D&D (2024) 5e Aasimar are in the Players Handbook − what should the flavor be?

[CreamCloud0]

I would imagine that tiefs and dragos go together as two sides of the
elementalist archeetypee. One magey one physical.

i wouldn't really assign tieflings as elemental archetype, they don't really have the range of elements to properly serve that role, it's mostly just the fire association by proxy of the hells association, though i definitely see genasi as the 'magic elemental' species, i don't know if there's a huge benefit to not merging them into a single species with each subspecies serving as a variant for each element.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

i wouldn't really assign tieflings as elemental archetype, they don't really have the range of elements to properly serve that role, it's mostly just the fire association by proxy of the hells association, though i definitely see genasi as the 'magic elemental' species, i don't know if there's a huge benefit to not merging them into a single species with each subspecies serving as a variant for each element.

Genasi should have been one species (the standard Fire, Earth, Air, Water with room for more obscure ones like Necrotic, Radiant, Lightning, Ooze, Ice and so on) but I don't think Monsters of the Multiverse really had that format down. Yes there could have been an entry for just "Gith" with Githyanki and Githerzerai as subspecies, since there's only a few differences in abilities between them.

 

[Yaarel]

Thinking about appearance.

Visually they should be immediately identifiable as their species, with an emphasis on being both distinctive and easily cast as a compelling character. That might mean being badass, sexy, cute, intimidating, or whatever other attribute the player wants to focus on.

I agree with turning them into somewhat luminous beings. Perhaps having them be translucent or having a high sheen to them.

Apearancewise, they should be allowed a ton of variation. Bronze statue people, animal headed people with feathered/furred arms and legs, multi eyed eldritch horrors, christian angel people, and 'human but a bit sparkly' should all be supported.

Current Aasimar lore clearly includes non-human traits that are identifiable as such - Metallic freckles, luminous eyes, a shadow that's a different color, a halo, rainbow-gleaming skin.

Probably, the luminous aura is what all Aasimar share in common, for the sake of the IP recognizability. Then individuals might be translucent, metallic, or so on. Brainstorming, maybe the luminosity can be a distinctive light show, like two colors of light shifting back and forth? Maybe runes of light form within the aura? Actually, I strongly associate the Astral Plane with thought, paradigm, symbols, language, and meaningfulness. Let the aura of light form words in calligraphic letters of light within it. So, whenever one sees a character with an aura and words within, it evidences an Aasimar.

The Aasimar form look like anything. Pick any creature in the Celestial planes for inspiration. There can be Celestine (?) (Mount Celestia) who looks like an Elf, Eladrin with an animal head, or unicorn, orb of light, whatever the player conceives. Perhaps the only limitation is anthropomorphic Humanoid, including Human.

The two defining features of an angelic being are their wings and their radiance-affinity magic (sometimes manifesting as a halo). The former isn't usually the focus in favor of the latter, but why not? Its something different, widely applicable to many classes, and can be eeasily implemented with so many examples to draw from.

I have mixed feelings about wings. Some concepts definitely. Other concepts definitely not.

Also, I'd personally want to avoid making them just radiance tieflings insteead of fire, necrotic and poison tieflings.

Heh, speaking of which, in parallel to the Tiefling of Fire, Necrotic, or Poison:

For Aasimar, Radiance, Psychic, and Force.

Radiant for Lawful Good, because Solar.
Psychic for Chaotic Good, because Fey.
I guess that leaves Force for Neutral Good, maybe because creation.

 

[Yaarel]

Eberron Kalashtar can probably be a kind of Aasimar.

 

[bedir than]

Probably, the luminous aura is what all Aasimar share in common, for the sake of the IP recognizability.

I'm quoting the material as presented currently. It's not probable. The luminous aura is one of eight examples of the traits of Aasimar.

 

[Yaarel]

Recall

I'm quoting the material as presented currently. It's not probable. The luminous aura is one of eight examples of the traits of Aasimar.

I realize the quote. But Aasimar probably need a unifying recognizability for a Player Handbook core species.

 

[Mephista]

i wouldn't really assign tieflings as elemental archetype, they don't really have the range of elements to properly serve that role, it's mostly just the fire association by proxy of the hells association, though i definitely see genasi as the 'magic elemental' species, i don't know if there's a huge benefit to not merging them into a single species with each subspecies serving as a variant for each element.

