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

[Micah Sweet]

It is nonsensical for a GM-side worldbuilding element to be enforced through player-side mechanics.

It is nonsensical to take general descriptions of a large population, and enforce that one each individual.

It depends on how you look at it. I could argue that, as PCs are supposed to represent someone in the world, as a member of a race that presumably also exists in the world, then they should share any characteristics that the race as a whole shared, unless there is a in-world reason why they wouldn't. Worldbuilding can and (I'm my opinion) should include the PCs and what they are. That was always the intent until recently. PC side and DM side were separate in some things, but they were all part of the same world.

 

[HammerMan]

Both. They rebalance spells by merging Fireball.

what do you mean by merging?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The problem I see is that many aspects of the game that key directly off of ability scores are also seen in the descriptions of a given race, or would make sense to be affected by your race. My solution is to remove the names of the ability scores altogether. Just call then attributes 1-6. Then you can put them wherever you want, and no one will care!

 

[Micah Sweet]

what do you mean by merging?

Autocorrect. I meant that it's a rebalance for spells in general, but a nerf for Fireball and any classes that can use it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

There's absolutely no relation between one planetouched and another. You can say that there are two types of giant and that they share some sort of genetic connection(maybe), but a planetouched human something lower planar(tiefling) has no genetic connection at all to a planetouched elven upper planar(aasimar). Neither of those have any connection to genie blooded(genasi). They are all individual races. Planetouched isn't even a category in 5e, because it doesn't have to be. They're just making the various races.

So, you ignored the other 6 paragraphs I wrote. I can only assume you now accept that Giants and Dragons are races with Subraces. That or you simply abandoned the point.

So, on to the next thing. Who said anything about genetics? Do Demons have genetic material? They are energy with a personality as far as I can tell. But hey, here's a thought. Since Genetics matter... what about humans? Would Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Muls, Human-base Genasi, Human-base Aasimar, Human-base Tieflings, Human-base Half Dragons, ect ect ect count? I mean, they all share genetic markers because they are human. That seems like a subrace situation to me.


Also, when looking for... well, every single race and subrace ever published, to try and see just how many of them cover all the ASIs (turns out elves didn't get the right bonuses) They listed "planetouched" as a racial option, with "lesser" versions of all the planetouched we've been talking about. So, seems like they WERE a race back in 3.5. My biggest issue with this search is cutting through the homebrew options, but so far it seems I gave 3.5 too much credit. They list over 22 dwarves... who are all basically identical. Same actually with the gnomes, looking at just the ASIs they are another almost 20 dwarves with strength penalties.

Weirdly, wisdom is still very hard to find. Their are 39 races with -2 wisdom, only 10 with +2, and this is with hundreds of options.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So wildly off base from what I said, that I'll not continue any discussion with one so willing to read only what they wish.

And besides.

You get it anyway.

Good day.

I never said that you in particular said this. I said it was the argument that happens every single time. Have you read Ixal's posts? Literally saying exactly what I said gets said every single time. What more proof do I need that this happens than it literally happening right in front of you? Or do you think just because you don't say something it doesn't matter that it does get said?

 

[Maxperson]

So, you ignored the other 6 paragraphs I wrote. I can only assume you now accept that Giants and Dragons are races with Subraces. That or you simply abandoned the point.

I don't, but it's irrelevant since the various planar races bear no genetic connection to one another. They were grouped under planetouched only because of a similarity in origins, not because they were one race.

In any case, planetouched don't exist in 5e. They are all individual races as they were in every other edition.

 

[Chaosmancer]

If the lore says the race is strong, it should have a strength bonus. If it says highly intelligence, then an int bonus. And so on. The bonus is to represent the lore mechanically, so an absence of that mechanical representation when you have those mechanical stats present would not make sense. The bonus is not to define the race. That's a misrepresentation of our position that a lot of people like to use.

Which is why the lore says that humans are strong, graceful, wise, intelligent, hardy and charismatic. Those are the traits that define them, so they get a +1 to everything.

 

[Scribe]

I never said that you in particular said this. I said it was the argument that happens every single time. Have you read Ixal's posts? Literally saying exactly what I said gets said every single time. What more proof do I need that this happens than it literally happening right in front of you? Or do you think just because you don't say something it doesn't matter that it does get said?

I'm not here to police others words.

How am I supposed to argue on behalf of what 'others' may say?

That's not a tenable position.

Take up your argument with the person who holds the position.

 

[Maxperson]

Which is why the lore says that humans are strong, graceful, wise, intelligent, hardy and charismatic. Those are the traits that define them, so they get a +1 to everything.

It does.

"With their penchant for migration and conquest, humans are more physically diverse than other common races."

"Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common races. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different lands where they have settled."

And many more quotes about their variety. A +1 to everything goes right along with and matches that lore on variety and adaption.