the new origin stuff makes way more logical sense and is more realistic than previously and i like it

As I understood, species also give a +2, +1 or three +1 to character attributes. Maybe I misunderstood this.

@direden

3 күн бұрын

That would be a cool way to do it. But I don't think so

For the starting stat bonus we all know everyone will just do the Tasha thing and put them where you want

@direden

12 күн бұрын

I'm sure that will become a house rule if it's not already included in the new book.

I’m excited

I want to add to the discussion that having a class that forces you into 1 species, and 1 specific background, is a system for computer games where your whole character is preset for you, not for TTRGs where it isn't about winning or losing, but telling your own story

@direden

12 күн бұрын

Agree. That's the reason I never liked ability score bonuses attached to race/species. A dwarf wizard or elf barbarian... so on... start as suboptimal.

@jiminkpen9750

10 күн бұрын

​​@@diredenI always thought dnd races (species) should have minimums and maximums. Make that choice meaningful and bit more believable even if it means some species are better at certain things. (I really dislike 8 strength goliaths and 20 strength halflings unless through magic items, and hey if that's the players fantasy and it fits the world use magic spells/items to let them do that)

This does sound interesting. It makes sense that each species would have their versions of soldiers, hunters, healers, bouncers. It would be fun imagining what that looks like for each.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

I agree. An elf who spent years as a sage in a library would have different abilities than the elf who spent years as a sailor on the open sea.

@martthesling

12 күн бұрын

meh

I was telling Juice that I wish Dwarves had a StoneSkin ability or passive where it gave them natural armour, maybe once per rest it whatever, and that if they did I'd be less inclined to play Lizardfolk, Dragonbourne, and Loxodon - who I found I mostly play for natural armour 😅

@direden

11 күн бұрын

I hear ya. What do you think about the new dwarf getting tremor sense?

@Jvstm

11 күн бұрын

@@direden I mean I like it alright. I prefer ability scores being tied to species. Dragonbourne are naturally stronger than the average human (which is where I set my baseline). Dwarves are heartier and Elves are more intelligent. On the flipside I understand WHY they want to move it to background and it does make sense for some species. I don't really have much of a horse in the race as I'm stuck as a forever DM and in general I let my players do whatever they want as long as it fits the setting we're playing in.

The custom background option should have been in the PHB not the PHB. That option was in the PHB 2014

@direden

7 күн бұрын

We don't know for certain. There might be a simple background customization option in the PHB. I think the version in the DMG will be guidance on using background design for world building. But will need to see. I have a whole list of player facing videos planned. And advice on ways the DM can use species and backgrounds for world building. But I'm waiting for the new books to come out. So, I can tailor that advice to the new edition.

@TVMAN1997

7 күн бұрын

@@direden they did say they moved to the dmg though

People sometimes rely on class or race as crutches to define individual characters. I played a long campaign where we were all human Spartan warriors, the characters were SO distinctive and memorable. Lesson to learn!

Not going to lie. Almost feels like a response to my comment on that video lol.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

Haha, what was your comment?

@harryweatherford8411

12 күн бұрын

@@direden I made mentioned that I was using the word races because species sounds to beastial and that removing ASI completely from races/species kinda takes away from apart of what defined it.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

@harryweatherford8411 you're not alone. Many people feel that way. I understand why they don't want to use the word race, but I don't like name species. Ancestry or heritage sounds better to me. I disagree about ability scores. I think connecting them to background makes more sense. Not all elves would be the same. An elf sage would have different ability scores than an elf sailor.

@harryweatherford8411

10 күн бұрын

@@direden I agree. Except when it comes to an ASI with lineage (I like this better lol). I love the fact that ASI is now tied to origin, though much of the lineages are more specialized in certain areas on a genetic level. What I would have like to have seen is at least a +1 to put into the particular traits they are known for. Such as a dwarf could put it in str or con and so on. But yes imo lol.

@nycto5335

7 күн бұрын

​@@harryweatherford8411The thing is it'll always be at risk of running into a big yikes if a Lineage ever has a natural 1+ to INT. It just not a great look.

I kinda like what theyve done with origins. this will likely be the best version of DnD. will this be my favorite RPG? no. but I still think it is really good.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

I agree. Best RPG? No. Best D&D? Yes. Ultimately, I don't have a "Best RPG" which is why I'm designing my own. I was already working on it. After meeting DM Scotty, Kelsey Dionne, and Hank from Runehammer, I was inspired even more.

