Level Up (A5E) Building a Setting: How do Narrators and writers handle ancestries not covered by A5E heritages?

[Corinnguard]

I've never been a fan of reskinning personally. If I want something different from what's offered, I find a different version or I make the changes myself.

I know, reskinning is the quick and easy method of creating a new heritage. Creating a heritage from scratch otoh can be very satisfying because of the effort you put into it.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

I've never been a fan of reskinning personally. If I want something different from what's offered, I find a different version or I make the changes myself.

it does depend on the context, really. like, if i'm not including the heritage being reskinned anyway, but i can use the mechanics for something i do want.

again, zevites as gith is a great example of this (for if you're running a WOTC[-adjacent] setting, like the [doomed ] forgotten realms).

 

[Steampunkette]

As the person who pitched and wrote the Zevites:

They're Githyanki and Githzerai.

I don't mean you should reskin them as those things. I mean I literally made them -to be- Githyanki for A5e because Githyanki are not part of WotC's Open Content. They're Product Identity, so EN Publishing cannot use them.

So I made Zevites to fulfill the same narrative role so EN Publishing could have "Gith" as a core heritage.

So my answer to the above poll is, clearly, write up a new version when I can't use the original because of IP Laws. >.>

 

[Faolyn]

As the person who pitched and wrote the Zevites:

They're Githyanki and Githzerai.

I don't mean you should reskin them as those things. I mean I literally made them -to be- Githyanki for A5e because Githyanki are not part of WotC's Open Content. They're Product Identity, so EN Publishing cannot use them.

So I made Zevites to fulfill the same narrative role so EN Publishing could have "Gith" as a core heritage.

So my answer to the above poll is, clearly, write up a new version when I can't use the original because of IP Laws. >.>

I did the exactly the same for the Star-Rovers in my Handbook of Heritages.

So if anyone wants to play a gith, they're spoiled for choice!

 

[Deadmanshand]

I shamelessly steal. I have most of the 1e, 2e, 3e and o5e books. I convert the information from the original source into the LU5E format. This is very easily done for heritage, but I may have to get creative with the gifts. This is where I look at existing gifts to ensure I maintain the power balance. I use the LU5E cultures as much as possible, but if necessary I create new ones. Between regular D&D expanded races, Dragonlance, Star Wars and Usagi, I have converted well over fifty heritages (maybe closer to ninety) and a handful of cultures. Some of my players love to Min/Max, others barely know the rules. For this reason, I convert systems to LU5E to streamline game play. This may sound like a lot of work, but if you enjoy world building and are a control freak like me, you can seamlessly mesh these into your campaign. Can you tell that I am a forever GM? I started my main campaign world in 1988 and now run it for my children and their friends.

 

[Chaltab]

As the person who pitched and wrote the Zevites:

They're Githyanki and Githzerai.

I don't mean you should reskin them as those things. I mean I literally made them -to be- Githyanki for A5e because Githyanki are not part of WotC's Open Content. They're Product Identity, so EN Publishing cannot use them.

So I made Zevites to fulfill the same narrative role so EN Publishing could have "Gith" as a core heritage.

So my answer to the above poll is, clearly, write up a new version when I can't use the original because of IP Laws. >.>

I mean, that's definitely where I'm at with some key choices in the setting guide I'm writing up! Snake people are part of a major political faction in my homebrew world so I had to cover them. I also ended doing my own alteratives for some others because the official a5e versons either didn't exist yet when I started or don't fit thematically. Like my water elemental-kin live primarily on a planet with no landmasses but waterborn Elementaari can't even breath water.

 

[foxblade]

I mean, that's definitely where I'm at with some key choices in the setting guide I'm writing up! Snake people are part of a major political faction in my homebrew world so I had to cover them. I also ended doing my own alteratives for some others because the official a5e versons either didn't exist yet when I started or don't fit thematically.

You see Sinuous Sentinels by Purple Martin Games yet? It's got the snake folk.

 

[Chaltab]

You see Sinuous Sentinels by Purple Martin Games yet? It's got the snake folk.

Thanks. Looks nifty from the preview but also very much not the niche they fill in my setting.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You see Sinuous Sentinels by Purple Martin Games yet? It's got the snake folk.

Paranormal Power has snake folk too. Both options are excellent with different vibes.