D&D 5E Nonstandard Races You Love And Want Back

[thethain]

Kenku- I had a Kenku PC in a game I ran once. I re-fluffed them quite a bit (this being a homebrew campaign based on Greek mythology). They were really neat and I'd love to see them get a bit more attention; bird-men without having to worry about flying.

You know Kenku are officially available in Volo's Guide right?

 

[discosoc]

Eh, I'd like to see some of the races culled out a bit. When you get too many, it really just becomes a way to specialize your character class by choosing the race that offers the best benefits rather than the race actually being interesting (or having interesting lore tied to it). The "Goliath" race is a good example to me; like, they're more or less just humans that are better optimized for martial classes for people that don't want to play half-orcs. It's a mechanically interesting option, but that's about it.

 

[Azzy]

Hengeyoukai, korobokuru, thri-kreen, warforged, and whatever else it takes to get some of the non-standard-FR settings the racial options they need.

 

[Riley]

Warforged. Gith. Minotaurs.

 

[LordEntrails]

werefox

 

[Blue]

Kobold.

What, we got them in Volo's?

Ok, I'm good. *heeheeheeheehee*

 

[Kobold Stew]

Gnolls: I love gnolls, I just, can't explain it better than that. They're usually dismissed as just furrier, tougher orcs, but I think there's a lot of potential in them. 4th edition gave them wonderful fluff in "Playing Gnolls" in Dragon #367, emphasizing their nature as a race torn between the hyena's soul and the demonic influence in their veins, a race inclined towards savagery but capable of embracing the light. They're a race with so much potential... which 5e took out into the back alley and shot. I can't emphasize enough how much the Volo's Guide fluff for gnolls angers me. I want my gnolls back. They've been playable in every edition - even Basic made them playable in the sourcebook "The Orcs of Thar". I see no reason why 5e should shoot that particular sacred cow.

Well said.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Thri-kreen that look like insects and not like guys in bad Halloween costumes.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Any race that comes with a real, specific lore would be used at my table. I loved how 4e gave the tiefling and the minotaur some real background to let the player know how this race fits in the setting. On the other hand, the Goliath fails at being interesting, with little to no information about what they are; they are tall creature, but with no relation to giants, covered in stone but with no tie to the elemental planes, nomads but restrained to isolated peaks. I liked the Shardmind as the ''construct'' race of a specific setting and I think that being a part of a massive ward against the Far realm is pretty cool.

Also, I'm against any ''furry-fan'' race. I do not want wolf, fox, cat people with an anime feel at my table; my players always take the special snowflake races, I dont want to give them an excuse to go all ''lolz-cat'' on me.

 

[cbwjm]

If I ever get around to running plancescape I guess I wouldn't mind seeing Bauriar. I already have tieflings, aasimar, and genasi although I would love to see a randomised Tiefling much like the 2e version. Perhaps multiple tables that allow for comparable substitutions (separate tables for rolling for resistances and rolling for spell like abilities, etc).

Thri-kreen have been mentioned, I really like Dark Sun which would need thri-kreen. Dark Sun also had flying pterasaur men I think but I don't think they are as integral to the setting, I'm actually fine with running golaiths as half-giants so I'm not too worried about adding in a half-giant although maybe it could show up as something similar to a goliath but with slightly different stats. I never played in Eberron, but I liked the shifter race. A final version of them and warforged would be good additions.