lukelightning
First Post
Many of these terms seem more like smaller units than "race." Kin, lineage, kindred, folk, etc. all seem more tied with family and clan than species.
How to describe a race?
- Thread starter Roman
- Start date
How about just clarifying the term by always proceeding the word "race" with the word "fantasy."
The rules could say something like:
"The Dungeons and Dragons world is populated with many different fantasy races, like elves, dwarves and orcs. Each fantasy race has different advantages and weaknesses as detailed below. Choose a fantasy race for your character."
Seems to me it would be pretty clear that way, and difficult to take it as confusing or offensive.
The rules could say something like:
"The Dungeons and Dragons world is populated with many different fantasy races, like elves, dwarves and orcs. Each fantasy race has different advantages and weaknesses as detailed below. Choose a fantasy race for your character."
Seems to me it would be pretty clear that way, and difficult to take it as confusing or offensive.
GreatLemur
Explorer
Do mules demonstrate that horses and donkeys are not distinct species?Goblyns Hoard said:
Hell, Star Trek is goofy enough to have humans and various aliens makin' babies all the time, but I don't think anybody's going to say that Klingons are just another race of human.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
If Half Elves and Half Orcs (and Half-Klingons) were unable to procreate, your comparison with the Mule would be precise and correct. Otherwise, this is exactly the distinction line used today.GreatLemur said:
So yes, actually, scientifically speaking, Klingons, Humans, Vulcans or Romulans are all actually just one species. There was a Startrek TNG epsiode that showed that they actually had a common "creator" I forget the English name for species) that implanted its DNA on many worlds across the Milky Way, resulting in the various humanoids (though that wouldn't automatically make them of the same species).
As far as I know there are known examples of creatures evolving parallel on Earth that in the end could procreate off-spring capable of procreation itself. I guess it's statistically highly unlikely, but not absolutely impossible.
All that said, D&D is fantasy, so it's not really that important whether the terms are scientifically correct, the question is, what do the terms invoke? If there is a real concern that "race" means that people would think of African, Asian or Caucasian and would be puzzled when they see that it actually refers to fantasy races, well, then a new word might be necessary. But honestly, I don't think that it could work. There are no fantasy races in our world, therefor most terms would also have other, misleading connotations.
And it's not as if the Race Chapter will cover 150 pages and only at the end the confused reader will learn that the term "race" actually refers to Elves, Dwarves or Humans...
pawsplay
Hero
GreatLemur said:
Some mules are fertile. Are some mules of the same species as horses, and others not?
The idea that species means "can interbreed" is spurious. Scientifically, animals are grouped into a species when it useful to do so, usually based on whether they can breed together (and how well, how often, and how viable the offspring), notable phenological differences, significant pattersn of heredity (albinism, etc), and so forth.
Taxonomic definitions in biology are not really impregnable. A species is generally defined by the ability to reproduce and bear fertile offspring, but there are exceptions.
In any case, I think WotC is not actually looking to replace the word race throughout the book. It is merely looking for words to describe what the word race means in the D&D context. At least that is my reading of it.
In any case, I think WotC is not actually looking to replace the word race throughout the book. It is merely looking for words to describe what the word race means in the D&D context. At least that is my reading of it.
GreatLemur
Explorer
On some campaign worlds, half-elves and half-orcs are sterile, aren't they?Mustrum_Ridcully said:
But, seriously, if we're going to start playing the if-so-and-so-can-breed-with-so-and-so game, we'd have to conclude that dragons (the filthy buggers) prove that all living, corporeal creatures are one species. Half-dragons aren't pointed out as being sterile, certainly, and the Sorcerer fluff strongly suggests that they are not.
I can imagine that it's possible, but it seems it would be so unlikely as to be effectively impossible. Sort of like the chances of your house key fitting your neighbor's house when the locks were made by different companies. Star Trek is a very silly show.Mustrum_Ridcully said:
GreatLemur
Explorer
Jesus, yes. I don't see how elves and orcs are so far from humans in the first place that we would ever need a half-way point.Simm said:
