D&D (2024) D&D species article

[Scribe]

It is how many players play elves anyway...

Which is why mechanics matter.

 

[Remathilis]

Agreed.

Species in D&D have mechanics. Mixed species have no mechanics. Therefore, they do not exist. They are cosmetic only. They are a backstory with zero game support. They do not even have backgrounds support.

People will just play humans and tell folks they have elf-ears.

Witches don't have mechanics in D&D, therefore witches don't exist. Same thing with katanas and with squirrels. No mechanics, doesn't exist. That's how it works, right? We never use the stats of one thing to represent another.

 

[Minigiant]

For all of D&Ds history make species existed in mechanical form for a specific point.

In the old editions, mixed species allowed you to play one race without their class limitations. You could have elf or orc mechanics but play classes that elves or orcs were banned from. Or you can play elf or orc exclusive classes and kits without their core weaknesses.

In newer editions, classes weren't race restricted. Mixed species lean harder into mechanical benefits of having the traits of two different species and how such a combination would fit in the world. The half-elf became the natural diplomat. The half orc became the natural melee shock trooper.

Removing half elf remove that natural diplomat species from the roster.

Half orc is a bit different because the addition of orc allows the orc to take that shock trooper archetype better. However I really never thought shock trooper was the correct niche for the half orc.

Especially with the changes to the Paladin, The half work feels more like it should be the "Martial Smiter". Human Specialized focus of Orcish Fury. Just turning a melee hit to a melee crit.

 

[Argyle King]

Witches don't have mechanics in D&D, therefore witches don't exist. Same thing with katanas and with squirrels. No mechanics, doesn't exist. That's how it works, right? We never use the stats of one thing to represent another.

Going the other way, you could question why there are any mechanics for species at all. Isn't it enough to say you look like a dwarf?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Witches don't have mechanics in D&D, therefore witches don't exist. Same thing with katanas and with squirrels. No mechanics, doesn't exist. That's how it works, right? We never use the stats of one thing to represent another.

I have 5e stats for all those things.

 

[Chaosmancer]

It's less that every species has spells and more than every nonhuman species is now more overtly magical and have less leaned to their natural biology.

Since 2017, the amount of overt magic and blatant spellcasting has increased amongst classes and species. WOTC mostly abandoned the mundane or even the subvert supernatural (on the player side).

So only Humans and maybe Orcs don't seem like they aren't dripping with magic in their blood before they get to the class stage. And Orcs is a maybe.

Can't a species just be BIG and TOUGH? Or have claws and a tail? Or have calculator brains?

Maybe it's that they suck at it even if they like it. Crawford REALLY hyped up that Brawler Fighter but it was a mess.

Sigh, so, let us look at the evidence.

Humans in 2014 --> Humans in 2024: No increase in magic
Elves in 2014 --> Elves in 2024: No real increase in magic, unless you want to argue that hiding in a light drizzle of rain was non-magical and therefore wood elves got more magic specifically.
Halflings in 2014 --> Halflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Tieflings in 2014 --> Tieflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Aasimar in 2014 --> Aasimar in 2024: No increase in magic
Orcs in various --> Orcs in 2024: No increase in magic
Dragonborn: Okay, this is a little tricky. Technically they got more magical in 2021, but from that to 2024 is no increase in magic. So... I guess we decry their increase in magic for dragon people three years ago as part of their announcement of dragon people now?
Dwarves in 2104 --> Dwarves in 2024: I'd give this a toss-up at worst. You CAN say that their ability to sense vibrations through stone is innately magical. You can also say it isn't. And before you start trying to say that as a limited resource it MUST be magical, battle master maneuvers.
Gnomes in 2014 --> Gnomes in 2024: I guess you could argue that Rock Gnomes got more magical? But all the other gnomes were magical already. So this is at worst the same as the wood elf
Goliaths in 2015 --> Goliaths in 2024: I guess you have a point here, since they can now grow a size category.

So, back to your claim that EVERY SINGLE Species is now more innately magical than it was in 2017.... completely false. 60% of them have no change, out of those that DID change they are mostly two ancestries in otherwise overtly magical species. The only thing is that Goliath can grow Large and have some new supernatural abilities... and that isn't every single species.

 

[Aldarc]

Witches don't have mechanics in D&D, therefore witches don't exist. Same thing with katanas and with squirrels. No mechanics, doesn't exist. That's how it works, right? We never use the stats of one thing to represent another.

If you wanted to be a half-dwarf/half-human in 2014, the DM would would probably tell you to pick either dwarf or human and then call yourself a half-dwarf. No one would tell you that a half-dwarf existed as an actual option in D&D 5e 2014. This is why I say that for many people there is no meaningful difference between half-options being present and half-options being absent in D&D 2024. They are functionally absent. Moreover, part of the problem is the message that this sends about being biracial or of mixed parentage. You aren't both or a mix of both: you're mechanically one or the other. I don't think that sits well with people, and that's one reason why I think that the above point you're making will likely not land well with some people.

