D&D 5E (2024) What new jargon do you want to replace "Race"?

[Charlaquin]

If the term Shmorp fuses the concepts of culture and species in the same way that racism does, how would it help avoid racism?

Shmorp doesn’t fuse any concepts. The whole joke is that it’s meaningless nonsense.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

If the term Shmorp fuses the concepts of culture and species in the same way that racism does, how would it help avoid racism?

I assume the term would only apply to species, and not culture.

Then again, that brings us full circle into what is cultural and what is physical. Are orcs biologically stronger than humans on average? Or is it a culture of valuing strength in my settings which makes them stronger on average?

 

[Charlaquin]

What I am trying to figure out is if 'feature' here translates into any mechanical ability, bonus, or stat difference (or if it is purely superficial).

Again, I’m not sure what you mean by “stat.” They don’t change your ability scores, if that’s what you mean. As for if they grant any mechanical abilities, yeah. I’m using the term “feature,” as do the actual rulebooks, so as not to be using the term “ability” to refer both to the statistical values that determine modifiers to dice rolls, and to exceptions-based special things your character can do. Darkvision, for example, is a feature. Strength is an ability. “Species” grants features like Darkvision, poison resistance, or inherent spellcasting. It does not increase or decrease any of the six Abilities. There is no capability to mix and match the features granted by “species,” you get exactly one set of such features, which is identical to the set of such features exactly one of your character’s parents had.

 

[Charlaquin]

I assume the term would only apply to species, and not culture.

Then again, that brings us full circle into what is cultural and what is physical. Are orcs biologically stronger than humans on average? Or is it a culture of valuing strength in my settings which makes them stronger on average?

Orcs are physically larger than humans on average, which translates to them having the Powerful Build feature, which treats their size as Large when determining carrying capacity and the amount they can push, pull, and lift (and encumbrance breakpoints, if that optional rule is in use). An individual orc may have more or less aptitude with tasks related to physical strength and athleticism, such as climbing, jumping, and fighting with melee weapons, which is reflected by Strength score. Strength score also plays a role in determining carrying capacity and push/pull/lift values (and encumbrance breakpoints), though functionally increased size multiplies this effect. Orcs do not have inherently better Strength scores than humans, but may gain an increased Strength score from their background.

All this to say, it’s a bit of both. Orcs’ physical size does allow them to get more out of building muscle than humans do, but depending on life experiences, a given orc may be overall stronger or weaker than a given human.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Which is the way it has been in D&D (you only had half-elves and half-orcs, much like Ligers are odd exceptions), none of the other races produced offspring at all if they mixed. Race meant species in D&D originally, as in the human race, distinct from other races and animals.

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember some fluff about orcs saying that they could breed with other things but it produced full orcs. So a dwarf orc would be just an orc. I can't quote anything, but when reading that (and being under the impression that species couldn't interbreed) I considered that orcs, elves and humans are just very dimorphic genders of the same species, with male and female for both of hte three possibilities, some producing offsprings, some not.

 

[Yaarel]

I am glad there is only one kind of Human.

I wish there is only one kind of Elf.

If the Elf traits are only:
• Fey Ancestry
• Trance
• Innate Spellcasting.

Then this simple description can represent each and every of the over hundred kinds of Elf in the history of D&D.

The Innate Spellcasting feature grants a choice of two cantrips, a slot 1 spell and a slot 2 spell. A cantrip can be Darkvision or Waterbreathing.

Done.

Then different Elf cultures can value and encourage different choices of spells.

Drow is a culture, not a subspecies. High is a culture, not subspecies. Even Sea is a culture, not a subspecies.

 

[Yaarel]

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember some fluff about orcs saying that they could breed with other things but it produced full orcs.

An Orc-Ogre is specifically a "Half-Ogre", also called an Ogrillon.

But in 1DD, the "Ogrillon" would probably have the features of either Orc or Ogre, rather than a new description.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I am glad there is only one kind of Human.

I wish there is only one kind of Elf.

If the Elf traits are only:
• Fey Ancestry
• Trance
• Innate Spellcasting.

Then this simple description can represent each and every of the over hundred kinds of Elf in the history of D&D.

The Innate Spellcasting feature grants a choice of two cantrips, a slot 1 spell and a slot 2 spell. A cantrip can be Darkvision or Waterbreathing.

Done.

Then different Elf cultures can value and encourage different choices of spells.

Drow is a culture, not a subspecies. High is a culture, not subspecies. Even Sea is a culture, not a subspecies.

How do sea elves breath underwater without being physically different?

 

[Charlaquin]

I am glad there is only one kind of Human.

I wish there is only one kind of Elf.

If the Elf traits are only:
• Fey Ancestry
• Trance
• Innate Spellcasting.

Then this simple description can represent each and every of the over hundred kinds of Elf in the history of D&D.

The Innate Spellcasting feature grants a choice of two cantrips, a slot 1 spell and a slot 2 spell. A cantrip can be Darkvision or Waterbreathing.

Done.

Then different Elf cultures can value and encourage different choices of spells.

Drow is a culture, not a subspecies. High is a culture, not subspecies. Even Sea is a culture, not a subspecies.

To be fair, that’s kinda how elf looks in the Origins playtest packet. It’s other PC types, like dwarves and gnomes, that need to be broadened to encompass their sub-types.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The relevant paragraph in the playtest reads:
"Thanks to the magical workings of the multiverse, Humanoids of different kinds sometimes have children together. For example, folk who have a human parent and an orc or an elf parent are particularly common. Many other combinations are possible."

This doesn't specifically put restrictions on what pairings are possible, but neither does it declare that all combinations are possible. The details are left open-ended, with general mechanics provided to facilitate whatever combinations are possible in a given setting.

Yeah, this literally doesn't say that anything can crossbreed with anything. It says some species might sometimes crossbreed and it might involve magic.

Also, another of @Charlaquin's concerns seem to be moot too. Elves share one main entry, so there are no implication that drow and high elves are different species, they're lineages within one species.