C ontents P r e f a c e 4 Pa r t 2 171 C hapter 7: U s in g A b il it y Sc o r e s ...........173 I n t r o d u c t io n 5 Ability S c o r e s and M odifiers........................................173 W orlds o f A dven tu re................................................................... 5 Advantage and D isadvan tage...................................... 173 U sing Th is B o o k ......................................................................... 6 P roficien cy B o n u s............................................................173 H ow to P la y ................................................................................... 6 Ability C h e ck s................................................................... 174 A d v en tu res.................................................................................... 7 U sing E ach A bility...........................................................175 Saving T h r o w s ................... ............................................. 179 P a r t 1 9 C h apter 8: A d v e n t u r in g ...... ................ 181 C hapter 1: S t e p - b y - S tep C h a r a c t e r s ..... 11 T im e ........................................................ .. ................. 181 B eyon d 1st L ev el............................................................... 15 M ovem en t.......................................................................... 181 Th e E nvironm ent.......................... ......................... 183 C h apter 2 : R a c e s ........................................................ 17 S o c ia l In tera ction ........................................................... 185 C h oosin g a R a ce ................................................................ 17 R e s tin g ............................................................................... 186 D w a rf.................................................................................... 18 B etw een A dven tu res......................................................186 E l f...........................................................................................21 H alfling.................................................................................26 C h apter 9: C om bat ................................................ 189 H u m an ..................................................................................29 The O rder o f C om b a t.....................................................189 D ra g o n b o rn ........................................................................ 32 M ovem ent and P o sitio n .................................................190 G n o m e ..................................................................................35 A ctions in C o m b a t.......................................................... 192 H alf-E lf.................................................................................38 M aking an A ttack............................................................ 193 H a lf-O rc.............................................................................. 40 C over................................................................................... 196 T ie flin g .................................................................................42 D am age and H e a lin g .....................................................196 M ounted C om bat............................................................. 198 C h apter 3: C l a s s e s .................................................. 45 Underwater C om ba t....................................................... 198 B arbarian............................................................................ 46 B a r d ...................................................................................... 51 P a r t 3 199 C leric.....................................................................................56 D ru id .....................................................................................64 C h ap ter 10 : S p e l l c a s t i n g .................................201 F igh ter..................................................................................70 W hat Is a S p e ll? ...............................................................201 M o n k ..................................................................................... 76 Casting a S p e ll................................................................ 202 P a la d in .................................................................................82 C h ap ter 11: S p e l l s ..................................................... 207 R a n g e r..................................................................................89 Spell L ists..........................................................................207 R o g u e ....................................................................................94 Spell D e scrip tio n s...........................................................211 S o r c e r e r .............................................................................. 99 W a rlo ck ..............................................................................105 A p p e n d ix A : C o n d it io n s 290 W iz a r d ................................................................................112 C h a p t e r 4 : P e r s o n a l it y a n d A p p e n d ix B: B a c k g r o u n d .................................................................. 121 G od s o f t h e M u l t iv e r se 293 Character D etails............................................................ 121 In spiration ........................................................................ 125 B a ck g rou n d s.................................................................... 125 A p p e n d ix C: C hapter 5: E q u ip m e n t .........................................143 T h e P l a n e s o f E x is t e n c e 300 Starting E quipm ent....................................................... 143 The Material P lane....... ................. ...............................3 0 0 W e a lth ................................................................................143 B eyond the M aterial.................................. 301 A rm or and S h ie ld s .........................................................144 W ea p on s............................................................................ 146 A p p e n d ix D: Adventuring G e a r ...........................................................148 C r e a t u r e St a t is t ic s 304 T o o ls....................................................................................154 M ounts and V e h icle s..................................................... 155 A p p e n d i x E: Trade G o o d s ..................................................................... 157 E x p en ses........................................................................... 157 In sp ir a t io n a l R e a d in g 312 T rink ets............................................................................. 159 In d e x 313 C hapter 6: C u s t o m iz a t io n O p t io n s .... 163 M ulticlassing.................................................................... 163 F e a t s ...................................................................................165 C h aracter Sheet 317 Preface N OCE UPON A TIME, LONG, LONG AGO, IN A are likely to end up friends. It’s a c o o l side effect o f the realm called the M idw estern United gam e. Your next gam ing group is as clo se as the nearest States—specifically the states o f M inn e g am e store, online forum , or gam ing convention. sota and W iscon sin —a group o f friends The se co n d thing you n eed is a lively im agination gathered together to forever alter the or, m ore importantly, the w illin gn ess to u se whatever history o f gam ing. im agination you have. You d on ’t need to be a m aster It w asn ’t their intent to do so. Th ey w ere storyteller or a brilliant artist. You just n eed to aspire to tired o f m erely readin g tales about w orld s o f m agic, create, to have the cou rage o f som eon e w ho is w illing to m onsters, and adventure. They w anted to play in th ose build som eth in g and share it w ith others. w orlds, rather than ob serv e them. That they w ent on Luckily, just as D & D can strengthen your friendships, to invent D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s , and thereby ignite a it can help build in you the con fid en ce to create and revolution in gam ing that continu es to this day, sp eaks share. D & D is a gam e that teach es you to lo o k for the to tw o things. clever solution, share the sudden idea that can overcom e First, it sp eak s to their ingenuity and genius in fig a problem , and push y ou rself to im agine w hat cou ld be, uring out that gam es w ere the perfect w ay to explore rather than sim ply a ccep t what is. w orld s that could not oth erw ise exist. A lm ost every T he first characters and adventures you create w ill m od ern gam e, w hether played on a digital device or probably be a collection o f cliches. That’s true o f every a tabletop, ow es som e debt to D&D. one, from the greatest D u n geon M asters in history on S econ d , it is a testam ent to the inherent appeal o f the dow n. A ccep t this reality and m ove on to create the gam e they created. D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s sparked a secon d character or adventure, w hich w ill b e better, thriving global phenom enon. It is the first roleplaying and then the third, w h ich w ill be better still. R epeat that gam e, and it rem ains one o f the best o f its breed. over the cou rse o f time, and s o o n y ou ’ll be able to create To play D&D, and to play it w ell, you d on ’t n eed to anything, from a ch a ra cter’s backgrou n d story to an epic read all the rules, m em orize every detail o f the gam e, w orld o f fantasy adventure. or m aster the fine art o f rolling funny look in g dice. O nce you have that skill, it’s y ou rs forever. C ou n tless N one o f th ose things have any bea rin g on w hat’s best w riters, artists, and other creators can trace their beg in about the game. nings to a few p ages o f D & D notes, a handful o f dice, W hat you need are tw o things, the first being friends and a kitchen table. with w h om you can share the gam e. Playing gam es with A bove all else, D&D is yours. The friendships you your friends is a lot o f fun, but D & D d oes som eth in g m ake around the table w ill be unique to you. The adven m ore than entertain. tures you em bark on, the characters you create, the Playing D & D is an exercise in collaborative creation. m em ories you m ake—th ese w ill be yours. D & D is your You and your friends create epic stories filled with ten p erson al corn er o f the universe, a place w here you have sion and m em orable dram a. You create silly in-jokes free reign to do as you wish. that m ake you laugh years later. The dice w ill be cruel G o forth now. R ead the rules o f the gam e and the to you, but you w ill soldier on. Your collective creativ story o f its w orlds, but always rem em ber that you are ity w ill build stories that you w ill tell again and again, the one w h o brings them to life. Th ey are nothing ranging from the utterly absurd to the stuff o f legend. w ithout the spark o f life that you give them. If you d on ’t have friends interested in playing, don ’t w orry. T h ere’s a sp ecia l alchem y that takes place M ike M earls around a D & D table that nothing else can m atch. Play M ay 2014 the gam e with som eon e enough, and the tw o o f you In t r o d u c t io n Th e D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s r o l e p l a y in g In the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e, each player gam e is about storytelling in w orld s o f creates an adventurer (also called a character) and sw ord s and sorcery. It sh ares elem ents team s up with other adventurers (played by friends). w ith ch ild h ood gam es o f m ake-believe. Like W orkin g together, the group might explore a dark dun th ose gam es, D & D is driven by im agina geon, a ruined city, a haunted castle, a lost tem ple deep tion. It’s about picturing the tow ering castle in a ju n gle, or a lava-filled cavern beneath a m ysterious beneath the storm y night sky and im agining m ountain. The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with h ow a fantasy adventurer m ight react to the challen ges other characters, battle fantastic m onsters, and discover that scen e presents. fabulous m agic item s and other treasure. O ne player, however, takes on the role o f the D un geon M aster (D M ), the gam e’s lead storyteller and referee. Dungeon Master (DM): After passin g through the T h e DM creates adventures for the characters, w h o nav craggy peaks, the road takes a sudden turn to the east igate its h azards and d ecide w hich paths to explore. The and Castle Ravenloft towers before you. Crum blin g DM might d escrib e the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, towers of stone keep a silent watch over the approach. and the players decide what they w ant their adventurers to do. W ill they w alk a cro ss the dangerously w eathered They look like abandoned guardhouses. Beyond these, draw bridge? Tie them selves together with rope to m ini a wide chasm gapes, disappearing into the deep m ize the ch a n ce that som eon e w ill fall if the draw bridge fog below. A lowered drawbridge spans the chasm , gives way? Or cast a spell to carry them over the chasm ? leading to an arched entrance to the castle courtyard. Then the DM determ ines the results o f the adventur The chains o f the drawbridge creak in the wind, their ers’ actions and narrates what they e xperien ce. B ecau se rust-eaten iron straining with the weight. From atop the DM can im provise to react to anything the players attempt, D & D is infinitely flexible, and each adventure the high strong walls, stone gargoyles stare at you can be exciting and unexpected. from hollow sockets and grin hideously. A rotting The gam e has no real end; w hen on e story or quest wooden portcullis, green with growth, hangs in the w ra ps up, another one can begin, creating an on goin g entry tunnel. Beyond this, the main doors o f Castle story called a campaign. M any p eop le w h o play the Ravenloft stand open, a rich warm light sp illin g into gam e keep their cam p aign s going for m onths or years, m eetin g with their friends every w eek or s o to pick the courtyard. up the story w here they left off. T h e adventurers g row Phillip (playing Gareth): I want to look at the in m ight as the cam paign continues. Each m onster gargoyles. I have a feeling they’re not just statues. defeated, each adventure com pleted, and each treasure Amy (playing Riva): The drawbridge looks precarious? recovered not only adds to the continuing story, but also I want to see how sturdy it is. Do I think we can cross earns the adventurers n ew capabilities. T h is in crease it, or is it going to collapse under our weight? in pow er is reflected by an adventurer’s level. T h ere’s no w inning and losing in the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e—at least, not the way those term s are Unlike a gam e o f m ake-believe, D & D gives structure usually understood. Together, the D M and the players to the stories, a w ay o f determ ining the con seq u en ces create an exciting story o f bold adventurers w ho confront o f the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve deadly perils. S om etim es an adventurer m ight c om e to w hether their attacks hit or m iss or w hether their adven a grisly end, torn apart by ferociou s m onsters or done in turers can sca le a cliff, roll away from the strike o f a by a nefarious villain. Even so, the other adventurers can m agical lightning bolt, or pull o ff som e other dangerous search for pow erful m agic to revive their fallen com rade, task. Anything is possible, but the d ice m ake som e out or the player might c h o o s e to create a new character to c o m e s m ore probable than others. carry on. The group might fail to com plete an adventure successfully, but if everyone had a g ood time and created a m em orable story, they all win. Dungeon Master (DM): O K, one at a tim e. Phillip, you’re looking at the gargoyles? W orlds of A d v e n tu r e Phillip: Yeah. Is there any hint they m ight be The m any w orld s o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e creatures and not decorations? are places o f m agic and m onsters, o f brave w arriors and DM : Make an Intelligence check. sp ectacu lar adventures. They begin with a foundation Phillip: Does my Investigation skill apply? o f m edieval fantasy and then add the creatures, places, DM : Sure! and m agic that m ake these w orld s unique. T h e w orld s o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e exist Phillip (rolling a d20): Ugh. Seven. w ithin a vast c o s m o s called the multiverse, con n ected DM : They look like decorations to you. And Amy, in strange and m ysterious w ays to on e another and to Riva is checking out the drawbridge? other planes o f existence, such as the Elem ental Plane o f Fire and the Infinite D epths o f the A byss. W ithin this m ultiverse are an en dless variety o f w orlds. M any 2. The players describe what they want to do. S o m e o f them have been published as official settings for the tim es on e player sp eak s for the w h ole party, saying, D & D game. T h e legends o f the Forgotten R ealm s, Drag- “W e’ll take the east door,” for exam ple. Other tim es, on lan ce, Greyhawk, D ark Sun, Mystara, and E berron different adventurers do different things: one adventurer settings are w oven together in the fabric o f the multi- m ight sea rch a treasure chest w hile a se c o n d exam in es verse. A longside these w orld s are hundreds o f thousands an esoteric sym b ol engraved on a w all and a third keeps m ore, created by generations o f D & D players for their w atch for m onsters. T h e players d on ’t n eed to take ow n gam es. A nd am id all the rich n ess o f the multiverse, turns, but the DM listens to every player and d ecides you m ight create a w orld o f your ow n. h ow to resolve th ose actions. All th ese w orlds share characteristics, but each w orld S om etim es, resolvin g a task is easy. If an adventurer is set apart by its ow n history and cultures, distinctive w ants to w alk a cross a room and op en a door, the DM m on sters and races, fantastic geography, ancient dun might just say that the d oor op en s and d escrib e w hat geons, and sch em in g villains. S o m e races have unusual lies beyond. But the d oor might b e lock ed, the floor traits in different w orlds. T h e halflings o f the Dark Sun m ight hide a deadly trap, or som e other circu m stan ce setting, for exam ple, are ju n gle-d w ellin g cannibals, m ight m ake it challen ging for an adventurer to com plete and the elves are desert n om ads. S om e w orld s feature a task. In th ose cases, the DM d ecid es w hat happens, races u nk n ow n in other settings, such as E b erron ’s w ar- often relying on the roll o f a die to determ ine the results forged, sold iers created and im bu ed with life to fight in o f an action. the Last War. S o m e w