D&D (2024) After my players tried to break it, we discovered that the new half-race rules are hilarious and terrible.

[UngainlyTitan]

does no one get how abusable that solution would be you would end up with nothing but min-maxed hybrids?

Really?
I did not propose that there should be a free pick and mix from the traits of both ancestor lineages but that there be a trait(s) that are specifically siloed off that are roughly equivalent for all races.

For example a Half Elf (mostly human) from the playtest material
Racial Traits
Resourceful
Skillful
versatile
(from elf) Keen Senses

Or the opposite mostly elf
Darkvision
Elven Lineage
Fey Ancestry
Keen Senses
Trance
(From Human) Skillful

But i would prefer if they actually built it properly with a actual sharable traits silo or take @darjr idea of a racial ancestry feat for just this purpose.

 

[The Glen]

Well you can do all kinds of crazy things now as is.

But flapping arm flying dwarves is something I’ll not soon forget.

Thank you?

My father was a dwarf and my mother was a hummingbird ardling. I can clear this jump no problem. Arms start moving so fast they blur.

 

[D1Tremere]

I do think there may be issues. I find that a persistent reskin often drifts into a player asking for abilities that the “skin” has and not the thing reskinned.

For example a dragon born reskin of a dwarf player may at some point argue that because the dragon born has scales it’d convert some bonus in situations that mechanicly it shouldn’t, because scales are not skin. At that point you as DM can let it be which begins the creep or stop it which kinda sucks.

I think the way to avoid this is the same way to avoid the OPs stated discoveries, which is to not frame everything in such a mechanical way in the first place.
We aren't talking about reskinning a dwarf, we are talking about the unique circumstances of nature and nurture in a magical universe that led to Frank, who's father was a Dwarf and mother was an Owlin. Description Options: Player decides Frank looks like a Dwarf but benefits from Owlin unique physiology. He has feathers on his arms that unfurl when he flies, but looks like skin otherwise. Perhaps his bones are lighter than normal as well. Or, perhaps the residual magic that allows Owlin to to fly despite the fact that earth based physics would require an incredible large wingspan for any creature of human size to fly, also endow Frank with the ability to fly despite not having the traditional feathers. Or, maybe Frank just made a sturdy leather pair of wings based on his mothers instructions that allow him the same flying as feathers?
This is the Role Playing instead of Roll Playing argument reskinned.

 

[darjr]

So like an elf-human (with human stats) taking a background with the Elven Accuracy feat, and a human-elf (with elf stats) taking the Prodigy feat?

Yea. I think I was having flash backs of the early 4e multi class feats.

 

[darjr]

My father was a dwarf and my mother was a hummingbird ardling. I can clear this jump no problem. Arms start moving so fast they blur.

I want this so bad!

 

[J.Quondam]

Flapping arms to fly really strains my suspension of disbelief.
Now propeller beards, on the other hand....

 

[Corinnguard]

Flapping arms to fly really strains my suspension of disbelief.
Now propeller beards, on the other hand....

Now watch his head do a complete 360 as his head hair and beard spin a tremendous speed.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

This is why we need DMs.

The answer to you your flatulence/firebreath weapon after your dwarf gets drunk and lights it is “no.”

Or you rolled a ‘1’ and don’t want to know the outcome.

Yes the rules need to be good guardrails but we need empowered DMs not matter the rules set.

 

[Corinnguard]

DM: "About your character...." As always the DM will be the final arbiter on what kind of hybrids they are going to allow in their game.

 

[darjr]

This is why we need DMs.

The answer to you your flatulence/firebreath weapon after your dwarf gets drunk and lights it is “no.”

Or you rolled a ‘1’ and don’t want to know the outcome.

Yes the rules need to be good guardrails but we need empowered DMs not matter the rules set.

Ah. Note to self leave the stinker long arm dwarf at home when warpiglet DMs.