There's a race from TCoE called the Custom Lineage. It's basically a customisable race. If they named it "Custom Lineage", why did they decide to change "Race" to "Species" as opposed to changing "Race" to "Lineage"? Then the Custom Lineage would match more. And in my eyes, Species could get confused with Monster. So which is the best, and why did they rule out "Lineage"?
Because lineage, by its definition, is not the same thing. For example, the famous 'Habsburg Jaw' is a result of a lineage from common ancestors (a little too common, in this case), whereas their group biology (race or species) would still be considered human.
That is to say, I can't give you a definitive reason of the thought process, but this is a game in which words and descriptions matter down to precise readings.
OneDnD does not appear to use "custom lineage," so the 2 concepts may not be compatible. I'd guess that "lineage" was an earlier attempt at the same idea, that has currently been replaced with "species."
(Really, "lineage" looked like an attempt to have a separate name for "race but without the ASIs, languages, and proficiencies." OneDnD doesn't need that, since all racesspecies can have variable ASI/language/proficiencies.)
Species is the logical choice as it has been in use by the scientific community starting in the 1700's
However, it should be Genus and Species.
Elf would be a genus
Species would be Wood, High, Sea, etc...
Species is a sub set of genus.
Many of the Genus in the game do not have a species so their genus and species would be the same. But it would open up and invite new species to be added to a genus
Lineage in game presently refers to a “create your own” system. Damphir, Reborn, and Hexbloods, the lineage options, all take an existing species and modify it; custom lineage allows you to build something from scratch. Since the term has some specific usage already in game that means something similar to how race is presently used, but is not fully congruent, I am guessing they did not want to confuse folks who were acclimated to lineage’s present usage.
Species is the logical choice as it has been in use by the scientific community starting in the 1700's
Just as a note, “species” has existed in English as a term for classifying things as similarly grouped since the 1500s (itself coming through Old French from Latin, so very ancient origins). That puts its earliest recorded English usage contemporaneous with the earliest usages of the word Race—a point that should be made since so many view “species” as a more anachronistic term than “race” for a fantasy setting.
Tasha’s was printed before they made the decision to use species. At the time, I don’t believe they were even really talking about dumping the term race, at least not publicly. Since then they decided to stop using race, and even had a question about a preferred term in one of the UAs. My guess was, they weren’t thinking about making the change when they were writing Tasha’s, so at the time, they weren’t worrying about consistency. And you don’t want to let one choice like that force you into using a term for years and years to come.
Race was a term used by Tolkien to humanize what had basically been considered monsters in fairy tales and folklore up to that point. That's why race was and is used. Not because it's scientifically accurate, because it helps the player, or reader in Tolkien's case, relate.
The fact that some weirdos decided to use the term to garner attention for themselves should have simply been ignored...
Race was a term used by Tolkien to humanize what had basically been considered monsters in fairy tales and folklore up to that point. That's why race was and is used. Not because it's scientifically accurate, because it helps the player, or reader in Tolkien's case, relate.
The fact that some weirdos decided to use the term to garner attention for themselves should have simply been ignored...
Tolkien used the word Race because it would have been an appropriate word in the time period he was trying to evoke (earlier English legends). Species would have also been appropriate—as Tolkien, perhaps one of the most impressive linguists in history certainly knew—but Tolkien went with the word with Scandinavian roots as opposed to Latin ones because etymologically it fit better with the linguistic themes he was using.
If we were in a game made by Tolkien, the word would not really need to be changed. But that is not the game we are playing - we are playing a game made by a proud eugenicist (Gary Gygax) with a history of including racism in the game. Etymological expert and careful wordsmith Tolkien might not have used Race in a problematic way, but recalcitrant racist Gygax certainly did.
And that is why Wizards is changing the world - they want to move away from the problematic elements of Gygax. That’s hardly bowing to “weirdos”—that’s recognising and acknowledging one’s own history.
More or less, race in Tolkien has a broader meaning, he use to refer, some times, to family, when he is trying to heal Merry, Faramir and Éowyn he say ""Would that Elrond were here, for he is the eldest of our race, and has the greater power"", Aragorn isn't a elf (or even half-elf) and "our" put Merry and other humans in the same context
Technically, Aragorn was part Elf. I don't know whether Tolkien considered him as such when writing that, though.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I like the word Lineage better. "Species" to me has a very real-world, scientific connotation to it, but the way we talk about "species" in D&D is just not used in quite the same way as we use it in the real world.
Lineage is less tied to a scientific classification (which I think is a good thing), while still carrying the meaning of a character's origin. It's a term that can encompass what the word "species" means, while also being broad enough to encompass other ideas about a type of character origin that might not fit into a genetic classification.
There's a race from TCoE called the Custom Lineage. It's basically a customisable race. If they named it "Custom Lineage", why did they decide to change "Race" to "Species" as opposed to changing "Race" to "Lineage"? Then the Custom Lineage would match more. And in my eyes, Species could get confused with Monster. So which is the best, and why did they rule out "Lineage"?
