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

[QuietBrowser]

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.

As [MENTION=1727]kobold[/MENTION]Avenger said, Mystara gave us the Lupins race way back in 1st edition, a race of wolf-folk divided (by the time of 3.5) into faux-French swashbucklers, Amerindian wolf-riding tribals, and nomadic clans. They're the only vaguely canid race beyond kitsune in Oriental Adventures that I'm aware of D&D ever having, excepting gnolls.


Unfortunately, lupins are pretty obscure these days, so as much as I'd love to see them and the gnolls both get PC writeups - 5e really doubled down on the evil aspects compared to 4e, which I oppose - I don't know if we'll ever get them.


Unless you count werewolf shifters, of course. But I don't.

 

[Charles Rampant]

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.

Great observations here. I'm probably going to put together a sheet for my groups listing where all of the options are (starting to get spread out, even if there isn't that many of them) and you've made it obvious how I would give super quick descriptions of each race that explains "why would you want to play this race?"

 

[gyor]

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.

If this edition ends this soon, that's it, D&D is done, no 6th edition.

 

[gyor]

I'm glad Yuan Ti Purebloods are in, they were playable in Neverwinter Nights 2 last expansion.

I will note I don't think this list includes the table of races we heard about.

But its a nice list. My only disappoint is no Gith. Maybe they will be on the table.

 

[gyor]

As long as aasimar, orcs, kobolds, and the goblinoids were there, I was going to be happy with the list. As they are, I'm perfectly fine with this line-up. As others have said, the yuan-ti pureblood is an interesting added bonus I don't think any of us foresaw...

I did, just saying. With the major focus on Yaun Ti in the book, I thought it had to either be Purebloods or House Exterminos.

 

[Charles Rampant]

But its a nice list. My only disappoint is no Gith. Maybe they will be on the table.

The logical assumption would be that Gith would join the Thri-Kreen in the Psionics update, which with a class and those three races would take up, what, 20-30 pages? It is eminently possible that we'll get that as soon as an adventure is even vaguely appropriate for psionics.

 

[Parmandur]

The logical assumption would be that Gith would join the Thri-Kreen in the Psionics update, which with a class and those three races would take up, what, 20-30 pages? It is eminently possible that we'll get that as soon as an adventure is even vaguely appropriate for psionics.

Not nearly that much space needed; 4-6 pages needed for Gith and Thri-Kreen (depends on if Gith are subraces or seperste races...), and I would think maybe the Warlock would be a good comparison for the Mystic, page count wise.

 

[Charles Rampant]

But remember that the Warlock has page upon page of spells. I included some 'spell space' to account for the likelihood of at least something along those lines.

 

[gyor]

The logical assumption would be that Gith would join the Thri-Kreen in the Psionics update, which with a class and those three races would take up, what, 20-30 pages? It is eminently possible that we'll get that as soon as an adventure is even vaguely appropriate for psionics.

Thri Kreen and Giths might be on the table we heard about.

 

[gyor]

I noticed in another screen shot that two interesting tables were listed, Angellic Guide Names and Angellic Guide Natures, interesting.

So do you fellow forumites think Angellic Guide is obviously something for the Assimar and has me excited.