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

[Frozen_Heart]

Modern Europeans have a small fraction fraction of Neanderthal DNA. So the production of fertile offspring must be possible! As I understand it, the viability of offspring depends on not inheriting incompatible DNA on a shared gene. If we assume the two species of human have 99% of the same genes (I’m not sure an exact figure is known) then if the 1% that is different gets left out in the genetic shuffle the offspring is viable.

Genes can still be passed down even with less fertile offspring. One of the reasons why it's speculated that sapiens and neanderthals may have had only partial fertility (only fertile female offspring, and not fertile male offspring), is due to the tiny percentage of their DNA which has survived, and the complete lack of any part of the neanderthal Y chromosome.

Infertile male hybrid offspring is extremely common in mammals. Though with reptiles (including birds) it's the opposite, with the female offspring being the infertile ones.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The Scottish wildcat is an endangered species because of interbreeding with domestic cats. It’s not that they don’t have babies, it’s that the babies aren’t wildcats.

From a hard-headed evolutionary perspective, you could accept that the domestic cat is better adapted to life in Scotland, and evolution is just doing its stuff.

Scottish wildcats and domestic cats are technically a separate species, but are able to freely interbreed. They generally don't due to behavioral differences. Where you have healthy wildcat populations, they tend to not interbreed with domestics, and infact will actually prey upon them instead due to their larger size.

In cases like Scotland, where habitat loss has resulted in ~50 still remaining, they change their behavior to find a mate amongst domestic cats out of desperation.

The reason for the domestic cat outcompeting the wildcat in the highlands isn't due to surviving better in the highlands. It's simply due to the massive numbers of domestics which are constantly replenished by the humans, and often have a warm bed and food to return to.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

reason for the domestic cat outcompeting the wildcat in the highlands isn't due to surviving better in the highlands. It's simply due to the massive numbers of domestics which are constantly replenished by the humans, and often have a warm bed and food to return to.

Other species, including humans, are part of the environment, not separate to it. Domestic cat’s ability to parasitise humans can be seen as a survival trait wildcats lack.

 

[Parmandur]

Modern Europeans have a small fraction fraction of Neanderthal DNA. So the production of fertile offspring must be possible! As I understand it, the viability of offspring depends on not inheriting incompatible DNA on a shared gene. If we assume the two species of human have 99% of the same genes (I’m not sure an exact figure is known) then if the 1% that is different gets left out in the genetic shuffle the offspring is viable.

It's not at all small: 2-4% is the equivalent of a 5 generation difference, or a great-great-grandparent...but at a remove of nigh 100,000 years since any hybridization could have taken place. That means that a lot of hybridization took place, to put it delicately.

 

[Belen]

Inspiration on long rest + prog in a skill + a 1st level feat.

vs

A language choice (which everyone gets in tashas onwards), and ASI (moved to background).

Are you seriously suggesting there is no difference there?

Are they forcing you to use inspiration in 5.5?

 

[Yaarel]

I assume you mean “doesn’t need material components” rather than “can cast any spell”?

Yes, including spells gained by classes and elsewhere, one cast without any spell component.

How much material components matter varies between tables. At mine this would be a massively overpowered ability, even if you excluded those with a gold cost.

The 2024 spell description needs to delete the spell component entry from every spell. Each class and subclass has its own method to cast a spell. The class flavor is more flavorful. Most players use a focus such as a Wand or Symbol, making the spell component entry strictly useless and obsolete. The costly gp component is incredibly frustrating and interferesome against innate spellcasting concepts, including Fey and Psionic. Besides about three spells where the cost might actually be prohibitive, there fails to be a correlation between cost and gaming balance. For the few that need it, there are better ways for the spell description to maintain gaming balance without baking in setting assumptions. Delete the spell component.

Regarding the Elf flavor, whenever casting spells, do so without any component. Note, even when the spells lack components, the classes will have components. Bards will poeticize, chant, orate, command, sing, or instrumentalize, or dance. Wizards will wave wands, Clerics will wield cultural symbols, and so on. The ability of an Elf to cast the spells innately will remain flavorful and in rare situations beneficial.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The ability of an Elf to cast the spells innately will remain flavorful and in rare situations beneficial.

You consider any occasion you need to equip an item in each hand, such as a sword and shield, rare?!

 

[Yaarel]

You consider any occasion you need to equip an item in each hand, such as a sword and shield, rare?!

The Wizard would need to waste a feat to become proficient with a Shield. The Cleric can paint the cultural symbol on the shield itself. The Bard should have a choice of voice, OR instrument, OR dance, depending on subclass. Voice be the base class default. For gishes, the sword itself is a material spell component.

The spell component entry of the spell description is deletable.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Wizard would need to waste a feat to become proficient with a Shield. The Cleric can paint the cultural symbol on the shield itself. The Bard should have a choice of voice, OR instrument, OR dance, depending on subclass. Voice be the base class default. For gishes, the sword itself is a material spell component.

The spell component entry of the spell description is deletable.

Eldritch Knights, rangers, sword bards, anyone multiclassed.

It’s not only wizards who cast spells.

It sounds like you want to rewrite the whole game just to fit in your gimmick.

You never been told if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it? Elves, and components, work fine as they are.

Really, all an elf needs is to be an arrogant naughty word with pointy ears. Don’t need special mechanics for that.

 

[Yaarel]

Eldritch Knights, rangers, sword bards, anyone multiclassed.

It’s not only wizards who cast spells.

It sounds like you want to rewrite the whole game just to fit in your gimmick.

You never been told if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it? Elves, and components, work fine as they are.

Your argument against holding a shield while spellcasting is overstated.


Spell components are broken.

5e is already in the process of fixing the problem of spell components, such as Psionic eliminating them, other innate magic ignoring them, and Wands replacing them. 2024 needs to let the spell components in each spell itself rest in peace. It is the class and subclass that must do the heavy lifting with regard to how spells cast. Each class has its own components and requirements and flavor.