They’re generally between four and five feet tall, and average out at 150 pounds (meaning they’re considered a Medium creature). Their society is made of a number of kingdoms in mountainous regions, who keep to themselves other than to trade their masterwork goods.ĭwarves can live more than 400 years, maturing after about 50. They’re culturally obsessed with gold and glory and have a deep loyalty to their clans. Dwarves are short, strong mountain-dwelling folk known for their fantastic weaponry and long-standing grudges. If your immediate thought was Gimli, son of Gloin, then you already know what’s coming. These are the natural boons your character gains just by virtue of being them! You’ll generally get a +2 to at least one stat score (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma) and a few other physical traits like particular resistances to different damage types.

Ability Score Increases and Racial Traits.Most races speak Common and one other language native to them. This is the average lifespan of the race and includes about when they are considered mature. If it’s not specified, consider all speeds the same, and your flight speed zero if you don’t have wings. Your character might also have a climbing, swimming, or flying speed, depending on their build. The average basic walking speed in D&D is 30 feet per round. D&D assigns different rules to different sizes of creatures, ranging from Tiny (about two feet tall) to Gargantuan (about 20 feet tall). When considering a race for your character, you’re going to want to look at their basic statistics. The nine original races are Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Humans, Dragonborns, Gnomes, Half-elves, Half-orcs, and Tieflings. Most of the original D&D races are based on Tolkien-esque classic fantasy tropes, although there are a couple that are unique to the game. They’ve got clear rules for mechanics, appearance, and culture, meaning that you don’t have to create them all yourself (is that fun? Yes! Is that overwhelming! Oh, yes). Where the Races Come FromĪlthough there are hundreds of official and homebrew races to choose from, the best place to start for a new player is the nine Player’s Handbook races, which are the most basic and universally explored. The basic gist of it is that each race, due to their inherent story, has a set of mechanical bonuses that make them predisposed to different strengths and classes in the game.

In D&D, every choice matters mechanically, including what race your character hails from. Why should it matter? It’s just how they look and talk, right?Īlas, no. Now it’s time to start building a character! And where do you start? Well, what race is your character? As with many other aspects of D&D, picking a race for your brand-new character looks really simple on the surface. You already know the setting, the hook, and what level you’re starting at.

D&d races homebrew