D&D 5E The Fall Of The Dwarves: What Races Do People Actually Play?

What races are people actually playing, and how much of it is Tolkien fantasy as against other stuff?

Fortunately D&D Beyond provides a better source of data than we've ever had. The most recent data from less than a week ago in December 2020 alas does not provide percentages.

1. Human
2. Half-Elf
3. Dragonborn
4. Tiefling
5. Half-Orc

In February 2019, using stats found via this very site:

1. Human
2. Variant Human
3. Half Elf
4. Tiefling
5. Dragonborn
6. Wood Elf
7. High Elf
8. Half-Orc
9. Goliath
10. Mountain Dwarf
11. Lightfoot Halfling
12. Hill Dwarf

Which is a bit of a change from what people were creating in launch month for D&D Beyond (mid 2017)

1. Human
2. Elf
3. Half-Elf
4. Dwarf
5. Tiefling
6. Dragonborn
7. Genasi
8. Halfling
9. Half-Orc
10. Gnome
11. Goliath

The percentages are presented in different ways in 2019 and the launch month, with launch month merging the various subraces. So to compare like with like:

• Wood elves and high elves taken together in the 2019 data are more popular than half-elves (or variant humans)
• Meanwhile if we split the wood elves and high elves from 2017 they are probably both behind tieflings and dragonborn
• Dwarves taken together in 2019 are only just behind dragonborn. They've still fallen from ahead of tieflings and dragonborn to behind them
• Halflings combined in 2019 are neck and neck with half-orcs and ahead of goliaths
• Genasi combined in 2019 are a little behind goliaths and slightly ahead of combined gnomes

Interesting that dwarves have fallen so heavily out of favour - and half orcs have climbed so strongly into favour; I guess there's been a lot of talk here. The thematics of tieflings and dragonborn (entirely unsurprisingly IMO) have made them core races and even the dwarfs are disappearing in favour of half-orcs (which IMO is a surprise).

 

[Tonguez]

Make gnomes tiny.
Forest gnomes (aka pixies) with a flight speed.
Rock gnome, industrious mole people.
House gnome, the brownies with household magic.

I make Gnomes tiny fae imc too, averaging around 1ft tall though they have climb rather than fly and are not pixies. Being tiny climbers helps explain their gadgeteering affinity - they’ve had to use ropes and levers to interact with a human sized world. I also give them spd 30 on the basis that they are nimble and quick (like mice).

I’ve got to admit that the only Halflings I’ve ever liked were the Shadow World Halflings from Birthright who are neutral evil and can use shadow walk, gaseous form, cause fear, mirage and nightmare

I like dwarfs as they are

I think Varric from Dragon Age is my favorite dwarf in fantasy....and he is not a mini viking at all, so I think it would be a great idea for D&D to to move on from The Tolkien Gang and Friends Show as they revise how they look at races in the Game.

Yeah but Varric is a cloudgazer, not a real dwarf at all

 

[Raduin711]

I think dwarves are probably one of the most thoroughly pigeonholed D&D races. I think a lot of it has to do with so much focus placed on their professions (Pick One: Miner, Stonemason, Smith) that it leaves the race feeling a bit one-dimensional.

Another angle I have seen more than once played on dwarves is the fact that they are all apparent alcoholics, and are the race to pick du juor if you want a character that is a shameless drunk.

I think the best portrayals of Dwarves tend to focus more on their associations with clan and politics and honor. The drunk blacksmith trope is sliding into cliche and it's hurting the race as a whole. At least that's my 2 cents.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Another angle I have seen more than once played on dwarves is the fact that they are all apparent alcoholics, and are the race to pick du juor if you want a character that is a shameless drunk.

Yeah, and the whole ''commune with their past by being drunk'' from MToF does not help with that. Its now their sacred communal duty to be drunk!

I love the part in MToF where they explained that the duergars did not drink, because it brought back memories from their enslavement by the mind flayers.

 

[Umbran]

One may think that, but if you search about dragonborn in forums and the like

Forums are not the end-all, be-all of gaming. Heck, forums are not even a representative sample of gamers.

 

[Voadam]

Second to last 5e PC I played was a dwarven Runesmith (nontheistic life cleric), Konrad Marxhammer, nephew to Karlsbad Marxhammer, author of the Little Red Scrolls. I spent all my downtime working for the benefit of the working class proletariat of the Keep on the Borderland.

Communism worked well conceptually in a dwarven LG communal oriented hard working society. It was great fun saying that you do not need gods, anybody can learn life runes by just applying themself and working through a 30-year apprenticeship. Also wielding a warhammer and throwing sickle was fantastic.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Those dwarves will learn a very hard and painful lesson: It is very dangerous the economy of a nation being totally controlled by a little elite group who doesn't worry about to be competitive to avoid a rival company could steal their clients, nor suffering themself the consequences of their actions because we, the rest, pay for the broken plates.

 

[Zardnaar]

Second to last 5e PC I played was a dwarven Runesmith (nontheistic life cleric), Konrad Marxhammer, nephew to Karlsbad Marxhammer, author of the Little Red Scrolls. I spent all my downtime working for the benefit of the working class proletariat of the Keep on the Borderland.

Communism worked well conceptually in a dwarven LG communal oriented hard working society. It was great fun saying that you do not need gods, anybody can learn life runes by just applying themself and working through a 30-year apprenticeship. Also wielding a warhammer and throwing sickle was fantastic.

See in fantasy roleplaying Communism can work.

Hammer and sickle is funny for a dual wielder.

 

[Ancalagon]

I love dwarves! But in the last few years, my characters have been mostly humans and elves. Clearly my next PC should be a dwarf...

 

[embee]

Feh!

When I play, I play as a dwarf. Short, stocky, bearded, holds grudges and carries a mountain-sized chip on the shoulder. It's how they're described and it describes me.

Sure, I could play other races but then I'd have to get into the headspace of that other race. I've just always identified with dwarves for as long as I've been playing. Playing a dwarf for me is like putting on an old sweater. I'm a stubborn SOB. Like a dwarf. So....

 

[embee]

Se in fantasy roleplaying Communism can work.

Hammer and sickle is funny for a dual wielder.

Anarchosyndacalist communism works just fine.

You just need to keep an eye out for moistened binks lobbing scimitars. Prevent any and all aquatic ceremonies (regardless of farcicality) so that strange women lying in ponds, lakes, or other such bodies of water, can't distribute bladed weapons.