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

[Mind of tempest]

The way I would do it is split species traits in 'major' and 'minor' traits. To make a mixed race character you pick a base race and you get the major trait and then you can trade any of your minor traits for the ones from the other parents. Some major traits would be powerful and wouldn't leave a lot of room for minor traits but others would have a lot of them.

Again: Egg Groups. There's 16 of them in Pokémon and over 1000 Pokémon and they all fit in one or two of them and they just add the new ones.

do not remind me of Pokemon egg groups I get flashbacks I have seen horrors you would not believe.

 

[Hussar]

some people actually care about these things, if you don't then fine but don't get in the way of other people's desires if it doesn't harm your experience.

Well, actually it does.

Because I like the new rules. Simple, clean and easy to implement. It allows for much broader choice than before. To me, there's nothing to not like. So, yeah, if you get your way, that means that I'm out of luck.

It's funny,

i could give you a grey featureless blob and call it a half elf, that doesn't make it one

that this is your go to response. I make a character that is everything that a half-elf is. The character's race is a major deal. The character references his race, has physical representation as that race, and is referred to as that race in the game.

So, how I describe and play my character in your game has no impact, I may as well be playing a "grey featureless blob" as far as you're concerned.

But, because he doesn't have +2 to Stealth, he's not a half-elf.

 

[Hussar]

I'll be honest, Hussar. Your rude snark is not winning me over to your position about half-elves. Quite the opposite.

Rude snark? A couple of hundred pages of people telling me that it's vitally important that in order to be a half-elf, it ABSOLUTELY MUST have a separate set of mechanics, distinct from elves or humans (something it's never had in the entire history of the game) and you're wondering why I'm being a little less that warm and fuzzy?

Look, people can want what they want. Fair enough. But, good grief, a little perspective might be helpful here.

 

[Hussar]

How is saying that your mixed-ancestry character can either be 100% parent A or 100% parent B - with no options in between - not "turning blood quantum"?
/snip

Well, it is twice as many options as existed before...

Previously, all half-elves were identical. Now, you get two streams of half-elves.

Then again, my player reskin all the time, so, I'm not seeing a huge issue. My human Circle of Fire Druid uses Fire Genasi as his race because of reasons.... But he's still 100% human.

 

[Hussar]

At the cost of disincentivizing mixed ancestry characters for everyone who cares about their mechanics, whether they're hardcore optimizers or not.

Please stop speaking for me and others. It's disincentivizing mixed ancestry characters for you.

Things go a lot better when people stop trying to speak for others.

 

[Aldarc]

Rude snark? A couple of hundred pages of people telling me that it's vitally important that in order to be a half-elf, it ABSOLUTELY MUST have a separate set of mechanics, distinct from elves or humans (something it's never had in the entire history of the game) and you're wondering why I'm being a little less that warm and fuzzy?

Look, people can want what they want. Fair enough. But, good grief, a little perspective might be helpful here.

Yes, rude snark. Any more questions you want to ask me? And having a little perspective regarding what you mention would serve you well when you thinking about how you are conducting yourself in this discussion.

 

[GrimCo]

Have you checked out the new dragonborn from the UA playtest? They got darkvision.

Nope. Haven't checked any of UA playtest materials. I'll wait for final versions in finished product.

I am hoping that was just a test balloon, to see if and how people respond.
Too many races have darkvision; it would be bettr, in my view, to find ways of removing it form others (elves -- lookin' at you!) than add it to all.

I'm just waiting for variant human that has darkvision. Darkvision is low hanging fruit of race abilities.

 

[Hussar]

Yes, rude snark. Any more questions you want to ask me? And having a little perspective regarding what you mention would serve you well when you thinking about how you are conducting yourself in this discussion.

I guess I must make sure to be more careful policing my tone.

People are making a huge deal out of their own preferences and claiming that their preferences are somehow widespread and must be respected. Counter claims are shouted down and brushed away with hyperbolic examples and complete unwillingness to have any sort of compromise. Suggestions range from making race the most complex system in D&D (a la carte race creation where being a race actually means nothing because you are simply picking the powers every time you create a new character) to installing new mechanics for half-elves and insisting we must keep half elves as a separate thing distinct from all other races, mostly, it seems, because a single setting has a half-elf country.

But, sure, I'm being unreasonable and conducting myself badly.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

People are making a huge deal out of their own preferences and claiming that their preferences are somehow widespread and must be respected. Counter claims are shouted down and brushed away with hyperbolic examples and complete unwillingness to have any sort of compromise.

Thing is this is going both ways. People who enjoy playing half elves and having mechanical representation for them are being told that their wants are irrelevant, and that they should feel bad for not being elated that those species entries are gone from DnD.

I personally have no interest in playing a half elf or half orc. But half elf is my DM's favorite player species and its removal is one of the reasons he has no plans to move to 5.5e.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Well, actually it does.

Because I like the new rules. Simple, clean and easy to implement. It allows for much broader choice than before. To me, there's nothing to not like. So, yeah, if you get your way, that means that I'm out of luck.

the new rules are quite literally nothing, 'pick one of these two species that you could already play and say you're a hybrid', it's nothing but fluff and i could've always added all the fluff i wanted beforehand

It's funny,

that this is your go to response. I make a character that is everything that a half-elf is. The character's race is a major deal. The character references his race, has physical representation as that race, and is referred to as that race in the game.

So, how I describe and play my character in your game has no impact, I may as well be playing a "grey featureless blob" as far as you're concerned.

you misinterpret my point, i'm not saying their narrative, their art or whatever else is the grey blob, i'm saying if mechanics don't matter, only what you SAY about them matters then i could give you a species that has literally no species features(ie the grey blob) or entirely the wrong ones and you could still just as much claim 'it's a half elf' because you're saying it is.

But, because he doesn't have +2 to Stealth, he's not a half-elf.

Well, it is twice as many options as existed before...

Previously, all half-elves were identical. Now, you get two streams of half-elves.

Then again, my player reskin all the time, so, I'm not seeing a huge issue. My human Circle of Fire Druid uses Fire Genasi as his race because of reasons.... But he's still 100% human.

twice as many options exist but neither are actually the thing being asked for, it's like asking to play a dragonborn and being told well we've got lizardfolk and genasi, one is a reptile the other is elemental, but neither of them is the firebreathing lizard, mechanics DO MATTER to some people and being told 'suck it up, just refluff something that doesn't properly fit' is very insulting.