D&D RACES RANKING (Eberron, Ravnica, Volo's Guide)

The races from beyond the Player's Handbook are really a mixed bunch, providing you with a chance to play some peculiar characters.
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“Fight of Flight” Ethan Meixsell
“The Fiery Furnace” Ethan Meixsell
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“Toe Jam” Diamond Ortiz
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“Run” Ethan Meixsell
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“By the Sword” Ethan Meixsell
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[@Chalvrek]

TImestamps, might want to consider chucking this in the description. Loxodon - 1:57 Orc - 7:05 Hobgoblin - 10:33 Veldalken - 12:34 Centaur - 15:04 Goblin - 18:55 Shifter - 21:07 Bugbear - 26:13 Simic Hybrid - 29:30 Aaracokra - 31:18 Kobold - 34:55 Warforged - 38:14 Minotaur - 42:09 Kalashtar - 45:04 Yuan-Ti Pureblood - 48:24 Changeling - 52:36

[@esperthebard]

Thanks Chalvrek!

[@felixrogers1295]

I’m just so sad, I love Loxodon but they just get the short end on the stick

[@evankurasu3190]

TheIronFrog124 i would like to know what makes them interesting to you. I'm genuinely curious, as i myself seemed to think they're rather boring. I mean, they're just a bipedal elephant, right? or am i missing something? ngl, i haven't delved into their lore, as ive never been compelled to

[@JamesSamson487]

Esper the Bard What? No Tabaxi?

[@niko790]

@@esperthebard grungs where they at

[@jibm37]

Man its so hard to choose a race, they are all so interesting. Changling: Allow me to introduce myself.

[@doubleslashkarma]

_i'm a man, of wealth and taste_ Sorry, song reference. And yes. This is truth.

[@zaaldaamthezipperman4731]

Why be one race... When in theory, you can be A L L O F T H E M

[@bryanmerel]

Everyone will be after your skin though. ._.

[@christianlangdon3766]

I'm rather twisted on the changling they are shapshifters which is cool, and an awesome ability, their actual lore is kinda ehh honestly as it really makes murderhobo the go to. Aka really only let players you trust to have it or one who roleplays first than battles second. But the trickery of it is the best part except it invalidates potential whole subclasses like trickery domain clerics, it's just jarring to hear how op yaunti are when you can target them in other ways or simply change their abilities and retain their nature, eagle bruhs are harder to balance but flying has many weaknesses that it can have being alone while flying low level mephrits or other guys bully you isn't fun and having damaged wings early level is a fun inherent plot hook I think for the race or even making it since their lifespans are so short that the wings need time to develop to truly fly be a thing. But all of their abilities add to what they do vs take away from others the trickster rogue won't be as good at inflitration as a shifter with any good charisma they just won't. So it's a race that is doubling down on abilities vs adding it either does very little or way to much.

[@calleblomer1889]

"I'm a nice guy" -said no actually nice guy ever

[@Sgt-Wolf]

Yeah people always think really highly of themselves or really low of themselves. Both often are wrong.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

What's the expression? "Nice is different than good"

[@firestorm165]

In my experience it's like saying "I am the king" if you have to say it...

[@justjoking5252]

"I'm a bad guy." - 40% of "bad guys".

[@jacobodom8401]

Nice means; Fine, Satisfactory, adequate. None of those things sound like words I’d like to be described by

[@devin5201]

all adventurers are equal, some are just more equal than others.

[@bubbleboy1320]

Animal farm

[@vapeyeeter6979]

Barnyard Communism

[@williamturner6192]

And it's a problem for people, who'd have guessed?

[@kylereynhart]

Equally - Unequal Wise words

[@tixodioktisdeviant46]

Bugbear attacks of opportunity do not work like that. They do NOT have +5ft reach all the time, only when they attack. Meaning that when a creatures moves away from a bugbear character, the bugbear does not have increased reach since he is not attacking, so he threatens creatures only withing 5feet of it. So he gets his normal attacks of opportunity and threat range (5 feet) like the rest.

[@TheBlackZodiacGhost]

Exactly. It even specifies that it is on your turn. Quote: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

[@lrioje1]

Both of what you said, and also to answer his direct complaint, it makes sense for opportunity attacks. The reduced reach can be attributed to the fact that it takes longer for a bugbear to react and reach the full length of its arms than to react and attack a creature that is within the normal reach.

[@emmanuelacosta5371]

Same as using your Action to hold an Attack. You don't get Extra Attack on a held Action. Only works on YOUR turn.

[@bskec2177]

It still pairs with the BattleMaster manuever, "Lunging attack", and a polearm, to allow you to melee something 20 ft away.

[@eoincampbell1584]

@@bskec2177 Physics

[@Hawdkoah]

Instead of racial levels, you could just make racial feats.

[@scarletterose1303]

Literally this, Racial feats seem to be the right way to go about this complaint for 5th edition, that way it is thematic while also not going backwards and more complicated in game design.

[@StevoM08]

Or do like several other races already do and limit certain features to higher levels the way elven and tiefling innate spell casting does.

[@basementmadetapes]

What sort of racial feats would u give a large size loxodon

[@numberbndl3763]

Basement Made Tapes a racial feat that increases your strength or constitution by one and makes you one size class larger

[@bskec2177]

@@basementmadetapes Allow it to use it's trunk for better weapon/item use. Give it a tusk attack. If you want something less physical, maybe a mediation feet similiar to catnap, giving it a short rest in only ten minutes.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

> 80% of games are in the L.1-5 range > Re-introduce the idea of level adjustments for PC races Hmmn...

[@Aconspiracyofravens1]

That is why i start my games at level 6

[@caiosergio5775]

I start campaigns depending on what i'm going for. Usually lv3 when trying something more vannila. I don't want the party wizard to die every time something hits him

[@piemaniac9410]

@@caiosergio5775 i like low levels for the specific purpose of a meat-grinder game where PC death rates are high, but when a person hits 4th or 5th level they feel more powerful, as their survivability gets better

[@caiosergio5775]

@@piemaniac9410 that sounds good. I've run two campaigns currently, and usually build then to last, but I understand what you are going for

[@piemaniac9410]

@@caiosergio5775 i usually save it for a oneshot or 3-5 session game just to wind down after a multi-month long campaign ends. we got a few powergamers at the table and its nice to let them get it out of their system, and it gives me a chance to use all of the crazy OP or strange traps without feeling bad for killing a main-campaign PC

[@kapitanbeuteltier5889]

Giving the Loxodon not 5 points in style should be a crime

[@an8strengthkobold360]

This

[@DiSeaSedGamEr]

As a 5e only player, I have to disagree with the older edition's "level adjustment" being added in. As you said, it is a much more complex system than 5e is going for, and leveling up is hard enough for new players, and telling your player "you don't get the cool stuff from your class until you put levels into your class, and you'll never get those last few upgrades because you had an easier time early game" is less than ideal. I definitely think most people would be turned off by the more complex player character options. Although I do agree that 5e needs to overhaul their idea of character balancing, it doesn't make sense that a full-blooded orc goes down as easily as a human, but somehow that romantic bond between the two makes their child harder to kill.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

DiSeaSedGamEr Just state that racial levels don’t count as for normal levels so you have to get them first but they don’t count to a level cap or there is no level cap and you just make it so more people have mixed options it’s not really that hard to think outside the box

[@jamesziegenbalg7683]

@@charlottewalnut3118 except then you've thrown off the balance entirely. As soon as they "catch up" they are instantly much stronger than the rest of the party. It's not that hard to think outside the box, but it's actually really hard to think outside of the box in a way that lets you build a campaign that is fun and appropriately challenging for all of your party members. Shit, I don't even let my players roll their stats anymore. I give them a heroic point buy. Anything more than a slight power difference almost always leads to some players having less fun than others.

