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

[Minigiant]

And I have pointed out that the "lore" you try to press is basically just eugenics. Not to mention it is alluded to in one sentence, with no elaboration. This isn't lore, it's your, headcanon. You want us to accept a fanfiction idea you made off a single sentence as a canon thing in the books and demand we only argue acknowledging lore that benefits your argument and arbitrairy disqualify everything else.

It's no more than eugenics then Moradin created the dwarfs. But the expansion of a new idea could be anything. Not even the inkling of story I built off book text.

WOTC doesn't want to expand them. And a vocal part of the community doesn't want it either.

Hybrid species could have any lore or mechanics. It's just game design . That's not why they were removed anyway.

But there were multiple paths to get mixed species into the PHB if WOTC desired it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

No, for me its not which way the game should go, because the game has already gone in the direction it is going.

Not the point. We can talk about where we want it to go regardless.

The books have already been written.

And they'll write more in the future.

So people are arguing for something that isn't happening, and the only option remaining is to house rule.

People argue hypotheticals all the time. That doesn't justify annoying them about it all the time.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

It's no more than eugenics then Moradin created the dwarfs. But the expansion of a new idea could be anything. Not even the inkling of story I built off book text.

WOTC doesn't want to expand them. And a vocal part of the community doesn't want it either.

Hybrid species could have any lore or mechanics. It's just game design . That's not why they were removed anyway.

But there were multiple paths to get mixed species into the PHB if WOTC desired it.

I have explained why the specific origin for half-orcs you brought up is eugenics.

Yes, they could have given Half-Elves and Half-orcs different lore and mechanics. You have not provided a single reason why they'd do it, tho. If you have to remove everythign about them to make them interesting, why bother? Why not give this place to a species more deserving, that doesn't require fixing from ground up?

 

[Minigiant]

I have explained why the specific origin for half-orcs you brought up is eugenics.

Yes, they could have given Half-Elves and Half-orcs different lore and mechanics. You have not provided a single reason why they'd do it, tho.

Because they were in the 5.1 SRD. To me, hybrid species, subspecies, and divinely spouted species variants are a core note to D&D brand fantasy.

In D&D, a Duck Deity can create Duckmen. A Beaver God can create Beaverfolk. And either or both can decide that the species can intermingle to make Platypusguys. Then another can change them into Perry Platypusguys.

If you have to remove everythign about them to make them interesting, why bother? Why not give this place to a species more deserving, that doesn't require fixing from ground up?

Who said remove everything? I said enhance the non-problematic bits.

Not my fault there are only a few of them. I'm not addicted to problematic lore and bad mechanics and unable to come up with new ideas and expansion of good old ideas. If the influential people take off the rose colored glasses sometimes when looking at the past, they wouldn't get so shocked and be unprepared when people point out issues.

If it takes you 50 years to think about expanding lore and you cut it instead, the "there's nothing we could do" excuse is lost.

I mean sure. Don't put them in the next SRD.
But WOTC's still going to need to expand settings, classes, species, and lore for 5e if they want to sell stuff after the core rules are published.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Because they were in the 5.1 SRD. To me, hybrid species, subspecies, and divinely spouted species variants are a core note to D&D brand fantasy.

Who is now looking at the past with rose-colored glasses?

Who said remove everything? I said enhance the non-problematic bits.

Your "non-problematic bits" include eugenics. And even if not, your proposal still effectively boils down to writing their lore from the bottom up, a lot of work for little to no reward.

 

[Minigiant]

Who is now looking at the past with rose-colored glasses

Aren't I admitting that much of the past stinks and the good parts should be highlighted and expanded.

Your "non-problematic bits" include eugenics. And even if not, your proposal still effectively boils down to writing their lore from the bottom up, a lot of work for little to no reward

More from the middle out.

Doesn't even seem like a lot of work. The orc that will be in the PHB barely had lore and half the mechanics were replaced.

They already rewrote most of the Orc, the Goliath and the Tiefling.

 

[Remathilis]

Because they were in the 5.1 SRD. To me, hybrid species, subspecies, and divinely spouted species variants are a core note to D&D brand fantasy.

You realize that even if WotC does go through all the work of creating a new half-elf and half-orc with updated names, lore and rebalanced mechanics, it's not going to be for the SRD, and it's not going to happen by February.

WotC has gone back to the drawing board since the "pick a set of stats and refluff" method went down in flames. They've been too busy finishing the other two core books and now onto the 2025 projects. There is testing, sensitivity consulting and art that needs commissioning. And none of that is cheap. Before either species makes it to the SRD, it's going in an official book first and the earliest opportunity for that is the Forgotten Realms player guide.

WotC also hasn't been overly generous when it comes to putting new stuff in the SRD. Ask anyone still hoping for the artificer to be placed in it. We may never get the new versions in the SRD and only ever have the 2014 version in the CC.

In short, Outlook Not So Good when it comes to some new version coming out.

 

[Scribe]

But half elves cannot become their own species of ultra versatile, fey kissed, experts.

Sure they can. I have them like that in my Shadowdark file.

 

[Minigiant]

In short, Outlook Not So Good when it comes to some new version coming out.

It's 0%

WOTC is ultra conservative on design and writing currently unless it's a personal pet project or fandom of a major designer.

 

[Divine2021]

They should absolutely be included, and it’s a bit silly they aren’t in the new PHB. God forbid they do something interesting for once.