[Ardling was tried in two different versions then abandoned. No sign that they planned to replace it with the Aasimar. Essentially, the Goliath appears to have taken its place.]
Of course, that could have changed by the time the PHB is out.
Edit: I see from another thread that the Aasimar is rumoured to be in the PHB. If so, that’s a bit of a stealth addition.
A part of me misses the ardlings, but these can await until a future sourcebook. I can't give a right opinion about the background but I don't imagine them from the Beastlands but a different place, something like the Spirit Realm of Kara-Tur.
A part of me misses the ardlings, but these can await until a future sourcebook. I can't give a right opinion about the background but I don't imagine them from the Beastlands but a different place, something like the Spirit Realm of Kara-Tur.
The Ardling concept made more sense to me after coming across the Archons and Guardinals in Planescape.
I've been reading more Pathfinder, so I may be confused or doing wishful thinking, or floating an idea they showed in the UA that seemed somewhere between PHB and Planescape, but is it possible they're doing with Tieflings and Aasimar what PF does with Nephilim (there's basically one sort of "plane or extraplanar" touched species, and like Dragonborn say, you customize it based on the particular plane)? I just may be pretending what I'm reading for another game is showing up to streamline things.
EDIT: Ah, it's from the Gameformer article. It does make sense in a sort of balance method. I just never got into Aasimar myself, but I know a lot of folks really like playing them so it's cool.
Personally I'd rather they weren't putting Aasimar in the PHB because all the PHB options are going to have very vanilla entries and while that's not a flaw in and of itself, I liked the hook of having a deva you were connected with that the original Aasimar had, and there's no way something like that makes it into a PHB entry. Ardlings were a much better fit as a Celestially-aligned counterpart to Tieflings imo, and I really don't get why they didn't make the cut. Plus, since they had such a variety of forms, they were a good open-ended option for people who wanted an anthro-animal PC.
Dropping Half-Orcs in favor of full Orcs is a good call, now that Orcs are full PC races; was a little disappointed at the loss of Half Elf just because it had a really good "between two worlds" vibe with its combination of human and elf traits, but that's not the end of the world. Goliaths seem like a good way to broaden the "big guy" pool a little, since before it was just Half Orcs for physically big and maybe Dwarves as well for the muscles vibe if not the height.
Hopefully, if Aasimar are in, then they’re in as an addition, not a replacement. It would make ten species, compared to the 2014 PHB’s nine. That would make five species that are connected to some of the major creature types: Celestials, Dragons, Fey, Fiends and Giants. That seems to fit WotC wanting to use the PHB as a showcase for D&D.
I thought that Aasmimar were replaced with dog faced and cat faced versions of them?
Everyone has their personal preferences of course but I've always liked aasimar in DnD. Ardlings were just not my thing. It seems playtest feedback on them must not have been as positive as WotC looks for. I assume we'll still see them in a supplement at some point.
It's been clear in terms of subclasses, backgrounds, feats, and species, there will be more of all in the 2024 PHB. There's no need to 1:1 symmetry it to the 2014 book.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I thought that Aasmimar were replaced with dog faced and cat faced versions of them?
Everyone has their personal preferences of course but I've always liked aasimar in DnD. Ardlings were just not my thing. It seems playtest feedback on them must not have been as positive as WotC looks for. I assume we'll still see them in a supplement at some point.
I think Ardlings suffered from potentially representing both Beasts and Celestials in the PHB. Some people seemed to want them to be one; some the other. Unfortunately , the first version came across as furry Aasimars, while the second built on the animal-forms but seemed to have only a tenuous link to the Upper Planes. WotC must have decided that it would take too much time and effort to try to find a set of mechanics that would satisfy both camps.
With, it seems, Aasimar in the new PHB, firmly occupying the Celestial-themed Humanoid niche, Ardlings are free to find a Celestial-Beast crossover niche. That would be analogous to Goliaths filling the Giant-themed role with Firbolgs existing in the space between Giants and Fey.
Ardlings will return because the idea is too good to sell toys. WotC needs something enoughly original, because lots of 3PPs have created and published their own furry or antropomorphic animal species, someones even appeared in the SRD.
But then the lore has to be rewritten to tell Beastlands are like a happy-valley-like place from a Saturday morning cartoon show.
I wonder if the mechanatrix planetouched "specie" will be replaced with the glitchlings.
Or we could tell ardlings are the descendets of people who with a strong link to some totemic spirit.
With, it seems, Aasimar in the new PHB, firmly occupying the Celestial-themed Humanoid niche, Ardlings are free to find a Celestial-Beast crossover niche.
Yes, my main issue with the ardling was how much it was stepping on the toes of the aasimar, so I am glad WotC went in the other direction and finally put the aasimar in the same book as the tiefling.
The best would be if tieflings kept that playtest's infernal/chthonic/abyssal division, with aasimar getting the matching heavenly/idyllic/exalted subtypes.
I would miss Half Elves so definitely keeping them in my campaign regardless. That is the beauty of the game. All Wizards does is make suggestions. We can do anything we want. I do like what they did with Orcs, but mine are still going to lean Evil.
I would miss Half Elves so definitely keeping them in my campaign regardless. That is the beauty of the game. All Wizards does is make suggestions. We can do anything we want. I do like what they did with Orcs, but mine are still going to lean Evil.
They didn't get rid of half-elves, they still exist - they just aren't mechanically separate from humans and elves anymore.
And sure, you can do whatever you want with your orcs.
I would miss Half Elves so definitely keeping them in my campaign regardless. That is the beauty of the game. All Wizards does is make suggestions. We can do anything we want. I do like what they did with Orcs, but mine are still going to lean Evil.
They didn't get rid of half-elves, they still exist - they just aren't mechanically separate from humans and elves anymore.
