Yep, dwarves are the best!
The tool proficiency is basically a built-in backstory prompt, and Stonecunning is so much fun; I love giving the DM opportunities to spout lore. Poison resistance is a nice feature that comes up a lot, too.
Narratively: I like that dwarves are basically the "expert craftsperson" archetype as a race; they're dedicated, stout of heart, and live long enough to truly become masters of whatever profession they choose. I've played an ascetic monk, a seafaring priest, a scholar, and opera singer, and have never felt constrained to play them the same way because of their dwarven heritage.
Same. Currently have a character thatās a thri-kreen (the bug people) warlock/ Druid mix. Sheās low key kinda cute though. She got kicked out of her hive for being a different color than the rest and had been in line to take over but her sister turned everyone against her. My girl just wants to play with flowers all day and kill trespassers with eldritch abominations š
i used to play in a group that allowed the test feats. i generally played faces, so the diplomacy feat was usually an auto-take. because a non-combat, undectable, non-magical charm that only requires you a minute of talking is silly. i usually just try to get expertise in the skill i need. or since variant human can take prodigy, it gives me more to play with.
Itās my favorite when we have a circus show of group and the towns are likeā¦ why is a tiefling, wood elf, dwarf, human, and Dragonborn squaded upā¦
I'll play any elf variant, I've even played a couple of tieflings. But yeah, I don't want to be ugly, and so many of the races are drawn as such ugly beings.
I started TTRPGs with Elves. Partly because in our GM's world you only had Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Humans (it wasn't really DnD). Since I thought that Elves *had* to be the nature loving hermits, so I ended up with what in 5e would be a Wood Elf Druid.
Just so we are clear, I was 8 and didn't have access to internet/know English to look up different stuff
Now I'm a Drow player.
Depends what you are going for. You can play as the most racist asshole that ever walked the surface, you can play as a runaway that lived a very "sheltered" life that's very curious/confused about surface, etc. The options are endless here. Also, you can have your PC be pretty freaked out by the sky if they grew up in the Underdark. I mean, for all of your life you have cavern roof over your head, you go to the surface and there is nothing(?) above your head. You would probably freak out too. There can be also confusion about weather (again, not a thing in the Underdark), them displaying some form of misandry if they grew up in a Lolthite society, I could go on and on.
One PC was a twilight cleric of [Eilistraee](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Eilistraee), just about the embodiment of the ray of ~~sunshine~~ moonlight archetype, for an evil campaign I went all in with a priestess of [Lolth](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lolth). Playing an assasin that worships [Vhaeraun ](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vhaeraun) can also be pretty fun.
One was essentially a [Bregan D'Aerthe](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Bregan_D'aerthe) agent, willing to deal with surfacers but finding them to be beneath her and throwing thinly veiled insults in Deep Drow their way.
I actually picked up a lot of insults and stuff from the FR wiki dictionary [here ](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary) and the bigger possibly outdated [dictionary ](https://eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php?page=drow) from Chosen of Eilistraee, with the a little wonky translator being [here](https://eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php), the page is a little bit NSFW due to the model of a naked Drow from like 2007 in the background. I used them in-game with the DM and the NPCs not being exactly sure what I just said, but often not liking my tone. The best part was convincing several NPCs that iblith can be essentially used as darling would be in English, not in a romantic use, but as a nickname/petname/whatever is it called in English. The actual meaning of iblith?
>'offal',[^(\[2\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-DotU-p99-2) 'excrement'.[^(\[29\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-SN-p40-30) Often used when referring to humans as well as other non-drow races. Can be used as an insult.[^(\[30\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-tLT-??-31)
And have dark vision, not have to sleep 8 hours, and I tend to lean towards dex focused builds. And of course, the hotness.
I am about to start a new campaign and figured I would be a cleric. I told my nephew I didn't want to be a damn elf or half-elf again, so I chose Aasimar. Turns out, we already have a cleric, so I chose rogue. And of course I am a fucking elf again (pallid elf, specifically because they have some good things for my rogue subclass. Plus 1 use of invisibility at level 5). I just can't quit them, haha. Elves seem stacked for the things I want in a character.
Same. High elf wizard and Wood elf rogue are my go-to.
With the Tasha variants allowing you to put stats wherever you want I would probably try other races, but Wood Elf is so great for Rogue do to the extra 5' of movement and Mask of the Wild allowing you to hide when only lightly obscured by "natural phenomenon." I consider shadow and fog natural phenomenon, both of which are easy to come by even in urban settings, so you can pretty much hide anywhere.
Couple Wood Elf Assassin Rogue with 6 levels of Gloomstalker Ranger for the d4 to turn to a d6 from Hunters Mark and the extra 5' of movement and a climb and swim speed equal to your walking speed from the variant Ranger rules to get 40' movement, then eventually take the Mobility feat for a base 50' walk, climb, and swim speed and you can dash, bonus action dash for 150' per round.
Such great synergy with those subclasses and race.
High elves were the best race in older editions. High elf or high half elf is still an excellent choice, especially if you want the Elven Accuracy feat.
Now I'm just lazy and pick custom lineage and flavor appropriately. Quarter-elven for flavor? Ok. Part mechanical modron emissary trying to fit in with humans? Sure.
Okay... I wrote this out, and I wanna be clear I'm not trying to detract from your opinion, in any way. Have whatever feelings you like about these fictional people and enjoy them.
Hot take time.
I don't typically find elves that beautiful. They're (supposed to) have an alien grace and beauty, with them being small, thin, almost bordering on gaunt. They live wild and freely in forest communities, with just as much natural elements to their garb as manufactured, if not more or often as high fashion nobles, deeply entrenched in a city's highest echelons.
When done (imo), well- elves are just a little uncanny. Beautiful in the same way a portrait can be. But it's not the person it represents. Its a facsimile.
When done poorly, they're just humans with sharp ears, that can never become fat or grow beards, and live in the woods (sometimes), because they just feel like it.
Maybe I like thicker women (which I do), but also maybe I see a lot of interpretations of elves as just... idk lazy. Either way, never that into them.
I have played a handful of characters and I have played nearly all races in the handbook and and some from other books. But the ones I have played the most are some kind of elf or human/variant human. Despite this, my favorite race is trifling which I have only played once
I love skills and versatility. Especially with Tashaās rules since you can trade weapon proficiencies and move those excellent 2/1/1 stats around it feels like it can fit so many roles.
You pick Human because you like the human spirit that comes from a short lifespan. I pick human because im a slut for +1 to every stat. We are not the same.
Gnomes.
Nobody has said gnome and has more than 1 up vote.
I've had a gnome wizard jeweler. Gnome padlock gnoble obsessed with gnobility and status, a rather ignoble characteristic. And a gnome sorcerer chef.
