I've been scanning them so far, they look pretty cool. I did notice something though; I google searched the Vedalken (I don't know anything about MtG so I had no idea) and noticed that a lot of really cool and notable art featured Vedalken having either 6 fingers on their hands and/or having 4 arms. Nothing in the UA mentions this, was that on purpose? It seems like a very cool feature that could be used for other multi-limbed races as well.
I find it mostly odd because the Cimic Hybrid (also, pretty cool) does have a feature that allows for multi-limbs (Grappling Appendages) where the Vedalken does not. Again, I don't know anything about Ravnica lore, but maybe using subraces you could have a multi-limbed Vedalken and a regular one? Or is it akin to the whole "large centaur"-debate where there are 4-limbed Vedalken in the world, but they are just not a playable race?
I'm going to dive deeper in the races, as they seem to be pretty cool, and analyze them from a mechanical point of view. I was just wondering about this.
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the four-armed Vedalken may have some connection with the Simic Combine. It's worth noting that the Simic Combine is a guild while Vedalken are a race. WotC just complicated things a bit by also presenting a Simic Hybrid race. That is to say, you might play a character whose base race was Vedalken before being transformed into a hybrid by the Simic Combine.
Dump the braveryfeature. Replace it with a feature that lets them manipulate an item in their trunk, even something like a wand, or drink a potion while carrying a greatsword. Other alternatives: the ability to silently communicate with other Loxodon using subvocal frequencies, ability to locate items and objects in a three-dimensional space based on their smell and hearing.
Simic Hybrid:
Changed the acid spit to an attack roll to increase player interactivity.
Give them another set of choices at 1st level, so you're not waiting until tier 2 for something other than a mobility enhancement. Preferably a skill or something that makes the player want to engage it.
Cytoplast: You have a cytoplast, a symbiotic chunk of flesh that cannot be removed. Choose one of the following abilities. Once you use it, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fear Ganglia - You gain advantage on a Perception roll. Manipulator - You can cast Command once. Booster - You roll 1d4 and add that as damage to one of your attacks that hits this round. Licid - Your cytoplast is a bit more self-aware than most, and can roll one Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based skill roll as an action while you are doing something else.
Vedalken:
Hoo boy it's like... human+.
Dump the insane advantage on three different saving throws. I like abilities that give more interaction. An example! I pulled this out of my butt so it's not great
Scry 1: When faced with a binary choice, such as left or right, up or down, heads or tails, you can decide which is the correct outcome. Essentially, you "know" which of the two options given is the correct one for what you want to accomplish. Alternatively, you can take advantage on any one saving throw. You can't use this ability again until you have finished a short or long rest.
Viashino:
Having loved these guys since Mirage (my Viashino Warrior deck never won a game but I loved it to death), I feel like there's a lot of room to grow here. The issue I have is that these guys seem like you could just scratch out the name "Tabaxi" on that other race, and write in "Viashino" and do just fine.
I may be wrong, but I think that the usability of the trunk is implied in the "Lumbering Giants" section. That is, I think they already allow that. So we get both, which is good.
Dump the braveryfeature. Replace it with a feature that lets them manipulate an item in their trunk, even something like a wand, or drink a potion while carrying a greatsword. Other alternatives: the ability to silently communicate with other Loxodon using subvocal frequencies, ability to locate items and objects in a three-dimensional space based on their smell and hearing.
I may be wrong, but I think that the usability of the trunk is implied in the "Lumbering Giants" section. That is, I think they already allow that. So we get both, which is good.
Dump the braveryfeature. Replace it with a feature that lets them manipulate an item in their trunk, even something like a wand, or drink a potion while carrying a greatsword. Other alternatives: the ability to silently communicate with other Loxodon using subvocal frequencies, ability to locate items and objects in a three-dimensional space based on their smell and hearing.
That's true, however there is no mention of the trunk in the mechanical parts of the text. This implicates that RAW the trunk can't be used for anything other than smelling and breathing (like a regular nose). I think what RaygunGoth is saying is that they'd prefer the Loxodon to be able to use their trunk mechanically for something (like grabbing an item or something) beyond what a regular person can do.
