Races

Aasimars are humans with a significant amount of celestial or other good outsider blood in their ancestry. While not always benevolent, aasimars are more inclined toward acts of kindness rather than evil, and they gravitate toward faiths or organizations associated with celestials.

Catfolk are a race of natural explorers who rarely tire of new horizons. They are felinoids—humanoids with catlike physical features and instincts. They are known for their curious nature, quick reflexes, and their innate magical ability to enhance their physical prowess.

Changelings are the offspring of hags and their mortal lovers, taken and raised by their fathers when the hags abandon them. Thin and often pale, changelings are marked from birth with hints of their otherworldly heritage. Many find their hag blood calling to them as they mature, tempting them toward dark powers and a reunion with their mothers.

Born of two worlds yet welcome in neither, dhampirs are the shadowy offspring of vampires and their mortal victims. Although they avoid sunlight and share their undead parent's connection to the darkness, dhampirs are not undead. A dhampir is a living creature, though they possess an unusual number of abilities and weaknesses.

Drow are a depraved and evil subterranean offshoot of the elven race. Also called dark elves, they dwell deep underground in elaborate cities shaped from the rock of cyclopean caverns. Drow are powerful, cunning, and cruel, and they are often used as the basis for the most dangerous of encounters in underground adventures.

Dwarves are a stoic but stern race, ensconced in cities carved from the hearts of mountains and fiercely determined to repel the depredations of savage races like orcs and goblins. More than any other race, the dwarves have acquired a reputation as dour and humorless craftsmen of the earth. It could be said that their history shapes the dwarven character: if dwarves are obsessed with toil and the perfection of their craft, it is because for centuries they have had to work hard to preserve their underground kingdoms from the endless encroachments of giants, orcs, and other threats. Dwarves are slow to trust those outside their kin, but those who earn that trust can count on unflinching, lifelong loyalty. Dwarves stand 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall but are wide, compact, and heavy, weighing as much as adult humans. Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to pale with a reddish flush, and their eyes run to deep gemstone hues of blue, green, and brown. They favor practical clothing, sturdy and unadorned, and are proud of long beards elaborately braided to mark clan and status. Dwarven society revolves around clan and craft. Insults to one's clan are taken as personally as insults to one's immediate family. Craftsmanship is a spiritual calling, and a dwarf who creates works of lasting quality earns not merely coin but the profound respect of the community. Underground, dwarves feel at home in a way that surface dwellers never do—they can read the grain of stone, smell water through a hundred feet of rock, and navigate pitch-dark tunnels by the subtlest vibrations in the earth. Relations: Dwarves get along fairly well with gnomes, and passably with humans and halflings. Elves and dwarves have a long-standing wariness of one another, born of past conflicts and deep cultural differences, though individual alliances can overcome ancestral prejudice. Half-orcs are eyed with particular suspicion, given the dwarves' ancient enmity with orcs. Adventurers: Dwarven adventurers are usually motivated by a desire to reclaim lost wealth or glory from fallen dwarven kingdoms, or by a deeply personal code of honor that demands they repay debts—whether of gold or of blood. Fighter, paladin, and cleric are the most common dwarven classes, with clerics often devoted to the forge or war domains.

