Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I also think we should cram as many races into the PHB as possible. More options is better than less.
For the Basic Rules/SRD though, I think just common generic fantasy races are fine, although I think it would also be good too to throw in a few less generic races in there too to show that D&D can be used to tell more than just generic fantasy stories. If I were to pick, I guess I would go for elves, humans, dwarves, halflings, fairies, goblins, and orcs for the basics; I think having a "non-living" construct type option would also be good, like warforged, autognome, or reborn; I would also put in aarakocra, tabaxi, and locathah to round out the animalistic races.
I see the PHB as the introduction to D&D. Don't overwhelm new players with decision paralysis. Save the rest for the other sourcebooks.
Too many options right out of the gate is, in its own way, a gatekeeper. We want more players. We already have those of us with all kinds of experiences that would be off putting to someone with none of those experiences.
Keep it simple in the PHB.
In my opinion, introduction to D&D should be the job of the Basic Rules/SRD since that is free. There should be more emphasis and prominence placed on the Basic Rules/SRD and let that do the heavy lifting of onboarding new players.
The current PHB as is already overwhelms new players, so I think it is best if they tailor the PHB to players who already have a few campaigns under their belt. If a new player is at a point where they are ready to spend money on D&D, they are also most likely also at a point where they are not intimidated by lots of options, and they would probably crave more.
I personally would like Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Tieflings, Aasimar, Orcs, Goblinoids, Dragonborn, and maybe also Shifter and Genasi to be in the core rules. Although I might remove Dragonborn because they're a weird fit.
I kinda like Dragonborn. Always have.
Not that I dislike them, but they feel like they're sort of more like tabaxi and that and it kinda feels odd that they'd be in the core rules.
I personally would like Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Tieflings, Aasimar, Orcs, Goblinoids, Dragonborn, and maybe also Shifter and Genasi to be in the core rules. Although I might remove Dragonborn because they're a weird fit.
I kinda like Dragonborn. Always have.
Not that I dislike them, but they feel like they're sort of more like tabaxi and that and it kinda feels odd that they'd be in the core rules.
I agree! Tabaxi are good, and everyone seems to like them. The only pushback I ever see is from people who hate all anthro races, and like, no disrespect, but I think they're being silly. There's plenty of cat people in fantasy fiction across cultures.
However, I think it's only fair that there should be a dog race to balance them out.
I agree! Tabaxi are good, and everyone seems to like them. The only pushback I ever see is from people who hate all anthro races, and like, no disrespect, but I think they're being silly. There's plenty of cat people in fantasy fiction across cultures.
However, I think it's only fair that there should be a dog race to balance them out.
Tabaxi are pretty cool… I love cats, and I wouldn’t mind playing one someday.
People feel strongly about this, including me. As a DM, I strongly encourage players to play human (or mostly human--a distant elven ancestor that adds a barely noticeable aesthetic twist is fine) characters, understanding that most encounters in my campaign world will be with humans. I will typically allow the following with a good backstory about why/how they have got involved with humans: human, elf, half-elf, halfling, dwarf. I also think these should be the default options in the Player's Handbook. I am agnostic about gnomes and half-orcs, but if I were making the decision, I would exclude them from the core PC classes. At a minimum, I would like to be able to "gray out" these choices in the character creation section in Beyond D&D.
I would completely exclude the elemental, extra-planar, draconic, and monstrous humanoid (as well as other monsters) "races" (species would be a better description) from the core PC rules, i.e., the Player's Handbook. It's fine to include them in a supplement, and I can even imagine a one-off or mini-campaign that was "monsters only" or something like that, but not for the core rules.
My reasoning is simple: I want encounters with non-humans, even the relatively common ones, to be "magical" for the characters (and hopefully for the players), not commonplace. I have no problem with PCs being extraordinary individuals, but that need not manifest as wings, horns, or a set of "racial" game mechanics that grant various powers. If I really enforce the kinds of shocked (or in some cases outright hostile) reactions folk in even the most cosmopolitan cities are likely to have to monster- or part-monster characters, it leads to what are, in my view, repetitive role-playing cul-de-sacs, where the gnoll character sits a lonely watch outside the city gates while the rest of the party pursues an urban adventure. If the character can easily pass as human or as one of the acknowledged "friendly" (or "goodly") "races," this is less of a problem, but if the character passes as human, then most of the role-playing justification for the choice becomes irrelevant, leaving mostly a set of plusses and minuses.
