D&D General Pick your PHB (Ancestries)

[CreamCloud0]

1 - human
-basic
-variant
-mixed blood (gets to copy a base trait from another species)
2 - dragonborn
-dragonkin
-lizardfolk
-kobold
3 - orc
-strongtusk
-toughhide
-wildheart (totem barbarian spirits adjacent)
-half-orc
4 - goblin
-cave
-tinkerer
-hobgoblin
5 - dryad
-flower
-vine
-tree (ents)
6 - 'gnomes' *more comparable to a mortal nature spirit
-forest
-mountain
-sun
-river
-wind/fairy
7 - planetouched
-tiefling
-aasimar
-genasi
-vampire/dhampir
8 - warforged
-guardian
-scout
-envoy
-titan
9 - beastfolk
-harengon
-tabaxi
-lycan
-owlin
-tortle
-grung
10 - elves *higher magic design across the board
-astral
-shadow
-wood
-half-elf
11 - dwarves
-ironblood
-forgeheart
-earthshaper (geokinesis)
-duregar
12 - halflings
-lotusden (lotusden+stout)
-ghostfoot (ghostwise+lightfoot)
-cloverstar (lucky mechanics)

 

[TwoSix]

Assumptions:
1) All characters get a level 1 Origin feat. A lot of "near-human" races and mixed-ancestry options will be available as Origin feats.
2) Races with strongly realized cultural backgrounds will start with an "X culture" feat expressing that background; that feat can be swapped for a different Origin feat to represent a character that wasn't raised in that culture.
3) Backgrounds will also grant ancestral cultural options; "Raised among Dwarves" would be an example possible background option.

PHB Races:
1) Human
2) Elf
3) Drow
4) Half-elf (too iconic to leave as just a feat)
5) Dwarf
6) Halfling
7) Gnome
8) Dragonborn
9) Centaur
10) Warforged
11) Orc
12) Goblin

Concepts like aasimar, tiefling, genasi, changelings, shifters, kalashtar, and sprites would all be Origin feats. The 12 races listed here would also have Origin feats.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I struggled a bit with this one:

Obviously the most popular species need to be there:

1. Human
2. Elf
3. Dragonborn
4. Tiefling

To skirt the rules a bit, I'll include half-elves as a subrace of elves, and make Tiefling a subrace of Planetouched - which lets me squeeze in Aasimar as a core race and makes it easy to add genasi etc.

Then we also need the classics:

5. Dwarf
6. Halfling
7. Gnome
8, Orc (including half-orc as a subrace)

But then I can think of five species I really want to add, for different reasons:

9. Kolbolds (dnd silliest little guys)
10. Goblins (including hobgoblins and bugbears - lots of variety, another classic race)
11. Warforged (because Data is that popular)
12. Tabaxi (just to open that can of worms - also khajit really are that popular)
13. Gith (very distinctly dnd)

I'm still struggling with this.

 

[Zardnaar]

I struggled a bit with this one:

Obviously the most popular species need to be there:

1. Human
2. Elf
3. Dragonborn
4. Tiefling

To skirt the rules a bit, I'll include half-elves as a subrace of elves, and make Tiefling a subrace of Planetouched - which lets me squeeze in Aasimar as a core race and makes it easy to add genasi etc.

Then we also need the classics:

5. Dwarf
6. Halfling
7. Gnome
8, Orc (including half-orc as a subrace)

But then I can think of five species I really want to add, for different reasons:

9. Kolbolds (dnd silliest little guys)
10. Goblins (including hobgoblins and bugbears - lots of variety, another classic race)
11. Warforged (because Data is that popular)
12. Tabaxi (just to open that can of worms - also khajit really are that popular)
13. Gith (very distinctly dnd)

I'm still struggling with this.

I didn't struggle. 5.5 cut nothing (just upsets ppl) bring back half elf. Gith or Yuan Ti are the most D&D races left.

Warforged and Gobbos good candidates as well but Warforged might be to niche/controversial.

 

[Remathilis]

Human
Orc
Tiefling
Shadar-kai
Drow
Warforged
Kender
Yuan-ti
Aarakroca
Dhampir

D&D: DM has a conniption edition

 

[Tonguez]

1 Human
2 Fey-touched - Half-Elves, Changelings, Hagling
3 Elemental - Dwarf (Stoneborn), Melusine (Waterborn), Cinderfolk (Fireborn), Sylph (Airborn))
4 Gnome - Forest, Brownie (Fey), Tinker, Deep, Spriggan, Red Cap
5 Anaqim (Large) - Goliath, Troll-kin, Orc, Half-giant
6 Planetouched (Feat) - Celestial (Aaismar), Fiendish (Tiefling)
7 Construct - Warforged, Golem, Stitched
8 Saurian - Lizardman, Saurial, Dragonborn
9 Beastfolk - Felid (Tabaxi), Lupine, Avians, Horned (Satyr), Ape (Bugbear), etc
10 Goblin - Swamp/Sewer, Hob, Gremlin, Psionic, Insectoid (Grung)

Fey, Ethereal, Vampire, Shifter, Elemental etc are all feats
Large, Flight, Amphibian, Brachiation, Natural Weapons etc are also feats

 

[CreamCloud0]

Warforged and Gobbos good candidates as well but Warforged might be to niche/controversial.

i really feel people need to get past the one Very Specific Origin warforged have in ebberon because the artificial being archetype is otherwise very popular.

 

[Remathilis]

i really feel people need to get past the one Very Specific Origin warforged have in ebberon because the artificial being archetype is otherwise very popular.

I find it really amusing when people say that and then rant about how D&D species are losing their lore and place in the game...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Okay for an actual edition of dnd, i end up with some different answers. Mostly, including humans and normal elfs and lame Tolkien style dwarfs.

Lets see...

Human
- Not generic, they would have specific abilities like ignoring exhaustion, or minor things like not taking exhaustion from running or from travelling at faster pace, or something.

Gnomes
- 4e style but even more "weird creepy little guy" coded. Make them a little scary.

Dwarfs

• One Tolkien style lineage
• One based on troll-like mythical dwarves
• One based on the wise dwarves in some heroic tales where the dwarf king or whatever isnt gross and afraid of the sun

Elfs

• Wood Elves would be a little more fey than 5e ones, but not in a bright magic way like eladrin.
• Eladrin replace high elves again

Shadar-Kai

• not elfs
• Raven Queen is the primary death deity like in 4e

Halflings
4e style travelers with luck and fearlessness and stealth

Firbolgs

• lineages include goliaths who are not half giants but a separate species,
• firbolgs formated more like goliaths, can cast enlarge/reduce 1/day

Tieflings

Aasimar

Genasi
- 4e lore
-

Pixie

• can fly but only while tiny
• can be tiny or small, switch as a bonus action

Orcs
- Primal spirits blessed people, though many live in caravans or cities

Goblinoids

• more fey
• Weirder

I might totally break goblinoids open and remake them. Hobs become the little guys and have fey magic, goblins are medium and have enchantment magic, and bugbears are basically the same but since i wiuld increase what species can do overall theyd get even more stealth and "get into places you dont belong" ability. Maybe make it so they can squeeze through any space larger than their head, like a cat.

The setting would be Nentir Vale but Feywild and Shadowfell become Faerie, and the fey have a bigger presence. Id like to be able to add a primal type critter similar to genasi and teiflings and aasimar, but it wiuld require combining more species together to make room...

 

[jmartkdr2]

I realized I could make dragonborn and kolbolds two subraces of the same species, but at that point I'm feel like it's more "taxonomy shenanigans to fit an arbitrary limit" than an honest attempt at the question.