D&D 5E Witchlight publishes the new official format for player character races.

[billd91]

I've never like elves but when eladrin became a PC option in 4e, they finally seemed cool because they were legitimate fey instead of just humans in the woods.

What was the difference between eladrin and elves that did that for you in 4e?

 

[Remathilis]

Has Wizards ever said anything about this in addition to the issue you mention here?

I am bothered more than I should be about this LOL.

If you're looking for a quote, I don't have one. There has been a lot of discussion about PC size since 3e, and designs for "large" and "tiny" races in 3e, 4e and 5e have always relied on mechanical tricks to make them work properly. From 3e Goliaths having powerful build to give pseudo large abilities without the extra damage, reach and space, to 4e pixies getting wee warrior to treat them as small for reach and weapon usage (in affect, the opposite of powerful build), WotC has always ended up treating large races as medium and tiny as small.

 

[Scribe]

Otherwise, I expect the official core rules to allow the DM flexibility.

As they do, and always have.

As long as the customization is the default in the core rules, I dont mind "ready-mades" to give meaningful examples and to simplify the game for those gamers whose style doesnt care about customization

I've always said, allowing for options for the DM can only satisfy more, not less, players in the long run.

These questions of game design never needed to devolve into a zero sum, but I guess such is life.

 

[Yaarel]

what would a playable aberration made by you be like then?

3e and 4e made the Elan race Aberrant. But this example, is a human that was psionically modified by the Far Realm. So it looked like a normal human, rather than the more monstrous appearances that Aberrants often have.

Note, one of the Eberron dwarf cultures traffics with Aberrants. So, perhaps this culture could choose between being Humanoid or Aberrant.

I dont think all Aberrants are psionic, but some are.

Heh, I treat Aberrant as if the "real" Neutral Evil Fiend. More selfish than Devil but less self-destructive than Demon.

Creating a new Aberrant race that looks like a squick nightmare (tenticals, mouths, eyes, etcetera), as a player character is fine. Personally, I tend to associate this nightmare archetype with the sea anemone.

The design space of 1½ feats can do alot to forward a character concept: maybe focus on charm and frighten, while inducing nightmares and corrupting personalities, but also creating Difficult Terrain by warping the nearby reality. The terrain effects would be temporary but might become permanent if applied everyday for a year.



Of course, player characters can be any alignment, and even a Fiend might be non-Evil.

 

[billd91]

If you're looking for a quote, I don't have one. There has been a lot of discussion about PC size since 3e, and designs for "large" and "tiny" races in 3e, 4e and 5e have always relied on mechanical tricks to make them work properly. From 3e Goliaths having powerful build to give pseudo large abilities without the extra damage, reach and space, to 4e pixies getting wee warrior to treat them as small for reach and weapon usage (in affect, the opposite of powerful build), WotC has always ended up treating large races as medium and tiny as small.

I think part of the problem was the way Large was defined in 3e for monsters. The monster design and advancement guidelines give a significant bonus to strength for increasing the base size of creatures - a bonus that's WAY out of balance to give to a PC just because they're big and have a -2 penalty to dexterity. So, to avoid that, I think they started playing shenanigans with pseudo large abilities. They even do it with the enlarge spell because it gives nerfed benefits for being large.
I use the term shenanigans here when viewed from the perspective of the overall structural system of 3e. Keeping PC abilities under control is a hack to the broader system governing creature stat creation. From a PC balancing perspective, it's not so unreasonable, even if it is a bit inconsistent and confounding if you know the overall creature system.

 

[Mind of tempest]

3e and 4e made the Elan race Aberrant. But this example, is a human that was psionically modified by the Far Realm. So it looked like a normal human, rather than the more monstrous appearances that Aberrants often have.

Note, one of the Eberron dwarf cultures traffics with Aberrants. So, perhaps this culture could choose between being Humanoid or Aberrant.

I dont think all Aberrants are psionic, but some are.

Heh, I treat Aberrant as if the "real" Neutral Evil Fiend. More selfish than Devil but less self-destructive than Demon.

Creating a new Aberrant race that looks like a squick nightmare (tenticals, mouths, eyes, etcetera), as a player character is fine. Personally, I tend to associate this nightmare archetype with the sea anemone.

The design space of 1½ feats can do alot to forward a character concept: maybe focus on charm and frighten, while inducing nightmares and corrupting personalities, but also creating Difficult Terrain by warping the nearby reality. The terrain effects would be temporary but might become permanent if applied everyday for a year.



Of course, player characters can be any alignment, and even a Fiend might be non-Evil.

the elans do not have the proper appeal-like diet caffeine less cola.
aberrations tend to be strange some seem more arthropod than anything else, maybe a mix of the classic a bug and something humanoid to make it more pc sized?

