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

[AnotherGuy]

You actually neede a time to think how to move the goalpost again and how to yry to gaslight me here, didn't you?

Feel free to avoid the question.
You are under no compulsion to answer.

 

[Micah Sweet]

@Not a Decepticon perhaps you should tell us why you think within the comic industry that Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne are the generally considered the favourites within Marvel and DC respectively?

And not the likes of Silver Surfer, The Thing, Martian ManHunter or the Green Lantern Corps....

What's funny is, a lot of people love the Thing as a character, but they do it because of the relatable, human aspects (the man trapped in the body of a monster, among others).

 

[Yaarel]

Again you and many others are conflating culture and biology.

Perhaps you are conflating culture and biology?

By choosing to adopt "Tolkienesque" setting assumptions, ALL "races" are moreorless the same thing as the humans species.

The only differences between the "races" are cultural differences − plus regional ethnic traits like skin color, average height, and ear shapes.


In a setting where these "species" really are completely nonhuman, then references to Material Plane "biology" are irrelevant.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Because the marketing department forces him down our throats despite th fact it makes no sense for him to be here. AGAIN, I have nothing positive to say about Batman nor his fandom, I look down on people who like Batman because I absolutely loathe him. I will not participate in this derail.

Talking about how you look down on people isn't exactly honey instead of vinegar.

 

[AnotherGuy]

@Yaarel where are you drawing all this information about elves?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Could you please stop being pretentious and condescending about an old book? Like, take a step back and you'lkl realize everything can be potrayed as silly, you don't get to look down on anyone.

Except Batman fans, right? You literally said you look down on them.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

An elf in forgotten relative the same as an elf in Eberron except for culture.

Only if you have a dragon mark all you really different. And really if 5 ft allowed first level feats for species or origin Dragon marks would not be subclasses and you would just take a dragon mark from origin feat

Again you and many others are conflating culture and biology.


No you're not getting it.

The monster and the player character are literally not the same species.

One is a demon.
The other is a humanoid.

They share a name because the designers of D&D are to attach to tradition to rename anything.

But they literally are not the same species. They have two completely biologies.

They could literally be in the same setting as different species.
Much like an alligator and a crocodile may look similar but they are two different species.

Firstof sll, Gnoll type is humanoid, ypu are literally making claims contraty to the canon. Ypu are so desperate to draw an arbirar line between playable and nonplayable, you directly contradicted the lore you're allegedly defendng.

Gnoll on Eberron are not born of Yeenoghu, since he is not around, they are capable of forming societal structures and cooperaing with other creatures. Same with Mystara. Or even Greyhawk, Gnolls worked with smugglers in og Saltmarsh module. By your logic none of these world is playing dnd because dnd gnolls have to be biologically determined to be murderous monsters by Yeenoghu's blood in their veins

 

[Yaarel]

@Yaarel where are you drawing all this information about elves?

The Norse alfr and the D&D Elf.

The D&D Elf origins are detailed in Mordenkainens Tome of Foes, but an abbreviation of it survives in the 2024 Players Handbook.

Elves are the literal descendants of the Corellon, their ancestor. They is a shapeshifter who freely adopts any form. Elves sprang parthenogenically from the shapeshifting blood that spilled from Corellon. Like them, the Elves are freeform shapeshifters. However, in a war between Corellon and Lolth, most Elves initially sided with Lolth and adopted Human shapes. During the war they lost their ability to shiftshape at-will. But Elves continue to shapeshift over time.

Nevertheless, many Elves are Wizards and Druids who can shapeshift at-will by means of spells and rituals.

Obviously, most settings dont have Corellon or Lolth, but the origin story is true for both Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk. The other settings will have their own alternate realities.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I said they are attempting to be relatable in the same way.

There are different ways to be relatable.

D&D and most modern fantasy is removing the differences of species outside of powers and making them more and more standardized. They aren't even delving into how that would affect a society or culture. They just copy old stories that didn't, copy old stories and remove those parts, or make them into humans with slight super powers

Perhaps we can shift the topic to ask why they did that, and if it has anything to do with relatability?

 

[Micah Sweet]

None of that is default D&D or in any of the major settings that TSR, WOTC, or any major publisher creates.

It sounds perfectly logical and reasonable though, and I've seen that lore in more than one place.