The 8 classes in the PHB...

[Aldarc]

Morrus, I think you'ven ailed all the classes and races.

In James Wyatt's newest dungeoncraft article (entitled: Episode 1, Its never to early) in Dungeon #151, he goes through the process of building a town for 4th edition. He mentions how "As a starting point, I'm going to flip through the races chapter of the Player's Handbook so that, no matter what race a player chooses for his character, there will be some story ideas in his background.", and deciding where/how each presented race will fit into his new town of greenbriar. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and Eladrin.

He does not mention half-elves (though with a elf/human town mix, they are kind of implied), or gnomes.

Tieflings now are another story entirely. He mentiones that they are in the PHB, but he can't think of a good story reason why there would be a population of Tieflings in his new town, and that he would hold off on allowing players to play tieflings until AFTER they had left the general area. I don't know about you, but that doesn't inspire alot of confidence in me about the "new lore" the 4th ed PHB has created for them. If one of the 4th edition designers, who is writing an article for Dungeon magazine as a preview of 4th edition can't figure out where to put them, my faith in thier creative endeavors drops even lower.

And that is what is worrying me about 4E. How forced is the lore to fit the races and classes?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I suspect the Monk will turn up in a 4E Oriental Adventures. Didn't someone say something about monks having a more "Asian flavor"?

Probably right.

I'd also say that the Bard and the Druid might be showing up in a 4e "celtic" or "fey" supplement.

A supplement which may even make heavy use of Gnomes.

 

[Uzzy]

Given the importance of Bards to the Realms, it's entirely possible that in the event of them not being in the PHB, they could be in the FRCG.

 

[WayneLigon]

If one of the 4th edition designers, who is writing an article for Dungeon magazine as a preview of 4th edition can't figure out where to put them, my faith in thier creative endeavors drops even lower.

Designers, like everyone else, use house rules and modify things to fit the tone and tenor of a campaign. It means nothing more than that and in fact shows nascent GM's that you don't have to use everything in the PHB just because it's in the PHB. He could have just as easily said 'Dwarves'. It has nothing to do with anything so absurd as 'faith' in a designers intent.

 

[Aage]

Probably right.

I'd also say that the Bard and the Druid might be showing up in a 4e "celtic" or "fey" supplement.

A supplement which may even make heavy use of Gnomes.

Power Source Nature? That'd be cool Split druid into 2 parts, a controller and a shaper (defender). That leaves striker, Ranger? But ranger seems to be phb1-material...

 

[Beregar]

Half-orcs have pointy ears, depending on who is doing the art work

Drat... okay, give me my brutish humans with pointed ears then.

 

[Gloombunny]

Power Source Nature? That'd be cool Split druid into 2 parts, a controller and a shaper (defender). That leaves striker, Ranger? But ranger seems to be phb1-material...

Well, maybe the PHB1 ranger will be all-martial, and when the nature power source comes out there'll be a new ranger talent tree giving access to nature spells.

And/or maybe we'll see the totemist return as a nature striker. I'd like that.

 

[Rechan]

Tieflings now are another story entirely. He mentiones that they are in the PHB, but he can't think of a good story reason why there would be a population of Tieflings in his new town, and that he would hold off on allowing players to play tieflings until AFTER they had left the general area. I don't know about you, but that doesn't inspire alot of confidence in me about the "new lore" the 4th ed PHB has created for them. If one of the 4th edition designers, who is writing an article for Dungeon magazine as a preview of 4th edition can't figure out where to put them, my faith in thier creative endeavors drops even lower.

You know, it may simply be that if he put them there, it would look like he intentionally put them there just for them to be there.

Meaning, not every single town is going to have the Little Tiefling neighborhood. I'd be shocked if every town had a representative of Every Single Race in it. Dwarves may just be rare in this part of the continent/country/state, simply due to X factor (like, it's on the coast, and dwarves don't like sand in their boots, or some other arbitrary reason).

To use a real world example, there are states in the US with very small African American populations. Native Americans are just rare, period, unless you're close to a reservation.

That said, it's not Too difficult to say 'Okay, there's a tiefling hermit in the woods' or 'A band of tiefling gypsies that periodically travel through'.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Sigh ... still hoping the druid will show up in the PHB. it's the only class I'm not willing to wait on a supplemetn for (and I'd throw the warlock or warlord under a bus to get the druid in if given the option).

Actually, I'd prefer to trade away a few racial options for more class options, given the choice -- multiclassing gives a lot more options from the start from including one more class, but since you can't multi-race ...

 

[CanadienneBacon]

• Tiefling in.
• Gnome probably out, although Bruce Cordell's comment was "wait and see".
• Elf in.
• Eladrin in.
• Half-elf in.
• Dwarf in.
• Human in.
• Halfling in.

No word on half-orc, drow ("Possibly but not confirmed."). Aasimars are not in, warforged looks exceedingly unlikely.

I like gnomes. Any 4E that I DM will include 'em, regardless of whether the find their way into the PHB. Ditto with half-orcs.