D&D 5E Wow! No more subraces. The Players Handbook races reformat to the new race format going forward.

[Minigiant]

I think if you roll stats that you can't be assured a 16 in your primary, but a 14 is hard not to have. The game's ease via bounded accuracy means that having a 14 still means that you do very well. That's why I say 14 or 14-16.

A paladin, wizard, druid, cleric, or bard with 14s in their primary, secondary, and tertiary scores can still be a beast.

Again the issue is the WOTC nudged players into thinking 16 or more in your primary was normal and they extremely emphasized the importance of ability scores.

And this backfired when the player base started to want to PCs other than racial stereotypes while also forcing playstyles on specific ability scores.

 

[Maxperson]

Nope, what’s that

It was a psionics book that contained the power Deja Vu. The great thing was that WotC has a sense of humor and reprinted the power on the very next page in the very same spot.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Why would I address something that isn't true. They are not a subrace of humans. Their lower planar differences are significant enough to make them a singular and independent race. Like how half-elves are not a subrace of both humans and elves.

Why not? Winged Elves have significant differences from elves, and I don't see those differences being lesser than the differences between a human and their tiefling child. Especially if I consider that being a Sorcerer doesn't make you a new and unique race, therefore having magical powers doesn't make you a new race.

And why AREN'T Half-Elves a subrace of humans and Elves? It certainly would make sense if they were.

 

[Maxperson]

Why not? Winged Elves have significant differences from elves, and I don't see those differences being lesser than the differences between a human and their tiefling child. Especially if I consider that being a Sorcerer doesn't make you a new and unique race, therefore having magical powers doesn't make you a new race.

There is no why or why not. They aren't. This is a fact of the game. There isn't a single edition where they haven't been released as independent races. Even those books with a planetouched category didn't include all the "planetouched."

And why AREN'T Half-Elves a subrace of humans and Elves? It certainly would make sense if they were.

Then make them that way for your game.

 

[Chaosmancer]

There is no why or why not. They aren't. This is a fact of the game. There isn't a single edition where they haven't been released as independent races. Even those books with a planetouched category didn't include all the "planetouched."

Then make them that way for your game.

So, there is no reason and you cannot define reasons. I will note that not all books that talk about "elves" included all the elves. Same with Dragons generally. And Giants. This information is often scattered about multiple sources, that isn't a point.

 

[Maxperson]

So, there is no reason and you cannot define reasons.

Once again you declare up to be down. I provided reasons. They are not one race, because they have never in the history been presented as a unified race, but they have in every edition been presented as individual races.

 

[HammerMan]

Nope, what’s that

there was a 3.5 book for psionics and they reprinted it twice one page after another as the exact same power...

 

[HammerMan]

And why AREN'T Half-Elves a subrace of humans and Elves? It certainly would make sense if they were.

I think 5e should have made half human races sub races... teifling aasimar and half elf

 

[UngeheuerLich]

A paladin, wizard, druid, cleric, or bard with 14s in their primary, secondary, and tertiary scores can still be a beast.

Again the issue is the WOTC nudged players into thinking 16 or more in your primary was normal and they extremely emphasized the importance of ability scores.

And this backfired when the player base started to want to PCs other than racial stereotypes while also forcing playstyles on specific ability scores.

I don't think a few example characters set the gold standard.
For a beginner it is not a bad choice however.

I also think a 14 is perfectly workable and if I play my Goliath bard, I will still put at least +1 into Strength, to get that nice 16 there. I will however probably use the +2 to get my cha and dex to 14.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Actually my wish would be that instead of +2 to any stat, would be just allowing a ability increase (which you can trade in for a feat).
And in addition you might get a +1 bonus (if you like to a fixed stat for race).

 

[Minigiant]

I don't think a few example characters set the gold standard.
For a beginner it is not a bad choice however.

I also think a 14 is perfectly workable and if I play my Goliath bard, I will still put at least +1 into Strength, to get that nice 16 there. I will however probably use the +2 to get my cha and dex to 14.

I was just saying that the characters are how WOTC was recommending in creation and the way they presented creation would carry on assumptions in the community.

It's just that the community of 5e was not as conservative as the design and development teams. This caused the removal of racial abilities and the possibility of removal of some purely setting or cultural subraces.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I was just saying that the characters are how WOTC was recommending in creation and the way they presented creation would carry on assumptions in the community.

It's just that the community of 5e was not as conservative as the design and development teams. This caused the removal of racial abilities and the possibility of removal of some purely setting or cultural subraces.

I hope in 5.5 backgrounds may carry a bit more mechanical weight. That is maybe a few weapon and armor proficiencies for a soldier. Something substancial for the sage and so on. Everything cultural can go in there. Or maybe we get a 4th pillar to chose from: culture.

