large via Large Form?

Remember, one of the reasons why they didn't fiddle with Large Size races was, aside from all the other stuff they didn't feel like dealing with, was that they wanted to avoid the interaction between a Paladin's Aura and the increased range granted to it via a larger size.

Well, they do have the new emanation language for auras, so it will likely be covered by that.

 

[Scribe]

Yes, you can argue that the Astral Elf is stronger than the 2024 High Elf... but the 2024 High Elf is also WAY stronger than the 2014 High Elf, which was still competing with the Astral Elf.

I'd be curious to see if anyone is considering running the current errata versions of the 2014 anything vs the MotM/Fizban/Jammer options.

Only if you are narrow mined and don't think outside the box.
The community would not reject biology if you aren't biased about it or force your own preferences.

Which is my point.

TSR and WOTC designers historically and currently can't help putting their own preferences above the desires of their customers. They rarely try new ideas in a fair sensible manner if at all.

All Elves are skilled with dex/ranged weapons would never pass the test. It literally has been discussed and shot down.

"My halfling is just as strong as..."

It's all the same thing. Either a person is fine with this, and I bet most would be fine with it, or all this stuff is various shades of unacceptable and we must blandify the options.

Sorry man, we lost. Wait for the SRD lime I am and fix it yourself.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Reading the article I personally find this bit slightly ominous:



So like, you can't just use an older species? I mean, obviously with a background, some adaptation would be necessary, but a species? That is a bit worrying. Why would they be "adapted"? Given how extremely inconsistently they were designed, I can't think of any guidelines that aren't going to cause a huge mess and really back 2014 further incompatible with 2024, despite previous claims.

I guess they idea is they've moved from stuff from the race/species design-space to the background design space, but it seem to me that the backwards-compatible and sensible approach would be "please use 2014 backgrounds with 2014 races", not "play around trying to adapt both when race/species were completely inconsistently designed in 2014".

Also there's kind of vibe that you're "not allowed" to use the 2014 rules to create new characters from this, which is seems new and weird.

As Paramandur said, they are mostly saying it so people can't go "Well, as a Warforged I get +2 Con and a +1 to any score, then with the Soldier Background I'll get a +2 Con and a +1 strength, so my character gets a +4 and a +2, per RAW"

Because, again, I feel like this needs to be reminded to some people. Many DnD players are pendants who will argue for nonsensical things like that which are clearly not intended. So the game devs have to specifically step in and say "that isn't how it works"

 

[Remathilis]

Ah. Before you said it was a trap for anyone who doesn't have access to those books. That was the confusion.

I think we agree that Elves, already the most powerful species in PHB 2014, was made stronger by later books. We disagree as to whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I'm pleased they've dialed back, and I hope that the guidance we're given will say to use the most recent version of a species or of a feature (and so the most recent version of Trance would be used. That admittedly doesn't solve the Astral elf (because they foolishly called it Astral trance), and (in my view) it has too many toys. But it does catch the species in MotM.

I also think we're using "trap" in different senses. High Elf is not a trap -- everything remains useful, regardless of character build. It's just not as strong as some of the other Elf offerings they've given us. And that, as I've indicated, is fixed trivially.

Yeah, sorry about the confusion.

And yes, what annoys me is that the MotM/AAG elves were actually a a good power level, so you new PHB elves feel like a step backwards both in power and in unique design elements. (Not that three teleporting elves were all the original to begin with).

 

[Remathilis]

At least they fixed the issue with every single thing having Darkvision.

By giving half of them super darkvision?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

As Paramandur said, they are mostly saying it so people can't go "Well, as a Warforged I get +2 Con and a +1 to any score, then with the Soldier Background I'll get a +2 Con and a +1 strength, so my character gets a +4 and a +2, per RAW"

Because, again, I feel like this needs to be reminded to some people. Many DnD players are pendants who will argue for nonsensical things like that which are clearly not intended. So the game devs have to specifically step in and say "that isn't how it works"

I hope that's all it is, but I'm a little concerned WotC will overreach here and start trying to suggest fiddling with abilities etc. I guess we'll see.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Dragonborn is an upgrade from 2014, but Fizban 's versions are better.

Haven't seen anyone addressing this point. And I have to say.... not really?

In Fizban's you had to pick if you were Chromatic, Metallic, or Gemstone. If we compare Chromatic to the 2024 Red Dragonborn... the only difference is Chromatic warding for immunity to elemental damage for 1 minute vs flight. That's potentially a wash.

The Fizban dragonborn that had flight were only the Gemstones, that means that your damage resistance was limited to uncommon or rare types, Force, Radiant, Psychic, Thunder or Necrotic damage, instead of the common ones like poison, lightning, fire, or cold. The flight time (compared to the playtest) is ten times shorter, but they do gain a minor telepathy. Again.... at worst I would call this a wash.

The Fizban dragonborn were slightly more flexible, in that chromatics and metallics had different abilities, but less flexible in that their breath weapon shapes were static (only Chromatic got lines, everyone else got cones), their resistances were limited by type (can't have the flight and resistance to fire damage). So... I don't really see an argument that the Fizban design is universally better.

 

[Corinnguard]

Why does being a dwarf make you automatically proficient in fighting with a hammer, for example? Is it, like, genetically coded into dwarves?

The automatic proficiency in fighting with a hammer is a more cultural element than a biological one. Mountain Dwarf culture in Level Up bestows proficiencies in Light and Medium armor, and in battleaxes, handaxes, light hammers and war hammers. Dwarves raised in Deep Dwarf culture and Hill Dwarf culture do not get these proficiencies. And since heritage and culture aren't tied to the hip like they are 5e, you could have a member of a different heritage gaining these proficiencies if they were raised in a Mountain Dwarf culture.

 

[Minigiant]

All Elves are skilled with dex/ranged weapons would never pass the test. It literally has been discussed and shot down.

No it hasn't.

Again,the problem is it was locked to the "longsword, shortsword, longbow, and longsword"

People said "Well my elves used crossbows."

Well. Let them choose crossbows.

That's the point. Instead of looking at the criticism and attempting a solution, they dropped the whole thing and in some issues recreated it somewhere else.

"My halfling is just as strong as..."

ASIs are not tied to races.

WOTC basically heard "I don't like Teriyaki chicken" and said "Let's have beef" instead of offering grilled, baked, or fried chicken and letting people choose the sauce.

Because the people was putting the sauce on the chicken in the pan before cooking. Not the chicken.

Baby. Bathwater. Modern Corpo Oldhead thinking.

 

[Corinnguard]

The Fizban dragonborn were slightly more flexible, in that chromatics and metallics had different abilities, but less flexible in that their breath weapon shapes were static (only Chromatic got lines, everyone else got cones), their resistances were limited by type (can't have the flight and resistance to fire damage).

Time to homebrew a better Dragonborn then.