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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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."

 

[Charlaquin]

For additional consideration, a quick(ish) look at strength in more detail, as it appears to be a prime lighting rod in this thread…

What, primarily, does the STR score provide in 5e?

• How well you melee things
• How strong your melee hits are
• How well you athletic (running, climbing, jumping, playing dragonball)
• How much you can lift
• How much you can carry

As a martial artist, rock climber, tough mudderer, and etc, I will say that the first three are not entirely dependent on the amount of meat you have (ie, how big or dense you are). Here, how well you use your body is more important than how much of your body there is. A big person who hasn’t learned how to recruit their muscles well is carrying around more dead weight than anything else. (In certain cases, like in climbing, the more meat you have the worst off you often are, though height can be a counterbalancing factor.) Those who have learned how to best use their structure, recruit their muscles, incorporate proper leverage, and etc, can perform much better in those tasks than even a bodybuilder who has focused solely on getting as big as they can. Which means that in some cases a smaller person can hit harder (ie, generate force and effectively transfer it into the target) than a larger person.

And these three uses for the STR attribute are the ones that arise the most in the game; areas where development of body is of prime importance and thus areas where a racial bonus to the attribute isn’t strongly called for. Especially given that PCs are often a break the typical. (And if you want to play a campaign where the PCs are average and fit the typical cultural mold that is still entirely doable without needing racial attribute mods.)

But what about the areas lifting or carrying things? Or grappling or shoving, where being larger plays an outsized (heh) role? That’s where the existing size modifications come in: in these cases, a halfling will have less overall ability there for the same ability score than that of a giant.

(Also worth noting that these size mods, and through them weapon size restrictions, also mean that a halfling will already be a bit less effective in melee as well, even with the same STR score.)

As most PC race options are limited to small or medium characters (for the same reasons as the weapon size restrictions, only the reverse of the halfling), to model an 8’ tall goliath having extra lifting greatness and advantage in grappling and shoving is where traits such as “You are considered large for the purposes of…” or “You gain advantage on rolls to…” or “Multiply your lifting and carrying capacity by 1.5…” or similar come in highlight that difference. All while leaving hitting and athleticing within the purview of the raw STR score.

Excellent analysis. All abilities are highly abstract in D&D, but based on what it actually does I think Strength in D&D is really better understood as general physical prowess than raw muscle mass. The go-to verisimilitude argument of “how could a 3-foot tall, 40 lb. halfling be as strong as an 8-foot tall, 280 lb. Goliath?” isn’t compelling to me because the difference in raw muscle mass is expressed by Powerful Build, whereas the strength score seems to express something more akin to general fitness, which I can easily imagine a halfling equaling a Goliath at.

Now, granted, not all races that currently get a Strength bonus have Powerful Build. So I think the better question to ask than “how could an X be as strong as a Y?” is “how can we best express the strength of a Y?” and despite the fact that one of the ability scores is named “Strength,” I don’t think a bonus to that score at character creation is actually the best answer to that question.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

For additional consideration, a quick(ish) look at strength in more detail, as it appears to be a prime lighting rod in this thread…

What, primarily, does the STR score provide in 5e?

• How well you melee things
• How strong your melee hits are
• How well you athletic (running, climbing, jumping, playing dragonball)
• How much you can lift
• How much you can carry

As a martial artist, rock climber, tough mudderer, and etc, I will say that the first three are not entirely dependent on the amount of meat you have (ie, how big or dense you are). Here, how well you use your body is more important than how much of your body there is. A big person who hasn’t learned how to recruit their muscles well is carrying around more dead weight than anything else. (In certain cases, like in climbing, the more meat you have the worst off you often are, though height can be a counterbalancing factor.) Those who have learned how to best use their structure, recruit their muscles, incorporate proper leverage, and etc, can perform much better in those tasks than even a bodybuilder who has focused solely on getting as big as they can. Which means that in some cases a smaller person can hit harder (ie, generate force and effectively transfer it into the target) than a larger person.

And these three uses for the STR attribute are the ones that arise the most in the game; areas where development of body is of prime importance and thus areas where a racial bonus to the attribute isn’t strongly called for. Especially given that PCs are often a break the typical. (And if you want to play a campaign where the PCs are average and fit the typical cultural mold that is still entirely doable without needing racial attribute mods.)

