Full roster of PHB3 races known yet?

[Regicide]

No, but as you noted Eberron introduced _playable_ lycanthropes, doppelgangers, and golems (read: without requiring LA) for 3e.

Why are you so reluctant to give credit where it is due?

They're as playable and interesting as all the other races. Because... they're the same as all the other races. If they're going to get credit for turning something as staggeringly cool and interesting as shape changing or being a robot, something that has sparked the imagination and resulted in countless movies, comics, novels and superheroes, into something so completely devoid of cool and heck, nearly completely devoid of rules too, it's bad credit.

Oh look, I'm a druid, I can change into practically anything and that means... uh... nothing. Okay.

Oh look, I'm a magical robot and... I get slightly different feat selections... just like everyone else.

Lovely.

 

[Camelot]

When you look at D&D as just a game, of course this is what will happen. Making multiple options available with clearly skewed balance would destroy the game. It's true that they are all kept at the same power level, and that they have similar methods of choosing options. But this would be if D&D were just a game.

When playing D&D, you aren't just playing a game. You are creating a story, and if that means changing the rules to make the story more interesting, that's what happens. The rules say that warforged are affected by poison if they imbibe it. However, in your story, if you want all the characters to be poisoned except the warforged because it would be more fun if he had to fight his own way to protect his weakened allies, you can easily change this. If you want shifters to be just as feared and powerful, if not more powerful, than lycanthropes, you can do this.

The game desingers are not disallowing your cool ideas; they are enabling them. If they were making a computer game instead, you would be unable to create your own perspective of the world. Played Dragon Age yet? Three races and three classes, and dwarves only get two classes. Not much variety. D&D 4e? 18 races and 18 classes, with more on the way and plenty of room to add your own or change the ones that are already there.

The game designers make the game playable as a game. The players' creativity makes the game interesting as a story.

 

[JPL]

I think the trick is to give players something that tastes like werewolf or robot or shapeshifter without throwing game balance out the window. Make them different, but not better.

I can play a shifter with some lycanthropic traits at 1st level, but he's not going to have all the perks of full werewolfdom (i.e., turn into a largely invulnerable killing machine). But as he advances in level, he can become closer and closer to the classic werewolf archetype and pick up more of those abilities.

From a roleplaying standpoint, you can still play that warforged like Mr. Data if you want --- but you don't get to play a character that's superstrong, tireless, supersmart, and bulletproof.

Anyone playing a druid who thinks using wild shape "does nothing" is doing it wrong. Mechanically, it gives you access to a whole different set of feats and powers. RPwise . . . you can turn into a freaking bear, man. Next round, you can turn into a pink unicorn and gore someone with your horn. In the words of Blade: Trinity . . . use it. USE IT. USE IT.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

So now that we've seen this month's preview... what race is that archer in the 5th PHB3 picture?

 

[Mentat55]

I think that is a wilden seeker.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

If that's the case, they aren't plant people any more.

 

[Jhaelen]

If Eberron didn't exist shifters would STILL be in PHB2.

And this is exactly what I don't agree about

If it wasn't for Eberron, Shifters would (most probably) NOT be in PHB2. We might have got something else instead: Maybe a reptilian or an insectoid race or something even more weird.

It would have depended on the setting they would have released instead of Eberron.

What races did the (known) competing settings have?

Since I'm getting a bit tired of arguing the same point over and over, let me add a question about a different topic:
I was quite surprised that the Killoren return in PHB3, while I personally found them intriguing, I didn't have the impressions they had gained much traction.
I was even more surprised by the picture of the seeker: Is that really how Wilden look like now? It looks like a satyr to me.

 

[Camelot]

Killoren? Is this a nickname for minotaurs or githzerai, or has the fourth race been confirmed? Or do you speak of a different PH3?

 

[kilamanjaro]

Killoren? Is this a nickname for minotaurs or githzerai, or has the fourth race been confirmed? Or do you speak of a different PH3?

Killloren is the 3.5 name for the Wilden.

 

[Regicide]

When playing D&D, you aren't just playing a game.

No, actually, you are. Thats why the word is used prominently on the game books. Thats why WotC's slogon on their homepage right now is "World Leader in Hobby Games."

You are creating a story, and if that means changing the rules to make the story more interesting, that's what happens.

Those are called house rules. They come about because you don't like something about the game system you payed money for. If you're doing it a lot, it's because it isn't a good game system and you got ripped off unless you mostly bought it for the artwork.

The game desingers are not disallowing your cool ideas; they are enabling them.

The game designers (glad you're calling it a game now) made what they called a "role playing game" not a "build your own system" game. They do not, in any way, as you say, "enable" you making a cool shifter by putting a bad shifter in the game. They do not "enable" you with power creation rules, race creation rules or the like. What they "enable" you to do is make a character and play it and if that character is a shifter you're "enabled" to make a very lackluster and uninteresting shifter.

Played Dragon Age yet?

Sadly I have played the worst game to come out of Bioware in 15 years, yes. A pretty bad showing on their part. Their upcoming games are promising to return to their former level of quality.

Three races and three classes, and dwarves only get two classes. Not much variety. D&D 4e? 18 races and 18 classes, with more on the way and plenty of room to add your own or change the ones that are already there.

Thats nice. Final Fantasy XI has 5 races and 20 classes which multi-class for 380 class combinations. Everquest has 16 races and 16 classes. Guild Wars has 10 core classes that multi into about 90 combinations. Those are just three very common games, there are a bunch that have waaaaay more races and classes.

You know, even the Dungeons and Dragons Online warforged are immune to poison, have DR and receive less healing from healing spells.

The game designers make the game playable as a game. The players' creativity makes the game interesting as a story.

So 3.5E wasn't playable because dopplegangers and warforged had more rules that enabled players more play options, but 4E is better because it has rules that restrict what you can do so you are "enabled" to ignore those rules and make your own to play with. Gotcha.