D&D (2024) What new jargon do you want to replace "Race"?

[MarkB]

Parentage, ancestry, lineage, folk, kindred, descent… take your pick, honestly.

Really? Someone points to a cat and asks you what it's parentage is, you're going to assume they're asking you to differentiate between it and a dog or a bird, rather than between it and other cats?

As you point out, there's no true equivalent of the varieties of playable critter in D&D, but those terms are used regularly in the real world to mean things a lot narrower than the difference between humans and elves.

 

[Charlaquin]

You know that they're not real yeah? Your science magic doesn't work here witch!

That’s exactly my point.

 

[Charlaquin]

Really? Someone points to a cat and asks you what it's parentage is, you're going to assume they're asking you to differentiate between it and a dog or a bird, rather than between it and other cats?

The difference between cats, dogs, and birds is not analogous to the difference between elves, dwarves, and orcs.

As you point out, there's no true equivalent of the varieties of playable critter in D&D, but those terms are used regularly in the real world to mean things a lot narrower than the difference between humans and elves.

Except parentage absolutely accurately describes what D&D “races” actually are. Are your parents elves? You’re an elf. Is one of your parents an elf and the other a centaur? under the current playtest rules, you can pick either the elf mechanical traits or the centaur mechanical traits. Parentage is literally the sole determining factor of what your character’s schmorp is. It’s an infinitely more accurate description than species.

 

[MarkB]

The difference between cats, dogs, and birds is not analogous to the difference between elves, dwarves, and orcs.

It is to me.

Except parentage absolutely accurately describes what D&D “races” actually are. Are your parents elves? You’re an elf. Is one of your parents an elf and the other a centaur? under the current playtest rules, you can pick either the elf mechanical traits or the centaur mechanical traits. Parentage is literally the sole determining factor of what your character’s schmorp. It’s an infinitely more accurate description than species.

Except that it can, and in real-world usage does, refer to far narrower things - like nationality, or even just family lines. Two people can have different parentage and both be elves.

Species conveys the sense of the difference between elves and dwarves more clearly than Parentage.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Regatta.

 

[dragoner]

Kinfolk has a certain je ne sais quoi I have to admit.

 

[Charlaquin]

It is to me.

But it isn’t. Again with the lack of common ancestor, the ability to interbreed, and not to mention the much greater degree of anatomical similarity.

Except that it can, and in real-world usage does, refer to far narrower things - like nationality, or even just family lines. Two people can have different parentage and both be elves.

If both of those people have an elf parent, they both have elf parentage. If one of them does not have an elf parent, they aren’t an elf.

Species conveys the sense of the difference between elves and dwarves more clearly than Parentage.

It literally doesn’t though. That’s exactly the problem. Species means something specific, and the difference between elves and dwarves is not that thing. Using the term species for elves and dwarves communicates the wrong idea about what the relationship between elves and dwarves is like.

 

[MarkB]

If both of those people have an elf parent, they both have elf parentage. If one of them does not have an elf parent, they aren’t an elf.

Again, though, this is not how we use the term in the real world. If someone asks you your parentage, is your answer going to be "human"?

If a DM had an NPC ask, in-character, "what species are you?", would you have any doubt what they were asking?

 

[Xamnam]

I do think whatever term is used in the rulebook doesn't necessarily need to correspond to how folk would talk to each other in game, but personally, it'd be better if it did.

 

[Shiroiken]

Ancestry is probably best, but I'd understand if they didn't want to look like they're copying Piazo's Pathfinder. Lineage works second best, as it already fits their "custom lineage" terminology from Tasha's.