D&D General What is the purpose of race/heritage?

[Micah Sweet]

You just proved that the term isn't particularly useful because different people use it differently, thereby eliminating it's only virtue. So now I not only have to incorporate jargon, but I have to interpret what you mean when you use the term. So "minor ability" remains more efficient.

I honestly don't understand the desire to embrace this kind of terminology. As a serious question, no snark meant: what is the upside?

Sometimes it seems like the upside is the ability to exclude people from conversations. In general though, I think most folks who use jargon believe that it makes the conversation smoother.

 

[Reynard]

I think most folks who use jargon believe that it makes the conversation smoother.

For the "in group." But, @Crimson Longinus is probably right and this line of discussion has been a distraction for long enough. Maybe I will dig up @Snarf Zagyg post about jargon and die on this hill over there.

 

[Krachek]

Mechanically race is low weight.
+2,+1, a feat, darkvision or a skill, and a language. That is the power level of a race.
past level 5 it will get less and less valuable.

So all the rest is for flavor, role play and engagement into the DM setting.

 

[MGibster]

Perhaps it is just tiredness talking. It's just...very frustrating to have a question that seems both highly unnecessary, and already covered by literally years worth of discussions up to this point. I apologize for my rudeness.

::turns on the disco lights and puts on some Gloria Gaynor:: Let's never fight again!

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Mechanically race is low weight.
+2,+1, a feat, darkvision or a skill, and a language. That is the power level of a race.
past level 5 it will get less and less valuable.

So all the rest is for flavor, role play and engagement into the DM setting.

Yep. And now they've uncoupled the ASIs from it, so it has even less mechanical weight. I wish the species had a larger "power budget" so you could do more with it.

 

[MGibster]

I don't think this "semantics of the word ribbon" tangent is super productive...

Are you saying we should put a bow on that particular subject and move on?

 

[payn]

Are you saying we should put a bow on that particular subject and move on?

Oh, Id order you a PBR for that one.

 

[Vaalingrade]

why even make it if you hate flying races?

So especially in 3e, but probably earlier and absolutely going forward, WotC would respond to heavily requested options that the designers didn't actually want in the game by producing a drastically nerfed or otherwise undesirable version. I call these 'now shut up' options because they essentially tell the players 'we did what you asked, now shut up', but someone trying to be fair to them would call them compromises (because they are completely compromised like the hull of the Titanic.)

Raptorians were where I first realized it, but other notables include Savage Species where Level Adjustment was introduced, making 'undesirable' playable monsters both a thing, but awful, the original dragonborn, and a response to people not liking the restrictive level adjustment of half dragons where you go trough a rebirthing (see what I mean about all the fetishes flying around back then?) to be come not quite as good as a half dragon.

 

[payn]

So especially in 3e, but probably earlier and absolutely going forward, WotC would respond to heavily requested options that the designers didn't actually want in the game by producing a drastically nerfed or otherwise undesirable version. I call these 'now shut up' options because they essentially tell the players 'we did what you asked, now shut up', but someone trying to be fair to them would call them compromises (because they are completely compromised like the hull of the Titanic.)

Raptorians were where I first realized it, but other notables include Savage Species where Level Adjustment was introduced, making 'undesirable' playable monsters both a thing, but awful, the original dragonborn, and a response to people not liking the restrictive level adjustment of half dragons where you go trough a rebirthing (see what I mean about all the fetishes flying around back then?) to be come not quite as good as a half dragon.

Yeap. (Although I was a big fan of 3E Dragonkin)

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yeap. (Although I was a big fan of 3E Dragonkin)

I could not get past the rebirthing thing. It came out around the time of (and was likely inspired by) the CSI episode that featured it.