D&D (2024) No Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc suborgins, lineages, and legacies

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

how are they selling people on the goliath past the be big and strong?

are we getting the ardlings?

They are giving them “subraces” for the main 6 giant types and an ability to grow Large for a bit.

And, no, the ardling didn’t poll well enough.

 

[DammitVictor]

I think we need a lot fewer "subraces" in every race we can possibly cut them out of, and more racial options that players can pick-and-choose. The 2014 Hill and Mountain dwarf are perfect examples of how this concept was ridiculous to start with and has been diluted past the point of nonsense in the intervening years.

 

[Mind of tempest]

They are giving them “subraces” for the main 6 giant types and an ability to grow Large for a bit.

And, no, the ardling didn’t poll well enough.

well it has finally hit the obvious thing with goliaths.

do we get anything else, a different opinion, more lore?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

well it has finally hit the obvious thing with goliaths.

do we get anything else, a different opinion, more lore?

Less lore. What do you mean by “a different opinion”?

 

[Corinnguard]

WotC's species don't hold a candle to Level Up's origin system (heritage/culture/background/destiny) IMO. 5.5e is heading in the wrong direction as far as I'm concerned.

See Below.

Why are Dwarves that live in Mountains and Dwarves that live in Hills genetically different enough to warrant subraces?

They're culturally different from one another. However, they're still the same species, but each has learned and gained different cultural benefits.

This is from Level Up:

Hill Dwarf | Level Up

a5e.tools

Deep Dwarf | Level Up

a5e.tools

Mountain Dwarf | Level Up *

*Mountain Dwarves in Level Up have Fire Resistance.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

See Below.

They're culturally different from one another. However, they're still the same species, but each has learned and gained different cultural benefits.

This is from Level Up:

Hill Dwarf | Level Up

a5e.tools

Deep Dwarf | Level Up

a5e.tools

Mountain Dwarf | Level Up *

*Mountain Dwarves in Level Up have Fire Resistance.

I’d consider racial spells and damage resistances to be genetic, not cultural. And, based on the information from those links, I don’t think the Level Up version of the dwarves subraces is any less bland than the 5e versions in lore or mechanics.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

They're culturally different from one another. However, they're still the same species, but each has learned and gained different cultural benefits.

So what? Humans have different cultures, yet we do not represent them with "subraces" and doing so would probably have some unfortunate implications.

Whole concept of "subraces" is pretty questionable. There are some instances where there are significant physical differences between the groups where it makes sense, but most of the so called subraces are just different cultures of one species.

 

[Corinnguard]

I’d consider racial spells and damage resistances to be genetic, not cultural. And, based on the information from those links, I don’t think the Level Up version of the dwarves subraces is any less bland than the 5e versions in lore or mechanics.

While racial spells and damage resistances could certainly be the result of genetics, are they something you can do without any training going into their use? I don't think so. Another member of your race is going to teach you on how to use them safely and responsibly. That's the cultural aspect of being a member of a particular race.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

While racial spells and damage resistances could certainly be the result of genetics, are they something you can do without any training going into their use? I don't think so. Another member of your race is going to teach you on how to use them safely and responsibly. That's the cultural aspect of being a member of a particular race.

I have nerve heard of anyone being taught to be less vulnerable to poison or fire. And racial spells are genetic. If they weren’t they’d be attached to a separate mechanic like Background or a new Culture mechanic.

 

[CreamCloud0]

While racial spells and damage resistances could certainly be the result of genetics, are they something you can do without any training going into their use? I don't think so. Another member of your race is going to teach you on how to use them safely and responsibly. That's the cultural aspect of being a member of a particular race.

sure, maybe some things do need training to properly use but at the same time that doesn't mean that the underlying traits that allow them to use those abilities aren't also biologically innate, perhaps duregar have a particularly strong strain of transmutaion/illusion magic in their blood which is what lets them cast enlarge/reduce and invisibility, there's nothing that implies the base dwarf needs to train their ability to resist poisons, so why might a sub-species of volcanic area dwarf need to 'train' their fire resistance.