D&D 5E why has none of the wisdom races caught on?

[CreamCloud0]

but how would they be made interesting?

They’re a race that can be believably come in small, medium and large sizes.
Natural abilities like poisons or paralytics, sleep or halucanagenics.
Various natural magic abilities fit their theme, thorn whip, goodberry, plant growth and more.
Inherent Speak with plants as a language.
Subraces: giant towering trees with STR, thorny vine/cactus get CON or some plant based hellish rebuke, flowering subrace gets CHA...

 

[Mind of tempest]

You don't think sapient trees are interesting?

Also, it would be a great opportunity for WotC to actually take some chances and make a Large race.

people have made too many legally not elves plants for me to be innately interested in them inherently anymore maybe if they were mixed with some of the other ideas people have had?

They’re a race that can be believably come in small, medium and large sizes.
Natural abilities like poisons or paralytics, sleep or halucanagenics.
Various natural magic abilities fit their theme, thorn whip, goodberry, plant growth and more.
Inherent Speak with plants as a language.
Subraces: giant towering trees with STR, thorny vine/cactus get CON or some plant based hellish rebuke, flowering subrace gets CHA...

that is pure being a plant do they have any basic cultural assumption or are they just tree hippies like the ents?
like what do they look like what do they do what is a common reason to adventure what is their armour like?

 

[Vaalingrade]

I would pay to see the explosion caused by a character species with inherent goodberry.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

My point is D&D has added only 2 new races to its core in 44 years. And those two where chosen for look and classical theme.

The first hurdle to getting a Wisdom race in the PHB is getting any new races in the PHB.

Of these two races, tieflings had been popular since Planescape too so they weren't "new". Same with drow, which weren't an option in the 4e PH1 but are a subrace option in 5e. I think dragonborn were the only totally new core race but even they were vaguely based on some similar races (most notably the half-dragon, which was cool but not remotely balanced for PC use).

The large race issue isn't an issue of taking chances, but one of design.

A large characters represents a whole new suite of rules considerations beyond just applying Enlarge. How do you interact with concealment or lighting, movement--all sorts of things. I'd love to see a Large race, but not the rules spaghettis that would come with it.

I think adding a large race in 3e would have been "easier" since 3e already had a full set of rules for being larger or smaller. (It bothered me that halflings didn't really get advantages or disadvantages for being small in 4e and 5e.)

Of course, being Large gave a lot of big (no pun intended) benefits, so while 3e had the rules to handle this, there would be serious balance problems.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I would pay to see the explosion caused by a character species with inherent goodberry.

two points I belive it would be inherently unbalanced to destroy the exploration pillar like that plus it asks the question of if they even need food.
second point how are you so good at being snarky?

 

[Vaalingrade]

1) Maybe we can then rebuild the exploration pillar into something better than a logistics puzzle.

2) I'm from the 90's.

 

[Mind of tempest]

1) Maybe we can then rebuild the exploration pillar into something better than a logistics puzzle.

2) I'm from the 90's.

1)true
2) was the 90s good for becoming snarky? I was a 00's kid
3) do you have any ideas on how to make a race interesting?

 

[Vaalingrade]

2) was the 90s good for becoming snarky? I was a 00's kid

Snark was the only language we knew. It's like how Cassandra Caine was trained in the language of violence.

3) do you have any ideas on how to make a race interesting?

1) Cool, Individualistic Look.

You can't just a be a weird thing. You have to be appealing in one way to the other, be that looking badass, or attractive, or just fun. It also has to be customizable: a pallet of colors for hair skin and eyes -- notice how the gith are mostly grey and bald.

2) Powers

The species that have been grandfathered in via Tolkien get to be boring, but new folks can't. You have to do something interesting and fun that is applicable to most classes.

3) Open Lore

The trap of most failed species is that they get incredibly pigeon-holed in their lore in order to explain why they're not core races. They only live in this one place, they only have on moment that's important in their history, they inevitably have one culture. A species that's going to take off can mix into the rest of the world and fill multiple roles, not just 'sad monk' or 'wild man'.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Snark was the only language we knew. It's like how Cassandra Caine was trained in the language of violence.

1) Cool, Individualistic Look.

You can't just a be a weird thing. You have to be appealing in one way to the other, be that looking badass, or attractive, or just fun. It also has to be customizable: a pallet of colors for hair skin and eyes -- notice how the gith are mostly grey and bald.

2) Powers

The species that have been grandfathered in via Tolkien get to be boring, but new folks can't. You have to do something interesting and fun that is applicable to most classes.

3) Open Lore

The trap of most failed species is that they get incredibly pigeon-holed in their lore in order to explain why they're not core races. They only live in this one place, they only have on moment that's important in their history, they inevitably have one culture. A species that's going to take off can mix into the rest of the world and fill multiple roles, not just 'sad monk' or 'wild man'.

1 is doable
2 is difficult what is a cool power not already taken up yet?
3 avoid the classic blunders.

 

[Neonchameleon]

people have made too many legally not elves plants for me to be innately interested in them inherently anymore maybe if they were mixed with some of the other ideas people have had?

Well guess what? To be interesting a race doesn't have to be interesting to you in specific (or to me in specific). It just needs for them to be interesting to a significant subset of people. And if, as you say, there has been a significant number of people who have made not!elves as plants then pretty clearly the demand is there. Even you accept that you were interested in them once (hence the word "anymore")

If "It's been done too often" was a reason to say not to do it then we'd kick out the fighter, cleric, wizard, and rogue.