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."

 

[Retreater]

Your halfling, maybe. Not mine. Zidi, the Halfling Titan, laughs in the face of minotaurs over breakfast.

But did Zidi laugh at minotaurs at 1st level, right after character creation? Or did Zidi get increases to Strength when new levels were reached, or maybe train to become an expert at Athletics checks?
There are many ways to make characters, but I think the most substantial evolutions of characters happen during play and the choices made during the game, not at character creation.

 

[Morrus]

Actually, it's commonly acknowledged that there are non-fallacious uses of the slippery slope argument.

The bottom of a Wikipedia article citing four articles in the last 20 years is the exact opposite of ‘commonly acknowledged’. But if we’ve got to the point of you going to Wikipedia to dredge up semantics I order to tell me why I can’t have my D&D character, the discussion has reached a supernatural level of tedium.

 

[Morrus]

But did Zidi laugh at minotaurs at 1st level, right after character creation?

Yes.

 

[dave2008]

Wait why shouldn’t dwarves be just as strong as humans? That totally fits thier lore.

Not to me. In my mind dwarves have the same basic physiology as humans, just a bit shorter and stouter than the average human. However, the largest and strongest humans (think strongman competitors) are just way beyond what is physically possible for a dwarf, IMO.

When I think back to the Hobit or LotR or sleeping beauty, where I got introduced to dwarves, I don't recall anything about them having great strength. Maybe strong for their size, but nothing exceptional.

 

[Argyle King]

The slippery slope argument is a logical fallacy.

I know. It's a good thing that I wasn't using it.

 

[tetrasodium]

"off the top turnbuckle"

The what? is that like a regional slang for something?

 

[Morrus]

I find the idea of the strongest halfling being the equal of the strongest goliath to be silly.

Yes, I know you do. But I don’t. I think the Halfling Titan is a awesome character concept, and I don’t want the rules telling me it can’t exist.

Ypur game world isn’t my game world. The rules should allow both worlds to exist.

 

[dave2008]

What I'm not sure I like is that by stripping out the cultural elements of new races, they remove bonus ways to get additional proficiencies.

First, that means older races have an advantage over these lineages because they can get a bonus skill or tool or two. None of these races get a bonus like that, be it a fixed option or a floating one.

Second, some racial proficiencies weren't cultural, but supposed to be biological. Elves don't have a culture of being good perceivers, they have heightened biological senses that give them keen eyesight and hearing. Tabaxi don't have a culture of stealth, they are biologically light-footed like other cats are. I feel if those races were redone, you'd see those free proficiencies removed in favor of specific bonuses (like wood elf mask of the wild) rather than flat free proficiency.

I just feel the old system and the new aren't going to feel compatible but like two different systems doing the same thing.

That said, I love the races. Ravenloft here we come.

(As an aside, I can totally see Vistani as a lineage, considering how it looks like they are adopting the 4e vision of adopting wanderers into the clan rather than a distinct human subgroup.)

Yes, I hope they take another look at character creation if and when they go back and change the PHB

 

[dave2008]

The what? is that like a regional slang for something?

It is 'professional' wrestling reference

 

[MGibster]

Yes, I know you do. But I don’t. I think the Halfling Titan is a awesome character concept, and I don’t want people telling me it can’t exist.

Given that I said you weren't wrong for wanting your halfling titan, why did you cherry pick this one sentence to quote? I went out of my way to specifically acknowledge that it was okay for you to prefer the halfling titan. But the way you quote my post makes me look like a jerk out to berate you for having bad-wrong-fun and that wasn't my position at all.