D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

Do you think Half Elf being most popular BG3 race will cause PHB change?s?

  • Yes, Elf (and possibly other specieses) will get a hybrid option.

    Votes: 10 8.7%
  • Yes, a crunchier hybrid species system will be created

    Votes: 8 7.0%
  • Yes, a fluffier hybrid species system will be created

    Votes: 5 4.3%
  • No, the playtest hybrid rules will move forward

    Votes: 71 61.7%
  • No, hybrids will move to the DMG and setting books.

    Votes: 13 11.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 8 7.0%


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Innate spells are innate. There is no somatic component nor any spell component: neither verbal, somatic, nor material.

An Elf with an innate Waterbreathing cantrip can breathe water fine with manacles and gag, and without a wand.
Do these "innate spells" still require an action to cast? Still require burning spell slots to cast more than once (if non-cantrip)? Still go poof the instant you get hit by a Dispel Magic?

What benefit is there to giving a character an at-will personal water breathing cantrip as opposed to just letting them breathe water without needing to go through a spell to do so?
 
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Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
Do these "innate spells" still require an action to cast? Still require a spell slot to cast them more than once (if non-cantrip)? Still go poof the instant you get hit by a Dispel Magic?

What benefit is there to giving a character an at-will personal water breathing cantrip as opposed to just letting them breathe water without needing to go through a spell to do so?
@Yaarel wants the rules to be different. I don't blame them; after all, there's quite a few rules in D&D I want to (and do!) change myself. Don't see why WotC has to do it or it doesn't count somehow.
 

Yaarel

🇮🇱He-Mage
Do these "innate spells" still require an action to cast?
Yes. The "Magic Action" is still necessary for an innate spell.

Still require burning spell slots to cast more than once (if non-cantrip)?
Yes. But Water Breathing can have a lengthy duration. Even "until the end of your next long rest" would be balanced.

Still go poof the instant you get hit by a Dispel Magic?
Yes! This is the nature of being an innately magical creature, an Elf.

What benefit is there to giving a character an at-will personal water breathing cantrip as opposed to just letting them breathe water without needing to go through a spell to do so?
The benefit is flavor.

The Elf is a personification of magic who descends from mercurial shapeshifters.

Doing things magically, by means of magic, is what the Elf concept is about.

The other benefit is avoiding the deluge of a 100+ types of elves.
 


Yes. The "Magic Action" is still necessary for an innate spell.


Yes. But Water Breathing can have a lengthy duration. Even "until the end of your next long rest" would be balanced.


Yes! This is the nature of being an innately magical creature, an Elf.


The benefit is flavor.

The Elf is a personification of magic who descends from mercurial shapeshifters.

Doing things magically, by means of magic, is what the Elf concept is about.

The other benefit is avoiding the deluge of a 100+ types of elves.
Except there is no way this system would ever apply only to elves.

Turning darkvision into an "innate spell" is invariably going to be applied to dwarves, tieflings, and every other species that currently possesses darkvision.
 

Yaarel

🇮🇱He-Mage
@Yaarel wants the rules to be different. I don't blame them; after all, there's quite a few rules in D&D I want to (and do!) change myself. Don't see why WotC has to do it or it doesn't count somehow.
If there are rules you want to change, by all means mention them. We are in a forum about a playtest for new 2024 edition.
 

Yaarel

🇮🇱He-Mage
Except there is no way this system would ever apply only to elves.

Turning darkvision into an "innate spell" is invariably going to be applied to dwarves, tieflings, and every other species that currently possesses darkvision.
To be fair, the Elf − uniquely − has over a hundred different types.

Even when trying to have three different types of Dwarf − Duergar, Mountain, and Hill − it pretty much immediately merged back into two: Duergar and Dwarf. How many different types of Orc do we need?

The Elf species specifically needs a very flexible and versatile design to represent the many different kinds of Elf. Letting the player choose the spells achieves this diversity, and the concept of an innately magical species makes this spell-centered design appropriate.
 

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
If there are rules you want to change, by all means mention them. We are in a forum about a playtest for new 2024 edition.
I'm really only here out of curiosity to see if they come up with anything worth incorporating into my own game. Nothing so far.

My own rules changes are primarily to serve my simulationist preferences, and to incorporate various 5e 3pp stuff into one ruleset.
 


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