[@amymcfadden2272]

That's why Xanathar's introduced racial feats. Exclusive abilities to certain races granted to them if they so choose as they level up is actually a really good system that keeps players relatively balanced as they level up together. I would've really liked to see the books introduce racial feats for their races so you could get the ideal loxodon juggernaut or centaur charger. Idk I like the system but I know other players don't and it's hard to get balanced. I'm just saying that racial feats is an easy alternative to racial leveling that new players can understand better.

[@Booklat1]

@@amymcfadden2272 racial feats are problematic because they end up kiting you into very specific builds if not done right. I like the idea but it's also something that has to be given a lot of thought. Dragonborn is a race that still falls short of being good even after getting two feats and two variants for example. And this is a race that I really like the aesthetic of.

[@gadellomagnollo1810]

It cannot be saved. Your races will be forever be +2 Ability Scores of your choice and a Feat. Return to Race as Class and claim powerful non-humans without over-complexity.

[@dragonheart1236]

I play a Loxodon Cleric, he uses his trunk to use his holy symbol

[@themushiest1550]

DragonHeart 12 I love him

[@doubleslashkarma]

_I have heard of this good boi for one day, but if anyone hurts him, I will kill everyone in the room then myself._

[@GobboLatte]

Have a friend who also plays a loxodon cleric. He summoned his spirit guardians to dance and play music with him on the beach. His name is Bam

[@dragonheart1236]

@@GobboLatte haven't gotten super far with mine, but I plan on having him summon giant celestial elephants

[@mojorn8837]

I have a grappler barbarian loxodon. 3 grappling limbs gives some extra options

[@gustavogarcia8783]

Ravnica's minotaurs are known as diplomats

[@bskec2177]

Elsewhere, not so much tho. If playing a minotaur in another setting, switch persuasion to athletics.

[@lockwoan01]

Yes, with the right background, they could be involved in Persuasive Intimidation - Minotaur Paladin: I tell the hostage-taker that it would be best for them to let the hostage go, unharmed, or else! DM: Sounds like Intimidation. M.P.: Persuasive Intimidation. DM: How do you get that? M.P.: I get Intimidation from my Soldier background, and Persuasion for being a Minotaur. DM: (Checks the book.) Okay - don't know why they did that - but it's the rules. Role for it. DM: (Rolls high.) Looks good enough to me. M.P.: Be glad I didn't pick a Criminal Background, cause then I'd have Persuasion, Intimidation, *and* Deception.

[@TheDuelManiacs]

Broke: feline swiftstride shifters Woke: squirrel swiftstride shifters

[@ernestlam5632]

Squirrel Girl did defeat Thanos.

[@erekthus]

@@ernestlam5632 didn't she beat magneto, not thanos

[@joshuaburnett2634]

@@erekthus Both actually.

[@RezaQin]

@@ernestlam5632 how? She's useless.

[@JabezFuutonSpecialis]

@@RezaQin She's a GOD😳🤯

[@jand.4737]

44:40 Remember that this is based on the Minotaurs of Ravnica, which are much more intelligent and civilised than your typical Minotaur

[@Zeboki]

20:07 "I would wager that 80% of the D&D games are in the level of 1 to 5" Me: *Sweats profusely as I always start my games at 8th level*

[@josecarlosgravepeon4540]

I prefer the 3 to 10 lvl games, lvls 1 and 2 aré kind of boring

[@hiraunia]

Me: *Starts my Game at level 14*

[@KingRedHowler]

Typically if I'm playing with my main group we go from level 5 to 20. The campaigns end with "Now fight this being that rivals demigods."

[@MarkAndrewL]

I really like how race is handled in 5e. Being lower level and watching all the other players get cool high level spells and abilities while you are playing catch-up sounds unfun.

[@joshualove479]

RAW Bugbears can make an opportunity attack whenever a creature leaves its 5 foot reach, as the “Long-Limbed” feature specifically says extra reach on your turn.

[@Awoken0]

Exactly.

[@kinghoenn3478]

I once played a bugbear with a whip with Sentinel. 15ft reach was so awesome.

[@joshualove479]

King Hoenn That’s kinda the only reason I knew I made a Battlemaster with the Sentinel, Polearm Master, and Great Weapon Master feats wielding a glaive utilizing Lunging Maneuver.

[@kinghoenn3478]

Playing around and tinkering with the combinations. I knew a guy who play a monk with a dip into rogue with a tabaxi. He found boots of speed and a ring of haste. Using his action to Haste, BA to dash. Add in Monk's natural speed boost with the boots of speed and finish it all up with the Tabaxi ability to double your movement again. He could run laps around the entire map in a single turn.

[@Jeff55369]

@@joshualove479 Caviler has better abilities overall for that build than battlemaster. Giving the character mobile as well, creates more options for tying up enemy movement.

[@DefinitlyNotDezward]

Another insane thing about the Changeling is the unique fact that their "+1 in any skill" can be used on charisma on top of the +2 bonus, meaning with standard array/point buy you can have 18 charisma at level 1.

[@Malisteen]

Playing a changeling conquest hexadin myself in a descent to avernus game, taking advantage of that +3 cha business. The other pressures on a paladin's stats (even with hexblade, you still need 15 str for heavy armor, and a decent con score for hp & concentration) leave me with some very exploitable weaknesses, but overall it's been quite fun and good, a few nice opportunities to infiltrate enemy areas with the face shifting, and that starting 18 cha has been great for the build, letting me take warcaster with my first ASI without feeling like I was falling behind the curve in cha by doing so. Spoilers... ... The party actually just managed to kill Zariel's right-hand Narzugon in an encounter we were supposed to flee from, in large part thanks to the valiant sacrifice and spectacular critical smites of the party's *other* paladin. Between the tragic loss of the party's better angel and my own ability to now impersonate Zariel's chief general, complete with his own armor, steed, weapon, and face, I'm looking forward to ramming this campaign straight off the rails.

[@user-vm9xz4kv9z]

You mean +1 to any ability score?

[@DefinitlyNotDezward]

@@user-vm9xz4kv9z yeah

[@jthompson7175]

I feel like a Hobgoblin War Wizard is perfect thematically. I almost feel like they could have done with subrace options for different specialties though. If you go War Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Paladin... most of their racial benefits are also given by the class with the exception of stats and their bonus to attack they can do each rest.

