D&D 5E (Tasha's) Decoupling racial abilities--cautionary tale

[Parmandur]

I predict this is all going to be much simpler than people are making it out to be.

It most likely won't be a complete "build your own race", but rather just making certain elements of published races "swappable", while still keeping things things that make an elf and elf, for instance.

Well, Crawford has stated that this includes a way to go off-road and make your own Rave, it'll be interesting to see what that looks like.

 

[Undrave]

I predict this is all going to be much simpler than people are making it out to be.

It most likely won't be a complete "build your own race", but rather just making certain elements of published races "swappable", while still keeping things things that make an elf and elf, for instance.

Yeah, I'm expecting we'll see mostly the cultural aspects, like weapons and armour training and various proficiencies, be swappable.

A little bit Traveller, a little bit Burning Wheel, maybe a bit of Fate? I'm genuinely intrigued and stoked for this, have to admit.

I am really excited for this book myself

 

[Burnside]

Shouldn't be too bad. They already have races which require choices when you select them (i.e. Dragonborn) and also multiple versions of races (i.e. orcs). Adding lineages as an alternative set of races with more choices built in will be a reasonable amount of work, but nothing about it is fundamentally incompatible with their current system.

I don't know. Implementing alchemist infusions popped their corks for several weeks. This looks more radical than those.

 

[CubicsRube]

I could go either way on bonuses, but I know that's going to be a big part of it.

I'm also hoping for an ancestry and culture split. I think the mix just could allow so many more interesting story combinations. I'd like to play a human raised by dwarves, an elf raised in a half orc camp, etc. It opens up a lot more possibilities for roleplay.

It also makes things quite interesting when you first work with other players. You might have a human in the party, but what does that mean? Unless you know their origin, you have to find out if they have stone cunning, the ability to hide in the wild, savage attacks, whatever. It creates that extra capacity to surprise players and engage in the story that I'm hoping for.

 

[jgsugden]

I'm guessing that the rules will be something like this for each humanoid type:

1.) They'll get a set of bonuses that they get to add to their ability scores ("Add +2 to one ability score, and +1 to another").
2.) There will be a list of abilities for each humanoid type that match what they currently have. Each will be classified somehow.
3.) You'll be allowed to swap abilities of the same classification with the another ability from a similarly classified ability of another humanoid type.
4.) There will be a fluff piece requiring you to explain any swaps you make in their origin.

If this is right, certain abilities, like the Flight of the aarakocra will be unique abilities that can't be swapped.

I also think the classes will be broad, generally, with a lot of things that fit into them that are dissimilar. So, a Tabaxi might be declawed and gain athletic prowess from a goliath.

 

[pnewman]

THIS. I'd be surprised if Gnomes/Halflings/Goblins/Kobolds/etc could trade out their Small size too in this lineage system, though I guess you might be able to make a Half-Gnome that is Medium…

But isn't saying "Halflings can't be Medium" as discriminatory as saying "Humans can't be Small"? Some humans are Small. If we can't play them isn't that insensitive to Little Person representation?

 

[Helldritch]

This part of the rules in this book will not be in my games that is for sure. The rest, I will gladly incorporate into my games. I am not yet ready to accept some thing that has the potential to be as abusive as the PO of 2ed. Once burned...

 

[Tonguez]

The return of Feats?
Expanded Backgrounds?

DnD absolutely wont go point buy, that would be a step too far and upset the fanbase.

A Feat & Half Feat system might be a more acceptable way to achieve the same outcome

 

[Mistwell]

A gnome has the same attribute range for STR as a goliath. It's just dumb. It doesn't really matter anymore what WOTC does.

It's OK. It's just optional rules.

 

[see]

A gnome has the same attribute range for STR as a goliath.

The cap after ASIs has been 20 for both for five years. All that really changes is that goliaths now can potentially have STR scores lower than 5 (roll method)/10 (standard/point buy).