What about half elf variants for the astral elves and pallid elves and eldrian elves and the elves of the shadow fell? They failed to make this a possible character option for those who have such books for the actual elves themselves in those books, but not their own half elf kin. How do I deal with giving this option and which elfin abilities should I give them in place of those present in sword coast adventures guide, and which should be replaced with them?
Under the 2024 rules there are no half species stats. You pick he parent you want and they have the normal stats etc of that species.you can then adjust the appearance to what you want.
Under the 2024 rules there are no half species stats. You pick he parent you want and they have the normal stats etc of that species.you can then adjust the appearance to what you want.
It’s true they did not add in half species in the ‘24 PHB, but as for how to handle making one, what you suggested is not the RAW. That was in the playtest, but it didn’t make it to print. RAW, there are the still available 2014 half elf and half orc. And that’s it. There are no official guidelines for how to create a half species in ‘24.
To the OP, the best I could suggest is either using Tasha’s custom species rules, or just picking an existing half-elf that’s close to what you want and either flavoring it differently or homebrewing in a change or two.
I just thought of that after reading about it in sword coast adventures guide. It had variants for drow and sea and high and wild elves but not all of the rest of the representative options from spell jammer or monsters of the multi verse, or even wildemount setting. It kinda leaves little room for the creative types, who can easily see how possible such a thing can be. Whatever the reason, I always leave room for those who have such unique backgrounds and people who are very different than what you expected to be involved with. Gives such a sense of a wider world, makes you feel like that their are probably more of you out there. It can sometimes blow my mind when I see a look alike, wannabe version of myself, you know?
5e2024 is in fact removing all half races as mentioned above. Yes, you can technically play a 2014 half-race, but those will all be going away as each source updates to 5e2024 versions. As stated above, you are free to call yourself a half race in 5e2024 but then you pick one parent, and get the abilities of that parent as Wi1dBi11 stated.
I believe Crawford stated this in one of the 5e2024 videos.
You are of course free to homebrew whatever you want.
I just thought of that after reading about it in sword coast adventures guide. It had variants for drow and sea and high and wild elves but not all of the rest of the representative options from spell jammer or monsters of the multi verse, or even wildemount setting. . .
That would be because Spelljammer, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Wildemount are not directly part of the Sword Coast setting.
It is important to remember that the half-elf variants from SCA are an optional rule which means they are guaranteed only in specific situations, such as Adventurer's League. Outside of those situations, any DM allowing those variants could just as easily allow for their own house-ruled variants designed similarly.
5e2024 is in fact removing all half races as mentioned above. Yes, you can technically play a 2014 half-race, but those will all be going away as each source updates to 5e2024 versions. As stated above, you are free to call yourself a half race in 5e2024 but then you pick one parent, and get the abilities of that parent as Wi1dBi11 stated.
I believe Crawford stated this in one of the 5e2024 videos.
You are of course free to homebrew whatever you want.
Can you provide a link to that? It is not that I doubt you, but I want to see when JC said what so that it is possible to know if he has reversed a position.
It is entirely possible that he has reversed his position since then (or that this indicates a reversal of his previous position). That's why I'd like to know when contradicting statements were mad.
They are playing a bit of a game -in order to be back compatible they have to say you can use the 2014 species, subclasses etc that are not in the 2024 rulebooks. However, they want us to convert to the 2024 rules and what I stated above is the 2024 position on half species. So going backward yes you can use the published half species but over time they will be phased out as no replacements will ever be published folding the new rules.
They are playing a bit of a game -in order to be back compatible they have to say you can use the 2014 species, subclasses etc that are not in the 2024 rulebooks. However, they want us to convert to the 2024 rules and what I stated above is the 2024 position on half species.
That is not the 2024 position on half species. It was put in a UA (kinda the first UA they did for the 2024 edition), but left out of the books. It's not official. The only official answer is the rules (established rules) for using 2014 species (like half-elf) in 2024. That only goes away if they write a new "half-elf" or a new "half-orc." Legacy things are (essentially) only overridden if the name is re-used.
I think it is pretty unlikely. First, it would create an awful lot of canon issues. Secondly, space issues were stated in the video as the reason for not providing stats in the 2024 PHB. They could have added a couple of lines to the Human and Elf sections if they had wanted to remove them.
