So, I'm toying with this idea that might go into the D&D book my family and I are working on, and I'm looking for some feedback.
Trying to address how race is to be handled, I'd like to have the game represent the fact that race in real life is more of a concept than an objective reality. I've also always been a fan of allowing players a wide range of options in character creation. The idea I am putting forward here would apply specifically to the humanoid races that are similar enough to produce viable children together.
I'm thinking of letting any character choose a set number of traits that would usually be assigned by race, without restricting them by a race. There would still be races, described overtly as stereotypes, which would list race traits similar to those in the current PHB. I'd add one or two race traits to each stereotype, such that there would always be a need to make choices.
In other words you would create an elf by choosing from the elven traits, or a half elf by choosing some from the human and some from the elven. You could similarly choose from several groups, representing a very mixed heritage. It would make for a character that doesn't neatly fit into any category (I expect a lot of players would), pointing out that a lot of people don't and that the categories are artificial.
The alternate traits could also represent anomalies or other issues related to the character's backstory. A dwarf without darksight might be missing it due to his heritage, or he might be missing it due to some other part of his backstory, such as an injury.
The character sheet would also have an identity section, which, along with categories like 'ethnicity', 'sex' and 'gender', would list 'race'. Race in this case would mean specifically what race the character sees themself as, which need not relate to their traits.
Well, I think what D&D is calling character race is actually Character Species, so if you wanna get rid of the idea of Race being an objective reality from the game, simply cross out all usage of Race, the way D&D uses it and write in Species instead. Then Race becomes nothing but the subjective interpretation, since all D&D Species have multiple colors and variable physical appearances that have little to no real effect.
After all, that is how it really is. When you choose between Human, Dwarft, Elf ect, you are not actually choosing a race at that step, you are choosing a Species. Like the difference between a Dog, a Cat, an Alligator, ect. So D&D is simply using the wrong word, since the wrong word was easier too use and the right word, "Species" is harder on the tongue, doesn't roll off as easy.
This also pretty much means every game that has a character creator option, that has options for different Species of characters, they all have been using the technically wrong word for the same reason, the wrong word was easier too use.
Well, I think what D&D is calling character race is actually Character Species, so if you wanna get rid of the idea of Race being an objective reality from the game, simply cross out all usage of Race, the way D&D uses it and write in Species instead. Then Race becomes nothing but the subjective interpretation, since all D&D Species have multiple colors and variable physical appearances that have little to no real effect.
After all, that is how it really is. When you choose between Human, Dwarft, Elf ect, you are not actually choosing a race at that step, you are choosing a Species. Like the difference between a Dog, a Cat, an Alligator, ect. So D&D is simply using the wrong word, since the wrong word was easier too use and the right word, "Species" is harder on the tongue, doesn't roll off as easy.
This also pretty much means every game that has a character creator option, that has options for different Species of characters, they all have been using the technically wrong word for the same reason, the wrong word was easier too use.
Actually, D&D is using the right word, it is us in the real world that screws it up. Race, biologically means different types of species, like the difference between a great dane and a chihuahua. Biologically no real world human differs enough to be considered a different race. Usually what people mean by race is ethnicity, which is a social construct and not biological.
I'm confused. Are you trying to make a convenience feature to allow for mixing of characteristics between the standard character options?
Part of it is to allow people to use mixes of traits as they like, and part of it is to remove the need for a lot of 'half-x' rules. It's also because there are a lot of unintentional racism in the use of the term as it stands.
Well, I think what D&D is calling character race is actually Character Species,
Mostly, no. Species can't regularly have non-sterile children with on another, with very few exceptions. Half-orcs and half-elves (and the other less well-known cross-breeds that have come up throughout the history of the game) point out that these aren't distinct species. One could make the argument that some of the races in the game might not be the same species, but I'm not looking at everything, just the typical groups that make up PCs.
I'm confused. Are you trying to make a convenience feature to allow for mixing of characteristics between the standard character options?
Part of it is to allow people to use mixes of traits as they like, and part of it is to remove the need for a lot of 'half-x' rules. It's also because there are a lot of unintentional racism in the use of the term as it stands.