orld s are dom inated by on e great 3. The DM narrates the results o f the adventurers’ story, like the W ar o f the L an ce that plays a central role actions. D escribin g the results often leads to another in the D ragon lance setting. But they’re all D & D w orlds, d ecision point, w hich brin gs the flow o f the gam e right and you can u se the rules in this b o o k to create a char ba ck to step 1. acter and play in any one o f them. T h is pattern holds w hether the adventurers are cau Your DM m ight set the cam paign on on e o f these tiously exploring a ruin, talking to a deviou s prince, or w orld s or on on e that he or she created. B eca u se there lock ed in m ortal com bat against a m ighty dragon. In is s o m uch diversity a m on g the w orlds o f D&D, you certain situations, particularly com bat, the action is sh ou ld ch eck w ith your DM about any h ou se rules that m ore structured and the players (and D M ) d o take turns w ill affect your play o f the gam e. Ultimately, the D un ch oosin g and resolvin g actions. But m ost o f the time, geon M aster is the authority on the cam paign and its play is fluid and flexible, adapting to the circu m stan ces setting, even if the setting is a published w orld. o f the adventure. Often the action o f an adventure takes place in the U s in g T h is B o o k im agination o f the players and DM, relying on the D M ’s verbal descriptions to set the scen e. S o m e D M s like to T h e Player’s Handbook is divided into three parts. use m usic, art, or r ecord ed sou n d effects to help set the Part 1 is about creating a character, providing the m ood , and m any players and D M s alike adopt different rules and g u id an ce you n eed to m ake the character v oices for the various adventurers, m onsters, and other y ou ’ll play in the gam e. It includes inform ation on the characters they play in the gam e. S om etim es, a DM various races, classes, backgrou n ds, equipm ent, and m ight lay out a m ap and u se tokens or m iniature figures oth er custom ization options that you can c h o o s e from. to represent each creature involved in a scen e to help M any o f the rules in part 1 rely on m aterial in parts 2 the players k eep track o f w here everyone is. and 3. If you co m e a cro ss a gam e con cep t in part 1 that you d on ’t understand, consult the b o o k ’s index. G a m e D ic e Part 2 details the rules o f h ow to play the gam e, beyon d the b a sics d escrib ed in this introduction. That T h e gam e u ses polyhedral dice w ith different num bers part covers the kinds o f die rolls you m ake to determ ine o f sides. You can find d ice like th ese in gam e stores and s u c ce s s or failure at the tasks your character attempts, in m any book stores. and d escrib es the three broad categories o f activity in In these rules, the different d ice are referred to by the the gam e: exploration, interaction, and com bat. letter d follow ed by the num ber o f sides: d4, d6, d8, d 10, Part 3 is all about m agic. It covers the nature o f m agic d 12, and d20. F or instance, a d6 is a six-sided die (the in the w orld s o f D&D, the rules for spellcasting, and the typical cu b e that m any g am es use). huge variety o f spells available to m agic-using ch a ra c P ercen tile dice, or d 100, w ork a little differently. You ters (and m onsters) in the game. generate a num ber b etw een 1 and 100 by rolling tw o different ten-sided d ice n um bered from 0 to 9. O ne die How to Pl a y (designated b efore you roll) gives the tens digit, and the other gives the on es digit. If you roll a 7 and a 1, for T he play o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e unfolds exam ple, the num ber rolled is 71. Tw o Os represent 100. a ccord in g to this basic pattern. S o m e ten-sided dice are num bered in tens (00, 10, 20, 1. The DM describes the environment. T h e DM and s o on), m akin g it easier to distinguish the tens digit tells the players w here their adventurers are and w hat’s from the o n es digit. In this case, a roll o f 70 and 1 is 71, around them, presenting the basic s c o p e o f options that and 0 0 and 0 is 100. present th em selves (h ow m any d oors lead out o f a room , W h en you n eed to roll dice, the rules tell you h ow w hat’s on a table, w h o ’s in the tavern, and so on). m any d ice to roll o f a certain type, as w ell as w hat m o d ifiers to add. For exam ple, “ 3d8 + 5 ” m eans you roll three eight-sided dice, add them together, and add 5 3. Compare the total to a target number. If the total to the total. equals or e x ceed s the target num ber, the ability check, The sa m e d notation appears in the ex p ression s “ 1d 3 ” attack roll, or saving th row is a su ccess. O therw ise, it’s and “ 1d2.” To sim ulate the roll o f 1d3, roll a d6 and a failure. T h e D M is usually the on e w h o determ ines divide the num ber rolled by 2 (round up). To sim ulate target num bers and tells players w hether their ability the roll o f 1d2, roll any die and assign a 1 or 2 to the roll ch ecks, attack rolls, and saving th row s su cce e d or fail. depen din g on w hether it w as odd or even. (Alternatively, Th e target num ber for an ability ch eck o r a saving if the num ber rolled is m ore than h alf the num ber o f th row is called a Difficulty Class (D C). T h e target sides on the die, it’s a 2.) num ber for an attack roll is called an Arm or Class (AC). T h is sim ple rule governs the resolution o f m ost tasks T h e D 20 in D & D play. Chapter 7 provides m ore detailed rules for usin g the d 2 0 in the game. D o e s an adventurer’s sw ord sw in g hurt a dragon or just b ou n ce off its iron-hard sca les? W ill the ogre believe an A dva n t a ge a n d D isa d v a n t a g e ou trageous bluff? Can a character sw im a cross a raging river? Can a character avoid the m ain blast o f a fireball, S om etim es an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw or d o e s he or she take full dam age from the blaze? In is m od ified by sp ecia l situations called advantage and ca se s w h ere the ou tcom e o f an action is uncertain, disadvantage. Advantage reflects the positive circu m the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e relies on rolls o f a stan ces su rrou nding a d2 0 roll, w hile disadvantage 20 -sid ed die, a d20, to determ ine s u c ce s s or failure. reflects the opposite. W h en you have either advantage or Every character and m onster in the gam e has capa disadvantage, you roll a se co n d d2 0 w h en you m ake the bilities defined by six ability scores. T h e abilities are roll. U se the higher o f the tw o rolls if you have advan Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, W isdom , tage, and u se the low er roll if you have disadvantage. and Charism a, and they typically range from 3 to 18 F or exam ple, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and for m ost adventurers. (M onsters m ight have s co re s as a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll low as 1 or as high as 30.) T h ese ability scores, and the th ose num bers, you use the 17. ability modifiers derived from them , are the basis for M ore detailed rules for advantage and disadvantage alm ost every d2 0 roll that a player m a k es on a ch arac are presented in chapter 7. ter’s or m on ster’s behalf. Ability ch eck s, attack rolls, and saving throw s are the Sp e c if ic B e a ts G e n e r a l three m ain kinds o f d2 0 rolls, form in g the core o f the T h is b o o k contain s rules, esp ecia lly in parts 2 and 3, rules o f the gam e. All three follow th ese sim ple steps. that govern h ow the gam e plays. That said, m any racial 1. Roll the die and add a modifier. R oll a d2 0 and traits, class features, spells, m agic item s, m on ster abili add the relevant modifier. T h is is typically the m od ties, and other gam e elem ents break the general rules in ifier derived from on e o f the six ability s cores, and it som e way, creating an exception to h ow the rest o f the som etim es includes a proficiency bon u s to reflect a char gam e w orks. R em em ber this: If a sp ecific rule contra acter’s particular skill. (S e e chapter 1 for details on each dicts a general rule, the sp ecific rule w ins. ability and h ow to determ ine an ability’s modifier.) E xception s to the rules are often m inor. For instance, 2. Apply circumstantial bonuses and penalties. A m any adventurers d on ’t have proficiency with lon gbow s, cla ss feature, a spell, a particular circu m stan ce, or som e but every w o o d elf d oes b e ca u se o f a racial trait. That other effect m ight give a b on u s or penalty to the check. trait creates a m in or exception in the gam e. Other exam ples o f rule-breaking are m ore con sp icu ou s. For instance, an adventurer ca n ’t n orm ally p ass through w alls, but som e sp ells m ake that possible. M agic accou n ts for m ost o f the m ajor exception s to the rules. Round D ow n T h ere’s on e m ore general rule you n eed to k n ow at the outset. W h enever you divide a num ber in the gam e, round dow n if you end up w ith a fraction, even if the fraction is on e-half or greater. A dventures T h e D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e con sists o f a group o f characters em barking on an adventure that the D un geon M aster presen ts to them. Each character brings particular capabilities to the adventure in the form o f ability sc o r e s and skills, class features, racial traits, equipm ent, and m agic item s. Every character is dif ferent, w ith various strengths and w ea k n esses, s o the best party o f adventurers is on e in w h ich the characters com plem ent each other and cover the w ea k n esses o f their com pa n ion s. The adventurers must coop era te to that a captured scou t reveal the secret entrance to the su ccessfu lly com plete the adventure. goblin lair, getting inform ation from a rescu ed prisoner, T h e adventure is the heart o f the gam e, a story with pleading for m ercy from an orc chieftain, or persuading a beginning, a m iddle, and an end. An adventure might a talkative m agic m irror to sh ow a distant location to be created by the D u n geon M aster or p u rch ased off the the adventurers. shelf, tw eaked and m odified to suit the D M ’s n eeds and The rules in chapters 7 and 8 support exploration and desires. In either ca se, an adventure features a fantastic socia l interaction, as do m any cla ss features in chapter 3 setting, w hether it’s an u nderground dungeon, a cru m and personality traits in chapter 4. bling castle, a stretch o f w ildern ess, or a bustling city. Combat, the focu s o f chapter 9, involves characters It features a rich cast o f characters: the adventurers and other creatu res sw in ging w eapon s, casting spells, created and played by the other players at the table, m aneuvering for position, and s o o n —all in an effort as w ell as nonplayer characters (N PC s). T h ose char to defeat their oppon en ts, w hether that m eans killing acters m ight b e patrons, allies, enem ies, hirelings, or every enemy, taking captives, or forcin g a rout. Com bat just backgrou n d extras in an adventure. Often, on e o f is the m ost structured elem ent o f a D & D session , with the N P C s is a villain w h ose agenda drives m uch o f an creatu res taking turns to m ake sure that everyone gets adventure’s action. a ch a n ce to act. Even in the context o f a pitched battle, Over the cou rse o f their adventures, the characters there’s still plenty o f opportunity for adventurers to are confronted by a variety o f creatures, objects, and attempt w acky stunts like surfing dow n a flight o f stairs situations that they must deal w ith in som e way. S o m e on a shield, to exam ine the environm ent (perhaps by tim es the adventurers and other creatures do their pulling a m ysterious lever), and to interact with other best to kill or capture each other in com bat. At other creatures, including allies, en em ies, and neutral parties. tim es, the adventurers talk to another creature (or even a m agical object) w ith a goal in mind. A nd often, the T h e W o n d e r s o f M a g ic adventurers spend tim e trying to solve a puzzle, bypass Few D & D adventures end w ithout som eth in g m agical an obstacle, find som eth in g hidden, or unravel the cu r happening. W h eth er helpful or harm ful, m agic appears rent situation. M eanw hile, the adventurers explore the frequently in the life o f an adventurer, and it is the focu s w orld, m akin g decision s about w hich w ay to travel and o f chapters 10 and 11. w hat they’ll try to do next. In the w orld s o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s , practitioners A dventures vary in length and com plexity. A short o f m agic are rare, set apart from the m a sses o f people adventure m ight present only a few challen ges, and by their extraordinary talent. C om m on folk might see it m ight take no m ore than a single gam e session to eviden ce o f m agic on a regular basis, but it’s usually com plete. A long adventure can involve hundreds o f m in or—a fantastic m onster, a visibly an sw ered prayer, com bats, interactions, and other challen ges, and take a w izard w alking through the streets w ith an anim ated d ozen s o f session s to play through, stretching over shield guardian as a bodyguard. w eek s or m onths o f real tim e. Usually, the end o f an For adventurers, though, m agic is key to their sur adventure is m arked by the adventurers h eading back to vival. W ithout the healing m agic o f clerics and paladins, civilization to rest and enjoy the sp oils o f their labors. adventurers w ou ld quickly su ccu m b to their w oun ds. But that’s not the end o f the story. You can think o f W ithout the uplifting m agical su pport o f bards and an adventure as a single ep isod e o f a T V series, m ade clerics, w arriors m ight be overw helm ed by p ow erfu l up o f multiple exciting scen es. A cam paign is the w hole foes. W ithout the sh eer m agical p ow er and versatility s eries—a string o f adventures jo in e d together, with a o f w izards and druids, every threat w ou ld be m ag consistent group o f adventurers follow in g the narrative nified tenfold. from start to finish. M agic is also a favored tool o f villains. M any adven tures are driven by the m achinations o f spellcasters T h e T h r ee P il l a r s of A d v e n t u r e w h o are hellbent on using m agic for som e ill end. A cult A dventurers ca n try to do anything their players can leader seek s to aw aken a god w h o slum bers beneath im agine, but it can b e helpful to talk about their activ the sea, a hag kidnaps youths to m agically drain them ities in three broad categories: exploration, socia l o f their vigor, a m ad w izard labors to invest an arm y o f interaction, and com bat. autom atons with a facsim ile o f life, a dragon begin s a Exploration includes both the adventurers’ m ovem ent m ystical ritual to rise up as a god o f destruction —these through the w orld and their interaction with ob jects and are just a few o f the m agical threats that adventurers situations that require their attention. E xploration is the m ight face. W ith m agic o f their ow n, in the form o f give-and-take o f the players describin g what they want sp ells and m agic items, the adventurers m ight prevail! their characters to do, and the D u n geon M aster telling the players w hat h appen s as a result. On a large scale, that might involve the characters spen din g a day c r o s s ing a rolling plain or an hour m aking their w ay through caverns underground. On the sm allest scale, it could m ean on e character pulling a lever in a dungeon room to see w hat happens. Social interaction features the adventurers talking to som eon e (or som eth in g) else. It might m ean dem anding C h a p t e r 1: S t e p - b y - S t e p C h a r a c t e r s OUR FIRST STEP IN PLAYING AN ADVENTURER IN THE cla sses (see step 2). For exam ple, the racial traits o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e is to im agine lightfoot halflings m ake them exceptional rogues, and and create a character o f your ow n. Your high elves tend to be pow erfu l w izards. S om etim es character is a com bination o f gam e statistics, playing against type can b e fun, too. H alf-orc paladins roleplaying h ook s, and your im agination. You and m ountain dw arf w izards, for exam ple, can b e c h o o s e a race (such as hum an or halfling) and unusual but m em orable characters. a class (such as fighter or w izard). You also Your race also in creases on e or m ore o f your ability invent the personality, appearance, and backstory o f scores, w hich you determ ine in step 3. N ote these your character. O n ce com pleted, your character serves in creases and rem em ber to apply them later. as your representative in the gam e, your avatar in the R e co rd the traits granted by your race on your D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s w orld. character sheet. B e sure to note your starting B efore you dive into step 1 below , think about the languages and your ba se sp eed as w ell. kind o f adventurer you w ant to play. You m ight be a cou ra g eou s fighter, a skulking rogue, a fervent cleric, or B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 1 a flam boyant w izard. Or you m ight be m ore interested B ob is sitting dow n to create his character. H e d ecides in an u nconventional character, such as a braw ny rogue that a gru ff m ountain dw arf fits the character he w ants w h o likes hand-to-hand com bat, or a sh arpsh ooter w ho to play. He notes all the racial traits o f dw arves on his picks o ff en em ies from afar. D o you like fantasy fiction character sheet, including his sp eed o f 25 feet and the featuring dw arves or elves? Try building a character o f languages he kn ow s: C om m on and D w arvish. on e o f th ose races. D o you w ant your character to be the toughest adventurer at the table? C on sider a class like 2. C hoose a C lass barbarian or paladin. If y ou d on ’t k n ow w here else to Every adventurer is a m em ber o f a class. C lass broadly begin, take a lo o k at the illustrations in this b o o k to see d escrib es a character’s vocation, w hat sp ecia l talents he w hat catch es y ou r interest. or sh e p o s se ss e s, and the tactics he or she is m ost likely O nce you have a character in mind, follow these steps to em ploy w hen exploring a dungeon, fighting m onsters, in order, m akin g decision s that reflect the character you or engaging in a tense negotiation. T h e character want. Your con cep tion o f your character m ight evolve cla sses are d escrib ed in chapter 3. with each c h o ice you m ake. W h a t’s im portant is that you Your character receives a num ber o f benefits from co m e to the table w ith a character you ’re excited to play. your ch oice o f class. M any o f th ese benefits are class T h rou gh ou t this chapter, w e u se the term character features—capabilities (including spellcastin g) that set sheet to m ean w hatever you u se to track your character, your character apart from m em bers o f other classes. w hether it’s a form al character sheet (like the on e at the You also gain a num ber o f proficiencies: armor, end o f this book ), so m e form o f digital