D&D replaces races with species

[Chronicler]

I appreciate you breaking down some of the surrounding context for us.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

Thanks a lot @m7600 for providing this very important background information.
I had no idea about the whole issue around Magic The Gathering and I agree it looks very bad and not like coincidence at all.
So yeah in that context it's totally understandable they want to distance themselves from anything else that might be connected to racism or nazi ideology too.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

I would like to add that I previously overlooked the very last part of the article linked in the OP, where WotC people claim that they're won't return to the term "race", but are going for "species" as a work in progress and open to community feedback about a better term.

So since we're all a bunch of insufferable know-it-alls, I'm confident more people will whine about the biological implications of different species and will eventually come up with a better concept.
Unless, of course, the majority of the D&D playing community grew up in places where biology lessons are considered evil and therefore banned from school.

 

[Chronicler]

Yeah, it sounds like they're unwilling to negotiate on phasing out the term "races", but the particulars of the replacement and all the new connotations are a work in progress.

"Lineages" is another alternative that seems popular on the dungeons and dragons subreddits I could find.

Personally I'm not too worked up about the new terminology, but I'm hoping enough people will speak up about the hybrid races that they won't go the way of the dodo. It seemed like the terminology issue was definitely drowning everything out in the discussions I could find though. I talked to somebody on the Baldur's Gate 3 subreddit who seemed pretty knowledgeable and they were like "Give it a minute. It's all still very much in a state of flux and it's a bit premature to get too worried just yet."

 

[m7600]

WotC people claim that they're won't return to the term "race", but are going for "species" as a work in progress and open to community feedback about a better term.

Yep, some of the alternatives that have been suggested are Ancestries, Heritages, and Lineages, among others.

Unless, of course, the majority of the D&D playing community grew up in places where biology lessons are considered evil and therefore banned from school.

There's several biologists in my family, and I'm currently working on issues pertaining to philosophy of biology. Fun fact: contrary to what happens in the Animal Kingdom, some plants from different species can reproduce with each other, and the descendants are fertile instead of infertile. So, the concept of species that is used in animal biology is different from the one used in plant biology. And it gets even more complicated with bacteria and protists, many of which reproduce asexually (for example, through binary fission). Here too, the zoological concept of species is inapplicable. Because, if two organisms belong to the same species if they can reproduce with each other such that their descendants are fertile, how would you even apply this concept to organisms that don't reproduce sexually to begin with?

 

[m7600]

Back on topic, I don't think that WoTC will eliminate Half-Elves and Half-Orcs. They're just going to give them a different name, or no particular name at all. The reason might actually be that reproduction between different "races" (species) shouldn't be limited to a human and a non-human. For example, maybe it will be possible for an elf and an orc to reproduce. In that case, you wouldn't call their child a Half-Elf or a Half-Orc. Maybe you wouldn't call them anything, they would just have Elf/Orc ancestry.

Besides, if they got rid of interracial/inter-species characters, they would have to get rid of Tieflings and Aasimars, and I don't think they'll do that.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

Because, if two organisms belong to the same species if they can reproduce with each other such that their descendants are fertile, how would you even apply this concept to organisms that don't reproduce sexually to begin with?

Didn't you say you're against picking people's arguments apart by pointing out their flawed logic through socratic questions or doesn't it count if you're the one doing it?

For the context of playable or romanceable characters in games, I'm strictly against inclusion of species that reproduce through something as boring as binary fission. No offense meant to any slimes or oozes, of course.

You're right, I hadn't thought that excluding mixed parentage would mean getting rid of tieflings and aasimar too, and yeah I agree that's very unlikely.
Also true that "half-orc" and "half-elf" are very human-centric terms. I wasn't joking when I said maybe elves and orcs complained those should be called half-humans, and I never knew something like mixed orc/elf parentage doesn't even exist at this point.

 

[m7600]

Didn't you say you're against picking people's arguments apart by pointing out their flawed logic through socratic questions or doesn't it count if you're the one doing it?

In this case, it's more of a reflection on certain concepts of contemporary biology rather than attacking any particular person. I usually use the word "you" in a rhetorical way, not directed at anyone in particular : )

I never knew something like mixed orc/elf parentage doesn't even exist at this point.

There's an interesting third-party supplement that did really well in the DM's Guild, it's called "An Elf and an Orc Had a Little Baby: Parentage and Upbringing in D&D"

Dungeon Masters Guild

www.dmsguild.com

Edit: I don't know why the link isn't showing the preview, but here's the book cover

 

[m7600]

There's also another pretty successful third-party supplement, "Ancestry and Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e"

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

 

[Antimatter]

Paizo is also an American company and has been using the term ancestries instead of races for its Pathfinder Nexus 2e for a while already, no major fuss had happened. So switching the term itself is not essentially bad. It's impossible to ignore the RL implications of that term - "a race" is most commonly used to describe physical traits such as skin color in the real world.

