D&D 5E Favorite Unusual Races/Lineages

[Paul Smart]

Hello everyone. I am curious, what are your favourite unusual races/lineages? Why those races?

I will go first. My top 5 in order are:

1) Tortle - Mechanically robust (17 AC to start is excellent for spellcasters) Interesting racial backstory. For me, they are just fun.
2) Lizardfolk - There is just something fantastic about the alien mindset they have—a fun RP challenge.
3) Warforged - I have been playing since the 1980 box sets and remember survival games. Not having to eat or breathe takes away so many issues. The ultimate soldiers, as far as I am concerned. Honourable mention to Reborn for the same reason.
4) Fairy - What is not to love about the flying races and out of them, the fairy is my favourite. Now, if only they would allow us to play fairies or sprites.
5) Genasi - Not the most powerful but one of the most favourable. Want to play Korge - Earth Genasi. A character with flaming hair - Fire Genasi. Too much fun.

 

[TwoSix]

1) Aasimar. Loved them since Planescape. Just love the aesthetics of a part-angel.
2) Changeling - Look like anyone or anything, just filled with roleplaying hooks.
3) Leonin - I had a werelion character in a short-lived White Wolf game, and since then I've loved the lion-man aesthetic.

 

[Scribe]

What defines unusual? @Paul Smart

 

[Paul Smart]

What defines unusual? @Paul Smart

Good question Scribe. I will define unusual as any race/lineage not in the players' handbook for the purpose of this question. So humans, elves, dwarves, halflings etc. are normal. Something like a lizardfolk, that is unusual.

 

[Slit518]

Lizardfolk and Warforged.

 

[iserith]

Tortle because my character Botticelli rocks and he loves calzones.

 

[CleverNickName]

So since Unusual = Not in the Player's Handbook (as clarified in Post #4):

Eladrin: I like my elves to be heavy on the Fey flavor, and the Eladrin delivers.

Genasi: Elemental ancestries fit perfectly in my campaign. I'd even like to see this class expanded to include the "para-Elementals" of older editions: Smoke (air & fire), mud (earth & water), Dust (air & earth), etc.

Yuan-ti: they make ssssuch good ssssorcssserersss.

 

[Scribe]

Good question Scribe. I will define unusual as any race/lineage not in the players' handbook for the purpose of this question. So humans, elves, dwarves, halflings etc. are normal. Something like a lizardfolk, that is unusual.

In that case, I think I'll go Fairy, and Satyr. I'm on a Fey kick right now.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Interesting.

Changeling. I mean, what's not to love? Pick whatever aesthetic you want, make a very versatile character, go man go.

Shadar-kai. They're just so goth. And I've got a whole mythology for them in my games that is tragic and compelling and tied in with a bunch of themes and plotlines. I homebrewed a full race version for 5e that gets the teleport on a short rest, stealth proficiency, +5ft speed in dim light or darkness, and they roll a death saving throw any time they would normally fail automatically, such as taking damage while dying.

Vryloka. These are similar to dhampyr, but they aren't descended from vampires, or half turned, they are of a bloodline with a vampiric "gift". In my worlds I like to use them as the bigger buffer side of the same coin as the shadar-kai, using them as descended from the same race. I've homebrewed two subraces for my games. One can turn into a wolf, the other into mist.

Various Anthro People. Harengon, Tortles, Tabaxi, etc. IMO these have a more prominent place in the public consciousness than most DnD races, so it is odd that they get such a tertiary place in DnD. I think I've had more people ask if they could play some kind of animal person when introduced to DND than any PHB race.
Especially frog people. I love little frog dudes.

Satyrs/Fauns. Loved these folks since Narnia. Athletic, musical, charming, fun. Awesome.

Honorable mention to Warforged, Firbolgs, Bugbears, and Dryads.

 

[Stormonu]

1) Wemic. savage lion centaurs, just what isn't cool about that?
2) Dragonborn. Even though they are in the PHB, they haven't always. I wanted to play a dragon man all the way back in 1E days
3) Centaurs. For when you can't play wemics
4) Rhakasta/Tabaxi/Leonin. For when you can't play wemics and feel like more like being a cat
5) Warforged. Magical golems that can look at the human condition from the outside (Ala, Data from STNG) - yes, please.