record, or a piece w eapon s, skills, saving throw s, and som etim es tools. o f n oteb ook paper. A n official D & D character sheet is a Your p roficien cies define m any o f the things your fine place to start until you k n ow w hat inform ation you character can do particularly w ell, from u sing certain need and h ow you u se it during the gam e. w ea p on s to telling a convin cin g lie. On your character sheet, record all the features that B u il d in g B r u e n o r your class gives you at 1st level. E ach step o f character creation includes an exam ple o f that step, w ith a player nam ed B ob building his dw arf L evel character, Bruenor. Typically, a character starts at 1st level and advances in level by adventuring and gaining experience points 1. C h o o s e a R a ce (X P). A 1st-level character is in exp erien ced in the Every character b elon g s to a race, on e o f the m any adventuring w orld, although he or she m ight have been intelligent h um anoid sp e cie s in the D & D w orld. The a soldier or a pirate and don e dangerou s things before. m ost co m m o n player character races are dw arves, elves, Starting off at 1st level m arks your character’s entry halflings, and hum ans. S o m e races also have subraces, into the adventuring life. If you ’re already fam iliar such as m ountain dw arf or w o o d elf. Chapter 2 provides w ith the gam e, or if you are join in g an existing D & D m ore inform ation about th ese races, as w ell as the less cam paign, your DM might d ecide to have you begin at a w idesp rea d races o f dragonborn, gnom es, half-elves, higher level, on the assum ption that your character has half-orcs, and tieflings. already survived a few harrow in g adventures. The race you c h o o s e contributes to your character’s identity in an im portant way, by establishing a general Q u ic k B u il d appearance and the natural talents gained from culture Each class description in chapter 3 includes a section and ancestry. Your character’s race grants particular offering suggestions to quickly build a character o f that racial traits, such as sp ecial sen ses, proficiency with class, including how to assign your highest ability scores, certain w eapon s or tools, proficiency in on e or m ore a background suitable to the class, and starting spells. skills, or the ability to use m inor spells. T h ese traits som etim es dovetail with the capabilities o f certain PART 1 S T E P -B Y -S T E P C H A R A C T E R S R e co rd your level on your character sheet. If you ’re At 1st level, your character has 1 Hit D ie, and the starting at a h igher level, record the additional elem ents die type is determ ined by your class. You start w ith hit your class gives you for your levels past 1st. A lso record points equal to the h ighest roll o f that die, as indicated in your exp erien ce points. A 1st-level character has 0 your class description. (You also add your Constitution X P A higher-level character typically beg in s w ith the modifier, w h ich you ’ll determ ine in step 3.) T h is is also m inim um am ount o f X P required to reach that level your hit point maxim um . (see “B eyond 1st L evel” later in this chapter). R e c o rd y ou r character’s hit points on your character sheet. A lso record the type o f Hit D ie your character H it P o in t s and H it D ic e u ses and the num ber o f Hit D ice you have. A fter you Y our character’s hit points define h ow tough your rest, you can sp end Hit D ice to regain hit points (see character is in com bat and other dangerou s situations. “R estin g ” in chapter 8). Your hit points are determ ined by your Hit D ice (short for Hit Point Dice). P r o f ic ie n c y B o n u s Th e table that appears in your class description sh ow s A b il it y S c o r e S u m m a r y your proficiency bonus, w h ich is +2 for a 1st-level Strength character. Your p roficiency bon u s applies to m any o f the M easures: Natural athleticism, bodily power num bers y ou ’ll be record in g on your character sheet: Im p ortan t for: Barbarian, fighter, paladin • A ttack rolls using w ea p on s y ou ’re proficient with R acial Increases: • A ttack rolls w ith spells you cast Mountain dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+2) • Ability ch eck s using skills y ou ’re proficient in Dragonborn (+2) Human (+1) • Ability ch eck s using tools y ou ’re proficient with • Saving th row s y ou ’re proficient in Dexterity • Saving th row D C s for spells you cast (explained in each sp ellcastin g class) M easures: Physical agility, reflexes, balance, poise Im p ortan t for: Monk, ranger, rogue Y our class determ ines your w ea p on proficiencies, R acial Increases: your saving th row p roficiencies, and som e o f your skill Elf (+2) Forest gnome (+1) and tool proficiencies. (Skills are d escrib ed in chapter 7, Halfling (+2) Human (+1) tools in chapter 5.) Y our backgrou n d gives you additional skill and tool proficiencies, and so m e races give you m ore proficiencies. B e sure to note all o f these Constitution proficiencies, as w ell as your proficiency bonus, on your M easures: Health, stamina, vital force character sheet. Im p ortan t for: Everyone Your proficiency bon u s can ’t be added to a single die R acial Increases: roll or other n um ber m ore than on ce. O ccasionally, your Dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+1) proficiency bon u s m ight be m od ified (doubled or halved, Stout halfling (+1) Human (+1) for exam ple) before you apply it. If a circu m stan ce Rock gnome (+1) su ggests that your p roficiency b on u s applies m ore than on ce to the sa m e roll or that it sh ou ld be m ultiplied Intelligence m ore than on ce, you n evertheless add it only on ce, M easures: Mental acuity, information recall, analytical skill multiply it only on ce, and halve it only on ce. Im p ortan t for: Wizard B u il d in g B r u e n o r , St e p 2 Racial Increases: B ob im agines B ruenor chargin g into battle w ith an axe, High elf (+1) Tiefling (+1) on e horn on his helm et broken off. H e m akes B ru enor a Gnome (+2) Human (+1) fighter and notes the fighter’s proficien cies and 1st-level class features on his character sheet. W isdom A s a 1st-level fighter, B ru enor has 1 Hit D ie—a d 10— M easures: A w a re n e ss, intuition, insight and starts with hit poin ts equal to 10 + his Constitution Im p ortan t for: Cleric, druid m odifier. B ob notes this, and w ill record the final R acial Increases: num ber after he determ ines B ru en or’s Constitution Hill dwarf (+1) Human (+1) sc o r e (see step 3). B ob a lso notes the proficiency bon u s for a 1st-level character, w hich is +2. Wood elf (+1) 3 . D eterm in e A b ilit y S co res Charisma M uch o f w hat your character d o e s in the gam e depends M easures: Confidence, eloquence, leadership on his or her six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Im p ortan t for: Bard, sorcerer, warlock Constitution, Intelligence, W isdom , and Charisma. R acial Increases: Each ability has a score, w h ich is a num ber you record Half-elf (+2) Dragonborn (+1) on your character sheet. Drow (+1) Human (+1) T h e six abilities and their u se in the gam e are Lightfoot halfling (+1) Tiefling (+2) describ ed in chapter 7. T h e Ability S c o r e S u m m ary table provides a quick referen ce for w hat qualities A b il it y S c o r es a n d M o d if ie r s are m easu red by each ability, w hat races in creases Score Modifier Score Modifier w hich abilities, and what cla sses con sid er each ability 1 -5 16-17 +3 particularly im portant. 2-3 -4 18-19 +4 You generate your character's six ability scores 4 -5 -3 20-21 +5 randomly. R oll fou r 6-sided dice and record the total o f the highest three dice on a p iece o f scratch paper. D o 6-7 -2 22-23 +6 this five m ore tim es, s o that you have six num bers. If 8-9 -1 24-25 +7 you w ant to save tim e or d on ’t like the idea o f random ly 10-11 +0 26-27 +8 determ ining ability scores, you can u se the follow in g 12-13 +1 28-29 +9 s c o r e s instead: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. 14-15 +2 30 +10 N ow take your six n um bers and w rite each num ber b eside on e o f your character’s six abilities to assign average and nearly equal (13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12), or any sco re s to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, set o f num bers betw een th ose extrem es. W isdom , and Charism a. A fterw ard, m ake any changes to your ability s c o r e s as a result o f your race choice. 4 . D e sc rib e Y o u r C h a r a c t e r After assign in g your ability s cores, determ ine O nce you kn ow the ba sic gam e asp ects o f your your ability modifiers using the Ability S c o r e s and character, it’s tim e to flesh him or her out as a person . M odifiers table. To determ ine an ability m odifier without Your character n eeds a nam e. S p en d a few m inutes consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score thinking about w hat he or she look s like and h ow he or and then divide the result by 2 (round down). W rite the she beh aves in general terms. m odifier next to each o f your scores. U sing the inform ation in chapter 4, you can flesh out B u il d in g B r u e n o r , St e p 3 your character’s physical appearan ce and personality B ob d ecid es to u se the standard set o f s c o r e s (15, 14, traits. C h oose your character’s alignment (the m oral 13, 12, 10, 8) for B ru enor’s abilities. S in ce h e’s a fighter, c om p a ss that guides his or her decisions) and ideals. he puts his h ighest score, 15, in Strength. H is next- Chapter 4 also helps you identify the things your highest, 14, g oes in Constitution. B ruenor m ight be a character holds m ost dear, called bonds, and the flaws brash fighter, but B ob d ecid es he w ants the dw arf to that cou ld one day u nderm ine him or her. be older, w iser, and a g o o d leader, so he puts decent Your character’s background d escrib es w here he or sc o r e s in W isd om and Charism a. After applying his she ca m e from , his or her original occu pation , and the racial benefits (in creasin g B ru en or’s Constitution by character’s place in the D & D w orld. Your DM might 2 and his Strength by 2), B ru en or’s ability s c o r e s and offer additional ba ckgrou n ds beyon d the on es included m odifiers look like this: Strength 17 (+3), Dexterity 10 (+0), Constitution 16 (+3), Intelligence 8 (-1), W isd om 13 (+1), C harism a 12 (+1). B ob fills in B ru enor's final hit points: 10 + his Constitution m odifier o f +3, for a total o f 13 hit points. Va r ia n t : C u s t o m iz in g A b il it y Scores At your D u n geon M aster’s option, you can use this variant for determ ining your ability scores. The m ethod describ ed here allow s you to build a character w ith a set o f ability s c o r e s you c h o o s e individually. You have 27 points to spend on your ability scores. T h e co st o f each sc o r e is sh ow n on the Ability S c o r e Point C ost table. F or exam ple, a sc o r e o f 14 costs 7 points. U sing this m ethod, 15 is the highest ability score you can end up with, b efore applying racial in creases. Y ou ca n ’t have a sc o r e low er than 8. T h is m ethod o f determ ining ability s c o r e s enables you to create a set o f three high num bers and three low on es (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8), a set o f num bers that are above A b il it y S c o r e Po in t C o st Score Cost Score Cost 8 0 12 4 9 1 13 5 10 2 14 7 11 3 15 9 in chapter 4, and m ight b e w illing to w ork w ith you to H is flaw is tied to his caring, sensitive nature—he has a craft a b a ckgrou n d that’s a m ore p recise fit for your soft spot for orphans and w ayw ard souls, leading him to character concept. sh ow m ercy even w hen it m ight not b e w arranted. A b ackgrou n d gives your character a backgrou n d feature (a general benefit) and proficiency in tw o skills, 5 . C h o o s e E q u ip m en t and it m ight also give you additional languages or Your class and backgrou n d determ ine your character's proficiency w ith certain kinds o f tools. R e c o rd this starting equipment, including w eapon s, armor, and inform ation, along w ith the person ality inform ation other adventuring gear. R e c o rd this equipm ent on your you develop, on your character sheet. character sheet. All such item s are detailed in chapter 5. Instead o f taking the gear given to you by your class Y our C h a r a c t e r ’s A b il it ie s and backgrou n d, you ca n p u rch ase your starting Take your character’s ability s c o r e s and race into equipm ent. You have a num ber o f gold pieces (gp) accou n t as you flesh out his or her appearance to spend ba sed on your class, as sh ow n in chapter 5. and personality. A very stron g character w ith low Extensive lists o f equipm ent, w ith prices, a lso appear in Intelligence m ight think and behave very differently that chapter. If you w ish, you can also have on e trinket from a very sm art character w ith low Strength. at n o cost (see the trinket table at the end o f chapter 5). For exam ple, high Strength usually c o rresp on d s Your Strength sc o r e lim its the am ount o f gear you can w ith a burly or athletic body, w hile a character with carry. Try not to pu rch ase equipm ent w ith a total w eight low Strength m ight be scraw ny or plump. (in pounds) ex ceed in g your Strength sco re tim es 15. A character w ith high D exterity is probably lithe and Chapter 7 has m ore inform ation on carrying capacity. slim , w hile a character w ith low D exterity m ight be either gangly and aw kw ard or heavy and thick-fingered. A rmor C lass A character w ith high Constitution usually look s Your A rm or Class (AC) represents h ow w ell your healthy, w ith bright eyes and abundant energy. A character avoids being w ou n d ed in battle. T h in gs that character w ith low Constitution m ight b e sickly or frail. contribute to your AC include the arm or you w ear, the A character with high Intelligence m ight be highly shield you carry, and your D exterity m odifier. Not all inquisitive and studious, w hile a character w ith low characters w ea r arm or or carry shields, however. Intelligence might sp eak sim ply or easily forget details. W ithout arm or or a shield, your character’s AC equals A character w ith high W isd om has g oo d judgm ent, 10 + his or her Dexterity m odifier. If your character empathy, and a general aw aren ess o f w hat’s going on. w ea rs arm or, carries a shield, or both, calculate your A character w ith low W isd om m ight be absent-m inded, AC using the rules in chapter 5. R e co rd your AC on foolhardy, or oblivious. your character sheet. A character with high C harism a exudes confidence, Your character n eeds to be proficient w ith arm or and w h ich is usually m ixed w ith a graceful or intim idating shields to w ea r and u se them effectively, and your arm or presen ce. A character w ith a low C harism a m ight co m e and shield proficien cies are determ ined by your class. a cross as abrasive, inarticulate, or timid. T h ere are draw backs to w earin g arm or or carryin g a shield if you lack the requ ired proficiency, as explained B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 4 in chapter 5. B o b fills in so m e o f B ru enor’s ba sic details: his nam e, S o m e spells and class features give you a different his sex (male), his height and w eight, and his alignm ent w ay to calculate your AC. If you have multiple features (law ful good). H is high Strength and Constitution that give you different w ays to calculate you r AC, you suggest a healthy, athletic body, and his low Intelligence c h o o s e w hich one to use. su ggests a degree o f forgetfulness. B ob d ecid es that B ru enor c o m e s from a n oble line, W eapons but his clan w as expelled from its hom eland w hen For each w eap on your character w ields, calculate the B ru enor w as very young. He g rew up w ork in g as a sm ith m odifier you u se w h en you attack w ith the w ea p on and in the rem ote villages o f Icew ind Dale. But B ruenor the dam age you deal w hen you hit. has a h eroic destiny—to reclaim his h om eland—so W h en you m ake an attack w ith a w eapon , you roll B ob c h o o s e s the folk h ero back grou n d for his dwarf. a d2 0 and add your proficiency bon u s (but only if you H e notes the proficiencies and sp ecia l feature this are proficient w ith the w eapon ) and the appropriate ba ck grou n d gives him. ability modifier. B ob has a pretty clear picture o f B ru en or’s personality in mind, so he skips the person ality traits su ggested in • F or attacks w ith m elee weapons, use your Strength the folk h ero backgrou n d, noting instead that B ru enor is m odifier for attack and dam age rolls. A w eap on that a caring, sensitive d w arf w h o genuinely loves his friends has the fin esse property, such as a rapier, ca n u se your and allies, but he hides this soft heart behind a gruff, D exterity m odifier instead. snarling dem eanor. H e c h o o s e s the ideal o f fairn ess • F or attacks w ith ranged weapons, u se your D exterity from the list in his backgrou n d, noting that Bruenor m odifier for attack and dam age rolls. A w ea p on that believes that n o on e is above the law. has the throw n property, such as a handaxe, can use G iven his history, B ru en or’s bon d is obvious: he your Strength m odifier instead. aspires to som eday reclaim M ithral Hall, his hom eland, from the sh ad ow dragon that drove the dw arves out. B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 5 T iers o f P l a y B ob w rites dow n the starting equipm ent from the The shading in the Character Advancement table show s fighter cla ss and the folk h ero background. His starting the four tiers o f play. The tiers don’t have any rules equipm ent includes chain m ail and a shield, w hich associated with them; they are a general description o f how com bin e to give B ru enor an A rm or C lass o f 18. the play experience changes as characters gain levels. For B ru en or’s w eapon s, B ob c h o o s e s a battleaxe In the first tier (levels 1 -4 ), characters are effectively and tw o handaxes. H is battleaxe is a m elee w eapon, apprentice adventurers. Th ey are learn in g the features so B ru enor u ses his Strength m odifier for his attacks that define them as m em bers o f particular classes, and dam age. H is attack bon u s is his Strength m odifier including the m ajor ch o ice s that flavor their class (+3) plus his proficiency bon u s (+2), for a total o f +5. features as they advance (such as a w iza rd ’s A rcane T he battleaxe deals 1d8 slashing dam age, and B ruenor Tradition or a fighter’s M artial Archetype). The threats adds his Strength m odifier to the dam age w hen he they face are relatively minor, usually p o sin g a danger to hits, for a total o f 1d8 + 3 slashing dam age. W h en local farm steads or villages. throw ing a handaxe, B ru enor has the sam e attack bonus In the secon d tier (levels 5 -1 0 ), characters c om e into (handaxes, as throw n w eapon s, u se Strength for attacks their ow n. M any spellcasters gain a c c e s s to 3rd-level and dam age), and the w eap on deals 1d6 + 3 slashing spells at the start o f this tier, crossin g a new threshold o f dam age w hen it hits. m agical p ow er with spells such as fireball and lightning bolt. At this tier, m any w eapon -usin g cla sses gain the 6. C om e T ogether ability to m ake multiple attacks in on e round. T h ese M ost D & D characters d on ’t w ork alone. E ach character characters have b e c o m e im portant, facing dangers that plays a role w ithin a party, a group o f adventurers threaten cities and kingdom s. w orkin g together for a com m on p u rpose. Team w ork In the third tier (levels 11-16), characters have and coop era tion greatly im prove your party’s ch a n ces reached a level o f p ow er that sets them high above to survive the m any p erils in the w orld s o f D u n g e o n s the ordinary pop u la ce and m akes them sp ecia l even & D r a g o n s . Talk to your fellow players and your DM am ong adventurers. At 11th level, m any spellcasters to decide w hether your characters k n ow on e another, gain a c c e s s to 6th-level spells, so m e o f w h ich create h ow they met, and w hat sorts o f quests the group effects previously im possible for player characters to m ight undertake. achieve. Other characters gain features that allow them to m ake m ore attacks or do m ore im pressive things with B e y o n d 1s t L e v e l th ose attacks. T h ese m ighty adventurers often confront A s your character g o e s on adventures and ov ercom es threats to w h ole region s and continents. challen ges, he or she gains experience, represented by At the fourth tier (levels 17 -20 ), characters achieve experien ce points. A character w h o reach es a sp ecified the pinnacle o f their cla ss features, b ecom in g h eroic (or experien ce point total advances in capability. This villainous) archetypes in their ow n right. The fate o f the w orld or even the fundam ental order o f the m ultiverse advancem ent is called gaining a level. might hang in the balance during their adventures. W h en your character gains a level, his or her class often grants additional features, as detailed in the C h a r a ct er A d v a n c e m e n t class description. S o m e o f these features allow you to in crease your ability scores, either increasin g tw o Experience Points Level Proficiency s c o r e s by 1 each or in creasin g on e sco re by 2. You c a n ’t 0 1 +2 in crease an ability s c o r e above 20. In addition, every 300 2 +2 character’s proficiency bon u s in creases at certain levels. 