[@nicholas3141]

Let me tell u about my fighter wizard hobgoblin

[@ogrebread]

Think the Aarakocra concept of no ownership is tied to their short lifespans. Though it's probably an accidental coincidence knowing wizards.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

ogrebread I’m pretty sure it has to do with a cork in birds that causes them to be messy because they live in trees and thereby anything that they don’t want they just throw away and it ceases to exist as far as they’re concerned as to not having possession of anything it’s more along the lines of they don’t have possession of anything they can’t carry themselves because if you can’t carry it and you flying around a lot and are therefore more likely nomadic well it’s not useful to have

[@randomguy6232]

I think it borrows from native American culture as well, or as Esper put it "It MaKeS nO SeNsE!"

[@mgmassey174]

If you can't carry it while flying you don't need it. It will only weigh you down. -R

[@supremecaffeine2633]

@@randomguy6232 Which native american culture? There are over 560 different ones still in existence. Each one with their own culture.

[@randomguy6232]

@@supremecaffeine2633 I'd be surprised if any respected the idea of land ownership, it's why they didn't want to sell their land and eventually the government forced them off it, even if a tribe elder agreed with them they didn't speak for the whole tribe, only a very few tribes were cooperative or really understood what the government was offering them, because to the majority of tribes land was just something you lived on and moved across rather than something tangible that could be bought

[@icecold273k5]

"none of these races have interesting flaws!" aarakora: has an interesting cultural flaw "tHiS maKeS nO SeNSe"

[@tj5747]

Aarakockra are basically bird communists

[@SenorVilla]

@@tj5747 I felt that. When he said that it made no sense for someone not to understand private property I was thinking about how there are dozens of communities that still don't to this day.

[@nolabratteig988]

@Matthew Gedeon do birds realize they are in your tree or do they just land there and chill. aarakockra are basically sentient. (being used loosely) birds.

[@sentinelmoonfang]

The problem is it's an interesting cultural flaw that would never exist in reality. By making that a thing within smaller social groups like tribes of Aarakockra it could have made some sense, but a group of beings with that attitude as written couldn't survive, and there's no reason, from a social standpoint or evolutionary standpoint that a behavior like that would ever come about. In order to evolve a more advanced brain as a species, you need to be in a situation where such a thing is beneficial to you. Bigger brains mean more calories and a longer developmental period for children. In order to satisfy those things you need more abundant food. It follows that it's then preferable to protect your foraging area from others who would eat the food your species needs. In order to have a culture that develops beyond stone-age technology you need efficient ways of gathering food so that members of your culture can specialize in tasks that aren't necessary for survival. No one is going to have time to figure out how to melt shiny rocks into tools if they spend all their time hunting. So you need some kind of farming or herding... in order to have those things, you need to have a concept of the idea that your farmland or your herd is yours, or at least belongs to your community. If you look at weird behaviors in groups of humans from around the world, there's almost always some survival-based reason behind it, even if misguided or antiquated now. The same should be true of fantasy cultures, as it makes the world more believable.

[@AlexBermann]

@@sentinelmoonfang There is one simple way around the calorie problem: hunt better. Humans are extremely limited in regards to hunting and they need tools to even break even with predators. Or even simpler: benefit from different species. If you have three dimensional movement, you can easily steal what you need and make yourself useful enough that people don't mind you stealing. And lastly: the social institution of property is not necessary for agriculture. If you look at human history, there have been many pseudo-anarchic societies in which social norms just never necessitated private property. The village sheep may not belong to someone specifically, but if you just slaughter them, everyone will be angry at you.

[@thepoetoffall7820]

OH MY GOD YOU CAN PLAY AS AN ELEPHANT!

[@ginger-ale7818]

I have honestly never met anyone who likes the Kalashtar. The problem is that unless your story focuses on Quori stuff, they’re just humans, but if you do focus on that, you’ll have a main character problem unless the whole party is Kalashtar. Great race, hard to work with.

[@zeterzero4356]

Pretty much why in homebrew you just cut the back story and make them into something unique and not just dream bros. Or make it a less big deal. Not all quori have to be about restoring the dream plains. They might just be some average Joe trying to avoid that stuff. Also why do Kalashtar have to be human? Couldn't any race be one? Doesn't make sense to me that they just look human. Same problem I have with aasimar and tieflings.

[@phoenixshadow4631]

@@zeterzero4356 in 5e rules tieflings and changelings can only be born of a human and either a demon, tiefling, or changeling or 2 of their own respective race, this is because the optional half race rules were removed with the only truly half race being half elves

[@phoenixshadow4631]

Another example of this situation is dragonborns who have to be born of dragon x human, Dragonborn x human, or dragonborn x dragonborn

[@ginger-ale7818]

Zeter Zero True, but as he says in the video, anything can be fixed via homebrew. I’ve actually invested a lot into a variant Shifter race that focuses more on utility than combat (because I was mad that people with stealth predators in their souls don’t get stealth bonuses beyond a mild universal dex boost.)

[@zeterzero4356]

@@phoenixshadow4631 I don't think the rules state that anywhere. So long as you are using the stat blocks you could, for instance have a half-elf that is half tiefling, or dwarf. You could even have a half-elf and half-orc who are siblings, one leaning closer to the mother and the other the father. I'm also pretty sure dragonborn don't work like that. A union of dragon and human is a half-dragon. Dragonborn is it's own race from another reality ruled by primordials, if memory serves.

[@thedragonflyers6184]

I think you’ve missed some of the core themes of 5e: flexibility, uniformity and simplicity. There shouldn’t be some races that consume levels to play. The point of races not having negatives is that they don’t force you into specific classes. You can be better at some classes but it’s not terrible to play unusual class race combos

[@btCharlie_]

But they force you anyways - bonuses to specific AS are a huge motivation for combinations with classes based on that AS. I don't think race levels would be a good fit for 5e, but some more negatives would be appreciated. Imho, some sort of system that would allow you a limited choice would be nice. Adding a variant to some races that makes their strengths better and their weaknesses worse, e.g. some loxodons coudl be really large and they would count as a large size with everything that comes with, but as a result, they suffer a -1 (or even -2) to their dex score because at that size, they just aren't that maneuverable. You could still choose to play the "vanilla" loxodon, who would be the smaller ones of their kind, but the added option would be really nice. Similarly for goblins, you could say some of them are especially dextrous and get an aditional +1 to dex, but they suffer a strength and con negative at -1 each (I did that on purpose because generally, dex is a far more powerful AS than strength and even con). Again, the choice to play a more common "vanilla" goblin would be there, but there'd be another, more extreme kind of goblin.

[@arcanacapra9792]

I mean... Kobold barbs are pretty bad. Fun, but pretty bad.

[@thedragonflyers6184]

Arcana Capra which is why negative racial modifiers shouldn’t exist

[@arcanacapra9792]

@@thedragonflyers6184 Exactly, but the point is: some races already have negatives, and some unusual race/class combos can be pretty bad. I just think that the few negatives we have could have been implemented a lot better, and races should be slightly more powerful overall. As-is, I feel like most races are lackluster, and I would much rather play something with greater strengths/weaknesses. I agree with pretty much everything @Tomáš Karlík said. I'd personally up the power of all races by a bit and add variants with pros/cons.