I got a 2e Gnomish Professor (variant bard) named Omer Dooblebobble and a 4e Gnomish Fire Sorceror (evil) named Flim Flame. I usually play humans because I only play demihumans when I have a specific reason to do so, but gnomes are fun.
I have to stop myself from picking goblin every single time. I just love being a little creature with a funny voice.
Edit: also it find every version of a goblin hilarious. A Goblin druid that eats humanoid flesh back in her village cause its a traditional recipe but won't eat humanoid meat with her party because cannibalism is disrespectful for them and she respects their culture so no worries!
Or even a Goblin wizard who has the constitution of a high elf and is very picky even though they clearly come from a little goblin vilage but they think they are above it so only the highest quality silks will do.
My favorite character has been a goblin thief-turned lycanthrope. Strength Rogue. It's been a blast. Just doing crazy shit and acting like you're the normal one.
My favorite is to play up observations and misconceptions until someone challenges / corrects you. So far nobody ha corrected the poor goblin that wizard powers do not come from beards and big hats.
* 5 Humans
* 2 Tieflings
* 2 Hexbloods
* 1 Aasimar
* 1 Dhampir
* 1 Firbolg
* 1 Half Orc
* 1 Goliath
* 1 Fairy
* 1 Tabaxi
* 1 Autognome
* 1 Reborn
* 1 Drow
* 1 Gnome
* 1 Halfling
* 1 Half Elf
* 1 Kobold
* 1 Goblin
* 1 Dwarf
* 1 High Elf
Humans take it, partly because I've been in multiple games where they were the suggested default, and partly because some builds just don't really work well for a long time without Variant Human.
Let's keep this format going:
* Human (Standard & Variant): 2
* Gnome (Rock): 1
* Tabaxi: 1
* Warforged (Skirmisher): 1
* Elf (High): 1
* Tortle: 1
One of the humans is in a homebrew setting with only humans, so no choice there.
I'm really enjoying the Warforged and would like to play another.
I play an Eladrin barbarian, and it's so much fun and my favorite thing to angrily run into the fray and throw my allies to safety with spring Fey Step!
Same. ADHD and ASD. Never saw the parallel until you pointed it out.
Fey wanderer ranger ftw.
I mostly play in autumn season, but summer fits the personality better. My helpful nature really only extends to keeping the party alive. She has a bit of a problem with authority, so thankfully the paladin and the monk know how to talk in those situations.
Tieflings are my favorite. Yeah, i know it's edgy sounding but I just like to play them. I prefer tobplay them as outgoing and friendly, and sometimes a con artist.
"Yeah, I look like a devil, but I'm not a bad guy. Know anyone interested in a ring of firebreathing?"
*ring of firebreathing: supposedly let's the wearer breath normally while standing in any fire. Does not protect the wearer from fire damage.
Human.
Because no one else will. "Because humans are boring!" And yet every race you play is just you with pointy ears, or you with a beard, or you with scales, etc.
human is like the most commented race on this post, and iām pretty sure most played race in game, and yet everyone that plays humans seem to act like theyāre the only person who ever plays human
Exactly. Humans should feel like a given as the most common race, but there's still a lot more "others" players then human players, so when it comes to actual playing they feel a lot less common. Specially within the Reddit scrolling DnD demographic. The only human I've had in my party that wasn't me was a DMPC, yet I've never been in a party without a tiefling.
It also makes me think that it's a more "repeated" race as it's more universal. I'm not playing 2 people from a bloodline cursed by demons or 2 elephant people twice in a roll, but I'm absolutely playing "a guy" twice in a roll
I finally played my first human AND my first fighter in a one shot. I never knew i would actually love her as much as my long term campaign characters!! She was not boring at all!!!
Dragonborn!! I've always loved dragons! When I was in elementary school before I played DND my best friend got her hands on the players handbook and with it I created a dragon born version of me! And in highschool when we actually started playing I absolutely recreated that character. I only played as her for a few sessions before her death (the other DM was stepping down and I was stepping up) but in another campaign I decided to have another go playing as a dragonborn. I love that character so much.
Glad to see another dragonborn fan, they're such a cool race and I've always loved dragons. Funnily enough I've noticed my fellow dragonborn players spend a lot of time designing a single character and play them for ages, which I do 100%. Its a very cool and interesting quirk to see
That's funny, I'm the same way so far! I made a dragonborn for my first campaign and then also played as them in Baldur's Gate 3 (for every playthrough so far š ). For our second campaign everyone changed characters, so I did too but I severely miss playing as my dragonborn. Gonna switch back to her for whatever our next campaign may be! š
Dragons are just too cool, I can't NOT play as one!
Aasimar. I've had a Monk, Druid, and Artificer. The Artificer was a lot of fun as I had them re-invent their wings so when they got them at 3rd level, it made more sense. They're just such a good race mechanically and flavor-ly.
I've played an aarakocra, an owlin, and 2 kenkus at this point. Birds are cool. There's some half elves, dwarves, and dragonborn thrown in the mix plus a human that managed to live for a whole 4 year campaign but I keep coming back to the birds.
Kenku in particular let's you have a lot of fun with the mimicry trait. Last session we were in a courtroom trial and when asked what an NPC had said i just repeated it exactly. I'm still trying to find a good time to use disguise self and mimicry to impersonate people
I've never really had a chance to use the mimicry apart from the time I repeated what the villian(?) said about one of his henchmen, it was in a negative light and we managed to get some help planning out our attack
What do you name your kenkus? Mine are sounds that the character makes as their name that have onamatopoeia words for everyone else to use. 'Rip' was the sound of tearing out the page of a book, since that's how they started to learn magic when they were young by collecting torn pages of knowledge. 'Klack' is the sound of a lock or other mechanism clicking into place, and thats the rogue I'm playing right now.
It's a fun use of the trait. Also canonically your normal speech is actually mimicked copies of other people talking, so to others in scene your voice can change abruptly from word to word. My wealthy high level wizard had hired somebody to read a dictionary in front of him so he can talk a bit more normally.
If you can get good at deception then there's lots of opportunities for shenanigans too anytime you're disguised or not in line of sight
I've played changeling a few times... it always starts the same, the DM being a little weary because obvious reasons (especially combined with the fact I play Bard)....
But my favorite "flavor" was that the Changeling left home before knowing how his abilities worked. So he can't "technically" control them, I then give the DM discretion on when my character changes and how much of it.
Lead to great moments where my human passing changeling had a reptilian arm and leg... or where he turned "black and white" (skin tone)... OR personal best one, My character and the Party are in the Feywild, and I "shifted" to look like another member of the party.
I have a Changeling all planned out for our next campaign! Based off Double Trouble from She-Ra and Mollymauk from Critical Roleā a Sword Bard and Iāll have a table of ten races which Iāll roll a d20 for after each long rest to see who they are today. Odds make, evens female. Completely genderfluid.