900 3 +2 Each tim e you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit 2,700 4 +2 Die. R oll that Hit Die, add your Constitution m odifier 6,500 5 +3 to the roll, and add the total to your hit point m axim um . 14,000 6 +3 Alternatively, you can use the fixed value sh ow n in your 23,000 7 +3 class entry, w hich is the average result o f the die roll (rounded up). 34,000 8 +3 W h en your Constitution m odifier in creases by 1, your 48,000 9 +4 hit point m axim u m in creases by 1 for each level you have 64,000 10 +4 attained. F or exam ple, w hen B ruenor reaches 8th level 85,000 11 +4 as a fighter, he in creases his Constitution sco re from 17 100,000 12 +4 to 18, thus increasin g his Constitution m odifier from +3 120,000 13 +5 to +4. H is hit point m axim um then in creases by 8. 140,000 14 +5 T h e Character A dvancem ent table su m m arizes the 165,000 15 +5 X P you n eed to advance in levels from level 1 through 195,000 16 +5 level 20, and the proficien cy b on u s for a character o f that 225,000 17 +6 level. C onsult the inform ation in your character’s class 265,000 18 +6 d escription to see w hat other im provem ents you gain 305,000 19 +6 at each level. 355,000 20 +6 C h a p t e r 2: R a c e s VISIT TO ONE OF THE GREAT CITIES IN THE A R a cia l T r a i t s w orld s o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s — The description o f each race in cludes racial traits that W aterdeep, the F ree City o f G reyhawk, or are com m on to m em bers o f that race. T h e follow in g even u ncanny Sigil, the City o f D o o r s — entries appear am ong the traits o f m ost races. overw helm s the sen ses. V oices chatter in cou n tless different languages. T h e sm ells A b il it y Sco re In crease o f c o o k in g in d ozen s o f different cuisin es Every race in crea ses one or m ore o f a character’s m ingle w ith the od ors o f crow d ed streets and p oor ability s cores. sanitation. B uildings in m yriad architectural styles display the diverse origin s o f their inhabitants. A ge And the p eop le th em selves—p eop le o f varying size, T h e age entry notes the age w hen a m em ber o f the race shape, and color, d ressed in a dazzling sp ectru m is con sid ered an adult, as w ell as the race’s expected o f styles and h ues—represent m any different races, lifespan. T h is inform ation can help you d ecide h ow from dim inutive halflings and stout dw arves to old your character is at the start o f the gam e. You m ajestically beautiful elves, m inglin g a m on g a variety can c h o o s e any age for your character, w h ich cou ld o f hum an ethnicities. provide an explanation for so m e o f your ability scores. Scattered a m on g the m em bers o f these m ore com m on For exam ple, if you play a youn g or very old character, races are the true exotics: a hulking dragonborn here, your age cou ld explain a particularly low S trength or pushing his w ay through the crow d, and a sly tiefling Constitution score, w hile advanced age cou ld accoun t there, lurking in the sh ad ow s w ith m isch ief in her eyes. for a high Intelligence or W isdom . A group o f g n om es laughs as on e o f them activates a clever w o o d e n toy that m oves o f its ow n accord. H alf- A l ig n m e n t elves and h alf-orcs live and w ork alongside hum ans, M ost races have tendencies tow ard certain alignm ents, w ithout fully belon gin g to the races o f either o f their d escribed in this entry. T h ese are not binding for player parents. A n d there, w ell out o f the sunlight, is a lone characters, but con siderin g w hy your d w arf is chaotic, d row —a fugitive from the subterranean expan se o f for exam ple, in defiance o f lawful dw arf society can help the Underdark, trying to m ake his w ay in a w orld you better define your character. that fears his kind. S iz e C h o o s i n g a Race Characters o f m ost races are M edium , a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. H um ans are the m ost com m on p eople in the w orld s o f M em bers o f a few races are Sm all (betw een 2 and 4 feet D&D, but they live and w ork alongside dw arves, elves, tall), w hich m eans that certain rules o f the gam e affect halflings, and cou n tless other fantastic sp ecies. Your them differently. T h e m ost im portant o f th ese rules character belon g s to on e o f th ese p eoples. is that S m all characters have trouble w ieldin g heavy Not every intelligent race o f the m ultiverse is w eapon s, as explained in chapter 6. appropriate for a player-controlled adventurer. D w arves, elves, halflings, and hum ans are the m ost com m on Speed races to p rod u ce the sort o f adventurers w h o m ake up Your sp eed determ ines h ow far you can m ove w hen typical parties. D ragonborn, g n om es, half-elves, half- traveling (chapter 8) and fighting (chapter 9). orcs, and tieflings are less com m on as adventurers. D row , a su brace o f elves, are also u ncom m on. L anguages Your ch oice o f race affects m any different aspects o f By virtue o f your race, your character can speak, read, your character. It establishes fundam ental qualities that and w rite certain languages. Chapter 4 lists the m ost exist throughout your character’s adventuring career. co m m o n languages o f the D & D multiverse. W h en m akin g this decision, keep in m ind the kind o f character you w ant to play. F or exam ple, a halfling could Su b r a c e s be a g o o d ch oice for a sneaky rogue, a dw arf m akes a S o m e ra ces have subraces. M em bers o f a subrace tough warrior, and an elf can b e a master o f arcane m agic. have the traits o f the parent race in addition to the Y our character race not only affects your ability s c o r e s traits sp ecified for their subrace. R elationships am ong and traits but also provides the cu e s for building your su braces vary significantly from race to race and character’s story. E ach race’s description in this chapter w orld to w orld. In the D ragon lance cam p aign setting, includes inform ation to help you roleplay a character of for exam ple, m ountain dw arves and hill dw arves live that race, including personality, physical appearance, together as different clans o f the sam e people, but in features o f society, and racial alignm ent tendencies. the Forgotten R ealm s, they live far apart in separate T h ese details are su ggestion s to help you think about kin gdom s and call th em selves shield dw arves and your character; adventurers can deviate w idely from the gold dw arves, respectively. n orm for their race. It’s w orthw h ile to con sid er w hy your character is different, as a helpful w ay to think about y ou r character’s backgrou n d and personality. S h o r t a n d St o u t B old and hardy, dw arves are kn ow n as skilled w arriors, m iners, and w orkers o f stone and metal. T h ough they stand w ell under 5 feet tall, dw arves are so broad and com pact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly tw o feet taller. Th eir cou rag e and endurance are also easily a match for any o f the larger folk. D w arven skin ranges from deep brow n to a paler hue tinged with red, but the m ost com m on sh ades are light brow n or deep tan, like certain ton es o f earth. Th eir hair, w orn long but in sim ple styles, is usually black, gray, or brow n, though paler dw arves often have red hair. M ale dw arves value their beard s highly and g room them carefully. L ong M em ory, L ong G rudges D w arves can live to be m ore than 4 0 0 years old, so the oldest living dw arves often rem em ber a very different D warf w orld. F or exam ple, som e o f the oldest dw arves living in Citadel Felbarr (in the w orld o f the Forgotten R ealm s) “Y e r l a t e , e l f !” c a m e t h e r o u g h e d g e o f a f a m i l i a r can recall the day, m ore than three centuries ago, w hen voice. Bruenor Battlehammer walked up the back of his or c s con q u ered the fortress and drove them into an exile dead foe, disregarding the fact that the heavy monster lay that lasted over 2 5 0 years. T h is longevity grants them a perspective on the w orld that shorter-lived races such as on top of his elven friend. In spite of the added discomfort, hum ans and halflings lack. the dwarf’s long, pointed, often-broken nose and gray- D w arves are solid and enduring like the m ountains streaked though still-fiery red beard came as a welcome they love, w eathering the pa ssa ge o f centuries with stoic sight to Drizzt. “Knew I’d fi ndy e in trouble if I came out endurance and little change. Th ey resp ect the traditions o f their clans, tracing their an cestry ba ck to the an' lookedfor ye!" fou nding o f their m ost ancient stron gholds in the youth —R. A . S a lvatore, The Crystal Shard o f the w orld, and don't abandon th ose traditions lightly. Part o f th ose traditions is devotion to the g od s o f the K in gdom s rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the dw arves, w h o uphold the dw arven ideals o f industrious roots o f m ountains, the ech oin g o f picks and h am m ers labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge. in deep m ines and blazing forges, a com m itm en t to Individual dw arves are determ ined and loyal, true to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred o f goblins and their w ord and decisive in action, som etim es to the point orc s —th ese co m m o n threads unite all dw arves. o f stu bborn n ess. M any dw arves have a strong sen se o f ju stice, and they are slow to forget w ron g s they have S lo w to T r u st suffered. A w ron g don e to one dw arf is a w ron g done to Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The the d w a rf’s entire clan, so w hat begin s as on e dw arf’s difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hunt for ven gean ce can b e c o m e a full-blow n clan feud. hundred years,” is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole, but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member o f C la n s a n d K in g d o m s a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf’s trust. Elves. “ It’s not wise to depend on the elves. No telling what D w arven kin gdom s stretch deep beneath the m ountains an elf will do next; when the hammer meets the orc’s head, w here the dw arves m ine gem s and preciou s m etals they’re as apt to start singing as to pull out a sword. They’re and forge item s o f w onder. They love the beauty and flighty and frivolous. Two things to be said for them, though: artistry o f preciou s m etals and fine jew elry, and in som e They don’t have many smiths, but the ones they have do very dw arves this love festers into avarice. W hatever w ealth fine work. And when orcs or goblins come streaming down they ca n ’t find in their m ountains, they gain through out o f the mountains, an elf’s good to have at your back. Not trade. Th ey dislike boats, so enterprising hum ans and as good as a dwarf, maybe, but no doubt they hate the orcs as much as we do.” halflings frequently handle trade in dw arven g ood s Halflings. “Sure, they’re pleasant folk. But show me a along w ater routes. Trustw orthy m em bers o f other races halfling hero. An empire, a triumphant army. Even a treasure are w elcom e in dw arf settlem ents, though so m e areas for the ages made by halfling hands. Nothing. How can you are off lim its even to them. take them seriously?” T h e ch ief unit o f dw arven society is the clan, and Humans. “You take the time to get to know a human, and dw arves highly value so cia l standing. Even dw arves by then the human’s on her deathbed. If you’re lucky, she’s w h o live far from their ow n k in gdom s cherish their clan got kin— a daughter or granddaughter, maybe— who’s got identities and affiliations, recog n ize related dw arves, hands and heart as good as hers. That’s when you can make and invoke their an cestors’ n am es in oaths and curses. a human friend. And watch them go! They set their hearts on To be clan less is the w orst fate that can befall a dwarf. something, they’ ll get it, whether it’s a dragon’s hoard or an empire’s throne. You have to admire that kind o f dedication, D w arves in other lands are typically artisans, even if it gets them in trouble more often than not.” esp ecia lly w eapon sm ith s, arm orers, and jew elers. S om e b e c o m e m ercen a ries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their cou rag e and loyalty. G ods, G old, and C lan D w a rves w h o take up the adventuring life m ight be m otivated by a desire for treasure—for its ow n sake, for a sp ecific p u rpose, or even out o f an altruistic desire to help others. Other dw arves are driven by the com m a n d or inspiration o f a deity, a direct calling or sim ply a desire to brin g glory to on e o f the dw arf gods. Clan and an cestry are also im portant m otivators. A d w a rf might seek to restore a clan ’s lost honor, avenge an ancient w ron g the clan suffered, or earn a new p lace w ithin the clan after having been exiled. Or a dw arf m ight search for the axe w ielded by a m ighty ancestor, lost on the field o f battle centuries ago. D warf N am es Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools o f y ou r choice: sm ith’s tools, b rew er’s A d w a rf’s nam e is granted by a clan elder, in a ccord a n ce supplies, or m a son ’s tools. with tradition. Every p roper dw arven nam e has been Stonecunning. W h enever you m ake an Intelligence u sed and reu sed dow n through the generations. A (H istory) ch eck related to the origin o f stonew ork, you d w a rf’s n am e b elon g s to the clan, not to the individual. are con sid ered proficient in the H istory skill and add A dw arf w h o m isu ses or brings sham e to a clan nam e double your p roficiency bon u s to the check, instead o f is stripped o f the nam e and forbidden by law to use any your n orm al proficiency bonus. dw arven nam e in its place. Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on M ale Names: Adrik, A lberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor, and D w arvish. D w arvish is full o f hard con son a n ts and Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, D elg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim , guttural sou n ds, and th ose characteristics spill over into Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, M orgran, Orsik, w hatever other language a dw arf m ight speak. Oskar, R angrim , Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Subrace. T w o m ain su braces o f dw arves populate the Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal w orld s o f D &D: hill dw arves and m ountain dw arves. Female Names: Am ber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, C h oose on e o f these subraces. Dagnal, D iesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, G unnloda, H il l D w arf G urdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, M ardred, R isw ynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra A s a hill dwarf, you have keen sen ses, deep intuition, Clan Names: Balderk, Battleham m er, Brawnanvil, and rem arkable resilience. T h e gold dw arves o f Faerun Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, G orunn, H olderhek, in their m ighty southern k ingdom are hill dw arves, as Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, R um naheim , Strakeln, are the exiled Neidar and the d eb a sed K lar o f K rynn in Torunn, Ungart the D ragon lan ce setting. Ability Score Increase. Your W isd om score D w arf T r aits in creases by 1. Dwarven Toughness. Y our hit point m axim um Your dw arf character has an assortm ent o f inborn in creases by 1, and it in creases by 1 every tim e you abilities, part and parcel o f dw arven nature. gain a level. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution sco re in creases by 2. M o u n t a in D w arf Age. D w a rves m ature at the sa m e rate as hum ans, but A s a m ountain dwarf, you're stron g and hardy, they’re con sid ered y ou n g until they reach the age o f 50. a ccu stom ed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. You’re On average, they live about 35 0 years. probably on the tall side (for a dw arf), and tend tow ard Alignment. M ost dw arves are lawful, believing firmly lighter coloration. The shield dw arves o f northern in the benefits o f a w ell-ordered society. Th ey tend Faerun, as w ell as the ruling Hylar clan and the noble tow ard g o o d as w ell, with a stron g sen se o f fair play and D aew ar clan o f D ragon lance, are m ountain dw arves. a b elief that everyone deserv es to share in the benefits o f Ability Score Increase. Your Strength sco re a ju st order. in creases by 2. Size. D w a rves stand b etw een 4 and 5 feet tall and Dwarven Armor Training. You have proficiency w ith average about 150 pou nds. Your size is M edium . light and m edium armor. Speed. Your b a se w alk in g sp eed is 25 feet. Your sp eed is not redu ced by w earin g heavy armor. D uergar Darkvision. A ccu stom ed to life underground, you In cities deep in the Underdark live the duergar, or gray have su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You dwarves. These vicious, stealthy slave traders raid the surface can see in dim light w ithin 6 0 feet o f you as if it w ere world for captives, then sell their prey to the other races of bright light, and in darkness as if it w ere dim light. You the Underdark. They have innate magical abilities to become ca n ’t d iscern color in darkness, only shades o f gray. invisible and to temporarily grow to giant size. Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving th row s against p oison , and you have resistan ce against p oison dam age (explained in chapter 9). Dwarven Combat Training. You have proficiency w ith the battleaxe, handaxe, th row in g hamm er, and w arham m er. E lf “ I HAVE N EVER IM A G IN E D SU C H B E A U T Y E X ISTE D ,” Goldmoon said softly. The day’s march had been difficult, but the reward at the end was beyond their dreams. The companions stood on a high cliff over the fabled city of Qualinost. Four slender spires rose from the city’s corners like glisten- ing spindles, their brilliant white stone marbled with shining silver. Graceful arches, swoopingfrom spire to spire, soared through the air. Crafted by ancient dwarven metalsmiths, they were strong enough to hold the weight of an army, yet they appeared so delicate that a bird lighting on them might overthrow the balance. These glistening arches were the city’s only boundaries; there was no wall around Qualinost. The elven city opened its arms lovingly to the wilderness. —M a rg a ret W eis & T ra cy H ick m a n , Dragons of Autumn Twilight Elves are a m agical p eop le o f otherw orldly grace, living fem ales are about the sam e height, and m ales are only in the w orld but not entirely part o f it. They live in m arginally heavier than fem ales. p la ces o f ethereal beauty, in the m idst o f ancient forests E lves’ coloration en com p a sses the norm al hum an or in silvery sp ires glittering w ith faerie light, w here range and also includes skin in sh ades o f copper, soft m usic drifts through the air and gentle fragrances bron ze, and alm ost bluish-white, hair o f green or blue, w aft on the breeze. Elves love nature and m agic, art and eyes like p o o ls o f liquid gold or silver. Elves have no and artistry, m usic and poetry, and the g o o d things facial and little b od y hair. Th ey favor elegant cloth in g in o f the world. bright colors, and they enjoy sim ple yet lovely jew elry. Slender an d G racefu l A T im eless P e r spe ctiv e W ith their unearthly grace and fine features, elves Elves can live w ell over 700 years, giving them a broad appear hauntingly beautiful to hum ans and m em bers perspective on events that might trouble the shorter- o f m any other races. They are slightly shorter than lived races m ore deeply. Th ey are m ore often am used hum ans on average, ranging from w ell under 5 feet than excited, and m ore likely to be cu riou s than tall to just over 6 feet. T h ey are m ore slender than greedy. They tend to rem ain a lo o f and unfazed by petty hum ans, w eigh in g only 100 to 145 pou nds. M ales and happenstance. W h en pursuing a goal, however, w hether adventuring on a m ission or learning a n ew skill or art, to do so. S o m e might jo in with rebels fighting against elves can be focu sed and relentless. They are slow to oppression , and others m ight b e c o m e cham pion s o f m ake friends and en em ies, and even slow er to forget m oral cau ses. them. T h ey reply to petty insults w ith disdain and to seriou s insults with vengean ce. E lf N am es Like the bran ches o f a youn g tree, elves are flexible E lves are con sid ered children until they declare in the face o f danger. T h ey trust in diplom acy and them selves adults, so m e tim e after the hundredth com p rom ise to resolve differences b efore they escalate birthday, and before this p eriod they are called to violence. T h ey have been kn ow n to retreat from by child nam es. intrusions into their w ood la n d h om es, confident On declarin g adulthood, an elf selects an adult nam e, that they can sim ply w ait the invaders out. But w hen although th ose w h o k n ew him or her as a youngster the n eed arises, elves reveal a stern m artial side, m ight continue to u se the child nam e. E ach e lf’s adult dem onstrating skill w ith sw ord, bow , and strategy. nam e is a unique creation, though it m ight reflect the n am es o f resp ected individuals or other fam ily H id d en W o o d l a n d R e a lm s m em bers. Little distinction exists betw een m ale M ost elves dwell in sm all forest villages hidden am ong n am es and fem ale nam es; the grou pin gs h ere reflect the trees. Elves hunt gam e, gather food, and grow only general tendencies. In addition, every elf bears a vegetables, and their skill and m agic allow them to fam ily nam e, typically a com bination o f other Elvish support th em selves w ithout the n eed for clearin g and w ords. S om e elves traveling am ong hum ans translate p low in g land. They are talented artisans, crafting finely their fam ily n am es into C om m on , but others retain the w ork ed cloth es and art objects. Their contact with Elvish version. outsiders is usually lim ited, though a few elves m ake a Child Names: Ara, Bryn, Del, Eryn, Faen, Innil. g o o d living by trading crafted item s for m etals (w hich Lael, Mella, Naill, Naeris, Phann, Rael, Rinn, Sai, they have n o interest in m ining). Syllin, Thia, Vall Elves en cou ntered outside their ow n lands are Male Adult Names: Adran, Aelar, A ram il, A rannis, com m on ly traveling m instrels, artists, or sages. H um an Aust, B eiro, Berrian, C arric , Enialis, Erdan, Erevan, n obles com p ete for the serv ices o f elf instructors to G alinndan, Hadarai, Heian, H im o, Im m eral, Ivellios, teach sw ordplay or m agic to their children. Laucian, M indartis, Paelias, Peren, Q uarion, Riardon, R olen, S oveliss, Tham ior, Tharivol, Theren, Varis E x plo r a tio n a n d A d ven tu r e Elves take up adventuring out o f w anderlust. S in ce they are s o long-lived, they can enjoy centuries o f exploration and discovery. They dislike the p a ce o f hum an society, w hich is regim ented from day to day but constantly changin g over d ecades, s o they find careers that let them travel freely and set their ow n pace. Elves also enjoy exercisin g their m artial p row ess or gaining greater m agical pow er, and adventuring allow s them H a u g h t y b u t G r a c io u s Trance. Elves d on ’t n eed to sleep. Instead, they Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious meditate deeply, rem aining sem icon sciou s, for 4 even to those who fall short of their high expectations— hours a day. (The C om m on w ord for such m editation which is most non-elves. Still, they can find good in just is “trance.”) W h ile meditating, you can dream after a about anyone. fashion; such dream s are actually m ental ex ercises that Dwarves. “ Dwarves are dull, clumsy oafs. But what they have b e c o m e reflexive through years o f practice. After lack in humor, sophistication, and manners, they make up in resting in this way, you gain the sa m e benefit that a valor. And I must admit, their best smiths produce art that hum an d oes from 8 hours o f sleep. approaches elven quality.” Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on Halflings. “ Halflings are people o f simple pleasures, and and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, w ith subtle intonations and that is not a quality to scorn. They’re good folk, they care for each other and tend their gardens, and they have proven intricate gram m ar. Elven literature is rich and varied, themselves tougher than they seem when the need arises." and their son g s and p oem s are fam ous am ong other Humans. “All that haste, their ambition and drive to races. M any bards learn their language s o they can add accomplish something before their brief lives pass away— Elvish ballads to their repertoires. human endeavors seem so futile sometimes. But then Subrace. Ancient divides am ong the elven people you look at what they have accomplished, and you have to resulted in three m ain subraces: high elves, w o o d elves, appreciate their achievements. If only they could slow down and dark elves, w h o are com m on ly called drow. C h oose and learn some refinement.” on e o f th ese subraces. In som e w orlds, th ese su braces are divided still further (such as the sun elves and m oon Female Adult Names: Adrie, Althaea, Anastrianna, elves o f the Forgotten R ealm s), s o if you w ish, you can Andraste, Antinua, Bethrynna, Birel, Caelynn, c h o o s e a narrow er subrace. D rusilia, Enna, Felosial, Ielenia, Jelenneth, Keyleth, Leshanna, Lia, M eriele, M ialee, Naivara, Q uelenna, H ig h E lf Quillathe, Sariel, Shanairra, Shava, Silaqui, A s a high elf, you have a keen m ind and a m astery o f Theirastra, Thia, Vadania, Valanthe, X anaphia at least the ba sics o f m agic. In m any o f the w orlds Family Nam es (Comm on Translations): A m akiir o f D&D, there are tw o kinds o f high elves. One type (G em flow er), A m astacia (Starflow er), G alanodel (w hich includes the gray elves and valley elves o f (M oonw hisper), H olim ion (D iam onddew ), Ilphelkiir Greyhawk, the Silvanesti o f D ragon lance, and the (G em blossom ), Liadon (Silverfrond), M eliam ne sun elves o f the Forgotten R ealm s) is haughty and (O akenheel), Nai'lo (Nightbreeze), S ian nodel reclusive, believing them selves to be su perior to (M oon brook ), X iloscien t (G oldpetal) non-elves and even other elves. T h e other type (including the high elves o f G reyhawk. the E lf T r aits Q ualinesti o f D ragon lance, and the m oon elves Your elf character has a variety o f natural abilities, the o f the Forgotten R ealm s) are m ore com m on result o f th ou san ds o f years o f elven refinem ent. and m ore friendly, and often en cou ntered Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity s co re am ong hum ans and other races. in creases by 2. T h e sun elves o f Faerun (also called gold Age. A lthough elves reach physical maturity at about elves or sunrise elves) have b ron ze skin and the sam e age as hum ans, the elven understanding o f hair o f copper, black, or golden blond. Their adulthood g o e s beyon d physical grow th to en com p ass eyes are golden, silver, or black. M oon elves (also w orldly experience. A n elf typically claim s adulthood called silver elves or gray elves) are m uch paler, and an adult nam e around the age o f 100 and can live w ith alabaster skin som etim es tinged w ith blue. to be 750 y ears old. They often have hair o f silver-white, black, or blue, Alignment. Elves love freedom , variety, and self- but various sh ades o f blond, brow n, and red are expression , so they lean strongly tow ard the gentler not u n com m on . T h eir eyes are blue or green and aspects o f chaos. Th ey value and protect others' flecked w ith gold. freedom as w ell as their ow n, and they are m ore Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score often g o o d than not. T h e d row are an exception; their in creases by 1. exile into the U nderdark has m ade them vicious and E lf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with dangerous. D row are m ore often evil than not. the lon gsw ord, shortsw ord, shortbow , and longbow . Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is M edium . Speed. Your ba se w alk in g sp eed is 30 feet. Darkvision. A ccu stom ed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have su perior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light w ithin 6 0 feet o f you as if it w ere bright light, and in dark n ess as if it w ere dim light. You ca n ’t discern color in darkness, only shades o f gray. Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the P erception skill. Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throw s against bein g charm ed, and m agic ca n ’t put you to sleep. Cantrip. You k n ow one cantrip o f your ch oice from D a r k E lf (D row ) the w izard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcastin g D escen d ed from an earlier su brace o f dark-skinned ability for it. elves, the d row w ere banished from the su rface w orld Extra Language. You can speak, read, and w rite one for follow in g the g o d d e ss Lolth dow n the path to extra language o f your choice. evil and corruption. N ow they have built their ow n civilization in the depths o f the Underdark, patterned W ood E lf after the W ay o f Lolth. A lso called dark elves, the drow A s a w o o d elf, you have keen se n se s and intuition, and have black skin that resem b les polish ed obsidian and your fleet feet carry you quickly and stealthily through stark w hite or pale y ellow hair. Th ey com m on ly have your native forests. T h is category includes the w ild very pale eyes (so pale as to b e m istaken for white) in elves (grugach) o f G reyhaw k and the K agonesti o f sh ades o f lilac, silver, pink, red, and blue. Th ey tend to D ragon lance, as w ell as the races called w o o d elves in be sm aller and thinner than m ost elves. G reyhaw k and the Forgotten R ealm s. In Faerun, w o o d D row adventurers are rare, and the race d o e s not exist elves (also called w ild elves, green elves, or forest elves) in all w orlds. C h eck with your D u n geon M aster to see are reclusive and distrusting o f non-elves. if you can play a d row character. W o o d elves’ skin tends to be cop p erish in hue, Ability Score Increase. Your C harism a score som etim es with traces o f green. Th eir hair tends tow ard in creases by 1. b row n s and blacks, but it is occa sion ally blond or Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a cop p er-colored . T heir eyes are green, brow n, or hazel. radius o f 120 feet. Ability Score Increase. Your W isd om score Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack in creases by 1. rolls and on W isd om (P erception ) ch eck s that rely on E lf Weapon Training. You have proficiency w ith the sight w hen you, the target o f your attack, or w hatever longsw ord, sh ortsw ord, shortbow , and longbow . you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. Fleet o f Foot. Your ba se w alking speed Drow Magic. You k n ow the dancing lights cantrip. in creases to 35 feet. W h en you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire Mask o f the Wild. You can attempt to hide even w hen spell on ce p er day. W h en you reach 5th level, you can you are only lightly o b scu red by foliage, heavy rain, also cast the darkness spell on ce per day. C harism a is falling snow , mist, and other natural phenom ena. your sp ellcastin g ability for these spells. Drow Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers, sh ortsw ords, and hand crossb ow s. T he Da r k n ess o f t h e D row Were it not for one renowned exception, the race o f drow would be universally reviled. To most, they are a race of demon-worshiping marauders dwelling in the subterranean depths o f the Underdark, emerging only on the blackest nights to pillage and slaughter the surface dwellers they despise. Their society is depraved and preoccupied with the favor of Lolth, their spider-goddess, who sanctions murder and the extermination o f entire families as noble houses vie for position. Yet one drow, at least, broke the mold. In the world o f the Forgotten Realms, Drizzt Do'Urden, ranger o f the North, has proven his quality as a good-hearted defender o f the weak and innocent. Rejecting his heritage and adrift in a world that looks upon him with terror and loathing, Drizzt is a model for those few drow who follow in his footsteps, trying to find a life apart from the evil society o f their Underdark homes. Drow grow up believing that surface-dwelling races are inferior, worthless except as slaves. Drow who develop a conscience or find it necessary to cooperate with members of other races find it hard to overcome that prejudice, especially when they are so often on the receiving end o f hatred. liv e s : a p lace to s e ttle in p e a ce and quiet, far from m arauding m on sters and clashing arm ies; a blazing fire and a generous m eal; fine drink and fine conversation. T hough som e halflings live out their days in rem ote agricultural com m u n ities, others form n om ad ic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the w ide h orizon to d iscov er the w on d ers o f n ew lands and peop les. But even th ese w an derers love p ea ce, food, hearth, and hom e, though h om e m ight be a w agon jostlin g along an dirt road or a raft floating dow nriver. Sm all an d P r a c t i c a l T h e dim inutive halflings survive in a w orld full o f larger creatu res by avoiding n otice or, barring that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively h arm less and s o have m anaged to survive for centuries in the sh ad ow o f em pires and on the edg es o f w ars and political strife. They are in clined to be stout, w eighing betw een 40 and 45 pounds. H alflings’ skin ran ges from tan to pale with a ruddy cast, and their hair is usually b row n or sandy brow n and wavy. T h ey have brow n or h azel eyes. H alfling m en often sport lon g sideburns, but bea rd s are rare am ong them and m ustaches even m ore so. They like to w ear H a l f l in g sim ple, com fortable, and practical clothes, favoring R e g is t h e h a l f l i n g , t h e o n l y o n e o f h is k in d f o r bright colors. H alfling practicality extends beyon d their clothing. hundreds of miles in any direction, locked hisfingers be- T h ey ’re c on cern ed w ith basic n eed s and sim ple hind his head and leaned back against the mossy blanket p leasu res and have little u se for ostentation. Even the of the tree trunk. Regis was short, even by the standards w ealthiest o f halflings keep their treasures lock ed in a of his diminutive race, with thefluff o f his curly brown cellar rather than on display for all to see. Th ey have a knack for finding the m ost straightforw ard solution locks barely cresting the three-foot mark, but his belly was to a problem , and have little patience for dithering. amply thickened by his love of a good meal, or several, as the opportunities presented themselves. The crooked stick K in d a n d C u r io u s that served as his fishing pole rose up above him, clenched H alflings are an affable and cheerful people. They between two of his toes, and hung out over the quiet lake, cherish the bon ds o f fam ily and friendship as well as the com forts o f hearth and hom e, h arboring few mirrored perfectly in the glassy surface o f Maer Dualdon. dream s o f gold or glory. Even adventurers am ong —R.A. S a lvatore, The Crystal Shard them usually venture into the w orld for reason s o f A ffa b le a n d Po s it iv e Halflings try to get along with everyone else and are loath to make sweeping generalizations— especially negative ones. Dwarves. “ Dwarves make loyal friends, and you can count on them to keep their word. But would it hurt them to smile once in a while?” Elves. "They’re so beautiful! Their faces, their music, their grace and