D&D (2024) Should 2014 Half Elves and Half Orcs be added to the 2025 SRD?

[Scribe]

There is little or no difference between 2014 Players Handbook plus whatever official modifications (Tashas, Ravnica, Eberron, etcetera) versus 2024 Players Handbook plus 2014 as one of the many official modifications.

All of it is 5e.

Obviously, 5e with or without "Half Elf" mechanics is a setting choice that is equally 5e either way.

The classes, and species, in 2024 are replacements of 2014. Is the 2014 book going to remain in print? Is it still getting reprinted and pushed out for distribution?

Its not a setting choice. Its a replacement, a new version, an updated edition. Its not 5.0. 5.0 is 2014. This is 2024, with options added, changed, or removed.

The Half-Elf is not a 2024 5.5e option.

You can continue to pretend that terms, definitions, objects, have no meaning, but I dont care.

Open the 2024 PHB, can you find Half-Elf?

 

[Yaarel]

The classes, and species, in 2024 are replacements of 2014. Is the 2014 book going to remain in print? Is it still getting reprinted and pushed out for distribution?

It is a setting decision, whether the Artificer class is in or out, the Fairy species is in or out, whether the 2014 Ranger or the Tashas Ranger or the 2024 Ranger, the Xanathars and Tashas subclasses, the Eladrin or Astral Elf, the Owlin or Autognome or Plasmoid, Tashas Custom Lineage, Theros level 1 feat, Strixhaven level 1 background, etcetera etcetera. All of these are 5e setting details. All of it is 5.0.

Its not a setting choice. Its a replacement, a new version, an updated edition. Its not 5.0. 5.0 is 2014. This is 2024, with options added, changed, or removed.

Forgotten Realms is a setting. Greyhawk is a setting. Theros is a setting. Strixhaven is a setting. Planescape is a setting. Spelljammer is a setting. Richten is a setting. Eberron is a setting.

Every one of these settings includes many mechanical options that may or may not be present in other settings. And ANY setting can have any of these options.

The default setting for 5e is homebrew.

The Half-Elf is not a 2024 5.5e option.

Half Elf is a setting decision. The default is the Half Elf exists in 2024 because the default includes all of the earlier official adventures that mention a Half Elf. Meanwhile, special essentialist mechanics for a Half Elf, is one of the many available optional setting mechanics.

Open the 2024 PHB, can you find Half-Elf?

Half Elf is a setting option, just like Eladrin is a setting option, and Plasmoid is a setting option.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

2024 PHB literally is not.

My dude. I already - to correctly use the word 'literally' - posted the LITERAL text from the 2024 PHB page 5. The first sentence LITERALLY says "This is the 2024 version of the fifth edition Player's Handbook."

That is - again, to use your term, - literally saying it is Fifth edition, a new version but still FIFTH EDITION.

 

[Micah Sweet]

My dude. I already - to correctly use the word 'literally' - posted the LITERAL text from the 2024 PHB page 5. The first sentence LITERALLY says "This is the 2024 version of the fifth edition Player's Handbook."

That is - again, to use your term, - literally saying it is Fifth edition, a new version but still FIFTH EDITION.

You don't print a set of different, replacement core books for the same edition.

 

[Yaarel]

You don't print a set of different, replacement core books for the same edition.

One does print an updated Core, when TEN YEARS have passed with MANY updates and options along the way. At a certain point, it makes sense to consolidate the popular options in one place.

 

[Micah Sweet]

One does print an updated Core, when TEN YEARS have passed with MANY updates and options along the way. At a certain point, it makes sense to consolidate the popular options in one place

This is not a consolidation of popular options. It is a set of corebooks, ostensibly for the same edition, explicitly designed to replace (not supplement) the existing ones. You can tell because they altered their online version to replace the older material, then backed off half-way when people balked.

Also, when exactly has any game produced a set of updated corebooks while simultaneously insisting that the edition hasn't changed?

 

[Yaarel]

This is not a consolidation of popular options. It is a set of corebooks, ostensibly for the same edition, explicitly designed to replace (not supplement) the existing ones. You can tell because they altered their online version to replace the older material, then backed off half-way when people balked.

Some rules in 2014 have proven less popular, including how it presented "races" and how unsatisfactory the Ranger and Monk were for many players. Phasing out obsolescence is also part of an update or "patch". Nevertheless, 2024 makes officially explicit the 2014 options. So they are officially present for those who want their setting to have them.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Some rules in 2014 have proven less popular, including how it presented "races" and how unsatisfactory the Ranger was for many players. Phasing out obsolescence is also part of an update or "patch".

Is 5e a video game or other piece of software now? If they wanted to make some minor changes they could have released errata. If they want to make bigger changes they could have released a new edition. Both are logical courses of action that have precedent.

 

[Yaarel]

Is 5e a video game or other piece of software now? If they wanted to make some minor changes they could have released errata. If they want to make bigger changes they could have released a new edition. Both are logical courses of action that have precedent.

5e is a successful version of D&D that has lasted as long as or longer than any other version of D&D. It is due for an update to accommodate more recent sensibilities of the very many people who play 5e.

 

[Micah Sweet]

5e is a successful version of D&D that has lasted as long as or longer than any other version of D&D. It is due for an update to accommodate more recent sensibilities of the very many people who play 5e.

I'm not going to belabor this point with you. Agree to disagree.