D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, about 4% is the threshold for core. About 3% gets deleted.


In 5e 2014, both the half elf and the full elf are exceptionally popular. And together the merge surpasses the Human.

Half Elf was cut for other reasons. Wouldn't be surprised to see them return in 6E.

Also very popular BG3.

 

[Maxperson]

I reread the Awsimar description. It is ambiguous. I read the following.

"They resemble their parents", especially their species biology. Except for incidental "hint" of Celestial magic, comparable to cantrip thematics. This subtle magic becomes more prominent as their Celestial magic advances with character level.

Hmmm. On reconsideration, the fact that Awsimar are a "species" means they can only reproduce with other Awsimar and can no longer reproduce with the species of their parents.

In this sense, the "biology" is altered after all. Albeit it isnt actually the biology that changes. It is the planar distortion by the Celestial aster that makes reproduction with other mortals incompatible.

A few things. First, the fact that skin color, eye color, etc. are influenced by the divine spark unambiguously means that the spark makes biological changes to the Aasimar. Second, D&D allows cross-breeding(not sure what better word to use) between pretty much all of the races, so an Aasimar would be able to reproduce with other races just like anyone else.

 

[Yaarel]

Half Elf was cut for other reasons. Wouldn't be surprised to see them return in 6E.

I doubt we will ever see a "half elf" again. Not in core anyway.

We might see a miscibility method to combine any two species. Because magic.

To use origin feats for an Elf-touched Human ancestry is easy for 2024. Even the Magic Initiate feat is enough mechanics to represent magical influence from an Elf ancestor. Because the Human has two origin feats using one of them for a nonhuman ancestor opens up player options that a conceptually strict Human would lack.

Level 1 has so much design space. To narratively describe an unusual ancestry is often good enough: an Elf who looks humanish or a Human who looks elvish.

Also very popular BG3.

I agree the trope of a Human having some Elf ancestry is narratively important.

 

[Yaarel]

A few things. First, the fact that skin color, eye color, etc. are influenced by the divine spark unambiguously means that the spark makes biological changes to the Aasimar.

The Thaumaturgy cantrip makes eyes glow. An other cantrip can change hair color. The Awsimar exhibits superficial "hints" of the Celestial magic.

Second, D&D allows cross-breeding(not sure what better word to use) between pretty much all of the races

2024 systematically removed "Half races", not just from core but from settings as well.

Designers seem to be rethinking how or even if species hybriding happens.

so an Aasimar would be able to reproduce with other races just like anyone else.

If there is a method to combine any two species, it applies to the Awsimar too.

But even if hybrids happen narratively, it may never get mechanics.

Personally, I prefer a Human and Elf can never reproduce because the Elf is truly nonhuman. If an anomalous child does happen it is because the Elf shapechanged into a Human, in order to parent a Human child. And so on for comparable scenarios.

 

[TiQuinn]

Yeah, about 4% is the threshold for core. About 3% gets deleted.

God, I really hate to do this. Like I really hate it. But can I get a cite on this? Like, really, where did you actually get that information?

 

[Maxperson]

The Thaumaturgy cantrip makes eyes glow. An other cantrip can change hair color. The Awsimar exhibits superficial "hints" of the Celestial magic.

Yep, and if it were the thaumaturgy cantrip, it would say so. It's not. That magic can mimic something non-magical doesn't make the non-magical thing magical. I can dig a hole with Move Earth. That doesn't make digging a hole with a shovel the Move Earth spell.

2024 systematically removed "Half races", not just from core but from settings as well.

That doesn't really change anything. That Aasimar and Tieflings have other planar ancestors still means that at some point there was a half-celestial and half-demon/devil. Just because they aren't in the PHB, in no way means that they are not in the game.

Designers seem to be rethinking how or even if species hybriding happens.

They can't be unless Aasimar and Tieflings go away or have a major lore change to how they came to be.

But even if hybrids happen narratively, it may never get mechanics.

They tried that in the playtest and it was rejected.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

They tried that in the playtest and it was rejected.

"Rejected" as in players rated it poorly or as in WotC decided it was easier to just avoid taking any stance on the matter and let DMs figure it out on their own? I've always figured it was the latter but I have no evidence on that obviously

I use the playtest half-species mechanics and so far it's always been popular with players. Most players are indifferent but some love being able to do half-species characters

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

WotC can't be simplely to publish a clone of a previous setting. This needs its own ideantity.

The demography of the different communities can be easily changed by the DM. Maybe they are from their own demiplane.

Gnomes and halflings are perfect nPCs if you want a zone with a cozy tone.

 

[Maxperson]

"Rejected" as in players rated it poorly or as in WotC decided it was easier to just avoid taking any stance on the matter and let DMs figure it out on their own? I've always figured it was the latter but I have no evidence on that obviously

I'm not positive, but it didn't make the cut. I also saw a LOT of negative commentary about it. More than those who liked the change. That doesn't mean a whole lot, though.

I use the playtest half-species mechanics and so far it's always been popular with players. Most players are indifferent but some love being able to do half-species characters

I hate it. It's lipstick on a pig. You color the outside as a "half-whatever," but it's entirely one race or the other underneath. A half-race would have abilities from both parents.

 

[Yaarel]

God, I really hate to do this. Like I really hate it. But can I get a cite on this? Like, really, where did you actually get that information?

I am referring to the unofficial Python data scrape of DnDBeyond character sheets. The scrape occurred late 2022, and internet discussions flourished 2023. Here is an early post about it.

https://dice-scroller.com/en/most-popular-dnd-classes-and-races/#about

I think the data itself is still available online. The data includes some incomplete character sheets that seem unused and some redundant sheets that seem to be for a same character. It can benefit from a cleanup. But the source (DnDBeyond) and sheer quantity (over a million character sheets) make it useful for general impressions, such as most frequent classes and least frequent classes.

In 2022, about 3.56% of these character sheets chose Aasimar for the species, and 2.75% chose Aarakocra. For D&D 5e 2024, Aasimar made the cut, but Aarakocra didnt. Every species of a frequency less than 3% never made the cut, including Shifter, Warforged, Changeling, Tabaxi, Goblin, Kobold, and so on. Only the highest frequencies made the cut for 2024 core. Except some species merged: half into full, subspecies into full, and seemingly elemental Genasi into Goliath.