That said, I don't like the term "species" because that would make half-elves, half-orcs, and other children of parents of mixed ancestries impossible. I just can't look past the biological meaning of the species term. I hope they change this. As Shepard would say, we'll bang, ok?

I also don't like implications (that sometimes arise, especially in online discussions about such changes) that everyone looked at the word "races" in DnD solely negatively before. When you launch the original BG1 game and try to create your character, the first 2 choices will look dated now. Only 2 genders there, and the word that now got a negative connotation. I never thought in any negative context about it, but times change, and changes are required. Those BG1 choices were relevant for the time of its release, and the overall game is now dated, not only in this aspect. I also never really thought myself, even for a second, that the drow were related to black people in real life. To me, they always were just that - sinister & powerful elves living in the Underdark.

What I wonder about is what Larian would do with BG3. Should they swap the term race out already? E.g. this week with Patch 9. And to ship the game with "species" instead so that tieflings, and aasimars, and all others don't make much sense? And then patch in a new term when it arrives? When I think like that, the topic becomes a little bit ridiculous. After all, the "race" term is still being used in other actively supported games (unrelated to DnD), such as The Elder Scrolls Online (and TESO lore is very inclusive and respectful).

 

[O_Bruce]

The two-gender thing is still accurate to this day. There won't be any more just because weird people on social media are screaming otherwise. Words of mentally not-so-sound people have no power to shape reality to whatever they would like.

What's more, Baldur's Gate is pretty inclusive if you think about it. Aside from the obvious girdle of masculinity/femininity, you always have the option to choose and "mismatch" a character's portrait, gender, and soundset - so, a person with gender dysphoria could always express themselves in that way if they wanted. That was in 90's, and looking back, it was a much better, more healthy time. Nowadays we live in a world of clowns.

"Race" as a term has no innate negative connotation by default. It takes an actual racist to change that fact. In regard to the topic at hand, I have strong suspicions that the change to this term is related to previous "controversies", by that I mean "Orcs/Drows are an allegory to black people". The vast majority of the human population wouldn't make that connection, because in both cases these races weren't introduced as allegory, but rather as to have an antagonistic force you wouldn't feel guilty fighting against. Once again, it takes a racist to make such a connection, demand changes on that and implement those changes without any regard to the mess these changes will leave behind. Or in any regard to the fact that DnD is meant to be escapism.

 

[Chronicler]

I'm not gonna go as far as O_Bruce, but I don't think two playable genders is really all that outdated.

I can't think of any game released even today that tried to include some vast selection of playable options outside the gender binary, nor am I even entirely sure what that would look like, beyond maybe decoupling your characters pronouns your character's visual appearance. Certainly if there was such a game it would probably be some small Indie project and not a big AAA piece of establishment media.

That being said, I like the thing Nintendo sometimes does where if they give you some choice that's clearly gendered, but doesn't really have to be, like for example choosing between a hat and a bow in your hair, they won't ask you if you want the boy option or the girl option. They'll ask you if you want the "Cool" option or the "Cute" option.

 

[mlnevese]

Evil and Good races in DD basically come from two factors:

1) D&D started as a war game, so the factions were fixed in their behavior.

2) When it became an RPG it adopted an absolute alignment system. Good and Evil are very real in D&D and not just relative concepts. Your "Dispel Evil" spell would work on the evil wizard even if at that moment he was just playing with his grandchild and not trying to dominate the world. But as an RPG it's a little more flexible than a Wargame, so you get your eventual good drow or evil gold dragon to surprise your players.

So, as far as i am concerned, it was never a problem of racism but a mechanic that came from the origins of the world and was often broken by TSR and later, Wizards of the Coast themselves. There was a planet in Planescape inhabited by good Orcs that were plagued by feral and brutal elfs and humans, for instance.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

I can't think of any game released even today that tried to include some vast selection of playable options outside the gender binary, nor am I even entirely sure what that would look like, beyond maybe decoupling your characters pronouns your character's visual appearance. Certainly if there was such a game it would probably be some small Indie project and not a big AAA piece of establishment media.

I know we're straying a bit off topic here but just FYI, in Cyberpunk 2077, released in December 2020, you don't pick your character's gender, you pick a male or female body type, a male or female sounding voice set, and, if you don't use the nudity filter, either panties or male or female genitalia.
You can freely combine all 3. The latter choice has no consequences except how you see your character in the inventory screen when undressed, so one could argue why have it in the first place, but what I mean is, that's not a niche indie game and it shows what is possible.

 

[Chronicler]

I know we're straying a bit off topic here but just FYI, in Cyberpunk 2077, released in December 2020, you don't pick your character's gender, you pick a male or female body type, a male or female sounding voice set, and, if you don't use the nudity filter, either panties or male or female genitalia.
You can freely combine all 3. The latter choice has no consequences except how you see your character in the inventory screen when undressed, so one could argue why have it in the first place, but what I mean is, that's not a niche indie game and it shows what is possible.

True. Forgot about that one.

