A thought about how to handle races

[Nivenus]

Everything indicates that 5e is intended to be the 'D&D Unity' edition, where everyone from any edition can find something they recognize and enjoy.

Renaming a popular race is probably off the table for this very reason.

Possibly renaming the celestial race would be the way to go then.

 

[SKyOdin]

I really wouldn't mind Orc becoming an available race choice for the first time. Half-Orc always struck me as a poor compromise between having playable Orcs and keeping Orcs as a purely villainous race. However, we now live in the post-WoW era, and playable Orcs have a lot of traction with a wider audience. Heck, we don't even need to dial back Orcs from being villains. We have had playable Drow for a few editions now with no sign of Drow becoming goody-two-shoes. There is no problem with PC Orcs being outsiders or exceptions.

I hope Dragonborn and Warforged show up eventually, even if they don't appear in the first book.

 

[Glade Riven]

I'd like something akin to (what I believe) they're planning with classes: all races from PHB1s, sorted by rarity




Common

• Human
• Elf
• Dwarf
• Halfling

Uncommon

• Half elf
• Half-orc
• Eladrin

Rare

• Tiefling
• Dragonborn
• Gnome

I can see that, except maybe switching half elf and gnome, while maybe just going with full-blown orc instead of half orc. Mostly a matter of semantics on that one, though. I would maybe add Warforged to the rare category.

 

[Aldarc]

I really wouldn't mind Orc becoming an available race choice for the first time. Half-Orc always struck me as a poor compromise between having playable Orcs and keeping Orcs as a purely villainous race. However, we now live in the post-WoW era, and playable Orcs have a lot of traction with a wider audience. Heck, we don't even need to dial back Orcs from being villains. We have had playable Drow for a few editions now with no sign of Drow becoming goody-two-shoes. There is no problem with PC Orcs being outsiders or exceptions.

Agreed. It's not just a post-WoW world, but also a post-Eberron and post-Skyrim world. Humans, elves, dwarves can all be villains. It's time to let orcs be heroes as well.

 

[Number48]

FWIW, more race stat blocks and less fluff. I have a rich and varied history for the races in my game that doesn't match the PHB. Give enough for those playing "setting-less" but a full page of fluff is certainly not necessary if the PHB is as thick as I think it's going to be.

This book also needs to embrace the intertubes. Take stuff that isn't mechanical and expand on it online. The mechanical needs to be in the book for quicker reference.

 

[Tallifer]

Based on what we're seeing about classes, I think it's fair to guess that races will follow the "everything from the PHB" format. So I expect to see the following as part of the "ready to play now" core, whatever they end up calling that:

• Dragonborn
• Dwarf
• Eladrin
• Elf
• Half-elf
• Halfling
• Half-orc
• Human
• Gnome
• Tiefling

I'm still hoping to see half-elves and half-orcs as hybrids, of course, with orc as a race to make up for half-orcs, but this doesn't seem all that likely. I'll be content with the two as regular races if that's what they go for.

Sounds great!

Did I miss something? I always thought half-elves were the children of elves and men just like Elwing and Earendil in the Silmarillion. And half-orcs the spawn of men and orcs like Saruman made in the Lord fo the Rings (not the movie ones). I never read modern fantasy any more so I never read otherwise.

 

[Nivenus]

Sounds great!

Did I miss something? I always thought half-elves were the children of elves and men just like Elwing and Earendil in the Silmarillion. And half-orcs the spawn of men and orcs like Saruman made in the Lord fo the Rings (not the movie ones). I never read modern fantasy any more so I never read otherwise.

I meant hybrid races like hybrid classes. It's a pet idea of mine.

 

[Banshee16]

Everything indicates that 5e is intended to be the 'D&D Unity' edition, where everyone from any edition can find something they recognize and enjoy.

Renaming a popular race is probably off the table for this very reason.

I understand. At least if they could be more "different". I read the description of eladtin but mechanically really didn't find they lived up to their flavour.

IMO D&D's coolest take on a "faerie-like elf" were the Sidhelien in Birthright.

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

Something I'd love to see is what they promised for 4E but never delivered....that race would matter through a character's career. It was a fantastic idea but I didn't feel they nailed it.

Monte Cook did with his racial levels as did the Morningstar and Dawnforge settings.

Banshee

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I'm also hoping that racial inclusion is like what they said about classes. If it appeared in a Player's Handbook (first one of each edition) it will be in D&D Next

I like Eledrin, Tiefling, Dragonborn, Gnomes and I'd love to see Warforged, plus all the classic races. Warforged have become a very D&D thing these days.

Bu then I like to run games where a metropolitan pub looks like the Cantina in Star Wars.