I can't speak for social concerns, but you would be on the right track to create a table of the Characters to pick a certain amount of features from. Categorizing the features as Social, Combat, Exploration, and Ability Score Distribution may help too.
For example you can pick a Halfling Stat distribution(Ability Score), A Dwarve's Stone cunning (Exploration), a Half-orc's Relentless Endurance (Combat), and High Elves' Extra Language (Social). Then another category for the +1 to an ability of choice (tends to come from subraces). It is up to you to determine how many feature picks your players could take as each race has more than the three I described here. And it sounds like you are deciding innate features by their initial racial selection so factor that into the table as well like another category "Innate Features."
Race, biologically means different types of species, like the difference between a great dane and a chihuahua. Biologically no real world human differs enough to be considered a different race.
No, that's not accurate. There is no scientific definition of race. A great dane and a chihuahua are different breeds. 'Breed' does have a scientific definition, though it is worth noting that humans do not have more than one living breed. All of the others either died out during the genetic bottle-neck that was the Ice Age, or assimilated into one another. That's actually why humans are so much more susceptible to inbreeding than a lot of other animals.
The use of the term race in D&D comes from the way Tolkien used it, in a setting where these distinctions would not have been understood, and where there were such things as objective evil and evil peoples.
I was really more looking for feedback on game-mechanics, but I guess I should have specified. In trying to write up the idea I described above it occurred to me that the race traits that exist in the game don't really balance one race against another all that well. That matters more in the case of being able to choose them. As a possible work-around, I'm considering categorizing them as greater and lesser traits, and allowing a certain number of each to each character.
"Let me know if I'm misinterpreting your inquiry." Slightly. You have it largely right.
There would be no initial choice of race as a game-trait, and so no initial innate traits. Race would only mean the term a character identifies under (Should I perhaps call that ethnicity?). They wouldn't technically need to have any of the associated traits (though it would probably need to be justified in the character's backstory as to why they identify that way if they did). Each race would be presented with a stereotype describing the usual sort of write-up we've seen in D&D books, with a reference to the traits often associated. Players looking to make a typical member of that group could use that as a quickbuild, and keep to it as closely or not as they care to.
Race, biologically means different types of species, like the difference between a great dane and a chihuahua. Biologically no real world human differs enough to be considered a different race.
No, that's not accurate. There is no scientific definition of race. A great dane and a chihuahua are different breeds. 'Breed' does have a scientific definition, though it is worth noting that humans do not have more than one living breed. All of the others either died out during the genetic bottle-neck that was the Ice Age, or assimilated into one another. That's actually why humans are so much more susceptible to inbreeding than a lot of other animals.
The use of the term race in D&D comes from the way Tolkien used it, in a setting where these distinctions would not have been understood, and where there were such things as objective evil and evil peoples.
I was really more looking for feedback on game-mechanics, but I guess I should have specified. In trying to write up the idea I described above it occurred to me that the race traits that exist in the game don't really balance one race against another all that well. That matters more in the case of being able to choose them. As a possible work-around, I'm considering categorizing them as greater and lesser traits, and allowing a certain number of each to each character.
Well, I think Gygax would be more to blame than Tolkien, but as to science, because it is so emotionally loaded, you are correct modern biologists avoid the term, but historically race was used to reference biological differences. Even Darwin thought humanity was divided into biological races. We now know that is not correct and there is only one human race RL. In the game the biological differences, things like poison resistance or dark vision are extreme enough to justify being different races, while the ability to interbreed indicate they are not truly different species.
Well, I suppose you could try making it all greater and lesser traits that you could select, but then you quickly run into problems like, how would you justify removing the Humanoid Breed of Dragonborn breath and resist options as well as their STR attributes? Structurally a Dragonborn breed of Humanoids should have the bonuses it has. Their outer scales would have a natural resist for the damage type of their origin dragon.
As far as cross species mating, with a world of magic, natural incompatibilities could be overridden and DNA coded to support cross species offspring that could reproduce. It could be like gene splicing without needed the level of high technology the real world would need.
Admittedly there does seem to be traits that give bigger advantages to certain characters in some situations, there still tends to be enough gaps where no one character can do everything and enough flexibility in what you can do with a character that could change how powerful your character is, given the right combination of skills, attributes, feats, profession and gear.