The long-lived elves are children of the natural world, similar in many superficial ways to fey creatures, though with key differences. While fey are truly linked to the flora and fauna of their homes, existing as the nearly immortal voices and guardians of the wilderness, elves are instead mortals who are in tune with the natural world around them. Elves seek to live in balance with the wild and understand it better than most other mortals. Some of this understanding is mystical, but an equal part comes from the elves’ long lifespans, which in turn gives them long-ranging outlooks. Elves can expect to remain active in the same locale for centuries. By necessity, they must learn to maintain sustainable lifestyles, and this is most easily done when they work with nature, rather than attempting to bend it to their will. However, their links to nature are not entirely driven by pragmatism. Elves’ bodies slowly change over time, taking on a physical representation of their mental and spiritual states, and those who dwell in a region for a long period of time find themselves physically adapting to match their surroundings, most noticeably taking on coloration that reflects the local environment. Elves value their privacy and traditions, and while they are often slow to make friends at both the personal and national levels, once an outsider is accepted as a comrade, the resulting alliances can last for generations. Elves take great joy in forging alliances with races that share or exceed their long lifetimes, and often work to befriend dragons, outsiders, and fey. Those elves who spend their lives among the short-lived races, on the other hand, often develop a skewed perception of mortality and become morose, the result of watching wave after wave of companions age and die before their eyes. Physical Description: Generally taller than humans, elves possess a graceful, slender physique that is accentuated by their long, pointed ears. It is a mistake, however, to consider them weak or feeble, as the thin limbs of an elf can contain surprising power. Their eyes are wide and almond-shaped, and filled with large, vibrantly colored pupils. The coloration of elves as a whole varies wildly, and is much more diverse than that of human populations. However, as their coloration often matches their surroundings, the elves of a single community may appear quite similar. Forest-dwelling elves often have variations of green, brown, and tan in their hair, eye, and even skin tones. While elven clothing often plays off the beauty of the natural world, those elves who live in cities tend to bedeck themselves in the latest fashions. Where city-dwelling elves encounter other urbanites, the elves are often fashion trendsetters. Society: Many elves feel a bond with nature and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Although, like most, elves prefer bountiful lands where resources are plentiful, when driven to live in harsher climates, they work hard to protect and shepherd the region’s bounty, and learn how to maximize the benefit they receive from what little can be harvested. When they can carve out a sustainable, reliable life in deserts and wastelands, they take pride as a society in the accomplishment. While this can make them excellent guides to outsiders they befriend who must travel through such lands, their disdain of those who have not learned to live off the scant land as they have makes such friends rare. Elves have an innate gift for craftsmanship and artistry, especially when working in wood, bone, ivory, or leather. Most, however, find manipulating earth and stone to be distasteful, and prefer to avoid forging, stonework, and pottery. When such work must be done within a community, a few elves may find themselves drawn to it, but regardless of their craftsmanship, such “dirt-wrights” are generally seen by other elves as being a bit off. In the most insular of elven societies, they may even be treated as lower class. Elves also have an appreciation for the written word, magic, and painstaking research. Their naturally keen minds and senses, combined with their inborn patience, make them particularly suited to wizardry. Arcane research and accomplishment are seen as both practical goals, in line with being a soldier or architect, and artistic endeavors as great as poetry or sculpture. Within elven society, wizards are held in extremely high regard as masters of an art both powerful and aesthetically valued. Other spellcasters are not disdained, but do not gain the praise lavished upon elven wizards. Relations: Elves are prone to dismissing other races, writing them off as rash and impulsive, yet on an individual level, they are excellent judges of character. In many cases an elf will come to value a specific member of another race, seeing that individual as deserving and respectable, while still dismissing the race as a whole. If called on this behavior, the elf often doesn’t understand why his “special friend” is upset the elf has noticed the friend is “so much better than the rest of his kind.” Even elves who see such prejudice for what it is must constantly watch themselves to prevent such views from coloring their thinking. Elves are not foolish enough, however, to dismiss all aspects of other races and cultures. An elf might not want a dwarf neighbor, but would be the first to acknowledge dwarves’ skill at smithing and their tenacity in facing orc threats. Elves regard gnomes as strange (and sometimes dangerous) curiosities, but regard their magical talent as being worthy of praise and respect. Halflings are often viewed with a measure of pity, for these small folk seem to the elves to be adrift, without a traditional home. Elves are fascinated with humans, who seem to live in a few short years as full a life as an elf manages in centuries. In fact, many elves become infatuated with humans, as evidenced by the number of half-elves in the world. Elves have difficulty accepting crossbreeds of any sort, however, and usually disown such offspring. They similarly regard half-orcs with distrust and suspicion, assuming they possess the worst aspects of orc and human personalities. Alignment and Religion: Elves are emotional and capricious, yet value kindness and beauty. Most elves are chaotic good, wishing all creatures to be safe and happy, but unwilling to sacrifice personal freedom or choice to accomplish such goals. They prefer deities who share their love of the mystic qualities of the world. Adventurers: Many elves embark on adventures out of a desire to explore the world, leaving their secluded realms to reclaim forgotten elven magic or search out lost kingdoms established millennia ago by their ancestors. This need to see a wider world is accepted by their societies as a natural part of becoming mature and experienced individuals. Such elves are expected to return in some few decades and take up lives in their homelands once more, enriched both in treasure and in worldview. For those elves raised among humans, however, life within their homes—watching friends and family swiftly age and die—is often stifling, and the ephemeral and unfettered life of an adventurer holds a natural appeal. Elves generally eschew melee because of their relative frailty, preferring instead to engage enemies at range. Most see combat as unpleasant even when needful, and prefer it be done as quickly as possible, preferably without getting close enough to smell their foes. This preference for making war at a distance, coupled with their natural accuracy and grasp of the arcane, encourages elves to pursue classes such as wizards and rangers.