@marcbennett9232

12 күн бұрын

@@direden funny you should mention that, im also designing my own rpg LOL.

I'm not a fan of the word species, to me this sounds like you are talking about different types of animals rather than sentient creatures with anthropomorphism characteristics and behaviors. Ancestry, ethnicity, heritage, descent or lineage are all words I personally think sound a lot better than species.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

I agree. Ancestry would've been my choice

@Grimmlocked

12 күн бұрын

@@direden I think they just didn't want to copy pathfinder 2e

@direden

12 күн бұрын

@@Grimmlocked yep

@sixoffcenter80

8 күн бұрын

They were already toying with Lineage as a replacement in previous books. No idea why they didn't just stick with that.

It's.... Starting to sound like the problem of power-creep

@direden

12 күн бұрын

The new species are definitely more powerful. Which is why they had to include rules for updating the old ones. Thankfully, they're overhauling the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual as well. They said monsters will be more powerful. And DMs will have better tools at their disposal. The game will have a different game balance. Which is why they should call it 5.5

@vuboy122288

12 күн бұрын

@@direden hmm better tools to balance the increased abilities and power... But still almost textbook definition of power creep nonetheless. The advantage they have is there aren't as many... Dated resources (e.g. League of legends, Apex, and others) to fall off. Dunno how it will go outside of my man da Monk still being sub-par.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

@vuboy122288 The new Monk looked really good in the play test. And this week, they described the way of the elements subclass as so overhauled it's practically brand new.

@ericpeterson8732

12 күн бұрын

Ya think?

Honestly GURPS freed us from racial bonuses and allowed total character customization decades ago. DnD doing this in 2024 is a bit like Apple allowing you to move your apps on your home screen and adding a calculator. Like- Finally!

@direden

11 күн бұрын

Hahaha 😆 True

The biggest complaint I get from my players (in 3.5) is there's too much to remember . My wife wish we were still playing 1e . I don't think I can remember all this as a DM.

@direden

11 күн бұрын

Have you tried 5e ? 5e is much easier than 3.5 It's more involved than 1e but cleaner design, in my opinion. Shadowdark and EZd6 are even easier than that. If your wife likes 1e she might love Shadowdark. If your players are used to the character customization of 3.5, they might enjoy EZd6.

@thomasleach8490

11 күн бұрын

I have played 5e with my daughter. We didn't it my wife and me. But I didn't take the time to read the books. My brother doesn't like 5e either. I'm not putting this on you. I like your show and appreciate your hard work.

@direden

11 күн бұрын

@thomasleach8490 no worries. I don't take it personally. There are so many great games out there. I don't expect everyone to love any one game. With the new version of D&D coming, I've focused on it a lot. I really want to get back to more general content like my Campaign Prep series. But there's only so many days in a week.

This 'Race' Question is absolutely ridiculous. The way in which Race is used in Fantasy as coined by Tolkien is undoubtedly correct, this is without question. A professor at Oxford university who studies language did not misuse that word, he was describing a district group with a singular starting point which is the only way the word is used in the book. It is the modern world alone which has twisted that words meaning, it has no dark history unless we allow it to take on these phantoms. If anything we ought to use the word ancestry to describe what we mischaracterized as race in the real world, not the other way around. This whole situation is ridiculous. I for one will never abandon this term as a matter of principle, we don't have to forfeit it anything if we stay true to our values and insist upon our use. The dictionary merely describes our language; do not let it erode!

@direden

12 күн бұрын

From a literal language standpoint, you're correct. But which is easier... change the language of a game, or change the language and culture of the real world?

@freddy3238

12 күн бұрын

language changes all the time. The dictionary doesn't erode, it evolves.

@ATron9k

7 күн бұрын

​@@freddy3238just like how elves evolved to have human level intelligence and Dexterity 😏

Ancestry or Lineage would've been a better name imo. Anyways, I agree, the stats should just not be tied to any of that. Just increase the amount you can get through Point Buy or an Array, for example. Like if you're an Acolyte you could be one that follows a faith that may recquire military training but the background in the rules doesn't let you put the bonuses on STR. To me this dratically limits what backgrounds can be used on some characters. The origin feats are nice but there really isn't a net gain imo due to the way the stat bonuses are being handled. But this is from what I can gather from previews and stuff. Reading the actual book will help a lot and may change my thoughts. This will probably not matter on most tables anyways. Most people already do what was said in Tashas so why let backgrounds stop us from just plopping those bonuses wherever we want?

