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

[Frozen_Heart]

Honestly I dislike spells replacing species traits entirely. Features like walk, fly, breathe underwater, darkvision, shouldn't be spells when they're applied to species.

I'm not sure how two elves interbreeding is like a plasmoid and an orc interbreeding. If an elf and a human can interbreed, then it makes sense that a high elf and a wood elf could interbreed.

 

[Yaarel]

I'm not sure how two elves interbreeding is like a plasmoid and an orc interbreeding. If an elf and a human can interbreed, then it makes sense that a high elf and a wood elf could interbreed.

Yeah, the Elves of the High lineage and the Elves of the Wood lineage are the same species. They can obviously reproduce children with each other. The children can drive traits from both of their parentages.

Honestly I dislike spells replacing species traits entirely. Features like walk, fly, breathe underwater, darkvision, shouldn't be spells when they're applied to species.

There is only one species, the Elf. This species lacks wings and lacks waterbreathing.

So, when one happens across a community of Elves who actually have wings (Avariel) or who can breathe water (Sea), this particular community of Elves obviously acquired these by means of magic − because they arent species traits.

As a species trait, Elves do exhibit innate magic. And by means of this species magic, certain communities can acquire effects such as wings and waterbreathing.

 

[Remathilis]

Honestly I dislike spells replacing species traits entirely. Features like walk, fly, breathe underwater, darkvision, shouldn't be spells when they're applied to species.

I'm not sure how two elves interbreeding is like a plasmoid and an orc interbreeding. If an elf and a human can interbreed, then it makes sense that a high elf and a wood elf could interbreed.

I'm not touching the cantrip argument with a 10 ft pole, but "subraces" of the same species absolutely should be able to crossbreed. They would be like saying breeds of dogs are incompatible, but a dog and a cat can make a species.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Yeah, the Elves of the High lineage and the Elves of the Wood lineage are the same species. They can obviously reproduce children with each other. The children can drive traits from both of their parentages.




There is only one species, the Elf. This species lacks wings and lacks waterbreathing.

So, when one happens across a community of Elves who actually have wings (Avariel) or who can breathe water (Sea), this particular community of Elves obviously acquired these by means of magic − because they arent species traits.

As a species trait, Elves do exhibit innate magic. And by means of this species magic, certain communities can acquire effects such as wings and waterbreathing.

I just want to point out that "species" don't inherently exit, a species is just a useful classification used by scientists to group together creatures that resemble each other.

"Species" becomes a lot less useful for classification when you're in a fantasy world where creatures have origins that are not from biological evolution. Everything was acquired by "magic" at some point.

 

[Yaarel]

I just want to point out that "species" don't inherently exit, a species is just a useful classification used by scientists to group together creatures that resemble each other.

"Species" becomes a lot less useful for classification when you're in a fantasy world where creatures have origins that are not from biological evolution. Everything was acquired by "magic" at some point.

Noted.

To the degree there is a "Human species", the other species are also "species".

The fantasy species is likewise a "just a useful classification used by sages to group together magical creatures that resemble each other."

Generally speaking, the fantasy species behave analogously to reallife species, except for the possibility that magic can intervene − analogously to reallife gene splicing.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Honestly I dislike spells replacing species traits entirely. Features like walk, fly, breathe underwater, darkvision, shouldn't be spells when they're applied to species.

I used to joke about them turning every action into a spell instead of designing non-spell abilities.

Now I weep over it.

 

[Scribe]

The line of 'now we are talking nonsense' is really obvious in this discussion. As soon as we are talking about the genetics of fantasy beings and genesplicing, and breeding dogs and cats, we are no longer in Kansas.

 

[Cadence]

The line of 'now we are talking nonsense' is really obvious in this discussion. As soon as we are talking about the genetics of fantasy beings and genesplicing, and breeding dogs and cats, we are no longer in Kansas.

It feels like part of genetics matters (the world of humans looks very different if hair color and eye color and etc are random and not following from parents; what farmers do seems like it could be different if there was nothing about breeding the best cows and horses more, or if dogs always made random offspring or if apple trees don't need splicing to get the kind of apple you want).

On the other hand it feels like it doesn't really matter at all in lots of cases whether hyena's are closely related to cats or dogs, or possums aren't actually related to rats, or.... how species work.

 

[Scribe]

It feels like part of genetics matters (the world of humans looks very different if hair color and eye color and etc are random and not following from parents; what farmers do seems like it could be different if there was nothing about breeding the best cows and horses more, or if dogs always made random offspring or if apple trees don't need splicing to get the kind of apple you want).

On the other hand it feels like it doesn't really matter at all in lots of cases whether hyena's are closely related to cats or dogs, or possums aren't actually related to rats, or.... how species work.

I mean there are clear biological (for lack of a better term) traits right? Breathing water, wings, better vision, faster, turtle shells....but its that next level of scrutiny, it just cannot sustain.

"But why can't I have a Goo Catgirl?"

Now that I think on it though, we have really derailed the thread with this so I think I'm bowing out.

 

[Remathilis]

I mean there are clear biological (for lack of a better term) traits right? Breathing water, wings, better vision, faster, turtle shells....but its that next level of scrutiny, it just cannot sustain.

"But why can't I have a Goo Catgirl?"

Now that I think on it though, we have really derailed the thread with this so I think I'm bowing out.

So the problem comes that D&D race traits were a mix of biological (wings, darkvision, waterbreathing), cultural (proficiencies, languages) and magical (innate spells, fire breath) with a certain wink-and-nod that it didn't matter which was which. With cultural elements no longer being able to be used, we are stuck with magical and biological, and the line between them being blurrier (magic also absorbed some of the cultural traits, like the giff magically having firearm proficiency or elven trance granting tools).

If you were to draw a clear dividing line between biological and magical (or worse, attempt to limit or remove magical) you'd find a very small window of tools to work with. Assuming all species are built as "how they differ from human", you can only have some many "move faster, lift more" style augments or give species so many different climb/swim/fly speeds. And of course, the idea would be that species need to be balanced to be playable: it might make biological sense that a halfling is slower or weaker than a human or goliath, but that don't make them very fun to play.