D&D 5E DMG Excerpt: Creating a New Race

[pemerton]

So what are the stats for clerics of Leira in 3rd, 4th or 5th edition?

I don't know, because I don't know the Forgotten Realms.

But this is like asking what are the stats for Spirit Folk, or Hengeyokai, in 5e. And if I want to run a 5e Oriental Adventures game then I'll work it out, much as I worked out the stats for these races when I ran an Oriental Adventures Rolemaster game.

The complaint doesn't seem to have any substance beyond "They wrote a version of the Forgotten Realms, with 3E/4e/5e stats, and Leira and her (?) clerics were missing from it." Well, that's their prerogative. It's not forcing anyone to buy or play that material. Just adapt or make your own stuff, much as those who like the new material would have to adapt or make their own stuff if WotC had taken the pathway you prefer.

From a different perspective, if I'm using the current Forgotten Realms, I can hand that edition's Forgotten Realms Adventures to anyone who wants to know what's going on. If I hand someone the 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures and tell them to take the rules from the 5E book, I've upped the confusion a lot. That may not be a big deal for some gamers, but it is for casual or new players.

I've never had this experience, because when I run a setting I tend to rely on my verbal descriptions to convey details to the players. But when I think about the 4e FR Players Guide, for instance, I'm pretty sure its setting descriptions are mechanics-free. Likewise nearly all the descriptions in any of my Greyhawk books. So I would think that these could be handed over without much danger of inducing confusion. Just tell the player to disregard the chapter describing character options and focus on the stuff describing geography and history.

 

[Evenglare]

Besides the common sense advice of make them like the races in the player's handbook, what rules and guidelines are you talking about?

Because I would love some real rules and guidelines and I am not seeing them.

Uh... the whole preview showed their approach to create new stuff. I'm guessing you missed the preview. It's on the front page. I don't know how to possibly break it down any more. It shows the thinking and then the results of the design.

 

[Hussar]

All I know is that for the first time ever, 4e Eladrin got me to play an elf. No mean feat that. I loathed elves in dnd for at least 1e and 2e. The people I play d with all considered elv s to be the power gamer munchkin race that people took so they could play wizards in armor.

So I'm glad they have returned.

 

[Chimpy]

I thought High Elves were the same as Eladrin. Shows what I know.

 

[Evenglare]

I thought High Elves were the same as Eladrin. Shows what I know.

Seems like it varies edition to edition. I would say that I prefer the Eladrin as high elves but the more I think about it, the more I enjoy having a crazy magicly inclined elf race along side the slightly magicly inclined elf race

 

[Remathilis]

I thought High Elves were the same as Eladrin. Shows what I know.

Elradin tried to kill high elves and take their stuff; but they got better. Now they are their own breed of feywild elf.

 

[Li Shenron]

This "wing it" philosophy is probably fine for PC races, but it's not good for monsters.

We don't need a rigid monster structure like in 3e, but we do need a reliable method to gauge the CR of your results (the XP value is less important). Because we don't have the luxury of just "testing" it against the PCs.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think folks might be reading a bit too much into the existence of eladrin here. It's an example of how to do a subrace, nothing more. There is plenty of indication in 5e that they aren't interested in One True Story, and there's no reason that can't apply to these eladrin as well -- if they do a Feywild story, maybe these eladrin will make an appearance. If they do a Planescape story, maybe it'll be a different sort of eladrin. Personally, I've never had a real problem with both kinds of eladrin existing side-by-side (different courts, different abilities, distantly related cousins, etc.), but there's no indication here that folks who are playing PS or who otherwise don't like the blink elves need to embrace the 4e-style eladrin.

 

[SkidAce]

As someone who on the surface agrees, this is the best compromise. They're an option in the DMG, there for those who like it and ignored by those who don't.

As for the celestials, I kinda like the notion that the true eladrin (ghales, fieres, etc) are greater eladrin and celestial/fey, while the lesser eladrin are minor and close to elves. Think of them as the lemures of the eladrin hierarchy.

I'm with you, when they "reinvented eladrin" they just brought them into line with my mythos anyway.

Main elven race was "forest elves". Some xenophobic "wood elves" in the wilder lands. Mixed into the elven population were "high" elves or "eladrin".

These eladrin were the elves that had started to turn fey, or become one with some ideal. As such they were respected and honored, mainly becoming elven royalty. They were a fey stage of the race before/between the Eladrin of the higher realms.

Using an almost Raymond Fiest like concept; wood elves could turn/transition to eladrin, and in fact, drow elves could return to the light and turn into eladrin, being redeemed in a mystical journey back home to the elves. (such drow could be recognized, and were forbidden to be slain as while on their journey back to the light.) This drow part of course, was a deep elven secret.

Other elves could become one with the forest, or reach a higher plane, and sail to the islands of Arvandor.

So my elves are very morphic, in relation to their spiritual state and dedication to a principle. And when WotC brought in eladrin....they fit perfect as the inbetween the main elven race and the mystical celestial eladrin of the higher concepts.

/sorry semi tangent

 

[Minigiant]

So what do we expect as for PHB equivalent race guidelines?

For example we have as races:
3 +1s and stuff races
+2, +1, and stuff races
2 +2s and weaker stuff races

Do you think the DMG will warn against +3 and stuff races?
Or no +s but very big stuff races? Do you think well get anything of the sort.

Because goblins are a major race in my home game. And their only defining ability score is Dexterity. I could never commit to a secondary score for long as each one pulls goblins too far And 5e doesn't either in the MM. But 5e in the PHB and DMG suggest secondary scores for goblins and hobgoblins. At least bugbears are easy.