[@firestorm165]

Speaking of: how would a warforged druid work?

[@PoliticoNerd]

I would have to disagree with you in regards to the lore about Goblinoids from Eberron. It is actually very unique and different from standard Goblinoids. The Dhakaani Empire and the Heir of Dhakaan can really give a different play experience then what you would get from Goblinoids out of Volo's. Also, have missed matched art for some of the races. You had an Eberron hobgoblin as an orc

[@binolombardi]

Loxodon gets natural armor that scales based on the ability score that gives more hitpoints and also raises concentration saves, potentially being 17 AC with the chance to get +2 from a shield too. seems pretty good. Has a +5 to passive investigation and perception with smells. Seems pretty good. A trunk that’s basically a whole other hand that can shove, grapple and make unarmed attacks, use an object. Basically everything except wield a weapon, shield, or bypass spellcasting. if your DM is into limiting interactions, Seems pretty useful... Advantage on all saving throws that cause charm and frightened, regardless of if it’s a spell. Seems very useful as those conditions seem to pop up from high CR creatures like dragons, or enemy spell casters. Seems pretty useful... How you get a 2/5 mechanics from that? Also, lol you made loxodon lower than orc??

[@lockwoan01]

Actually, I can see the Loxodon being a Very Good choice for a Barbarian. Granted, they don't get any bonus to Strength or Dexterity, but since most people would put their second best stat as Constitution, they'd have a +3 to Con right off the bat (if they put the 14 in it, which becomes a 16), starting out with 15 armor with their own natural armor (unless they wore Medium Armor) and you could then max out Con before upping Dex for the unarmored barbarian (which helps out a bunch of things), and basically, the Loxodon Barbarian is a walking bag of hit points. As it is, I have an idea for a Guild Merchant with Anger Management issues - now to run it by the DM.

[@wanderer202]

Probably because Eberron Orc actually is a major improvement over the VGM one. They no longer have -2 Int, and now have two skill choices from a list instead of just straight up intimidation being auto-assigned. I would put Loxodon over Orc for RP reasons, but mechanically I would say Orc does in fact sit slightly higher in Eberron.

[@johnnylindstedt3645]

@@lockwoan01 Tbh, when reaching the level for maxing Con, it's already a bit late in the game. The only argument for the Loxodon, stat-wise, is the advantage on fear/charm.

[@kevinbarnard355]

@@lockwoan01 Is that particularly the case though? Sure a Loxodon would make a decent barbarian, but one of their "major" racial features is duplicated by the class feature. It's like mountain dwarf with a fighting class. Unless your DM lets you have some alternate feature, you are losing out a bit. That racial feature is more useful for a spell casting class which doesn't have armor proficiency, again much like the Mountain dwarf. I don't get these design decisions. Who builds a subrace that makes sense thematically (race of strong warrior people), but doesn't have a mechanical connection to the warrior elites? Instead they really mean "everyone is some level of warrior, even our merchants and scholars." In practice, that isn't usually that helpful as D&D is a game of heroic adventures, not usually leading armies against invading foes.

[@lockwoan01]

@@kevinbarnard355 Well, everyone brings something to a brawl. Some folks can't punch too good, but they can take a hit and might be able to just hold onto someone long enough for the monk, or someone with a natural attack or tavern brawler feat to knock the guy out.

[@prophetisaiah08]

The minotaur intimidation/persuasion is actually a thing specifically for Ravnican minotaurs and their places in the two guilds they most often end up in. Minotaurs of the barbaric Gruul Clans are more like your minotaur classic, so they are quite intimidating. Minotaurs that join the armies of the Boros Legion, however, are known to be clever negotiators and mediators, as well as skilled battlefield commanders (and most command skills are often boil down to persuasion or intimidation skills instead of any other Charisma skills). The most iconic Boros minotaurs are more likely to be paladins than fighters or barbarians.

[@esperthebard]

Good call, that is true (Boros Reckoner was my boi back in RtR days). Though how many people actually play the Ravnica campaign setting vs. how many people just want a minotaur race for general D&D purposes?

[@getthegoons]

@@esperthebard could look at it as you're so big and monstrous people just do what you ask because they don't want to make you angry. Intimidation but without an open threat/being intentional

[@joshhatchett4361]

I'm sorry but if a minotaur Asked me to do something I wouldn't tell them no. Lmao

[@ryupoto1920]

Minotaur ability differences Persuasion Durin: "You! Put hand up and Durin not gore you!" Intimidation Durin: "You! Put hand up! Durin gore you!"

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

Honestly, VGM orc is sooo weak so glad Eberron gave them a boost and even gave them a bit of "they're basically religious zealots that believe everything is a sign from their gods" It's amazing. But half-orcs just out pace them in the mechanics. But Ebberron fixed that right up by taking away the -2 to int so finally my full-blooded orc wizard can be a thing along with pretty good skills. Well hobgoblins are more of the brains of the goblinoids, they are basically battle masters, wizards controlling everything the goblin culture and what not. With both bugbears and goblins they're all supposed to fill a role in a army and hobgoblins would be the mages, the leaders and stuff. Goblins are good, their extra damage is great when you get level 5 and above as that's +5 to +20 extra damage. It's basically a mini mini smite on a medium or bigger creature. You're not wrong about the 80% of games in 5e is basically 1-5 which is sad you know. I love nimble escape it's basically gives fighters, rangers (ew), every arcane caster a ability to just get out of a sticky situation fast or even hide away when the doors open and then ready an action basically a on the go ambush. Their ability scores somewhat weigh them down as I would say that +1 con should be +1 to any just to show that goblins can be in most roles but more con isn't all that bad. Plus 30 feet of movement as a small race which makes goblins the fastest small race. Bugbears are my second favorite race behind goblins. Well not really, as 5ft away means unless that creature has a reach weapon or crossbow expert they can't hit the bugbear but the bugbear can hit them. See think of it like a radius when attacking with bugbears always having reach meaning they can hit while being farther away with a melee weapon or even farther with a reach weapon. Surprise attack is eh, but it's great really when you pull it off.

[@cosmicsymbols4225]

I had a full orc wizard too! But, my DM wanted me to keep the -2 int anyway. He still ended up kicking ass since I managed to roll an 18 to put in his int and just bumped that up with items and ability improvement. :D

[@witchBoi_Connor]

I recognize your profile picture. Nice

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@witchBoi_Connor You're a man of good taste

[@SkyNinja759]

Now we just need Kobolds' Sunlightlight sensitivity scrapped or the -2 taken away and all the monsterous PCs will be somewhat on the same footing. In my opinion, if WotC is going for "no negative stats" and rolled back the Orc's negative, than the -2 STR Kolbold's get is non-canon (especially since no other small race has negative stats).

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@SkyNinja759 Goblins best small race! Get out of here tiny Scalie! True, They really need to put less restrictions.