Half-elves in particular really don't lose much from the revised rules, because their features overlap so heavily with elves to begin with. (Except for the extra stat boost, but if that's what somebody misses, that's really less a love for half-elves and more a love for extra plusses.)
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New to the PHB this year is full Orcs, Goliaths, and Aasimar at minimium. Thoughts?
I'm good with that. More options is always good and DMs can always ban any if desired.
I agree It felt like the old one didn't have enough monstrous races
I’m assuming half-elf and half-orc will still be gone with rules for combining like in the UA.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
From the UAs, it looks like the list will be:
Dragonborn (10 subspecies)
Dwarf
Elf (Drow, high, wood)
Gnome (Forest, rock)
Goliath (cloud, fire, frost, hill, stone, storm)
Halfling
Human
Orc
Tiefling (abyssal, chthonic, infernal)
[Ardling was tried in two different versions then abandoned. No sign that they planned to replace it with the Aasimar. Essentially, the Goliath appears to have taken its place.]
Of course, that could have changed by the time the PHB is out.
Edit: I see from another thread that the Aasimar is rumoured to be in the PHB. If so, that’s a bit of a stealth addition.
I am happy with that.
A part of me misses the ardlings, but these can await until a future sourcebook. I can't give a right opinion about the background but I don't imagine them from the Beastlands but a different place, something like the Spirit Realm of Kara-Tur.
The Ardling concept made more sense to me after coming across the Archons and Guardinals in Planescape.
I thought that Aasmimar were replaced with dog faced and cat faced versions of them?
I've been reading more Pathfinder, so I may be confused or doing wishful thinking, or floating an idea they showed in the UA that seemed somewhere between PHB and Planescape, but is it possible they're doing with Tieflings and Aasimar what PF does with Nephilim (there's basically one sort of "plane or extraplanar" touched species, and like Dragonborn say, you customize it based on the particular plane)? I just may be pretending what I'm reading for another game is showing up to streamline things.
EDIT: Ah, it's from the Gameformer article. It does make sense in a sort of balance method. I just never got into Aasimar myself, but I know a lot of folks really like playing them so it's cool.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Personally I'd rather they weren't putting Aasimar in the PHB because all the PHB options are going to have very vanilla entries and while that's not a flaw in and of itself, I liked the hook of having a deva you were connected with that the original Aasimar had, and there's no way something like that makes it into a PHB entry. Ardlings were a much better fit as a Celestially-aligned counterpart to Tieflings imo, and I really don't get why they didn't make the cut. Plus, since they had such a variety of forms, they were a good open-ended option for people who wanted an anthro-animal PC.
Dropping Half-Orcs in favor of full Orcs is a good call, now that Orcs are full PC races; was a little disappointed at the loss of Half Elf just because it had a really good "between two worlds" vibe with its combination of human and elf traits, but that's not the end of the world. Goliaths seem like a good way to broaden the "big guy" pool a little, since before it was just Half Orcs for physically big and maybe Dwarves as well for the muscles vibe if not the height.
The ardlings didn't make it out of playtest.
Hopefully, if Aasimar are in, then they’re in as an addition, not a replacement. It would make ten species, compared to the 2014 PHB’s nine. That would make five species that are connected to some of the major creature types: Celestials, Dragons, Fey, Fiends and Giants. That seems to fit WotC wanting to use the PHB as a showcase for D&D.
Everyone has their personal preferences of course but I've always liked aasimar in DnD. Ardlings were just not my thing. It seems playtest feedback on them must not have been as positive as WotC looks for. I assume we'll still see them in a supplement at some point.
It's been clear in terms of subclasses, backgrounds, feats, and species, there will be more of all in the 2024 PHB. There's no need to 1:1 symmetry it to the 2014 book.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I think Ardlings suffered from potentially representing both Beasts and Celestials in the PHB. Some people seemed to want them to be one; some the other. Unfortunately , the first version came across as furry Aasimars, while the second built on the animal-forms but seemed to have only a tenuous link to the Upper Planes. WotC must have decided that it would take too much time and effort to try to find a set of mechanics that would satisfy both camps.
With, it seems, Aasimar in the new PHB, firmly occupying the Celestial-themed Humanoid niche, Ardlings are free to find a Celestial-Beast crossover niche. That would be analogous to Goliaths filling the Giant-themed role with Firbolgs existing in the space between Giants and Fey.
Ardlings will return because the idea is too good to sell toys. WotC needs something enoughly original, because lots of 3PPs have created and published their own furry or antropomorphic animal species, someones even appeared in the SRD.
But then the lore has to be rewritten to tell Beastlands are like a happy-valley-like place from a Saturday morning cartoon show.
I wonder if the mechanatrix planetouched "specie" will be replaced with the glitchlings.
Or we could tell ardlings are the descendets of people who with a strong link to some totemic spirit.
Yes, my main issue with the ardling was how much it was stepping on the toes of the aasimar, so I am glad WotC went in the other direction and finally put the aasimar in the same book as the tiefling.
The best would be if tieflings kept that playtest's infernal/chthonic/abyssal division, with aasimar getting the matching heavenly/idyllic/exalted subtypes.
Expanded 5e Spelljammer Cosmology
I would miss Half Elves so definitely keeping them in my campaign regardless. That is the beauty of the game. All Wizards does is make suggestions. We can do anything we want. I do like what they did with Orcs, but mine are still going to lean Evil.
They didn't get rid of half-elves, they still exist - they just aren't mechanically separate from humans and elves anymore.
And sure, you can do whatever you want with your orcs.
Half-elves in particular really don't lose much from the revised rules, because their features overlap so heavily with elves to begin with. (Except for the extra stat boost, but if that's what somebody misses, that's really less a love for half-elves and more a love for extra plusses.)