Disappointed at the Simic Hybrids. I was really hoping they had added a race-blending system, even if it was just "here are 12 different half-race templates. Pick two. Also, some templates are animals. Spend a feat to pick another template, as many as you want, as long as you have the feats to spare. Because Simic."
I'll second some confusion as to what we're supposed to make of the Loxodon trunk: the lore section implies it functions as a third arm which can "lift and carry even heavy objects" and are "capable of even delicate manipulation" as well as being able to be used to eat, drink and breathe. It's hard to read that and then argue that the trunk can't be used to wield a weapon or shield. Can a Loxodon use their trunk to pick a lock or pick a pocket? Can it make unarmed strikes, grapple? How long is the trunk, as is relevant to the "snorkel" ability? Need some crunch here.
And it's odd they don't have a strength bonus. Look up "Loxodon" images and all you see are these guys in heavy armor swinging warhammers the size of engine blocks.
Prehensile Trunk. Your trunk functions as a third hand for most purposes, but cannot be used to use a shield or wield a weapon unless that weapon has the light property. Its uses include, but are not limited to: retrieving a stowed item, drinking a potion, reloading a weapon with the load property, making an unarmed attack, picking a lock or picking a pocket. Your trunk is about 4 feet long. You can eat, breathe, and drink through your trunk, so you can use it as a snorkel, allowing you to breathe even under water as long as you're 4 feet or less from the surface.
Any reason this would cause issues? Does this seem like the intent of the article? This is what I'd feel comfortable telling my players. The "light weapons only" is my compromise: you don't see any art of Loxodon's using their trunks to wield weapons, but it's hard to see why they couldn't, except from a balance perspective.
Short version: Loxodons pretty close, Semic pretty far away from done, Vedalken freakin smashed it, and Viashino a pinprick away from being done.
Loxodon These guys are pretty well put together but I think that there are some key traits missing. Powerful buildis just a half measure and really needs to be stepped up to large Natural armour feels off, in the MtG game they aren't harder to kill for any other reason other than they are huge, they are massive beasts not tough guys, same with them in the lore.
Suggestions Replace Powerfulbuild with large, this gives them reach and makes them feel like what they are, they aren't goliaths with some different traits, they won't fit certain places, they are huge and that is the kind of person that will want to play them. PonderousThis will help balance the next fix but they should have slow movement these shouldn't be people who are agile dodgy ninjas they are methodical people who think things out and their bodies act in a similar manner. Hardy+8 hit points the number of hit points they gain can vary but it shouldn't be AC but hit points, you can hit them just fine you just can't stop them they are Relentless.
Simic Hybrid These guys are a mess, sorry guys. They feel more like build your own brand new monster with Simic TM with their new toy deal from Mattel, you can have karate chop arms or gliding wings, but what you can't have is a dark sense of morbid role-playing potential with something that is honestly really messed up a sentient being created for the sole purpose of serving a guild.
Ability ScoreIncreaseWhat is happening the most adaptable creatures ever made and they have a fixed ability score increase? Animal Enhancement I feel that this was a good direction but doesn't hit the mark at all, these are all just sub-par abilities from different races knocked down a peg.
Suggestions Min-Maxers should look at these guys and need some alone time, they should be the min-maxers dream, filled with weird abilities which seem not so great but people can have great use for them. Ability ScoreIncreaseShould be as flexible as humans or at least human variants. Unnatural ability Rather than an animal enhancement though biological enhancements slapping them with merely the animal label limits the flexibility of what you can do with the ability. Abilities such as magic absorption, ever you become the target of a magical attack something X. That was a huge feature of theirs in MtG. Alien Mind nothing can read your thoughts as your thoughts are too incomprehensible to understand. Perfect recall you can recall whatever you have seen with perfect clarity. Magical storage another character (but not yourself) may regain a spell as if they have had a short rest by dealing 1D6 points of damage to you. There are hundreds of ways to go. Burden of Awareness There should be some downside to being one of these guys you're a sentient creature designed for a purpose. You could be a day old and expected to try and outsmart one of the oldest living creatures in existence. Why? because that is what you are made for, your here to draft battle plans now dance monkey dance. This has limitless role play potential and it isn't anywhere in these characters backstories, they guys are Warforged turned up to 11.
Vedalken Freakin nailed it! These guys are exactly what you expect somewhat overpowered atm but I think that is fine.
