Eberron: Forge of the Artificer is the next sourcebook coming out of WotC, and updates the Eberron setting for the 2024 rules. Much like its 5.0E predecessor, Eberron: Rising from the Last War, we've got the Artificer class and several Eberron-originated species.
Returning from RftLW are the four species from that book, the Changeling, Kalashtar, Shifter, and Warforged. Additionally, the new Khoravar species is being added.
As I understand it, the Khoravar are essentially half-elves, but while the 2024 rules encouraged players to merely pick any species and flavor it with whatever kind of mixed ancestry they wanted (no longer limited to human/elf and human/orc ancestries, you can be a half-Halfling/half-Satyr, though there's no mechanical definition as you just pick one or the other's traits).
D&D Beyond put up a post describing how these species traits have changed, which I'll go through and offer my analysis.
Changeling:
Already revised in the (relatively) recent Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, Changelings had their creature type updated to Fey in that book, as well as a few tweaks here and there. The change in FotA will simply give them advantage on charisma checks while shape-shifted. This is the sort of thing I could see a lot of DMs doing anyway, but it's probably helpful to players to see it codified within the rules.
Kalashtar:
Kalashtar, the dual-beings of human fused with a dream-entity, was one of the two RftLW species not to make it into Monsters of the Multiverse. Here, we see more extensive changes, the most notable being that the Kalashtar are now considered Aberrations (a change we're likely to see if we get a reprint of the Githyanki and Githzerai). Aside from the occasional abjuration spell, Aberrations have not typically had too many broad "rule trends" regarding the creature type, so I don't see this being any real problem for them, and is flavorfully appropriate.
Furthermore, Kalashtars' Mind Link now allows telepathy with multiple creatures and doesn't require sight. Finally, you get a free, swappable skill proficiency (switchable on a long rest).
Khoravar:
This new species (I believe established in Eberron's 3rd edition debut) are somewhat similar to the 2014 Half Elf. You get 60ft darkvision, Fey Ancestry, and you get Fey Gift, which gives you the Friends cantrip, which can be swapped out for any Cleric, Druid, or Wizard cantrip on a long rest (I assume you can choose the spellcasting ability).
One odd feature is Lethargy Resilience, which lets you turn a failed save against the Unconscious condition into a success, with a 1d4 Long rest cooldown. Given how few monsters directly impose this condition through sleep, what I'm curious to see is how this interacts with Death Saves. I think it probably won't, given that saving doesn't end the Unconscious condition, but that then makes this feature very weak, and I wonder why there would be this potential multi-day recovery before using it again.
Finally, they get Skill Versatility, which gives you a skill or tool proficiency that can be swapped out on a long rest.
Mechanically, I must say, I don't know that this is in any way preferable to just a standard 2024 Elf, though it's close. Unless Lethargy Resilience works on being knocked out at 0 HP, I think you'll need to be super into the flavor of this to choose it.
Shifter:
Like the Changeling, this is likely to be pretty much unchanged from the Monsters of the Multiverse version. The one change appears to be the ability to choose Medium or Small as your size.
Warforged:
Much as I suspected, Warforged now have the Construct creature type. This has precedence with the Autognome, but let's also point out the ways that such a creature type shouldn't be as much of a problem as it was in the 2014 rules. While most healing spells in 2014 have specific carve-outs to not work on Undead and Constructs, these restrictions were lifted in the 2024 version. Thus, if you're going to play this updated Warforged, be sure that everyone at your table is using the 2024 version of spells like Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Revivify, etc.
Some of the traits for the Warforged have been shuffled around. Constructed Resilience now gives you advantage on saving throws to end the Poisoned condition (not sure if that means it doesn't work on avoiding it in the first place?)
Integrated Protection no longer forces you to take an hour to don armor, which is great (presumably, thus, it just gives you the AC bonus).
Sentry's Rest specifies that you don't need to sleep and can't be put to sleep magically (again, this makes me feel like the Khoravar's Lethargy Resilience is underpowered).
And then Tireless is now phrased as "you don't gain exhaustion levels from dehydration, malnutrition, or suffocation," which is effectively the same as saying you don't need to drink, eat, or breathe.
Anyway, given that I may be starting an Eberron game soon (fingers crossed - the logistics of getting a D&D campaign off the ground is always crazy) I'm really eager to make a Warforged character, and this should be pretty exciting (though the armor change is unlikely to be relevant as I primarily want ot play a Monk).
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