Long ago, a group of humans became trapped on the Shadow Plane. Over the ages, the Shadow Plane's strange essence suffused their bodies, and the fetchlings are their descendants. Also called kayal, fetchlings are gaunt and pale, their eyes gleaming silver or yellow and their hair the color of ash or midnight.

Gillmen are the tragic descendants of a thriving human civilization who made a pact with the aboleths to survive a great cataclysm. Now adapted to both land and sea, gillmen bear gill slits on their necks and can breathe both water and air. They distrust aboleths even as they remain susceptible to their mental influence.

Gnomes are distant relatives of the fey, and their history tells of a time when they lived in the realm of the fey themselves. These small folk were refugees expelled from their ancestral home by their mischievous fey cousins, but despite centuries of wandering, gnomes have maintained many of the customs and traditions of their homeland. By their very nature, gnomes are scavengers, adaptors, and tinkerers—a race that takes the best parts of many different cultures and weaves them together into their own unique tapestry. Physical Description: Gnomes are between 3 and 3-1/2 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin colors range from earthy browns to mossy greens, but can also be pinks, oranges, or pale blues. Hair and eye color show a similarly wild range. Males tend to have larger, bulbous noses, while females tend to have more petite features. Gnomes' ears are long and pointed. Society: Gnome culture is known for its sense of wonder and its short attention spans. Where humans build civilizations around conquest and trade, gnomes build theirs around crafting, collecting, and tinkering. They tend to form loose communities based around shared curiosity or interests, with a fascination for invention, magic, exploration, and the keeping of detailed records. Gnomish communities always seem to be in motion, expanding and contracting as members migrate in and out. Gnomish homes are heavily individualized and often decorated with inventions, collections, and maps. Relations: Gnomes generally get along well with other small folk and are particularly close to halflings. Dwarves appreciate gnomish craftsmanship but are put off by their exuberance. Elves regard gnomes as strange and sometimes dangerous curiosities. Gnomes find humans fascinating and often become obsessed with studying them. Half-orcs and gnomes tend to regard each other warily. Alignment and Religion: Gnomes are naturally curious and enthusiastic, with a tendency toward chaotic good alignment. They value both personal freedom and the well-being of others. Gnomes who serve a deity often follow gods of magic, nature, or knowledge. Adventurers: Gnomes are natural wizards and alchemists, but many also become bards, illusionists, and rogues. Their quick minds and love of learning make them capable of mastering any skill they put their minds to.

Gripplis are a small race of frog-like humanoids who dwell in swamps and tropical forests. Thoughtful and resourceful, they live in treetop communities near the edges of marshes, hunting insects and small game. Despite their small size, gripplis are fierce warriors and cunning hunters.