 

[Yaarel]

the elans do not have the proper appeal-like diet caffeine less cola.
aberrations tend to be strange some seem more arthropod than anything else, maybe a mix of the classic a bug and something humanoid to make it more pc sized?

I think all of this fine.

Among the race traditions, probably the Thri-kreen is the least anthropomorphic?

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

Your avatar image reminds me of a human melding with Aberrant magical armor. The armor seems like a blend of skeletal corpse, exoskeleton, and sea creature, a great image for a Far Realms item.

 

[vincegetorix]

I would not put the harengon race in a Norse-esque regional setting

Hey! Odin's Sphere was a GREAT game, I'll have you know!

Pixies and Rabbit-knight can throw the gauntlet against Odin anytime!

 

[vincegetorix]

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

For ease of play, I'd go with a less monstrous look for a playable aberrant.

Maybe something like a changeling, but more ooze like under its true form?

Add resistance to Acid or Bludgeoning damage.
Add a feature that let them easily escape grapples and slither in a few inches.

 

[Weiley31]

Hey! Odin's Sphere was a GREAT game, I'll have you know!

Pixies and Rabbit-knight can throw the gauntlet against Odin anytime!

View attachment 143954

That isn't a game: IT'S AN EXPERIENCE!

 

[AcererakTriple6]

I think all of this fine.

Among the race traditions, probably the Thri-kreen is the least anthropomorphic?

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

Your avatar image reminds me of a human melding with Aberrant magical armor. The armor seems like a blend of skeletal corpse, exoskeleton, and sea creature, a great image for a Far Realms item.

I hold the opinion that you should be able to play a Ceremorph, as the Gnome Ceremorphs from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (which are adorable, by the way) can be any alignment.

I'd have it be an Aberration-type Lineage similar to the Dhampir, with its Extract Brain/Tentacles attack being similar to the Dhampir's Vampiric Bite (but Intelligence-based for attack and damage rolls). They'd also get telepathy and possibly a minor psychic-wave feature, but that'd be about it.

 

[Yaarel]

For ease of play, I'd go with a less monstrous look for a playable aberrant.

Maybe something like a changeling, but more ooze like under its true form?

Add resistance to Acid or Bludgeoning damage.
Add a feature that let them easily escape grapples and slither in a few inches.

Maybe an Aberrant shapechanger, mostly human but temporarily becomes less human while using Aberrant traits?

But I like your idea better: a nonhuman being able to mimic the form of a human to some degree, but is nonhuman when relaxed.

I would give a choice of damage resistance.

 

[Faolyn]

3e and 4e made the Elan race Aberrant. But this example, is a human that was psionically modified by the Far Realm. So it looked like a normal human, rather than the more monstrous appearances that Aberrants often have.

So weird, because gith and grimlocks are both humans who were psionically modified by--well, by mind flayers rather than the Far Realm, but mind flayers are from the Far Realms, so it's almost the same thing.

They shoulda just done something more aberrant with one of those two races.

 

[Yaarel]

I hold the opinion that you should be able to play a Ceremorph, as the Gnome Ceremorphs from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (which are adorable, by the way) can be any alignment.

I'd have it be an Aberration-type Lineage similar to the Dhampir, with its Extract Brain/Tentacles attack being similar to the Dhampir's Vampiric Bite (but Intelligence-based for attack and damage rolls). They'd also get telepathy and possibly a minor psychic-wave feature, but that'd be about it.

As a race trait, I would let the player choose a mental ability, whether Int, Wis, or Cha.

 

[vincegetorix]

Maybe an Aberrant shapechanger, mostly human but temporarily becomes less human while using Aberrant traits?

But I like your idea better: a nonhuman being able to mimic the form of a human to some degree, but is nonhuman when relaxed.

I would give a choice of damage resistance.

Oozekin

Size: medium
Type: aberrant humanoid
speed: 30

Unsettling form. When a creature you can see makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll. You must use this feature before knowing whether the attack hits or misses. Using this trait reveals your shapeshifting nature to any creature within 30 feet that can see you and you gain a climb speed of 30 until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You must then complete a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Change Appearance. As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can't duplicate the appearance of a creature you've never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change.

Aberrant anatomy. You have resistance to acid damage and have advantage on saves made to resist any spell or effect that would alter your form. When you move, you can squeeze and crawl in a space as small as 4 inches on a side.

 

[NaturalZero]

What was the difference between eladrin and elves that did that for you in 4e?

When I started in 3e, high elves were just people who could see a little better in moonlight. They lived in the woods, in the same way a human lives in the woods, and in human cities. They were just alternate humans. When 4e came out, high elves got dropped for eladrin and their base type changed to fey, everyone got to teleport, they lived in another dimension, etc. Mechanically and thematically, they got a big upgrade.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I think all of this fine.