all. It’s like they stepped out o f a wonderful dream. But there’s no telling what’s going on behind their smiling com m unity, friendship, w anderlust, or curiosity. They faces— surely more than they ever let on.” love d iscoverin g n ew things, even sim ple things, such Humans. “ Humans are a lot like us, really. At least some as an exotic fo o d or an unfam iliar style o f clothing. o f them are. Step out of the castles and keeps, go talk to the H alflings are easily m oved to pity and hate to see any farmers and herders and you’ ll find good, solid folk. Not that living thing suffer. Th ey are generous, happily sharing there’s anything wrong with the barons and soldiers— you have to admire their conviction. And by protecting their own w hat they have even in lean tim es. lands, they protect us as well.” B lend in to th e C row d H alflings are adept at fitting into a com m u n ity o f Ex plo r in g O ppo r tu n ities hum ans, dw arves, or elves, m aking them selves valuable H alflings usually set out on the adventurer’s path to and w elcom e. T h e com bination o f their inherent stealth defend their com m u n ities, support their friends, or and their u nassum ing nature helps halflings to avoid explore a w id e and w onder-filled w orld. For them, unw anted attention. adventuring is less a career than an opportunity or H alflings w ork readily w ith others, and they are loyal som etim es a necessity. to their friends, w hether halfling or oth erw ise. Th ey can display rem arkable ferocity w hen their friends, fam ilies, H alflin g N am es or com m u n ities are threatened. A halfling has a given nam e, a fam ily nam e, and possibly a nicknam e. Fam ily n am es are often n ick n am es that Pa s t o r a l P l e a s a n t r i e s stuck so tenaciously they have been p a ssed dow n M ost halflings live in sm all, p ea cefu l com m u n ities with through the generations. large farm s and w ell-kept groves. They rarely build Male Names: Alton, Ander, Cade, Corrin, Eldon, Errich, kin gdom s o f their ow n or even hold m uch land beyond Finnan, Garret, Lindal, Lyle, M erric, M ilo, O sborn, their quiet shires. T h ey typically don ’t r ecog n ize any Perrin, R eed, R o s co e , W ellby sort o f halfling nobility or royalty, instead look in g to Female Names: Andry, Bree, Callie, Cora, Euphem ia, fam ily elders to guide them. Fam ilies preserve their Jillian, Kithri, Lavinia, Lidda, Merla, N edda, Paela, traditional w ays despite the rise and fall o f em pires. Portia, Seraphina, Shaena, Trym , Vani, Verna M any h alflings live am ong other races, w h ere the Family Names: Brushgather, G oodbarrel, G reenbottle, halflings’ hard w ork and loyal ou tlook offer them High-hill, Hilltopple, Leagallow , Tealeaf, T horngage, abundant rew ards and creature com forts. S o m e halfling T osscob ble, U nderbough com m u n ities travel as a w ay o f life, driving w ag on s or guiding boats from pla ce to place and m aintaining no perm anent hom e. H a l f l in g T r aits Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on and Halfling. T h e H alfling language isn’t secret, but Your halfling character has a num ber o f traits in h alflings are loath to share it w ith others. Th ey write co m m o n with all other halflings. very little, so they don ’t have a rich b od y o f literature. Ability Score Increase. Y our D exterity sco re T h eir oral tradition, however, is very strong. A lm ost all in creases by 2. h alflings sp ea k C om m on to con verse w ith the p eople Age. A halfling reach es adulthood at the age of in w h ose lands they dw ell or through w h ich they 20 and generally lives into the m iddle o f his or her are traveling. se co n d century. Subrace. The tw o m ain kinds o f halfling, lightfoot and Alignment. M ost halflings are law ful g ood. A s a rule, stout, are m ore like closely related fam ilies than true they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in su braces. C h oose on e o f these subraces. pain, and have n o tolerance for op pression . Th ey are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on L ig h t f o o t the support o f their com m u n ity and the com fort o f A s a lightfoot halfling, you can easily hide from notice, their old ways. even using other p eop le as cover. Y ou’re inclined to be Size. H alflings average about 3 feet tall and w eigh affable and get along w ell with others. In the Forgotten about 40 pou nds. Your size is Sm all. R ealm s, lightfoot halflings have spread the farthest and Speed. Your base w alkin g sp eed is 25 feet. thus are the m ost co m m o n variety. Lucky. W h en you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability L ightfoots are m ore prone to w anderlust than other check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must halflings, and often dw ell alongside other races or take u se the n ew roll. up a n om adic life. In the w orld o f G reyhawk, th ese Brave. You have advantage on saving throw s against halflings are called hairfeet or tallfellows. bein g frightened. Ability Score Increase. Your C harism a score Halfling Nimbleness. You can m ove through the in creases by 1. sp ace o f any creature that is o f a size larger than yours. Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even w hen you are ob scu red only by a creature that is at least o n e size larger than you. St o u t A s a stout halfling, you ’re hardier than average and have so m e resistan ce to p oison . S o m e say that stouts have dw arven blood. In the Forgotten R ealm s, th ese halflings are called stronghearts, and they’re m ost com m on in the south. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution sco re in creases by 1. Stout Resilience. You have advantage on saving th row s against p oison , and you have resistan ce against p oison dam age. Human T h e s e w e r e t h e s t o r ie s o f a r e s t l e s s p e o p l e w h o long ago took to the seas and rivers in longboats, first to pillage and terrorize, then to settle. Yet there was an energy, a love of adventure, that sangfrom every page. Long into the night Uriel read, lighting candle after precious candle. She'd never given much thought to humans, but these stories fascinated her. In theseyellowed pages were tales of bold heroes, strange andfierce animals, mighty primitive gods, and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land. —E lain e C u n n in g h a m , Daughter of the Drow In the reck on in gs o f m ost w orlds, hum ans are the youngest o f the co m m o n races, late to arrive on the w orld scen e and short-lived in com p a rison to dw arves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is b eca u se o f their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as m uch as they can in the y ears they are given. Or m aybe they feel they have som eth in g to prove to the elder races, and that’s w hy they build their m ighty em pires on the foundation o f con q u est and trade. W hatever drives them, hum ans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pion eers V a r ie t y in A l l T h i n g s o f the w orlds. H um ans are the m ost adaptable and am bitious p eople am ong the com m on races. Th ey have w idely varying A Broad Spectrum tastes, m orals, and custom s in the m any different lands W ith their penchant for m igration and conquest, w here they have settled. W h en they settle, though, hum ans are m ore physically diverse than other com m on they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and races. T h ere is n o typical hum an. A n individual can great kin gdom s that can persist for long centuries. A n stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and w eigh individual hum an m ight have a relatively short life span, from 125 to 250 pou nd s. H um an skin sh ades range but a hum an nation or culture p reserves traditions from nearly black to very pale, and hair c o lo rs from w ith origins far beyon d the reach o f any single hum an’s black to blond (curly, kinky, or straight); m ales might m em ory. They live fully in the present—m akin g them sp ort facial hair that is sp arse or thick. A lot o f hum ans w ell suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the have a dash o f nonhum an blood, revealing hints o f elf, future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and o r c , or other lineages. H um ans reach adulthood in their as a group, hum ans are adaptable opportunists, and late teens and rarely live even a single century. they stay alert to changin g political and socia l dynam ics. E v e r y o n e ’s S e c o n d - B e s t F r i e n d s Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle with members o f other races. They get along with almost everyone, though they might not be close to many. Humans serve as ambassadors, diplomats, magistrates, merchants, and functionaries o f all kinds. Dwarves. “They’re stout folk, stalwart friends, and true to their word. Their greed for gold is their downfall, though.” Elves. “ It’s best not to wander into elven woods. They don't parents give their children n am es from other languages, like intruders, and you’ll as likely be bewitched as peppered such as D w arvish or Elvish (p ron ou n ced m ore or less with arrows. Still, if an elf can get past that damned racial correctly), but m ost parents give n am es that are linked pride and actually treat you like an equal, you can learn a lot to their region ’s culture or to the n am ing traditions o f from them.” their ancestors. Halflings. "It’s hard to beat a meal in a halfling home, as The material culture and physical characteristics long as you don’t crack your head on the ceiling— good food and good stories in front o f a nice, warm fire. If halflings had o f hum ans can change w ildly from region to region. a shred o f ambition, they might really amount to something.” In the Forgotten R ealm s, for exam ple, the clothing, architecture, cuisine, m usic, and literature are different in the northw estern lands o f the Silver M arch es than L a s t in g In s t it u t io n s in distant Turm ish or Im piltur to the east—and even W h ere a single elf or dw arf m ight take on the m ore distinctive in far-off Kara-Tur. H um an physical respon sibility o f guarding a sp ecia l location or a characteristics, though, vary accord in g to the ancient pow erfu l secret, hum ans found sacred orders and m igrations o f the earliest hum ans, s o that the hum ans institutions for such p u rp oses. W h ile dw arf clans and o f the Silver M arch es have every p ossib le variation o f halfling elders pass on the ancient traditions to each coloration and features. n ew generation, hum an tem ples, governm ents, libraries, In the Forgotten R ealm s, nine hum an ethnic groups and c o d e s o f law fix their traditions in the b e d ro ck o f are w idely r ecog n ized , though over a d ozen others are history. H um ans dream o f im m ortality, but (except for found in m ore localized areas o f Faerun. T h ese groups, th ose few w h o seek undeath or divine ascen sion to and the typical n am es o f their m em bers, can be u sed as esca p e death’s clutches) they achieve it by en su ring that inspiration no m atter w hich w orld your hum an is in. they w ill be rem em b ered w hen they are gone. C a l is h it e Although som e hum ans ca n b e xenoph obic, in Sh orter and slighter in build than m ost other hum ans, general their societies are inclusive. H um an lands Calishites have dusky brow n skin, hair, and eyes. w elcom e large num bers o f nonh u m an s com pa red to the T h ey’re found prim arily in southw est Faerun. p roportion o f hum ans w h o live in nonhum an lands. Calishite Names: (M ale) Aseir, Bardeid, Haseid, Ex em plar s of A m bitio n K hem ed, M ehm en, Sudeim an, Z asheir; (female) H um ans w h o seek adventure are the m ost daring and Atala, Ceidil, Ham a, Jasmal, Meilil, Seipora, Yasheira, am bitious m em bers o f a daring and am bitious race. Zasheida; (surnam es) Basha, D um ein, Jassan, Khalid, Th ey seek to earn glory in the eyes o f their fellow s M ostana, Pashar, Rein by am assin g pow er, w ealth, and fam e. M ore than C hondathan other people, hum ans cham pion cau ses rather than Chondathans are slender, tawny-skinned folk with territories or groups. brow n hair that ranges from alm ost blond to alm ost black. M ost are tall and have green or brow n eyes, H u m a n N am es a n d Eth n icitie s but these traits are hardly universal. H um ans o f Having s o m uch m ore variety than other cultures, Chondathan d escen t dom inate the central lands o f hum ans as a w hole have no typical nam es. S o m e hum an Faerun. around the Inner Sea. Chondathan Names: (M ale) Darvin, D orn, Evendur, Sh o u G orstag, Grim , H elm , Malark, M orn, Randal, Th e Sh ou are the m ost num erou s and pow erfu l ethnic Stedd; (fem ale) A rveen e, Esvele, Jhessail, Kerri, group in Kara-Tur, far to the east o f Faerun. T h ey are Lureene, Miri, R ow an, Shandri, Tessele; (surnam es) yellow ish -bron ze in hue, with black hair and dark A m blecrow n , B uckm an, D undragon, E venw ood, eyes. S h ou su rnam es are usually presented before G reycastle, Tallstag the given nam e. Dam aran Shou Names: (M ale) An, Chen, Chi, Fai, Jiang, Jun, Found prim arily in the n orthw est o f Faerun, D am arans Lian, Long, M eng, On, Shan, Shui, W en; (female) are o f m oderate height and build, w ith skin hues Bai, Chao, Jia, Lei, Mei, Qiao, Shui, Tai; (surnam es) ranging from tawny to fair. Th eir hair is usually brow n Chien, Huang, Kao, Kung, Lao, Ling, Mei, Pin, Shin, or black, and their eye c o lo r varies widely, though brow n Sum , Tan, W an is m ost com m on . T e t h y r ia n Damaran Names: (M ale) Bor, Fodel, Glar, Grigor, W id espread along the entire S w ord C oast at the Igan, Ivor, K osef, Mival, Orel, Pavel, S ergor; (female) w estern edge o f Faerun, Tethyrians are o f m edium build Alethra, Kara, Katernin, Mara, Natali, Olma, Tana, and height, w ith dusky skin that tends to g row fairer Zora; (surnam es) Bersk, Chernin, Dotsk, Kulenov, the farther north they dwell. Their hair and eye color M arsk, N em etsk, Shem ov, Starag varies widely, but brow n hair and blue eyes are the m ost com m on . Tethyrians prim arily use C hondathan nam es. Illu sk a n Illuskans are tall, fair-skinned folk with blue or steely Tu ram i gray eyes. M ost have raven-black hair, but those w ho Native to the southern sh ore o f the Inner S ea , the inhabit the extrem e northwest have blond, red, or Turami p eop le are generally tall and m uscular, with light brow n hair. dark m ahogany skin, curly black hair, and dark eyes. Illuskan Names: (M ale) Ander, Blath, Bran, Frath, Turami Names: (M ale) Anton, D iero, M arcon, Pieron, Geth, Lander, Luth, M alcer, Stor, Taman, Urth; R im ardo, R om ero, Salazar, U m bero; (fem ale) Balam a, (fem ale) Am afrey, Betha, Cefrey, Kethra, Mara, Olga, D ona, Faila, Jalana, Luisa, Marta, Quara, Selise, Silifrey, W estra; (surnam es) B rightw ood, Helder, Vonda; (surnam es) A gosto, A storio, Calabra, D om ine, H ornraven, Lackm an, Storm w ind, W indrivver Falone, M arivaldi, Pisacar, R a m on d o M ulan H um an T r a it s D om inant in the eastern and southeastern sh ores o f the Inner Sea, the Mulan are generally tall, slim , and It’s hard to m ake generalizations about hum ans, but am ber-skinned, with eyes o f hazel or brow n. T heir hair your hum an character has th ese traits. ranges from black to dark brow n, but in the lands w here Ability Score Increase. Your ability sc o r e s each in crease by 1. the M ulan are m ost prom inent, n obles and m any other Mulan shave o ff all their hair. Age. H um ans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century. Mulan Names: (M ale) Aoth, Bareris, Ehput-Ki, Alignment. H um ans tend tow ard no Kethoth, M um ed, R am as, So-K ehur, T hazar-D e, particular alignm ent. T h e best and the w orst are Urhur; (female) Arizim a, Chathi, Nephis, Nulara, found am ong them. Murithi, S efris, Thola, Umara, Z olis; (surnam es) Size. H um ans vary w idely in height and build, from Ankhalab, Anskuld, Fezim , Hahpet, Nathandem, barely 5 feet to w ell over 6 feet tall. R egardless o f your Sepret, Uuthrakt position in that range, your size is M edium . Speed. Your ba se w alk in g sp eed is 30 feet. R ash em i Languages. You can speak, read, and write C om m on M ost often found east o f the Inner S e a and often and on e extra language o f your ch oice. H um ans typically interm ingled with the M ulan, R a sh em is tend to b e short, learn the languages o f other p eop les they deal with, stout, and m uscular. They usually have dusky skin, dark including o b scu re dialects. They are fond o f sprinkling eyes, and thick black hair. their sp eech w ith w ord s b orrow ed from other tongues: Rashem i Names: (M ale) Borivik, Faurgar, Jandar, O rc cu rses, Elvish m usical expression s, D w arvish Kanithar, M adislak, R alm evik, Shaum ar, Vladislak; m ilitary phrases, and so on. (fem ale) Fyevarra, H ulm arra, Im m ith, Imzel, Navarra, Shevarra, Tam mith. Yuldra; (surnam es) Va r ia n t H u m a n T r a it s Chergoba, D yernina, Iltazyara, Murnyethara, If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from chapter 5, Stayanoga, U lm okina your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait. father’sface was a skill she'd been fortunate to learn. A human who couldn’t spot the shift of her eyes or Havilar’s would certainly see only the indifference of a dragon in Clanless Mehen’sface. But the shift of scales, the arch of a ridge, the set of his eyes, the gape of his teeth—herfather's face spoke volumes. But every scale of it, this time, seemed completely still— the indifference of a dragon, even to Farideh. —E rin M . Evans, The Adversary B orn o f dragons, as their nam e p roclaim s, the dragonborn w alk proudly through a w orld that greets them with fearful in com prehen sion . S h a ped by d racon ic g od s or the dragons them selves, dragonborn originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, com bin in g the best attributes o f dragons and hum anoids. S o m e dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks o f soldiers in great w ars, and still others find them selves adrift, with no clear calling in life. P r o u d D r a g o n K in D ragon born look very m uch like dragons standing erect in hum anoid form , though they lack w in gs or a tail. The first dragonborn had sca les o f vibrant hues m atching D ragonborn the colors o f their dragon kin, but generations o f H e r f a t h e r s t o o d o n t h e f i r s t o f t h e t h r e e s t a ir s interbreeding have created a m ore uniform appearance. Their sm all, fine sca les are usually brass or bron ze that led down from the portal, unmoving. The scales of his in color, som etim es ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or face had grown paler around the edges, but Clanless Mehen copper-green. T h ey are tall and strongly built, often still looked as if he could wrestle down a dire bear him- standing clo se to 6 1/2 feet tall and w eigh in g 3 0 0 pou nds self. Hisfamiliar well-worn armor was gone, replaced by or m ore. T heir hands and feet are strong, talonlike claw s w ith three fingers and a thum b on each hand. violet-tinted scale armor with bright silvery