D&D 5E Decoupling ancestry and culture

[CubicsRube]

Edit: 1st Draft uploaded

In relation to the other very popular but dense thread, I had wanted to post an idea about tryingto separate the ancestry ("race") benefits and the culture they grow up in in 5e for a while. Below is a first draft.

The idea is that all players choose an ancestry and a culture instead of a race in 5e. The key importance here is that Ancestry revolved around physical characteristics and culture around others. I've tried to avoid making adjustments where possible. I have however removed half elf as it does not really fit here, and can just as easily be represented by an elf growing up in human lands, or vice versa.

Another key idea to note is that the cultural entries below are archetypal cultural norms. These are intentionally not connected with any of the ancestries and can be moved at will. So a Human could be raised in a Draconic Nest, or a Dwarf in a Forest Sactuary, etc.

Here goes:

Ancestry
Dwarves have Darkvision 60' & Dwarven Resilience

Elves all have Darkvision 60, Fey Ancestry & Trance

Halflings are numble and stout and share to following physical characteristics:
Halfling nimbleness - can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours
Stout resilience - advantage on saving throws on poison and resistance to poison damage

Humans are characterised by their variety and gain a feat of their choice. If feats are not used, they instead gain 4x +1 to ability scores of their choice (must all be different).

Dragonborn are a stout and sturdy phsyical species who gain a breah weapon and damage resistence in accordance with theirdraconic ancestry (as per PHB).

Gnomes are innately resistant to magic and gain advantage on INT, WIS and CHA saving throws against magic.

Half-Orcs are physically enduring and gain Relentless Endurance and Darkvision

Tieflings are naturally endowed with magic due to their inheritance and gain Darkvision 60' and Hellish Resistance

Culture
Choose a language for your culture, they can read and speak that language.

Clanholds
All people raised in a clanhold gain Stonecunning, gain proficiency with battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and warhammer.
Hill Clanholds gain Dwarven Toughness
Mountain Clanholds holdings gain proficiency with light and medium armor

Sanctuary
All people raised in a sanctuary gain proficency with Perception
Marble sanctuaries give proficiency in longsword, shortsword, shortbow and longbow, give one cantrip from the wizard list and gain one extra language
Forest sanctuaries give proficiency in longsword, shortsword, shortbow and longbow, have a base walking speed of 35 and gain mask of the wild
Underdark sanctuaries give proficiency in rapier, shortsword, and hand crossbow, and gain drow magic

Steadings
Lightfoot steadings give Naturally Stealthy
Stout Steadings give Brave

Towns
Those raised in towns are often blessed with a freedom to try new things. As a result, people raised in human habitats gain an extra proficiency in a skill of their choice. All learn to speak Common if you don't know it already.

Draconic Nest
While rare for those without draconic blood, all those raised in Draconic Nests are fluent in Draconic and learn one wizard cantrip from the damage type associated with the ancestry of the Dragonborn nest they are raised in.

Foundry
Those raised in a Forest Foundries learn the minor illusion cantrip and can speak with small beasts
Those raised in a Rock Foundries you gain Artificer's Lore and Tinker

Barbarian Clan
Growing up in a Barbarian clan is diffcult but all who follow clan traditions are respected. People who are raised in a clan learn gain proficency in intimidation and Savage Attacks.

Covens train all their members on their knowledge, passing on their Infernal Legacy to all in the coven.

 

[CubicsRube]

The idea would need work and embellishment, but if it could be balanced I like the versatility it could bring. For example, none of these are really possible under the current race-is-all default of 5e.

Lafayette is a Human who was raised in an infernal coven. Not knowing any different he learned their magical powers of Thaumaturgy and Hellish Rebuke before realising that all was not as it seems, and she left to find who - and what - she really was.

Vask'r is a young muscled Elf raised in a save barbarian clan where might makes right. Heavily scarred across the face, he is rough and intimidating, and he has gone out seeking riches and glory for his clan.

Elia is a bright eyed dwarf growing up in a forest sanctuary. While slower than her sisters and brothers, her resilience to poison made her a valuable asset in foraging for the group and over time she learned to keep up with their speed and hide amongst the natural surroundings like her family. She has left to spread the understanding of the preservation of natural beauty to the world.

Logan Fireshield is small, even by halfling standards, and growing up in the tough hill Clanhold of StormVault he was bullied as a child. However he learned to cope with the abuse, and then fight back. He trained hard, his body was toughened over time, and he left to make his mark on the world, and prove to his Clanhold that he's worth a damn.

 

[CubicsRube]

Note I'm not trying to "FIX" D&D. I'm merely just toying with an idea that's appealing to me

 

[Undrave]

Note I'm not trying to "FIX" D&D. I'm merely just toying with an idea that's appealing to me

It appeals to me too! I'll have more to say later.

 

[RangerWickett]

I like it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I would say that all but Lafayette are totally possible in stock D&D, but This would make it easier to feel that mechanical distinction that makes building characters so fun and satisfying.

I do wonder if you could leverage the backgrounds system a bit here, though.

 

[CubicsRube]

I haven't done a full write up, but I would want to use backgrounds as well.

So ultimately it would be Ancestry + Culture/Upbringing + Background + Class

So you could have a Gnomish Barbarian Clan Blacksmith Cleric, or an Elven Merchant Wizard who grow up in a mountain clanhold.

It would open up more mechanical combinations, but they would have to be tested.

 

[Olrox17]

I could see this work. Wulfgar, from RA Salvatore’s novels comes to mind. He’s a human barbarian, but raised by dwarves for a significant part of his life. It would be only natural to give him some cultural dwarven traits.

 

[Minigiant]

I was thinking about a something like this.


Ancestry gives you your "genetic features"
Culture gives you your upbringing or culture
Class gives you your class
Focus gives you your major stat +2 bonus or Feat or Dragonmark or Graft

Ancestry + Culture + Background + Class + Focus

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I am a big fan of this idea.

Species: Determines biological things, like seeing in the dark or being tough or having wings.
Childhood: Determines things learnt in the child's formative years. Languages, skills, perhaps innate magic, probably not tool proficiencies (they seem like things only adults would be taught)
Background: Determines skills, tool proficiencies, background features.
Class:

There could be some interesting relationships between these. For example, perhaps all elves have innate spellcasting, but if a child wasn't raised in an elven family they never learnt how to control this magic.

I do wonder if this could unconsciously make things worse. We'd have to be very careful in selecting things that culture gives you. Bias could creep in, causing us to make "growing up in an elvish city" be more rewarding than "growing up in a orcish city."