Personally i would like to see all the previously created races in the core book (so none are lost) in the hopes that NEW races get introduced and Previous races get expanded upon with each dungeon master or settings book that comes out after that
which i think is around 50 or so races - with the addition of Illithid and Gnolls some could be branches of the main race via linages/backgrounds (lowering the number of races but would still like them to make an appearance somewhere in the core book.) and without getting into half-whatever races, assuming the whole "CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT HUMANOID KINDS" section in the OneD&D playtests has them covered.
as a side note would also like atleast 2 pages worth of information per race (rather then the 1 page per race in the "Monsters of the Multiverse" book)
Nothing is really "lost", given that this is much more of an update than a new edition, and it would be ludicrous for them to pull MotM at this point.
Also, I don't think Illithids and Gnolls need to be PC races; in the general 5e canon in particular Gnolls aren't a sapient free-willed race; they're hyenas uplifted by dark magic, typically by a demon prince. And the whole "eats the brains of sapient beings to survive" bit is too integral to the Mindflayer image to really part with and quite messy to manage as a PC race. We've also already got multiple beastfolk type races- particularly Shifters- and the naturally psionic Kalashtar to cover several of the general thematic niches of the two races as well.
More lore per race would be very nice, but honestly I'm not holding my breath for core books. They're trying (too hard in my opinion) to be "setting neutral" about race lore anymore in general use books.
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Make a full party!
Barbabravo (fighter), Barbabright (artificer), Barbazoo (druid), Barbabeau (warlock), Barbalala (bard), Barbabelle (paladin) and Barbalib (wizard)
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
They all start with "Barb..." but none of them are a Barbarian? Am I not getting some reference here?
I also think we should cram as many races into the PHB as possible. More options is better than less.
For the Basic Rules/SRD though, I think just common generic fantasy races are fine, although I think it would also be good too to throw in a few less generic races in there too to show that D&D can be used to tell more than just generic fantasy stories. If I were to pick, I guess I would go for elves, humans, dwarves, halflings, fairies, goblins, and orcs for the basics; I think having a "non-living" construct type option would also be good, like warforged, autognome, or reborn; I would also put in aarakocra, tabaxi, and locathah to round out the animalistic races.
In my opinion, introduction to D&D should be the job of the Basic Rules/SRD since that is free. There should be more emphasis and prominence placed on the Basic Rules/SRD and let that do the heavy lifting of onboarding new players.
The current PHB as is already overwhelms new players, so I think it is best if they tailor the PHB to players who already have a few campaigns under their belt. If a new player is at a point where they are ready to spend money on D&D, they are also most likely also at a point where they are not intimidated by lots of options, and they would probably crave more.
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Not that I dislike them, but they feel like they're sort of more like tabaxi and that and it kinda feels odd that they'd be in the core rules.
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Hmm. I do see your point.
Tabaxi should be a core race .
I agree! Tabaxi are good, and everyone seems to like them. The only pushback I ever see is from people who hate all anthro races, and like, no disrespect, but I think they're being silly. There's plenty of cat people in fantasy fiction across cultures.
However, I think it's only fair that there should be a dog race to balance them out.
Tabaxi are pretty cool… I love cats, and I wouldn’t mind playing one someday.
modify the Aasimar (with an option of animal heads) to three planes to balance the updated Tieflings and stick them in the PH.
But don’t go calling them Darlings (sorry Ardlings)
People feel strongly about this, including me. As a DM, I strongly encourage players to play human (or mostly human--a distant elven ancestor that adds a barely noticeable aesthetic twist is fine) characters, understanding that most encounters in my campaign world will be with humans. I will typically allow the following with a good backstory about why/how they have got involved with humans: human, elf, half-elf, halfling, dwarf. I also think these should be the default options in the Player's Handbook. I am agnostic about gnomes and half-orcs, but if I were making the decision, I would exclude them from the core PC classes. At a minimum, I would like to be able to "gray out" these choices in the character creation section in Beyond D&D.
