D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[Paul Farquhar]

so… Dragonborn are rare again, as otherwise their breath weapon battalions would have wiped out mankind and taken over most of the world centuries ago? Sounds like we are back to square one

Which is what several of us have been saying all along: square one works, there is no point in a new setting.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Which is what several of us have been saying all along: square one works, there is no point in a new setting.

it 'works' but there's certainly a group who is not happy about how it is working.

 

[Maxperson]

Yup, as soon as you start allowing PC abilities on mass ranks of troops you very quickly get a magical arms race that turns every setting into Eberron.

That’s why player character exceptionalism is such an important concept for any traditional pseudo-medieval setting like FR and Greyhawk. You need to assume most elves either don’t learn cantrips or only learn ones that are useless in battle.

Or they aren't warlike conquerors. If you assume that the elves aren't going to go on the offensive and take over the world, dragonborn are few in number, etc., it still works out fine for them to have the same racial traits as the PCs.

5.5e changed elves so that they can learn new cantrips on a long rest, so you can no longer make the assumption that most of them won't know combat magic in a battle.