Since magic can take the place of technological gene editing, to enable cross species children that can still produce more offspring, I think it is ok to use the word Species. Let us look at it that way, then we can bypass the word race and its current culturally emotional loaded problems, all together. So the fix is in, magic allows for cross species compatibility without the need for advance technology gene editing. D&D is full of wizard made Chimera's of many types after all, so the D&D precedence for cross species compatibility making is long since already set.
Any balancing issues between species can have mild incremental adjustments made to even things out. If one seems like it isn't at an even general score for its attributes and traits, you could add some small skill bonuses like +1 to athletics or +1 to stealth, maybe even +5 to speed during the day on flat terrain, something like that, small bonuses to slightly offset any general imbalance between species. You could even add negative attributes if one species seems overpowered, like -1 stealth for dragonborn and justify that by the weight and size leads to them having a naturally heavy step in a dragonborns walk. You could smooth out the seemingly general imbalances this way and still have species specific differences.
The thing about D&D is teamwork in the end. You could be a jack of all trades, but you will be a master of none. If you specialize in something to make that part of you really strong, you still have weaknesses and openings that can be exploited, so you will need someone else's help who has skills and talents that cover that side you are weak in. If you want to be something like a healer/tank that can absorb lots of damage and avoid lots of hits while dishing out the heals, you end up sacrificing powerful damage dealing, while everyone is already use to making high damage characters that don't have much in the way of healing abilities, if any healing abilities at all.
So even if a character species has a bug advantage in a certain direction of skills and attributes, they still have significant and exploitable weaknesses, if that character is isolated and separated from a group.
Well, I think what D&D is calling character race is actually Character Species, so if you wanna get rid of the idea of Race being an objective reality from the game, simply cross out all usage of Race, the way D&D uses it and write in Species instead. Then Race becomes nothing but the subjective interpretation, since all D&D Species have multiple colors and variable physical appearances that have little to no real effect.
After all, that is how it really is. When you choose between Human, Dwarft, Elf ect, you are not actually choosing a race at that step, you are choosing a Species. Like the difference between a Dog, a Cat, an Alligator, ect. So D&D is simply using the wrong word, since the wrong word was easier too use and the right word, "Species" is harder on the tongue, doesn't roll off as easy.
This also pretty much means every game that has a character creator option, that has options for different Species of characters, they all have been using the technically wrong word for the same reason, the wrong word was easier too use.
Make MeowMancer Your Patron TODAY! and become a BEAUTIFUL meow!
I'm confused. Are you trying to make a convenience feature to allow for mixing of characteristics between the standard character options?
Actually, D&D is using the right word, it is us in the real world that screws it up. Race, biologically means different types of species, like the difference between a great dane and a chihuahua. Biologically no real world human differs enough to be considered a different race. Usually what people mean by race is ethnicity, which is a social construct and not biological.
Mostly, no. Species can't regularly have non-sterile children with on another, with very few exceptions. Half-orcs and half-elves (and the other less well-known cross-breeds that have come up throughout the history of the game) point out that these aren't distinct species. One could make the argument that some of the races in the game might not be the same species, but I'm not looking at everything, just the typical groups that make up PCs.
I can't speak for social concerns, but you would be on the right track to create a table of the Characters to pick a certain amount of features from. Categorizing the features as Social, Combat, Exploration, and Ability Score Distribution may help too.
For example you can pick a Halfling Stat distribution(Ability Score), A Dwarve's Stone cunning (Exploration), a Half-orc's Relentless Endurance (Combat), and High Elves' Extra Language (Social). Then another category for the +1 to an ability of choice (tends to come from subraces). It is up to you to determine how many feature picks your players could take as each race has more than the three I described here. And it sounds like you are deciding innate features by their initial racial selection so factor that into the table as well like another category "Innate Features."
Let me know if I'm misinterpreting your inquiry.
No, that's not accurate. There is no scientific definition of race. A great dane and a chihuahua are different breeds. 'Breed' does have a scientific definition, though it is worth noting that humans do not have more than one living breed. All of the others either died out during the genetic bottle-neck that was the Ice Age, or assimilated into one another. That's actually why humans are so much more susceptible to inbreeding than a lot of other animals.
