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

[Minigiant]

Anybody else find it funny that if D&D was owned by another company like Games Workshop or a big video game company this topic wouldn't even exist because they would have long ago renamed both species and put so many trademark markings on to it so fast that it would make our collectives head spin so fast we'd gain 20 ft fight speed

Aelves.

 

[Scribe]

Anybody else find it funny that if D&D was owned by another company like Games Workshop or a big video game company this topic wouldn't even exist because they would have long ago renamed both species and put so many trademark markings on to it so fast that it would make our collectives head spin so fast we'd gain 20 ft fight speed

Aelves.

Probably true. Not that I support GW's copyright efforts, most of the terms are lame as hell.

 

[Micah Sweet]

whatever happened to

It isn't, but there IMO better ways to represent mixed heritage than to do two slightly different versions if orc. Level Up's mix and match of heritage traits and heritage gifts are an excellent way to model this, for example.

In short, mechanics matter, but IMO should always follow fiction as closely as practically possible.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Anybody else find it funny that if D&D was owned by another company like Games Workshop or a big video game company this topic wouldn't even exist because they would have long ago renamed both species and put so many trademark markings on to it so fast that it would make our collectives head spin so fast we'd gain 20 ft fight speed

Aelves.

So funny I cried a little. Astra Militarum my bum! Not sure I'll ever forgive GW for that garbage, and my headcannon certainly stops before that happens.

 

[Minigiant]

Probably true. Not that I support GW's copyright efforts, most of the terms are lame as hell.

Agreed

But the fact remains, after all those surveys,


WOTC could have just polled fans on the new Names of Half Elf or Half Orc.


Fan of Feyling and RAGEBLOOD!

Mods please excuse my use of dark red.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Agreed

But the fact remains, after all those surveys,


WOTC could have just polled fans on the new Names of Half Elf or Half Orc.


Fan of Feyling and RAGEBLOOD!

Mods please excuse my use of dark red.

WotC doesn't want anyone else's ideas, they just want to know if their ideas are popular or unpopular so they know which direction to sway in the wind.

 

[Minigiant]

WotC doesn't want anyone else's ideas, they just want to know if their ideas are popular or unpopular so they know which direction to sway in the wind.

I didn't say use our ideas.

Just poll us on their ideas

• Orcling
• Jhorgun'taal
• Greenfolk
• Greyskin
• RAGEBLOOD
• Keep Half Orc

They could have made a big deal about it and branded it as fans impacting D&D future. Missed opportunity for easy buzz.

 

[mamba]

Level Up's mix and match of heritage traits and heritage gifts are an excellent way to model this, for example.

sure, WotC could have done a better way of creating mixed species

 

[Remathilis]

It isn't, but there IMO better ways to represent mixed heritage than to do two slightly different versions if orc. Level Up's mix and match of heritage traits and heritage gifts are an excellent way to model this, for example.

In short, mechanics matter, but IMO should always follow fiction as closely as practically possible.

Oh, now mechanics matter when you don't like them?

Just to point out: you basically agreed with my original post. Orcs and half-orcs are mechanically redundant. So are elves and half-elves. They aren't distinct enough to warrant two separate species stat blocks. And yes, they have an interesting story niche, but that story niche isn't enough to save them when a different system could be used to represent mixed species (such as level ups system, or origin feats, or custom lineages).

 

[MoonSong]

Just to point out: you basically agreed with my original post. Orcs and half-orcs are mechanically redundant. So are elves and half-elves.

I really need to see that other half? How exactly are they redundant? They share Darkvision and Fey Ancestry, but beyond that, the two are very different. A strong point Half elf has is high stats and skill flexibility. Elf instead has trance and all of that focus on spells/training. That isn't exactly redundant. If that is redundant, then so are Elf and Dwarf!