D&D General Going back to Basic(s). A thought experiment.

[Tonguez]

Human
Dwarf
Goblin/Hob (small nimble race)
Goliath (Giant race)
Planetouched - covers Fey, Hagling, Elemental , Fiendish and Celestial variants

Class:
Fighter: Ranger
Rogue: Thief
Sorcerer:
Knight: Paladin
Priest (Healer Bard)

 

[DEFCON 1]

You guys are thinking to much about what boils down to a "pick your top 5 races and classes" list.

Heh, well you said 'Basic' D&D and gave us the image of basic D&D... and to me species like Tritons, Genasi, and Tabaxi or classes like Bards, Warlocks, and Monks aren't basic, they're anything but. If the question was truly just a 'What's your Top 5 classes and species?' list, couching it in different terms than 'basic D&D' might have yielded different results.

 

[Clint_L]

Human, orc, elf, dwarf, goblin

Battlemaster fighter, beast master ranger, thief rogue, evoker wizard, holy cleric

 

[Alby87]

The idea is that a basic box like this should really teach how to run the game. Make it a simple dungeon crawler only, give low level players and monsters, lite rules, a couple of example adventures that teach the game, DM and players (more than the starter set, that are "just the adventure and then throw away"). Make it a simple complete game.

Want more? Time to upgrade to the full game. Now the book don't need the "introductory" tutorials, they can start right away with the rules.

 

[Clint_L]

Okay, so my pre-made characters are:

Orc Battlemaster Fighter (I know, should probably be champion if we want to keep it really basic, but battlemasters are way more fun). Orc because they're big and beefy.

Human Thief Rogue. I guess you have to include a human.

Elf Beastmaster Ranger. I guess you have to include an elf.

Goblin Evocation Wizard. Need a little guy, and goblins are more fun than gnomes or halflings.

Dwarf Holy Cleric. I guess you have to include a dwarf.

Humans, elves, and dwarves just feel obligatory, if you are designing for popular appeal.

 

[beta-ray]

Heh, well you said 'Basic' D&D and gave us the image of basic D&D... and to me species like Tritons, Genasi, and Tabaxi or classes like Bards, Warlocks, and Monks aren't basic, they're anything but. If the question was truly just a 'What's your Top 5 classes and species?' list, couching it in different terms than 'basic D&D' might have yielded different results.

You could just read the post.

 

[Charlaquin]

Human
High Elf
Hill Dwarf
Lightfoot Halfling
Orc

The “core 4” races, plus orcs because they’ve earned it.

Life Cleric
Evoker Wizard
Champion Fighter
Thief Rogue
Land Druid

The “core 4” classes, plus druid for primal caster representation.

 

[Cruentus]

Classes: Warrior, Mage (for both cleric and wizard), and Rogue
Species: Human, Changeling and/or Half-Elf, Dwarf

Simple. With weapons, magic items, and approach to the character giving it "ranger", "paladin", "knight", "cleric", or "wizard" flavor/feel, and not using 5e as the structure. So basically B/X or OSE.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Lore Bard
Life Cleric
Battlemaster Fighter
Fiendlock
Thief Rogue

Teifling
Halfling
Tabaxi
Minotaur
Custom Species

 

[overgeeked]

Just for funsies, let's say WotC is going to put out a 2nd line of D&D that trims things to the bone. A simpler streamlined version of D&D with hopes that players will one day ADVANCE to the full game.

I really wish they would, but splats keep the lights on.

The book will have 5 races/species/whatever and 5 classes. And before anyone says anything yes I am aware that in old Basic there as just classes as Elf was a class and Dwarf was a class etc, but just go with me on this.

Out of the whole of 5E D&D what would you like to see as the Basic Core Races and Classes?

For classes fighter, rogue, and warlock twice. You don't need a fourth or fifth class. The rest are variations on those. And yes, warlock instead of cleric or wizard. This is a new, streamlined basic 5E, right? Subclasses would be...not included in something that's properly basic. I think even auto-picking a subclass and applying it is too much. But going with the premise that's battlemaster for fighter, thief for rogue, and both fiend and celestial for warlock. The warlock fills your typical cleric and wizard slots.

For races human, elf, dwarf, dragonborn, and orc. Human for the baseline, elf and dwarf for the standard fantasy trifecta, dragonborn for the proper fantasy race, and orc to bring in one of the typically enemy races as a core playable race.