Among the race traditions, probably the Thri-kreen is the least anthropomorphic?

There is room for nonhumanlike Aberrants.

I think of the tentacles, mouths and eyes as "soft" and boneless. But an insectile "hard" exoskeleton can make sense too.

Your avatar image reminds me of a human melding with Aberrant magical armor. The armor seems like a blend of skeletal corpse, exoskeleton, and sea creature, a great image for a Far Realms item.

Ozirmok ion is what I assume a high-level psion devoted to mastering control of flesh is thus absolutely terrifying.

the one before was wilding ontopathogenic powers or in English the ability to affect the reality of something. also, look kind like this in their youth:

I do like thri kreen they seem well fought out both physically and mentally and are influences for how I want to build fantasy sapient folk

For ease of play, I'd go with a less monstrous look for a playable aberrant.

Maybe something like a changeling, but more ooze like under its true form?

Add resistance to Acid or Bludgeoning damage.
Add a feature that let them easily escape grapples and slither in a few inches.

sapiens oozes are a different thing and come with a whole set of new problems like how do you even kill one with weapons also we already have one the Ghaunadan.

So weird, because gith and grimlocks are both humans who were psionically modified by--well, by mind flayers rather than the Far Realm, but mind flayers are from the Far Realms, so it's almost the same thing.

They shoulda just done something more aberrant with one of those two races.

they both already had predetermined ideas as one was made by a fan another is just the stereotypical morlok rip-off.
but you are right in your thinking.

 

[Scott Christian]

If it were up to me choosing between a Feat that gave flight and Fey Touched, I would choose Fey Touched 9 times out of 10. Flight is good, but it's not gamebreaking in my opinion (nor in my experience), and I'd way rather have Hex/Hunter's Mark and Misty Step for free 1/day, and a mental ASI. The same applies to a ton of feats, like GWM/Sharpshooter, Eldritch Adept, and so on.

It's good. It's useful. However, I disagree with the claim that it's somehow better than every feat available in the game.

A lot of how good flight is depends on the adventure. I think we can all agree on this. Traps, natural physical obstacles like canyons, fighting creatures without range, navigating labyrinths, etc. Flight is god like. Here is an example:
The adventure consists of one RP, two skill challenges and two combats. The RP is to get past the bouncer and go upstairs to talk to the eccentric artist that is high all the time. He has a map you need. Technically, flight could just take you to the upstairs window. Next, you are traversing a maze of canyons. Oh, flight just took care of those navigation rolls. Oh no, there are giant scorpions in these canyons. No biggie. I fly up, and just shoot arrows or cantrips at them. Hey, we just came to a place where a climber needs to cross a dangerous and sharped rock wall. Flyboy - I got this. Reach the end, a giant twisted malformed willow tree, here in the desert. He is using all the water and killing anything that gets near his pool. Again, I fly and stay out of harms way while shooting arrows or casting spells.

Note: I am not saying it would be like this all the time. But there are several adventure types that flying can come across as a super power. A campaign on a ship is another one. In the end, it just becomes a thing the DM accounts for and builds things that work against it. In the ship example, there is always strong winds or storms or archers or giant flying wasps or whatever. Then, the danger is, it becomes a game of tit-for-tat. And that doesn't make anyone happy.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I liked the 4e feys who could only fly 10ft high. Yes, a bit restictive, maybe metagamey, but I could easily rationalize it.

 

[Mind of tempest]

A lot of how good flight is depends on the adventure. I think we can all agree on this. Traps, natural physical obstacles like canyons, fighting creatures without range, navigating labyrinths, etc. Flight is god like. Here is an example:
The adventure consists of one RP, two skill challenges and two combats. The RP is to get past the bouncer and go upstairs to talk to the eccentric artist that is high all the time. He has a map you need. Technically, flight could just take you to the upstairs window. Next, you are traversing a maze of canyons. Oh, flight just took care of those navigation rolls. Oh no, there are giant scorpions in these canyons. No biggie. I fly up, and just shoot arrows or cantrips at them. Hey, we just came to a place where a climber needs to cross a dangerous and sharped rock wall. Flyboy - I got this. Reach the end, a giant twisted malformed willow tree, here in the desert. He is using all the water and killing anything that gets near his pool. Again, I fly and stay out of harms way while shooting arrows or casting spells.

Note: I am not saying it would be like this all the time. But there are several adventure types that flying can come across as a super power. A campaign on a ship is another one. In the end, it just becomes a thing the DM accounts for and builds things that work against it. In the ship example, there is always strong winds or storms or archers or giant flying wasps or whatever. Then, the danger is, it becomes a game of tit-for-tat. And that doesn't make anyone happy.

maybe if a setting had as a major race a bunch of flyers and built itself with them in mind it would be better as then it would teach on how to deal with them?