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Character Species

When you choose your character's species, you determine whether your character is a human or a member of a fantastical species, such as dragonborn or gnome. The peoples of the multiverse hail from different worlds and include many kinds of sapient life forms. A player character's species is the set of game traits that an adventurer gains from being one of those life forms. Some species can trace their origin to a single world, plane of existence, or god, while other species first appeared in multiple realms at once. Whatever a species' genesis, its members have spread across the multiverse and contribute to many different cultures. Members of most species live for about 80 years, with exceptions noted in the text about the species in "Character Origins." Regardless of life span, members of all species reach physical maturity at about the same age. Your character can be any age that isn't beyond their species' normal life span.

Parts of a Species​

A species includes the following parts.

Creature Type​

A character's species determines the character's creature type, which is described in "Rules Glossary." Every species in "Character Origins" is Humanoid; playable non-Humanoid species appear in other books.

Size​

Your character's species determines the character's size. Individuals within a species cover a wide range of heights, and some species include such diversity

of size that you can choose whether your character is Small or Medium.

Speed​

Your character's species determines the character's Speed.

Special Traits​

Each species gives a character special traitsunique characteristics based on the species' physiology or magical nature. When you choose a species, your character gets all the special traits listed for it. Some traits involve making a choice from a handful of options.

Species Descriptions​

Choose from the following playable character species:

  • Dragonborn - Draconic humanoids with breath weapons and draconic ancestry
  • Dwarf - Hardy mountain folk with stonecunning and resilience
  • Elf - Graceful beings with darkvision and elven lineage traits
  • Gnome - Small folk with gnomish cunning and magical lineages
  • Goliath - Giant-descended people with powerful builds and ancestral abilities
  • Halfling - Lucky small folk with natural stealth and nimbleness
  • Human - Versatile and resourceful people with diverse backgrounds
  • Orc - Strong warriors with adrenaline rush and relentless endurance
  • Tiefling - Fiend-touched beings with otherworldly presence and fiendish legacies

For complete details on each species, including their special traits and abilities, click on the species name above.