D&D 5E RACES: D&D 5E Races That Should Be Core Races

[TrippyHippy]

One of the advantages, still, of BRP based games like RuneQuest and Magic World is that all the listed monsters can be played as PC races (should the GM approve). There is no real difficulty in making the switch as they operate on the same set of design assumptions.

Is the same true for the Monster Manual? (that’s not a snooty rhetorical, incidentally. I really want to know as I haven’t purchased it!)

If I wanted to switch around the ‘core races’ I’d probably want to include some traditional mythological creatures like Satyrs, Minotaurs or Centaurs. That said, part of me would prefer to have whole-Human parties. Sometimes I find the non-human races as just short hand for stereotyped roleplaying for some players. Force them to all play the same race - and then they have to find ways of differentiating themselves through roleplaying.

 

[aramis erak]

One of the advantages, still, of BRP based games like RuneQuest and Magic World is that all the listed monsters can be played as PC races (should the GM approve). There is no real difficulty in making the switch as they operate on the same set of design assumptions.

Is the same true for the Monster Manual? (that’s not a snooty rhetorical, incidentally. I really want to know as I haven’t purchased it!)

No. Unlike BRP (and derived games, such as ElfQuest and RQIII), which shows the stat rolls, as well as the typical stats and the typical skills, 5E MM simply gives just the typical example monster. Even for the obvious races, it doesn't give stats.

oh, and let's add...

echidna and platypus AND dragon-born

Oh and ERB people of Mars

OH YEAH! More Referential Races!

Actually, doing ERB's Mars would be pretty darned cool. And at least the first four books are out of copyright. And, better, it was in the AD&D 1 Appendix N, and is in D&D 5 PHB Appendix E...

Actually, that sounds like fertile ground for a setting book...

 

[Plaguescarred]

I would also like to see half-ogre as a playable race at some point.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

No more core races are needed IMO, but if you're going for a Savage Species-style book with races ... how about bullywugs?

 

[SamVDW]

Other forums seem to prefer Warforged. We use them every so often in our campaigns.

But also Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Lizardmen, That brings up a good question with "monster" races. Do you want monster races available as a core race? What even classifies as a monster race?

 

[Mercule]

first for core... and I mean core HOBGOBLIN...

I'd be just fine with adding either orc or hobgoblin to core -- my preference being hobgoblin. They could replace halflings, which I find to be rather annoying.

Given my 'druthers, I'd do this:

PHB

• Human
• Dwarf
• Elf (high & wood)
• Hobgoblin
• Dragonborn (optional, as 5E PHB)
• Gnome (forest and whisper) (optional)

PHB2/Unearthed Arcana (pseudo-core, second round picks)

• Drow (I'd rather not, but they're in too many worlds)
• Goblin
• Goliath
• Half-elf
• Half-orc
• Half-ogre
• Halfling
• Kobold (maybe)
• Tielfing

Specialty books (Elemental Adventures) or setting books

• Changeling
• Drow (if we could quarantine them as FR-only)
• Genasi
• Half-giant
• Kalashtar
• Kender
• Mul
• Shifter
• Thri-kreen
• Tinker gnomes
• Warforged
• Anything else

I could probably be talked into shifting my layout, slightly, but that's a pretty good start. Note that it assumes one supplemental PHB-type book. My preference, there, would be to call it "Unearthed Arcana", as per 1E, or come up with another distinctive title, rather than PHB2. Having numbered PHB iterations feels like shouting "rules bloat" from a mountain top.

 

[Wolfskin]

I'd love to see Genasi, my second favorite race. Everything else is icing on the cake to me.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I'd be just fine with adding either orc or hobgoblin to core -- my preference being hobgoblin. They could replace halflings, which I find to be rather annoying.

I have to say, Hobgoblin is just a perfect fit, savage but also able to be lawful. Militant or mercenary.

 

[BigVanVader]

Rules are for saps. Orcs forever! Eat the rich!

 

[Elderbrain]

How about Shadar-Kai? They were one of the things I liked about Fourth Edition.