D&D (2024) The Half Orc. Are they still needed?

[DND_Reborn]

I prefer the more fantastic idea that a mix of races creates new features.

The only issue with that is you now need to create or homebrew every combination you want to allow--which if you create a lot of those could be a LOT of races.

If you keep just a handful or so of combinations, then I would agree.

 

[Minigiant]

The only issue with that is you now need to create or homebrew every combination you want to allow--which if you create a lot of those could be a LOT of races.

If you keep just a handful or so of combinations, then I would agree.

So?

Personally I would just determine with combos are common and just do those. Homebrew or Custom lineage the off the wall ones.


Human/Elf
Human/Orc
Human/Dwarf
Dwarf/StoutHalfling
ForestElf/Gnome
Goblin/Hobgoblin

 

[DND_Reborn]

So?

I think the point was obvious. You don't agree, fine, but considering how some people want any or all combinations it still needs to be considered.

Personally I would just determine with combos are common and just do those. Homebrew or Custom lineage the off the wall ones.


Human/Elf
Human/Orc
Human/Dwarf
Dwarf/StoutHalfling
ForestElf/Gnome
Goblin/Hobgoblin

Those might be the common ones to you, but not to others. If you want the really common combos, we already have those.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I think having each race have a ''swap-able'' feature marked with * of a similar power level would be best.

So if you are of mixed heritage, you could swap the * of your base race with the * of the other parent race.

Because if we start to create a full original write up for each possible combination each time a new races is presented (or even worse, when a new elf subrace is presented!), we wont see the end of it.

I know on the internet its fun to character build your background and all that, but at the actual table when facing the hordes of the Underdark, your character genetics should not be the main focus of the rules.

 

[Minigiant]

I think the point was obvious. You don't agree, fine, but considering how some people want any or all combinations it still needs to be considered.


Those might be the common ones to you, but not to others. If you want the really common combos, we already have those.

I don't think we should devalue the common combos across multiple offical settings just to support the weird ones for homebrew settings.

Do we make Half Orcs and Half Elves lame just to support Half Goblin Half Haregon?

I think that's where the DM comes in. Make the official Halk Orc and Half Elf interesting. Leave it up to DMs to handle the bunny gobbos.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I don't think we should devalue the common combos across multiple offical settings just to support the weird ones for homebrew settings.

No one said anything about devaluing them, and it seems enough people are bored with them that supporting the "weird ones" (as you call them) might be a good direction for WotC to explore?

Do we make Half Orcs and Half Elves lame just to support Half Goblin Half Haregon?

Why would they become lame (or at least, lamer than they already are...)?

 

[Minigiant]

No one said anything about devaluing them, and it seems enough people are bored with them that supporting the "weird ones" (as you call them) might be a good direction for WotC to explore?


Why would they become lame (or at least, lamer than they already are...)?

Because Half Orcs already have a feature Orcs don't get in 5e. And in 4e as well.

Going "Take an Orc feature and a Human Feature and mix them" deletes that.

This is the issue. Half Orcs and Orcs are different mentally, physically, mechanically, and in lore in the books. Anyonee saying they are redudant or just have swappable features are actively making them lame by ignoring or dismissing the uniqueness of the two races.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Because Half ORcs already have feature Orcs don't get in 5e. And in 4e as well.

Going "Take an Orc feature and a Human Feature and mix them" deletes that.

It depends on what those features are. Even current RAW, Half-Orcs have:

Darkvision (orc)
Relentless Endurance (orc)
Menacing (skills-Intimidation; human)

and Savage Attacks, which neither currently have (a granted point), but isn't a far stretch from something like Savage Attacker (the feat, which variant humans get a feat anyway).

So, a lot depends on how such a system is created. Using my own (above) as a template, the current Half-Orc could easily be re-imagined as:

Darkvision (strong feature - Orc)
Relentless Endurance (weak feature - Orc)
Savage Attacker (strong feature; feat - Human)
Menacing (weak feature, skills - Human)

And would be even more versatile due to the Human component. It isn't that much of a stretch, really.

Even the current Half-Elf could be done as follows:

Darkvision (strong feature - Elf)
Fey Ancestry (weak feature - Elf)
Skill Versatility (weak feature x2 - Human)
Extra ASI +1 (weak feature extra, see below)

With the caveat that if you select more weak features (as in the double human weak above), you get an additional ASI +1, which is why Half-Elves get +2,+1,+1 instead of just +2,+1.

It is practically build in already, without much work.

 

[James Gasik]

Another reason to treat "half-races" as being unique, rather than a mix of traits, is hybrid vigor. Most likely, the offspring of two races should have higher Constitution than their parents.

Also, being able to interbreed would suggest that the two races are related. D&D handwaves this in the case of dragons and planar ancestry, but most races shouldn't be able to interbreed unless their species are actually related. In Tolkien's Middle-Earth, this was apparently true with Humans, Elves, and Goblins/Orcs, and presumably Hobbits (though we never see any examples).

But D&D has no shared ancestry between Elves and Orcs. However, thanks to the reclassification of Goblins as Fey, perhaps they do have connections to Elves. Why Humans can have children with Elves at all is curious- perhaps Elves are still just enough "extraplanar" that the rules that allow for Genasi, Aasimar, and Tieflings apply. Or the origins of Humans are tied to Elves somehow?

Of course there are exceptions in a fantasy game as to why such things can be possible, even among unrelated species, but it usually boils down to "a Wizard did it".

Or maybe a Bard, the old-fashioned way. Got to start those Sorcerer bloodlines somehow!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Also, being able to interbreed would suggest that the two races are related. D&D handwaves this in the case of dragons and planar ancestry, but most races shouldn't be able to interbreed unless their species are actually related. In Tolkien's Middle-Earth, this was apparently true with Humans, Elves, and Goblins/Orcs, and presumably Hobbits (though we never see any examples).

I'll second this point.

Despite my posts, personally I am not a fan of a lot of half-races and would prefer none at all. But, I know that isn't the trend the game is going, so my offering is just that, a possible solution if WotC decides to continue in that direction.