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).

 

[MGibster]

Dwarves are already not played much, you really want to double down on that by locking them out of 2/3s of the classes? I’m fine with dwarven magic resistance, but race-based class restrictions don’t seem like they would improve game to me.

A lot of us ignored those restrictions in previous editions of the game as well. Just like we ignored level restrictions.

 

[Zardnaar]

A lot of us ignored those restrictions in previous editions of the game as well. Just like we ignored level restrictions.

Probably why people don't pick some races as much now.

 

[Guest User]

now? I am a dinosaur: I still really enjoy the dungeon and did not know that was not popular. Ignorance is bliss.

Warpiglet-7, D&D shifted away from a focus on 'the Dungeon', to a focus on 'the Campaign' back in 2e. Were you frozen in an iceberg in 1986?

Joking aside, nothing wrong with dungeons, or dwarves. Play on Warpiglet!

Here are the ones I still have:

I know it is shallow to like someone due to their possessions, but anyone that can post a picture like that, is someone I know I can happily have a beer or two with.
Cheers! To that collection!

 

[Ravenbrook]

Yeah, you can blame all those players who wanted to play Dwarf Wizards to be ‘different’.

I’d be happy to give Dwarfs back their magic resistance and limited ability to use arcane talents. Dwarfs still can access Divine magic and use runes but leave magic for those talc-soft elfs ...

If I would DM a D&D game again, I'd probably make dwarves totally Germanic, i.e. intensely magical. Many would be wizards or sorcerers and I'd also give them magic resistance. Cloaks or hoods of invisibility would be dwarven hallmarks.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I know it is shallow to like someone due to their possessions, but anyone that can post a picture like that, is someone I know I can happily have a beer or two with.
Cheers! To that collection!

LOL, it is only a little shallow, so don't feel badly. I'll buy the next round!

Seriously though, I'm lucky. Those have survived fire and flood and moves over thousands of miles. I reread them every few years and kept them to pass on to my own children someday. I always love them when I was growing up.

 

[Richards]

The campaign I DM has a dwarf, two humans, an elf, and a half-orc as PCs. The campaign I play in has two dwarves, a human, a gnome, and a lizardfolk as PCs. Our group hasn't seen any drop in dwarven popularity (it's the same group of six in each campaign, just with different DMs).

Johnathan

 

[Minigiant]

I really tickles the brain that people don't play dwarves.

• Dwarves are a traditional D&D race.
• Dwarves are free in rules.
• Dwarves are one of the strongest mechanical races before Tasha's.
• Dwarves are one of the richest story races.
• Dwarves are decent or excellent in almost every class.
• Dwarves areusually not banned by DMs, even in most themed worlds.

So most people must not like the D&D dwarf at all and only play it for power.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I really tickles the brain that people don't play dwarves.

• Dwarves are a traditional D&D race.
• Dwarves are free in rules.
• Dwarves are one of the strongest mechanical races before Tasha's.
• Dwarves are one of the richest story races.
• Dwarves are decent or excellent in almost every class.
• Dwarves areusually not banned by DMs, even in most themed worlds.

So most people must not like the D&D dwarf at all and only play it for power.

Dwarves are a tired one note cliché. Is no wonder people are bored with them.

 

[Minigiant]

Dwarves are a tired one note cliché. Is no wonder people are bored with them.

But it's long been a one note cliche.
Why haven't anyone in TSR or WotC ever try to expand them?
Why do some many DMs keep them so boring?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

But it's long been a one note cliche.
Why haven't anyone in TSR or WotC ever try to expand them?
Why do some many DMs keep them so boring?

There are too many races and all the niches the dwarves could reasonably expand into are also covered.

Also dwarves are one those things that some people really, really like, but I personally don't get the appeal at all. So there is a good chance that were I to try to 'fix' them, I would break them for the people who like them as they were. Not that it's gonna stop me from doing so for my own settings.