Maybe losing subraces.

So high elf culture could give one cantrip, some weapon proficiencies. Maybe it is not called high elf culture, but magical heritage. Maybe culture can be customized as backgounds. That is something to explore.
I would love a soldier/wizard, with light armor and short sword proficiency.

I actually tend to neglect background a bit, because it does not carry enough weight for my tastes. If my wizard was a soldier and had no armor proficiencies or weapon training, it creates a slight disconnect. (Although the wizard could well be a crossbow man or a healer).

 

[Scribe]

I hope in 5.5 backgrounds may carry a bit more mechanical weight. That is maybe a few weapon and armor proficiencies for a soldier. Something substancial for the sage and so on. Everything cultural can go in there. Or maybe we get a 4th pillar to chose from: culture.

Maybe losing subraces.

So high elf culture could give one cantrip, some weapon proficiencies. Maybe it is not called high elf culture, but magical heritage. Maybe culture can be customized as backgounds. That is something to explore.
I would love a soldier/wizard, with light armor and short sword proficiency.

I actually tend to neglect background a bit, because it does not carry enough weight for my tastes. If my wizard was a soldier and had no armor proficiencies or weapon training, it creates a slight disconnect. (Although the wizard could well be a crossbow man or a healer).

It should be at least 3, if not 4 or 5 aspects to a character.

Race
Background
Culture/Heritage
Class

 

[Minigiant]

I hope in 5.5 backgrounds may carry a bit more mechanical weight. That is maybe a few weapon and armor proficiencies for a soldier. Something substancial for the sage and so on. Everything cultural can go in there. Or maybe we get a 4th pillar to chose from: culture.

Maybe losing subraces.

So high elf culture could give one cantrip, some weapon proficiencies. Maybe it is not called high elf culture, but magical heritage. Maybe culture can be customized as backgounds. That is something to explore.
I would love a soldier/wizard, with light armor and short sword proficiency.

I actually tend to neglect background a bit, because it does not carry enough weight for my tastes. If my wizard was a soldier and had no armor proficiencies or weapon training, it creates a slight disconnect. (Although the wizard could well be a crossbow man or a healer).

Well A background is about worth a mediocre feat. Basically the Skilled feat.

Getting proficiency in Arcana and woodcarver's tools and 1 wizard or warlock cantrip for the Arcanist background for a magey or high elf.

The gaming set could be traded for a martial weapon for Soldier. It woulda been great if 5.5e had exotic weapons so a soldier fight could know how to use a local weapon that is exotic to the rest of the world. Or maybe was taught weapons of distant origin by the army.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I think 5e should have made half human races sub races... teifling aasimar and half elf

They are default part human anyways, it would make sense.

In my homebrew I've been playing with the idea of having Tieflings, Aasimar, Genasi and Shifters as humans altered by ambient magic, leaning into the human adaptability angle by having them more easily altered by such powers.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Once again you declare up to be down. I provided reasons. They are not one race, because they have never in the history been presented as a unified race, but they have in every edition been presented as individual races.

No, they have been presented as the children of other races. Or results of planar energy.

And "unified"? Since when is unification needed and what do you even mean by it?

 

[Maxperson]

No, they have been presented as the children of other races. Or results of planar energy.

And "unified"? Since when is unification needed and what do you even mean by it?

When are you going to address that planetouched isn't even a thing in 5e?

 

[Maxperson]

They are default part human anyways, it would make sense.

In my homebrew I've been playing with the idea of having Tieflings, Aasimar, Genasi and Shifters as humans altered by ambient magic, leaning into the human adaptability angle by having them more easily altered by such powers.

That's a really cool homebrew. Me, I think I'm going to go the other direction and hearken back to an earlier edition when these bloodlines could be in any race. Why shouldn't there be a genie blooded halfling or celestial blooded elf?

 

[Chaosmancer]

When are you going to address that planetouched isn't even a thing in 5e?

The moment you can prove that Tieflings, Aasimar, and Genasi don't exist in 5e. Or that they don't represent people infused with the energies of the planes.

That's a really cool homebrew. Me, I think I'm going to go the other direction and hearken back to an earlier edition when these bloodlines could be in any race. Why shouldn't there be a genie blooded halfling or celestial blooded elf?

I thought about going that route, but it is a much harder route, as it requires figuring out a way to balance getting elf abilities and the bloodline abilities.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

It should be at least 3, if not 4 or 5 aspects to a character.

Race
Background
Culture/Heritage
Class

I think race is a bad word now so I expect 5.5 will be

Heritage Background culture class

in a perfect world we would have something like the 4e theme replace the background...

for those of you that don't know that is a first level feature, a 5th level feature and in 4e it gave some powers.

Imagine combining theme with background so that you got a bit more to it.