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."

 

[payn]

So was heritage, but I would have been fine sharing it.

WotC isnt tho.

 

[Micah Sweet]

WotC isnt tho.

Ok? I'm not trying to make any judgement beyond liking Level Up's term. WotC can do what they want.

 

[Lidgar]

I know I’ll get used to it, but as a biologist, now I’m going to want the Latin names for all the species, subspecies, and genetic variants…

 

[overgeeked]

Cool. Not sure about species as the replacement, and it will take me awhile to not reflexively say race, but it was well-past time for a change.

 

[Knightfall]

Species. It's about time.

Agreed.

 

[Lieslo]

When it comes to science, it's always more complicated.

From Wikipedia:

It is possible for two species to have viable offspring. In the case of Mules, this results in sterility, but this isn't necessarily the case for all hybrids. In any event, scientists bend the rules for asexual species, and so on because the label "species" is useful.

Yes this was my point about the term being too loaded and not suitable for the game

 

[Hex08]

I'm fine with gaming companies abandoning the word race but after playing RPG's for 40 years getting me to stop using the word will be difficult. Don't really care for species though.

 

[John R Davis]

Not a fan.
Must be a better term??

 

[Rabulias]

It's good to see "race" gone, but the linguist in me wishes they'd chosen a replacement word with an adjective form. For example, the traits your PC gets from their ancestry would be their ancestral traits, and so on. There's not a corresponding word for species, unfortunately.

Race -> racial
Ancestry -> ancestral
Species -> special?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Cool. Not sure about species as the replacement, and it will take me awhile to not reflexively say race, but it was well-past time for a change.

I've been heritage all the time since LU introduced it. Species for WotC works well enough though.