[@caleb4836]

To summarize: 3e did it better. Eberron is kinda cool. I wish 5e was 3e. Yep that was cooler back in 3e. Man 5e is my favorite, but all these races were better in 3e. I wish 5e was 3e, but just called 5e..... Snake people are OP AF. Changelings are super cool.

[@jiiaga5017]

not at all what he said, but stay salty my friend! :)

[@jamesziegenbalg7683]

That's what I heard. I found myself wondering at several points how often this guy actually DM's 5e. Some of his ideas/suggestions would irreparably destroy party balance and make powerbuilding almost necessary. My favorite part about 5e when compared to 3rd and especially pathfinder is that you can make whatever character concept you want and usually not be completely worthless.

[@jiiaga5017]

@@jamesziegenbalg7683 there are subcultures in DnD 5e. If you are interested in a "Tier List" of anything in 5e, you've wandered into a power build realm, and have to accept that's the terrain you are traveling through.

[@randomguy6232]

I mean accurate XD

[@staticcharm3808]

Thanks. Typical Esper. Wanting endless amounts of bloated lore with no concept of making a somewhat balanced game. He should go design his own game and have everything he wants and stop wasting our time with his constant whining

[@justinr5433]

As someone who started with 5e and tweaks it to the group’s liking it seems a relatively joyless existence to be bound by previous-edition comparisons

[@violetbliss4399]

I really dislike level adjustments normally, and I feel like they also make little sense realistically - learning slower is so arbitrary a reasoning. I already feel like DnD in virtually all ruleset editions is a bit light on player choices to set their character apart except at high levels, and level adjustments tend to further reduce this for say a tradeoff of an ability / day cast or some flat stat bonus, which doesn't help that feeling at all. The abundance of choice is there, but there is a bit too little opportunity to make use of them. It could just be me that feels that, though. Anyway, I feel sorry for the poor elephant-people. :(

[@patrickpullman8348]

I agree Violet. I dig Esper's videos, but I'm glad that he's not a developer. Balance is the only thing keep 5e from jumping the rails like every other edition. When I hear someone complain that a race like centaur or loxodon isn't "as cool" as they'd like, what I really hear is that race isn't broken. Someone who doesn't want play a 5e centaur didn't really want to play any centaur. They just wanted big numbers.

[@RayPoreon]

Level adjustments can also mess up the viability of the out-there builds by forcing the player down the racial path first. It's bad for rp, it's terrible for balance and it's boring mechanically.

[@zeterzero4356]

Yeah I must templates, but I do not miss level adjustments. At all.

[@MrChaosAdam]

Balance is the only thing keeping it boring.

[@Daredhnu]

@@RayPoreon oh yes, it's not like a racial thing could add variety to a build, lets be frank here you're just worried you won't be able to break the game as quickly as possible with you "out-there" builds. (which you probably lifted straight from the internet anyway) the only way racial levels are bad for RP is if you're bad at RP, it is actually perfect for balance, since it allows for more powerful creature abilities to be given to player without upsetting the balance and it's the opposite of boring considering allowing for this only opens up more possibilities, you're literally wrong on all accounts, congratulations.

[@poilboiler]

I really like centaurs, after their theme went from belligerent drunkards to steppe nomads.

[@rollinitiative4715]

Loxodon is in last but when you add a polynesian accent to them and BOOM instant S tier

[@quincykunz3481]

I love the content, but I don't believe you have anything in your heart for the gnomes and owlbears but spiteful rage.

[@esperthebard]

at 100k subs, I'm going to change my ways, I shall vow

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Esper the Bard Gnomes are best as roast food so says Ancalagos Asgorathi.

[@HeleentheArcane]

Lets use owlbears to hunt gnomes.

[@A.C.W_1991]

Hey esper shouldn’t the shifter race get a 4/5 for versatility considering the only classes they aren’t suited to play mechanically is the wizard/artificer because you could go for a paladin with the beasthide sub-race or even a “dexadin” with swiftstride sub-race though I do understand this could be by bias and love for the shifter talking

[@charliescheirmann2926]

They're pretty suited for squishy characters, as the swifthide they get a free disengage and movement as a reaction whenever am enemy ends their turn next to them. Typically this would leave a good amount of spells that are ranged attack rolls at disadvantage, unless they chose to move away and seeing opp attacks, or they used their action to disengage, meaning they couldn't use the spell at all anyways

[@charliescheirmann2926]

Its also good to note that beasthide can increase AC and provide more temp hit points, hitpoints in general are good for a caster because if the temp hp soaks up ALL of the damage no conc checks are needed

[@alexandresilveira6905]

Race levels just don't seem like a great idea to me, but I think an overhaul to how the centaur charge works could be cool. It could be: If you move 20 feet straight and make an attack you can add 1d6 + your strenght modifier to the damage and the enemy has to make a DC 13 strenght test or be knocked prone.

[@VintageBR231]

The reason why Lizardfolk aren't on the list is because there is no S-tier.

[@jamesmiller3127]

If I remember correctly he did some of the other races on a previous list and got the monstrous races this time around. I swear I saw him do Lizardfolg and Firbolgs before.

[@rangerecho]

lizardfolk aren't a monstrous race according to Volo's, so they were mentioned in the first races video. They were placed in low C tier, just above the Firbolg.

[@Janshevik]

@@rangerecho is this the reason no Triton, Aasimar?

[@rangerecho]

@@Janshevik yeah, those were in the first video as well. Triton were just above the Lizardfolk, in mid C. Aasimar were in upper B, I think.

[@aaronmcintosh6740]

Lizardfolk are awesome.

[@tixodioktisdeviant46]

Race levels is indeed a bad idea, I wouldn't mind class options based on the character race though. At least for some races. A Minotaur fighter or Barbarian tha tutilizes his horns more effectively. But in all honesty, the system is fine as it is.

[@randomguy6232]

Or what the base races like tiefling have already been doing with level capping abilities and racial feats

[@alexanderbyrne9684]

I am playing a Minotaur Fighter and that sounds so cool. Good idea dude

[@JohnBrowningsGhost]

A better way to distinguish between races would be atribute score limits. 2e half orcs have limits on Intelligence, Wisdom and Dexterity.

[@AzraelMight]

Racial feats that unlock at chases levels

[@somejerk5662]

I kind of like race levels, actually, at least compared to the old level adjustments. Racial levels let you keep up with your base proficiency bonus, HP, and cantrip advancement, and allow for more flavorful race options while retaining balance.

[@charliescheirmann2926]

Character idea: a warforged trying to achieve a form of lichdom, but instead of working with necromancy and souls (as they aren't sure they have a soul) they pursue it by creating modifications for their mechanical body, scavenging new parts from dead warforged. And upgrading their parts etc. The characters class would either be a wizard or artificer or a multiclass of the two

[@MrChaosAdam]

Yeeees because fantasy needs to become more like sci-fi...

[@charliescheirmann2926]

@@MrChaosAdam There are high-fantasy sci-fi settings, and you do understand that artificers are a thing now, right? And that the warforged are already a thing in most settings implying there have always been sentient constructs or constructs in general. Nothing about this really makes a setting more sci-fi than before.

[@MrChaosAdam]

@@charliescheirmann2926 I understand that its cringe as fuck.

