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

[Scribe]

They used their page space for a questionable large amount of art, so why not actual rule info in the rulebook?

Honestly if the art was actually at all to my tastes, I probably would have bought the book, as it is its enough to make me just wait for the SRD.

 

[Minigiant]

Hence being watered down elves. You lose some of the more specific stuff and you get versitile from the human half, but its still recognisably half of it from the elf side, especially with the various half-elf variants

Like, they legit work as a "Switch out these options and add these" type of deal, that's how close they are to elves

It's a perception issue.

Fay Ancestry is the weakest and least defining part of Elf

A human taking Tough is closer to a Dwarf than a half elf is to elf.

So if updated to 2024 standards, half elf has a lot of design space.

my take

Darkvision​

You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Dilettante
You have a link to the Feywild that extends your natural drive to explore new concepts. Choose a simple weapon or a cantrip on the cleric, druid, or wizard spell list. You know the mastery of the weapon if chosen or the cantrip if chosen.

Fey Ancestry​

You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition.

Versatile Linguist​

You have a fey grace that extends to your ambitious words. You know one additional language of your choice. In additional you have Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma checks with someone when speaking in a language other than Common. The creature must also be able to understand the language.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Honestly if the art was actually at all to my tastes, I probably would have bought the book, as it is its enough to make me just wait for the SRD.

I don't consider fancy art to be much of a selling point in a rulebook. I just need enough to get the point across. I find constantly pushing the art as a reason to buy a book that is about the rules you need to play a game a little irritating actually.

 

[Scribe]

I don't consider fancy art to be much of a selling point in a rulebook. I just need enough to get the point across. I find constantly pushing the art as a reason to buy a book that is about the rules you need to play a game a little irritating actually.

/shrug different strokes.

I think there was maybe 1 piece in the whole book I liked when I flipped through it, its not like everyone needs a copy of the book to play.

 

[Weiley31]

They are backwards compatible anyway. Might as well add em.

 

[Micah Sweet]

/shrug different strokes.

I think there was maybe 1 piece in the whole book I liked when I flipped through it, its not like everyone needs a copy of the book to play.

No, although I'm sure that's what WotC wants.

 

[Scribe]

No, although I'm sure that's what WotC wants.

Yeah, never going to happen though, not without a fundamental shift on how the game is played.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Thats not going to change the fundamental shift that some are pushing for.

Do you have something that is more sellable for an argument? Times change and ways of building settings change but most things loop around sooner or later.

Frankly should have made something new up than pick gnolls, who have been playable since basic. Something being in every edition as 'yup these can be people, just weird hyena ones' probably wasn't the best idea, especially after their 4E interpretation was so well received


Hence being watered down elves. You lose some of the more specific stuff and you get versitile from the human half, but its still recognisably half of it from the elf side, especially with the various half-elf variants

Like, they legit work as a "Switch out these options and add these" type of deal, that's how close they are to elves


Art sells folks on options. You can describe stuff in text all you want, but a picture of it gets it across better.

We can query how good said art is, of course, but a picture's worth a thousand words

(EDIT: if there's weird typos I got a new keyboard I'm getting used to it)

Everything 4e was likely considered toxic for dumb reasons thus they were going to change it, and making something new lacked the staying power for the nostalgia edition they were expecting to build.
Gnolls never had much presence in other fantasy besides as sword fodder and a connection to a known demon lord, I can see how the train of thought ran but I can't tell you if its justified

 

[Scribe]

Do you have something that is more sellable for an argument? Times change and ways of building settings change but most things loop around sooner or later.

"The current trend is missing the point of various player options, and devolving every option to a funny hat, a costume, and is pointless without heavy mechanical crunch."

 

[Mind of tempest]

"The current trend is missing the point of various player options, and devolving every option to a funny hat, a costume, and is pointless without heavy mechanical crunch."

does not change my point, makes something more sellable as an idea