And even if gender options like you find in BG1 and BG2 haven't exactly gone the way of the dodo, if Habsro is trying to reinvent their image here they might want to get ahead of the curve.

In the same way that once you get a reputation for showing up late at work, merely showing up on time won't really fix it. You kind of have to overcompensate in the other direction if you want people to notice your transformation.

 

[m7600]

For those that would like to have names for interracial/inter-species characters, here's a homebrew example, a Dwelf (dwarf + elf).
Some other possible names:
Huelf (human + elf)
Gnelf (gnome + elf)
Orlf (orc + elf)
Huarf (human + dwarf)
Dworc (dwarf + orc)
Gnarf (gnome + dwarf)
Etc.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

For those that would like to have names for interracial/inter-species characters, here's a homebrew example, a Dwelf (dwarf + elf).
Some other possible names:
Huelf (human + elf)
Gnelf (gnome + elf)
Orlf (orc + elf)
Huarf (human + dwarf)
Dworc (dwarf + orc)
Gnarf (gnome + dwarf)
Etc.

Those words are great. "Dwelf" is just beautiful, I love it, and if I hear "gnarf" the sound makes a picture in my mind that looks just as I'd imagine a character with mixed gnome/dwarf parentage.

What @Antimatter said about character creation in Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 reminds me that indeed D&D was ahead of RL in some terms... picking your gender at character creation has and had only influence on your character's look and which NPC's romance option would trigger, not which class you could pick or how your stats turn out. (and yes, I know, the average human male is stronger than the average human female, that's not my point).
I as a female player felt a lot more at home and included and immersed when I could choose a female protagonist. Nowadays my comfort zone is a bit broader but I still prefer to play a female character when I have the choice.

So nowadays the rigid binary concept of "male" and "female" gives way to more realistic options (again, here too some biological differences are evident, but even that is a lot more complex than some people would like to make it sound). I agree that if change is required or desired, considering a negative connotation of the word "race" when used for people instead of animals, then fine.

I suppose the same way I, even knowing it's just fantasy, feel more comfortable and accepted and included as a normal part of the player community when I can pick a female protagonist who is not just a boob plate model, the same way people who have faced stereotypes and discrimination based on skin colour or similar stuff will probably feel a lot more comfortable if they pick a "heritage" or "lineage" and not a "race", and also if the choices that share some visual characteristics with them aren't all labelled evil.

And which term has a negative connotation is not for those to decide who have never been affected by it. Example, if I had to pick "waifu" instead of "female", I'd not be too happy about it and wouldn't want to hear a man telling me that's a neutral term to him.

Also, a huuuge factor that clicked only now.
I too didn't see "race" in character creation as something negative. But then, English is not my native language. And if I replace it with the word in my own language, I flinch a bit when hearing it because when applied to people it's almost exclusively used by nazis. So yeah, I can see the point.

I like the proposed alternatives like heritage, lineage, ancestry. Just not something overcomplicated, and not "species", because yeah, what he said about Shepard.

 

[Skatan]

More options are usually better. I am playing a bit of Encased lately, a fallout-esque sci-fi RPG from a smaller studio and they made their char creation like this: Man/woman/other for gender and then you also choose body type man/woman plus of course your choice of avatar picture. I thought it was tastefully implemented.

 

[Zaxares]

For those that would like to have names for interracial/inter-species characters, here's a homebrew example, a Dwelf (dwarf + elf).
Some other possible names:
Huelf (human + elf)
Gnelf (gnome + elf)
Orlf (orc + elf)
Huarf (human + dwarf)
Dworc (dwarf + orc)
Gnarf (gnome + dwarf)
Etc.

Sorry, but as a Dark Sun fan, human/dwarf crossbreeds will forever and always be "Muls" to me.

As for the overall change, I can understand the reasoning behind it, although I think it's a rather clumsy, hamfisted approach WotC has taken to try and address it. I think a better way would have been to "reclaim" the term "races" by shifting the discussion and mechanics behind the term and concept. Elves and Orcs can interbreed now? Sure! I did always think that it was weird that only humans seemed capable of mixing with all the other races. But I don't think it was truly necessary to change the word; a shift in the way the rules work and the introduction of more nuanced, flexible lore when it comes to things like alignment would have been far more powerful in terms of effect, in my opinion. As a kid growing up with 2nd and 3rd Ed, I found it actually a very powerful example that races like the drow and orcs didn't necessarily have to be evil, despite every bit of their culture normalizing it and telling them that it was right. It really opened my eyes to how a lot of real-world bigotry had roots in the same origin; people treat other groups as lessers because they're taught to, by their parents, by their teachers, by their friends, by society at large. One D&D's approach of "everybody plays nice now!" feels a bit like simply denying that any problem exists at all, similar to Disney's approach of hiding away some of their now-problematic early movies (or quietly editing them) and not talking about them.

 

[WarChiefZeke]

It's quite depressing how the most insufferable people with the most insufferable, self righteous viewpoints are the ones that have a total stranglehold on western culture and, consequently, game development.