Tireless Precision is what makes me believe you get these guys. Vedalken Dispassionis completely op but I think that is okay they don't have a lot things so what they do have they do well.
Suggestions Tireless Precision Remove slight of hand it suggests unlawfulness, and remove performance for balance sake and knock that d4 to d6 as it feels better to roll and it makes more of an impact, tighter more constrained choices gives them a bigger bonus otherwise these are bound to be the greatest bards of all time ever, which I feel isn't what you guys were going for.
Viashino I want to be a monk but I can't commit, the race.
I think you guys did really well on these but I think they need a trait that reflects their passion, but other than Wiry Frame I wouldn't take anything away from them
Overall I think they did really well but I just feel that the Loxodon is just like we don't want them to be toooooo different so. No they are really different so make them really different. And with the semic guys I think there is a rich vien there you never tapped. But I think with the other two you really nailed it.
Luxodon won't be large. Mr. Crawford made it explicitly clear that there won't be official playable races of a different size than Small or Medium.
Speed could drop to 25ft (and ppossibly like dwarves not be lowered by heavy armour) for the whole lumbering brute idea, I like that.
Luxodon bravery is fine and flavorful.
I agree with natural armor, but since they have such a thick hide it doesn't feel that far off to me. I don't know the lore of MtG but it seems fine to me mechanically. Having a +1 HP per level (like Mountain Dwarves) would work just as well (maybe better) if you ask me.
The simic hybrids I really don't get. I like the idea that they're built "robust" (hence the con increase) otherwise they would not survive the experimentation or something. I do believe that there should be other abilities available but I think that's a given. This race is pretty much defined by the ability to have dozens of variations, so all those need to be feasable. Basically, I feel that there should be an enhancement that would work for any class (with overlap of course, melee fighters and barbarians would want the same enhancements). Some of the enhancements are more flavor than true powerful which is fine. If every ability would be balanced for power that would lose the flavor of the race (plus it'd be really really difficult) and if every ability would be fluff people would whine that they are too weak. But it definitly needs more abilities. The race should probably (if I'm correct) shout mongrelfolk]/Dr Moreau. Right now it doesn't to me, which is a shame but could be easily fixed by adding more abilities. Personally I think that it would be better to have the option to take 2 weak ones at lvl one (since you're quite literally built with various parts rather than grow them) which might "evolve" at lvl 5+ (like claws that start at a climbing speed but later also can burrow or used as an attack) but that would be difficult to balance. Not impossible, but difficult.
The Vedalken are great at first glance, but I really don't like the advantage to 3 saving throws idea. It just feels way too powerful to me. Perhaps if its a short rest fueled ability that allows to get advantage to any of those saving throws or perhaps even a sort of Legendary Resistance kinda trait that you can choose to succeed at a single roll after you've failed would be better in my opinion.
The Lizardfolk... I mean... Viashino, are odd to me... Why design an entire race that practically already exists in some form? Reskin (lol) the Lizardfolk and you're done. Change Cunning Artisan and Hold Breath (Viashino seem like desert lizards, so why would they need that?) into Wiry Frame (probably even more powerful than those abilities) and make Hungry Jaw "Frenzy of the Viashino", using either their bite or their tail to make the attack and done. As its own thing, I guess it's fine it just seems unnecessary.
Luxodon won't be large. Mr. Crawford made it explicitly clear that there won't be official playable races of a different size than Small or Medium. ...
Then they just plain old shouldn't include them, it doesn't make sense, if you want to play a loxodon you want to play a loxodon, you don't want to play a tall dwarf. Just try and imagine such a creature on a medium size base. It doesn't make a lick of sense. If your unwilling to have it as a part of your design, don't include it, they haven't included every other race that is in Ravnica, they don't need to.
But yeah the mountain dwarf thing seems good but it really should be that but on steroids, but only if they are large and if they can't do that don't bother honestly.
The simic hybrids I really don't get. .... The race should probably (if I'm correct) shout mongrelfolk]/Dr Moreau. ...
