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

[MechaPilot]

So another question is, what unrevealed races will be given playable status? I assume that hobgoblins and kobolds will as well, given that they are classic D&D humanoids. And since tritons will need someone to adventure with underwater, I assume merfolk will become playable and we'll see aquatic elves detailed in the book.

If I had to guess, I'd say aquatic elves but no merfolk. There's a tendency in creature design to just slap an environmental adjective on an elf instead of doing the actual work of detailing something else.

 

[gyor]

In the podcast, Perkins seemed to be saying Flinds are like other Gnolls, but worse; they and Gnolls might be in the quick rules table, but I doubt other gets a full write-up.

I think what [MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION] may have meant is either Orcs, Tabaxi or another unknown race: savage humanoids, predators.

Possibly, we'll see.

 

[Parmandur]

Possibly, we'll see.

Yeah, who knows. Bit Perkins on Flinds...not promising, he made them sound more demonic, if anything.

 

[QuietBrowser]

If I had to guess, I'd say aquatic elves but no merfolk. There's a tendency in creature design to just slap an environmental adjective on an elf instead of doing the actual work of detailing something else.

In addition, don't forget the classic problem of merfolk, in that they're great for underwater campaigns but damn-near useless at anything else. It's like the centaur PC problem, butmore so; centaurs just have problems fitting into dungeons, traditionally. Merfolk traditionally have utterly abysmal land speed, for the very reasonable rationale that their bodies are made for their aquatic environments; no legs, no real way to get around on the land. Add in the risk of death by dehydration in older editions, and they're really pretty one-note.


That's probably why they're going with tritons. Merfolk-ish, but with legs, so they can still believably get around in land campaigns as well.

 

[MechaPilot]

In addition, don't forget the classic problem of merfolk, in that they're great for underwater campaigns but damn-near useless at anything else. It's like the centaur PC problem, butmore so; centaurs just have problems fitting into dungeons, traditionally. Merfolk traditionally have utterly abysmal land speed, for the very reasonable rationale that their bodies are made for their aquatic environments; no legs, no real way to get around on the land. Add in the risk of death by dehydration in older editions, and they're really pretty one-note.


That's probably why they're going with tritons. Merfolk-ish, but with legs, so they can still believably get around in land campaigns as well.

There are ways around that if they want to use them. I gave my merfolk race a long tail that they can slither on when on land, much like the naga from WoW do.

Similarly, it'd be easy to go all Splash on the situation and give them legs when they're dry.

Both are departures from 100% traditional merfolk myths, but they work.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yeah, who knows. Bit Perkins on Flinds...not promising, he made them sound more demonic, if anything.

So lame. Don't know if anyone else remembers the winning races article for gnolls in 4e that gave them "real" PC race stats, but it was excellent. To come from that to this just...

very disapointing.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

So lame. Don't know if anyone else remembers the winning races article for gnolls in 4e that gave them "real" PC race stats, but it was excellent. To come from that to this just...

very disapointing.

They are very evil and honestly I don't need all evil humanoid races to be be good. Honestly with their current lore it really does not make sense for them to be playable.

Agree or not. But I am not disappointed with it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

They are very evil and honestly I don't need all evil humanoid races to be be good. Honestly with their current lore it really does not make sense for them to be playable.

Agree or not. But I am not disappointed with it.

Good for you.

 

[Demetrios1453]

They are very evil and honestly I don't need all evil humanoid races to be be good. Honestly with their current lore it really does not make sense for them to be playable.

Agree or not. But I am not disappointed with it.

It bothers me - minimally. Would I have liked to see them in? Yes. Am I upset they aren't? No, because it looks like we'll have plenty of other options to choose from that, frankly, have higher priority for me, such as orcs and goblins (not to mention all the choices we have for player races already).

In any case, given the complaints, I would be very surprised if gnolls don't appear in the next book covering playable races...

 

[Parmandur]

They are very evil and honestly I don't need all evil humanoid races to be be good. Honestly with their current lore it really does not make sense for them to be playable.

Agree or not. But I am not disappointed with it.

For myself I am fine with their demonic angle, but they didn't need to rain [MENTION=6704184]doctorbadwolf[/MENTION] and others parades so hard; uncool.