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

[Maxperson]

And we're back to making up bullmanure claims. Hobbits are not humans unless you show me on page Tolkien explicit writing down they are, and even then i'll consider it bad form from him. If Hobbits can be relatable, even if you want to use the stupid term "functiomally human", it is not the same as "just human". It just proves we don't need humans to be relatable necause anything can be made relatable or "functiomally human". Winnie the Pooh is functionally human.

And we're also back to making up False Equivalences. Saying that hobbits are more relatable because they look human, is not the same as saying Pooh is more relatable because he looks human. Hobbits look and act like small humans. Pooh acts like, but does not look like a small human. Pooh and Hobbits are not equivalent in this discussion.

 

[Maxperson]

No, but Kobold Press 5e books did.

Okay, but a 3PP is not the same as 5e giving it to us. For purposes of discussing whether or not gnoll NPCs and gnoll PCs are the same race, we need to look at official 5e lore. There could be 5e 3PP out there that makes gnolls into fey, and another that has them as aberrations.

 

[Minigiant]

I think "are hobbits human" is a pointless sematic discussion. They are and they aren't, depending on your definition of human. Cladistically they are probably human in the same way than the Neantherdals (or more appropriately Homo Floresiensis) are, though Tolkien wouldn't have put it in those terms.

I think that conversation again got feared where the original discussion was about whether or not multiple species that give the same style of relatability are required for the SRD or PHB.

D&D Halflings heavily overlap with D&D humans with the same relatability and experiences. The question becomes: how many more species were the same relatability and experiences does the game need?

 

[Maxperson]

This effectively says Elves and dwarves qre just more distant relatives of uman. Congratulations, Middle Earth has no races, it's all just different variety if humans!

It doesn't do that at all. It says hobbits are an offshoot of humans, not that elves and dwarves who have clear origin stories are human.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

It doesn't do that at all. It says hobbits are an offshoot of humans, not that elves and dwarves who have clear origin stories are human.

It literally says Hobbits are humans' closer relatives than Elves and Dwarves, which equals saying the latter are humanity's distant relatives. If being humanity's relatives makes you human, Elves and Dwarves are human. Or it doesn't and all 3 are separate races.

And we're also back to making up False Equivalences. Saying that hobbits are more relatable because they look human, is not the same as saying Pooh is more relatable because he looks human. Hobbits look and act like small humans. Pooh acts like, but does not look like a small human. Pooh and Hobbits are not equivalent in this discussion.

Except the argument Hobbits are more relatable because they are "functionally human" did not hinge on them looking human but having perspective humans can understand and relate to. Which the Pooh also has.

 

[Maxperson]

I think that conversation again got feared where the original discussion was about whether or not multiple species that give the same style of relatability are required for the SRD or PHB.

D&D Halflings heavily overlap with D&D humans with the same relatability and experiences. The question becomes: how many more species were the same relatability and experiences does the game need?

It's not about relatability at all. It's about diversity in role and the mechanics that back up those roles.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

I think that conversation again got feared where the original discussion was about whether or not multiple species that give the same style of relatability are required for the SRD or PHB.

D&D Halflings heavily overlap with D&D humans with the same relatability and experiences. The question becomes: how many more species were the same relatability and experiences does the game need?

Then it's settled, we don't need Half-Elves or Half-Orc because they have watered down relatability and experience as humans and Elves or Orcs. It was a goid choice to provide theirplae to Tieflings and Goliaths, wish Goblins or Kobolds got in too.

Now when that's settled, I consuder my job here done. Not a Decepticon out!

 

[Minigiant]

It's not about relatability at all. It's about diversity in role and the mechanics that back up those roles.

Exactly.

Relatability was a cop out.

Then it's settled, we don't need Half-Elves or Half-Orc because they have watered down relatability and experience as humans and Elves or Orcs. It was a goid choice to provide theirplae to Tieflings and Goliaths, wish Goblins or Kobolds got in too.

Now when that's settled, I consuder my job here done. Not a Decepticon out!

Well according to some people all of the species should be relatable. So therefore you need more species that are relatable.

(This of course ignores that half elves and half orcs both have things and themes that are relatable to different parts of the human experience Then the standard way that D&D portrays humans elves dwarfs hefflings and other species.)

 

[Maxperson]

Then it's settled, we don't need Half-Elves or Half-Orc because they have watered down relatability and experience as humans and Elves or Orcs. It was a goid choice to provide theirplae to Tieflings and Goliaths, wish Goblins or Kobolds got in too.

By that same logic, though, we don't need elves, dwarves, gnomes, tortles or any other non-human race. Humans are relatable, so we don't need any other relatable races. That's the problem with that argument. The various races are not at all about relatability.

 

[Scribe]

By that same logic, though, we don't need elves, dwarves, gnomes, tortles or any other non-human race. Humans are relatable, so we don't need any other relatable races. That's the problem with that argument. The various races are not at all about relatability.

The real issue, is that instead of reflecting facets or tropes within the human experience, there is this desire amongst some of the playerbase to just have them all as cohabitating, human-like, members of shared cultures, defeating the whole purpose.

At which point, a species option is not about being relatable, its about the style of their funny hat, and whatever mechanical crunch is available.