D&D 5E Player Races in Upcoming Volo's Guide to Monsters

[Parmandur]

So, yikes, the whole Volo's Guide thread got eaten.

So, in the Extra Life marathon session this weekends, Stan! played a Tabaxi monk, a cat person race from the new Volo's Guide coming this November. He stated that there is a whole chapter for player material, with maybe a half dozen detailed races, maybe more (he seemed fuzzy on the number when pushed) and a table with many more briefly sketched with quick rules (this is about 7 hours into the marathon). He names Tritons, Kenku and Tabaxi as detailed races.

So, we have 7 confirmed races in the book from all sources so far:

-Aasimir
-Goblins
-Orcs
-Kenku
-Tavaxi
-Tritons
-Firbolg

This is just over the half dozen mark, so that may represent all the detailed races in the book, maybe one or two more (Thri-Kreen seem likely, based on the race survey from last year).

In addition, they have posted some art from the book, which is super funky.

 

[Greenmtn]

Hoping for Gith.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Cave fisher, flail snail, and flumph. Might as well go full on LSD Xanth up in here.

But no gnolls! Because their history got changed at some point in D&Ds history to make them demonic or something..... smh

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I only know what 2 of the creatures from the preview are with Kirin and Flail Snail being the ones I can identify. One of the previewed creatures might be some type of beholder kin like the Observer but I don't think it's that one. The 4th I don't know what it could be, maybe a Mongrelfolk.

 

[Corwin]

They really should've just called it "Fiend Folio"...

 

[RulesJD]

People really need to start differentiating between "races" and "playable" races. Because many on that list of yours have been confirmed as being IN the guide as races, but NOT as playable races.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Excited about the Goblins and Aasimars. Kenku could be cool, too, depending on how they’re implemented.

I’ve got mixed feelings on Orcs as a playable race…how do you do them in a way that doesn’t infringe on the Half-Orc’s niche?

The Flail Snail! I will always cheer for Fiend Folio-sourced beasties.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

the whole orc thing is weird, because it's always seemed to me that the half-orc exists to let us play orcs without making orcs not evil, but now it's more normal to want to play an actual orc, bc Warcraft and Elder Scrolls. And orcs aren't auto evil anymore, which I like. But unlike the halfelf, orcs and half orcs aren't all that distinct.

Then again, I'm 100% fine with niche overlap in races. I just don't see why they had to take up a full race writeup worth of page space for Orcs, when there are other races that ppl want that aren't basically the same thing as what is already there.

Like, take another crack at the concepts behind the Wilden, guys? I want a being that is made of nature, without all the weird baggage of a dryad.

Or, Satyrs, Centaurs, Pixies, Quicklings, etc.

Don't care about hobgoblins at all, but do we know if the book includes bugbears? Bugbears are cool. In my homebrew dnd setting, they are the naturey tree dwelling race, while elves take the place normally held by humans. (ie, they have a ton of different cultures, are present in most nations, and are the most prevalent race in many regions. Humans kinda stand alongside elves, though, and half-elves are common enough
that many ppl don't make a distinction between the three)

I just hope that flinds make it in, so I don't have to homebrew gnolls. I got enough work to do, especially since so much of the stuff I hadn't developed beyond forum discussions is gone now.

 

[Parmandur]

People really need to start differentiating between "races" and "playable" races. Because many on that list of yours have been confirmed as being IN the guide as races, but NOT as playable races.

Well, the Orc, Goblin, Firbolg, Triton, Kenku and Tabaxi are confirmed playable; while it is true the Aasamir was only confirmed to be in the book, I'll bet on them being playable.

 

[Parmandur]

Cave fisher, flail snail, and flumph. Might as well go full on LSD Xanth up in here.



But no gnolls! Because their history got changed at some point in D&Ds history to make them demonic or something..... smh

Well, we know the Gnolls get fleshed out in the "Culture" section of the book, but per Mearls are not one of the PC races. However, I would bet they are on the table of "quick rules" races, which I imagine will be much like the quick NPC race table in the DMG.