D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Gothic Lineages & New Race/Culture Distinction

The latest Unearthed Arcana contains the Dhampir, Reborn, and Hexblood races. The Dhampir is a half-vampire; the Hexblood is a character which has made a pact with a hag; and the Reborn is somebody brought back to life.

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dnd.wizards.com

Perhaps the bigger news is this declaration on how race is to be handled in future D&D books as it joins other games by stating that:

"...the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage."

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If people feel like they can’t play the race they want to without being gimped, there’s a problem, whatever the math may say.

One of the absolutely most depressing realities of gaming, tbh.

I’m grateful as hell that very few players I know are bothered by having 1 point lower modifier in their main stat.

 

[cbwjm]

They should probably get rid of stat mods altogether if they aren't going to mean anything to the race or at least move it to the ability score generation. Roll 4d6k3, use point buy or standard array and then add +2 to any two scores. It's pointless including them with the race if this is the way things are going to be going forward. Yet another reason why I think they need to redo the PHB to match the current trend. They should just bite the bullet and do a 5.5 or 5e essentials.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Whereas +2 to Strength means that an orc wizard who put their 8 into Strength is till only Strength 10. Which does NOT support the thesis that "Orcs are strong".

It means that an orc Wizard who wouldn’t exercise if you paid him is still as strong as the average healthy human who works for a living. The laziest Orc is still on par with a working class human with callouses on their hands. The orc with the same work ethic as that human? Noticeably stronger than the human.

That is a difference that people in the world will notice, comment on, and understand.

It’s also less of a difference than would make sense to have, but that’s a concession to gameplay.

Your argument boils down to, “well it doesn’t perfectly model what it models, so we shouldn’t hesitate to throw it out.” Which is a terrible argument no matter how you word it.

It benefits the game to have new players be able to scan the phb write ups for the races and know which peoples are strong, dexterous, wise, charismatic, tough, or smart, compared to the average human.
It’s a useful short hand. If a non mechanically important ribbon titled “strong” would do the trick, I’d support it, but having stat mods and the ability to change them (read: ignore them) is better.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Now I hope in addition to lineage, background and class, we get "culture", which encompasses small features like limited weapon or armor training and maybe an extra tool or language.

An alternate Idea would just be strengthening backgrounds.
I think the soldier should be offered a choice of weapons and armor. Might be a way to go forward.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Now I hope in addition to lineage, background and class, we get "culture", which encompasses small features like limited weapon or armor training and maybe an extra tool or language.

An alternate Idea would just be strengthening backgrounds.
I think the soldier should be offered a choice of weapons and armor. Might be a way to go forward.

I agree. I would love to get a "Culture" option that gave you those proficiency types.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Nice. Ok, you got me on that one.

But seriously, if my class concept is 'My class concept is to play x race, but its going to have better stats than that race has, with no downsides', then honestly, the best thing is just to say, 'Sorry, you'll have choose something else.'

If you want to play a space-Halfling with Orc-level strength, then you're also going to have to have some harmful mutations that compensate for that inequality. Because balance.

Or better yet, you can just play an Orc.

No downside? The halfling concepts just swapped a +2DEX with a +2STR for a character build because of their background or backstory. I'm not advocating they get +2DEX, +2STR, and +1Whatever.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Only one of the two examples you give is a Halfling. Both were raised in a Halfling culture. One is a Halfling; you haven't told us what race the other one is.

This is why it is important to separate race from culture.

They are both halflings. One spent time in the military, the other has a mysterious component to their origin attached to comets of ill omen.

 

[Morrus]

Now I hope in addition to lineage, background and class, we get "culture", which encompasses small features like limited weapon or armor training and maybe an extra tool or language.

An alternate Idea would just be strengthening backgrounds.
I think the soldier should be offered a choice of weapons and armor. Might be a way to go forward.

www.levelup5e.com
Way ahead of the curve there!

 

[FireLance]

EDIT: Maybe a solution to this is to give everybody a feat at 1st level, and allow some races to instead add +2 to certain stats. So the halfling can't take +2 to Str, but he can take the Piercer feat. The orc gets to decide how important it really is to be "the strongest", but could also take the feat if he wanted to. Given how common VHumans are, I'd say that feats make a pretty tempting alternative to maximized ability scores.

Since I suggested something similar previously, I obviously support this.

Also, a compromise between fixed racial ASIs and floating ASIs could be to have one fixed +2 ASI and one floating +2 ASI. It's a bit of power creep compared to the current ability score generation method but I think it simultaenously opens up more race/class combinations while providing a simple way to reinforce racial tropes.

 

[Don Durito]

Now I hope in addition to lineage, background and class, we get "culture", which encompasses small features like limited weapon or armor training and maybe an extra tool or language.

An alternate Idea would just be strengthening backgrounds.
I think the soldier should be offered a choice of weapons and armor. Might be a way to go forward.

God. Character creation already has too many pieces.

We should at least merge culture with background.