[@zacharygadzinski3147]

That's very much like science fantasy. Yet a Technomancer does sound cool though.

[@EmoVince101]

I know they're not official races, but since they are available on D&D Beyond, I would've loved to see how you ranked Grung, Tortle, and Locathah (and Verdan since they're also available there.) Otherwise, love the ranking 💝

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

They aren't official?

[@kingcorporeal]

99% sure that Tortles are official

[@EmoVince101]

If they were, wouldn't you think he would've talked about them? 🤷🤷🤷

[@axlaxolotl4851]

Vincent Stanley if a youtuber talks about them or not does not affect if they are official. The Grung, Tortle, and Locathah are official. They were in official packs made by Wizards that is not Unearthed Arcana or test content of any kind so they are official.

[@jand.4737]

17:30 you missed the centaur's weight entry, because it's not in the race description but a few pages earlier in the book with a table for all new races. Height is 6ft + 1d10 inches this is the height modifier that comed into play again, because: Weight is 600lbs + (height modifier × 2d12) pounds

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

So a realistic weight. 800lb would he way to much to start with the fact that they are actually small horses

[@lockwoan01]

What's really fun is how any race can be any class - the pictures can be quite funny.

[@arandomzoomer4837]

Esper: *uploads* me: "the return of the king"

[@jamesadamsfl]

Ver nice. Honestly, i’m Willing to cut the Loxodons some slack in the “they stick out” issue because Ravnica is such a high, high fantasy sort of setting. The half-orc lore never bugged me like it does you, Esper, simply because I don’t consider them a “race” just something that happens occasionally. The same goes for Half-Elves (while I appreciate their backstory, I do feel that making them their own species with a culture of their own was a bad idea). Similarly, I feel Kalashtar should have been a sub-set of Humans rather than an independent, separate group as there’s nothing to separate the two beyond psionics, which baselines humans can have anyway. Have you ever considered ranking the player races in the plane chase settings? They’re free online, and I think they’re all pretty well-written and some interesting twists on established races (though I suppose the Amonkhet races suffer in how they’re all a part of the same ultra-strict culture).

[@PowerUpTheBassCannon]

"ThIs GaMe Is SaYiNg a HaLfLiNg Is As StRoNg As An ElEpHaNtFoLk" 20 seconds later "Loxodon get an ability called Powerful Build that causes them to be treated as a large creature for carrying capacity"

[@nickalvarez8790]

Yeah, so they are stronger for carrying capacity but are only equally as strong in every single other aspect.

[@Malisteen]

@@nickalvarez8790 what is every other aspect? Athletics checks. So an elephantfolk can't jump or climb any better than a halfling. Honestly that makes sense to me, as real elephants can't jump at all, and aren't exactly known for climbing either. And they're equally good at strength based melee attacks... except they aren't because halflings can't wield the most powerful strength based weapons without disadvantage because they're too small. So they're the same strength... for jumping and climbing checks, strength saves, and strength checks, things that combine pure strength with coordination. but when it comes to pure brute strength - ie lifting, carrying, and pulling - elephantfolk have the powerful build rule that makes them much stronger than the average human, and when it comes to those things plus weapon attacks with heavy weapons halflings have the small size rule that makes them much weaker than the average human. Given that all game stats are abstractions to begin with, that works well enough for me. Not that loxodons are a good race otherwise. Like most of the Ravnica races they're rather underwhelming overall.

[@YourCrazyDolphin]

@@Malisteen Should probably add on for strength-based traits like climbing- Halfling weighs less, so they don't need as much strength to lift their own weight as a Loxodon requires.

[@telisst.5677]

its clear to me that this is a point for him. Powerfull build and give him +1 on wis and not on STN is kinda lame.

[@shorewall]

@@Malisteen You're just a sophist arguing something you don't even believe. An elephant folk has no meaning if it isn't bigger and stronger than a normal human. Not a foot taller, but a SIZE larger. Do that, and I might be satisfied.

[@marsupialmole3926]

I played 3e for almost a decade, and the only level-adjusted race I ever saw anyone play was the goliath. I saw several goliaths, because 3e powerful build was bonkers, but nobody ever played any of the other level-adjusted races. I think this is why they made sure no races required level adjustment or anything like that.

[@wolfskinchanger]

"Imagine that... instead of just +2 Strength and +1 Wisdom, you also got +2 to Constitution; I mean you are a centaur after all." I can't verify it, but I've heard it said that a horse can die from indigestion; if it's that easy to kill a horse, I count it as a plus that centaurs don't have a Constitution penalty.

[@justsomeogrewithinternetac1494]

I mean they get hurt a TON. Hourses are very fragile.

[@oriondye3212]

That’s because they are mutants. Wild horses were more durable before humans came along and genetically selected them for size without taking durability into consideration.

[@zoroearc2582]

@@oriondye3212 that is usually the case for most domestic animals. But not horses. Horses are just barely functional abominations

[@firestorm165]

@@oriondye3212 we used to have the more durable variety but they went extinct in WW1

[@unwithering5313]

@@firestorm165 all of this is why it's a miracle Humans don't have a Wisdom penalty

[@Klaital1]

Changeling, race that basically only has one racial ability, gets 4/5 in mechanics category, what?

[@malmasterson3890]

Meanwhile Loxodon out here with only a 2, and a 2 in style. Like, what?

[@Lechteron]

It's a real damn powerful ability though.

[@Klaital1]

@@Lechteron Depends on the campaign, if your playing some kind of urban court intrigue campaign, sure, but it's of very limited use in a more traditional dungeon crawling style campaign.

[@lfreezin3640]

I love esper and all but he has such a strong bias towards bard races and other spellcasting races

[@sephikong8323]

Well, it is a *very* versatile and useful ability. This one alone has far more gameplay application than all of the Dragonborn abilities combined. Seriously, if I ever am to play in this module I'll probably play a Changeling Rogue (most probably a Mastermind as they are the ones that benefit the most from it imo) because the combination of the two is just a whole new level of gameplay that opens up. It is some of the best possible ability for politics oriented games, even though it is not the best in terms of combat, although I can see some powerful trickery being put to use with it. I mean, with a friend we managed to use transform self whilst captive to make the guards think that one of them was in the cell with us and I bluffed them telling that the mage they wanted escaped and switched place with this guard without them noticing but that I could use my Tabaxi senses to track him down if they were to let us free, plus I wouldn't kill the guard, and this worked and we escaped that way, so I can imagine so shenanigans like that being used to great effects in combat without even needing a spell slot, it just requires creative thinking. I think that this is some of the best racial abilities in this game by far

[@fantomp1773]

12:30 I agree with hobgoblin being disappointing, but when’s the last time there were no allies within 30 ft of you?

[@esperthebard]

2 days ago

[@wanderer202]

Social distancing.

[@thebrokenhandle7691]

Came for esper knowledge, stayed for the background music.

[@syntaxerror42]

I think the Chimpanzee have something to say about your assertion that "if you're smaller than a human you're physically weaker"

[@an8strengthkobold360]

For symic hybrids I generally have them as kraken or mind flayer experiments.