The Simic is closer to altered carbon in their ability to manipulate genetics, than Dr Moreau, I think a lot of people on the design team aren't working of the lore already there the Simic will alter themselves or create things and when I say things I mean things Simic Skyswallower and Simic Mantarays are the things they are most known for. These are creatures and I underline that creatures that are highly resistant to magic or aided by it. So if you target it, it gets a permanent bonus. The Simic don't make hybrid things and hope for the best they create specially designed creatures that are designed for a single purpose. They almost took over Ravnica once though a whole criminal business plan, where they aided amputees for free and then promised high-grade prosthetics to the clients that paid. Then they unleashed their 'ultimate creation' that absorbed all of those biological limb replacements into itself in order to destroy the other guilds. These aren't slapdash creations they are meticulously designed creatures with a purpose in mind. So all of their biological aids quiet slick, not sup-par.
The Lizardfolk... I mean... Viashino, are odd to me... Why design an entire race that practically already exists in some form?
The Viashino are to flightless birds as Lizardmen are to Monitors.
They are so different in flavour to Lizardmen that they may as well be a separate species, they passionate, full of lustre, ready to integrate into society, and have a completely different way of fighting. They are more raptor than Lizardmens crocodile.
I hope all that helped from someone with MtG lore knowledge.
Thanks for the clarifications. There are many reasons for game balance why there won't be large races. If Loxodons being medium is a reason to not include them in your game, that's fine nobody is forcing you. :) Note that Goliaths (Half-giants) are up to 8 ft tall, same as Loxodons according to this lore. 8 ft is pretty damn impressive. Large creatures have too much of a game mechanical impact to be playable characters. They want to include the Loxodon because they (obviously) have a following. This is the way they can do that without breaking their own game. I honestly hope they never ever break this rule in order to keep the game balanced.
I get that they're big, I mean they're half elephant they should be. However, a quick google search for Loxodon only provides pictures of them alone, so it's difficult to compare. I saw one picture on which a really huge loxodon was visible behind a human, but this one also had 4 arms so that's not a 'standard' Loxodon. (i believe it was an "instructor"). I can't find any place that specifically mentions their size other than that they are "large elephant humanoids". So I think they're fine being tall but medium like the Goliaths are.
Also, that mini that you shared happens to be a bugbear and guess their canon size? "Between 6 and 8 feet tall". I guess 8ft is the absolute limit they'll make playable races (though I might be wrong there)
Thanks on the info on the Simic. So it's much less moreau-ish yet still I'd think they'd benefit from more varied traits
I get that lore-wise the Vishino are very different from Lizardfolk. However like you said, there are no references to their passion and emotional lore in their mechanics, which is a shame. If one would change the lizardfolk Cunning Artisan and Hold Breath in something that would suit the Vishino Lore I think that would be a perfect fit. I get that they might be different enough in their ancestry to warrant a race of their own instead of a Lizardfolk "variant" but then again, look at the Tiefling and all the variants they get. I dunno it just seems like something that could be done in a simpler more elegant way.
A reminder this is the smallest of them it is five times as wide as human, a miniature comparison would be https://i0.wp.com/www.daniel-pietschmann.de/rpg/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/08/Blood-War-29-Blood-of-Vol-Cultist-05.jpg And as you can see he damn near takes up the whole base. His hand is bigger than their chest. Are you getting what I am telling you Jerry?! It's huge! That is the smallest one, its a mage... That is the smallest the loxodon get, that is the most stooped over the smallest in power and toughness one there is.
I cannot underestimate their size, that is like minimum size for a loxodon. Not standard, not below average, stooped over dying old man mage shrinking into oblivion old man mage. I am telling you dude, trust me when I say someone who played magic before there was Ravnica, they are massive.
I don't care if it is in my game or not I have my own game, but trust me when I say from a lore perspective, from the books, from the card, from the mechanics, and from the art. They are large creatures. Trying to fit them onto a medium sized creature base is like saying yeah ancient dragons I can see how they are large creatures.
I guess because I don't know the original lore it's less bothersome for me to see them as really big medium creatures but I get where you're coming from. For the sake of game mechanics I believe it's a good choice to not have any large playable races, so the choice is either to have them Large and not playable or medium and playable.
Please do note that 5E (unlike 4E) actually was created without miniatures in mind. Playing on a grid is a variant in the rules yes, but not the base assumption that everybody uses it. I mean, look at critical role or dice camera action or many (if not all) of the "official" streams; no mini's it's all mind's eye theatre. So they honestly don't care (I guess) about if and how a loxodon mini would look like.
