D&D 5E What PC species should return for 5ed?

[Dragonhelm]

Okay, a few I would like to see that I don't think were mentioned yet.

Avariel Elves. Elves that fly! How cool is that?

Vanara. This was a race of monkey people from Oriental Adventures 3rd edition. They take inspiration from the Monkey legend in Chinese mythology. There are two downsides. First, I'm not certain how open to content from OA that WotC is. Second, after the controversy around the hadozee, I don't think that WotC will be interested in a new monkey race any time soon. Perhaps the best route would be to reskin the hadozee for settings inspired by East Asia?

Mul. Half-dwarves from Dark Sun.

Rakasta (not rakshasa). The catfolk of Mystara. Honestly, one could use tabaxi stats for them. Or, you know, have a catfolk race that goes by other names (tabaxi, rakasta, etc.). I recommend checking out the module Rage of the Rakasta.

Wemic. A lion centaur. 'Nuff said!

Saurials. The dinosaur folk of the Forgotten Realms! What happened to them?

 

[Tonguez]

I thought it was because of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender and, maybe, Doctor Who. Depending upon how one interprets the end of Heavy Metal, it can also work for Taarna dying and the girl becoming the new last of the Taarakians.

nah it was definitely the ass jokes

Saurials. The dinosaur folk of the Forgotten Realms! What happened to them?

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I did think about the Saurials, they'd be nice to have back, but they are kinda covered by Saurian Lizardman anyway so not essential
I do agree Vanara are cool, and wemics are cooler than Centaurs

but I'd rather have Urds (flying kobolds, who could double as Pterans) than a stinkin' elf with wings

 

[Greg K]

nah it was definitely the ass jokes

Regardless, I liked the Deva.

 

[TheHand]

In my earlier post I also forgot to mention Rogue Modrons, another old Planescape staple. I actually had a player run one for a while, it was a lot of fun. I suspect they are too ‘non-humanoid’, which might be why we got autognomes instead; the current designers seem to shy away from PC species that aren’t close to the basic human form.

 

[Chaltab]

Deva was just made for 4e because someone decided they had had enough of the Arse jokes about Aasimar and wanted them playable without people snickering. It's the same player species.

Except not really. 4E Devas are the result of aasimons who gave up their celestial existence to be reincarnated in the Prime each time they're needed and come into existence as fully formed adults. Plus if they turn evil they transform into Rakshasas.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Thanks for your participation.

Today tensei (reincarnation) is a very popular subgenre within isekai manganime. I guess devas as aasimar subrace could be perfect here.

If there are aaakocras as PC specie in 5ed then there is also space for avariels/winged elves.

Gnoll PCs aren't wellcome because the canon lore says they were created by an evil deity and then they are too rotten to the core.

Saurians may be even more wellcome and popular than lizardfork. But we would need work for each "subrace". Other option could be the update of saurian sifters. These last ones are a better option if you want a monster waifu. I think this is very possible because they are potentially good to sell merchandising.

Vanara are from Indian folklore. They may be perfect to comedic role the foreign who doesn't understand rightly the local costumes and traditions, or he doesn't worry too much about obeying the rules of good manners.

Korobokuru can't be only reskinned gnomes. Now I imagine them with hats or parasols by butterbur leafs because in their culture these are sign of good fortune.

Rogue mordrons will be replaced by the upcoming glitchlings. These have got body proportions and then they can wear ordinary clothing and armors.

WotC should publish a no-canon article about the ha'pony as PC specie, because this could be wellcome by the "browny" communisty. Where is the risk?

 

[Horwath]

Humans,
Elves,
Dwarves,
Orcs,

and then;
Aasimar,
Tiefling,
Shifter,
Warforged,
Dhampire,

as templates to original 4 as 1st level feats.

 

[Corinnguard]

Fraals (little gray aliens) should appear with the rest of psionic races.

What about the other races from Alternity/d20 Future such as the Mechalus, Weren, T'sa and the Sesheyan?

 

[Mind of tempest]

look I can see cat folk and lupine options selling a book because of the furry demographic.
as to what else we could sell it is more a problem that none get integrated into settings correctly.
we need fewer humans fused with something cool options save where they are important in a setting.

perhaps some form of diet undead, for goth/emo/alternate points?
it is more we have few things left to tie things into thus less call for them.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Were are practically squatsch and with the sesheyans are relatively easy to be moved toward D&D. T'sa can work like reptilians gnomes, but they were created with certain tropes that over time they could end up getting tiring. Vrusk are centaur-lik ants and they would need some playtesting and feedback because they can't wear clothing like the bipedal humanoids, but they could climb better than centaurs with hooves.

The aleerins/mechalus are a special case because they are too linked to high tech. The closest one to them in D&D was the mechanatrix, the planetouched from Mechanus in Fiend Folio, or the self-forged parangon path. The traits linked with computing would be useless in a fantasy world, or in a setting where the digital revolution hasn't arrived yet... but if there is crunch about "cybernetic" in the sense of magitek-cybernetic implants, then the things could be different.

Some sentient species from Gamma World also could be moved toward D&D, for example the arks and the hoops. (but here we have got the harengons).

* I wouldn't be too surprised if we no-TTRPG 3PPs collabs in D&D Beyond, for example aliens species by Hollywood and videogames franchises.