D&D 5E Warforged, Changelings, and Thri Kreen in the PHB?

[Rechan]

Personally I'd prefer they keep that garbage out of the player's hanbook so I don't have to rip them out of the book so my players won't be hounding me to play them.

I know! The only race in there should be human. That way, I don't have to rip out all the rest of the garbage.

 

[Stormonu]

I know! The only race in there should be human. That way, I don't have to rip out all the rest of the garbage.

I wonder if the only "core" race was human and every other player race was pointedly optional, how well that'd go over for the D&D crowd?

 

[Steely_Dan]

All races are campaign specific.

 

[Greg K]

I wonder if the only "core" race was human and every other player race was pointedly optional, how well that'd go over for the D&D crowd?

I'd be very happy!

 

[Stormonu]

It'd be very different to say the least...Savage Worlds takes this approach, as does GURPS, I believe. Wasn't there a racial "rarity" list being discussed for 5E at one time?

What races are we looking at being in the PHB if they go with "has to have been in a PHB(1)?"

Human
---
Elf
Dragonborn
Dwarf
Gnome
Half-Elf
Half-Orc
Halfling
Tiefling

If we included later PHBs, we'd also have (not counting subraces that don't have their own unique name):

Deva (4E)
Drow (UA, 4E)
Githzerai (4E)
Goliath (4E)
Svirneblin (UA)
Duergar (UA)
Minotaur (4E)
Shardmind (4E)
Wilden (4E)

---------
Campaign Specific

Awnsheglien/Blooded (BR)
Bariaur (PS)
Caliban (RL)
Changling (Eb)
Dragon (CoW)
Genasi (FR)
Githyanki (PS)
Hengeyokia (OA)
Kalashtar (Eb)
Kender (DL)
Korobokuru (OA)
Mul (DS)
Nezumi (OA)
Shifter (Eb)
Spirit Folk (OA)
Thri-kreen (DS)
Warforged (Eb)
Vanara (OA)

BR = Birthright
CoW = Council of Wyrms
DL = Dragonlance
DS = Dark Sun
Eb = Eberron
FR = Forgotten Realms
OA = Oriental Adventures
PS = Planescape
RL = Ravenloft
UA = 1E Unearthed Arcana

...and these are just the ones I remember and not counting fiddly subraces (such as Gold Elves), campaign world variants (like Dark Sun's cannibalistic halflings) nor supplemental books like Expanded Psionics, Races of... or books like Incarnum.

I think it's pretty obvious that just covering the PHB races from all editions is going to have them pretty occupied.

 

[Gothikaiju]

It'd be very different to say the least...Savage Worlds takes this approach, as does GURPS, I believe. Wasn't there a racial "rarity" list being discussed for 5E at one time?

What races are we looking at being in the PHB if they go with "has to have been in a PHB(1)?"

Human
---
Elf
Dragonborn
Dwarf
Gnome
Half-Elf
Half-Orc
Halfling
Tiefling

If we included later PHBs, we'd also have (not counting subraces that don't have their own unique name):

Deva (4E)
Drow (UA, 4E)
Githzerai (4E)
Goliath (4E)
Svirneblin (UA)
Duergar (UA)
Minotaur (4E)
Shardmind (4E)
Wilden (4E)

---------
Campaign Specific

Awnsheglien/Blooded (BR)
Bariaur (PS)
Caliban (RL)
Changling (Eb)
Dragon (CoW)
Genasi (FR)
Githyanki (PS)
Hengeyokia (OA)
Kalashtar (Eb)
Kender (DL)
Korobokuru (OA)
Mul (DS)
Nezumi (OA)
Shifter (Eb)
Spirit Folk (OA)
Thri-kreen (DS)
Warforged (Eb)
Vanara (OA)

BR = Birthright
CoW = Council of Wyrms
DL = Dragonlance
DS = Dark Sun
Eb = Eberron
FR = Forgotten Realms
OA = Oriental Adventures
PS = Planescape
RL = Ravenloft
UA = 1E Unearthed Arcana

...and these are just the ones I remember and not counting fiddly subraces (such as Gold Elves), campaign world variants (like Dark Sun's cannibalistic halflings) nor supplemental books like Expanded Psionics, Races of... or books like Incarnum.

I think it's pretty obvious that just covering the PHB races from all editions is going to have them pretty occupied.

Nice list(s)!

One small quibble: Shifters are a 4E PH2 Race, and also are prominent in later 4E FR material (Neverwinter Campaign Setting), so they would be in the second list.

 

[Li Shenron]

Why is it that the only type of gaming being included in Next seems to be things that fit into Forgotten Realms and nothing else? People like to play other settings too, why not include support in the PHB for settings other than Forgotten Realms, like Dark Sun and Eberron?

Because then there would be no limit. Why Dark Sun and not Planescape? Why Eberron and not Greyhawk or Ravenloft?

The point is that they are trying to be as setting-independent as possible. Forgotten Realms is probably one of the most generic fantasy setting, thus most of its basic stuff is usable by almost all settings. Not so with the other settings (except Greyhawk).

 

[amerigoV]

They should do the classic 5 or 6 races, then a couple of pages on how to make your own PC in the DMG. Then published campaigns get their own races worked up (but you can do it yourself if you just have to convert NOW!!).

 

[pemerton]

Forgotten Realms is probably one of the most generic fantasy setting

Huh? FR is not very generic at all - it makes all sorts of assumptions about demography, sociology, politics, myth, religion etc.

I've been running mainstream fantasy RPG games for nearly 30 years, and I don't think any of my games could have taken place in the Forgotten Realms without major changes.

 

[mlund]

Huh? FR is not very generic at all - it makes all sorts of assumptions about demography, sociology, politics, myth, religion etc.

I've been running mainstream fantasy RPG games for nearly 30 years, and I don't think any of my games could have taken place in the Forgotten Realms without major changes.

I have to agree - Realms is a Train-wreck of a setting to build on. The only reason to tie it to Core is to try and leverage the novels. Grey hawk and Blackmoor are much simpler and more traditional foundations for a Core brand, but they don't have a useful existing product base. Krynn has a product-base too, but it's fundamental assumptions are even further askew than the Realms (kender, gully dwarves, tinker gnomes, etc)

- Marty Lund