I agree with natural armor, but since they have such a thick hide it doesn't feel that far off to me. I don't know the lore of MtG but it seems fine to me mechanically. Having a +1 HP per level (like Mountain Dwarves) would work just as well (maybe better) if you ask me
I think the 13 + Dex natural armor is likely to lead to a lot of high-dex elephant rogues, which seems... off.
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I know this just got announced, but how long does it typically take for it to appear on dndbeyond? :)
One week, i.e. next Monday.
I've been scanning them so far, they look pretty cool. I did notice something though; I google searched the Vedalken (I don't know anything about MtG so I had no idea) and noticed that a lot of really cool and notable art featured Vedalken having either 6 fingers on their hands and/or having 4 arms. Nothing in the UA mentions this, was that on purpose? It seems like a very cool feature that could be used for other multi-limbed races as well.
I find it mostly odd because the Cimic Hybrid (also, pretty cool) does have a feature that allows for multi-limbs (Grappling Appendages) where the Vedalken does not. Again, I don't know anything about Ravnica lore, but maybe using subraces you could have a multi-limbed Vedalken and a regular one? Or is it akin to the whole "large centaur"-debate where there are 4-limbed Vedalken in the world, but they are just not a playable race?
I'm going to dive deeper in the races, as they seem to be pretty cool, and analyze them from a mechanical point of view. I was just wondering about this.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the four-armed Vedalken may have some connection with the Simic Combine. It's worth noting that the Simic Combine is a guild while Vedalken are a race. WotC just complicated things a bit by also presenting a Simic Hybrid race. That is to say, you might play a character whose base race was Vedalken before being transformed into a hybrid by the Simic Combine.
The four-armed Vedalken are from Mirrodin, and the mutation is caused by exposure to mycosynth vapor.
So, after reading through, I have some thoughts.
Loxodon:
Dump the bravery feature. Replace it with a feature that lets them manipulate an item in their trunk, even something like a wand, or drink a potion while carrying a greatsword. Other alternatives: the ability to silently communicate with other Loxodon using subvocal frequencies, ability to locate items and objects in a three-dimensional space based on their smell and hearing.
Simic Hybrid:
Changed the acid spit to an attack roll to increase player interactivity.
Give them another set of choices at 1st level, so you're not waiting until tier 2 for something other than a mobility enhancement. Preferably a skill or something that makes the player want to engage it.
Cytoplast: You have a cytoplast, a symbiotic chunk of flesh that cannot be removed. Choose one of the following abilities. Once you use it, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fear Ganglia - You gain advantage on a Perception roll.
Manipulator - You can cast Command once.
Booster - You roll 1d4 and add that as damage to one of your attacks that hits this round.
Licid - Your cytoplast is a bit more self-aware than most, and can roll one Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based skill roll as an action while you are doing something else.
Vedalken:
Hoo boy it's like... human+.
Dump the insane advantage on three different saving throws. I like abilities that give more interaction. An example! I pulled this out of my butt so it's not great
Scry 1: When faced with a binary choice, such as left or right, up or down, heads or tails, you can decide which is the correct outcome. Essentially, you "know" which of the two options given is the correct one for what you want to accomplish. Alternatively, you can take advantage on any one saving throw. You can't use this ability again until you have finished a short or long rest.
Viashino:
Having loved these guys since Mirage (my Viashino Warrior deck never won a game but I loved it to death), I feel like there's a lot of room to grow here. The issue I have is that these guys seem like you could just scratch out the name "Tabaxi" on that other race, and write in "Viashino" and do just fine.
I may be wrong, but I think that the usability of the trunk is implied in the "Lumbering Giants" section. That is, I think they already allow that. So we get both, which is good.
That's true, however there is no mention of the trunk in the mechanical parts of the text. This implicates that RAW the trunk can't be used for anything other than smelling and breathing (like a regular nose). I think what RaygunGoth is saying is that they'd prefer the Loxodon to be able to use their trunk mechanically for something (like grabbing an item or something) beyond what a regular person can do.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
Disappointed at the Simic Hybrids. I was really hoping they had added a race-blending system, even if it was just "here are 12 different half-race templates. Pick two. Also, some templates are animals. Spend a feat to pick another template, as many as you want, as long as you have the feats to spare. Because Simic."
