D&D (2024) One D&D Permanently Removes The Term 'Race'

In line with many other tabletop roleplaying games, such as Pathfinder or Level Up, One D&D is removing the term 'race'. Where Pathfinder uses 'Ancestry' and Level Up uses 'Heritage', One D&D will be using 'Species'.

Moving On From 'Race' in the 2024 Core Rulebooks

We understand "race" is a problematic term that has had prejudiced links between real world people and the fantasy peoples of D&D worlds.

www.dndbeyond.com

In a blog post, WotC announced that "We have made the decision to move on from using the term "race" everywhere in One D&D, and we do not intend to return to that term."

 

[Micah Sweet]

Have many folks anywhere said they don't want to have any other traits at all?

It seems strange to me to liken saying a species/race are "always evil" to saying a species/race tusks and dark vision and being much larger on average andthus having greater strength (in terms of carrying capacity).

They're the same size mechanically, anyone can get darkvision incredibly easily, and tusks and other aesthetic considerations are meaningless. Are you sure you want to stand by the only real difference between orc and human being Powerful Build?

 

[Micah Sweet]

In the past, ethnicities lived farther away from each other. It was easier to think in racist ways. Today, all of the "races" grow up together in the same school classes, play in the same games, work together in the same jobs, and are each others neighbors, friends, and family members.

Today it is obvious that racist generalizations are wrong and toxic.

Is that your answer to their question then? We need to severely curtail what we allow in fantasy fiction?

 

[Cadence]

They're the same size mechanically, anyone can get darkvision incredibly easily, and tusks and other aesthetic considerations are meaningless. Are you sure you want to stand by the only real difference between orc and human being Powerful Build?

As descriptors of almost all populations of Orcs everywhere, or in a particular setting?

(Are minotaurs one of the ones that is most variable across settings?)

What other traits should almost all Orcs have?

Are all Dwarves miners or love mining, or does the somewhat shorter but broader typical size, darkvision, and tremor sense allow those that are interested to more easily excel at mining?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Fictional settings can contain bigotry. The issue is with depicting bigotry as a good thing like the alignment often did.

 

[Yaarel]

Personally, I want the Players Handbook to have Humans only.

The Nonhuman options can be in the Setting Guides. The Forgotten Realms Guide will have Elf, Dragonborn, Tiefling, Dwarf, Halfling, Genasi, Goliath, Gnome, etcetera, including the cultures, like High culture, Wood culture, and Uda culture, Loren culture, and Aeven culture.

The Eberron Guide will have its Nonhuman options, and so on.

The Players Handbook can focus on game rules and player Classes, and have all the information necessary to play a complete game.

The Dungeon Masters Guide will focus on worldbuilding and variant rules.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Fictional settings can contain bigotry. The issue is with depicting bigotry as a good thing like the alignment often did.

From what I'm hearing here, you are unfortunately wrong. Fictional settings apparently  cannot contain bigotry, even as an evil to be fought.

 

[Cadence]

They're the same size mechanically, anyone can get darkvision incredibly easily, and tusks and other aesthetic considerations are meaningless. Are you sure you want to stand by the only real difference between orc and human being Powerful Build?

Didn't have the book handy for my last reply, so update.

Comparing the 1e MM entry to the MPMotM PC entry seems to make a nice distinction to me. Getting rid of needing to be descended from Gruumsh on all worlds would make it even better to me.

 

[Yaarel]

Is that your answer to their question then? We need to severely curtail what we allow in fantasy fiction?

The fantasy fiction from earlier centuries is what it is.

The fantasy fiction we write today will be for us, not for dead people.

The D&D game that isnt even written yet, will be for us. Today.

Racism is no longer "interesting".

 

[Micah Sweet]

The fantasy fiction from earlier centuries is what it is.

The fantasy fiction we write today will be for us, not for dead people.

The D&D game that isnt even written yet, will be for us. Today.

Racism is no longer "interesting".

Is that a yes? Because it reads like a yes to me, even if you don't want to say it straight out.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Didn't have the book handy for my last reply, so update.

Comparing the 1e MM entry to the MPMotM PC entry seems to make a nice distinction to me. Getting rid of needing to be descended from Gruumsh on all worlds would make it even better to me.

The MMotM PC entry is one of the blandest things I've ever read in a D&D book. If that's the best they can do, I'm happy I've largely decided to leave WotC behind.