Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Water Breathing can be rewritten as a cantrip.

If necessary, Water Breathing can be rewritten as a slot-1 spell.

In any case, Water Breathing is subpar for slot 3.


Darkvision is a slot-2 spell. Albeit it too can be rewritten as a cantrip instead.


Then a player who wants an Elf who has darkvision and breathes water can PICK THOSE SPELLS.

And every Sea Elf subsequently drowns the first time they go to sleep where they ostensibly live, because their water breathing spell expires or a cabal of evil sahuagin sorcerers quietly drop anti-magic shells over their homes.

 

[Yaarel]

And every Sea Elf subsequently drowns the first time they go to sleep where they ostensibly live, because their water breathing spell expires or a cabal of evil sahuagin sorcerers drops anti-magic shells over their homes.

The children bond with the environment of the parents. At "level zero" the infants have the Waterbreathing cantrip while born underwater. Later in life, the Elf might bond with a different environment instead.

(Note, it is plausible if the Sea Elves are born on coastland and migrate into the water when of age. Or they might be more like airbreathing porpoises and seals, than fish. But born with innate cantrips to breathe water is fine.)

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

The children bond with environment of the parents. At "level zero" the infants have the Waterbreathing cantrip while born underwater. Later in life, the Elf might bond with a different environment instead.

(Note, it is plausible if the Sea Elves are born on coastland and migrate into the water when of age. But born with innate cantrips is fine.)

The point I'm making is that you're taking something that was previously innate and non-magical and locking it behind a spell cast, which puts it at the mercy of whatever spell duration it ends up with and effects that dispel magic.

Are species with wings going to need to cast the Fly spell in order to use them going forward?

 

[Yaarel]

The point I'm making is that you're taking something that was previously innate and non-magical and locking it behind a spell cast, which puts it at the mercy of whatever spell duration it ends up with and effects that dispel magic.

The point that I am making is ... we dont need a hundred-plus Elves!

One Elf, that lets the player choose the spells, can represent well-enough every single Elf that has ever existed in the history of D&D.

ONE ELF.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

The point that I am making is ... we dont need a hundred-plus Elves!

One Elf, that lets the player choose the spells, can represent well-enough every single Elf that has ever existed in the history of D&D.

ONE ELF.

Between the calls to turn species traits into feats and those calling to turn them into spells, we're rapidly approaching the point where we don't need dedicated species at all.

Just spend all your other character customization options to reflect you character's ancestry - not like you're using them for anything else anyway.

 

[Yaarel]

Between the calls to turn species traits into feats and those calling to turn them into spells, we're rapidly approaching the point where we don't need dedicated species at all.

Just spend all your other character customization options to reflect you character's ancestry - not like you're using them for anything else anyway.

Heh. In the case of the Elf, two of the elven species feats would be:

• Pick two cantrips. Cast these innately.
• Charm Resistance. Pick a slot-1 spell at level 3, and a slot-2 spell at level 5, and cast each innately per long rest.

Meanwhile, the Glossary explains what "Innate Spellcasting" is, including being able to additionally use any spell slots for them.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

And how exactly is this not moving us back to a mix-and-match, pick your traits system for ancestry anyway?

 

[Yaarel]

And how exactly is this not moving us back to a mix-and-match, pick your traits system for ancestry anyway?

I feel the species need to be miscible.

Then, a multispecies character can determine its traits by choosing species feats from one or both species.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

I feel the species need to be miscible.

Then, a multispecies character can determine its traits by choosing species feats from one or both species.

Well, we agree on that much.

I disagree about locking things like always active and non-magical innate water breathing and darkvision behind spell casts, though.

 

[Yaarel]

Are species with wings going to need to cast the Fly spell in order to use them going forward?

It is possible for Wings to be a cantrip.