Half-elves stand as living bridges between two worlds, born of unions between humans and elves. Neither fully one nor the other, they often struggle to find a place where they truly belong, yet this outsider's perspective gives them a remarkable breadth of experience and empathy that few other races can match. Physical Description: Half-elves are typically between 5 and 6 feet tall, slender yet more robustly built than their elven kin. Their features blend the sharp, angular lines of elves with the softer contours of humans. Their ears taper to a subtle point, their eyes are often larger and more vividly colored than a human's, and their skin ranges from the pale of a moon-touched elf to the deep brown of a sun-weathered traveler. Half-elves mature at a rate slightly slower than humans but reach adulthood by their mid-twenties and can live to over 180 years. Society: Half-elves lack a culture and homeland of their own. Most are born into human society, where they are sometimes welcomed and sometimes viewed with suspicion. Those raised among elves often feel set apart by their shorter lifespan and greater emotional intensity. As a result, half-elves are frequently wanderers, moving between communities and forming bonds wherever circumstance takes them. They are often the most outwardly social of all the races, having learned that charm and adaptability are their greatest assets. Relations: Half-elves get along well with almost everyone, by necessity as much as by nature. Humans often admire their elven grace while finding their longer perspective a little unnerving. Elves tend to regard them with a mix of affection and sorrow, seeing in them a reminder of transience and mortality. Dwarves respect half-elves who demonstrate reliability and skill. Halflings and gnomes enjoy their company, and half-orcs feel a kinship born of shared outsider status. Alignment and Religion: Half-elves favor no particular alignment, reflecting the full spectrum of human diversity. Their dual heritage gives them a natural inclination toward open-mindedness and tolerance, though their experiences with rejection can push some toward bitterness or cynicism. They tend to follow deities of travel, luck, and freedom, though they worship gods of nature and magic nearly as often. Adventurers: The wandering nature and broad skill set of half-elves make them natural adventurers. Their adaptability sees them thrive in nearly every class. Bards, rangers, and rogues are particularly common, taking advantage of their social skills and perceptiveness, but half-elf wizards, sorcerers, and fighters are by no means rare.

Half-orcs are monstrosities, their tragic births the result of violence and savagery. It is not surprising that half-orcs face constant prejudice from both races—humans view them as brutal and uncouth, while orcs despise them as weak and too tainted with humanity. Caught between two worlds and welcome in neither, most half-orcs lead lives of struggle. Physical Description: Half-orcs average around 6 feet tall, with powerful builds and greenish or grayish skin. Their canine teeth are slightly enlarged and somewhat tusk-like, and they often bear ritual scarification or tribal tattoos. Their hair tends to be dark and coarse, and their eyes range from deep black to dark brown. Society: Half-orcs usually live among humans or orcs. In human settlements, they tend to be outcasts, valued more as laborers or soldiers than as equals. In orcish tribes, they occupy a low social position, seen as inferior to full-blooded orcs. Some half-orcs band together in small, transient communities in the wilderness, sharing a sense of common cause born of shared suffering. Relations: Half-orcs respect strength above all else, a trait they share with their orcish kin. They often work well with humans willing to look past their heritage, and they have a grudging respect for dwarves. Most races regard them with suspicion or hostility, but individual bonds of trust and loyalty can overcome these prejudices. Alignment and Religion: Despite the prejudice they face, half-orcs are not inherently evil. Their upbringing and environment shape them as much as their heritage. Many half-orcs gravitate toward neutral or chaotic alignments, valuing personal strength and freedom. Those who worship deities often choose gods of war, strength, or survival. Adventurers: Half-orcs excel as barbarians, fighters, and rangers, and their natural ferocity makes them dangerous opponents in combat. Some find a place as clerics or paladins, driven by a desire to prove themselves more than their orcish blood might suggest.

Halflings are clever, capable opportunists. Halfling individuals and clans find room for themselves wherever they can. Often they are strangers and wanderers, and others react to them with a suspicion that is not entirely unwarranted—it is reasonable to be suspicious of someone who seems like a child but fights and talks like an adult. They tend toward optimism and good cheer, perhaps because their natural abilities are so well suited to getting out of trouble quickly. Physical Description: Halflings rise to a humble height of 3 feet. They prefer to walk barefoot, leading to the bottoms of their feet being roughly calloused. Tufts of thick, curly hair warm the tops of their broad, tanned feet. Their skin tends toward a rich cinnamon color and their hair toward light shades of brown. A halfling's ears are pointed, but proportionately not much larger than those of a human. Society: Halflings have no lands of their own. Instead, they typically live among other peoples and in many ways have adopted such peoples' customs as their own. These adoptive communities are the center of halfling social life, and halflings can function within the society of any people they live among. Some halflings form small communities of their own, especially where they reside in great numbers, but such communities are usually temporary settlements. Relations: A halfling's ability to get along with almost any group is one of the race's greatest strengths. Halflings coexist well with humans wherever possible. Dwarves respect halflings' industriousness and practicality, and halflings admire dwarven tenacity. Elves enjoy halflings' energy, but halflings find elves a bit stiff. Gnomes appreciate halflings' facility with language and humor, and the two races generally get along well. Half-orcs and halflings are often distrustful of one another. Alignment and Religion: Halflings are loyal to their friends and families, but not to any fixed moral code. Their allegiance changes to match their needs and situation, making them chaotic at heart. Most halflings are also kindhearted and gentle, making the alignment of chaotic good the most common among the race. Adventurers: Their natural luck and cunning make halflings solid choices for scouts, thieves, and rogues. They also make exceptional clerics, focusing on deities of luck, deception, and travel. Halfling rogues and bards are common in all areas of the world.

