D&D Races That Need To Make A Comeback As Playable
Playable dinosaur people. How… how much more do I even have to say?? Hailing back to 2nd edition but being printed as a playable race up to 2002, the Saurial umbrella race encompasses four different subtypes, each resembling a different dinosaur (or in the Flyers a non-dinosaur pterasaur). Far from the alien lizardfolk, the Sauriels are much more intelligent and are even usually on the side of good. Plus, imagine some additional subspecies taking advantage of other branches of the Mesozoic tree of life…
Anyone who’s played Magic: the Gathering and has seen more than a few Loxodon cards will probably already get the appeal of these guys, who were first introduced in 1991 and kept going till 2004. Resembling orc to ogre sized bipedal elephants, these pachyderm powerhouses have the additional benefit of having two trunks, each of which possessing fully developed fingers of its own. While perhaps slightly disturbing, having an extra set of limbs on top of a mighty body and a pair of tusks makes for an intimidating and surprisingly well rounded race. Though maybe the trunk could be reduced down to one… it is a little disturbing to look at.
Here’s the half-human race I don’t seem to hear much of these days. Originally made for the post-apocalyptic Dark Sun setting, Muls (originally produced like mule but nowadays in universe that seems more derogatory) are what you get when a dwarf and a human make a baby. With a dwarf’s powerful frame and the height of a human, these powerfully built individuals are a force to be reckoned with both on the battlefield and in the arena. Why should half elfs and half orcs get all the limelight?
Fey’ri/Wispling/Maeluth/Tanarukk
Turns out humans aren’t the only ones who occasionally do the horizontal tango with demons. Hailing from the elven, halfling, dwarven, and orcish races respectively, each of these tiefling variants have some kind of demonic heritage. And lets face it, these guys look amazing for it. Funnily enough the elven and orcish variants came later than the dwarven and halfling variants, with the former two being used as recently as 2006. My personal favorite here is the tanarukk. Just look at that magnificent demonic son of a bitch.
I fully admit, this is partially cause a friend of mine has a swanmay character and I think its a really cool look. Also I’m a massive sucker for selkie mythology for some reason. Swanmays and selkies are sort of in the same boat: characters that have an innate ability to transform into an animal, respectively a swan and a seal. Both have their roots in classical folklore, and both first appeared in 1983′s Monster Manual II. While the selkie doesn’t seem to have immediate roots as a playable race, the swanmay does, though it got a little mixed up as a prestiege class for a while. In any case I think both would be interesting additions to a modern campaign.
Hey folks, ever want to play a thief but think to yourself “gee, I really don’t want to get caught up in that negative baggage that tends to crop up from stealing stuff”. Well have I got a race for you! First thought up for the Dragonlance setting, Kender tend to resemble children with aging facial features, usually growing around 4 feet tall. They’re literally fearless, being immune to even supernaturally induced fear (save for that inspired by Lord Soth apparently). They also have an… interesting view of ownership. In that they don’t really get it. Things are basically viewed as communal among Kender, and its normal to see them walk off with a “borrowed” object that catches their fancy. Ironically they don’t see much use in currency, overlooking gold pieces for more fascinating bits of material goods. A lesser known twist on a role usually filled by halflings.
When the human urge to bone monstrous things gets a little out of hand, you get these, and don’t they just look fantastic? Though Mongrelfolk have had their origins re-imagined in fifth edition, I like the original one where humanoid teratophilia just kind of got out of control. I also think this chimerical race could have fascinating implications as a player race in terms of customization. Maybe have tables you have to roll for to see what each limb or appendage looks like, conferring benefits or just unique appearances depending on where the dice land. Not a charismatic people perhaps, but definitely one with many possibilities.
Badass, thy name is Alaghi. A fearsome cross between a yeti and a werewolf, the Alaghi hail all the way back to second edition, and have in fact been a player race before twice over before. Despite their rather bestial appearance, these creatures can be benevolent, especially the loner ones. I don’t know how much else I can say but just look at this guy! Who wouldn’t want to play as one?
Think I missed a race? Add it on!
