D&D (2024) The 10 Species in "Your Ideal 2024 PHB"

[steeldragons]

Ok...so...now, I'm thinking...

1. Human.
-Urban
-Rural
-Half-Dragon -> metallic, gem, chromatic
-Planar: Genasi -> air, earth, fire, water
2. Elf.
-High
-Wood/Sylvan
-Half-Elf -> high. light, wood
-Planar: Fae-touched Elf: Sidhe (Fairy/Grey/"Light Elf")
3. Orc.
-Mountain (standard subterranean pig-faced orc)
-Wild
-Half-Orc -> human, goblin (option for small), ogre/Orog (option for large)
-Planar: Fiend-touched Orc: Devilboar (fiendish wereboar)
4. Dwarf.
-Hill
-Mountain
-Half-Dwarf -> human, gnome,
-Planar: Fire-touched Dwarf: Azer
5. Gnome. Small species.
-Rock
-Forest
-Dell -> hairfoot, tallfellow, stout
-Planar -> Earth-touched Gnome: Svirfneblin/"Deep Gnome"
6. Goblin. Small species.
-Lurker
-Tinker
-Goblinoid -> Hobgoblin (half-human/medium), Kobold, Bugbear (large option)
-Planar: Shadow-touched Goblin: Dark Creeper
7. Sylvan Folk
-Satyr (females, obviously, allowed. Self-perpetuating species)
-Centaur (large species)
8. Giantkin
-Forest/Firbolg
-Stone/Goliath
9. Catfolk
-Anthro-cat (tabaxi, rakasta, etc...)
-Felinoid (feline -NOT cat-headed!- humanoid)
10. Winged Folk
-Anthro-bird (aaracokra, kenku/tengu, etc...)
-Avian (winged humanoid)

 

[jmartkdr2]

I've never seen anyone say "halflings are my favorite race, but I think they would be better if they were combined with gnomes to make a generic 'small folk' race." If anyone here wants to admit they want their favorite race combined with a bunch of others with similarities, I'd love to hear why.

Hi!

I like halflings, and think gnomes bring some neat ideas into DnD - but both are a little bland and they definitely overlap a lot, so it makes more sense to mix them together biologically and let the m have a wide array of smaller cultures to express their diversity - especially since most of their "subraces" are way too narrow to be a whole culture let a lone a whole biological group.

(I would call the combined species "gnome" since halfling is obviously an exonym.)

Lightfoot/stout are separated by local cultural quirks, and gnome subraces are more like class concepts - just give gnome players a way to dabble in spellcasting that includes both artificer and druid.

Added bonus: if you use the 3.5 "Races of Stone/the Wild" books, gnomes have a good/evil dichotomy in their religion, but halflings have a law/chaos divide. Combining the two give a four-directional religion that really fits well into DnD cosmologies by both lining up nicely and by giving an average gnome reason to care about all four directions (and consciously balance law and chaos).

 

[jmartkdr2]

Plasmiod
Tortle
Kenku
Tri-Kreen
Warforged
London
Shardmind (import from 4e)
Yuan Ti
Genasi
Centaur

Play something different.

I shall play as a city renowned for its international trade and tall busses.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Tieflings are amazingly popular and it's not stopping people from adding them to a generic planar species.

And elf and tiefling share a lot. Too much IMHO. The only thing that isn't similar is the cantrip and the shorter long rest. They certainly share more than aasimar and tiefling does in the new book. Halflings and gnomes share nothing but size but people are Frankensteining them together.

My concern is that a "planetouched" species removes the aesthetics and story of the options they are replacing and only leaves them as mechanics. The species are all too similar to begin with, making them all one blanket species further dilute them. I want more lore and more diverse abilities, not less.

I think it's more people thinking that other planetouched are just "tieflings but good/elemental" than thinking tieflings themselves are actually lacking. Plus it's an easy way to combine options since the framework can be repeated without losing anything.

 

[Greg K]

I edited my prior post adding Goliath and combining Gnomes and Goblins under Fey (with the addition of Kobold and Sprite to Fey).

My alternate (and not serious) list in which the species are all stylized in a big eyes, small mouth anime style:

• Human
• Arachne
• Centaur
• Cyclops
• Harpy
• Lamia
• Mermaid
• Minotaur
• Slime
• Changeling (or Zombie)

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I shall play as a city renowned for its international trade and tall busses.

We'll call you London Jack.

 

[Hussar]

I think it's more people thinking that other planetouched are just "tieflings but good/elemental" than thinking tieflings themselves are actually lacking. Plus it's an easy way to combine options since the framework can be repeated without losing anything.

I think this hits it better. You have something like Tieflings, which are pretty popular, and then you have all the other "Planar races" which combined, might, just maybe, equal one of the least played races in the PHB. And, frankly, because they're shoved off into optional books, they almost never feature in an adventure or setting book because, the adventures and setting books must include all the PHB races first.

I mean, sure, Phaldelin is fantastic. I love the town. But, where's the genasi farmer? It's not like genasi are all that rare in Forgotten Realms. Yet, the only races you see in the adventure are the PHB races. Candlekeep Mysteries brings in a village of Grippli near Candlekeep, and that's fantastic, but, that's it. You don't see any non-phb races featured (as far as I can remember) in the adventure.

On and on. Even Waterdeep Dragonheist, with the Trollskull Alley write up, features PHB races only. ((Well, with one exception, but, that's a spoiler ))

It's great that we have things like Volo's which give us all these cool races, but, as far as the settings go, they might as well not exist.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Paradox Entertainment on line 2...

Actually that would be onyx path since those are Chronical of Darkness not World of Darkness

 

[Minigiant]

It’s like all the hoopla about half elves when there is virtually no mechanical difference between them.

The Half Elves get a extra skills and languages to represent their natural diplomat or wanderer flavor. The half orcs had mightier melee crits. They also qualified for exclusive feats and magic items. It's a shame WOTC and many DMs don't expand the options of their species more. Species exclusive gear and options tailord to the species was often beloved by players and DMs.

The Half Elf in modern D&D is the diplomat and skill monkey species. It's not a major niche but if I had 12 slots, I would be a major one to fill.

 

[Corinnguard]

My concern is that a "planetouched" species removes the aesthetics and story of the options they are replacing and only leaves them as mechanics. The species are all too similar to begin with, making them all one blanket species further dilute them. I want more lore and more diverse abilities, not less.

2024 D&D could have borrowed the PF2's idea of versatile heritages. Had they done so, we would be looking at High Elf Aasimars, Lightfoot Halfling Tieflings and Mountain Dwarf Earth Genasi in 2024 D&D. For some of us, the idea of the Aasimar, Tiefling and Genasi being made into templates that we could then slap onto a Material Plane species would have been cool. For others though, we would miss having these planetouched races being their own thing despite their physical similarities to the Material Plane species in our playing sessions.

As for my earlier posting about returning the Eladrin to their original Celestial roots, I am okay with how they are now presented in 5e. I just wish that WoTC had come up with a new group of CG Celestials to replace them with for 5e. Did anyone homebrew up a replacement?