Now, I admit entirely that they initially wanted to remove them. I am not denying that in the slightest. I believe they just read the writing on the wall during the playtesting and decided against it.
They may do almost nothing to support half-elves and half-orcs in the future, but I doubt they will actively remove them. At worst, they will wait until 6e and then never include them in the rules, thereby tacitly removing them, but that won't be for quite some time, most likely (though it is equally possible by then that attitudes will have changed and their inclusion will be a non-issue).
They did remove them. Go into the character builder and try to select half-elf or half-orc. Half-Elf is still available from an "expanded" source (Sword Coast Adventures Guide), and under 2014 content you'll find Half-Elf and Half-Orc both listed as Legacy.
Anything that was in the 2014 Player's Handbook, but not included in the 2024 Player's Handbook is gone in 2024 rules.
You can still play them as legacy content, but 5e2024 is getting rid of all half-species.
Again, you are welcome to homebrew anything you want. You are welcome to play Legacy content (until DnD Beyond one day just makes it disappear like all previous Legacy content), and you are free to houserule/homebrew anything you want for your paper/pen (non-digital) play.
But the fact remains that 5e2024 is getting rid of all half-species.
The 2024 DMG makes no mention of flanking rules, that's how they got rid of flanking. They didn't put in a line saying "we got rid of flanking option rule", they simply left it out completely. They did the same thing for half-species.
. . .Anything that was in the 2014 Player's Handbook, but not included in the 2024 Player's Handbook is gone in 2024 rules. . .
Again, this is in absolute opposition to Jeremy Crawford's statements. He has said that anything in the 2014 rules that was not superseded in the 2024 rules is still valid (i.e., not 'home-brewed'). He even provided multiple examples of things 'not going away,' including, explicitly, half-elves.
They did remove them. Go into the character builder and try to select half-elf or half-orc. Half-Elf is still available from an "expanded" source (Sword Coast Adventures Guide), and under 2014 content you'll find Half-Elf and Half-Orc both listed as Legacy.
If they had been removed, you wouldn’t be able to then explain how to access them. You wouldn’t be able to access them at all. That’s what removed means.
The official core rules address this. Clearly, 'species in older books' remain valid, though they require an adjustment (and the adjustment is specified). Half-elves and half-orcs are 'species in [an] older book'.
Deciding which parent's features to inherit was dumped, but that was never official and only existed in the playtest rules.
And while you are technically correct that the Monster Manual would be the last of the core rules that could contain the rules for creating variant species of mixed nature, that doesn't mean the rules couldn't come out in the 2024 version of TCE (which provided rules for Custom Lineages and Customizing Your Origins).
It currently appears that the worst-case scenario is that half-elves and half-orcs might not get anything new, but it seems unlikely that the 'thread' will be actively broken (at least before 6e).
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What about half elf variants for the astral elves and pallid elves and eldrian elves and the elves of the shadow fell? They failed to make this a possible character option for those who have such books for the actual elves themselves in those books, but not their own half elf kin. How do I deal with giving this option and which elfin abilities should I give them in place of those present in sword coast adventures guide, and which should be replaced with them?
Under the 2024 rules there are no half species stats. You pick he parent you want and they have the normal stats etc of that species.you can then adjust the appearance to what you want.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
It’s true they did not add in half species in the ‘24 PHB, but as for how to handle making one, what you suggested is not the RAW. That was in the playtest, but it didn’t make it to print. RAW, there are the still available 2014 half elf and half orc. And that’s it. There are no official guidelines for how to create a half species in ‘24.
To the OP, the best I could suggest is either using Tasha’s custom species rules, or just picking an existing half-elf that’s close to what you want and either flavoring it differently or homebrewing in a change or two.
I just thought of that after reading about it in sword coast adventures guide. It had variants for drow and sea and high and wild elves but not all of the rest of the representative options from spell jammer or monsters of the multi verse, or even wildemount setting. It kinda leaves little room for the creative types, who can easily see how possible such a thing can be. Whatever the reason, I always leave room for those who have such unique backgrounds and people who are very different than what you expected to be involved with. Gives such a sense of a wider world, makes you feel like that their are probably more of you out there. It can sometimes blow my mind when I see a look alike, wannabe version of myself, you know?