[@jamesmiller3127]

Specifically in regards to what you said about Kobolds, I feel like all that the penalties add are limitations on what you can do with a character. I get the appeal of verisimilitude, but in practice it only acts as a hindrance to players who want to play against type, like someone doing a Kobold Barbarian. The lack of a bonus to get them up to +3 is more than enough to make it clear that they aren't physically idealized for their chosen class. Besides, a typical kobold isn't going to be putting much into strength anyway. As for the lack of a strength ability score increase for Loxodons, I can kind of agree with you in some areas, but with the addition of the Powerful Build traits making characters effectively large, it occurs to me that the actual strength ability score may be less about raw muscle and more about how effectively you can utilize that power. This would explain why a loxodon with a score of 8 can still lift more than a human with a score of 14., but the human has stronger attacks. I agree that small creatures should probably also have their carry weight divided too.

[@williamthehuntsman]

One of my players took a unique stand with the changeling. He was an agent from another kingdom who was sent to see to the king's manipulatuve court's destruction. He was a crossclassed fighter/rogue with the gunslinger subclass and only carried a 6 shooter and a dagger. He would use his face changing abilities to pursuade guards to not enter combat, or to get in close to a target and backstab him in a sneak attack. When i asked him about it, he said his inspiration was the TF2 spy. Bloody BRILLIANT

[@lockwoan01]

To deal with a flying Aarakora and Winged Tiefling variants (Sword Coast Adventurers Guide), as a DM (Not that I've ever DMed), I'd simply have at least some of their opponents be armed with Longbows or Heavy Crossbows, as they have a range of 100+ feet. This would actually give the flying adventurers a job - attempt to distract the long-ranged foes, so that the rest of the party could sneak up to take them out.

[@Klaital1]

Esper is about the only person I have ever seen saying they like level adjustment...

[@thewatcher3429]

yeah level adjustment is universally hated even by people who love 3e.

[@zeterzero4356]

Because level adjustments suck.

[@davidc.]

What's level adjustment? Sorry if it's a dumb question.

[@Klaital1]

@@davidc. It's a mechanic they used in 3rd edition to supposedly balance more powerful races, which would have level adjustment x, like for example, +2, which would mean that the character would count as a character 2 levels higher, so 1st level character with that level adjustment would count as level 3 for purposes of counting party level and how much xp they needed to level-up, but still only had abilities of a first level character.

[@thewatcher3429]

@@davidc. Nah it is not a dumb question.Level adjustment was a mechanic introduced in 3E to try and balance some of the more"overpowered" races.If a race has a LA of +1 it would take them as much XP to level up from level 1 to 2 as it would take another race who does not have a LA to level from 2 to 3.Considering it was possible to have a LA of + 9 or more it made leveling up and progressing pretty hard.

[@ShonicBurn]

I had a kalashtar player break my game once because he could see through all the tricks I made by reading the spiritual presence behind it. (didn't know that was possible when I wrote the campaign) He was also a ranger.

[@cadmas]

Didn't know Aarakocra were DND's communist race.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

cadmas That explains why they’re so stupid.

[@konstantinemarkelia759]

@@charlottewalnut3118 communists were not stupid just cause they thought different then you

[@zacharygadzinski3147]

Communists are mainly lawful evil. They enslave their own people.

[@RoseInTheWeeds]

@@zacharygadzinski3147 No tyrants do, they just call themselves communists while they do.

[@supremecaffeine2633]

@@RoseInTheWeeds Communism always leads to tyranny. It doesn't matter how those morons go about implementing such a stupid ideology.

[@TheTrueFeleas]

I liked that story from Conan. The elephant was straight up creepy and sad at the same time.

[@Leivve]

Boo! No best bird Kenku representation!

[@_benn]

Leivve AND TABAXI

[@mgmassey174]

Tabaxi and kenku are in part 1 -R

[@lockwoan01]

Actually, the Tiefling does have a Winged Variant, which tosses out the magic spells it normally uses for a flight speed of 30 feet, so long as it isn't wearing heavy armor, according to the Sword Coast Adventure's Guide. Personally, I just wish that there was one big book for all the races (and subraces), which included some undead races, as well as all classes (and subclasses). Would it break the Player Handbook+1 rule of Adventure's League and D&D Beyond - Probably - but most people playing in a real world location, like say a game/comic store or a library, they will probably ignore said rule anyways, as most play to have fun and normally don't care about any official rules that would place restrictions on class/race combinations, especially the extra subrace/subclass combinations.

[@werewolfjedi38]

43:00 the persuading minotaur is something I'm actually playing with, he's a smart dude, easily excitable, and you just can't get scared by him. you wanna help the excited cow, don't you? he's so cute when he tail wags and he giggly stomps. come on, help the big guy.

[@toshomni9478]

Very interesting video. As standard human is the baseline then Gnomes or other small races without that +1 already have a built-in penalty to Strength. All the deficiencies you feel Loxodons or Centaurs or whatever have can be fixed by racial feats or other features which DMs can dole out at they please. I usually give all Kobolds retractable wings and 30' flight just to further set them apart, for instance. The rulebooks just provide the basics for the races. The rest can and should be fleshed out by creative DMs and players so that each one can be made unique.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

Best orc art was old AD&D orcs. Those were unique, for the now. boar-faced orcs ftw!

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

Also: boar-faced orcs from 1E were in the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and weren't just steriotypical brutes. Though the DM was expected to flesh out the details, these orcs were rebelling against their hill giant "masters" and had a nice little set-up to run with for a campaign. I remember our party siding with them and then taking them under our wing. We essentially had a large band of orcs then, but lulz ensued since keeping them alive and out of trouble while we continued to adventure was a logistical effort. Eventually we set them up at a base of sorts that became the party base between adventures.

[@RoninCatholic]

Boar-headed orcs are my favorite too. I like them to also be green.

[@draco949]

Hey Esper. Another great video. Luckily, your problem with bugbear's reach solves itself, to some degree. Long-Limbed ability only applies on its turn, not during opportunity attacks or other reactions. "When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal."

[@FriedRiceBurger]

Ur videos are by far some of the most informative and really helpful for beginners like myself. Thanks a bunch

[@themushiest1550]

Thank you so much for giving some love to Changelings! Changelings are my favorite race and everybody passes them in order to talk about Warforged, thank you!

[@ts25679]

Horses were smaller before we selectively bred them for size and strength, which I think Centaurs might object to. I also think they need a physical redesign since I don't think having two torso's is a particularly useful adaptation (even spellcheck doesn't like the plural).

[@dragonheart1236]

49:30 for context, Green Dragonborns, you know, the poison ones, only have RESISTANCE to poison. And on top of that, their ONLY other ability is beat out by most elemental cantrips or first level spells

[@Just.Kidding]

damn, I was really curious to see where Tortles would've ranked.