I'll second some confusion as to what we're supposed to make of the Loxodon trunk: the lore section implies it functions as a third arm which can "lift and carry even heavy objects" and are "capable of even delicate manipulation" as well as being able to be used to eat, drink and breathe. It's hard to read that and then argue that the trunk can't be used to wield a weapon or shield. Can a Loxodon use their trunk to pick a lock or pick a pocket? Can it make unarmed strikes, grapple? How long is the trunk, as is relevant to the "snorkel" ability? Need some crunch here.
And it's odd they don't have a strength bonus. Look up "Loxodon" images and all you see are these guys in heavy armor swinging warhammers the size of engine blocks.
For the sake of being constructive:
Any reason this would cause issues? Does this seem like the intent of the article? This is what I'd feel comfortable telling my players. The "light weapons only" is my compromise: you don't see any art of Loxodon's using their trunks to wield weapons, but it's hard to see why they couldn't, except from a balance perspective.
Hey, guys hope everyone is doing well.
Short version: Loxodons pretty close, Semic pretty far away from done, Vedalken freakin smashed it, and Viashino a pinprick away from being done.
Loxodon
These guys are pretty well put together but I think that there are some key traits missing.
Powerful build is just a half measure and really needs to be stepped up to large
Natural armour feels off, in the MtG game they aren't harder to kill for any other reason other than they are huge, they are massive beasts not tough guys, same with them in the lore.
Suggestions
Replace Powerful build with large, this gives them reach and makes them feel like what they are, they aren't goliaths with some different traits, they won't fit certain places, they are huge and that is the kind of person that will want to play them.
Ponderous This will help balance the next fix but they should have slow movement these shouldn't be people who are agile dodgy ninjas they are methodical people who think things out and their bodies act in a similar manner.
Hardy +8 hit points the number of hit points they gain can vary but it shouldn't be AC but hit points, you can hit them just fine you just can't stop them they are Relentless.
Simic Hybrid
These guys are a mess, sorry guys. They feel more like build your own brand new monster with Simic TM with their new toy deal from Mattel, you can have karate chop arms or gliding wings, but what you can't have is a dark sense of morbid role-playing potential with something that is honestly really messed up a sentient being created for the sole purpose of serving a guild.
Ability Score Increase What is happening the most adaptable creatures ever made and they have a fixed ability score increase?
Animal Enhancement I feel that this was a good direction but doesn't hit the mark at all, these are all just sub-par abilities from different races knocked down a peg.
Suggestions
Min-Maxers should look at these guys and need some alone time, they should be the min-maxers dream, filled with weird abilities which seem not so great but people can have great use for them.
Ability Score Increase Should be as flexible as humans or at least human variants.
Unnatural ability Rather than an animal enhancement though biological enhancements slapping them with merely the animal label limits the flexibility of what you can do with the ability. Abilities such as magic absorption, ever you become the target of a magical attack something X. That was a huge feature of theirs in MtG. Alien Mind nothing can read your thoughts as your thoughts are too incomprehensible to understand. Perfect recall you can recall whatever you have seen with perfect clarity. Magical storage another character (but not yourself) may regain a spell as if they have had a short rest by dealing 1D6 points of damage to you. There are hundreds of ways to go.
Burden of Awareness There should be some downside to being one of these guys you're a sentient creature designed for a purpose. You could be a day old and expected to try and outsmart one of the oldest living creatures in existence. Why? because that is what you are made for, your here to draft battle plans now dance monkey dance. This has limitless role play potential and it isn't anywhere in these characters backstories, they guys are Warforged turned up to 11.
Vedalken
Freakin nailed it!
These guys are exactly what you expect somewhat overpowered atm but I think that is fine.
Tireless Precision is what makes me believe you get these guys.
Vedalken Dispassion is completely op but I think that is okay they don't have a lot things so what they do have they do well.
Suggestions
Tireless Precision Remove slight of hand it suggests unlawfulness, and remove performance for balance sake and knock that d4 to d6 as it feels better to roll and it makes more of an impact, tighter more constrained choices gives them a bigger bonus otherwise these are bound to be the greatest bards of all time ever, which I feel isn't what you guys were going for.