 

[Minigiant]

Sigh, so, let us look at the evidence.

Humans in 2014 --> Humans in 2024: No increase in magic
Elves in 2014 --> Elves in 2024: No real increase in magic, unless you want to argue that hiding in a light drizzle of rain was non-magical and therefore wood elves got more magic specifically.
Halflings in 2014 --> Halflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Tieflings in 2014 --> Tieflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Aasimar in 2014 --> Aasimar in 2024: No increase in magic
Orcs in various --> Orcs in 2024: No increase in magic
Dragonborn: Okay, this is a little tricky. Technically they got more magical in 2021, but from that to 2024 is no increase in magic. So... I guess we decry their increase in magic for dragon people three years ago as part of their announcement of dragon people now?
Dwarves in 2104 --> Dwarves in 2024: I'd give this a toss-up at worst. You CAN say that their ability to sense vibrations through stone is innately magical. You can also say it isn't. And before you start trying to say that as a limited resource it MUST be magical, battle master maneuvers.
Gnomes in 2014 --> Gnomes in 2024: I guess you could argue that Rock Gnomes got more magical? But all the other gnomes were magical already. So this is at worst the same as the wood elf
Goliaths in 2015 --> Goliaths in 2024: I guess you have a point here, since they can now grow a size category.

So, back to your claim that EVERY SINGLE Species is now more innately magical than it was in 2017.... completely false. 60% of them have no change, out of those that DID change they are mostly two ancestries in otherwise overtly magical species. The only thing is that Goliath can grow Large and have some new supernatural abilities... and that isn't every single species.

What what?

Elves got no more spells
Tieflings got more spells
Gnomes goet more spells
Dragonborn got magic wings!
Dwarves got Tremorsense
Aasimar was added and their magic made more versatile
Goliath got Giant magic and can go to large size
Orcs went from Dash as bonus action to to X uses of Dash+THP. And had its bigness removed.

So I stand by my statement

It's less that every species has spells and more that every nonhuman species is now more overtly magical and have less leaned to their natural biology.

No just Big race. No just tough race. No just fast race.

 

[Scott Christian]

So being compleatly honest I have to ask, why do people miss or want the half orc and half elf? The only reason I ever played a half elf is because it was mechanically advantageous but never really mattered for rp reasons. The bonus to charisma with the skills was great for some builds but to be honest for me never felt like it was special. Likewise for half orcs, half orcs were created because orcs were a monterous race and they wanted something more civil. Now in Dark Sun I loved Mules because they fit a specific nitch for that world and had a great mechanical feel to them.

I can't speak for others, but we loved the story behind the half-elf in all editions. The old Tolkien story was moving. This was especially true when we were young boys who always felt like outcasts (much as young boys are prone to do). The same was true for the half-orc. Even in our last campaign, the DM would have a few select NPCs throw shade my way for what I was - and it was good RP. (He also had others acknowledge the uniqueness and strength of being from "two worlds." Thos types of RP moments can be interesting.
As for them not being part of the core, I am fine with it. They'll have some little blurb about a mix, and that is fine. Species matters less in less in D&D due to our own growing understanding and sensitivity.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Sigh, so, let us look at the evidence.

Humans in 2014 --> Humans in 2024: No increase in magic
Elves in 2014 --> Elves in 2024: No real increase in magic, unless you want to argue that hiding in a light drizzle of rain was non-magical and therefore wood elves got more magic specifically.
Halflings in 2014 --> Halflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Tieflings in 2014 --> Tieflings in 2024: No increase in magic
Aasimar in 2014 --> Aasimar in 2024: No increase in magic
Orcs in various --> Orcs in 2024: No increase in magic
Dragonborn: Okay, this is a little tricky. Technically they got more magical in 2021, but from that to 2024 is no increase in magic. So... I guess we decry their increase in magic for dragon people three years ago as part of their announcement of dragon people now?
Dwarves in 2104 --> Dwarves in 2024: I'd give this a toss-up at worst. You CAN say that their ability to sense vibrations through stone is innately magical. You can also say it isn't. And before you start trying to say that as a limited resource it MUST be magical, battle master maneuvers.
Gnomes in 2014 --> Gnomes in 2024: I guess you could argue that Rock Gnomes got more magical? But all the other gnomes were magical already. So this is at worst the same as the wood elf
Goliaths in 2015 --> Goliaths in 2024: I guess you have a point here, since they can now grow a size category.

So, back to your claim that EVERY SINGLE Species is now more innately magical than it was in 2017.... completely false. 60% of them have no change, out of those that DID change they are mostly two ancestries in otherwise overtly magical species. The only thing is that Goliath can grow Large and have some new supernatural abilities... and that isn't every single species.

Tieflings are kind of more magical in the sense that there are two new types of Tieflings with different magics. Not taking a side just saying.