D&D 5E Here Are The Races In The New Eberron Book

According to WotC's Jeremy Crawford, the following eight races appear in Eberron: Rising from the Last War.

Official versions of previous playtest races: Warforged, Changelings, Kalashtar, Shifters.

Playable versions of: Goblins, Bugbears, Hobgoblins, Orcs.

He goes on to clarifiy that "The playable orc in "Eberron" is a bit different from the orc in "Volo's Guide to Monster's." The playable goblinoids in "Eberron" use the same traits as the ones in "Volo's."

 

[R_J_K75]

They haven't released exact numbers, and don't talk about the results as openly as they used to, but here is the latest they gave us on Settings:

D&D Monthly Survey | Dungeons & Dragons

dnd.wizards.com

I do not imagine that much has changed. These surveys apparently draw in 7 figures of respondents regularly, soooo it is difficult to skew them individually.

I find this from WotC somewhat amusing:

"Greyhawk and Dragonlance hew fairly close to the assumptions we used in creating the fifth edition rulebooks, making them much easier to run with material from past editions."

Cant that be said for most settings except for maybe Darksun and Planescape?

 

[Parmandur]

I find this from WotC somewhat amusing:

"Greyhawk and Dragonlance hew fairly close to the assumptions we used in creating the fifth edition rulebooks, making them much easier to run with material from past editions."

Cant that be said for most settings except for maybe Darksun and Planescape?

Eberron needed the Artificer Class, and a bunch of fiddley rules that were tested last year. Ravenloft has a lot of room for spooooky things. Spelljammer is...far out.

So Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk and Dragonlance are the three settings in the top tiers that do not need, in their very structure, new systems and options. Given the testing of "spooky" player options in UA 2015, I think they were weighing doing some character options for Ravenloft in Curse of Strahd or an adjacent product of some sort, but ended up leaving them for the Xanatahr's Guid the next year. They could still end up doing a Ravenloft setting book like this one, to be honest. Plenty of room for one.

 

[R_J_K75]

Eberron needed the Artificer Class, and a bunch of fiddley rules that were tested last year. Ravenloft has a lot of room for spooooky things. Spelljammer is...far out.

So Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk and Dragonlance are the three settings in the top tiers that do not need, in their very structure, new systems and options. Given the testing of "spooky" player options in UA 2015, I think they were weighing doing some character options for Ravenloft in Curse of Strahd or an adjacent product of some sort, but ended up leaving them for the Xanatahr's Guid the next year. They could still end up doing a Ravenloft setting book like this one, to be honest. Plenty of room for one.

I was thinking and I know its unconventional but pathfinder is doing it; theyre selling 640 page books at a $60 MSRP. If WotC maybe put out a series of larger books earlier in the edition with more game mechanics, then perhaps they couldve put out more setting specific adventures moving afterward.

 

[Parmandur]

I was thinking and I know its unconventional but pathfinder is doing it; theyre selling 640 page books at a $60 MSRP. If WotC maybe put out a series of larger books earlier in the edition with more game mechanics, then perhaps they couldve put out more setting specific adventures moving afterward.

Paizo is interested in generating subscriber for their AP lines: WotC wants to sell books, and get licensing deals from third parties due to the installed base. They have every incentive to do more moderate hardcovers, and it has worked like gangbusters: two books in the top 100 on Amazon right now, one of which is 5 years old!

 

[R_J_K75]

Paizo is interested in generating subscriber for their AP lines: WotC wants to sell books, and get licensing deals from third parties due to the installed base. They have every incentive to do more moderate hardcovers, and it has worked like gangbusters: two books in the top 100 on Amazon right now, one of which is 5 years old!

Just goes to show Im no marketing genius, ad wizard or economist. I can picture me in the first 5 minutes of first 5E brainstorming session at WotC, heres your +5 cardboard box and Leomunds Everlasting Kleenex, clear out your cube, youre fired!

 

[Parmandur]

Just goes to show Im no marketing genius, ad wizard or economist. I can picture me in the first 5 minutes of first 5E brainstorming session at WotC, heres your +5 cardboard box and Leomunds Everlasting Kleenex, clear out your cube, youre fired!

Look at how TSR did for 25 years: I'm sure you would do fine!

 

[R_J_K75]

Look at how TSR did for 25 years: I'm sure you would do fine!

Thanks for the kind words, I was partially joking but sometimes my ideas are a little too far reaching. But then again, according to a creative thinking course I took they encourage expressing any random idea that comes to mind as it usually sparks other people around you to react and from that you usually get some great ideas. WotC has radically changed the products they are putting out which I can appreciate even if Im not a fan of some of them.

 

[Gradine]

One important thing to keep in mind is that not all Orcs are (or even were) druids/Gatekeepers. There are still quite a few clans that keep to older traditions of aberration/demon worship. To say nothing of the Jhorash'tar jerks kicking around the other side of the continent.

Not that I'm opposed to a Wisdom bonus for Eberron Orcs by any stretch; just that the one really stand out thing about Orcs in the setting is how deeply in touch with their passions and emotions they are.

From a mechanical standpoint I'd prefer two sub-races; one with a Wisdom bonus (meant to symbolize the druidic clans) and one with a Charisma bonus (meant to symbolize the demon worshipper clans). Taking Charisma as more "force of personality" and less "everyone loves you!" I see it as a good fit for the Eberron Orc, personally.

 

[gyor]

A new version of the orc for Eberron?

Thank goodness.

The orc from Volo’s really doesn’t fit eberron at all.

It doesn't even really fit the Forgotten Realms because Forgotten Realms orcs have subraces, like the Grey Orcs who traditional get a Wisdom bonus and have a reputation for Divine Magic. The Grey Orcs are the ones who invaded Faerun from another Orc ruled world during the Orcgate Wars and then summoned their Gods to battle the Gods of the Mulan in what was the most brutal divine war in Toril History since the Gods warred with the Primordials.

 

[gyor]

A new version of the orc for Eberron?

Thank goodness.

The orc from Volo’s really doesn’t fit eberron at all.

It doesn't even really fit the Forgotten Realms because Forgotten Realms orcs have subraces, like the Grey Orcs who traditional get a Wisdom bonus and have a reputation for Divine Magic. The Grey Orcs are the ones who invaded Faerun from another Orc ruled world during the Orcgate Wars and then summoned their Gods to battle the Gods of the Mulan in what was the most brutal divine war in Toril History since the Gods warred with the Primordials.

I guess we have to admit the goblins from Warcraft with their steampunk touch may have been a great influence.

Eberron is the best world to play PCs from "monster" races.

Planescape and Spelljammer are just as good. The Forgotten Realms is just behind those and Eberron. The rest are not great for playable monster races I think.