The use of the term race in D&D comes from the way Tolkien used it, in a setting where these distinctions would not have been understood, and where there were such things as objective evil and evil peoples.
I was really more looking for feedback on game-mechanics, but I guess I should have specified. In trying to write up the idea I described above it occurred to me that the race traits that exist in the game don't really balance one race against another all that well. That matters more in the case of being able to choose them. As a possible work-around, I'm considering categorizing them as greater and lesser traits, and allowing a certain number of each to each character.
"Let me know if I'm misinterpreting your inquiry."
Slightly. You have it largely right.
There would be no initial choice of race as a game-trait, and so no initial innate traits. Race would only mean the term a character identifies under (Should I perhaps call that ethnicity?). They wouldn't technically need to have any of the associated traits (though it would probably need to be justified in the character's backstory as to why they identify that way if they did). Each race would be presented with a stereotype describing the usual sort of write-up we've seen in D&D books, with a reference to the traits often associated. Players looking to make a typical member of that group could use that as a quickbuild, and keep to it as closely or not as they care to.
Okay, then yes. Create away at a table for your players to choose from. Reminds me of some herobuilder games.
Well, I think Gygax would be more to blame than Tolkien, but as to science, because it is so emotionally loaded, you are correct modern biologists avoid the term, but historically race was used to reference biological differences. Even Darwin thought humanity was divided into biological races. We now know that is not correct and there is only one human race RL. In the game the biological differences, things like poison resistance or dark vision are extreme enough to justify being different races, while the ability to interbreed indicate they are not truly different species.
Well, I suppose you could try making it all greater and lesser traits that you could select, but then you quickly run into problems like, how would you justify removing the Humanoid Breed of Dragonborn breath and resist options as well as their STR attributes? Structurally a Dragonborn breed of Humanoids should have the bonuses it has. Their outer scales would have a natural resist for the damage type of their origin dragon.
As far as cross species mating, with a world of magic, natural incompatibilities could be overridden and DNA coded to support cross species offspring that could reproduce. It could be like gene splicing without needed the level of high technology the real world would need.
Admittedly there does seem to be traits that give bigger advantages to certain characters in some situations, there still tends to be enough gaps where no one character can do everything and enough flexibility in what you can do with a character that could change how powerful your character is, given the right combination of skills, attributes, feats, profession and gear.
Since magic can take the place of technological gene editing, to enable cross species children that can still produce more offspring, I think it is ok to use the word Species. Let us look at it that way, then we can bypass the word race and its current culturally emotional loaded problems, all together. So the fix is in, magic allows for cross species compatibility without the need for advance technology gene editing. D&D is full of wizard made Chimera's of many types after all, so the D&D precedence for cross species compatibility making is long since already set.
Any balancing issues between species can have mild incremental adjustments made to even things out. If one seems like it isn't at an even general score for its attributes and traits, you could add some small skill bonuses like +1 to athletics or +1 to stealth, maybe even +5 to speed during the day on flat terrain, something like that, small bonuses to slightly offset any general imbalance between species. You could even add negative attributes if one species seems overpowered, like -1 stealth for dragonborn and justify that by the weight and size leads to them having a naturally heavy step in a dragonborns walk. You could smooth out the seemingly general imbalances this way and still have species specific differences.
The thing about D&D is teamwork in the end. You could be a jack of all trades, but you will be a master of none. If you specialize in something to make that part of you really strong, you still have weaknesses and openings that can be exploited, so you will need someone else's help who has skills and talents that cover that side you are weak in. If you want to be something like a healer/tank that can absorb lots of damage and avoid lots of hits while dishing out the heals, you end up sacrificing powerful damage dealing, while everyone is already use to making high damage characters that don't have much in the way of healing abilities, if any healing abilities at all.
So even if a character species has a bug advantage in a certain direction of skills and attributes, they still have significant and exploitable weaknesses, if that character is isolated and separated from a group.
Make MeowMancer Your Patron TODAY! and become a BEAUTIFUL meow!