D&D 5E Witchlight publishes the new official format for player character races.

[billd91]

I've never like elves but when eladrin became a PC option in 4e, they finally seemed cool because they were legitimate fey instead of just humans in the woods.

What was the difference between eladrin and elves that did that for you in 4e?

 

[Remathilis]

Has Wizards ever said anything about this in addition to the issue you mention here?

I am bothered more than I should be about this LOL.

If you're looking for a quote, I don't have one. There has been a lot of discussion about PC size since 3e, and designs for "large" and "tiny" races in 3e, 4e and 5e have always relied on mechanical tricks to make them work properly. From 3e Goliaths having powerful build to give pseudo large abilities without the extra damage, reach and space, to 4e pixies getting wee warrior to treat them as small for reach and weapon usage (in affect, the opposite of powerful build), WotC has always ended up treating large races as medium and tiny as small.

 

[Scribe]

Otherwise, I expect the official core rules to allow the DM flexibility.

As they do, and always have.

As long as the customization is the default in the core rules, I dont mind "ready-mades" to give meaningful examples and to simplify the game for those gamers whose style doesnt care about customization

I've always said, allowing for options for the DM can only satisfy more, not less, players in the long run.

These questions of game design never needed to devolve into a zero sum, but I guess such is life.

 

[Yaarel]

what would a playable aberration made by you be like then?

3e and 4e made the Elan race Aberrant. But this example, is a human that was psionically modified by the Far Realm. So it looked like a normal human, rather than the more monstrous appearances that Aberrants often have.

Note, one of the Eberron dwarf cultures traffics with Aberrants. So, perhaps this culture could choose between being Humanoid or Aberrant.

I dont think all Aberrants are psionic, but some are.

Heh, I treat Aberrant as if the "real" Neutral Evil Fiend. More selfish than Devil but less self-destructive than Demon.

Creating a new Aberrant race that looks like a squick nightmare (tenticals, mouths, eyes, etcetera), as a player character is fine. Personally, I tend to associate this nightmare archetype with the sea anemone.

The design space of 1½ feats can do alot to forward a character concept: maybe focus on charm and frighten, while inducing nightmares and corrupting personalities, but also creating Difficult Terrain by warping the nearby reality. The terrain effects would be temporary but might become permanent if applied everyday for a year.



Of course, player characters can be any alignment, and even a Fiend might be non-Evil.

 

[billd91]

If you're looking for a quote, I don't have one. There has been a lot of discussion about PC size since 3e, and designs for "large" and "tiny" races in 3e, 4e and 5e have always relied on mechanical tricks to make them work properly. From 3e Goliaths having powerful build to give pseudo large abilities without the extra damage, reach and space, to 4e pixies getting wee warrior to treat them as small for reach and weapon usage (in affect, the opposite of powerful build), WotC has always ended up treating large races as medium and tiny as small.

I think part of the problem was the way Large was defined in 3e for monsters. The monster design and advancement guidelines give a significant bonus to strength for increasing the base size of creatures - a bonus that's WAY out of balance to give to a PC just because they're big and have a -2 penalty to dexterity. So, to avoid that, I think they started playing shenanigans with pseudo large abilities. They even do it with the enlarge spell because it gives nerfed benefits for being large.
I use the term shenanigans here when viewed from the perspective of the overall structural system of 3e. Keeping PC abilities under control is a hack to the broader system governing creature stat creation. From a PC balancing perspective, it's not so unreasonable, even if it is a bit inconsistent and confounding if you know the overall creature system.

 

[Mind of tempest]

3e and 4e made the Elan race Aberrant. But this example, is a human that was psionically modified by the Far Realm. So it looked like a normal human, rather than the more monstrous appearances that Aberrants often have.

Note, one of the Eberron dwarf cultures traffics with Aberrants. So, perhaps this culture could choose between being Humanoid or Aberrant.

I dont think all Aberrants are psionic, but some are.

Heh, I treat Aberrant as if the "real" Neutral Evil Fiend. More selfish than Devil but less self-destructive than Demon.

Creating a new Aberrant race that looks like a squick nightmare (tenticals, mouths, eyes, etcetera), as a player character is fine. Personally, I tend to associate this nightmare archetype with the sea anemone.

The design space of 1½ feats can do alot to forward a character concept: maybe focus on charm and frighten, while inducing nightmares and corrupting personalities, but also creating Difficult Terrain by warping the nearby reality. The terrain effects would be temporary but might become permanent if applied everyday for a year.



Of course, player characters can be any alignment, and even a Fiend might be non-Evil.

the elans do not have the proper appeal-like diet caffeine less cola.
aberrations tend to be strange some seem more arthropod than anything else, maybe a mix of the classic a bug and something humanoid to make it more pc sized?

 

[Yaarel]

the elans do not have the proper appeal-like diet caffeine less cola.
aberrations tend to be strange some seem more arthropod than anything else, maybe a mix of the classic a bug and something humanoid to make it more pc sized?

I think all of this fine.

Among the race traditions, probably the Thri-kreen is the least anthropomorphic?

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

Your avatar image reminds me of a human melding with Aberrant magical armor. The armor seems like a blend of skeletal corpse, exoskeleton, and sea creature, a great image for a Far Realms item.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I would not put the harengon race in a Norse-esque regional setting

Hey! Odin's Sphere was a GREAT game, I'll have you know!

Pixies and Rabbit-knight can throw the gauntlet against Odin anytime!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

For ease of play, I'd go with a less monstrous look for a playable aberrant.

Maybe something like a changeling, but more ooze like under its true form?

Add resistance to Acid or Bludgeoning damage.
Add a feature that let them easily escape grapples and slither in a few inches.

 

[Weiley31]

Hey! Odin's Sphere was a GREAT game, I'll have you know!

Pixies and Rabbit-knight can throw the gauntlet against Odin anytime!

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That isn't a game: IT'S AN EXPERIENCE!