Fierce and militaristic, hobgoblins survive by conquest. The raw materials to fuel their war machines come from raids, and they are fearless to the point of recklessness. They live in militaristic tribes, organized by rank and duty, and their societies are built around the premise of constant readiness for war.

Humans possess exceptional drive and a great capacity to endure and expand, and as such are currently the dominant race in the world. Their empires and nations are vast, sprawling things, and the citizens of these societies carve names for themselves with the strength of their sword arms and the power of their spells. Humanity is best characterized by its tumultuousness and diversity, and human cultures run the gamut from savage but honorable tribes to decadent, devil-worshiping noble families in the most cosmopolitan cities. Humans’ curiosity and ambition often triumph over their predilection for a sedentary lifestyle, and many leave their homes to explore the innumerable forgotten corners of the world or lead mighty armies to conquer their neighbors, simply because they can. Human society is a strange amalgam of nostalgia and futurism, being enamored of past glories and wistfully remembered “golden ages,” yet at the same time quick to discard tradition and history and strike off into new ventures. Relics of the past are kept as prized antiques and museum pieces, as humans love to collect things—not only inanimate relics but also living creatures—to display for their amusement or to serve by their side. Other races suggest this behavior is due to a deep-rooted urge to dominate and assert power in the human psyche, an urge to take, till, or tame the wild things and places of the world. Those with a more charitable view believe humans are simply collectors of experiences, and the things they take and keep, whether living, dead, or never alive, are just tokens to remind themselves of the places they have gone, the things they have seen, and the deeds they have accomplished. Their present and future value is just a bonus; their real value is as an ongoing reminder of the inevitable progress of humanity. Humans in many places are fascinated by older races and cultures, though at times they grow frustrated or even contemptuous of ancient and (to their mind) outmoded traditions. Their attitudes toward other races are thus a curious mix of exoticism and even fetishism, though usually with a very superficial level of understanding and appreciation of those cultures, alongside a deeply rooted arrogance that means most humans have a hard time regarding themselves as anything other than the default standard of society. Human scholars engaged in the study of other races—who might be assumed to be the most cosmopolitan and well versed in their nature and culture—have often proved no better than the less-learned members of their race when it comes to genuine closing of the social distance. Humans are gregarious, often friendly, and willing to mix and interact with others, but their sheer obliviousness to their off handed marginalization of others is what so chagrins other races when dealing with them. 🔊 Of course, well-meaning, blundering ignorance and numerical superiority are not the only things that make other races suspicious of humans. Entirely too many examples can be found throughout history wherein human xenophobia and intolerance has led to social isolationism, civil oppression, bloody purges, inquisitions, mob violence, and open war. Humans are not the only race to hate what is different among them, but they seem to have a susceptibility to fear-mongering and suspicion, whether about race, language, religion, class, gender, or another difference. More moderate human citizens often sit idly by while their more extreme compatriots dominate the political and cultural conversation, yet there are also many who stand in opposition to extremists and embody a spirit of unity across the bounds of difference, transcending barriers and forming alliances and relationships both large and small across