- 5e

Best Races

S: Custom Lineage

After the errata to Changeling, Custom Lineage is the only race in the game that can get 18 (+4 modifier) in one stat at level 1.

A: Variant Human

B: Hill Dwarf, ???, Kobold A: ???, Kobold, Mountain/Hill Dwarf, Half-Elf

Dwarves, in general, allow you to dump STR and still wear heavy armor. Mountain Dwarves get +2 bonus to two ability scores. Hill Dwarf is a little weird because it gives you a bonus to your hit points that's effectively an additional modifier but doesn't help your saving throw or hit dice healing -- Hill might be better than Mountain if you're using the +1 bonus on something other than CON.

C: Warforged, Kalashtar (and any race with damage resistance), Yuan-Ti, Satyr Kobolds can give themselves advantage on demand and have access to a sorcerer cantrip (Booming Blade for something like rogues).

B: Warforged, Mountain Dwarf

A bonus to AC is a big deal

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/npkx8l/what_classessubclassesraces_give_you_resistances/

Do any races offer something that can compete with feats? Flying (Fairy, Owlkin, Aarakoa... Aasimar Dragonborn)? Yuan-Ti? Tabaxi? Minotaur/Goblin (bonus actions)? Bugbear?

Shadar-Kai

Goblin (Nimble Escape) - Hide/Disengage as a bonus action is great

Races for Particular Classes

Barbarians: Kalashtar

Rogues: Kobold

The Changeling Errata and the Legacy Changeling

https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/characters/races/changeling/

The Changeling Errata:

Changeling Traits (p. 18). In Ability Score Increase, "one ability score of your choice" has been changed to "one other ability score of your choice."

Jeremy Crawford was asked a year prior to the errata that the +3 CHA for Changeling was intentional design:

A changeling sure can.

- Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford)

https://www.sageadvice.eu/is-it-intentional-that-changelings-can-put-their-floating-1-in-charisma-giving-them-a-3-to-charisma-asi/

With the changes introduce to Tasha's Cauldron to Everything, I'd strongly encourage DMs to ignore the Changeling errata and allow +3 CHA in their games. If Custom Lineage is ever errata'ed to prevent +3 to a stat then I'd reintroduce the Changeling errata.

Mordenkainen’s Monsters of the Multiverse throws a wrench into this and if you're using that version of Changeling, the +3 rule should not apply.

What makes a race good?

The biggest problem with the balance in power of races in Dungeons and Dragons has to deal with the the power level of a feat vs the traits a race provides.

Takes the High Elf for example -- +2 DEX, +1 INT, Darkvision, proficiency in the Perception skill, a cantrip from the Wizard spell list, some weapon proficiencies that won't matter to most characters, and some ribbon features. In most cases here, we're taking High Elf because we want the cantrip but is it better than the following feats:

And while not specifically giving you a cantrip, the following feats give you access to two spells or expertise:

Custom Lineage or Variant Human gives us one of those feats and we get the choice between a skill proficiency and Darkvision; we give up +1 bonus to an ability score, and those ribbon features for exactly what we're looking for -- mainly a cantrip and a first level spell (plus effectively a spell slot).

So unless you're able to take advantage of almost all of the features a race gives you, you're better off taking Custom Lineage or Variant Human.

Dwarves vs Elves and other fast races

Dwarves have a unique feature that effectively trades 5 speed for the option to ignore the strength requirement for heavy armor (-10 to speed). If you want to wear heavy armor and you want to dump strength, this is a pretty good option. However, a bunch of races -- Wood Elves, Centaurs, Leonins, Dhampirs and Satyrs -- have a bonus to movement speed so they effectively have 25 movement speed while wearing heavy armor with the penalty anyways. Since there are magic items that increase strength, like Gauntlets of Ogre Power or Belt of Giant Strength, I'd lean towards playing a Wood Elf, Leonin, Dhamphir or Satyr and keep an eye out for a way to increase my strength.

As for Mountain Dwarves (+2 to two ability scores) vs Half Elf (+2 to one ability score, +1 to two ability scores), it probably comes down to descent bonus for the elf -- a cantrip or increased movement speed might be useful for a build and you're weighing that trait against poison resistance.

An example of maximizing what a race can get you is a High Elf Cleric with the Life Domain. Elven Weapon Proficiency gives you Shortsword and Longsword proficiency so a stat spread of 8/14/15/10/15/8 let's you start your career with a Shortsword and medium armor and you can transition to a Longsword and Heavy Armor if you find a magic item to increase your strength. Booming Blade makes your weapon attacks scale without the Multiattack feature (and since you're a High Elf, you didn't need to get the cantrip by going Arcana Domain).

Would I rather go Arcana Domain for Mind Sliver and something else? Maybe, but that forces me into a specific domain and I'm not looking to do that here.