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."

 

[Weiley31]

Look: I know how Half-Dragons are made, but to describe the process would probably get me banned here on ENWorld. And I got too many booked mark posts on here as a form of reference that I wouldn't be able to remember otherwise for my 5E games. So, I'm keeping my mouth shut on that part of the class lesson.

 

[Corinnguard]

I wonder which Genus (genius) at WoTC thought it was a good idea to replace Race with Species.

 

[Mecheon]

Ancestry still works way better as there are very much playable options that are not races or species. Stuff like Revenants which are more 'life condition' (Well, unlife condition)

 

[Umbran]

And the scientific definition of species isn't as nice and accurate as people sometimes act like they are. Ring species exist and prove that the "organisms that are capable of producing fertile offspring are of the same species" definition of a species isn't perfect.

So, you are technically correct.
But, that technical correctness isn't actually helpful for a game that isn't really beholden to technically correct science.

Overall, this discussion is less about what is technically correct, and more about how people feel about the change.

 

[Corinnguard]

I prefer Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition's Heritage and Pathfinder 2nd Edition's Ancestry over species.

 

[MGibster]

I don't have any objections to dropping the word race. The only time a language jumps off the euphemism treadmill is when it drops dead. i.e. Things change.

1. D&D has a long, long history of using words in a way that doesn't reflect their original meaning. See exhibit A, the Druid.
2. It could be in 30 years people decide species is problematic for some reason. Perhaps when applied to sentient "people," species will come to have the same negative connotations as race. If that's the case, they'll adopt a different word to use.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Ancestry still works way better as there are very much playable options that are not races or species. Stuff like Revenants which are more 'life condition' (Well, unlife condition)

But being a revenant isn't an ancestry. It's a magical condition. How is that any more accurate to being a revenant or warforged than "species" is?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Both babies and crispy pickles come from stork-headed ardlings, and they do not explain the secrets to either.

My sandwich... ruined!

What am I supposed to do with this pickle?!

 

[Weiley31]

My sandwich... ruined!

What am I supposed to do with this pickle?!

Stork suddenly appears outta nowhere.

 

[Tonguez]

Not a big deal for "race" to go out of use. Especially given it has a negative connotation for a lot of people. But "species"? IIRC the term entered common use in English with the scientific revolution via Latin, 17th century? Anyone knows for sure (or has already posted it and I missed it) I would be curious. I would think "ancestry" would be the appropriate reference to ones... ancestors Ancestral would be a useful adjective reference to things connected to that too. I totally divorced my game world from real world science from the start and "species" (for me) evokes science.

while Species as understood today was defined in the 16/17th century, the term was used by Aristotle and Plato to refer to Living organisms.
Aristotle used the example of humans are a Species (Kind of thing) and their proximate group (Genus) is Blooded animals (non-blooded animals = shellfish, insects etc). Each species is marked by a unique defining trait (differentia). For humans this is “rationality (Sapiens)

Thus the definition of “human” is a Rational Animal. “Blooded Animal” is the genus, “Homo” is the species, and “sapiens” is the differentia.

Aristotlian logic works better for DnD worlds …

Aristotle allowed for Dual-genus too eg Whales, seals and porpoises—are blooded Animals that give live birth, yet also they are Fish that live in the sea.
Bats are Birds yet also Animals

I suppose half-dragons could be fit in too