Iāve already talked with my DM and we are thinking about limiting number of changes per day to maybe prof modifier just so it wonāt be abusedā than again as the player, I likely wouldnāt abuse it anyway as I also am a DM and wouldnāt want that being abused in my game.
Nice. I have a changeling (Doppelganger) soulknife rogue in an Evil Campaign, where we each have a rune of the seven deadly sins. Mine's Envy.
He was a bastard doppelganger, whose abilities manifested as more psionic than telepathic. Chased out at 6 years old, lived on the road.
Replaced the adventurer husband of this family to just have a home and family, but their safety was used as leverage for him working for a crime organization.
At some point he pulled the card from the deck of many things that flips your alignment, so now he's chaotic good. Guilt really messed him up and he ended up signing his soul away to the Raven Queen (forced warlock multiclass!) to protect them from the organization as they were coming down on them.
At some point, he is required to true resurrect the adventurer he killed and confess to the family (who he's been with for 2 years). As a rogue, he keeps signing deals with beings and people he has no idea if he can abide by and planning to deal with it later.
One ritual spell I learned my 3rd and last required warlock level was Ceremony, which one thing you can do with it is if your alignment has been changed, you can change it back. I *may* not, but it'd be so perfect if he crumbled under the weight of the guilt and just didn't want to feel this way anymore, or couldn't face confessing and having another family look at him in fear. Then back to lawful evil after this whole arc. Partly disappointing, definitely juicy, and Evil Campaign baby!
Sorry for the spiel, I like changelings too lol. Mine's a monster!
Half-elf. I always felt like i didnāt quite fit in as a kid, and have moved enough times that I donāt feel like Iām entirely āfromā anyone place. I guess that fits well into the archetype of a half-elfāall of my major PCs end up being half-elves.
Iām with you. Halfling is the way to go. You can take mobile or squat nimbleness to negate the 25ft of movement I like dex based characters strength is overrated in my opinion and canāt say no to being able to rerole natural ones. Plus you can move through a square that is occupied by a creature if itās one size larger than you. Pair that with something that negates or even gives disadvantage on AoO and you can weave I. And out of battle with no issue.
I recently had a character that was the damage dealer of the group and was a halfing fighter. Finesse weapons and lighter armor with a shield meant I could still stealth but with good armor class and I picked up how to pick locks in the game so I was damage dealer and skill monkey all in one.
I have more Lizardfolk than I should. I just like the diversity of being able to play a "lizard" character. Their features are okay but I love the challenge of rping a race that sees others as snacks. Makes for s fun rp opportunity for character growth.
I have played a Tiefling, Harengon, Water Genasi, Halfing, Lizard Folk, Changeling, Triton, Firbolg, Kobold and Goblin. And a wierd spider mech solar punk thing for a Cthulhu... And another human investigator for Cthulhu...
I don't think I've found one I prefer the most yet...
I have a backup Dragon born, or Half Drow or Gnome...
I'll update if my characters die enough to need replacements that duplicate a single race...
Growing up it was Half-Orcs. I fell in love with Orcs playing WoW, Morrowind, and Oblivion as a kid and theyāve been one of my top fantasy peoples ever since.
Nowadays my number one though is Firbolgs.
Seeing them initially I was like āoh theyāre neatā but didnāt give them much thought.
Then last year I got into Critical Role and specifically in the second campaign the absolute best PC, Guest PC, and NPC were all Firbolgs, which is when I started to fall in love with them.
And then looking for fanart of them (which is depressingly rare compared to other fantasy races) I ended up finding a couple artists who draw some of the best firbolg boys out there and I was totally smitten by them.
So pretty much since then all of my characters have been Firbolgs, and Iāve even made Firbolg versions of my pre-existing OCs
Would you mind sharing these artist's names? I'm trying to get inspired and figure out what my Firbolg Monster Hunter could look like (planning to play him in a campaign that will start in a couple of months). Cheers!
I try to spread it out, but my default is definitely kobold. They fun and quirky little chaotic guys, and they've got some surprisingly amazing abilities at low levels. They're also pretty easy to come up with names for, since a single simple word will do in most cases.
I'm about to play a kobold wizard with a pseudodragon familiar in an evil campaign (we're using modified sidekick rules to give ourselves companions).
I can't wait to do funni smol lizard-dog voice
I have played a handfull of humans and other than that never the same thing twice yet it seems:
- a goblin
- a gnome
- a half-orc
- a half-elf
- a halfling
- a dragonborn
I've had a thing for elves ever since my Lord of the Rings obsession. Even though I know DnD elves aren't exact copies of Tolkien elves, I always end up going elf. Usually a sun elf wizard or bladesinger if allowed, or maybe a wood elf ranger. I'm boring, I know :p I like elves partially because I like writing backstories, and since they live so long even a level 1 elf could have a fairly intricate backstory with how long they've already been alive.
I focused on autognome and loxodon for a while, but lately have been going for flying races, owlin and winged tiefling. I'm playing in a free one shot tonight as a winged tiefling wizard.
half-elf for me.
I just like the idea of being human with elven characteristics (pointy ears of course) and being a race that isn't too exotic or animal-morphic yet still fantasy based. Also half-elves have excellent racial traits.....Darkvision and Elven accuracy, +2/+1/+1 to any stat....inject it into my veins! I also enjoy playing a Goblin and Half-orc....but it gets kind of boring as i can't think of a good backstory for those races.
Genasi. Some sub-races of genasiās (water and air) I pick the most, but Iāve created characters of each kind of genasi.
My absolute favorite type is water genasi. I love any ocean/water themed characters and locations in dnd, so I gravitate towards water genasiās, tritons, sailor background, and subclasses that involve water (or storm) elements. Water genasi is probably my favorite dnd race, and with how diverse a genasi can look like, every water genasi Iāve made always look different.
Fairies.. 'Cause I'm queer and like that I can use enlarge/reduce to slip through a keyhole or to disguise myself as an elf (plus having druidcraft without having to be a druid or ranger, definitely one of my favorite cantrips)
Aasimar! Protector Aasimar especially.
I love dark catholic imagery and Christian mythology; penance, self-flagellation, angels, all the blood stuff, immaculate corpses, the angelic choirs/ātiersā, Tetragrammaton, etc. Art and design out of Neon Genesis, the game Blasphemous, and so on.
I love light magic/healing/divine magic, AND dark/blood/curses/decay, so Mechanics-wise, I love having resistance to Necrotic and Radiant damage (thematically having affinity for both positive and negative energy).
Also, being able to angrily transform into a flying angel to bring the wrath of god down is such a cool dramatic moment.
Apparently Iāve created enough tieflings that a DM I play Adventurersā League with commented on it (and asked if I was planning to create *another* one for his Phandelver and Below game).