every color, creed, country, or species. Physical Description: The physical characteristics of humans are as varied as the world’s climes. From the dark-skinned tribesmen of the southern continents to the pale and barbaric raiders of the northern lands, humans possess a wide variety of skin colors, body types, and facial features. Generally speaking, humans’ skin color assumes a darker hue the closer to the equator they live. At the same time, bone structure, hair color and texture, eye color, and a host of facial and bodily phenotypic characteristics vary immensely from one locale to another. Cheekbones may be high or broad, noses aquiline or flat, and lips full or thin; eyes range wildly in hue, some deep set in their sockets, and others with full epicanthic folds. Appearance is hardly random, of course, and familial, tribal, or national commonalities often allow the knowledgeable to identify a human’s place of origin on sight, or at least to hazard a good guess. Humans’ origins are also indicated through their traditional styles of bodily decoration, not only in the clothing or jewelry worn, but also in elaborate hairstyles, piercing, tattooing, and even scarification. Society: Human society comprises a multitude of governments, attitudes, and lifestyles. Though the oldest human cultures trace their histories thousands of years into the past, when compared to the societies of other races like elves and dwarves, human society seems to be in a state of constant flux as empires fragment and new kingdoms subsume the old. In general, humans are known for their flexibility, ingenuity, and ambition. Other races sometimes envy humans their seemingly limitless adaptability, not so much biologically speaking but in their willingness to step beyond the known and press on to whatever might await them. While many or even most humans as individuals are content to stay within their comfortable routine, there is a dauntless spirit of discovery endemic to humans as a species that drives them in striving toward possibilities beyond every horizon. Relations: Humans are fecund, and their drive and numbers often spur them into contact with other races during bouts of territorial expansion and colonization. In many cases, this tendency leads to violence and war, yet humans are also swift to forgive and forge alliances with races who do not try to match or exceed them in violence. Proud, sometimes to the point of arrogance, humans might look upon dwarves as miserly drunkards, elves as flighty fops, halflings as craven thieves, gnomes as twisted maniacs, and half-elves and half-orcs as embarrassments—but the race’s diversity among its own members also makes many humans quite adept at accepting others for what they are. Humans may become so absorbed in their own affairs that they remain ignorant of the language and culture of others, and some take this ignorance to a hateful extreme of intolerance, oppression, and rarely even extermination of others they perceive as dangerous, strange, or “impure.” Thankfully, while such incidents and movements may taint all of humanity in the eyes of some, they are more often the exception than the rule. Alignment and Religion: Humanity is perhaps the most diverse of all the common races, with a capacity for both great evil and boundless good. Some humans assemble into vast barbaric hordes, while others build sprawling cities that cover miles. Taken as a whole, most humans are neutral, yet they generally tend to congregate in nations and civilizations with specific alignments. Humans also have the widest range of gods and religions, lacking other races’ ties to tradition and eager to turn to anyone offering them glory or protection. Adventurers: Ambition alone drives countless humans, and for many, adventuring serves as a means to an end, whether it be wealth, acclaim, social status, or arcane knowledge. A few pursue adventuring careers simply for the thrill of danger. Humans hail from myriad regions and backgrounds, and as such can fill any role within an adventuring party.

