The PHB2 introduces five playable races to Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. Two of these are “old” — the Gnome and the Half-orc make their return. Three of these are new, the Deva (previously seen as “Astral Deva” in monster books), the Goliath, and the Shifter.
Deva are astral beings made flesh, immortal spirits reincarnated over and over to serve the forces of Good. They strike me as even more cold, aloof and snotty than Eladrin. Their major ability is that they have hazy memories of past incarnations. If for some reason they turn evil, they reincarnate as Rakshasa, which offers yet another glimpse into the cosmology of the 4th Edition default setting.
Gnomes were covered in a previous post, because gnomes rule and deserved their own article.
Goliaths are like small giants, 7 to 8 feet tall, with bone protrusions on their arms, shoulders and heads. If a Dragonborn wasn’t enough of a brute for you, here you go. Their Racial Power is basically stone skin that acts as armor.
Half-orcs are an actual race, not just some random here-and-there cross-breed of humans and orcs. Multiple origins are hinted at, but there are enough half-orcs that they now breed and maintain themselves as a race, with occasional interbreeding with humans and orcs. The look like large grey-skinned humans, rather than the ugly, savage beast-men seen in prior editions. I guess making them more human keeps them from being too close to creatures of evil.
Shifters are humans with lycanthrope ancestor and possess animal traits. They’re not full shape-shifters, but their savage features come out when riled (Racial Power, must be bloodied). Think Dr. Moreau’s beast-people, or animal men from Flash Gordon or other “planetary romance” fiction and settings. There are two flavors, basically – wolf people and cat people. I can see the appeal in making this a player character race.
Buy Player’s Handbook 2: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (Bk.2)
Discussion
No comments yet.