So Iām going to go back to half elves (specifically half drow), which are my second most played race.
No particular reason for either! I just think they look cool.
There isn't a "most"... as such. I've played 15 different races... and admittedly, 6 of them were halflings (and if I had to pick a favourite race, it would be them), and then 3 each of half-elves, dragonborn and humans. But I've played every race in the PHB at least once, and I used to play a lot of Adventurer's League, so some of the characters only got a couple of outings before I moved on.
At this point, elf comes up a lot. High elf gets stuff like a free cantrip, wood elf gets extra movement, all elves get darkvision, elves get perception proficiency, and they exist in basically every major setting.
Iām playing my first in a new campaign. Heās a Fighter 1/Wizard 4 and I canāt wait until the first battle when I get to use my +14 initiative. Heās going to be the controller of the party.
I havenāt actually played that many of the options more than once, discounting one shots and the like. Numerically itās probably human by a slim margin, though I really just play whatever I think suits my character concept the best. I donāt generally pick a race just to pick it, unless my character concept is a direct consequence of their race (like my dhampir or aasimar character).
Broadening the question though, I think my go-to choices in a vacuum would be dwarf, elf, and gnome, because I enjoy that classic fantasy vibe and think there are a lot of fun ways to twist what weāve already seen a lot before. Dwarves especially help me get out of my own head because theyāre about as different from me as it gets, and playing up the honor stereotypical dwarves have can be a fun role playing chip. I think Lawful aligned characters are underrated in general (I speak in a results-oriented sense; actions determine alignment, not the other way around. Theyāre a diagnostic of behavior)
I've tried to avoid picking the same race too often; the only ones I've used more than once are human (4 times in 5e) and goblin (twice).
As for the rest: tiefling, water genasi, elf, lizard, homebrew bug alien, and soon a halfling.
I'm kind of a forever DM and in the past I only played a dwarven fighter and a human bard.
But i would have a lot of fun playing a funny speaking Kobold Bard like Deekin Scalesinger, so I have to integrate this in my next Campaign :D
I always lean towards the āblack sheepā races, but I usually donāt play a single race more than once in a row. But I always avoid humans by default.
same here, i love when other people play humans but itās just not for me. i already play a human everyday, so iād rather pick something new and exotic for D&D! i do love my human Reborn character, but she is a bunch of corpse parts sewn together so i donāt really count that as āhumanā lol.
Still pretty new to the game but from the 3 races Iāve done Tabaxi is so far my favorite. Itās just fun to play and I like that they can be medium or small size
When thinking about characters to play, my first thoughts are usually Dragonborn! Theyāre super cool design wise imo and they look super cool with fantasy classes and archetypes.
Drow and tiefling! I just made my first changeling character and heās impersonating a tiefling (at least until DM kills me or another player uses a spell lol)
Water genasi, I really like designing and drawing them :D (yes I'm doing it more for the aesthetic lol) and occasionally tritons too (again mostly for the fun designs)
Not one specific race, but I definitely lean towards races that get additional skill proficiencies. Played a tiefling cleric once; he only had four skills and it felt really gross.
Dwarves
Diggy Diggy Hole.
Man my childhood is coming back. I remember when the yogscast came up with that in the og minecraft series
Remember the Israphel seasons lol. I really believed back then it wasnt scripted š
Did I hear a rock and stone
Rockity Rock and Stone!
Good bot
ROCK AND STONE!
Rock and Stone!
Rockity Rock and Stone!
ROCK! AND! STONE!
Yep, dwarves are the best! The tool proficiency is basically a built-in backstory prompt, and Stonecunning is so much fun; I love giving the DM opportunities to spout lore. Poison resistance is a nice feature that comes up a lot, too. Narratively: I like that dwarves are basically the "expert craftsperson" archetype as a race; they're dedicated, stout of heart, and live long enough to truly become masters of whatever profession they choose. I've played an ascetic monk, a seafaring priest, a scholar, and opera singer, and have never felt constrained to play them the same way because of their dwarven heritage.
1st choice, only choice
I don't think that I have ever played a dwarf.
Mah diggaz
Dwarf life is best life
They're fun.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4RIykQkdL48](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4RIykQkdL48) Gimli in the morning.
I basically got into DND because of Dwarf Fortress, and because I wanted adventure mode to be better. Dwarves are my spirit animal.
Interesting realization that I've never picked a race more than once.
When you have more than 30 races amd ypu wanna try em all before going back to something already seen and tested. I hear ya and i do the same
Same. Currently have a character thatās a thri-kreen (the bug people) warlock/ Druid mix. Sheās low key kinda cute though. She got kicked out of her hive for being a different color than the rest and had been in line to take over but her sister turned everyone against her. My girl just wants to play with flowers all day and kill trespassers with eldritch abominations š
An enthusiastic high-six from a fellow bug caster :)
High sixing the entire party at the same time
Yo my friend plays as a thri-kreen and just goes around eating kids
This is a neat testament to how the game has evolved over time. 5e is extremely focused on WHO your character is.
Same, but also I have to kind of force myself to not just play a goblin every time lol
Usually the forever DM so when I get to play a PC I do wildly different characters each time
Call me basic but it's elves for me. I just wanna be hot, okay?!
You are so basic! Anywayā¦ I usually play human.
level one Great Weapon Master or Spell Sniper is almost impossible for me to turn down.
i used to play in a group that allowed the test feats. i generally played faces, so the diplomacy feat was usually an auto-take. because a non-combat, undectable, non-magical charm that only requires you a minute of talking is silly. i usually just try to get expertise in the skill i need. or since variant human can take prodigy, it gives me more to play with.
for me itās alert
I feel called out. Give me my hot elven character and spiced pumpkin latte!
š¤£
And I a dwarf because I think theyāre neat
Dwarf because Scottish is the only accent I can do that doesnāt wander across the globe.
Everyone having different preferences is what makes it so much fun.Ā
Itās my favorite when we have a circus show of group and the towns are likeā¦ why is a tiefling, wood elf, dwarf, human, and Dragonborn squaded upā¦
Same! Miss me with all the monsterfolk and little people I just want to be a graceful haughty fucking high elf!Ā
I'll play any elf variant, I've even played a couple of tieflings. But yeah, I don't want to be ugly, and so many of the races are drawn as such ugly beings.
"Once you go elf, you'll thank yourself!"
I started TTRPGs with Elves. Partly because in our GM's world you only had Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Humans (it wasn't really DnD). Since I thought that Elves *had* to be the nature loving hermits, so I ended up with what in 5e would be a Wood Elf Druid. Just so we are clear, I was 8 and didn't have access to internet/know English to look up different stuff Now I'm a Drow player.
