Corinnguard
Hero
Lion-o probably. I was going by the Tabaxi version found in the Monsters of the Multiverse book, who now resemble anthropomorphic versions of the Big Cats and Domesticated Cats.
D&D (2024) All about Ardlings
Henadic Theologian
Legend
If the Thundercats were brought into 5e, they would be an all Tabaxi team.
Leonin actually, Lions, Tigers, etc..., but given they mostly look hunan Shifters would make more sense, they even have a kind of shifting effect when summoned by the Sword of Omens
Parmandur
Book-Friend
In OneD&D, they would be Tabaxi. See Monsters of the Multiverse, Tabaxi jow include Luon, Tiger, domestic cat, any sort of cat person.
Henadic Theologian
Legend
The Thundercats are like 90% human looking, 10% cat, so Shifters are a better fit, except Snarf. The Thundercats even have a shifting like effect when summoned by the sword of omens.
Corinnguard
Hero
True. However, while their Shifter-like appearance in the remake was an ode to the original Thundercats setting, it made them stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other anthropomorphic races.
BookTenTiger
He / Him
I like the ardlings! They remind me of an angel from an old JLA comic I read as a kid. (I can't believe I was able to find this on Google.)
Kobold Avenger
Legend
As for Tieflings having animal heads because some fiends do, I think it might be more of the nature of fiendish blood that makes that rarer in Tieflings, mortal blood attampts to rejects the Fiendish corruption. And I think for example in the case of a Tiefling of Glabrezu-heritage they far more likely to have an extra set of vestigial arms than look like a dog, because I think vestigial arms are simply more interesting.
For Guardinals, Cerdivals are often depicted as being Satyr-like they've generally been shown as the most Human looking of all Guardinals. Avorals have usually been shown as Humans with beak-like noses and feathers for hair. I don't see there being a good reason that the mortal descendant of an Avoral has an eagle head when many Avoral's don't have eagle heads, unless the Ardling/Aasimar was of Aarockocra, Owlin or Kenku descent.
As for how an Aardling or Aasimar, of Celestial Eladrin (aka Azata) background I feel they would look more fey-like and elemental (though I know that touches on actual Fey races and the Genasi), though maybe some plant-like features could be added in.
For Guardinals, Cerdivals are often depicted as being Satyr-like they've generally been shown as the most Human looking of all Guardinals. Avorals have usually been shown as Humans with beak-like noses and feathers for hair. I don't see there being a good reason that the mortal descendant of an Avoral has an eagle head when many Avoral's don't have eagle heads, unless the Ardling/Aasimar was of Aarockocra, Owlin or Kenku descent.
As for how an Aardling or Aasimar, of Celestial Eladrin (aka Azata) background I feel they would look more fey-like and elemental (though I know that touches on actual Fey races and the Genasi), though maybe some plant-like features could be added in.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Based of course on the Cherubim of Semitic* myth - which is one of the funny things about Ardlings of course is that Angels are already Aasimar. Maybe they should change the name Aardling to Kerub and make the link explicit
*I say Semitic rather than Hebrew myth as the Akkadian Lammasu derive from the same bases, the Akkadian term Karibu means one who blesses.
DnD Lammasu and Shedu could be directly ancestral perhaps - lets lean into the mythology
FTFY
MechaTarrasque
Hero
I am all for exotic races, but I think a "martial sorcerer" class where you hit harder because your daddy was a god or an angel or your grandma was a giant or a demon would be a better way to fill the concept (we already have the sorcerer to deal with "your dad was a {fill in the blank}, so you can cast spells in a special way").
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