D&D 5E I'd like to know the thinking behind this....

[DMZ2112]

I just think it is because someone is a fan of Tieflings. But I agree with you, as the default setting is FR, both the Tieflings and Aasimar should have been included or held until PlaneScape.

Forgotten Realms is not the default setting of D&D5.

I would venture a guess to say they put tieflings in there because they are popular, and they excluded Aasimar because they are not.

This. Aasimar weren't even a particularly great idea when they were introduced to Planescape 20 years ago. Tieflings were in the core boxed set because it made sense to have a race of street urchins running around Sigil who were descended from (relatively frequent) fiendish interference. That same logic never applied to aasimar, who are descended from planar beings who are not intrinsically lustful and who aren't likely to abandon their children.

Still, I think what they ought to have done is made the D&D5 race "planetouched" and provided enough subraces to cover tieflings, aasimar, and genasi, because if you do that you just might pull together enough individuals to consider "planetouched" a category of people. Standing alone the "races" never made any sense, even with D&D4's tacked on backstories.

Sigh. In truth, I regret the D&D5 tiefling and am in no hurry to see other Planescape-derived races show up in the rules. D&D4 savaged what were originally some interesting optional rules to create core material that obeyed the "rule of cool."

 

[Vic Ferrari]

Forgotten Realms is not the default setting of D&D5.



This. Aasimar weren't even a particularly great idea when they were introduced to Planescape 20 years ago. Tieflings were in the core boxed set because it made sense to have a race of street urchins running around Sigil who were descended from (relatively frequent) fiendish interference. That same logic never applied to aasimar, who are descended from planar beings who are not intrinsically lustful and who aren't likely to abandon their children.

Still, I think what they ought to have done is made the D&D5 race "planetouched" and provided enough subraces to cover tieflings, aasimar, and genasi, because if you do that you just might pull together enough individuals to consider "planetouched" a category of people. Standing alone the "races" never made any sense, even with D&D4's tacked on backstories.

Sigh. In truth, I regret the D&D5 tiefling and am in no hurry to see other Planescape-derived races show up in the rules. D&D4 savaged what were originally some interesting optional rules to create core material that obeyed the "rule of cool."

Yeah, not into people commenting on FR, when no knowledge thereof, kind of gross.

 

[sgtscott658]

Totally agree here, But my best advise to the OP is just rule zero the Tieflings out of his campaign. In my campaign, I rule zero'ed out both tieflings and dragonborne because I felt they were not appropriate for my own campaign.

I just think it is because someone is a fan of Tieflings. But I agree with you, as the default setting is FR, both the Tieflings and Aasimar should have been included or held until PlaneScape.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Has nothing to do with popularity.

Dragonborn and Tieflings were going to be in the book no matter what. The two races were given entirely new stories and the Realms itself was changed in order to shoehorn them in. In almost every poll on the internet that was around when 4th edition was out, tieflings were near the bottom of the list.

I hope everyone understands that popularity didn't fully build this edition.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Forgotten Realms is not the default setting

Oh really?

You got a quote on that because the way I see it, Forgotten Realms is the default setting.

The PHB gives makes references to FR gods and even the various humans from the different areas of the Realms. Hoarde of the Dragon Queen is set in the Forgottem Realms if I am not mistaken.

 

[CM]

Early on we were promised that all races which appeared in the PHBs of the past editions would appear in the 5e PHB. They kept that promise, so that's why tieflings are present. Aasimar never appeared in a PHB, so they got trimmed.

5e's PHB already has more races (and subraces) than any previous PHB, so I'm not going to claim there's any lack of diversity there.

 

[SilverfireSage]

Oh really?

You got a quote on that because the way I see it, Forgotten Realms is the default setting.

The PHB gives makes references to FR gods and even the various humans from the different areas of the Realms. Hoarde of the Dragon Queen is set in the Forgottem Realms if I am not mistaken.

While it makes sense that FR is the default setting, there's nothing in the PHB to indicate that. They never strictly make references to only one scenario's Gods, and frequently give examples of various different settings. Dragonlance, for instance, is referenced numerous times, as well as Ravenloft, and the same is true for the Monster Manual.

 

[the Jester]

...I'm looking through and I have no ****ing clue what the thinking was being putting some of this stuff in and taking some of it out in the PHB.

From the very earliest days after announcing 5e was under development, the designers stated over and over again that they intended to include everything from a PH1 in the 5e PH. Thus, necromancers, tieflings, dragonborn, etc.

 

[Sailor Moon]

While it makes sense that FR is the default setting, there's nothing in the PHB to indicate that. They never strictly make references to only one scenario's Gods, and frequently give examples of various different settings. Dragonlance, for instance, is referenced numerous times, as well as Ravenloft, and the same is true for the Monster Manual.

While other settings get a mention, FR gets a lot more than that.

 

[SilverfireSage]

While other settings get a mention, FR gets a lot more than that.

Like the adventure? That's essentially the only thing that FR gets over everything else, and that's likely because it's the most well known campaign setting. For instance, under the Knowledge Domain, they list Oghma (FR), Boccob (Greyhawk), Gliean (Dragonlance), Aureon (Eberron), and Thoth (Egyptian). That's a pretty good spread, and nothing specifically FR leaning.