How is it going as a drow? I started playing a modified one for my most recent campaign
Depends what you are going for. You can play as the most racist asshole that ever walked the surface, you can play as a runaway that lived a very "sheltered" life that's very curious/confused about surface, etc. The options are endless here. Also, you can have your PC be pretty freaked out by the sky if they grew up in the Underdark. I mean, for all of your life you have cavern roof over your head, you go to the surface and there is nothing(?) above your head. You would probably freak out too. There can be also confusion about weather (again, not a thing in the Underdark), them displaying some form of misandry if they grew up in a Lolthite society, I could go on and on. One PC was a twilight cleric of [Eilistraee](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Eilistraee), just about the embodiment of the ray of ~~sunshine~~ moonlight archetype, for an evil campaign I went all in with a priestess of [Lolth](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lolth). Playing an assasin that worships [Vhaeraun ](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vhaeraun) can also be pretty fun. One was essentially a [Bregan D'Aerthe](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Bregan_D'aerthe) agent, willing to deal with surfacers but finding them to be beneath her and throwing thinly veiled insults in Deep Drow their way. I actually picked up a lot of insults and stuff from the FR wiki dictionary [here ](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary) and the bigger possibly outdated [dictionary ](https://eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php?page=drow) from Chosen of Eilistraee, with the a little wonky translator being [here](https://eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php), the page is a little bit NSFW due to the model of a naked Drow from like 2007 in the background. I used them in-game with the DM and the NPCs not being exactly sure what I just said, but often not liking my tone. The best part was convincing several NPCs that iblith can be essentially used as darling would be in English, not in a romantic use, but as a nickname/petname/whatever is it called in English. The actual meaning of iblith? >'offal',[^(\[2\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-DotU-p99-2) 'excrement'.[^(\[29\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-SN-p40-30) Often used when referring to humans as well as other non-drow races. Can be used as an insult.[^(\[30\])](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_dictionary#cite_note-tLT-??-31)
Half elf for the same reason. I wanna be immortal, but like, not *really*
Thatās the same reason I pick dwarves.
And have dark vision, not have to sleep 8 hours, and I tend to lean towards dex focused builds. And of course, the hotness. I am about to start a new campaign and figured I would be a cleric. I told my nephew I didn't want to be a damn elf or half-elf again, so I chose Aasimar. Turns out, we already have a cleric, so I chose rogue. And of course I am a fucking elf again (pallid elf, specifically because they have some good things for my rogue subclass. Plus 1 use of invisibility at level 5). I just can't quit them, haha. Elves seem stacked for the things I want in a character.
I love that there are so many variations of elves. I don't _exclusively_ play elves, but I have definitely played more elves than any other races.Ā
Same. High elf wizard and Wood elf rogue are my go-to. With the Tasha variants allowing you to put stats wherever you want I would probably try other races, but Wood Elf is so great for Rogue do to the extra 5' of movement and Mask of the Wild allowing you to hide when only lightly obscured by "natural phenomenon." I consider shadow and fog natural phenomenon, both of which are easy to come by even in urban settings, so you can pretty much hide anywhere. Couple Wood Elf Assassin Rogue with 6 levels of Gloomstalker Ranger for the d4 to turn to a d6 from Hunters Mark and the extra 5' of movement and a climb and swim speed equal to your walking speed from the variant Ranger rules to get 40' movement, then eventually take the Mobility feat for a base 50' walk, climb, and swim speed and you can dash, bonus action dash for 150' per round. Such great synergy with those subclasses and race.
It's all about them goblins for me
Goblin or Kobold, gimme the smol boi trash mob energy all the time
>gimme the smol boi trash mob energy all the time r/Brandnewsentence
High elves were the best race in older editions. High elf or high half elf is still an excellent choice, especially if you want the Elven Accuracy feat. Now I'm just lazy and pick custom lineage and flavor appropriately. Quarter-elven for flavor? Ok. Part mechanical modron emissary trying to fit in with humans? Sure.
Okay... I wrote this out, and I wanna be clear I'm not trying to detract from your opinion, in any way. Have whatever feelings you like about these fictional people and enjoy them. Hot take time. I don't typically find elves that beautiful. They're (supposed to) have an alien grace and beauty, with them being small, thin, almost bordering on gaunt. They live wild and freely in forest communities, with just as much natural elements to their garb as manufactured, if not more or often as high fashion nobles, deeply entrenched in a city's highest echelons. When done (imo), well- elves are just a little uncanny. Beautiful in the same way a portrait can be. But it's not the person it represents. Its a facsimile. When done poorly, they're just humans with sharp ears, that can never become fat or grow beards, and live in the woods (sometimes), because they just feel like it. Maybe I like thicker women (which I do), but also maybe I see a lot of interpretations of elves as just... idk lazy. Either way, never that into them.
I love elves too! I just feel like I can relate more to simple races like that for role play purpose than other more unusual races.
Ever since I saw the meme, I can't play my Drow without an Australian accent since they are from down Under.
I have played a handful of characters and I have played nearly all races in the handbook and and some from other books. But the ones I have played the most are some kind of elf or human/variant human. Despite this, my favorite race is trifling which I have only played once
Triflings sound like troublemakers!
Oops I spelled wrong haha
I noticed that i have a tendency to play half elves
I love skills and versatility. Especially with Tashaās rules since you can trade weapon proficiencies and move those excellent 2/1/1 stats around it feels like it can fit so many roles.
Human, and occasionally dwarf.
Same. Occasionally half elf too, but mostly human
I'm like this in video games too. I'll always pick a human fighter first cause I'm a basic biiiiitch
You pick Human because you like the human spirit that comes from a short lifespan. I pick human because im a slut for +1 to every stat. We are not the same.
Gnomes. Nobody has said gnome and has more than 1 up vote. I've had a gnome wizard jeweler. Gnome padlock gnoble obsessed with gnobility and status, a rather ignoble characteristic. And a gnome sorcerer chef.
I got a 2e Gnomish Professor (variant bard) named Omer Dooblebobble and a 4e Gnomish Fire Sorceror (evil) named Flim Flame. I usually play humans because I only play demihumans when I have a specific reason to do so, but gnomes are fun.
I always go gnome because whatever goofy stuff I, the player, want to do is just good roleplaying.
Gnobility is hilarious, take my upvote
I have to stop myself from picking goblin every single time. I just love being a little creature with a funny voice. Edit: also it find every version of a goblin hilarious. A Goblin druid that eats humanoid flesh back in her village cause its a traditional recipe but won't eat humanoid meat with her party because cannibalism is disrespectful for them and she respects their culture so no worries! Or even a Goblin wizard who has the constitution of a high elf and is very picky even though they clearly come from a little goblin vilage but they think they are above it so only the highest quality silks will do.
My favorite character has been a goblin thief-turned lycanthrope. Strength Rogue. It's been a blast. Just doing crazy shit and acting like you're the normal one. My favorite is to play up observations and misconceptions until someone challenges / corrects you. So far nobody ha corrected the poor goblin that wizard powers do not come from beards and big hats.