Ifrits are humans who carry the blood of genies from the Plane of Fire. Boisterous and dramatic, they breathe an air of theatrical excitement into every situation. Ifrits have a reputation for being hotheaded and quick to take action, often making decisions based on whims without stopping to consider the consequences.

Kitsune, or fox folk, are vulpine shapeshifters known for their love of both trickery and art. Kitsune possess two forms: that of an attractive human and their true form of an anthropomorphic fox. Though potential employers might be put off by their shifting natures, kitsune who can demonstrate their abilities often find themselves profitably employed as spies, thieves, and entertainers.

Merfolk are an aquatic race, half humanoid and half fish. They dwell in the oceans and seas of the world, though their tails make them cumbersome on land. Graceful and proud, merfolk are typically neutral, living in small communities that have a complex social structure built around the currents of the sea and the movement of prey.

The nagaji are a race of ophidian humanoids with scaled skin and serpentine features, said to be the creation or descendants of the nagas. They are typically loyal to their naga masters and are considered to be blessed by the divine serpents. While they are often regarded with suspicion or fear, their community ties to naga society give them a unique place in the world.

Orcs are aggressive, fecund people who have survived for millennia despite—or perhaps because of—their brutish ways. Their origin can be traced back to the earliest days of the world, when the gods shaped the races for specific purposes. Orcs were made for the endless war they seem to relish, created for an ancient conflict that has never fully ended. Strong enough to fight their way into any place they desire, cunning enough to survive the worst the world has thrown at them, orcs have endured long after races that once looked down on them have crumbled and faded. Physical Description: Orcs are roughly human in shape and a great deal more powerful in build, typically standing between 5-1/2 and 6 feet tall with dark, coarse hair and mottled, gray-green skin. Their eyes range from deep black to bloodshot orange, and their lower canine teeth protrude in modest tusks. Orcs favor rough hides and practical gear, covering themselves in whatever provides the best protection or best shows off their trophies. Society: Orc society is built on strength and domination. Tribes are ruled by the strongest individual, typically the most powerful warrior. Orcs hold councils only in times of great need, and even then, such meetings often degenerate into violence. Within a tribe, orcs have a clear sense of hierarchy, and showing respect to a superior is as essential to survival as knowing when to challenge them. Relations: Orcs despise elves and dwarves who they see as ancient enemies. They view humans as prey to be raided or dominated. Half-orcs are regarded with contempt—useful in a fight, but never truly trusted. Other orcs are rivals or allies depending entirely on whether the tribe can enforce order between them. Alignment and Religion: Orcs are almost universally chaotic evil, driven by a lust for power, territory, and war. Their gods are deities of slaughter and destruction. Those few orcs who turn from this path often seek out powerful champions of good or neutral gods, though even these rarely escape the call of battle. Adventurers: Orc adventurers are almost always fighters, barbarians, or rangers. A few become clerics of war or death deities. Very rarely, an orc with unusual intelligence becomes a rogue or even a wizard, earning both respect and suspicion from its tribe.

Oreads are humans who trace their ancestry to creatures from the Plane of Earth. Although their physical characteristics remain mostly human, their skin and hair give testament to their nature: an oread might have coarse, ashen skin, hair like stone or crystal, or even a vaguely crystalline quality to their features.

Ratfolk are small, rodentlike humanoids; originally native to underground tunnels and caverns, they have adapted well to city life. They are quick-witted, nimble, and clever at using and modifying gear. Ratfolk are strong pack animals, both in terms of loyalty and organization, and they tend to work well in groups.

Samsarans are a race of ghostly humanoids who believe themselves to be the reincarnations of those who have strived toward perfection in previous lives. They appear as pale, bluish-white humans with solid white eyes. Samsarans are patient, calm, and contemplative, deeply philosophical and committed to a path of self-improvement over many lifetimes.

Strix are a reclusive race of nocturnal, winged humanoids who have a long and bloody history of conflict with humanity. They fiercely defend their mountain aeries and view intruders with profound mistrust. Despite their fearsome reputation, strix are deeply loyal to their clans and possess a complex culture built around the night sky and their aerial freedom.

Sulis are the descendants of mortals and jann, infused with the four elements in equal measure. Their heritage grants them an affinity for all elements and an inherent connection to the elemental planes. Sulis are typically large and muscular, with a natural charisma that reflects their jann ancestry, and they often wander the world seeking adventure and knowledge of the elements.

Svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, are a gnome subrace adapted to life in the lightless depths of the earth. Cautious and secretive, they are more somber and practical than their surface-dwelling cousins. Their gray skin and drab clothing help them blend into the stone of their underground homes, and their society is built around survival, craftsmanship, and vigilance against the horrors of the deep.

Sylphs are humans who carry the blood of genies from the Plane of Air. They seem to be in constant motion, even when standing still. Sylphs tend to be curious and impulsive, unable to resist the lure of new experiences. This mercurial nature also makes them prone to boredom, and they are known to abandon long-term projects when new things catch their interest.

Tengus are avian humanoids who originate from the same mysterious land as the kitsune and nagaji. They are energetic and quick-witted, constantly adapting to new situations. Tengus are natural mimics, often repeating phrases they hear as they learn new languages.

Tieflings are humans with demonic, devilish, or otherwise evil outsider blood in their ancestry. Evil or not, tieflings often face heavy suspicion and prejudice in civilized society. Tieflings are often selfish and unprincipled, and their natural predispositions often lead them toward evil, though they can be found among those of any alignment.

