haha

I can't imagine anyone who plays this game, NOT being a virgin

I'll start off by stating that I'm pretty prejudiced against just about every new iteration of the D&D rules. In my eyes, if it's not OSR, it's crap. But then, I'm a curmudgeon that remembers a time when OSR could have meant "Only Set of Rules (around)". Onward... The only races listed that most veteran DMs that I know would let in as a PC race would be centaurs and perhaps the aarakocra. I say [i]perhaps[/i] arakocra, despite them being a designated PC race in the Dark Sun campaign setting, because flight as an inherent ability can present some game balance issues and make some types of traditional challenges trivial. The centaur brings along some challenges as well. Traditional dungeon spelunking is out almost straightaway and waterborne & underwater adventures are probably out too, what with not being able to climb rigging, negotiate ship passages (except perhaps getting lowered into the hold) and mediocre swimming ability, a centaur's utility would be less than ideal. As a DM I'd veto the githyanki/githzerai/illithid trio unless I were running a high-level, limited-session campaign or a one-shot game. Of the three races, I'd be most likely to allow the githzerai, as they're the least potentially gamebreaking and have the most potential to be the foundation for a balanced character. There is an interesting background between those three races and plenty of good story potential is there as well, I can't see it working in the local term however. And with zero exceptions, you could only have one of those races on the party because of the enmity, and often outright hatred, between the three. Githyanki, typically have difficulty with all non-githyaki. Succubus? Yeah, no. I had a player once that worshipped one of the demon lords (Graz'zt from Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth). Like most diabolical arrangements, it was very one-sided and ended quite badly. Campaigns involving most of the choices you listed usually devolve because of power creep, or rarely power [i]restraint[/i]. The former should be obvious enough, but in the latter, players want everything they've seen or read about in a MM or something else and when a forward thinking DM rightfully denies something because of potential long-term ramifications (as well as wondering why they gave the go ahead in the first place) the player(s) get upset. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But then I'm a traditionalist. On the rare occasions I've had a player chomping at the bit to go off the beaten path to play something different I'd help them along the way with a curse, a polymorph or reincarnation in a non-standard form. The occasional dose of lycanthropy can work here too. Players were usually in form for only a short stint, but just long enough, and in a form that happened to be difficult enough to play and function with, that left many PCs feeling like C. Thomas Howell in [i]Soul Man[/i]. I'm dating myself here, aren't I? Here's the biggest thing though.* As a DM I'd be unlikely to let a player run [b]any[/b] non-standard PC race until they'd demonstrated the ability to handle one of the standard ones. If a player can't adequately handle playing a human I've got no reason to think that they can handle something different. That being said, some of the better role-playing I've seen was a (formerly) human and now very ogre-ish paladin of Heironeous making amends to his deity walk his warhorse around like a dog instead of riding it, avoid his old brethren (lest they kill him) and talk his new-found kind out of eating his travelling companions, all the while looking for a "cure".** *I re-read this before I posted it and it sounded like I was pointing fingers and calling you out. I assure, I'm not doing that at all. I have however seen plenty of players that tried to run before they could walk, or even crawl. Non-standard races, especially powerful ones, can be notoriously difficult to roleplay. **Yes, he eventually found it! Great campaign!

Boy did that game change since I last sat down and did a D&D campaign. Its as if your speaking foreign language ....lol Of course it was back in the 80's. Yikes! I remember the monster manual and players handbook. Can't forget The dungeon masters guide. My friend and I was always spending our paper route money for the books and figurines and graph paper. Good times, good times!! Glad to see the D&D is still alive though!!

[quote]Aarakocra, Centaur, Illithid (or Mind-Flayer as they are more commonly known), Gith (both Githyanki and Githzerai), or Succubus[/quote] What the? Whatever happened to Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling?

Aasimar. Which edition of the game are you running?

If the Illithid can manage to use it's natural abilities without harming the rest of the party, then it would most likely be of great use, and probably fun to use. Also, could you explain that first race?