D&D (2024) (+) New Edition Changes for Inclusivity (discuss possibilities)

[Haldrik]

What defines aberrations has so much wiggle room I'm a little unsure of the inherent value in keeping them as a distinct type in a hypothetical 6E. Are they cosmic horrors, psychic creatures, simply weird, or all of the above and more? If we're trying to unify aberrations by saying they're inhospitable to the reality of a setting it might be worth introducing ways they don't sit right with baseline assumptions for how we expect the rules to interact with monsters.

There is a trope that Aberrations physically warp their environment, even to the point that doorways stop being rectangular, and physically warp creatures that cooperate with them.

 

[Wishbone]

The 1d4chan page kind of sums up the way it seems to have been done:

View attachment 124583

I'd kind of like the aberrations to be the creatures from the Far Realms (the alien things beyond the great wheel and the inner planes) and the things they touched and corrupted.

Part of the problem I have sorting things is where all the chaosy-alien things fit in. Is Limbo a plane exemplifying doing whatever they want, or one for destroying order? Is there a great outer entropy that wants the universe to decay to nothing that even the inhabitants of Limbo would rebel against? Are the things from the Far Realms something like a tentacly Borg with code that feels non-sensical that are trying to rewrite everything? Are the far realms creatures and the greater entropy the two great things opposed to all of the rest of creation?

I agree with you. Aberrations as a catch all isn't my favorite thing and you pose good questions on how to go about building out the Far Realms and aberrations effectively. Dropping the 4E aberrant origin and Far Realm lore was a missed opportunity!

Defining aberrations as creatures whose existence is inherently inimical to the nature of reality on the Material Plane sort of maintains the catch-all quality while leaving room for things like slaad, daelkyr, and quori beyond the typical tentacle-faced Far Realm fare. Though I will say slaad being aberrations feels more like WotC had to pick a category after splitting outsider into fiend and celestial and then mostly based it on the way slaad reproduce.

There is a trope that Aberrations physically warp their environment, even to the point that doorways stop being rectangular, and physically warp creatures that cooperate with them.

Hm, how would we implement that as an option without making it frustrating for the players or the DM? Aberrations draining characters of their hit dice every few turns?

 

[Sadras]

Is the snark really helpful? I know, it gets frustrating, but, that's not helping anyone.

I'm shocked that posters that are supposedly sensitive to others and generally tackle me and others on what is correct and acceptable today would put forward such an idea.

 

[Haldrik]

Dropping the 4E aberrant origin and Far Realm lore was a missed opportunity!

In the context of removing noninclusive texts in 5e, perhaps removing racist supremacist Lovecraft material finds a new opportunity to drop Far Realms.

As far as I know, "aberrant" is a D&D term (not a Lovecraft one?).

If so, using "aberrant" to mean grotesque mutant, seems ok? The difference between "monstrosity" and "aberrant" seems to involve intelligence, similar to the difference between "beast" and "humanoid".

Hm, how would we implement that as an option without making it frustrating for the players or the DM?

To actualize reality warping tropes.

At low tier, maybe mechanics of: difficult terrain, descriptions of sites and objects that are askew, a devils bargain that grant abilities but mutates a character to grant it, creations of cursed items, etcetera. Maybe exhaustion attack represents a temporary mutation, but a corpse at zero hit points fully mutates, while a Remove Curse can restore to original wholesome health.

At mid tiers, "summoned" creatures are actually locations warping, becoming new aberrants. Even if dead, their mutations remain. But Remove Curse can restore these kinds of aftermath.

At high tier, legendary actions can be the warping environment making attacks autonomously.

Something like that. Mostly normal mechanics can actualize the trope.

I feel a "curse" that can be cured, helps convey that the dehumanization is Evil (Neutral Evil), and that humanity can prevail when removing the curse.

But there can still be edgy characters, who choose to mutate to gain certain abilities. Player characters can be Good aberrants, who undergo the loss of humanity for altruistic motives. This resembles a Warlock Devil Pact, where it is possible to be a Good Warlock, if the player chooses this concept.

 

[Umbran]

So we want THIS much realism but having men being able to outcap women in STR is too far. M'kay.

Mod Note:

The snark is not helpful, and is reported for being pretty sexist stuff. In a thread with so many problems, you can't realize you should hold off this, it is time for you to take a break from it. Please find something you can engage with more constructively, as you won't be posting in this thread again.