If anybody would like my GMing playlists
battles: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mRp57MBAz9ZsVpw895IzZ?si=243bee43442a4703
exploration: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qk0aKm5yI4K6VrlcaKrDj?si=81057bef509043f3
town/tavern: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/49JSv1kK0bUyQ9LVpKmZlr?si=a88b1dd9bab54111
character deaths: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6k7WhylJEjSqWC0pBuAtFD?si=3e897fa2a2dd469e
Because lineage, by its definition, is not the same thing. For example, the famous 'Habsburg Jaw' is a result of a lineage from common ancestors (a little too common, in this case), whereas their group biology (race or species) would still be considered human.
That is to say, I can't give you a definitive reason of the thought process, but this is a game in which words and descriptions matter down to precise readings.
OneDnD does not appear to use "custom lineage," so the 2 concepts may not be compatible. I'd guess that "lineage" was an earlier attempt at the same idea, that has currently been replaced with "species."
(Really, "lineage" looked like an attempt to have a separate name for "race but without the ASIs, languages, and proficiencies." OneDnD doesn't need that, since all
racesspecies can have variable ASI/language/proficiencies.)Species is the logical choice as it has been in use by the scientific community starting in the 1700's
However, it should be Genus and Species.
Elf would be a genus
Species would be Wood, High, Sea, etc...
Species is a sub set of genus.
Many of the Genus in the game do not have a species so their genus and species would be the same. But it would open up and invite new species to be added to a genus
Lineage in game presently refers to a “create your own” system. Damphir, Reborn, and Hexbloods, the lineage options, all take an existing species and modify it; custom lineage allows you to build something from scratch. Since the term has some specific usage already in game that means something similar to how race is presently used, but is not fully congruent, I am guessing they did not want to confuse folks who were acclimated to lineage’s present usage.
Just as a note, “species” has existed in English as a term for classifying things as similarly grouped since the 1500s (itself coming through Old French from Latin, so very ancient origins). That puts its earliest recorded English usage contemporaneous with the earliest usages of the word Race—a point that should be made since so many view “species” as a more anachronistic term than “race” for a fantasy setting.
I still prefer Kind or Folk
To answer the OP's original post:
Because of the use of the word "race"... no other reason.
Tasha’s was printed before they made the decision to use species. At the time, I don’t believe they were even really talking about dumping the term race, at least not publicly.
Since then they decided to stop using race, and even had a question about a preferred term in one of the UAs. My guess was, they weren’t thinking about making the change when they were writing Tasha’s, so at the time, they weren’t worrying about consistency. And you don’t want to let one choice like that force you into using a term for years and years to come.
Race was a term used by Tolkien to humanize what had basically been considered monsters in fairy tales and folklore up to that point. That's why race was and is used. Not because it's scientifically accurate, because it helps the player, or reader in Tolkien's case, relate.
The fact that some weirdos decided to use the term to garner attention for themselves should have simply been ignored...
Tolkien used the word Race because it would have been an appropriate word in the time period he was trying to evoke (earlier English legends). Species would have also been appropriate—as Tolkien, perhaps one of the most impressive linguists in history certainly knew—but Tolkien went with the word with Scandinavian roots as opposed to Latin ones because etymologically it fit better with the linguistic themes he was using.
If we were in a game made by Tolkien, the word would not really need to be changed. But that is not the game we are playing - we are playing a game made by a proud eugenicist (Gary Gygax) with a history of including racism in the game. Etymological expert and careful wordsmith Tolkien might not have used Race in a problematic way, but recalcitrant racist Gygax certainly did.
And that is why Wizards is changing the world - they want to move away from the problematic elements of Gygax. That’s hardly bowing to “weirdos”—that’s recognising and acknowledging one’s own history.
More or less, race in Tolkien has a broader meaning, he use to refer, some times, to family, when he is trying to heal Merry, Faramir and Éowyn he say ""Would that Elrond were here, for he is the eldest of our race, and has the greater power"", Aragorn isn't a elf (or even half-elf) and "our" put Merry and other humans in the same context
Technically, Aragorn was part Elf. I don't know whether Tolkien considered him as such when writing that, though.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
His elf descendence are way old in his lineage, hardly could be consider for ter same "race" of a elf (or even half-elf) as the way is use in D&D
I like the word Lineage better. "Species" to me has a very real-world, scientific connotation to it, but the way we talk about "species" in D&D is just not used in quite the same way as we use it in the real world.
Lineage is less tied to a scientific classification (which I think is a good thing), while still carrying the meaning of a character's origin. It's a term that can encompass what the word "species" means, while also being broad enough to encompass other ideas about a type of character origin that might not fit into a genetic classification.
All species can be monsters though, given the right push.
I just think race rolls of the tongue easyer. Plus species makes me think of the movie "species"