5e2024 is in fact removing all half races as mentioned above. Yes, you can technically play a 2014 half-race, but those will all be going away as each source updates to 5e2024 versions. As stated above, you are free to call yourself a half race in 5e2024 but then you pick one parent, and get the abilities of that parent as Wi1dBi11 stated.
I believe Crawford stated this in one of the 5e2024 videos.
You are of course free to homebrew whatever you want.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
That would be because Spelljammer, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Wildemount are not directly part of the Sword Coast setting.
It is important to remember that the half-elf variants from SCA are an optional rule which means they are guaranteed only in specific situations, such as Adventurer's League. Outside of those situations, any DM allowing those variants could just as easily allow for their own house-ruled variants designed similarly.
Can you provide a link to that? It is not that I doubt you, but I want to see when JC said what so that it is possible to know if he has reversed a position.
Here is an interview with him from July 23, 2024. At about the 5:40 second mark he states that you can still use half-elves from the 2014 PHB.
It is entirely possible that he has reversed his position since then (or that this indicates a reversal of his previous position). That's why I'd like to know when contradicting statements were mad.
They are playing a bit of a game -in order to be back compatible they have to say you can use the 2014 species, subclasses etc that are not in the 2024 rulebooks. However, they want us to convert to the 2024 rules and what I stated above is the 2024 position on half species. So going backward yes you can use the published half species but over time they will be phased out as no replacements will ever be published folding the new rules.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
That is not the 2024 position on half species. It was put in a UA (kinda the first UA they did for the 2024 edition), but left out of the books. It's not official. The only official answer is the rules (established rules) for using 2014 species (like half-elf) in 2024. That only goes away if they write a new "half-elf" or a new "half-orc." Legacy things are (essentially) only overridden if the name is re-used.
Or if the do away with the name entirely
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
I think it is pretty unlikely. First, it would create an awful lot of canon issues. Secondly, space issues were stated in the video as the reason for not providing stats in the 2024 PHB. They could have added a couple of lines to the Human and Elf sections if they had wanted to remove them.
Now, I admit entirely that they initially wanted to remove them. I am not denying that in the slightest. I believe they just read the writing on the wall during the playtesting and decided against it.
They may do almost nothing to support half-elves and half-orcs in the future, but I doubt they will actively remove them. At worst, they will wait until 6e and then never include them in the rules, thereby tacitly removing them, but that won't be for quite some time, most likely (though it is equally possible by then that attitudes will have changed and their inclusion will be a non-issue).
They did remove them. Go into the character builder and try to select half-elf or half-orc. Half-Elf is still available from an "expanded" source (Sword Coast Adventures Guide), and under 2014 content you'll find Half-Elf and Half-Orc both listed as Legacy.
Anything that was in the 2014 Player's Handbook, but not included in the 2024 Player's Handbook is gone in 2024 rules.
You can still play them as legacy content, but 5e2024 is getting rid of all half-species.
Again, you are welcome to homebrew anything you want. You are welcome to play Legacy content (until DnD Beyond one day just makes it disappear like all previous Legacy content), and you are free to houserule/homebrew anything you want for your paper/pen (non-digital) play.
But the fact remains that 5e2024 is getting rid of all half-species.
The 2024 DMG makes no mention of flanking rules, that's how they got rid of flanking. They didn't put in a line saying "we got rid of flanking option rule", they simply left it out completely. They did the same thing for half-species.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
Again, this is in absolute opposition to Jeremy Crawford's statements. He has said that anything in the 2014 rules that was not superseded in the 2024 rules is still valid (i.e., not 'home-brewed'). He even provided multiple examples of things 'not going away,' including, explicitly, half-elves.
If they had been removed, you wouldn’t be able to then explain how to access them. You wouldn’t be able to access them at all. That’s what removed means.
The official core rules address this. Clearly, 'species in older books' remain valid, though they require an adjustment (and the adjustment is specified). Half-elves and half-orcs are 'species in [an] older book'.
Deciding which parent's features to inherit was dumped, but that was never official and only existed in the playtest rules.
And while you are technically correct that the Monster Manual would be the last of the core rules that could contain the rules for creating variant species of mixed nature, that doesn't mean the rules couldn't come out in the 2024 version of TCE (which provided rules for Custom Lineages and Customizing Your Origins).
It currently appears that the worst-case scenario is that half-elves and half-orcs might not get anything new, but it seems unlikely that the 'thread' will be actively broken (at least before 6e).