Page 13 - DnD_5e_Players_Handbook_(BnW_OCR)

C h a p t e r 2: R a c e s

A VISIT TO ONE OF THE GREAT CITIES IN THE R a c i a l T r a i t s
worlds of D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s —
The description of each race includes racial traits that
Waterdeep, the Free City of Greyhawk, or
are com m on to m em bers of that race. The following
even uncanny Sigil, the City of D oors—
entries appear am ong the traits of most races.
overwhelms the senses. Voices chatter in
countless different languages. The smells
A b i l i t y S c o r e I n c r e a s e
of cooking in dozens o f different cuisines
Every race increases one or m ore of a character’s
mingle with the odors of crow ded streets and poor
ability scores.
sanitation. Buildings in myriad architectural styles
display the diverse origins of their inhabitants. A g e
And the people them selves—people of varying size,
The age entry notes the age when a m em ber o f the race
shape, and color, dressed in a dazzling spectrum
is considered an adult, as well as the race’s expected
of styles and hues—represent many different races,
lifespan. This information can help you decide how
from diminutive halflings and stout dwarves to
old your character is at the start of the game. You
majestically beautiful elves, mingling am ong a variety can choose any age for your character, which could
of human ethnicities. provide an explanation for som e of your ability scores.
Scattered am ong the m em bers of these m ore com m on
For example, if you play a young or very old character,
races are the true exotics: a hulking dragonborn here,
your age could explain a particularly low Strength or
pushing his way through the crowd, and a sly tiefling
Constitution score, while advanced age could account
there, lurking in the shadows with m ischief in her eyes.
for a high Intelligence or W isdom .
A group o f gnom es laughs as one of them activates a
clever w ooden toy that m oves of its own accord. Half- A l i g n m e n t
elves and half-orcs live and work alongside humans, Most races have tendencies toward certain alignments,
without fully belonging to the races of either of their described in this entry. These are not binding for player
parents. And there, well out of the sunlight, is a lone characters, but considering why your dwarf is chaotic,
drow—a fugitive from the subterranean expanse of for example, in defiance of lawful dwarf society can help
the Underdark, trying to make his way in a world you better define your character.
that fears his kind.
S iz e
C h o o s i n g a Race Characters of most races are Medium, a size category
including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall.
Humans are the m ost com m on people in the w orlds of
M embers of a few races are Small (between 2 and 4 feet
D&D, but they live and work alongside dwarves, elves,
tall), which means that certain rules of the game affect
halflings, and countless other fantastic species. Your
them differently. The m ost important o f these rules
character belongs to one of these peoples.
is that Sm all characters have trouble w ielding heavy
Not every intelligent race of the multiverse is
weapons, as explained in chapter 6.
appropriate for a player-controlled adventurer. Dwarves,
elves, halflings, and humans are the m ost com m on S p e e d
races to produce the sort of adventurers w ho make up Your speed determines how far you can move when
typical parties. Dragonborn, gnom es, half-elves, half- traveling (chapter 8) and fighting (chapter 9).
orcs, and tieflings are less com m on as adventurers.
Drow, a subrace of elves, are also uncom m on. L a n g u a g e s
Your choice o f race affects many different aspects of By virtue of your race, your character can speak, read,
your character. It establishes fundamental qualities that and write certain languages. Chapter 4 lists the most
exist throughout your character’s adventuring career. com m on languages of the D&D multiverse.
W hen making this decision, keep in mind the kind of
character you want to play. For example, a halfling could Su b r a c e s
be a good choice for a sneaky rogue, a dwarf makes a Som e races have subraces. M em bers of a subrace
tough warrior, and an elf can be a master of arcane magic. have the traits of the parent race in addition to the
Your character race not only affects your ability scores traits specified for their subrace. Relationships am ong
and traits but also provides the cues for building your subraces vary significantly from race to race and
character’s story. Each race’s description in this chapter world to world. In the Dragonlance cam paign setting,
includes information to help you roleplay a character of for example, mountain dwarves and hill dwarves live
that race, including personality, physical appearance, together as different clans of the sam e people, but in
features o f society, and racial alignment tendencies. the Forgotten Realms, they live far apart in separate
These details are suggestions to help you think about kingdom s and call themselves shield dwarves and
your character; adventurers can deviate widely from the gold dwarves, respectively.
norm for their race. It’s worthwhile to consider why your
character is different, as a helpful way to think about
your character’s background and personality.