D&D 5E What races do you expect to see in the core books?

[The Human Target]

Genasi seemed like they were hugely popular in 4e, so I hope they're in there.

 

[Yaarel]

1. RACES
   1. Classic Races
   2. Forgotten Realms
   3. Dragonlance
   4. Eberron
   5. Dark Sun
   6. Planescape
   7. Nentir Vale

D&D supports any settings.

There are no ‘classic races’. The Greyhawk Setting is just one of many settings. The list of races for Greyhawk only matters to Greyhawk.

AD&D 1e is profoundly modular. The game expects the DM to pick and choose whatever suggestions seem interesting and to ignore whatever suggestions seem uninteresting. The game even expects the DM to invent new rules, and it is difficult to play unless the DM makes house rules.

The Wheel of Outer Planes that is central to the Planescape setting is simply a suggestion in the 1e Players Handbook, in an appendix alongside a suggestion to use psionics. Strictly optional.

The Greyhawk Setting is something different. It is strictly an optional setting, like Dark Sun is. The premise of the Greyhawk Setting is to try harmonize and systematize as much of the conflictive suggestions as possible, that were scattered across the TSR publications.

There is no obligation for D&D to mimic Greyhawk races. The DM can plug-and-play any races, whatever makes sense for the chosen setting for the story.

D&D has no room for ‘one true way’.

D&D supports any settings.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Surely it's older than that - Tolkien's elves are split rather neatly between 'wood' and 'grey' archetypes.

But even in Tolkien, the different Elven groups aren't like different races. They're just categorized by where they live, whether they've been West yet or not, their standing with the Valar, how much of a dick they are to mortals, and stuff like that.

 

[Hussar]

One would hope that whatever they do, fans will be willing to bend with just a tiny bit of compromise. So, just because your pet race is maybe not the way they go, maybe stepping back and accepting that gracefully is the way to go.

 

[Mistwell]

But even in Tolkien, the different Elven groups aren't like different races. They're just categorized by where they live, whether they've been West yet or not, their standing with the Valar, how much of a dick they are to mortals, and stuff like that.

Isn't one immortal, the other just really long lived?

 

[GX.Sigma]

I disagree. One of the is immortal, the other is not.

This is news to me. Which elves are immortal, and which aren't?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There are no ‘classic races’.

I'd disagree -- humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings (hobbits in the first print) have been common to every released version of D&D from 1974 OD&D to B/X and AD&D to 3E and 4E to today. For that reason I think the term "classic" applies. If you delve into subraces or races added via the OD&D Greyhawk supplement, though, I'd happily label those "Greyhawk races".

Your point about D&D being designed to support many setting assumptions is spot on, though.

 

[Yaarel]

Your point about D&D being designed to support many setting assumptions is spot on.

I appreciate everyone who appreciates D&D as a game whose only limit is imagination!

I'd disagree -- humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings (hobbits in the first print) have been common to every released version of D&D from 1974 OD&D to B/X and AD&D to 3E and 4E to today. For that reason I think the term "classic" applies. If you delve into subraces or races added via the OD&D Greyhawk supplement, though, I'd happily label those "Greyhawk races".

I feel the Original D&D races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling) need to be in the Players Handbook as optional races - as a nod to the D&D tradition. However, the rules as written should avoid assuming their presence. It is the setting that the DM chooses that decides what races are in or out.

Ideally, every popular race should be in the Players Handbook - as options.

 

[tuxgeo]

Re: The Elf races in Tolkien:

Isn't one immortal, the other just really long lived?

As I understand it, Tolkien's elves are all immortal in the sense that they don't die of old age -- but they can be killed. (However, some of them are reportedly sent back to life for one purpose or another.)

The Valar and Maiar are different: they predate the existence of the world.

Link: "Elves are naturally immortal, . . ."

 

[GX.Sigma]

Re: The Elf races in Tolkien:



As I understand it, Tolkien's elves are all immortal in the sense that they don't die of old age -- but they can be killed. (However, some of them are reportedly sent back to life for one purpose or another.)

The Valar and Maiar are different: they predate the existence of the world.

Well, the idea is that their bodies can be destroyed, but their spirits will always survive, and become clothed in new bodies after a while. The thing is, the place where they get new bodies is so nice that they usually stay there.