Release Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e, on DriveThruRPG now after successful Kickstarter

[eugenemarshall]

Ancestry & Culture provides alternate PC creation rules for D&D 5e, replacing Race with Ancestry, Culture, and Mixed Heritage.

Now you can have mechanics that allow you to play the child of an orc and a halfling, or a tiefling and an elf, or a dwarf raised by gnomes, or an elf raised by dragonborn. What's more, you can avoid the baggage of racial essentialism in D&D's out-dated conception of race.

Almost a thousand D&D fans backed it in Kickstarter! Now it's available to the public. Check it out maybe?


Ancestry & Culture cover by Bad Moon Art Studios

Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e - Arcanist Press | DriveThruRPG.com

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I mostly like it, but they’re simply wrong about ability scores. I’m fine with putting them in culture for the purpose of being less problematic, but it makes more sense to conclude that orcs are stronger because they have stronger muscle attachments, and a lazy Orc will be at least the equal of a fit human, assuming neither is exceptional. (Ie assuming the human doesn’t have a 16 or whatever while the Orc has put their lowest score there)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

To be clear I really like it. I just disagree on the idea that the IRC’s strength or the Halflings dexterity are learned, or most specifically with the notion that is the most reasonable conclusion.

Even amongst human IRL, some people are just stronger, regardless of how they live or what they focus on. I would have to work my ass off to ever have a chance of winning a contest of strength with my coworker Noe, whose hands dwarf mine and whose shoulders could each seat a shortish person with ease. He does not work out, at all. He told me once he never has in his entire life.

Meanwhile I don’t have to try to be nimble and coordinated to a point where my friend John would struggle to out perform me in a contest of manual dexterity.

The idea that these are only trained or learned qualities, never something you’re born with, is absurd.

 

[eugenemarshall]

To be clear I really like it. I just disagree on the idea that the IRC’s strength or the Halflings dexterity are learned, or most specifically with the notion that is the most reasonable conclusion.

Even amongst human IRL, some people are just stronger, regardless of how they live or what they focus on. I would have to work my ass off to ever have a chance of winning a contest of strength with my coworker Noe, whose hands dwarf mine and whose shoulders could each seat a shortish person with ease. He does not work out, at all. He told me once he never has in his entire life.

Meanwhile I don’t have to try to be nimble and coordinated to a point where my friend John would struggle to out perform me in a contest of manual dexterity.

The idea that these are only trained or learned qualities, never something you’re born with, is absurd.

I understand what you're saying, sure. But remember, you're comparing two individuals. I'm talking about labeling whole races/ancestries as being strong, or smart, or fast, or dumb. That sort of blanket categorization doesn't apply to human ethnic groups at all; (b) it makes some folks, myself included, uncomfortable.

So, even though in certain cases it is a little unrealistic, I moved all of the Ability Scores to Culture. To be fair, it seems MORE unrealistic to say that how smart an adult is gets determined entirely by what ancestral category they belong to, but perhaps you disagree (which is fine, of course!). But given that I wanted a simple, easy to pick up and plug in system, I opted for this solution.

(PS. The preview on DriveThru is long enough that you can read that intro essay I mentioned, if you're interested -- it's three short pages)

Thanks for the comments, though!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I understand what you're saying, sure. But remember, you're comparing two individuals. I'm talking about labeling whole races/ancestries as being strong, or smart, or fast, or dumb. That sort of blanket categorization doesn't apply to human ethnic groups at all; (b) it makes some folks, myself included, uncomfortable.

So, even though in certain cases it is a little unrealistic, I moved all of the Ability Scores to Culture. To be fair, it seems MORE unrealistic to say that how smart an adult is gets determined entirely by what ancestral category they belong to, but perhaps you disagree (which is fine, of course!). But given that I wanted a simple, easy to pick up and plug in system, I opted for this solution.

(PS. The preview on DriveThru is long enough that you can read that intro essay I mentioned, if you're interested -- it's three short pages)

Thanks for the comments, though!

I read the whole preview, and really like it. I’ll probably get it later this week when I’ve paid bills and know what my games budget is.

As a matter of interesting discussion, I’ll point out that how smart or strong you are isn’t even primarily determined by race in stock D&D. Your points or rolls or whatever you use to determine stats is the primary factor. An orc and human are barely noticeable in Strength difference, assuming the same pre-mod number.

But like I said, I agree with the goal/decision, just not the claim that it makes more sense. My preference is to keep them ancestral and then also give a bonus to classes, but your way works too.

But I used people as examples to show that it can very much be biological. Orcs and humans, or course, aren’t the same species in most folks conception of fantasy worlds, but because it’s hard to disconnect those associations, in all for changes like this to make folks more comfortable.

 

[darjr]

Such a great idea to decouple Ancestry and Culture. It brings a bit more reality and nuance and flixibility. Nice! Plus it’s one of those ideas that I think many have been striving for but never quite getting to. Genius