D&D (2024) Humanoids in the MM...

[Micah Sweet]

I feel like removing all these creatures from the Humanoid type leaves the Humanoid type as basically meaningless. It's basically "most pcs are Humanoids" now. That's... not much.

If they're going to go that route they should probably remove humanoids from the monster section of the MM entirely, and say as much in the introduction where they talk about creature types.

 

[Parmandur]

I feel like removing all these creatures from the Humanoid type leaves the Humanoid type as basically meaningless. It's basically "most pcs are Humanoids" now. That's... not much.

It makes more sense from what we just learned from the MM press conference: the NPCs are no longer in an Appendix,but spread throughout the book, so Cultist is in the C section and Pirate is in the P section. This means that now "Humanoid" has no Species indication, and means "NPC statblock"

 

[TravDoc42]

I've been wondering since they first announced the new core rulebooks what form the orog will take, and I'm excited to find out!!

 

[Parmandur]

I've been wondering since they first announced the new core rulebooks what form the orog will take, and I'm excited to find out!!

I would wager something like the Prc is retooled as a "Marauder" or something, and an Orog is an "Elite Marauder".

Heck, maybe the Orc and Orog form the basis of the new Pirate blocks...

 

[Mephista]

The list:
Deep gnome (svirfneblin)
Drow
Duergar
Orc
Orog

These are all PC options - as in, are an existing PHB option. They're humanoids. Deep gnomes are just a flavor of gnome, and those aren't going to change from what the PHB says. Duergar are dwarves. Drow and Orog are just elves/orcs, and elf / orc have stat blocks. They're not going to change from humanoid type after its already established.

Gith are basically PC options at this point. Or at least one of them is, and I find it unlikely that we'll see one humanoid and the other not. Though, honestly? I think it'd be kind of cool if they developed an abberant flavor in their options. One gith be more slaad flavored, one be more mind flayer, one beholder themed...

I can't see aarokosha / kenku moving away from humanoid - might as well ask for Tabaxi to no longer be humanoid either. They're going to default to humanoid for most PC options, while "savage species" will get other tags.

I could see shapechangers swapping between humanoid and monstrosity. Or just being the latter. Reminds me of how the kraken cultists were monstrocities. Yuan-ti purebloods might go monstrocity too.

 

[the Jester]

It makes more sense from what we just learned from the MM press conference: the NPCs are no longer in an Appendix,but spread throughout the book, so Cultist is in the C section and Pirate is in the P section. This means that now "Humanoid" has no Species indication, and means "NPC statblock"

Doesn't it also mean that, for instance, a gnoll cultist isn't a humanoid at all but rather a fiend?

I don't get the reasoning.

 

[Parmandur]

Doesn't it also mean that, for instance, a gnoll cultist isn't a humanoid at all but rather a fiend?

I don't get the reasoning.

The Cultist stat block is a Humanoid, same as all the other NPCs: basically, "Humanoid" now just means "NPC stat block".

Will there be a way to mechanically represent Gnoll Cultists, or even Dwarf or Halflong Cultists? Unclear as of yet. But "Humanoids" = "NPCs" seems rock solid.

 

[JEB]

1e and 2e both had halfling entries. Just like they did for all the other races.

3e and BECMI as well. OD&D and 5e are the only ones that lack halflings as a monster listing. (And since OD&D did list men, dwarves, and elves, that was probably an oversight. That also wasn't the only place halflings were overlooked in OD&D.... but I digress.)

 

[JEB]

I think that's what they @JEB Is saying, and neither of us are happy about it.

For me at this point, what 2024 has or doesn't have is basically an intellectual question.

 

[Parmandur]

3e and BECMI as well. OD&D and 5e are the only ones that lack halflings as a monster listing. (And since OD&D did list men, dwarves, and elves, that was probably an oversight. That also wasn't the only place halflings were overlooked in OD&D.... but I digress.)

The Human section of the 1E AD&D MM has, er...aged poorly.