 

[Wishbone]

In the context of removing noninclusive texts in 5e, perhaps removing racist supremacist Lovecraft material finds a new opportunity to drop Far Realms.

As far as I know, "aberrant" is a D&D term (not a Lovecraft one?).

If so, using "aberrant" to mean grotesque mutant, seems ok? The difference between "monstrosity" and "aberrant" seems to involve intelligence, similar to the difference between "beast" and "humanoid".

I generally like the idea of the Far Realm and think there's a way to link it to ideas like primordial chaos, but that gets close to the Abyss and what 4E already did so I take your point.

To actualize reality warping tropes.

At low tier, maybe mechanics of difficult terrain, descriptions of sites and objects that are askew, and devils bargains that grant abilities but mutate characters to do so, create cursed items, etcetera. Maybe exhaustion represents temporary mutation, while reaching zero hit points, a corpse fully mutates, but Remove Curse can restore to health.

At mid tiers, "summoned" creatures are actually locations warping, becoming new aberrants. Even if dead, their mutations remain. But Remove Curse can restore these kinds of aftermath.

At high tier, legendary actions can be the warping environment making attacks autonomously.

Something like that. Mostly normal mechanics can actualize the trope.

I feel a "curse" that can be cured, helps convey that the dehumanization is Evil, and that humanity can prevail when removing the curse.

But there can still be edgy characters, who choose to mutate to gain certain abilities. Player characters can be Good mutants, who undergo the loss for good motives. This resembles a Warlock Devil Pact, where it is possible to be a Good Warlock, if the player chooses this concept.

Seems like a generally good idea to refluff things to suit their theme. The big conceptual themes behind monsters aren't always super present in the mechanical interactions with them, but that's probably more of something dropped in the transition from 3.5E to 4E than the fault of the designers of 5E in particular. I was having trouble picturing something other than adding another set of mechanics like psionics or ability drain onto the existing combat system.

 

[Haldrik]

I generally like the idea of the Far Realm and think there's a way to link it to ideas like primordial chaos, but that gets close to the Abyss and what 4E already did so I take your point.




Seems like a generally good idea to refluff things to suit their theme. The big conceptual themes behind monsters aren't always super present in the mechanical interactions with them, but that's probably more of something dropped in the transition from 3.5E to 4E than the fault of the designers of 5E in particular. I was having trouble picturing something other than adding another set of mechanics like psionics or ability drain onto the existing combat system.

Regarding aberrant mechanics, I would focus on warping and mutation, including impossible mutations.

Among the astral infernal domains, the Lawful Evil Devil domain has vivid flavor, and the Chaotic Evil Demon domain has vivid flavor. Making Aberrant the Neutral Evil infernal domain, gives compelling vivid flavor.

While the warping reminds one of Chaotic tropes, the Aberrant comes with socially cooperative tropes that reminds of Lawful. So the overall effect, is Neutral Evil, seeking the most evil possible, whether by individual power or by group power, with a kind of existentialist premise.

Essentially, an Aberrant is a kind of Fiend.

Note, there is such thing as a Good Fiend, including a Good Aberrant. Rare but notable.



Personally, I strongly prefer psionics to be ones own personal power. Thus referring to powers outside oneself is by definition nonpsionic, and more like a Warlock Pact. In short, I dislike psionic flavor that becomes "squick".

On the other hand, just like some Martial bodies can mutate into Aberrants, so can some Psionic minds mutate into Aberrants. Things like Aberrant Mindflayers that happen to be psionic, are fine. Just like Angels can be psionic. And Fey.

 

[Haldrik]

For the record, Mindflayers are right up there among Evil grotesque mutations. A head that is a squid, that controls a decapitated body? Slimy ick! Squick!

And the head-brain-psion tropes correlates ok. This is an Aberrant that happens to be psionic.



One could see this is a fulfillment of an Evil Wish. "Become a powerful psionic!" How does it happen? Victim of a Mindflayer. Perhaps the first Mindflayer was a Humanoid who lost ones humanity by wanting to become psionic, from then on a spawning predatory head.

 

[MGibster]

How does making changes to aberrations make D&D more inclusive though?

 

[Haldrik]

How does making changes to aberrations make D&D more inclusive though?

Purging away full-on white racist supremacism. One might as well have swastikas on Cthulhu.