Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, released in 2020, provided optional rules to bypass racial traits, and the lineage options introduced in 2021’s Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft explored character heritage as an alternative to race. Wizards of the Coast has better acknowledged these problems in recent years. Many have pointed out the problematic real-world implications that come with homogenising the psychological conditions, moral leanings, intelligence, and cultural attributes of entire races of people, as well as poorly distinguishing between psychological features and learned behaviours.Ī class choice: Read our guide to all the D&D classes their race) has received increasing criticism over the last few years. The tabletop roleplaying game’s penchant for pre-determining in-game stats based on characters’ genetic categories (i.e.

But for those after a little more guidance, we’ve outlined their primary strengths and the classes they pair well with.ĭo keep in mind that D&D’s representation of race shouldn’t be treated without scrutiny.

For seasoned character creators looking for a quick overview, we’ve included a concise table for each race, summarising their main stats. We’ll walk you through all the ‘common’ D&D races that are included in the Player’s Handbook (as well as a few extras that have been added in additional supplements over the years), pointing out their disparities, and highlighting their gameplay peculiarities. After choosing a class, picking a race is the most important decision you’ll make during character creation, and shouldn’t be hurried. All, however, bring distinct attributes, abilities, and roleplaying touchstones that are essential to creating a character.Īside from their appearances, each race boasts different Ability Score improvements and traits that will greatly influence the skills, capabilities, and general competencies of your character. Others are more unique, with few comparisons outside the pages of D&D’s sourcebooks. Some conform to familiar tropes, seen far and wide across the realms of fantasy literature. The Dungeons and Dragons universe spans an impressive array of fantasy races.

Racial bonuses dnd 5e