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

[Parmandur]

Looking more at it, I do like the mix of races given. As I said in my earlier post, it hit the big requests of aasimar and the main monstrous humanoid races. Then it started to check certain boxes for people to play. Bigger than normal races? Check, twice. Bird race - without the whole flight issue? Check. Lizard race? Check. Cat race? Check. Fish race? Check. Snake race? Check. Honestly, the only thing missing is a dog race (i.e. gnolls), and given the outcry over them not appearing in the book, I fully expect them in the next book with player options.

Also, anyone up for an all dragonborn, kobold, lizardfolk, and yuan-ti pureblood campaign? It will be reptile-rific!

Yeah, I see a lot of box-checking there, too: frequent requests in the AL games, perhaps?

Yuan-Ti are an interesting choice, given how Gnolls are considered too nasty to play...

 

[aarduini]

Usually when they start letting players play outrages races as characters, it's towards the end of the edition. I hope I'm wrong, but I think we have about another year or two max before 6th edition.

 

[flametitan]

Also, anyone up for an all dragonborn, kobold, lizardfolk, and yuan-ti pureblood campaign? It will be reptile-rific!

That sounds like an amazing time. I may get some cold feet before it'd actually start, though.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Bigger than normal races? Check, twice. Bird race - without the whole flight issue? Check. Lizard race? Check. Cat race? Check. Fish race? Check. Snake race? Check. Honestly, the only thing missing is a dog race (i.e. gnolls), and given the outcry over them not appearing in the book, I fully expect them in the next book with player options.

The most playable canine race in D&D is associated with the Mystara Campaign Setting, so they wouldn't appear in a FR book, without really trying to stretch the reasons why they're there.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Honestly, the only thing missing is a dog race...

Needs to be something more dog or wolf-like than a hyena-based creature. I would have to go digging through past books to find one I think would fit. But being a player of Traveller, I always liked the Vargr race.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Yuan-Ti are an interesting choice, given how Gnolls are considered too nasty to play...

I don't think that Yuan-Ti Purebloods are that nasty, they're generally the 2nd lowest on the Yuan-Ti rung (Tainted Ones being even lower), and there's the example of the good-aligned Couatl Yuan-Ti cult in Eberron which might be a sidebar entry in the book. Even if they're played as evil, they're the more subtle type of evil that wouldn't be as disruptive to many parties.

 

[pukunui]

Usually when they start letting players play outrages races as characters, it's towards the end of the edition. I hope I'm wrong, but I think we have about another year or two max before 6th edition.

Eh? Both 3.5e and 4e let you play monstrous races right from the start! (Both editions included PC stats for various monstrous races in their respective MM1s.)

EDIT: And 2e's Complete Book of Humanoids came out in 1993, a good ~5 years before that edition ended.

So I'd suggest holding onto your horses. It ain't quite the end of the world yet.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Usually when they start letting players play outrages races as characters, it's towards the end of the edition. I hope I'm wrong, but I think we have about another year or two max before 6th edition.

Well, that means this edition started out near the end of the edition, as it allowed for playable drow right from the start!

I think this time they simply said "Screw it" and decided to do this early on, since they know this is always a popular request. I also have little doubt there will be a "ask your DM" disclaimer for these, as well as something on how to properly roleplay a monstrous race and tips for the DM on how to run a campaign with them.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yeah, I see a lot of box-checking there, too: frequent requests in the AL games, perhaps?

Yuan-Ti are an interesting choice, given how Gnolls are considered too nasty to play...

One box unchecked I forgot about is an insect race: thri-kreen, of course. Then I realized that they would be a perfect fit as a player race in the upcoming book that will cover psionics.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Looking more at it, I do like the mix of races given. As I said in my earlier post, it hit the big requests of aasimar and the main monstrous humanoid races. Then it started to check certain boxes for people to play. Bigger than normal races? Check, twice. Bird race - without the whole flight issue? Check. Lizard race? Check. Cat race? Check. Fish race? Check. Snake race? Check. Honestly, the only thing missing is a dog race (i.e. gnolls), and given the outcry over them not appearing in the book, I fully expect them in the next book with player options.

Also, anyone up for an all dragonborn, kobold, lizardfolk, and yuan-ti pureblood campaign? It will be reptile-rific!

Hyena's are closer related to Cats then Dogs.