But what about the areas lifting or carrying things? Or grappling or shoving, where being larger plays an outsized (heh) role? That’s where the existing size modifications come in: in these cases, a halfling will have less overall ability there for the same ability score than that of a giant.

(Also worth noting that these size mods, and through them weapon size restrictions, also mean that a halfling will already be a bit less effective in melee as well, even with the same STR score.)

As most PC race options are limited to small or medium characters (for the same reasons as the weapon size restrictions, only the reverse of the halfling), to model an 8’ tall goliath having extra lifting greatness and advantage in grappling and shoving is where traits such as “You are considered large for the purposes of…” or “You gain advantage on rolls to…” or “Multiply your lifting and carrying capacity by 1.5…” or similar come in highlight that difference. All while leaving hitting and athleticing within the purview of the raw STR score.

An equally trained Goliath and Halfling will see the Goliath winning the vast majority of melee one on one fights.

It’s easy to dismiss size-strength in favor of training, but the more useful comparison is to assume the same amount of training and skill.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The thing is, there are only 6 abilities and the average party size is 4. So, even if everyone in the party focuses on their class’s primary attribute, if they all choose classes with different primary attributes, they will have most of their bases covered, and they can use their proficiencies and/or magic to help shore up the areas they aren’t specialized in. So you really don’t have to choose between optimizing for damage per round or optimizing for non-combat challenges if you’re working as a group.

At my table, you absolutely cannot just put skill versatility off on your allies. You will screw yourself over if you do that, and the whole team will suffer as a result.

Generally, when dice are rolling, there is no time to wait for the bard to be done with what she’s doing, you need to sort out that revolving mechanism on the door now.

 

[Charlaquin]

At my table, you absolutely cannot just put skill versatility off on your allies. You will screw yourself over if you do that, and the whole team will suffer as a result.

Generally, when dice are rolling, there is no time to wait for the bard to be done with what she’s doing, you need to sort out that revolving mechanism on the door now.

See, I like to encourage teamwork. Part of the reason adventurers band together in parties is so they can collectively have a diverse set of skills, while each being specialized in their own field. Granted, it isn’t always perfect. As you point out, sometimes you need to get something done immediately and the party member who specializes in that thing is busy doing something else equally important. But these are the moments that make the game exciting.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Hexblood feels like a miss to me. Anyone have thoughts on it for or against?

I feel like they're suffering from middle child syndrome for me.

The Dhampir is the thing that is so iconic, so desired by the fanbase and so inevitable in any dev cycle that it boggles my mind that it always takes this long for them to show up.

The Reborn is the thing I've always wanted: someone that came back wrong but isn't necessarily a monster for it and they are delicious.

Meanwhile... I mean I don't really like hags as a monster anyway so I'm biased. It's a nice way of doing Witch Species as a concept. I think it's hard for me to judge because it's not something I asked for and would really need to see it in the wild to decide whether I like it or not.

 

[Scribe]

Interesting! It looks to me like that set up has a lot of overlap - the bard, the sorcerer, and the Paladin all use Charisma for their spellcasting ability. I assume the intent is to use a combination of the bard’s skills and the three casters’ spells to cover most non-combat situations though?

Yeah, I still wanted to cover the holy trinity roles, and the bard filling in for anything rogue-like. Ton's of overlap as far as Charisma goes, but I enjoy having that space available if needed. I was actually looking at this due to the Tasha's change to see how I could break my pet Oath (Conquest) but then I remembered the wording on the Aura is 'frightened of you', and I got sad.

I went looking for a FAQ to see if it can be taken as 'frightened' period, but I didnt find one yet.

What, primarily, does the STR score provide in 5e?

• How well you melee things
• How strong your melee hits are
• How well you athletic (running, climbing, jumping, playing dragonball)
• How much you can lift
• How much you can carry

As a martial artist, rock climber, tough mudderer, and etc, I will say that the first three are not entirely dependent on the amount of meat you have (ie, how big or dense you are). Here, how well you use your body is more important than how much of your body there is. A big person who hasn’t learned how to recruit their muscles well is carrying around more dead weight than anything else. (In certain cases, like in climbing, the more meat you have the worst off you often are, though height can be a counterbalancing factor.) Those who have learned how to best use their structure, recruit their muscles, incorporate proper leverage, and etc, can perform much better in those tasks than even a bodybuilder who has focused solely on getting as big as they can. Which means that in some cases a smaller person can hit harder (ie, generate force and effectively transfer it into the target) than a larger person.