Viashino
I want to be a monk but I can't commit, the race.
I think you guys did really well on these but I think they need a trait that reflects their passion, but other than Wiry Frame I wouldn't take anything away from them
Overall
I think they did really well but I just feel that the Loxodon is just like we don't want them to be toooooo different so. No they are really different so make them really different. And with the semic guys I think there is a rich vien there you never tapped. But I think with the other two you really nailed it.
Luxodon won't be large. Mr. Crawford made it explicitly clear that there won't be official playable races of a different size than Small or Medium.
Speed could drop to 25ft (and ppossibly like dwarves not be lowered by heavy armour) for the whole lumbering brute idea, I like that.
Luxodon bravery is fine and flavorful.
I agree with natural armor, but since they have such a thick hide it doesn't feel that far off to me. I don't know the lore of MtG but it seems fine to me mechanically. Having a +1 HP per level (like Mountain Dwarves) would work just as well (maybe better) if you ask me.
The simic hybrids I really don't get. I like the idea that they're built "robust" (hence the con increase) otherwise they would not survive the experimentation or something. I do believe that there should be other abilities available but I think that's a given. This race is pretty much defined by the ability to have dozens of variations, so all those need to be feasable. Basically, I feel that there should be an enhancement that would work for any class (with overlap of course, melee fighters and barbarians would want the same enhancements). Some of the enhancements are more flavor than true powerful which is fine. If every ability would be balanced for power that would lose the flavor of the race (plus it'd be really really difficult) and if every ability would be fluff people would whine that they are too weak. But it definitly needs more abilities. The race should probably (if I'm correct) shout mongrelfolk]/Dr Moreau. Right now it doesn't to me, which is a shame but could be easily fixed by adding more abilities. Personally I think that it would be better to have the option to take 2 weak ones at lvl one (since you're quite literally built with various parts rather than grow them) which might "evolve" at lvl 5+ (like claws that start at a climbing speed but later also can burrow or used as an attack) but that would be difficult to balance. Not impossible, but difficult.
The Vedalken are great at first glance, but I really don't like the advantage to 3 saving throws idea. It just feels way too powerful to me. Perhaps if its a short rest fueled ability that allows to get advantage to any of those saving throws or perhaps even a sort of Legendary Resistance kinda trait that you can choose to succeed at a single roll after you've failed would be better in my opinion.
The Lizardfolk... I mean... Viashino, are odd to me... Why design an entire race that practically already exists in some form? Reskin (lol) the Lizardfolk and you're done. Change Cunning Artisan and Hold Breath (Viashino seem like desert lizards, so why would they need that?) into Wiry Frame (probably even more powerful than those abilities) and make Hungry Jaw "Frenzy of the Viashino", using either their bite or their tail to make the attack and done. As its own thing, I guess it's fine it just seems unnecessary.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
Then they just plain old shouldn't include them, it doesn't make sense, if you want to play a loxodon you want to play a loxodon, you don't want to play a tall dwarf. Just try and imagine such a creature on a medium size base. It doesn't make a lick of sense. If your unwilling to have it as a part of your design, don't include it, they haven't included every other race that is in Ravnica, they don't need to.
But yeah the mountain dwarf thing seems good but it really should be that but on steroids, but only if they are large and if they can't do that don't bother honestly.
Like here is the biggest mini I have seen them fit on a medium base
https://res.cloudinary.com/csicdn/image/upload/c_pad,fl_lossy,h_350,q_auto,w_350/v1/Images/Products/Misc Art/Dungeons and Dragons/full/UNH48.jpg
A loxodon is at least three time the size of him. Come on, no large ever doesn't make sense.
The Simic is closer to altered carbon in their ability to manipulate genetics, than Dr Moreau, I think a lot of people on the design team aren't working of the lore already there the Simic will alter themselves or create things and when I say things I mean things Simic Skyswallower and Simic Mantarays are the things they are most known for. These are creatures and I underline that creatures that are highly resistant to magic or aided by it. So if you target it, it gets a permanent bonus.
