Origins of the "New" Races

[Chris Knapp]

Does anyone know the origins of the 3 "new" races presented in 4E (Dragonborn, Tiefling, Eladrin) that weren't in OD&D/1E? Did they start as monsters in certain editions?

 

[Prisoner6]

Does anyone know the origins of the 3 "new" races presented in 4E (Dragonborn, Tiefling, Eladrin) that weren't in OD&D/1E? Did they start as monsters in certain editions?

I believe that the Dragonborn came out of the Eberon (3.x) setting and that the Tiefling originally appeared in the Planscape (2e) campaign setting. I have no idea where Eladrin came from - those might have been just made up.

(I'm still bummed that some of the other "core" races got pushed off for these).

 

[Shroomy]

Does anyone know the origins of the 3 "new" races presented in 4E (Dragonborn, Tiefling, Eladrin) that weren't in OD&D/1E? Did they start as monsters in certain editions?

Tieflings and Eladrin first appeared in 2e and Dragonborn in 3e, but they've been reconceptualized for 4e, some more so than others (I would say that the eladrin went through the most changes). Tieflings were originally humanoids with fiendish ancestry, but unlike in 4e, they could be descendents of any fiendish race and had more variable appearances. Eladrin in 2e were fey-like planar creatures, exemplars of the chaotic good alignment. If my memory serves me correctly, dragonborn in 3e were humanoids transformed into draconic forms through services to Bahamut.

 

[Shroomy]

I believe that the Dragonborn came out of the Eberon (3.x) setting and that the Tiefling originally appeared in the Planscape (2e) campaign setting. I have no idea where Eladrin came from - those might have been just made up.

(I'm still bummed that some of the other "core" races got pushed off for these).

Dragonborn first appeared in Races of the Dragon, not Eberron. I believe tieflings and eladrin first appeared in Planescape, though they might have also appeared in an earlier Outer Planes MC appendix that predates that campaign setting.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Eladrin came into being because the Elf race was schizophrenic between tree hugging nature elves and the high arcana elves. Eladrin was a name that was handy, so the arcane Elves got that name while the tree huggers became plain old Elves.

Dragonborn came into being because a lot of D&D players really wanted to play dragon people. Half Dragons, Dragonborn of Bahamut, Spellscales, even Kobolds got 3E dragon people love.

Tieflings came into being because people liked playing dark, sinister exotic races. 2E/3E Tieflings were among if not the most popular of those.

 

[Plane Sailing]

What's more, they just took the name "dragonborn" from Races of the Dragon.

Similarly Eladrin borrows the name of CG outsiders from 2e onwards and turned them into 'high elves' for 4e.

Essentially they are created whole-cloth for 4e.

Cheers

 

[Mallus]

I have no idea where Eladrin came from - those might have been just made up.

Eladrin are basically the new take on gray elves.

(I'm still bummed that some of the other "core" races got pushed off for these).

While I'll admit to a certain wistful regret that my PC's can no longer desecrate dead gnomes, I don't actually miss gnomes .

 

[Fifth Element]

Essentially they are created whole-cloth for 4e.

Eh, the name "eladrin" is really the only new thing about that concept of elves.

 

[Hellzon]

If you want to be really picky, the "Elf" is the new core race - the 3.x Elf is more high arcanist that Wood Elf.

 

[Rechan]

While I'll admit to a certain wistful regret that my PC's can no longer desecrate dead gnomes, I don't actually miss gnomes .

But gnomes are monsters. They can desecrate those corpses!