I would completely exclude the elemental, extra-planar, draconic, and monstrous humanoid (as well as other monsters) "races" (species would be a better description) from the core PC rules, i.e., the Player's Handbook. It's fine to include them in a supplement, and I can even imagine a one-off or mini-campaign that was "monsters only" or something like that, but not for the core rules.
My reasoning is simple: I want encounters with non-humans, even the relatively common ones, to be "magical" for the characters (and hopefully for the players), not commonplace. I have no problem with PCs being extraordinary individuals, but that need not manifest as wings, horns, or a set of "racial" game mechanics that grant various powers. If I really enforce the kinds of shocked (or in some cases outright hostile) reactions folk in even the most cosmopolitan cities are likely to have to monster- or part-monster characters, it leads to what are, in my view, repetitive role-playing cul-de-sacs, where the gnoll character sits a lonely watch outside the city gates while the rest of the party pursues an urban adventure. If the character can easily pass as human or as one of the acknowledged "friendly" (or "goodly") "races," this is less of a problem, but if the character passes as human, then most of the role-playing justification for the choice becomes irrelevant, leaving mostly a set of plusses and minuses.
There is no dog race is there...?
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
You can get the gist of it from Shifter.
I’ve had one in playtesting for a while. You wanna help me playtest it?
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Of course! Fire away!
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I feel it would be unusual if the Dragonborn were removed from the core races.
Also, I'm back so.......yep.
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While they are cool sounding and looking I don't see them as iconic.
Sure if you told somebody hey let's play D&D, you can be a dragon dude! It might sound appealing some.
But they are wayyyy down the list when I think fantasy.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Dragonborn are actually quite late comers; they weren't in core rules until 4e, though you can see inspiration in prior editions.
I would prefer to see them in a supplement.
Core races in PHB
Animals in another - 3 birds, 2 cats, elephant, bull, hippo and partridge in a pear tree.
Monstrous in the next - orcs, ogres, trolls, satyr, goblin, hobgoblin...
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Personally i would like to see all the previously created races in the core book (so none are lost)
in the hopes that NEW races get introduced and Previous races get expanded upon
with each dungeon master or settings book that comes out after that
Aasimar, Aarakocra, Autognome, Bugbear, Centaur, Dragonborn, Drow, Duergar, Dwarf, Eladrin, Elf, Fairy, Firbolg,
Genasi, Giff, Githyanki, Githzerai, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Goliath, Grung, Hadozee, Halfling, Herengon, Hobgoblin,
Human, Illithid, Kalashtar, Kenku, Kobold, Leonin, Lizardfolk, Locathah, Loxodon, Minotaur, Orc, Owlin, Plasmoid,
Satyr, Shadar-Kai, Simic Hybrid, Tabaxi, Thri-kreen, Tiefling, Tortle, Triton, Vedalken, Warforged, Yaun-ti
which i think is around 50 or so races - with the addition of Illithid and Gnolls
some could be branches of the main race via linages/backgrounds (lowering the number of races
but would still like them to make an appearance somewhere in the core book.) and without getting into half-whatever races,
assuming the whole "CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT HUMANOID KINDS" section in the OneD&D playtests has them covered.
as a side note
would also like atleast 2 pages worth of information per race (rather then the 1 page per race in the "Monsters of the Multiverse" book)
Nothing is really "lost", given that this is much more of an update than a new edition, and it would be ludicrous for them to pull MotM at this point.
Also, I don't think Illithids and Gnolls need to be PC races; in the general 5e canon in particular Gnolls aren't a sapient free-willed race; they're hyenas uplifted by dark magic, typically by a demon prince. And the whole "eats the brains of sapient beings to survive" bit is too integral to the Mindflayer image to really part with and quite messy to manage as a PC race. We've also already got multiple beastfolk type races- particularly Shifters- and the naturally psionic Kalashtar to cover several of the general thematic niches of the two races as well.
More lore per race would be very nice, but honestly I'm not holding my breath for core books. They're trying (too hard in my opinion) to be "setting neutral" about race lore anymore in general use books.