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."

 

[BookTenTiger]

I think that, given the direction WotC seems to be heading, this would be the way to go. But as I said earlier, there are still many instances where "strong race" is only represented by a +2 Str, so losing that exclusive +2 Str is losing the whole reference to "strong race".

This thread made me realise that this is what's bugging me. Now I long for a more profound race and background makeover. Not to make things different, more intricate, and introduce more options, but to rebalance things and define each race mechanically.

I feel like WotC was inspired by Dungeon World in some of their character creation choices. Every once in a while (especially with background), there's something that you can do simply because it's a World Truth. For examples, characters with the Soldier background can command lower ranking troops. They don't get an advantage to Persuasion checks against lower ranking troops, they just CAN command them.

I would love this approach with lineage. What makes a dwarf a dwarf? Throw in some choices or powers that establish this beyond the ASI. Go bold, like the gnome's ability to create clockwork life, or the lizardfolk's ability to make shields and spears out of people.

 

[tetrasodium]

The assumption is not that 'Minotaurs are always stronger'. It is that Minotaurs are stronger on average.

If you have an Elf that is stronger than the strongest Minotaur, doesn't that prevent the player who wants to play a Minotaur that is stronger than the strongest Elf from playing the character she wants to play?

You mean like all the times that superman & flash had a race but either it was a tie or the victor's victory was questionable because the loser got side tracked saving people/the city/world? both ways they are absurdly fast

 

[Morrus]

The assumption is not that 'Minotaurs are always stronger'. It is that Minotaurs are stronger on average.

I‘m not playing the average Halfling population. I’m playing one specific heroic player character.

If you have an Elf that is stronger than the strongest Minotaur, doesn't that prevent the player who wants to play a Minotaur that is stronger than the strongest Elf from playing the character she wants to play?

No, because we’re grown-ups capable of talking to each other.

 

[Flamestrike]

But the game, as we perceive it, is only viewed from the perspective of the one-in-a-milion PC, so the references become effectively irrelevant and setting-specific.

Thats like saying the presence of an LG Orc Paladin of Torm PC in a game, leads to the perception among the players that the other NPC Orcs in the game world are somehow not generally all CE Gruumsh worshipping savages.

Which I wholly refute.

Racial stat mods dont affect max ability scores anyway so while in general Minotaurs might be stronger than Elves, the strongest Elf is just as strong as the strongest Minotaur - and that's under the 'old' racial rules of 5E.

If a PC wants to start play with an Elf that is already a fair way down the track as being a ridiculously strong Elf, that doesnt change a thing about the in game reality that (in general) Minotaurs are stronger than Elves.

As with any such rule, there are always exceptions, and this PC is that exception (just like the LG Orc Paladin is an exception).

 

[PsyzhranV2]

I don’t mind the changes and embracing of Tasha’s system but it’s odd because the races as presented in the PHB outside of Humans and half Orcs ARE called out as cultures. The sub races are explicitly identified with subcultures of those races such as Qualinesti being High Elves and Mountain Dwarves as Shield Dwarves for example. Even then the idea of Mountain Dwarves vs Hill dwarves and Wood elves vs high elves or even dark elves as implemented are inherently cultural differences based on the different values of those “sub races”. Even calling dark elves “Drow” is a demonstration of a culture applied to the dark elves.

I feel that this falls short because the subrace mechanic in 5e is being used interchangeably to model culture and ethnicity/subspecies, so in some cases it ends up moving the monocultural expectation and/or stereotype one level down (all High Elves are racist snobs, all Wood Elves are tree-hugging hippies, all Dark Elves are demon worshipping kinksters, etc.), which is better than the entire race being a planet of hats I guess, but still not great. Wonder how that will change if WotC fully commits to the design goals outlined in this UA; none of these Gothic lineages have sublineages, so we'll have to wait for the next lineage UA to see.

 

[TwoSix]

The paladin bites you and smites you with his bite for 35 points of damage.

As a simple melee weapon its eligible for smite.

He then adds +35 to his next attack roll, or heals 35 points of damage.

Hmm. The empower ability does specify "damage caused by the bite", I would probably interpret that to mean the 1d4+Con damage only (or 2d4+Con if it's a crit), not any rider damage from sneak attack or smites or other abilities. But it could certainly use some language indicating that, as "damage caused by the bite" is a little vague.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The paladin bites you and smites you with his bite for 35 points of damage.

As a simple melee weapon its eligible for smite.

He then adds +35 to his next attack roll, or heals 35 points of damage.

I did notice that, and the wording probably needs to be adjusted (lots of things, e.g. hunters mark, can increase the damage from an attack). But in practical terms, +35 on your next attack isn't really any better than +6. Both mean your next attack hits. Advantage matters more, since that increases the chance of a crit.

 

[Weiley31]

So they'd both be bards?

Would there be any other way?

 

[Mind of tempest]

I did notice that, and the wording probably needs to be adjusted (lots of things, e.g. hunters mark, can increase the damage from an attack). But in practical terms, +35 on your next attack isn't really any better than +6. Both mean your next attack hits. Advantage matters more, since that increases the chance of a crit.

money says that will be revised as it is to cool to live.

 

[Weiley31]

Because there should be a balance between what the archetypes that define the game dictates and how players can embrace or break these archetypes.

Is this enough to disallow an elf stronger than a minotaur? Probably not. But fantasy, as a genre, comes with its own set of references. Elves are gracious, minotaurs are strong, etc. Every fantasy universe/setting will tweak these references to fit its themes and create its own flavour, but these references lose their ability to define the setting if they aren't represented in some ways.

I don't think denying the option of a strong elf is enough to make the fantasy archetypal references obsolete, but I don't think breaking all references for the sake of breaking them doesn't serve the game in the end.

There's only one way to settle that it.

A Ballot-Off between said Elf and Minotaur.

Both using Wisdom as the Modifier for it