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.

Playable races dnd 5e