The Simic don't make hybrid things and hope for the best they create specially designed creatures that are designed for a single purpose. They almost took over Ravnica once though a whole criminal business plan, where they aided amputees for free and then promised high-grade prosthetics to the clients that paid. Then they unleashed their 'ultimate creation' that absorbed all of those biological limb replacements into itself in order to destroy the other guilds. These aren't slapdash creations they are meticulously designed creatures with a purpose in mind. So all of their biological aids quiet slick, not sup-par.
The Viashino are to flightless birds as Lizardmen are to Monitors.
They are so different in flavour to Lizardmen that they may as well be a separate species, they passionate, full of lustre, ready to integrate into society, and have a completely different way of fighting. They are more raptor than Lizardmens crocodile.
I hope all that helped from someone with MtG lore knowledge.
Thanks for the clarifications. There are many reasons for game balance why there won't be large races. If Loxodons being medium is a reason to not include them in your game, that's fine nobody is forcing you. :) Note that Goliaths (Half-giants) are up to 8 ft tall, same as Loxodons according to this lore. 8 ft is pretty damn impressive. Large creatures have too much of a game mechanical impact to be playable characters. They want to include the Loxodon because they (obviously) have a following. This is the way they can do that without breaking their own game. I honestly hope they never ever break this rule in order to keep the game balanced.
I get that they're big, I mean they're half elephant they should be. However, a quick google search for Loxodon only provides pictures of them alone, so it's difficult to compare. I saw one picture on which a really huge loxodon was visible behind a human, but this one also had 4 arms so that's not a 'standard' Loxodon. (i believe it was an "instructor"). I can't find any place that specifically mentions their size other than that they are "large elephant humanoids". So I think they're fine being tall but medium like the Goliaths are.
Also, that mini that you shared happens to be a bugbear and guess their canon size? "Between 6 and 8 feet tall". I guess 8ft is the absolute limit they'll make playable races (though I might be wrong there)
Thanks on the info on the Simic. So it's much less moreau-ish yet still I'd think they'd benefit from more varied traits
I get that lore-wise the Vishino are very different from Lizardfolk. However like you said, there are no references to their passion and emotional lore in their mechanics, which is a shame. If one would change the lizardfolk Cunning Artisan and Hold Breath in something that would suit the Vishino Lore I think that would be a perfect fit. I get that they might be different enough in their ancestry to warrant a race of their own instead of a Lizardfolk "variant" but then again, look at the Tiefling and all the variants they get. I dunno it just seems like something that could be done in a simpler more elegant way.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
Its not about including them in my game I have this miniature which is the Goliath
https://www.miniaturemarket.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/D/D/DDPHB18.jpg
As you can see it is significantly smaller than the bugbear. The problem isn't height it is the width like I said the bugbear barely fits on the thing and it massive. Their not half elephants they are elephant people, http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=96865 that is a comparative size difference this is a 'weak and nonbuff' loxodon. The smallest they get. https://cdn.pucatrade.com/cards/crops/sm/6703.jpg
A reminder this is the smallest of them it is five times as wide as human, a miniature comparison would be https://i0.wp.com/www.daniel-pietschmann.de/rpg/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/08/Blood-War-29-Blood-of-Vol-Cultist-05.jpg
And as you can see he damn near takes up the whole base. His hand is bigger than their chest. Are you getting what I am telling you Jerry?! It's huge! That is the smallest one, its a mage... That is the smallest the loxodon get, that is the most stooped over the smallest in power and toughness one there is.
I cannot underestimate their size, that is like minimum size for a loxodon. Not standard, not below average, stooped over dying old man mage shrinking into oblivion old man mage. I am telling you dude, trust me when I say someone who played magic before there was Ravnica, they are massive.
I don't care if it is in my game or not I have my own game, but trust me when I say from a lore perspective, from the books, from the card, from the mechanics, and from the art. They are large creatures. Trying to fit them onto a medium sized creature base is like saying yeah ancient dragons I can see how they are large creatures.
They are large, that is all I am saying.
Please do note that 5E (unlike 4E) actually was created without miniatures in mind. Playing on a grid is a variant in the rules yes, but not the base assumption that everybody uses it. I mean, look at critical role or dice camera action or many (if not all) of the "official" streams; no mini's it's all mind's eye theatre. So they honestly don't care (I guess) about if and how a loxodon mini would look like.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
I think the 13 + Dex natural armor is likely to lead to a lot of high-dex elephant rogues, which seems... off.