D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Remathilis]

Or the fact that in the new optional system, you could even have those 40 Pound Halfling and 300 Pound Goliath with equal Strength...yeah makes total sense.

Sorta. It was always possible a halfling and a golaith could have equal strengths (between 10 and 15) and the goliath will always count as Large for purposes of lift and carry, so not a lot changed under the optional system. A 15 was still a 15 for hit and damage mods, but the goliath's only cost him 5 points rather than 9 and had double the encumbrance limit.

Moral of the tale is that its not a big enough difference to sweat the details of, much like how it isn't worth worrying about size to ration numbers because tracking rations is the one of the most boring thing you and do in D&D.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

"This chapter contains optional rules that you can use to customize your campaign,"

Let me finish the sentence that is being quoted here for our studio audience:

"as well as guidelines on creating your own material, such as monsters and magic items."

If it looks like homebrew, swims like homebrew, and quacks like homebrew...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Horses, even ones with an extra set of hands, cannot climb a vertical wall at 1/4 speed.

A centaur isn’t a horse.

 

[Azzy]

Tabaxi? Meh. Rakasta in 1981. Phanatons too.

Here's a fun bit of trivia:

According to Lawrence Schick, back before he and Tom Moldvay joined TSR, they had created a setting known as the Known World (a precursor to the Mystara setting introduced in the Isle of Dread module). One of the playable non-human races that populated the world (on the Plains of Mnokki) were the Kzinti (from Larry Niven's Known Space series). When the were hired by TSR, they both implemented the Kzinti for D&D and AD&D (under different names). Tom Moldvay, who worked on the D&D line, introduced them as the Rakasta in the Isle of Dread. Lawrence Schick, working on the AD&D line, introduced them as the Tabaxi in the Fiend Folio.

 

[Maxperson]

Let me finish the sentence that is being quoted here for our studio audience:

"as well as guidelines on creating your own material, such as monsters and magic items."

If it looks like homebrew, swims like homebrew, and quacks like homebrew...

As I mentioned before, every battle that comes about from the combat rules is also homebrew. It doesn't exist in any other setting. Regardless of whether something is homebrew, if there are rules that brought it about, it has RAW to back it up. That means when someone asks me to show them rules that allow the playing of monsters in the MM, I can correctly point to those rules.

 

[Maxperson]

A centaur isn’t a horse.

The body is. This is game fact.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The body is. This is game fact.

No, it isn’t.

 

[generic]

Maybe the centaur body is a divine-blooded super horse, eh?

 

[Maxperson]

No, it isn’t.

The game says it is. I've already quoted it.

 

[Maxperson]

Maybe the centaur body is a divine-blooded super horse, eh?

Then you can point to the rule that says that. Neither the climbing ability nor the lore says that as far as I can see. You're free to make that up for your centaurs if you wish, though.