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

[Micah Sweet]

Is level up tied to the OGL? If it is, that's pretty risky at this point.

They have cleansed themselves of the OGL so far as I know.

 

[CreamCloud0]

You could create a Level Up system, but that's not backwards compatible and requires a redo of the species system. That's at least several years and possibly a new edition in the future.

does 'level up system' mean a species point-buy creator? or is it something else?

give us a nuanced builder and we can create all the half-species we could ever want...

 

[Micah Sweet]

does 'level up system' mean a species point-buy creator? or is it something else?

give us a nuanced builder and we can create all the half-species we could ever want...

Level up has a mix and match system built into the corebook to represent mixed heritage characters. Additionally, one of the first 3pp books for the game, Honebrew and Hacking, has a point-based system for making your own heritage that includes all the options in the corebook and adds many more.

 

[Remathilis]

does 'level up system' mean a species point-buy creator? or is it something else?

give us a nuanced builder and we can create all the half-species we could ever want...

Level Up is mix and match.

I suppose a point buy system where you can create a custom lineage could work. It wouldn't be a "half XY" system per se, but you could take a CL and modify it to give it certain traits and flavor that up as a mixed species. You probably won't get aarakorca wings or dragonborn breathe, but you could probably get darkvision, fey ancestry or powerful build.

 

[Yaarel]

Level Up is mix and match.

I suppose a point buy system where you can create a custom lineage could work. It wouldn't be a "half XY" system per se, but you could take a CL and modify it to give it certain traits and flavor that up as a mixed species. You probably won't get aarakorca wings or dragonborn breathe, but you could probably get darkvision, fey ancestry or powerful build.

Where a general feat at level 4 is worth about 8 points, the background feat is worth about half this at 4 points.

Each skill, tool, and martial weapon, is nominally worth about 1 point each. But some skills are better than others, etcetera. Perception is worth about 2 points, and the "good" skills about 1½ points. The tools are still uncharted territory, but one can assume that some are better than others. Unfortunately counting each musical instrument as a separate tool is substandard − at best worth ½ point, like each language, pretty much worth 0 points, and is gated in separately.

Darkvision is worth about 2 points, equivalent to some of the best cantrips.

Traits can be organized into feats. And smaller ribbon traits can bundle together to form a feat.

Then each species lists its traits in units of feats.

One background feat for Elf is:

"
Innate Magic. As an Elf you innately wield magic. Starting at level 3 and again at level 5, you gain the ability to cast a spell with this trait. You cant cast the spell again until you finish a Long Rest, however you can cast the spell using any appropriate spell slots you have. As part of your innate spellcasting, you can choose any mental ability for your casting ability, whether Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, and you never need to use components for the spell. Different elven cultural lineages tend to rely on certain spells. See Elven Lineages table to determine the spells you gain.

"

This Elf trait is also a background feat!

A Human character can use the extra feat to choose this feat to represent an elven parent or ancestor.

Meanwhile a character who descends from more than species, can swap and mix-and-match these trait feats to represent the ancestors and the individual character concept.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Level Up is mix and match.

I suppose a point buy system where you can create a custom lineage could work. It wouldn't be a "half XY" system per se, but you could take a CL and modify it to give it certain traits and flavor that up as a mixed species. You probably won't get aarakorca wings or dragonborn breathe, but you could probably get darkvision, fey ancestry or powerful build.

flight and breath weapons aren't so out there are they? i don't see why they couldn't be in a point buy even if they had to tend towards a more expensive feature.

 

[Yaarel]

flight and breath weapons aren't so out there are they? i don't see why they couldn't be in a point buy even if they had to tend towards a more expensive feature.

Breath weapon is fine.

However flight is a big deal. There are ways to limit flight for low level (such as require the Action to fly rather than the Move), then it becomes fine. However full flight would be worth at least three background feats by itself.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Breath weapon is fine.

However flight is a big deal. There are ways to limit flight for low level (such as require the Action to fly rather than the Move), then it becomes fine. However full flight would be worth at least three background feats by itself.

but there are species who exist with flight already, i don't see why putting it in a point buy would be such a difficulty? you want flight? sure, but it's expensive!

the point buy wouldn't exist purely for creating cross-species.

 

[Xamnam]

I can only speak directly for myself, obviously, but a point buy system for D&D species in particular at this time gives me hives on both an ethical and optimization level. Truly the last thing I want to see compared to most other options.

 

[Yaarel]

but there are species who exist with flight already,

I know, and as a DM I have a problem with letting players play species with flight at level 1.

Switching low-level flight from Move to Action, goes a long way toward ensuring balance with other characters at the same level.

i don't see why putting it in a point buy would be such a difficulty? you want flight? sure, but it's expensive!

the point buy wouldn't exist purely for creating cross-species.

Feats and point-buy are pretty much the same thing.

A background feat bundles traits together to about 4 points.

The benefits of using a background feat are:
• players are already familiar with choosing and using feats
• feats are conducive to an overall flavorful narrative concept
• bundling traits together helps reduce unexpected "combos" that break the game