Undines are humans who trace their ancestry to creatures from the Plane of Water. Even at first glance, one notices the potency of their ancestry, for an undine’s very flesh mimics the color of lakes, seas, and oceans. Whether they have the blood of marids or water mephits as their kin, all undines define themselves through their ancestry. They perceive their individual differences as gifts and explore the supernatural aspects of their unique heritage to the fullest. The undines are a proud race and show little outward fear. While good-natured and somewhat playful among their own kind, they behave with slightly more reserve and seriousness in the company of non-undines. They have excellent emotional control, and can edge their tempers from calm to raging and back again within but a few minutes. While some might dub their behavior erratic, undines are simply a bit more outwardly melodramatic than most races. Certainly, they are not moody and do not become angered, excited, or otherwise emotional without provocation. As close friends, some find them overly possessive, though they are also extremely protective of those they care about. Undines tend to settle near water, usually in warmer climates. Though land-dwellers, they spend a fair amount of time in the water. For this reason, most dress sparsely, wearing only enough clothing to protect themselves from the elements, and few wear shoes. They avoid wearing jewelry around their necks and keep their hair slicked back and tied into tight knots. This prevents hair or other objects from becoming a distraction or hindrance while swimming. Similarly, undines pursuing martial classes choose weapons that they can wield efficiently on land as well as in water. Physical Description: Undines display a wide variation of skin tones, ranging from pale turquoise to deep blue to sea green. An undine’s straight, thick hair tends to be of a similar, yet slightly darker color than her skin. All have limpid blue eyes. Physically, undines most resemble humans, and their physiques show human diversity in regard to overall height and body type. Aside from their coloration, their most racially defining traits remain their fin-like ears and webbed hands and feet. Society: Undines define themselves as a unique race and are capable of producing undine offspring. While they remain able to interbreed with humans, they tend to keep to themselves, and form small, reclusive communities near bodies of water, or in some cases, floating settlements. A typical undine community lives under the guidance of a small council comprising officials appointed by consensus. Council positions can be held indefinitely, though a community unhappy with the performance of a council member can call for her resignation. Intermarriage in undine communities is common, with children raised communally. A fair amount of regional diversity exists in undine culture, as influenced by the specific ancestry of independent settlements. It should also be noted that not all undine in a single settlement claim the same ancestry, as undines may marry other undines from outside their own communities. Relations: Undines hold no biases or prejudices toward any particular races. Their communities rely primarily on trade, giving them ample opportunity to interact with a diverse range of outsiders and foreigners. They have no qualms about establishing neighborhoods within the settlements of other races, provided adequate respect is given to both the undines and any nearby bodies of water. Still, in such instances, a given undine community does what it can to retain its autonomy. Undines get along quite well with elves and gnomes. Often these races share protective duties over forested lakes and streams. Similarly, they interact favorably with good or neutral aquatic humanoids, sharing many common interests. They barter most freely with humans and dwarves for resources such as metal and cloth. Alignment and Religion: Most undines are neutral. Their principle interests lie in the welfare of their people, and thus their moral concerns focus upon the community and upon themselves. This neutral view also allows them to interact with a broad scope of non-undine races with whom they trade. While not deeply religious, undines possess a strong spiritual connection to both their supernatural ancestors and to water itself. Those who pursue nonsecular paths almost always worship the gods of their ancestors or gods whose portfolios feature some aspect of water. Adventurers: On occasion, an undine leaves her people to seek out a life of adventure. Like water itself, some undines simply feel compelled to move, and adventuring gives them an ample excuse for living on the road. Others adventure for less wholesome reasons, and exile is a common punishment for crimes within undine society. With few other options, most exiles turn to adventuring hoping to find a new place in the world. Undines’ affinity toward water makes them particularly good druids, while undine sorcerers usually have aquatic bloodlines.

Vanaras are a race of intelligent, simian humanoids with prehensile tails and a great agility. They are nimble, curious, and possess a deep spiritual devotion. Most vanara dwell in jungles and tropical forests, living in treetop communities with complex social structures. They are known as excellent scouts, monks, and spiritual leaders.

Vishkanyas are a race of graceful humanoids with poisonous blood who are often perceived as dangerous and untrustworthy by other races. Their scales appear along their hairlines, elbows, and knees, and their slit-pupiled eyes are often luminous. They are natural diplomats but also skilled assassins, and their innate poison abilities make them feared and admired in equal measure.

The wayang are a secretive and mystical race of small humanoids who trace their ancestry to shadow-touched beings from the Shadow Plane. Their dark skin and connection to shadow magic makes them excellent at stealth and illusion, and their culture revolves around elaborate shadow puppet theater performances that hold spiritual significance.