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.

News Archive | Dungeons and Dragons

Read the full archives of Dungeons & Dragons news, Sage Advice, Unearthed Arcana, and D&D Studio Blogs.

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."

 

[Scott Christian]

I'm not saying that the +2 should be the only difference. There are of course racial abilities that further address the issue. But +2 might be the most you can get away with to still have viable Halflings in a Role Playing Game. You have to balance the gamism with the simulationism here.

I personally very much like the additional tool Rolemaster provides, of fully developed size rules. A Big creature gets more hit points and its attacks hit harder, while the smaller gets less hit points and does less damage. I tend to be a bit more simulationist in that regard. But someone already said in this very thread how much they would hate that, even after I explained how Halflings got compensated for their small size with extra development points. That's another illustration of why you have to balance the simulation with the game: model reality too closely, and small size creatures are no longer viable as melee combatants; model it too loosely, and the world becomes so silly and cartoonish that you find it harder to suspend your disbelief.

This is the crux right here. Realism, simulationism, verisimilitude, or whatever you want to call it. When it comes into contact with rules, and rules are framed by player perspectives, it is a recipe for different takes. Which is one of the reasons why D&D, with its table-centric models, is so good at it.
I will say this regarding the halfling example, you are spot on that it is compensated. But for many it seems, a tunnel vision exists that only allows them to see ASIs. Forget about your constitution score and charisma score increasing more skills than strength. Forget about the bonus to your AC. Forget about the bonus to your initiative. Forget about lucky! Forget about brave. Forget about stout resilience. forget about halfling nimbleness. None of those things can enter the conversation if the strength is 15 instead of 16.

 

[Scott Christian]

Right, but that's already the reality. So your position is already supported.

It's mine that's losing out, and everyone spending 60 pages telling me I'm wrong and a 3 foot tall slim (vs dwarf, thick) being is going to be as strong as an 8 foot tall (seriously folks, go stand beside someone who is 6'8) powerfully athletic being makes sense?

It's a non starter. It's honestly absurd. It's like training children (and I have) and training heavyweights (and I have).

For you, this new system is fine.

For me, it never will be.

I'm not saying you shouldn't get to have your system to tell your stories.

I'm consistently being told 'no it's fine'.

It isn't. It's not remotely close to fine.

My heart says you are correct because they came out with a game that expressly did what you wanted it to do. Now, they are changing it, and to many, making it worse (and to many better). It does not seem fair that one side should have to "lose." And in fact, it isn't.

It would be so easy for them to simply take the reigns and place the new rule as optional. But that is not the direction they are going.

My own suggestion would be to build the optional rules based off the themes presented in the DMG. Gritty could have a variant rule set, where epic fantasy a different rule set. Maybe one does roll 3d6 and the other everyone starts with two 18s.

 

[Minigiant]

But but but

A Str 10 goliath can lift 600lbs without penatly
A Str 20 halfling can lift 300lbs without penalty.

The strongest halfling gets outbenched by the wimpiest goliath on the mountain! "Do you even lift, bro" says Runty the 6 Strength goliath. Shrimpy the 7 Strength orc wizard laughs,

 

[Scott Christian]

What class does Dwarven Resilience lend itself to?

How about Relentless Endurance?

Nice try. Please keep going?
Look through those feats and tell me if most of them don't help one class more than another. I can think of four off the top of my head, but all the rest lean one way or another.
And you know that is my point. Only so many knobs. So many dials. And some of those help rogues, others help wizards, and others help fighters.

Don't get me wrong, it would be cool for it to work. I just don't see it.

And here is the problem with any rebuttal I keep coming up with while playing devil's advocate: if suddenly those that lean one way can be thought of as beneficial to an opposite class, well then, you just proved that there is strong merit to not always picking the best ASI.

 

[Krachek]

All the rules in DnD are simply ridiculous if we dig enough to compare with reality.
We are in a game that pretend map the reality of hero. New rules on races are not more or less silly than the previous ones. Movie and Tv show are also out of reality when they setup fantasy, it is the same for dnd.

 

[Scott Christian]

I'll take a crack at this later tonight after kids are asleep.

Impossible to think clearly with rascals runnin' around. I am gonna try my hardest tomorrow morning. I really like the idea of it working, but have doubts. Maybe sleep will put those doubts to rest.

 

[Don Durito]

What class does Dwarven Resilience lend itself to?

How about Relentless Endurance?

Both of them are clearly designed to lend themselves towards melee classes.

For the same reason that melee classes get more hit points. (Presumably they're assumed to need them).

Now they're not totally useless for anyone. But if you want to be the best rogue archer you can be you don't go Half-Orc. You choose Elf so you can pick up Elven Accuracy*, and you back yourself to have enough resources both individually or as a party to not need those extra hit points and for the extra damage you gain to more than make up for that.

*As an example - I'm not going to go through all the races and choose the one that has the access to the best non ASI features to optimise a rogue archer.

 

[Charlaquin]

To expand, he forced her to keep trying to open it for six hours, even though she was in tears, and wouldn't let her stop.

Yeah, I didn’t go into the details cause they weren’t really relevant to my point. But it was pretty messed up.

 

[Charlaquin]

Fast Build.
Your Size is Medium. Your walking speed is increased by 5ft

Fat Build
Your size is Medium. You count as one size larger (Large) when determining your size when moved or knocked prone against your will.

Equine Build
Your size is Medium. You count as one size larger (Large) when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. In addition, any climb that requires hands and feet is especially difficult for you because of you r equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 4 extra feet, instead of the normal 1 extra foot.

Lithe Build
Your size is Medium. You count as one size smaller (Small) when hiding in or squeezing into smaller spaces.

Powerful Build
Your size is Medium. You count as one size larger (Large) when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Short Build
Your Size is Small. Your Armor Class is increased by 1.

Stout Build
Your size is Medium. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Love it!

 

[Charlaquin]

This is the crux right here. Realism, simulationism, verisimilitude, or whatever you want to call it. When it comes into contact with rules, and rules are framed by player perspectives, it is a recipe for different takes. Which is one of the reasons why D&D, with its table-centric models, is so good at it.
I will say this regarding the halfling example, you are spot on that it is compensated. But for many it seems, a tunnel vision exists that only allows them to see ASIs. Forget about your constitution score and charisma score increasing more skills than strength. Forget about the bonus to your AC. Forget about the bonus to your initiative. Forget about lucky! Forget about brave. Forget about stout resilience. forget about halfling nimbleness. None of those things can enter the conversation if the strength is 15 instead of 16.

I mean, you’re not wrong. The fact that this is a such pervasive attitude indicates that something should probably be done about it. Regardless of if you think this perception is accurate or not, it feels accurate to many, many players. And feel matters.