D&D (2024) Which races would YOU put into the 50th anniversary Players Handbook?

[TwoSix]

If a dwarf isn't meaningfully different from a human, and doesn't have anything strongly culturally understood as dwarfish, the choice between one or the other becomes basically a choice of superpower, and hey I like Legion of Superheroes, but not on my D&D.

The problem here is that "meaningfully different" is doing an awful lot of work. How many features, and what level of strength of those features, is required before the distinctions become "meaningful"?

And to the cultural point, I think we're all aware at this point that the core PHB isn't meant to be culturally specific. Dwarves and elves are all culturally distinct for every published setting, and the core rules are simply meant to evoke the core concepts of the race, the absolute bare minimum to suggest the race's most commonly agreed upon tropes.

 

[Lanefan]

The problem here is that "meaningfully different" is doing an awful lot of work. How many features, and what level of strength of those features, is required before the distinctions become "meaningful"?

That all Elves be +2 to Dex and -1 to each of Strength and Con would be meaningful.

That all Half-Orcs are +1 to each of Str and Con and -1 to each of Int and Cha would be meaningful.

That Dwarves are banned from arcane-cast classes as something about their genetics means they cannot access [the weave-equivalent] would be meaningful.

How's that for a start?

 

[TwoSix]

How's that for a start?

It certainly helps me understand the ask, although it seems a better fit for an OSR style game, not a modern game focused on unique character building.

 

[Scribe]

It certainly helps me understand the ask, although it seems a better fit for an OSR style game, not a modern game focused on unique character building.

None of those restrictions would negate unique character building.

 

[TwoSix]

None of those restrictions would negate unique character building.

Yes, but it would restrict unrestricted character building, which is the modern trend.

 

[Scribe]

Yes, but it would restrict unrestricted character building, which is the modern trend.

Yes, yes indeed.

 

[TheSword]

Anuirean
Brecht
Khinasi
Rjurik
Vos
Half Elf
Dwarf
Halfling

You know if I could wave a magic wand…

 

[Cold Iron Bound]

Right then, 22 races for the PHB. Which would make it rather bloated, but it's my imaginary PHB, so no one will get hurt.

Human
Dwarf
Halfling
Gnome
High Elf
Wood Elf
Drow
Sea Elf
Dragonborn
Orc
Tiefling
Changeling
Duergar
Fairy
Goliath
Githyanki
Githzerai
Goblin
Warforged
Deva
Satyr
Tabaxi

 

[EzekielRaiden]

That all Elves be +2 to Dex and -1 to each of Strength and Con would be meaningful.

That all Half-Orcs are +1 to each of Str and Con and -1 to each of Int and Cha would be meaningful.

That Dwarves are banned from arcane-cast classes as something about their genetics means they cannot access [the weave-equivalent] would be meaningful.

How's that for a start?

Why is +2 Dex, -1 Str, -1 Con more meaningful than Trance or casting spells without spell slots or being immune to sleep magic? This is a huge sticking point for me. This doesn't seem "meaningful" at all to me. If anything, it is utterly divorced from a meaningful identity. These dry numbers tell me nothing at all useful or interesting about the unique characteristics of a race. Dragon breath and celestial wings and somehow surviving crazy dangers and fighting on despite taking lethal wounds...these things are meaningful to me. +1 Intelligence? Who cares about that? A single half-feat erases that difference instantly. A tiny difference in rolled stats obviates that from the word "go." How is that more meaningful than these active, dynamic, unique abilities?

Why is it good to hard-ban classes? How does that actually add to the identity of the dwarf? How is this more flavorful than having higher base HP or innately knowing shape and "seeing" everything around you in stone-carved locations? Surely it is better to make something like that setting-specific (especially with dwarves, who don't need any more reasons for people to choose not to play them, they're already rare enough as it is.)

 

[Lanefan]

Why is +2 Dex, -1 Str, -1 Con more meaningful than Trance or casting spells without spell slots or being immune to sleep magic? This is a huge sticking point for me. This doesn't seem "meaningful" at all to me. If anything, it is utterly divorced from a meaningful identity. These dry numbers tell me nothing at all useful or interesting about the unique characteristics of a race. Dragon breath and celestial wings and somehow surviving crazy dangers and fighting on despite taking lethal wounds...these things are meaningful to me. +1 Intelligence? Who cares about that? A single half-feat erases that difference instantly.

Fortunately for me, perhaps, dragon breath*, celestial wings, and half-feats aren't things I need to worry about.

But the numbers IMO greatly inform what the species is all about and how it presents. For example, that a typical Elf is more dextrous and less strong than a typical Human tells me a rather great amount about Elves.

* - except from the opposition side, every now and then.

A tiny difference in rolled stats obviates that from the word "go." How is that more meaningful than these active, dynamic, unique abilities?

Why is it good to hard-ban classes? How does that actually add to the identity of the dwarf?

Significantly - it says "here's a species that doesn't do magic well". This, if course, is the downside that pays for the upside of their ideally being way better warriors than most others.

One can even take it a step further and say that magic items have a small chance of not functioning if used-held-worn by a Dwarf.

How is this more flavorful than having higher base HP or innately knowing shape and "seeing" everything around you in stone-carved locations? Surely it is better to make something like that setting-specific (especially with dwarves, who don't need any more reasons for people to choose not to play them, they're already rare enough as it is.)

Wasn't intending to specifically pick on Dwarves; other than Humans I'd like pretty much every species to have a few banned classes in order to perhaps make Humans a bit more appealing to play.