[@adastial2104]

Once I had a game where we had a changeling rouge who was taking an appearance of a famous dwarf who is hiding because he is hunted for his fame but the changeling doesn't know that the dwarf is being hunted and no one in the party knew that it was a changeling so when he was caught transforming after seeing the original dwarf the party straight up tried to kill the changeling but failed and came to an agreement to let him stay

[@michealreed9771]

Esper The Bard are you gonna do a lore accuracy of the Baldur’s Gate 3 game that’s coming to PC Oooo or a Playthrough?

[@lichofthewilds4384]

I’m okay with some races just having more features then others. The idea of race specific levels sounds bad. Every centaur would just feel exactly the same for the first few levels. And level adjustments? No the CR system just barely works as it is, most dms have to figure out where to set difficulty based on things you can’t really account for in game design like player skill and knowledge. You’d just end up ignoring the adjustment.

[@bilobobaggins1934]

I would like to make a note for anyone wanting to play an orc in an Eberron setting is that they have much more roleplay potential as they're more likely to be druids and shamans than brutes, and don't have the annoying minus 2 to intelligence.

[@ryanmaclean1720]

Esper: Minotaurs with persuasion, who are medium size?! This is just mad! Me: tap dancing Minotaur bard would work so well

[@bobfrank9267]

Hobgoblin eldritch knight or arcane archer would work and at least fighters get more abi to work with for your strength or dex

[@Jpteryx]

I'm pretty sure Small creatures can carry exactly as much weight as Medium ones (Strength scores aside). Also I don't see why Small creatures should necessarily have Strength penalties, since chimpanzees are smaller but much stronger than humans.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Akav Akaku Do you know how much a chimpanzee actually weighs because it’s not that much smaller than a human chimpanzees are squat like a dwarf but they’re not actually smaller than you in fact I’ve seen chimpanzees that weight a lot more than an average man heck they just found a new sub species of chimpanzee that grows to 5 feet tall

[@Jpteryx]

@@charlottewalnut3118 "Common chimpanzees have a standing height of 100-140 cm (3.3-4.6 ft) (Wikipedia)." That's right on the border between Small and Medium, and they're *stronger* than humans rather than one point weaker (like halflings and gnomes are) so my opinion stands.

[@wesleytownsend8214]

Nat 20 on sneak attack... great content as usual Thank You! All the best to you and yours

[@BlackRainRising]

I will add about the Hobgoblin, it does say they are intelligent and tactical and do command the battlefield of Orcs and other races. Intelligence I feel is a bit of an overlooked stat in terms of play vs. just bonuses to spells and languages. A human with Intelligence with 8-10 will have basic understanding of fighting and moving around, where a Hobgoblin with 14-15 will be far superior in combat understanding and tactical maneuvers to gain advantage on the field. I played a Hobgoblin fighter as a PC and I used his 14 Int. to study a compound we went to, learn weakness/strengths and the more tactical positions to be in if shit went south, it's how you run that stat bonus in RP (and quite a bit of fun to boot) vs. just the bonus to spells. Intelligence also helps a LOT of with having an understanding in society and communicating with others that might first think you're just a big dumb green oaf, catch them off guard talking quite clearly and comprehending their laws and living vs. 'hulk smash'

[@Espartano692]

Hey Esper! Have you ever considered making critiques of the official 5e campaigns? Think your input would be very interesting.

[@PogoMeraki]

Okay loxodon has "Mediocre" armor? Also, based on your last video I think you've got the wrong idea about the lizard-folk's armor as well as the loxodon's. Lizard folk natural armor is equal to +1 studded leather, not a chain shirt because a chain shirt only lets you add at best 3 dex. Additionally, the Loxodon's aspects are perfect for any squishier class or a fighter that doesnt want to dip into barb, as you can raise your AC and health at the same time. Granted, this is only equal to studded leather but at the same time it's one of the only sources of using constitution for AC. Also, why is the big elephant man goofy but the big bull man is cool?

[@medramonmasquedecendres2966]

I have a Yuan-ti pureblood in my game (i'm the DM) and the way i play it is "Ok, you are OP AF, and very powerful early on. BUT: you are classified as a monster, meaning that you have to disguise yourself, if not you will be treated as a monster by whatever is in your way, be it monsters or NPC"

[@finnmchugh99]

This is cool, I always love these Ranking videos and I always look forward to future ones. There could be Rankings of the Ravnica Guilds or MTG planeshifts, Demon Lords/Princes and Archdevils

[@samwhary5498]

Ouch my Loxodon is the lowest entry. >_

[@weebwarrior9727]

Hey Esper, got a question for you about the shifters: what’s your opinion on making the shifting effects to the shifter permanent, and making the lore for them be far more bestial? Would you need to balance it a bit more, or might it work as is?

[@UnRe4lSkat3r]

i never considered the 10ft reach disadvantage. Im totally giving opportunity at 5, that does make way more sense, thx for the suggestion

[@jgr7487]

as Changeling is my favourite playable race & I'm locked at the position of forever DM, I made an adversarial NPC that my players have grown to hate with all their forces. she's on her way to becoming my BBEG, & I love it!

[@BlazingAzureTheta]

Your complaints about races being nerfed from what they should be reminds me of the racial feats of Pathfinder 2e. Could be cool to do something where as a minotaur levels up, he/she can have a choice of feats such as a stronger gore attack, trampling attacks, growing into a large category creature etc.

[@phoenixshadow4631]

I mean if ur DM a allows homebrew or b allows unearthed arcana you can through either homebrew feats or through the rune knight

[@alexanderbyrne9684]

Do rune knight and you get that

[@gustavogarcia8783]

Loxodons armor is interesting because it uses CON instead of DEX

[@brycencusson7104]

I had a warforged that would analyze the threat level of everything out loud which lead to funny situations of analyzing a guard making him think were here to start trouble or a wild animal the party is trying to tame

[@Galus999]

I've been gaming with the same group since the 90's. Because of that and the fact that we're all friends, we have several campaigns that run to the higher levels, we've also ran a boatload of games that ended before 10

[@Asguard82]

Centur with a cavalier riding on their back

[@brooksfaucette296]

The way i see it, Aarokocra would reluctantly understand ownership and respect it if they have spent much time in normal society on the material plain.

[@ordinaryadonis8711]

Love your vids. What are some of the custom flaws you do for certain races?

[@jasperwhisper]

@ 6:00 killed me from the dark gritty tone to suddenly a friendly loxodon that I pictured in a tophat for some reason 😂

[@kullos4]

I once played as a bugbear warlock... my first game ever.

[@alperalyanak4971]

Will you actually ever make a monster ranking for eberron and ravnica? I mean that would be great! archfiend(demon lord, Arch devil) rankings would be great to! I must say i mostly aggre with you in your rankings and missed your videos and wise dm enlightenment (you must know im new to dnd) Great video as always! Ps. I liked the video before it started.

[@jaimel.arrietagarcia1615]

What about a video. Fixing races themes, and making them unique, maybe making them really more Lore friedly than just balanced. 🤔

[@travismurtland3257]

The shifter inspired me to think about a class that is purely the wild shape side of druids, as a martial. Like a monk, but it swaps between creatures as a bonus action (say it can swap for a total of an hour just like druids, but it's fluid shapechanging instead, free changes as a bonus action after the ability has been activated).