D&D 5E (2024) Which races would YOU put into the 50th anniversary Players Handbook?

[Reynard]

Human

Elf
Dwarf
Halfling

That's it. Everything else is in a setting book.

 

[Vaalingrade]

My question is why do we have to keep Humans.

 

[Lanefan]

My question is why do we have to keep Humans.

Because most people intrinsically know how to play one?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Because most people intrinsically know how to play one?

I have seen 0 proof of this over 4 decades.

 

[Yaarel]

For my vote.

Give rules for custom race, with suggestions if it is a half race.

• Human

• Elf (astral-ish, teleport, cantrip, proficiencies, spell-per-day)
• Elf (wood-ish, elven accuracy, cantrip, speed, darkvision)
• Tiefling (devil or demon)

• Dragonborn
• Dwarf
• Orc

• Giant (large: earth, cold, lightning-thunder, or fire-radiant)
• Genasi (tough: earth or water)
• Genasi (fly: air or fire)

• Gnome (choose illusion, animal, or technology)
• Awsimar
• Changeling

• Warforged
• Plasmoid
• Tabaxi

• Fairy
• Goblin
• Satyr

• Thri-kreen
• Dhampir
• Aarakocra

 

[schneeland]

Human
Dwarf
Elf
Gnome
Halfling
Orc

That, but Gnome gets replaced by Goblin.

 

[Lanefan]

Human

Elf - Wood, High, Fair, Arctic (sub-species are NOT in my view as separate as the OP would have them)
Dwarf - Hill, Mountain
Hobbit - Agrarian, Maritime (with better sub-species names that that, I hope!)

Part-Elf
Part-Orc
Gnome

Stop there.

And then make those species mean something again! Compare each to Human (the baseline) and adjust their root stats up and-or down to reflect that comparison; give the non-Humans some species-based abilities (night-sight being the most obvious) and penalize them some other way to compensate. Make some species - including Human - naturally trend toward some classes and away from others; maybe even ban a few combinations outright. And so forth...

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Dragonborn, Elf, Gnome, Human.

 

[overgeeked]

Everything from the current PHB plus all the races released prior to Monster of the Multiverse that didn't make the cut.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Everything in the existing PHB including possibly Dragonborn (sub)races from Fizban's and Tiefling, but no Tiefling subraces, just have one Tiefling race that's more customizable (see Aasimar as a example). And then add Aasimar, Orc, Goblin, Hobgoblin and Bugbear.