I've trained for almost 10 years in Muay Thai, and you are going to know when you are kicked by a heavy weight with training, vs a flyweight with training, because the odds of that Heavy Weight with training blowing you out completely, are far far far higher than what a flyweight will do to you.

Obviously those with training will have advantages over those who do not, but that misrepresents the argument thats been put forward here many many times.

"All other things being equal, should a Halfling be as strong at level 1 as a Goliath at level 1."

It doesnt need to be made more complicated than that.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Yes. The average Str score of Athenians and Spartans would be the same.

Really? I'll admit that I'm not expert on classical cultures, but my impression was that the Spartans emphasized military training more than the other city states, and had fewer philosophers and artists. So if you actually measured the strength of each member of each society, by whatever measure you choose (how far you can throw a rock?), I would expect the Athenian average to be lower.

But, again, maybe my scant knowledge of Hellenic society is more myth than reality.

You know fighting isn’t the only reason people get strong,

What? No, you're wrong. Fighting is the only way to get strong, and...

and that able bodied Athenians trained to fight, right?

What?!?!?! No, they were all artists, philosophers, and playwrights.



....



Not quite sure how else to respond to egregious pedantry.

 

[Guest 6801328]

"All other things being equal, should a Halfling be as strong at level 1 as a Goliath at level 1."

If that's the question you're asking...if it should be the case that those two characters are as strong as each other...then I understand the disagreement, because it's not the question I (and others, I believe) are asking. Our question might look more like:

"All other things being equal, is it acceptable that in an make-believe world where all sorts of totally ridiculous, high unrealistic things happen, that the rules allow for a case that where, when the story begins, a 3' tall hero could possibly be as strong as an 8' hero, if doing so might encourage more creative storytelling?"

 

[Hurin70]

Remember too in making any real-world comparisons that we are all comparing with a single species (humans). Even within that, size matters immensely. This is the reason combat sports have weight categories. The difference between a Heavyweight and a Flyweight is only 100 lbs, but that is an immense chasm that no one who fights would expect could reasonably be crossed. A Heavyweight will absolutely destroy a Flyweight.

Now imagine that difference is not between two humans, but between an 50 lb Halfling and a 340 lb. Goliath. It just breaks the suspension of disbelief to give the Halfling a Strength bonus and the Goliath none.

 

[Greg K]

For additional consideration, a quick(ish) look at strength in more detail, as it appears to be a prime lighting rod in this thread…

What, primarily, does the STR score provide in 5e?

• How well you melee things
• How strong your melee hits are
• How well you athletic (running, climbing, jumping, playing dragonball)
• How much you can lift
• How much you can carry

As a martial artist, rock climber, tough mudderer, and etc, I will say that the first three are not entirely dependent on the amount of meat you have (ie, how big or dense you are). Here, how well you use your body is more important than how much of your body there is. A big person who hasn’t learned how to recruit their muscles well is carrying around more dead weight than anything else. (In certain cases, like in climbing, the more meat you have the worst off you often are, though height can be a counterbalancing factor.) Those who have learned how to best use their structure, recruit their muscles, incorporate proper leverage, and etc, can perform much better in those tasks than even a bodybuilder who has focused solely on getting as big as they can. Which means that in some cases a smaller person can hit harder (ie, generate force and effectively transfer it into the target) than a larger person.

True, knowing how to strike is important. However, all other things being equal, strength and size are going to be important. There is a reason that tournament fighting have weight classes. At some point, lower weight class opponents don't generate the power to be as effective against a heavier opponent using unarmed strikes while a hit from the larger/stronger fighter is going to have more of an impact (pun intended). This is why Michael Jai White, who is said to have been involved in street fights, is known to have done tournament fighting (non-professional) ,and spars with at least one professional mma fighter has said that he would beat Bruce Lee. He is also not the first to mention that Lee would have issues with fighters of higher weight classes- even if Bruce was technically a better martial artist. In D&D, this is reflected, at least in part, with the to hit bonus which is about generating more force to affect an opponent despite protection (e.g. armor) and greater damage from the impact (higher damage bonus)