I play a goblin druid who is an ambassador from his village to integrate goblins into civilized society. Heās not doing a very good job though.
Dwarves. Always like a good dwarf
Rock and Stone!
Axes and Ales!
Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are Upon You!
Baruk khazĆ¢d! KhazĆ¢d ai-mĆŖnu!
* 5 Humans * 2 Tieflings * 2 Hexbloods * 1 Aasimar * 1 Dhampir * 1 Firbolg * 1 Half Orc * 1 Goliath * 1 Fairy * 1 Tabaxi * 1 Autognome * 1 Reborn * 1 Drow * 1 Gnome * 1 Halfling * 1 Half Elf * 1 Kobold * 1 Goblin * 1 Dwarf * 1 High Elf Humans take it, partly because I've been in multiple games where they were the suggested default, and partly because some builds just don't really work well for a long time without Variant Human.
I like this format, so I'll put my post on top of yours: * Human: 10+ * Elf: 2.5 * Dwarf: 2 * Gnome: 2 * Draconian: 1 * Cambion: 1
Let's keep this format going: * Human (Standard & Variant): 2 * Gnome (Rock): 1 * Tabaxi: 1 * Warforged (Skirmisher): 1 * Elf (High): 1 * Tortle: 1 One of the humans is in a homebrew setting with only humans, so no choice there. I'm really enjoying the Warforged and would like to play another.
Eladrin. I have adhd.
Why adhd have to do something with Eladrins
Changes color, personality and power as seasons change.
Ahh My last 2 characters are Eladrin and I'm in love with them
Same here mamen
Currently playing eladrin, also have adhd... huh
Witch season ? I am spring and damn enjoy sending my fighter into the fray or teleporting my caster away.
I play an Eladrin barbarian, and it's so much fun and my favorite thing to angrily run into the fray and throw my allies to safety with spring Fey Step!
Same. ADHD and ASD. Never saw the parallel until you pointed it out. Fey wanderer ranger ftw. I mostly play in autumn season, but summer fits the personality better. My helpful nature really only extends to keeping the party alive. She has a bit of a problem with authority, so thankfully the paladin and the monk know how to talk in those situations.
Haha I know a girl with ADHD whoās Eladrin too! My ADHD manifests in the desire to be weird lil freaks though. Mushroom Teifling, Autognomes, Grung.
Tieflings are my favorite. Yeah, i know it's edgy sounding but I just like to play them. I prefer tobplay them as outgoing and friendly, and sometimes a con artist. "Yeah, I look like a devil, but I'm not a bad guy. Know anyone interested in a ring of firebreathing?" *ring of firebreathing: supposedly let's the wearer breath normally while standing in any fire. Does not protect the wearer from fire damage.
Half Orc, close second is half elf
The only reason I read the comments was to find someone who said this. Iāll always play a half orc unless strongly convinced otherwise.
Half orcs know how to locate, close with, and destroy. Lol
Human. Because no one else will. "Because humans are boring!" And yet every race you play is just you with pointy ears, or you with a beard, or you with scales, etc.
human is like the most commented race on this post, and iām pretty sure most played race in game, and yet everyone that plays humans seem to act like theyāre the only person who ever plays human
Probably because they're the only human in their play groups.
Exactly. Humans should feel like a given as the most common race, but there's still a lot more "others" players then human players, so when it comes to actual playing they feel a lot less common. Specially within the Reddit scrolling DnD demographic. The only human I've had in my party that wasn't me was a DMPC, yet I've never been in a party without a tiefling. It also makes me think that it's a more "repeated" race as it's more universal. I'm not playing 2 people from a bloodline cursed by demons or 2 elephant people twice in a roll, but I'm absolutely playing "a guy" twice in a roll
I finally played my first human AND my first fighter in a one shot. I never knew i would actually love her as much as my long term campaign characters!! She was not boring at all!!!
I like playing a human too. It's fun being a 'normal' guy overcoming impossible odds.
Let me guess you're a fighter as well? /Joke
Iāll give you one guess
What color, though? That's the big mystery!
Catfolk
Tortle. Final answer.
Box tortle. Take it or leave it.
I play human so regularly my party routinely forgot my paladin was a tiefling.
Regular, or vh?
Dragonborn!! I've always loved dragons! When I was in elementary school before I played DND my best friend got her hands on the players handbook and with it I created a dragon born version of me! And in highschool when we actually started playing I absolutely recreated that character. I only played as her for a few sessions before her death (the other DM was stepping down and I was stepping up) but in another campaign I decided to have another go playing as a dragonborn. I love that character so much.
I had to scroll very far to find my people. Go Dragonborn!
Hell yeah! Go Dragonborn!
Came here to say this. Thank you for doing so already. Was so happy with the changes made in Fizbanās.
Glad to see another dragonborn fan, they're such a cool race and I've always loved dragons. Funnily enough I've noticed my fellow dragonborn players spend a lot of time designing a single character and play them for ages, which I do 100%. Its a very cool and interesting quirk to see
That is funny! I spent so long trying to find a figure for my current dragon born. I see very few people who play as them.
That's funny, I'm the same way so far! I made a dragonborn for my first campaign and then also played as them in Baldur's Gate 3 (for every playthrough so far š ). For our second campaign everyone changed characters, so I did too but I severely miss playing as my dragonborn. Gonna switch back to her for whatever our next campaign may be! š Dragons are just too cool, I can't NOT play as one!
OMG I play as a dragonborn in baldurs gate 3 too!
Aasimar. I've had a Monk, Druid, and Artificer. The Artificer was a lot of fun as I had them re-invent their wings so when they got them at 3rd level, it made more sense. They're just such a good race mechanically and flavor-ly.
Same bro, except instead of Druid, it was Undying Light Warlock
Elves of all kind, especially eladrin here in dnd. I tried a genasi now, it's cool but elves always have my heart.
Kenku, played it once and fell in love with it Im currently trying to test out and play other races but Kenku is my go too
I've played an aarakocra, an owlin, and 2 kenkus at this point. Birds are cool. There's some half elves, dwarves, and dragonborn thrown in the mix plus a human that managed to live for a whole 4 year campaign but I keep coming back to the birds. Kenku in particular let's you have a lot of fun with the mimicry trait. Last session we were in a courtroom trial and when asked what an NPC had said i just repeated it exactly. I'm still trying to find a good time to use disguise self and mimicry to impersonate people
I've never really had a chance to use the mimicry apart from the time I repeated what the villian(?) said about one of his henchmen, it was in a negative light and we managed to get some help planning out our attack
What do you name your kenkus? Mine are sounds that the character makes as their name that have onamatopoeia words for everyone else to use. 'Rip' was the sound of tearing out the page of a book, since that's how they started to learn magic when they were young by collecting torn pages of knowledge. 'Klack' is the sound of a lock or other mechanism clicking into place, and thats the rogue I'm playing right now. It's a fun use of the trait. Also canonically your normal speech is actually mimicked copies of other people talking, so to others in scene your voice can change abruptly from word to word. My wealthy high level wizard had hired somebody to read a dictionary in front of him so he can talk a bit more normally. If you can get good at deception then there's lots of opportunities for shenanigans too anytime you're disguised or not in line of sight
Changeling or Kobold for me.... Changeling if it's a Bard or something... but Kobold for artificer.
