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).

 

[Shiroiken]

Power isn't the determination as to why things get played, it's enjoyment. Only the fringe players (who go online and talk about the game with strangers) usually pay that much attention to it. IMO the reason why humans are usually so popular is that everyone knows how humans are. Elves have been done fairly well in 5E, unlike most of the races. The dragonborn and teifling are probably popular because they're very different from the norm... and you get to play a dragon/demon! Dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and the like really haven't been given enough detail to encourage anyone to want to play them.

If you go back to AD&D, there were better descriptions of how the race was different than humanity. I've noticed a real lack of this in later edition, which is why people sometimes think of dwarves as "short human miners" and halflings as "short human farmers/sneaks." They shouldn't be funny looking humans, but entirely new races, with different cultural norms, perspectives, and attitudes.

Dwarves have been getting taller with each successive edition, oddly enough.

AD&D: 44-53 inches (3'8" to 4'6" tall)
D&D 3.5/Pathfinder: 49-55 inches (4'1" to 4'7" tall)
5E: 4 to 5 feet tall

I hadn't noticed, but this bugs me. I've been railing against the Forgotten Realms elves being standard since 5E came out (they used to average a foot shorter!). It's another example of the "humanization" of the classic races.

I have been seeing this decline from the groups I run, and play with. Less and less dwarves. I had hoped after the Hobbit series, some players would jump on the chance, but no.

I would have though. And all dwarf party? Sign me up! Alass... might be some time yet before a dwarf graces my table once again.

I've actually seen an increase. I'm normally a fan of elves, but my last 3 characters have been dwarves (my next two are likely going to be teifling and elf though). As noted below, the dwarf actually is a very powerful race.

Dwarves are one of the stronger races.

Yup. When they first talked about moving ability score increases my first thought was "everyone's going to be a dwarf!" They have a lot of good abilities, with pretty much only a 5 ft speed loss and specific ability score bonuses to limit it. With the option to move the ability score bonuses, the loss of 5 ft of speed is really not much of a cost.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Elves and Tieflings popular with female players as well from what I have seen to the point it's almost a stereotype.

"Let me guess you're playing an Elf"? "Drow actually how did you know?".

In 90s half the group at one point was female they all played elves and half elves.

Ew. Let's not make generalizations based on gender.

I still think a lot of people choose their race based on character concept, not necessarily mechanics.

In my group right now, we have 3 dwarves because we all wanted to be dwarven cousins, we liked the image of it. We have two half-elf half-brothers and a Goliath. They were all mostly picked because of the image and concept.

 

[aco175]

Man, I'm trying to go all 5e with only playing halflings and dwarves.

 

[Minigiant]

Yup. When they first talked about moving ability score increases my first thought was "everyone's going to be a dwarf!" They have a lot of good abilities, with pretty much only a 5 ft speed loss and specific ability score bonuses to limit it. With the option to move the ability score bonuses, the loss of 5 ft of speed is really not much of a cost.

Dwarf's low rank despite being very powerful and original races makes you thing no one would play them if they weren't traditional and strong.

Like it's rank is inflated by its power and the unlikeliness of being banned.

 

[Aylowan]

The look at the classes and subclasses show popularity to very much be theming over mechanics; the hunter ranger is really high up and the most popular subclasses (dominating their main class) are life cleric, dragon sorceror, and fiend warlock.

One thing to remember is that for D&D Beyond, a lot of the "most popular" subclasses are the ones which are available in the basic rules. For example, if you have not purchased the Player's Handbook on D&D Beyond (or any other content there like Xanathar's, Tasha's) and you make a cleric, then the Life domain is the only one you'll be able to choose.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

might be a controversial statement, but for some time now, I've been thinking that the gnomes cover the ''forgotten folk, master artisan and earth diggers'' archetypes somewhat better than the dwarves, without the rigidity that comes with them. The minotaurs can also cover the ''great builder'' archetype in new ways.
For the mirthful or noble fey-kin, I do think that the satyrs or centaurs can also bring a breath of fresh air if a table is getting tired of the classic elves.

 

[Voadam]

Yep, you betch'a. Hold on a sec, gotta go check my tater tot hotdish don't ya know.

Now I am picturing dwarves who speak with a thick Wisconsin/Yuper accent and feeling a strong need to have them in my game.

Either that or Shadowrun dwarven shamans with Gopher, Badger, and Wolverine totems.

 

[Umbran]

Interesting. Given how weak (mechanically speaking) dragonborn are...

Not everything is about maximizing mechanical power.

 

[loverdrive]

The last time I've seen a dwarf, someone in the party gifted him with a cool metal hat with arcane stabilization system, commissioned from gnome artificers.

Turns out, they just wanted to make the dwarf into a portable table to rest their beer on.

 

[loverdrive]

On a serious note, I think that dwarves are kinda backstabbed by gnomes. They're supposed to be brilliant engineers and architects, but since there are better engineers and architects, dwarves are basically just bearded guys.