In 1dnd, they've got fire, necrotic and poison (three most common damage types in the game after s/b/p), and an easy template to add other elements to. They also come with resistance to the appropriate element. And, in 2014 5e, their two racial feats were (gain more elemental resistances) and (Deal more fire damage).

I have mixed feelings about wings. Some concepts definitely. Other concepts definitely not.

Most of the other concepts can be covered by going Divine Soul Sorcerer / Cleric / Paladin. Or just a human with Magical Training as a 1st level feat.

Or if you're talking about guardinals / eladrin... the latter is already an elf sub-species, and the former is better off with Shifter, Centaur, Satyr or other appropriate beastkin species. They tried the animal features + cleric spells with ardling and it was a big nope. Some people wanted all christian-style angels, some people wanted a species for fursona types. Neither were really happy with animal headed spellcasters.

That's the fundamental problem with the DMG style aasimar. They were just specialized undead hunters (necrotic resistance plus affinity for cleric / paladin stuff). Which kind of shoehorns them into those concepts and nowhere else. That's just as bad as the half-orcs being pushed towards being barbarians all the time. No good.

 

[Yaarel]

Note the UA Tiefling origins. They arent "plane touched". They are planar immigrants.

"Tieflings are either born in the Lower Planes or have fiendish ancestors who originate there. ... Tiefling born in the Lower Planes often migrate to other planes. ... The earliest Tieflings joined ranks with Nontieflings to repel fiendish incursions, earning the trust of those who might otherwise mistake them for Fiends."


In parallel. Aasimar come into existence in the Upper Planes. Many still inhabit there as natives. If they are elsewhere, they are probably on some kind of angelic mission to restore the multiverse in some way.

That's the fundamental problem with the DMG style aasimar. They were just specialized undead hunters (necrotic resistance plus affinity for cleric / paladin stuff). Which kind of shoehorns them into those concepts and nowhere else.

Say, that describes one Aasimar culture, perhaps especially a LG one in Mount Celestia, who associates more with the LG Angel/Aasimon. But also, there are other Aasimar cultures across the Upper Planes.

Note, whenever I refer to an alignment, I mean the plane, not the individual.

 

[CreamCloud0]

In 1dnd, they've got fire, necrotic and poison (three most common damage types in the game after s/b/p), and an easy template to add other elements to. They also come with resistance to the appropriate element. And, in 2014 5e, their two racial feats were (gain more elemental resistances) and (Deal more fire damage).

just because they have those traits it doesn't mean they're Elemental Associated in the Same Way that a dragonborn or genasi is, their extra resistances represent high reslilience to toxins and extreme temparatures rather than affinity for those things, they are associated with the hells and the hells have their own associations. it's probably easier to argue that elves are elemental associated given how many variants there are: wood elves-earth, drow-poison/darkness, sea elves-water, avariel-air, astral elves-light/fire

 

[Mephista]

just because they have those traits it doesn't mean they're Elemental Associated

They're not associated with the elemental planes; however, they fill the niche of an fire/necrotic/poison element blaster as an archetype. Someone with an innate affinity for fire magic (or dark magic, etc). Its like saying that red dragon sorcerers are fire elementalists, even if they're not from the fire elemental plane.

Note the UA Tiefling origins. They arent "plane touched". They are planar immigrants.

Plane Touched is the traditional D&D name for those descended from celestials, fiends and elementals. Further, there are times in D&D lore where one becomes plane touched (or dragonborn, etc) via ritual instead of ancestry. The name is fine.

In parallel. Aasimar come into existence in the Upper Planes. Many still inhabit there as natives. If they are elsewhere, they are probably on some kind of angelic mission to restore the multiverse in some way.

Aasimar are mortals. The vast majority of games take place on the material plane, and the plane touched are born, live, and die there; they don't casually migrate from spiritual worlds. They can be good, evil, lawful, chaotic, neutral. There is no more something forcing them to be angelic missions than your average human. Hells, humans are more likely to be on world saving missions, because they tend to be more humans (and thus more human clerics and human paladins) than there are aasimar in the multiverse.

Say, that describes one Aasimar culture, perhaps especially a LG one in Mount Celestia, who associates more with the LG Angel/Aasimon. But also, there are other Aasimar cultures across the Upper Planes.

Note, whenever I refer to an alignment, I mean the plane, not the individual.

We're not talking culture. We're talking raw biology and poor game design that pushes players towards very specific classes through overly specific mechanics.