D&D General What it means for a race to end up in the PHB, its has huge significance

[Frozen_Heart]

Even the 2014 Half Elf is fluff. Once the Abilities relocated to background, there is no Half Elf mechanics except extra proficiencies, which is the same thing as an extra background feat.

There is negligible loss when deleting Half Elf mechanics. The Half Elf flavor remains in full force.

And that's a specific problem to 5e, not a problem with Half-Elf as a whole.

The 5e half-elf is half-human, which basically means 50% of its constituent parts don't exist.

5e human has even less than half-elf. Should we remove humans from 5.5e too? ASIs, feats, and languages are now background, so 100% of what makes up a 5e human got moved there.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Driz'zt, that's the stereotype

OK, but as noted, I know nothing about Driz’zt (including how to properly spell his name).

I've had drow in my games, but I've never seen one who was a ranger, duel wielder, fan of scimitars, or who had an animal companion. Clerics and bards I've seen.

I think that stereotype went out with third edition.

OK, well, my pre-Driz’zt PC as a Dr/Rgr/MU by force of the rules is going to be dual wielding scimitars. Nothing to be done about that.

I know he had both an Animal Companion and a Familiar- again, by operation of the rules- but because the DM of that campaign hated dealing with PC pets and would kill them if given the opportunity, they stayed home. They only got used for adventures occurring in or near the party’s base of operations. So I cannot for the life of me remember what his Companion & Familiar were.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

One of my players has a character of mixed orc and elf parentage. Do they get their own mechanics too? Setting aside the problematic nomenclature of "half-whatever," why should the game single out just two of 100+ possible combinations using PHB species alone, and give those two special rules?

The only argument that I can see is tradition. But the old rules aren't going anywhere; you can still use half-orcs and half-elves just fine with the 2024 update. They just aren't having their special treatment perpetuated in the updated books. That's fine; tradition isn't an issue with new players.

That's why I'd like a 'feature A, feature B' variant rule, so people can make combos of anything if they wish, and their DM allows that rule. That way you can be a dwarf-human, or an elf-orc, or a thri-kreen-dragonborn if you want to go full wtf.

(Also yeah I totally agree that the term 'half' is problematic, which is why I prefer hybrid).

 

[Belen]

No idea what this is.

Julius Caesar and Cain & Abel.

 

[Minigiant]

And that's a specific problem to 5e, not a problem with Half-Elf as a whole.

The 5e half-elf is half-human, which basically means 50% of its constituent parts don't exist.

5e human has even less than half-elf. Should we remove humans from 5.5e too? ASIs, feats, and languages are now background, so 100% of what makes up a 5e human got moved there.

Half elf should be just renamed and made into a elf lineage if being a half-X is so much an issue

 

[Yaarel]

That's why I'd like a 'feature A, feature B' variant rule, so people can make combos of anything if they wish, and their DM allows that rule. That way you can be a dwarf-human, or an elf-orc, or a thri-kreen-dragonborn if you want to go full wtf.

(Also yeah I totally agree that the term 'half' is problematic, which is why I prefer hybrid).

The way to do this is background feats that have species features that any character can select to represent an ancestor.

To represent a Human is the background itself, since the Human trait is culture and learning. Any Nonhuman species can lean into the background to emphasize the Human parentage, such as coming from a Human city, where one pursued a vocation there.

Oppositely, a Human can use the background feat, to select one that leans into the traits of an Elf, Dwarf, Dragonborn, or so on.

Likewise, an Elf can use the background feat for Dwarf traits, or so on.

It is even possible for a full Human to get adopted into an Elf community, then becoming part of the elven magic (of the mythals), gain elven magical traits − which is represented by the Elf trait background feat.

 

[Minigiant]

That's why I'd like a 'feature A, feature B' variant rule, so people can make combos of anything if they wish, and their DM allows that rule. That way you can be a dwarf-human, or an elf-orc, or a thri-kreen-dragonborn if you want to go full wtf.

(Also yeah I totally agree that the term 'half' is problematic, which is why I prefer hybrid).

Feature A/B is too restrictive on game design. You'll have to make all As and Bs equal which would be hard to do, likely fail, and lead to boring design or overpowered hybrids.

If it must be I'd make mammalians and reptiles use different systems.

Mammal Humaniods get A and B
Reptile/Draconic Humaniods get a big C and a little D
Constructs get 3 equal E F and G modules

 

[Hussar]

Julius Caesar and Cain & Abel.

Ok, I'm totally lost on the analogy then. What does this have to do with half elves?

Ahh reread things. Sorry reading fail on my part. Carry on.

 

[Horwath]

Feature A/B is too restrictive on game design. You'll have to make all As and Bs equal which would be hard to do, likely fail, and lead to boring design or overpowered hybrids.

If it must be I'd make mammalians and reptiles use different systems.

Mammal Humaniods get A and B
Reptile/Draconic Humaniods get a big C and a little D
Constructs get 3 equal E F and G modules

make all racial features have a cost(1-4) and have all races budget of 6 pts, then when you make a half race, quarter race or what ever. pick from both features until you get to 6 pts in value.
then you can say that the split has to be 3:3 or 4:2 or 5:1

 

[Minigiant]

make all racial features have a cost(1-4) and have all races budget of 6 pts, then when you make a half race, quarter race or what ever. pick from both features until you get to 6 pts in value.
then you can say that the split has to be 3:3 or 4:2 or 5:1

Too complex for D&D as gateway game for newbs.