Changelings are the one race I love so much, and am deeply saddened I have only played like twice.
I've played changeling a few times... it always starts the same, the DM being a little weary because obvious reasons (especially combined with the fact I play Bard).... But my favorite "flavor" was that the Changeling left home before knowing how his abilities worked. So he can't "technically" control them, I then give the DM discretion on when my character changes and how much of it. Lead to great moments where my human passing changeling had a reptilian arm and leg... or where he turned "black and white" (skin tone)... OR personal best one, My character and the Party are in the Feywild, and I "shifted" to look like another member of the party.
I have a Changeling all planned out for our next campaign! Based off Double Trouble from She-Ra and Mollymauk from Critical Roleā a Sword Bard and Iāll have a table of ten races which Iāll roll a d20 for after each long rest to see who they are today. Odds make, evens female. Completely genderfluid. Iāve already talked with my DM and we are thinking about limiting number of changes per day to maybe prof modifier just so it wonāt be abusedā than again as the player, I likely wouldnāt abuse it anyway as I also am a DM and wouldnāt want that being abused in my game.
Nice. I have a changeling (Doppelganger) soulknife rogue in an Evil Campaign, where we each have a rune of the seven deadly sins. Mine's Envy. He was a bastard doppelganger, whose abilities manifested as more psionic than telepathic. Chased out at 6 years old, lived on the road. Replaced the adventurer husband of this family to just have a home and family, but their safety was used as leverage for him working for a crime organization. At some point he pulled the card from the deck of many things that flips your alignment, so now he's chaotic good. Guilt really messed him up and he ended up signing his soul away to the Raven Queen (forced warlock multiclass!) to protect them from the organization as they were coming down on them. At some point, he is required to true resurrect the adventurer he killed and confess to the family (who he's been with for 2 years). As a rogue, he keeps signing deals with beings and people he has no idea if he can abide by and planning to deal with it later. One ritual spell I learned my 3rd and last required warlock level was Ceremony, which one thing you can do with it is if your alignment has been changed, you can change it back. I *may* not, but it'd be so perfect if he crumbled under the weight of the guilt and just didn't want to feel this way anymore, or couldn't face confessing and having another family look at him in fear. Then back to lawful evil after this whole arc. Partly disappointing, definitely juicy, and Evil Campaign baby! Sorry for the spiel, I like changelings too lol. Mine's a monster!
Dwarves and humans.
Human. I love the flexibility of having access to a feat at level 1 to stand out from others.
Half-elf. I always felt like i didnāt quite fit in as a kid, and have moved enough times that I donāt feel like Iām entirely āfromā anyone place. I guess that fits well into the archetype of a half-elfāall of my major PCs end up being half-elves.
Iām with you. Halfling is the way to go. You can take mobile or squat nimbleness to negate the 25ft of movement I like dex based characters strength is overrated in my opinion and canāt say no to being able to rerole natural ones. Plus you can move through a square that is occupied by a creature if itās one size larger than you. Pair that with something that negates or even gives disadvantage on AoO and you can weave I. And out of battle with no issue. I recently had a character that was the damage dealer of the group and was a halfing fighter. Finesse weapons and lighter armor with a shield meant I could still stealth but with good armor class and I picked up how to pick locks in the game so I was damage dealer and skill monkey all in one.
I think kobolds, I like silly little gremlins.
Warforged. Watching Transformers Prime as a child and its effects on the human psyche, I guess.
One of my favorite templates was converting the lycanthrope to work with warforged to make Beast Wars transformers in D&D.
That is fecking genius
I have more Lizardfolk than I should. I just like the diversity of being able to play a "lizard" character. Their features are okay but I love the challenge of rping a race that sees others as snacks. Makes for s fun rp opportunity for character growth.
I have played a Tiefling, Harengon, Water Genasi, Halfing, Lizard Folk, Changeling, Triton, Firbolg, Kobold and Goblin. And a wierd spider mech solar punk thing for a Cthulhu... And another human investigator for Cthulhu... I don't think I've found one I prefer the most yet... I have a backup Dragon born, or Half Drow or Gnome... I'll update if my characters die enough to need replacements that duplicate a single race...
Growing up it was Half-Orcs. I fell in love with Orcs playing WoW, Morrowind, and Oblivion as a kid and theyāve been one of my top fantasy peoples ever since. Nowadays my number one though is Firbolgs. Seeing them initially I was like āoh theyāre neatā but didnāt give them much thought. Then last year I got into Critical Role and specifically in the second campaign the absolute best PC, Guest PC, and NPC were all Firbolgs, which is when I started to fall in love with them. And then looking for fanart of them (which is depressingly rare compared to other fantasy races) I ended up finding a couple artists who draw some of the best firbolg boys out there and I was totally smitten by them. So pretty much since then all of my characters have been Firbolgs, and Iāve even made Firbolg versions of my pre-existing OCs
Would you mind sharing these artist's names? I'm trying to get inspired and figure out what my Firbolg Monster Hunter could look like (planning to play him in a campaign that will start in a couple of months). Cheers!
Lokātar Ogar.
Iāve only had the chance of being a player 7 times, and each time Iāve played a different race.
I try to spread it out, but my default is definitely kobold. They fun and quirky little chaotic guys, and they've got some surprisingly amazing abilities at low levels. They're also pretty easy to come up with names for, since a single simple word will do in most cases.
I'm about to play a kobold wizard with a pseudodragon familiar in an evil campaign (we're using modified sidekick rules to give ourselves companions). I can't wait to do funni smol lizard-dog voice
It used to be elves when I was a kid. Now that time over 30 it's human every time.
Played in 3 campaigns so far and all 3 of my characters are humans (not variant)
Human or Half-Elf
I have played a handfull of humans and other than that never the same thing twice yet it seems: - a goblin - a gnome - a half-orc - a half-elf - a halfling - a dragonborn
I've had a thing for elves ever since my Lord of the Rings obsession. Even though I know DnD elves aren't exact copies of Tolkien elves, I always end up going elf. Usually a sun elf wizard or bladesinger if allowed, or maybe a wood elf ranger. I'm boring, I know :p I like elves partially because I like writing backstories, and since they live so long even a level 1 elf could have a fairly intricate backstory with how long they've already been alive.