The switch.tp.background upsets me, but IDC about anything that is/was with species/race. Tasha's changed that to be irrelevant, but the new change means rather than race defining.you socioeconomic caste does.

@XanderHarris1023

12 күн бұрын

The completely customizable background, which is going to be in the DMG, should have been/ be standard.

@ATron9k

7 күн бұрын

Agreed. I feel Like background should be mostly narrative

Don't buy.

Mark my words: 5e surpasses 5.5e. Let no lesser edition cloud your judgment!

Race is NOT an ethnicity, or a religion, therein lays the problem. Race means a different genetic plan or blueprint, a different race or in the animal world a different breed. Why would you suggest otherwise? "a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g. Homo sapiens" According to this Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, etc are the same species since they can interbreed. Do you want to divide by Color, Physical Characteristics, smells, or whatever, thats up to you. If you want to be totally 'neutral' about things, allow your players to choose what they want (call it background, ancestry, bloodlines, etc) and dont give into call a character an Elf, or Dwarf, or Halfling, etc. Rather, if you want divisions still, come up with cultures that define people's behavior.

They have removed all the half-races from the game, such as half-elves, which have been part of it since the 1st edition, citing concerns that it's "inherently racist." This decision is controversial, and many players, including myself, are frustrated by it. It feels unreasonable to retcon entire species just to appease a small, vocal group. No one seems to want to talk about this issue, and my main concern is that if someone wants to play a half-elf, it might be seen as racist in some way. I bet anyone all the money on earth that none of the half-races will ever appear or be mentioned in any official publications again. Just gone, just like that.

@Grimmlocked

12 күн бұрын

i'm more thankful that we arn't wasting pages on a half race & the full race when the differences were minor anyway. Plus i'm sure they had to find room for the goliath and assimar

@SlainByAnOrc

12 күн бұрын

@@Grimmlocked Half-orcs and half-elves are far more popular than races like goliaths and aasimar due to their long history in the game. Their removal feels like a huge loss to players who have cherished these races for years.

@direden

12 күн бұрын

I'm not bothered by that change. The game already has a custom linage option. And it's a roleplaying game. You can make up whatever backstory you choose.

@nyanbrox5418

12 күн бұрын

You misunderstand what happened to half elves, the only cannonical half race which didn't look exactly like either a human or an elf It just uses the human statblock, it is just a human with elf ears who got bullied in school for being a twink You do not need to dedicate two whole pages of the book to that Half dwarves have always looked like regular dwarves and been indistinguishable from regular dwarves, but never got a separate statblock in 5e so most players assumed that they weren't allowed to play a half dwarf, this *was* true Saying that WOTC is infused with woke propaganda may be true, but alot of harmful stereotypes did actually wind up into the lore of the game, and they didn't want flavour to be manditory In my personal games, orcs are no longer the only species humans are racist against, they are racist against everyone! Them removing flavour about everyone hates x character from birth, mandatorily, because they picked x race, is fine, because maybe I want to play a Cthonic tiefling who was actually loved by the elves who adopted him, instead of being distrusted or dispised, and maybe that should be up to the DM and the player, not the rulebook Food for thought*

@SlainByAnOrc

12 күн бұрын

​@@nyanbrox5418I understand your perspective, but I think there's more to consider here. Half-elves and half-orcs have been integral to the game's lore, offering unique cultural and narrative elements that extend beyond just physical appearance. Their rich history provides depth that many players appreciate and connect with deeply. Using human or elf features for half-elves oversimplifies their distinct identity and diminishes the richness they contribute to storytelling. The lore surrounding half-elves and half-orcs fosters diverse role-playing opportunities that enrich character development in nuanced ways. It's something to ponder. Furthermore, your assertion about races inherently hating each other from birth becomes complex when examining the current lore of the Drow race and society. I anticipate changes may indeed be made to them, potentially involving extensive retconning to align with modern perspectives.