In Dungeons & Dragons, different aspects of your character are influenced by your race. Think about the type of character you want to play when making this decision. A halfling would be a good choice for a sneaky rogue, a dwarf would make a tough warrior, and an elf could be an arcane wizard.
Character races play a crucial role in telling your character's story and are directly correlated with their abilities.
Races have distinct looks, traits, alignments, beliefs, and tendencies. It's very important to remember all of this. Often, adventurers stray from a race's norm, but it's important to consider why and what makes them unique when you're creating their backstory.
Races
Humans
There are more humans than any other race in D&D, and they tend to be ambitious.
Similarly to what we see in reality, humans have a variety of body types, skin colors, and cultures. Compared to other humanoid races, humans are usually not specialized and do not live very long.
This is a Common Race.
Elves
In addition to their unworldly beauty, grace and fine, delicate features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and many other races.
Elf faces and bodies are hairless. Clothing styles tend to be elegant and bright, and they appreciate simple and stylish jewelry.
With a lifespan of over 700 years, elves have a unique perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. Amused rather than excited, they are more likely to be curious than greedy. Their priority is resolving their differences through diplomacy and compromise before resorting to violence.
Wanderlust is the driving force behind elves' adventures. Due to their long lifespans, they can enjoy years of exploration and discovery. As they are bored by regimented, day-to-day human society, they seek careers that allow them to travel freely and set their own pace.
This is a Common Race.
Dwarves
They place a great deal of importance on their clan and tradition, and have a deep hatred for goblins and orcs.
In addition to being skilled warriors and miners, dwarfs are also talented metalworkers. Despite their short height, they are very wide and compact. They are brave and tenacious.
Dark brown or deep tanned dwarf skin is most common but can vary from pale to deep brown. Typically, hair is brown, gray, black, or red in color. It is of high importance to dwarf males to keep their beards well groomed and to ensure that they are well groomed.
The lifespan of dwarves can exceed 400 years.
Dwarves normally live underground, in caves with beautiful architecture and deep caverns. Most of them live deep within mountains where they can mine for ores and gemstones.
Their social status within a clan strongly influences quality of life for dwarves, and their loyalty to their clan is fierce.
This is a Common Race.
Halflings
A halfling is a short humanoid, usually only three feet tall and weighing between 45 and 50 pounds. In a nutshell, halflings are curious and kind. Their peaceful homes and hearty meals appeal to them.
Halflings have varying skin colours, ranging from tan to pale, with a reddish tint. They usually have brown or sandy hair that is wavy, and hazel or brown eyes. The halflings tend to wear clothes that are simple and practical and are bright in color.
It is especially easy for halflings to move quickly. In addition to their luck in avoiding danger, they are skilled at throwing darts, using slings, and employing other ranged weapons. As a result of their small size, they can hide from danger more easily than larger enemies.
This is a Common Race.
Half-Elf
These half-elves are a combination of their human and elf parents: they share human traits such as curiosity, ingenuity, and ambition with elf qualities like love of nature and artistic taste.
Because they are not fully integrated into human or elf society, half-elves often choose to live lives of solitary wandering or to join in adventures with misfits.
The height of half-elves is between 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet 6 inches, and their weight is 100 pounds to 180 pounds. Due to their ability to grow facial hair, half-elf men can be alienated from elven society due to their differences between the races.
The half-elves enjoy each other's company, being the only ones who know what it is like to live between the elves and the humans. The half-elves are usually so rare that one can live for years without encountering another.
In contrast to leaders and followers, half-elves value freedom and express themselves freely. It is common for them to ignore rules, resent demands from others, and sometimes become unpredictable.
Half-Orc
It is easy to identify Half-Orcs by their physical characteristics: their tall, muscular build, jutting jaws, sloping foreheads, and prominent teeth. The average Half-Orc stands seven feet tall and weighs 250 pounds. Battle scars are generally considered a sign of pride, as they are considered beautiful.
Half-Orcs have a powerful sense of emotion. They boil with rage, their hearts ache with sadness, and insults burn like acid on their skin. In addition to this, they also experience a great deal of joy, laughter, and happiness.
Although they live among Orcs most of the time, Half-Orcs have been seen living among humans as well. They draw upon their physical characteristics and strength to prove useful when living alongside humans.
Tiefling
Despite being derived from human bloodlines, tieflings are recognizable by their distinctive looks, and in a wide sense they still appear human. Exceptions to this rule are tieflings that have long horns of various sizes and shapes, long thick tails, and sharp, pointed canines. Tieflings' eyes are solid colors such as gold, red, black, or white with no pupils.
There are many strange traits that you can add to your character when you join this race. For example, you can have large bat-like wings, a forked tongue, goat-like legs, scaly skin and so much more.
Wherever they go, tieflings are generally met with gossip, stares, fear, mistrust, hatred, insults, and violence. This is entirely because Tieflings descend from devils and demons who have long since bred with humans. Though not all Tieflings are evil, their appearance of demons fosters distrust among everyone.
Tieflings tend to live in small groups around human cities and towns. As a result, they are often forced to live in the roughest parts of the city at an early age, and they need to learn how to survive there. Due to their upbringing as children, Tieflings are often grown up as thieves, swindlers, and other types of criminals.
Dragonborn
The Dragonborn are a race that appears as if they are human versions of dragons, but without wings and tails. They have scaled skin that typically is red, gold, rust or bronze in color. They have a golden or red color to their eyes. Their heads resemble dragons, but their necks are human-sized. Typical characteristics of their faces include a long snout, frills on the ears, cheeks, and strong eyebrows. Hands and feet are equipped with talon-like claws.
It is not in their nature to be indecisive -- in general, dragonborn tend to align with either good or evil. They have a strong sense of honor and are proud and strong-willed. Honor guides a dragonborn in taking responsibility, speaking honestly, and honouring their commitments. Keeping traditions and maintaining clan ties is extremely important to them. Dragonborn share a high level of respect for non-dragonborn who hold these values, especially those who are dedicated to achieving excellence in whatever they do.
A dragonborn hatches from an egg and can begin walking within a few hours of hatching. In general, they are able to reach adulthood at a mere 15 years of age, and tend to live about 80 years. The requirements for their dietary habits are no different from those of other humanoids.
In most worlds, dragonborn rarely exist, and they usually integrate with other societies. However, dragonborn are very much a part of their clans, and each has its own traditions that they hold dear. Depending on how an individual acts, their clan will experience honor or dishonor.
These character races can be used as references for other games, as well as Dungeons & Dragons.
Dungeons & Dragons is a game for everyone! Bring out your inner child and imagine a world full of creatures and characters in an adventure of your own making. There are plenty of Dungeons and Dragons beginner books and websites out there. If you live in the Vancouver area, we recommend checking out Toy Traders in Langley or Dave’s Pop Culture in Delta/Richmond for all your nerd fantasies!!
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