Zardnaar
Legend
So looking back the most popular and least popular races. I didn't keep track 100% but the most popular I saw over and over. Least popular I saw 0 or maybe once.
Most Popular. In general humans, Elf variants and Tieflings. Tieflings beat up the drow and stoke their emo money.
Least popular. Definitely Dragonborn. Never saw one rolled up iirc. Maybe 1 but single session may have been a dragon sorcerer. Even newbies realized they sucked mechanically. Fizban ones looked good. Saw a couple of Midgard Dragonkin as they had niche use.
Next Least popular perennial joke the Gnome. Saw a grand total of 2. Probably cheated and 1 was OSR. Grand total of 4 ever including 2E. Half Orc was probably competing with Gnome tbh. About as popular as random races from outside the PHB.
Halflings an dwarves were next up as least popular. Saw a couple or 3 but not many. I played a halflng champion.
Beating some traditional races Goliaths and Aasimar. Not sure how many I saw but more than the shorties. There's a reason they were added to 5.5 phb I suppose.
Things I didn't see that were mildly surprising. Probably due to players not generally owning the books. Eberron stuff, yuan ti and satyrs. Some players had Mordenkainens but it came late in the cycle and 5.5 landed. Theros and Ravnica stuff mat as well not existed.
Campaign specific. If I specifically included them in player guides players would often pick new ones on offer. Midgard books they picked Bearfolk, Minotaur and Dragonkin.
I suspect Eberron races wwould ave been picked if I ran it. Alt cover was beautiful.
Gith started getting picked recently after BG3. Laezel effect they've been in the back ground since 2E.
Additional thoughts. Throwing a menu book at players a'la Complete Book of Humanoids or Mordenkainens everything blends togather. Specific campaigns with a book eg Darksun, Midgard and DM ones players are more likely to pick newer ones. Pretty races are more popular, anthropomorphic ones specific types of players. Ugly monster races not so much sorry half orc and others. Planetouched, elves, dhamphirs etc easier to get over.
DM PoV into 5.5.
Mordenkainens is still useful but a lot of oolder nes with origin feats added are still good. I let in a 2015 gith with medium armor proficiency. Floating stats plus origin feat she's still very effective. Some players still want racial armor proficiency. In her case bladelock.
Other races power crept out I don't allow. No 2014 Dragonborn. Fizbans or 2024 versions are fine. Generally I'll allow PCs to pick what version they want to use. Goliath had 3 or 4 versions iirc Gith 2 or 3. Floating stats are used or page 38 5.5 phb.
Personal core in 5.5 is basically phb plus Gith. I would probably add Genasi and sideline Half Orcs, shorties, Dragonborn. They're not banned but not worth much effort. Think I want to do homebrew or Eberron next.
Anyway your anecdotes what did you see in your part of the world?
Most Popular. In general humans, Elf variants and Tieflings. Tieflings beat up the drow and stoke their emo money.
Least popular. Definitely Dragonborn. Never saw one rolled up iirc. Maybe 1 but single session may have been a dragon sorcerer. Even newbies realized they sucked mechanically. Fizban ones looked good. Saw a couple of Midgard Dragonkin as they had niche use.
Next Least popular perennial joke the Gnome. Saw a grand total of 2. Probably cheated and 1 was OSR. Grand total of 4 ever including 2E. Half Orc was probably competing with Gnome tbh. About as popular as random races from outside the PHB.
Halflings an dwarves were next up as least popular. Saw a couple or 3 but not many. I played a halflng champion.
Beating some traditional races Goliaths and Aasimar. Not sure how many I saw but more than the shorties. There's a reason they were added to 5.5 phb I suppose.
Things I didn't see that were mildly surprising. Probably due to players not generally owning the books. Eberron stuff, yuan ti and satyrs. Some players had Mordenkainens but it came late in the cycle and 5.5 landed. Theros and Ravnica stuff mat as well not existed.
Campaign specific. If I specifically included them in player guides players would often pick new ones on offer. Midgard books they picked Bearfolk, Minotaur and Dragonkin.
I suspect Eberron races wwould ave been picked if I ran it. Alt cover was beautiful.
Gith started getting picked recently after BG3. Laezel effect they've been in the back ground since 2E.
Additional thoughts. Throwing a menu book at players a'la Complete Book of Humanoids or Mordenkainens everything blends togather. Specific campaigns with a book eg Darksun, Midgard and DM ones players are more likely to pick newer ones. Pretty races are more popular, anthropomorphic ones specific types of players. Ugly monster races not so much sorry half orc and others. Planetouched, elves, dhamphirs etc easier to get over.
DM PoV into 5.5.
Mordenkainens is still useful but a lot of oolder nes with origin feats added are still good. I let in a 2015 gith with medium armor proficiency. Floating stats plus origin feat she's still very effective. Some players still want racial armor proficiency. In her case bladelock.
Other races power crept out I don't allow. No 2014 Dragonborn. Fizbans or 2024 versions are fine. Generally I'll allow PCs to pick what version they want to use. Goliath had 3 or 4 versions iirc Gith 2 or 3. Floating stats are used or page 38 5.5 phb.
Personal core in 5.5 is basically phb plus Gith. I would probably add Genasi and sideline Half Orcs, shorties, Dragonborn. They're not banned but not worth much effort. Think I want to do homebrew or Eberron next.
Anyway your anecdotes what did you see in your part of the world?
Last edited:
