abirdcall
(she/her)
I like the direction they went with species. I think all of them are powerful enough that I don't want to split hairs on which ones are stronger. Instead I want to rank them by how well they are designed. I'm weighting how well their mechanics result in unique expression in the game most heavily. While I like that some species lend themselves better to certain classes or archetypes, I'm also going to be paying attention to whether that is working well or is too restrictive.
3 ranks: Good, Okay, and Not Quite There
Good:
Human - They did it. The human is both bland and also a fine choice for just about any archetype. Origin feats are the perfect way to reign in the power of the extra feat while also still feeling good.
Dwarf - They are tough with good darkvision and a nifty tremorsense. They feel very Dwarf to me and I'm happy with all of their abilities.
Elf High and Wood - Feel thematic and are broadly playable.
Orc - I feel like I could play an orc who is a spellcaster and still feel like an orc. Their dash is limited but still has many uses and they can be played with more courage. They don't make great rogues though unfortunately.
Goliath - Large form and powerful build nail the unique expression but large form is only 1/long rest. The ancestry abilities are also very limited and I don't think I would feel like a Goliath with most of them. Thankfully Stone's Endurance is still there and the 35ft movement is a nice always on bonus that represents a longer stride. They are directed towards high strength characters but not actually limited to them which is nice.
Aasimar - They chose to go with what they had previously and everything works fine. It's nice it doesn't follow the same formula as Tiefling. The transformation is only 1/long rest but it is a big show so I think that's fine. I almost put it in 'okay' because I think I just don't have any desire to play them but that is just a me thing.
Okay:
Dragonborn - I like almost all of what is here. The Resistance is always on and between the breath weapon and the flight they get enough cool abilities to feel like a dragonborn throughout the day. My only thing is that they are pushed quite a lot towards classes that have an additional attack. If I were to make a change it would be to allow them to choose that or as a bonus action (still 1/turn) because they are themed very well to be spellcasters.
Elf Drow - They ported them faithly from 2014 so can't fault them there but I personally wouldn't really feel the flavour of the lineage if I were playing them. 120' darkvision is not unique and the spells are also not broadly applicable so maybe not as fun in play.
Tiefling - They don't feel like they have a solid identity. Just not enough there that all 3 lineages share unlike elves. They probably didn't have much of a budget left after their spells and resistances but I still would have liked something unique rather than Thaumaturgy.
Not Quite There:
Halfling - Luck and Brave work hard to make them feel like halflings. But unless they're a rogue they aren't going to be expressing their halflingness very often with nimbleness and especially naturally stealthy. Maybe if they could attempt to hide when only under 1/2 cover instead of 3/4 I could feel like a special halfling at some point when not a rogue. Nimbleness would be neat if it helped with squeezing too or maybe even a limited ability to avoid difficult terrain.
Gnome - Gnomish Cunning is really good but it is passive and doesn't leave much room in the budget for their other abilities. I would have liked something unique for Forest so if they also choose to be a Druid or such they could be even better at making animal friends. I don't think advantage on animal handling checks would be too much. Maybe I'm not using my imagination enough but Rock doesn't make me feel like an inventor.
3 ranks: Good, Okay, and Not Quite There
Good:
Human - They did it. The human is both bland and also a fine choice for just about any archetype. Origin feats are the perfect way to reign in the power of the extra feat while also still feeling good.
Dwarf - They are tough with good darkvision and a nifty tremorsense. They feel very Dwarf to me and I'm happy with all of their abilities.
Elf High and Wood - Feel thematic and are broadly playable.
Orc - I feel like I could play an orc who is a spellcaster and still feel like an orc. Their dash is limited but still has many uses and they can be played with more courage. They don't make great rogues though unfortunately.
Goliath - Large form and powerful build nail the unique expression but large form is only 1/long rest. The ancestry abilities are also very limited and I don't think I would feel like a Goliath with most of them. Thankfully Stone's Endurance is still there and the 35ft movement is a nice always on bonus that represents a longer stride. They are directed towards high strength characters but not actually limited to them which is nice.
Aasimar - They chose to go with what they had previously and everything works fine. It's nice it doesn't follow the same formula as Tiefling. The transformation is only 1/long rest but it is a big show so I think that's fine. I almost put it in 'okay' because I think I just don't have any desire to play them but that is just a me thing.
Okay:
Dragonborn - I like almost all of what is here. The Resistance is always on and between the breath weapon and the flight they get enough cool abilities to feel like a dragonborn throughout the day. My only thing is that they are pushed quite a lot towards classes that have an additional attack. If I were to make a change it would be to allow them to choose that or as a bonus action (still 1/turn) because they are themed very well to be spellcasters.
Elf Drow - They ported them faithly from 2014 so can't fault them there but I personally wouldn't really feel the flavour of the lineage if I were playing them. 120' darkvision is not unique and the spells are also not broadly applicable so maybe not as fun in play.
Tiefling - They don't feel like they have a solid identity. Just not enough there that all 3 lineages share unlike elves. They probably didn't have much of a budget left after their spells and resistances but I still would have liked something unique rather than Thaumaturgy.
Not Quite There:
Halfling - Luck and Brave work hard to make them feel like halflings. But unless they're a rogue they aren't going to be expressing their halflingness very often with nimbleness and especially naturally stealthy. Maybe if they could attempt to hide when only under 1/2 cover instead of 3/4 I could feel like a special halfling at some point when not a rogue. Nimbleness would be neat if it helped with squeezing too or maybe even a limited ability to avoid difficult terrain.
Gnome - Gnomish Cunning is really good but it is passive and doesn't leave much room in the budget for their other abilities. I would have liked something unique for Forest so if they also choose to be a Druid or such they could be even better at making animal friends. I don't think advantage on animal handling checks would be too much. Maybe I'm not using my imagination enough but Rock doesn't make me feel like an inventor.