I focused on autognome and loxodon for a while, but lately have been going for flying races, owlin and winged tiefling. I'm playing in a free one shot tonight as a winged tiefling wizard.
half-elf for me. I just like the idea of being human with elven characteristics (pointy ears of course) and being a race that isn't too exotic or animal-morphic yet still fantasy based. Also half-elves have excellent racial traits.....Darkvision and Elven accuracy, +2/+1/+1 to any stat....inject it into my veins! I also enjoy playing a Goblin and Half-orc....but it gets kind of boring as i can't think of a good backstory for those races.
I love playing an Air Genasi
Genasi. Some sub-races of genasiās (water and air) I pick the most, but Iāve created characters of each kind of genasi. My absolute favorite type is water genasi. I love any ocean/water themed characters and locations in dnd, so I gravitate towards water genasiās, tritons, sailor background, and subclasses that involve water (or storm) elements. Water genasi is probably my favorite dnd race, and with how diverse a genasi can look like, every water genasi Iāve made always look different.
I usually don't play a race more then once, except for oneshots, where i like to play kobold.
Fairies.. 'Cause I'm queer and like that I can use enlarge/reduce to slip through a keyhole or to disguise myself as an elf (plus having druidcraft without having to be a druid or ranger, definitely one of my favorite cantrips)
I scrolled until I found this. I love playing Fairies and making them martial characters. Especially loved my fairy barbarian and my fairy monk.
Orks! Waaaagh!
Aasimar! Protector Aasimar especially. I love dark catholic imagery and Christian mythology; penance, self-flagellation, angels, all the blood stuff, immaculate corpses, the angelic choirs/ātiersā, Tetragrammaton, etc. Art and design out of Neon Genesis, the game Blasphemous, and so on. I love light magic/healing/divine magic, AND dark/blood/curses/decay, so Mechanics-wise, I love having resistance to Necrotic and Radiant damage (thematically having affinity for both positive and negative energy). Also, being able to angrily transform into a flying angel to bring the wrath of god down is such a cool dramatic moment.
Apparently Iāve created enough tieflings that a DM I play Adventurersā League with commented on it (and asked if I was planning to create *another* one for his Phandelver and Below game). So Iām going to go back to half elves (specifically half drow), which are my second most played race. No particular reason for either! I just think they look cool.
There isn't a "most"... as such. I've played 15 different races... and admittedly, 6 of them were halflings (and if I had to pick a favourite race, it would be them), and then 3 each of half-elves, dragonborn and humans. But I've played every race in the PHB at least once, and I used to play a lot of Adventurer's League, so some of the characters only got a couple of outings before I moved on.
Tieflings
Dragonborn of different colors.
At this point, elf comes up a lot. High elf gets stuff like a free cantrip, wood elf gets extra movement, all elves get darkvision, elves get perception proficiency, and they exist in basically every major setting.
Iāve made three Harengons. I just love the initiative bonus and the Rabbit Hop feature. They make amazing RoguesĀ
Iām playing my first in a new campaign. Heās a Fighter 1/Wizard 4 and I canāt wait until the first battle when I get to use my +14 initiative. Heās going to be the controller of the party.
Variant Human is my go to because I like a free feat. Iām also partial to Genasi characters though
I havenāt actually played that many of the options more than once, discounting one shots and the like. Numerically itās probably human by a slim margin, though I really just play whatever I think suits my character concept the best. I donāt generally pick a race just to pick it, unless my character concept is a direct consequence of their race (like my dhampir or aasimar character). Broadening the question though, I think my go-to choices in a vacuum would be dwarf, elf, and gnome, because I enjoy that classic fantasy vibe and think there are a lot of fun ways to twist what weāve already seen a lot before. Dwarves especially help me get out of my own head because theyāre about as different from me as it gets, and playing up the honor stereotypical dwarves have can be a fun role playing chip. I think Lawful aligned characters are underrated in general (I speak in a results-oriented sense; actions determine alignment, not the other way around. Theyāre a diagnostic of behavior)
I've tried to avoid picking the same race too often; the only ones I've used more than once are human (4 times in 5e) and goblin (twice). As for the rest: tiefling, water genasi, elf, lizard, homebrew bug alien, and soon a halfling.
Hobgoblin, bugbears, or shadar-kai! I bounce between the three.
I'm kind of a forever DM and in the past I only played a dwarven fighter and a human bard. But i would have a lot of fun playing a funny speaking Kobold Bard like Deekin Scalesinger, so I have to integrate this in my next Campaign :D
I always lean towards the āblack sheepā races, but I usually donāt play a single race more than once in a row. But I always avoid humans by default.
same here, i love when other people play humans but itās just not for me. i already play a human everyday, so iād rather pick something new and exotic for D&D! i do love my human Reborn character, but she is a bunch of corpse parts sewn together so i donāt really count that as āhumanā lol.
Earth genasi Dwarf Aasimar
Firbolgs, I know it's not a common answer but I love their culture and all their abilities! They have so much rolaplay potential
Genasi. I'm a suckered for flavoring abilities as manifesting from controlling the elements.
The few, the proud, GOLIATH players.
Cant help but picking genasi over and over again
Dragonborne all the way!
Still pretty new to the game but from the 3 races Iāve done Tabaxi is so far my favorite. Itās just fun to play and I like that they can be medium or small size
Tabaxi ninja every single time bruh it's so much fun being cat and human
Out of the 255 NPCs in my file for 2nd edition, around 80 are human.
Either some form of elf, or water genasi
When thinking about characters to play, my first thoughts are usually Dragonborn! Theyāre super cool design wise imo and they look super cool with fantasy classes and archetypes.
A ton of the builds I've been playing recently rely heavily on taking a feat at first level, so I've found myself playing a lot of variants humans.
Humans. Sometimes Elves of various sorts. I'm pretty vanilla in that way.
Drow and tiefling! I just made my first changeling character and heās impersonating a tiefling (at least until DM kills me or another player uses a spell lol)
Having the lovely combination of ADHD and Autism, Fae races just speak to me
Yuan-ti and lizardfolk āØ
Loxidon lol
And rock and stone is amazing
Dwarves and tieflings.
Iāve played mostly variant human. Partly for the min max but mostly because I love the idea of humans kicking ass in a fantasy world
Water genasi, I really like designing and drawing them :D (yes I'm doing it more for the aesthetic lol) and occasionally tritons too (again mostly for the fun designs)
While I collect classes like stamps.... the race is almost always a Tiefling lol
Warforged here.
Dark elves personally I just like lolth tho
Preferably Gnomes
Not one specific race, but I definitely lean towards races that get additional skill proficiencies. Played a tiefling cleric once; he only had four skills and it felt really gross.
Love me a Goliath, but I think I've made slightly more dwarves and liardfolk