A mystery race ?

[pawsplay]

Realistic possibilities:

Goliath - "strong guys," got lukewarm but positive reception, more palatable than half-orcs as dumb fighter race with stronger connection to barbarian and ranger classes, and 4e is an excellent opportunity to excise the Powerful Build ability

Drow - PC-able, thanks to twenty years of Drizzt, Everquest, and now Eberron. Unlikely due to presence of tiefling, extreme similarity to eladrin, historical use as monster race.

Gnome - "Just kidding, we're including gnomes after all, we've just been hashing it out in dev because Evil Editor X couldn't figure out what they were for."

Kobolds - Evil with a point, if you will. Like gnomes, could serve as a Small caster race. Cult following. Unlikely due to historical use as monster race, comedic stereotypes.

Lizardmen - Why not? Another "strong" race, not a half race, unique abilities. Historically a monster race, but a neutral monster race.

Killoren - Obscure, but cool. Received a generally positive reception in an otherwise disliked book. Unlikely due to overabundance of fey already.

Not bloody likely:

Cat people - Elves are already dextrous and woodsy.

Goblin - Too much like an evil halfling. They're small, plucky, prudent, sneaky, and agile.

Raptoran - Flying PC races involve all kinds of special considerations.

Minotaur - A half-orc, only harder to balance. Unless you mean a Dragonlance minotaur, which would make them too similar to hobgoblins and orcs.

Hobgoblin - Really too much like a human, and they've been playing around with their overtly martial culture and specialist, bred-for-battle hobgoblin types. Likely to be the "new orc" in the MM.

Gnolls - Too overtly fiendish, and with too many powerful traits. If you toned them down, they are no longer gnolls.

 

[Remathilis]

Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Tiefling, Eladrin and Half-elf have all been discussed.

Aasimar is out.

Andy Collins specifically mentioned orcs, goblins, drow and hobgoblins filling in the MM appendix (likely candidates).

Gnomes are in the MM.

Warforged have been mentioned several times, but Andy seems to lean on making them MM.

Changlings were mentioned heavily during Gen Con, then not again.

Shifters are in the MM (Dungeoncraft)

Half-orcs have not been mentioned once.

I doubt any psionic race (half-giant, kalashtar, or elan) gets in before the Psi handbook.

Killoren, Aventi (Stormwrack), Goliath, Raptoran, and Ulrda (Frostburn) would be good candidates, at least for the MM.

Same with Catfolk.

The last option that drifts to mind is spellscale (RotD) but who knows...

 

[Aldarc]

Realistic possibilities:

Goliath - "strong guys," got lukewarm but positive reception, more palatable than half-orcs as dumb fighter race with stronger connection to barbarian and ranger classes, and 4e is an excellent opportunity to excise the Powerful Build ability

Drow - PC-able, thanks to twenty years of Drizzt, Everquest, and now Eberron. Unlikely due to presence of tiefling, extreme similarity to eladrin, historical use as monster race.

Gnome - "Just kidding, we're including gnomes after all, we've just been hashing it out in dev because Evil Editor X couldn't figure out what they were for."

Kobolds - Evil with a point, if you will. Like gnomes, could serve as a Small caster race. Cult following. Unlikely due to historical use as monster race, comedic stereotypes.

Lizardmen - Why not? Another "strong" race, not a half race, unique abilities. Historically a monster race, but a neutral monster race.

Killoren - Obscure, but cool. Received a generally positive reception in an otherwise disliked book. Unlikely due to overabundance of fey already.

Not bloody likely:

Cat people - Elves are already dextrous and woodsy.

Goblin - Too much like an evil halfling. They're small, plucky, prudent, sneaky, and agile.

Raptoran - Flying PC races involve all kinds of special considerations.

Minotaur - A half-orc, only harder to balance. Unless you mean a Dragonlance minotaur, which would make them too similar to hobgoblins and orcs.

Hobgoblin - Really too much like a human, and they've been playing around with their overtly martial culture and specialist, bred-for-battle hobgoblin types. Likely to be the "new orc" in the MM.

Gnolls - Too overtly fiendish, and with too many powerful traits. If you toned them down, they are no longer gnolls.

You forgot orcs.

 

[Pale]

What? No one has brought up Muls from Dark Sun yet?

 

[Irda Ranger]

I could go with changeling or lizardfolk.

But for some reason I feel like it may be something wholly new. It's something that has become possible because of the new 4E rules.

What, I have no idea, except that it won't be Psionic or too Fey. It'll have to use the Power Sources in the PHB1.

What? No one has brought up Muls from Dark Sun yet?

No way, man. If they're going to resurrect a tough Martial type from a dead campaign setting, it's definitely be the Giff.

 

[Mostlyjoe]

I could see Orcs. WOW has gone a long way to making me think of them as heroic. (Long live the Horde...and all that.) But, I dunno. Orcs carry the old baggage of Tolkeen's take on them and the years of being the classic villian of DnD.

 

[Reaper Steve]

I could see Orcs.

I can see that, too, but man, I hope not. That would scream to me that WotC would be thinking 'what's good for WoW is good for D&D.' (And that's the first time I've made a comment like that.) I'm all for evolution of the game, but Orcs as PCs doesn't fit that bill in my eyes.

 

[DandD]

Then how about Trolls? Or Undeads?

 

[Reaper Steve]

Then how about Trolls? Or Undeads?

Ahh, no.
But that does bring up a point. In WoW, there are two sides of PCs. Orcs are on the evil side. So I'm hoping they stay that way in D&D (which means in the MM.)

 

[BBQ]

To all you people who're suggesting orcs, tauren, and all those other WoW races, I just have this to day: harm yourselves. D&D will never be World of Warcraft, despite what some boneheads say.