tracings. There T h e b lood o f a particular type o f dragon runs was a blazon on his arm as well, the mark of some foreign very strong through so m e dragonborn clans. T h ese house. The sword at his back was the same, though, the one dragonborn often boast sca les that m ore closely m atch th ose o f their dragon a n cestor—bright red, green, blue, he had carried since even before he hadfound the twins left or white, lustrous black, or gleam ing m etallic gold, in swaddling at the gates o f Arush Vayem. silver, brass, copper, or bronze. U n c o m m o n Ra ces The dragonborn and the rest o f the races in this chapter are uncommon. They don’t exist in every world of D&D, and even where they are found, they are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. Self-S u fficien t C lan s In the cosmopolitan cities o f the D&D multiverse, most people hardly look twice at members of even the most To any dragonborn , the clan is m ore im portant than exotic races. But the small towns and villages that dot life itself. D ragon born ow e their devotion and respect the countryside are different. The common folk aren’t to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each accustomed to seeing members o f these races, and they dragon b orn ’s con du ct reflects on the h on or o f his or her react accordingly. clan, and brin ging dishon or to the clan can result in Dragonborn. It’s easy to assume that a dragonborn is a expulsion and exile. E ach dragonborn k n ow s his or her monster, especially if his or her scales betray a chromatic station and duties w ithin the clan, and h on or dem ands heritage. Unless the dragonborn starts breathing fire and m aintaining the b ou n ds o f that position. causing destruction, though, people are likely to respond A continual drive for self-im provem ent reflects the with caution rather than outright fear. self-sufficiency o f the race as a w hole. D ragon born value Gnome. Gnomes don’t look like a threat and can quickly disarm suspicion with good humor. The common folk are skill and excellen ce in all endeavors. T h ey hate to fail, often curious about gnomes, likely never having seen one and they push th em selves to extrem e efforts b efore they before, but they are rarely hostile or fearful. give up on som ething. A d ragonborn holds m astery o f Half-Elf. Although many people have never seen a half-elf, a particular skill as a lifetim e goal. M em bers o f other virtually everyone knows they exist. A half-elf stranger’s races w h o share the sam e com m itm en t find it easy to arrival is followed by gossip behind the half-elf's back and earn the resp ect o f a dragonborn. stolen glances across the common room, rather than any T h ough all dragonborn strive to b e self-sufficient, confrontation or open curiosity. they recog n ize that help is som etim es n eeded in difficult Half-Orc. It’s usually safe to assume that a half-orc is situations. But the best so u rce for such help is the belligerent and quick to anger, so people watch themselves clan, and w hen a clan n eeds help, it turns to another around an unfamiliar half-orc. Shopkeepers might surreptitiously hide valuable or fragile goods when a half-orc dragonborn clan b efore seek in g aid from other ra ce s— comes in, and people slowly clear out o f a tavern, assuming a or even from the gods. fight will break out soon. Tiefling. Half-orcs are greeted with a practical caution, but D ragonborn Names tieflings are the subject o f supernatural fear. The evil o f their D ra gon born have person al n am es given at birth, heritage is plainly visible in their features, and as far as most but they put their clan n am es first as a m ark o f people are concerned, a tiefling could very well be a devil straight from the Nine Hells. People might make warding honor. A ch ild h ood nam e or nickn am e is often used signs as a tiefling approaches, cross the street to avoid am ong clutchm ates as a descriptive term or a term passing near, or bar shop doors before a tiefling can enter. o f endearm ent. T h e nam e m ight recall an event or center on a habit. Male Names: Arjhan, Balasar, Bharash, D onaar, Ghesh. H eskan, Kriv, M edrash, M ehen, Nadarr, Pandjed, Patrin, Rhogar, Sham ash, Sh edinn, Tarhun, Torinn Female Names: Akra, Biri, Daar, Farideh, Harann, Flavilar, Jheri, Kava, K orinn, M ishann, Nala, Perra, Raiann, Sora, Surina, Thava, Uadjit Childhood Nam es: Clim ber, Earbender, Leaper, Pious, D r a c o n ia n s Shieldbiter, Z ea lou s in the Dragonlance setting, the followers o f the evil goddess Clan Nam es: Clethtinthiallor, D aardendrian, D elm irev, Takhisis learned a dark ritual that let them corrupt the D rachedandion, Fenkenkabradon, K epesh km olik, eggs o f metallic dragons, producing evil dragonborn called Kerrhylon, K im batuul, Linxakasendalor, Myastan, draconians. Five types o f draconians, corresponding to the N em m onis, N orixius, Ophinshtalajiir, Prexijandilin, five types o f metallic dragons, fought for Takhisis in the War o f the Lance: auraks (gold), baaz (brass), bozak (bronze), Shestendeliath, Turnuroth, Verthisathurgiesh, Yarjerit kapak (copper), and sivak (silver). In place o f their draconic breath weapons, they have unique magical abilities. D r a g o n b o r n T r a it s Your d racon ic heritage m anifests in a variety o f traits Draconic Ancestry. You have d racon ic ancestry. you share with other dragonborn. C h oose on e type o f dragon from the D ra con ic A n cestry Ability Score Increase. Your Strength sco re table. Your breath w eapon and dam age resistan ce are in creases by 2, and your C harism a sco re in creases by 1. determ ined by the dragon type, as sh ow n in the table. Age. Y oung dragonborn grow quickly. T h ey w alk Breath Weapon. Y ou can u se your action to exhale hours after hatching, attain the size and developm ent destructive energy. Your d racon ic an cestry determ ines o f a 10-year-old hum an child by the age o f 3, and reach the size, shape, and dam age type o f the exhalation. adulthood by 15. T h ey live to be around 80. W h en you u se your breath w eapon , each creature in Alignment. D ragon born tend to extrem es, m akin g a the area o f the exhalation m ust m ake a saving throw, co n s cio u s ch oice for on e side or the other in the co sm ic the type o f w hich is determ ined by your dracon ic w ar betw een g o o d and evil (represented by Bahamut ancestry. T h e D C for this saving th row equals 8 + and Tiamat, respectively). M ost dragonborn are good, your Constitution m odifier + your proficiency bonus. A but th ose w h o side with Tiam at can be terrible villains. creature takes 2d6 dam age on a failed save, and half Size. D ragon born are taller and heavier than hum ans, as m uch dam age on a su ccessfu l one. T h e dam age standing w ell over 6 feet tall and averaging alm ost 250 in creases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4 d 6 at 11th level, and 5d6 pou nds. Your size is M edium . at 16th level. Speed. Your b a se w alk in g sp eed is 30 feet. A fter you u se your breath w eapon , you c a n ’t u se it again until you com plete a short or lon g rest. D r a c o n ic A n c est r y Damage Resistance. You have resistan ce to the Dragon Damage Type Breath Weapon d am age type a ssocia ted w ith your dracon ic ancestry. Black Acid 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on Blue Lightning 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) and D ra con ic. D ra con ic is thought to be on e o f the Brass Fire 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) oldest languages and is often u sed in the study o f m agic. Bronze Lightning 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) T h e language sou n d s harsh to m ost other creatu res and includes num erou s hard con son a n ts and sibilants. Copper Acid 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) Cold Fire 15 ft. cone (Dex. save) Green Poison 15 ft. cone (Con. save) Red Fire 15 ft. cone (Dex. save) Silver Cold 15 ft. cone (Con. save) White Cold 15 ft. cone (Con. save) G nome Sk i n n y a n d f l a x e n - h a ir e d , h is s k in walnut brown and his eyes a startling turquoise, Burgell stood half as tall asAeron climb up on a stool to look out the peephole. Like most hab- itations in Oeble, that particular tenement had been built for humans, and smaller residents coped with the resulting awkwardness as best they could. But at least the relative largeness of the apartment gave Burgell room to pack in all his gnome-sized gear. The front room was his workshop, and it contained a bewildering miscellany of tools: hammers, chisels, saws, lockpicks, fair hair has a tendency to stick out in every direction, as if expressing the gnom e’s insatiable interest in tinted lenses, jeweler's loupes, and jars of powdered and everything around. shredded ingredients for casting spells. A fat gray cat, the A g n om e’s person ality is writ large in his or her mage’s familiar, lay curled atop a grimoire. It opened its appearance. A m ale g n om e’s beard, in contrast to eyes, gave Aeron a disdainfulyellow stare, then appeared his w ild hair, is kept carefully trim m ed but often styled into cu riou s forks or neat points. A g n om e’s to go back to sleep. clothing, though usually m ade in m od est earth tones, —R ich a r d L ee Byers, The Black Bouquet is elaborately d ecorated w ith em broidery, em bossin g, or gleam ing jew els. A constant hum o f busy activity p ervades the w arren s and n eigh b orh ood s w h ere g n om es form their close- D elig h ted D ed icatio n knit com m u n ities. L ou der sou n d s punctuate the hum: A s far as g n om es are con cern ed , bein g alive is a a cru n ch o f grinding gears here, a m inor explosion w onderfu l thing, and they sq u eeze every o u n ce o f there, a yelp o f su rprise or triumph, and esp ecially enjoym ent out o f their three to five centuries o f life. bursts o f laughter. G n om es take delight in life, enjoying H um ans m ight w on d er about getting bored over the every m om ent o f invention, exploration, investigation, co u rse o f such a long life, and elves take plenty o f time creation, and play. to savor the beauties o f the w orld in their long years, but g n om es seem to w orry that even w ith all that tim e, they V ib r a n t E xpr essio n ca n ’t get in en ough o f the things they w ant to do and see. A g n om e’s en ergy and enthusiasm for living shines G n om es sp eak as if they ca n ’t get the thoughts th rough every inch o f his or her tiny body. G n om es out o f their heads fast enough. Even as they offer average slightly over 3 feet tall and w eigh 40 to 45 ideas and opin ion s on a range o f subjects, they still pou nd s. T heir tan or brow n faces are usually adorn ed m anage to listen carefully to others, adding the w ith broad sm iles (beneath their p rod ig iou s n oses), appropriate exclam ations o f su rprise and appreciation and their bright eyes shine with excitement. Their along the way. D eep G no m es A third subrace o f gnomes, the deep gnomes (or svirfneblin), live in small communities scattered in the Underdark. Unlike the duergar and the drow, svirfneblin are as good as their surface cousins. However, their humor and enthusiasm are dampened by their oppressive environment, and their inventive expertise is directed mostly toward stonework. T h ough g n om es love jo k e s o f all kinds, particularly Male Nam es: Alston, Alvyn, B odd yn ock, B rocc, Burgell, puns and pranks, th ey’re ju st as dedicated to the m ore D im ble, Eldon, Erky, Fonkin, Frug, G erbo, G im ble, seriou s tasks they undertake. M any g n om es are skilled Glim, Jebeddo, K ellen, N am foodle, Orryn, R oondar, engineers, alchem ists, tinkers, and inventors. T h ey ’re S ee b o , Sindri, W arryn, W renn, Z o o k w illing to m ake m istakes and laugh at them selves in Female Names: B im pnottin, Breena, Caram ip, Carlin, the p r o ce s s o f perfectin g w hat they do, taking bold D onella, Duvam il, Ella, Ellyjobell, Ellyw ick, Lilli, (som etim es foolhardy) risks and dream in g large. L oopm ottin, Lorilla, M ardnab, N issa, Nyx, Oda, Orla, R oyw yn , Sham il, Tana, W ayw ocket, Zanna B rig h t B urrow s Clan Names: Beren, D aergel, Folkor, G arrick, Nackle, G n om es m ake their h om es in hilly, w o o d e d lands. They M urnig, Ningel, Raulnor, S ch ep p en , Tim bers, Turen live underground but get m ore fresh air than dw arves Nicknames: A leslosh, Ashhearth, Badger, Cloak, do, enjoying the natural, living w orld on the surface D oublelock, Filchbatter, Fnipper, Ku, Nim , O neshoe, w henever they can. T h eir h om es are w ell hidden by P ock , Sparklegem , Stum bleduck both clever construction and sim ple illusions. W elcom e visitors are quickly u sh ered into the bright, w arm Seein g th e W orld bu rrow s. T h ose w h o are not w elcom e are unlikely to C urious and im pulsive, g n om es m ight take up find the bu rrow s in the first place. adventuring as a w ay to see the w orld or for the love G n om es w h o settle in hum an lands are com m on ly o f exploring. A s lovers o f gem s and other fine items, gem cutters, engineers, sages, or tinkers. S o m e hum an som e g n om es take to adventuring as a quick, if fam ilies retain gnom e tutors, en su ring that their pupils dangerous, path to wealth. R egardless o f w hat spurs enjoy a m ix o f seriou s learning and delighted enjoym ent. them to adventure, g n om es w h o adopt this w ay o f life A gnom e m ight tutor several generations o f a single eke as m uch enjoym ent out o f it as they d o out o f any hum an fam ily over the cou rse o f his or her long life. other activity they undertake, som etim es to the great annoyance o f their adventuring com pan ion s. G nome Names G n om es love nam es, and m ost have h alf a d ozen or so. G n o m e T r aits A gnom e's mother, father, clan elder, aunts, and uncles Y our gnom e character has certain characteristics in each give the gnom e a nam e, and various nick n am es co m m o n with all other gnom es. from ju st about everyone else m ight or m ight not stick Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence sco re over time. G n om e n am es are typically variants on the in creases by 2. n am es o f an cestors or distant relatives, though som e Age. G n om es m ature at the sam e rate hum ans do, and are purely n ew inventions. W h en dealing w ith hum ans m ost are expected to settle dow n into an adult life by and others w h o are “stuffy” about nam es, a gnom e around age 40. Th ey ca n live 35 0 to alm ost 5 0 0 years. learns to use no m ore than three nam es: a personal Alignment. G n om es are m ost often g ood. T h ose w ho nam e, a clan nam e, and a nicknam e, ch oosin g the on e in tend tow ard law are sages, engineers, researchers, each category that’s the m ost fun to say. sch olars, investigators, or inventors. T h o se w h o tend tow ard ch a os are m instrels, tricksters, w anderers, or fanciful jew elers. G n om es are good-hearted, and A lw ays A p p r e c ia t iv e Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution sco re It’s rare for a gnome to be hostile or malicious unless he in creases by 1. or she has suffered a grievous injury. Gnomes know that Artificer’s Lore. W h enever you m ake an Intelligence most races don’t share their sense o f humor, but they enjoy (H istory) ch eck related to m agic item s, alchem ical anyone's company just as they enjoy everything else they set objects, or tech n ological devices, you can add tw ice your out to do. proficiency bonus, instead o f any p roficiency bon u s you n orm ally apply. even the tricksters am ong them are m ore playful Tinker. You have proficiency with artisan’s tools than vicious. (tinker’s tools). U sing th ose tools, you can spend 1 Size. G n om es are betw een 3 and 4 feet tall and hour and 10 gp w orth o f m aterials to con stru ct a Tiny average about 4 0 pou nds. Your size is Sm all. clock w ork device (AC 5, 1 hp). T h e device c e a se s Speed. Your base w alkin g sp eed is 25 feet. to function after 24 h ours (unless you spend 1 hour Darkvision. A ccu stom ed to life underground, you have repairing it to keep the device functioning), or w hen su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You can you use your action to dism antle it; at that tim e, you can see in dim light w ithin 60 feet o f you as if it w ere bright reclaim the m aterials u sed to create it. You can have up light, and in darkn ess as if it w ere dim light. You can't to three such devices active at a time. discern color in darkness, only sh ad es o f gray. W h en you create a device, c h o o s e on e o f the Gnome Cunning. You have advantage on all follow in g options: Intelligence, W isdom , and C harism a saving throw s Clockwork Toy. T h is toy is a clock w ork anim al, monster, against m agic. or person , such as a frog, m ou se, bird, dragon, or Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on soldier. W h en placed on the ground, the toy m oves and G nom ish. T h e G nom ish language, w hich u ses the 5 feet a cro ss the ground on each o f your turns in a D w arvish script, is ren ow n ed for its technical treatises random direction. It m akes n oises as appropriate and its catalogs o f k n ow led ge about the natural world. to the creature it represents. Subrace. Tw o su braces o f g n om es are found am ong Fire Starter. The device p rod u ces a m iniature the w orlds o f D & D : forest g n om es and rock gnom es. flame, w hich you can use to light a candle, C h oose one o f these subraces. torch, or cam pfire. U sing the device Forest G nome requ ires your action. A s a forest gnom e, you have a natural knack for illusion Music Box. W h en open ed, this m u sic box and inherent qu ick n ess and stealth. In the w orlds of plays a single son g at a m oderate volum e. D&D, forest g n om es are rare and secretive. Th ey gather The b ox stops playing w hen it in hidden com m u n ities in sylvan forests, usin g illusions reach es the s o n g ’s end or and trickery to co n ce a l them selves from threats or w hen it is closed. to m ask their esca p e should they be detected. Forest g n om es tend to be friendly with other good-spirited w ood la n d folk, and they regard elves and g o o d fey as their m ost im portant allies. T h ese g n om es also befriend sm all forest anim als and rely on them for inform ation about threats that might prow l their lands. Ability Score Increase. Your D exterity s co re in creases by 1. Natural Illusionist. You k n ow the minor illusion cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcastin g ability for it. Speak with Small Beasts. T h rou gh sou n d s and gestures, you can com m u n icate sim ple ideas w ith Sm all or sm aller beasts. Forest g n om es love anim als and often keep squirrels, badgers, rabbits, m oles, w ood p eck ers, and other creatures as beloved pets. Rock G nome A s a rock gnom e, you have a natural inventiveness and h ardin ess beyon d that o f other g n om es. M ost gn om es in the w orld s o f D & D are rock gnom es, including the tinker g n om es o f the D ragon lance setting. “Tanis?” said Flint hesitantly as the man neared. “The same.” The newcomer’s beardedface split in a wide grin. He held open his arms and, before the dwarf could stop him, engulfed Flint in a hug that lifted him off the ground. The dwarf clasped his old friend close for a brief instant, then, remembering his dignity, squirmed and freed himselffrom the half-elf’s embrace. —M a rg a ret W eis a n d T ra cy H ick m a n , Dragons of Autumn Twilight W alking in tw o w orld s but truly b elon gin g to neither, half-elves com bin e w hat som e say are the best qualities o f their elf and hum an parents: hum an curiosity, inventiveness, and am bition tem pered by the refined sen ses, love o f nature, and artistic tastes o f the elves. S o m e half-elves live am ong hum ans, set apart by their em otion al and physical differences, w atching friends and loved on es age w hile tim e barely tou ches them. O thers live with the elves, g row in g restless as they reach adulthood in the tim eless elven realm s, w hile H a l f - E lf their peers continue to live as children. M any half-elves, F l in t s q u in t e d in t o t h e s e t t in g s u n . H e t h o u g h t unable to fit into either society, c h o o s e lives o f solitary w an dering or join w ith other misfits and ou tcasts in he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, the adventuring life. Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man's walk was marked by an easy grace—an elvish O f Two W orlds grace, Flint would have said;yet the man’s body had the To hum ans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they lo o k hum an. In height, they’re on par w ith both parents, thickness and tight muscles of a human, while thefacial though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad hair was definitely humankind’s. All the dwarf could see as hum ans. They range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet of the man’sface beneath a green hood was tan skin and a tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds, w ith m en only slightly brownish-red beard. A longbow was slung over one shoulder taller and heavier than w om en . H alf-elf m en do have facial hair, and som etim es g row b ea rd s to m ask their and a sword hung at his leftside. He was dressed in soft elven ancestry. H alf-elven coloration and features lie leather, carefully tooled in the intricate designs the elves som ew h ere betw een their hum an and elf parents, and loved. But no elf in the world o f Krynn could grow a beard thus sh ow a variety even m ore p ron ou n ced than that . . . no elf, but. . . found am ong either race. They tend to have the eyes o f their elven parents. Exc ellen t A m bassad ors Many half-elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and human energy without human boorishness. They often make excellent ambassadors and go-betweens (except between elves and humans, since each side suspects the half-elf o f favoring the other). D iplo m ats or W an d er er s creative expression , dem onstrating neither love o f leaders nor desire for follow ers. They chafe at H alf-elves have no lands o f their ow n, though they are rules, resent oth ers’ dem ands, and som etim es prove w elcom e in hum an cities and som ew h at less w elco m e unreliable, or at least unpredictable. in elven forests. In large cities in region s w h ere elves Size. H alf-elves are about the sam e size as hum ans, and hum ans interact often, half-elves are som etim es ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is M edium . n um erous en ough to form sm all com m u n ities o f their Speed. Your base w alkin g sp eed is 30 feet. ow n. T h ey enjoy the com pany o f other half-elves, the Darkvision. T h an ks to your elf blood, you have only p eople w h o truly understand w hat it is to live su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You can b etw een th ese tw o w orlds. see in dim light within 60 feet o f you as if it w ere bright In m ost parts o f the w orld, though, half-elves are light, and in darkn ess as if it w ere dim light. You ca n ’t u n com m on en ough that on e m ight live for years discern color in darkness, only sh ades o f gray. w ithout m eetin g another. S o m e half-elves prefer to Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throw s avoid com pany altogether, w an dering the w ild s as against bein g charm ed, and m agic ca n ’t put you to sleep. trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in tw o skills civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by o f your choice. the w anderlust that c o m e s o f their longevity. Others, Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on , in contrast, th row th em selves into the thick o f society, Elvish, and on e extra language o f your ch oice. putting their charism a and socia l skills to great use in diplom atic roles or as sw indlers. H a l f -E lf N am es H alf-elves use either hum an or elven nam ing conventions. A s if to em phasize that they d on ’t really fit in to either society, half-elves raised am ong hum ans are often given elven nam es, and th ose raised am ong elves often take hum an nam es. H a l f -E lf T r a it s Your half-elf character has som e qualities in com m on w ith elves and som e that are unique to half-elves. Ability Score Increase. Your C harism a score in creases by 2, and tw o other ability s co re s o f your ch oice in crease by 1. Age. Half-elves m ature at the sam e rate hum ans d o and reach adulthood around the age o f 20. They live m uch longer than hum ans, however, often ex ceed in g 180 years. Alignment. H alf-elves share the chaotic bent o f their elven heritage. Th ey value both person al freed om and W h eth er united under the leadership o f a m ighty w arlock or having fought to a standstill after years o f conflict, o r c and hum an tribes som etim es form alliances, join in g forces into a larger horde to the terror o f civilized lands nearby. W h en th ese alliances are sea led by m arriages, h alf-orcs are born. S o m e h alf-orcs rise to b e c o m e proud chiefs o f o rc tribes, their hum an b lood giving them an edge over their fu ll-blooded o rc rivals. S o m e venture into the w orld to prove their w orth am ong hum ans and other m ore civilized races. M any o f these b e c o m e adventurers, achieving greatness for their m ighty d eed s and notoriety for their barbaric custom s and savage fury. S c a r r e d a n d St r o n g T h e w a r c h ie f M h u r r e n r o u s e d h im s e l f f r o m h is H alf-orcs’ grayish pigm entation, slopin g foreheads, sleeping-furs and his women and pulled a short hauberk jutting ja w s, prom inent teeth, and tow ering builds m ake of heavy steel rings over his thick, well-muscled torso. He their orcish heritage plain for all to see. H alf-orcs stand usually rose before most of his warriors, since he had a betw een 6 and 7 feet tall and usually w eigh betw een 180 and 2 5 0 pounds. strong streak of human blood in him, and he found the Orc s regard battle sca rs as tokens o f pride and daylight less bothersome than most of his tribe did. Among ornam ental sca rs as things o f beauty. Other scars, the Bloody Skulls, a warrior wasjudged by his strength, his though, m ark an orc or h alf-orc as a form er slave or a disgraced exile. Any half-orc w h o has lived am ong fierceness, and his wits. Human ancestry was no blemish or near orc s has scars, w hether they are m arks o f against a warrior—provided he was every bit as strong, hum iliation or o f pride, recou ntin g their past exploits enduring, and bloodthirsty as hisfull-blooded kin. Half- and injuries. Such a half-orc living am ong hum ans might orcs who were weaker than their orc comrades didn't last display these scars proudly or hide them in sham e. long among the Bloody Skulls or any other orc tribe for T he M a r k of G ruum sh that matter. But it was often true that a bit of human blood T h e on e-eyed god G ruum sh created the orc s, and even gave a warriorjust the right mix of cunning, ambition, and th ose orc s w h o turn away from his w orsh ip ca n ’t fully self-discipline to go far indeed, as Mhurren had. He was esca p e his influence. T h e sa m e is true o f half-orcs, master of a tribe that could muster two thousand spears, though their hum an b lood m od erates the im pact o f their orcish heritage. S om e h alf-orcs hear the w h isp ers o f and the strongest chief in Thar. G ruum sh in their dream s, calling them to unleash the —R ich a r d Baker, Swordmage rage that sim m ers w ithin them . O thers feel G ru u m sh ’s hate orcs. Some are reserved, trying not to draw attention to exultation w h en they join in m elee com bat—and either themselves. A few demonstrate piety and good-heartedness exult along w ith him or shiver w ith fear and loathing. as publicly as they can (whether or not such demonstrations H alf-orcs are not evil by nature, but evil d o e s lurk w ithin are genuine). And some simply try to be so tough that others them , w hether they em brace it or rebel against it. just avoid them. B eyond the rage o f G ruum sh, h alf-orcs feel em otion pow erfully. R a ge d oesn ’t ju st quicken their pulse, it Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score m akes their b od ies burn. A n insult stings like acid, in creases by 2, and your Constitution sco re and sa d n ess saps their strength. But they laugh loudly in creases by 1. and heartily, and sim ple b od ily p lea su res—feasting, Age. H alf-orcs m ature a little faster than hum ans, drinking, w restling, drum m ing, and w ild dancing—fill reachin g adulthood around age 14. Th ey age their hearts w ith joy. Th ey tend to be short-tem pered noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years. and som etim es sullen, m ore in clined to action than Alignment. H alf-orcs inherit a tendency toward ch a os contem plation and to fighting than arguing. T h e m ost from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined accom p lish ed h alf-orcs are th ose w ith en ough self- tow ard g ood. H alf-orcs raised am ong ores and w illing con trol to get by in a civilized land. to live out their lives am ong them are usually evil. Size. H alf-orcs are som ew h at larger and bulkier than T ribes a n d Slu m s hum ans, and they range from 5 to w ell over 6 feet tall. H alf-orcs m ost often live a m on g orc s. O f the other races, Your size is M edium . hum ans are m ost likely to a ccept half-orcs, and half- Speed. Your base w alk in g sp eed is 30 feet. orcs alm ost always live in hum an lands w hen not living Darkvision. T h an ks to your o r c blood, you have am ong orc tribes. W h eth er proving th em selves am ong su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You can rough barbarian tribes or scrabblin g to survive in the see in dim light w ithin 60 feet o f you as if it w ere bright slum s o f larger cities, h alf-orcs get by on their physical light, and in darkn ess as if it w ere dim light. You can't might, their endurance, and the sh eer determ ination discern color in darkness, only sh ades o f gray. they inherit from their hum an ancestry. Menacing. You gain proficiency in the Intim idation skill. H a l f - O rc N a m e s Relentless Endurance. W h en you are redu ced to H alf-orcs usually have n am es appropriate to the culture 0 hit points but n ot k illed outright, you can drop to 1 hit in w h ich they w ere raised. A h alf-orc w h o w ants to fit in point instead. You ca n ’t use this feature again until you am ong hum ans might trade an o r c nam e for a hum an finish a lon g rest. nam e. S o m e h alf-orcs w ith hum an n am es decide to Savage Attacks. W h en you sco re a critical hit with adopt a guttural o r c n am e b eca u se they think it m akes a m elee w eapon attack, you can roll one o f the w eapon ’s them m ore intim idating. dam age dice on e additional tim e and add it to the extra dam age o f the critical hit. Male Orc Names: D ench, Feng, Gell, Henk, H olg, Imsh, Languages. You can speak, read, and Keth, K rusk, M hurren, Ront, Shum p, T h ok k w rite C om m on and O rc . O rc is a Female O rc Names: Baggi, Em en, Engong, Kansif, harsh, grating language with Myev, N eega, Ovak, O w nka, Shautha, Sutha, Vola, hard consonants. It has Volen, Yevelda no script o f its ow n but is w ritten in the H a l f - O rc T r a it s D w arvish script. Y our h alf-orc character has certain traits deriving from your ore ancestry. that wicked glint in his eyes. “Youfight it, don’tyou ? Like a little wildcat, I wager. Every littlejab and comment just sharpensyour claws.” —E rin M . Evans, Brimstone Angels To be greeted with stares and w h ispers, to suffer violen ce and insult on the street, to see m istrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot o f the tiefling. And to tw ist the knife, tieflings kn ow that this is b eca u se a pact stru ck generations ago in fused the e ss e n ce o f A s m od eu s—overlord o f the Nine H ells—into their bloodlin e. Th eir appearan ce and their nature are not their fault but the result o f an ancient sin, for w hich they and their children and their children ’s children w ill always b e held accountable. In fer n a l B lo o d lin e Tieflings are derived from hum an blood lin es, and in the broadest p ossib le sen se, they still look hum an. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear im print on their appearan ce. T ieflings have large h orns that take any “ B u t y o u d o see t h e w a y p e o p l e l o o k a t y o u , o f a variety o f shapes: som e have curling h orn s like a devil’s child." ram, others have straight and tall h orn s like a g azelle’s, Those black eyes, cold as a winter storm, were staring and som e spiral upw ard like an an telopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, w hich lash or coil right into her heart and the sudden seriousness in his around their legs w hen they get upset or n ervous. Their voice jolted her. can in e teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are “What is it they say?" he asked. “One’s a curiosity, two’s solid c o lo r s —black, red, white, silver, or gold—w ith no visible sclera or pupil. Th eir skin tones cover the full a conspiracy—” range o f hum an coloration, but also include various “Three's a curse,” she finished. “You think I haven’t heard sh ades o f red. Their hair, ca sca d in g dow n from behind that rubbish before?” their h orns, is usually dark, from black o r brow n to dark “I knowy o u have.” When she glared at him, he added, red, blue, or purple. “It’s not as if I ’m plumbing the depths of your mind, dear Se l f -R e l ia n t a n d Su spicio u s girl. That is the burden of every tiefling. Some break under Tieflings subsist in sm all m inorities found m ostly in it, some make it the millstone around their neck, some hum an cities or tow ns, often in the roughest quarters revel in it.” He tilted his head again, scrutinizing her, with o f th ose places, w here they g row up to be sw indlers, M u tu a l M is t r u s t People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings. The reality, though, is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect his or her personality to any great degree. Years o f dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the wicked stereotype, but others are virtuous. Most are simply very aware of how people respond to them. After dealing with thieves, or crim e lords. S om etim es they live am ong this mistrust throughout youth, a tiefling often develops the other m inority populations in en claves w h ere they are ability to overcome prejudice through charm or intimidation. treated w ith m ore respect. L ackin g a hom eland, tieflings k n ow that they have to m ake their ow n w ay in the w orld and that they have T ieflin g T r aits to b e strong to survive. They are not quick to trust T ieflings share certain racial traits as a result o f their anyone w h o claim s to b e a friend, but w hen a tiefling’s infernal descent. com p a n ion s dem onstrate that they trust him or her, Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score the tiefling learns to extend the sam e trust to them. in creases by 1, and your C harism a sc o r e in crea ses by 2. A n d on ce a tiefling gives som eon e loyalty, the tiefling Age. Tieflings m ature at the sam e rate as hum ans but is a firm friend or ally for life. live a few years longer. Alignment. Tieflings m ight not have an innate T ieflin g N am es ten den cy tow ard evil, but m any o f them end up there. Tiefling n am es fall into three broad categories. Tieflings Evil or not, an independent nature inclines m any b orn into another culture typically have n am es reflective tieflings tow ard a chaotic alignment. o f that culture. S o m e have n am es derived from the Size. Tieflings are about the sam e size and build as Infernal language, p a ssed dow n through generations, hum ans. Your size is M edium . that reflect their fiendish heritage. A n d som e younger Speed. Your base w alkin g sp eed is 30 feet. tieflings, striving to find a place in the w orld, adopt a Darkvision. T h an ks to your infernal heritage, you nam e that signifies a virtue or other con cep t and then have su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You try to em b od y that con cept. For som e, the ch osen nam e can see in dim light w ithin 60 feet o f you as if it w ere is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. bright light, and in darkn ess as if it w ere dim light. You Male Infernal Names: A k m en os, A m non , Barakas, c a n ’t discern color in darkness, only sh ades o f gray. D am akos, E kem on, Iados, K airon, Leu cis, M elech, Hellish Resistance. You have resistan ce M ordai, M orthos, P elaios, S k a m os, Therai to fire dam age. Female Infernal Names: Akta, A nakis, B ryseis, Criella, Infernal Legacy. You k n ow the thaumaturgy cantrip. D am aia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, M akaria, Nem eia, O nce you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish O rianna, Phelaia, Rieta rebuke spell on ce per day as a 2nd-level spell. O n ce you “Virtue” Nam es: Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, D espair, reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell E xcellen ce, Fear, Glory, H ope, Ideal, M usic, N ow here, o n ce per day. C harism a is your sp ellcastin g ability for O pen, Poetry, Quest, R andom , R everen ce, Sorrow , these spells. Temerity, Torment, W eary Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on and Infernal. C h a p t e r 3: C l a s s e s DVENTURERS ARE EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, A Your class gives you a variety o f sp ecia l features, such driven by a thirst for excitem ent into a as a fighter’s m astery o f w ea p on s and armor, and a life that others w ou ld never dare lead. w iza rd ’s spells. At low levels, your class gives you only T h ey are h eroes, com p elled to explore the tw o or three features, but as you advance in level you dark p la ces o f the w orld and take on the gain m ore and your existing features often im prove. challen ges that lesser w om en and m en Each class entry in this chapter includes a table ca n ’t stand against. su m m arizin g the benefits you gain at every level, and C lass is the prim ary definition o f w hat your character a detailed explanation o f each one. can do. It’s m ore than a profession; it’s your character’s Adventurers som etim es advance in m ore than one calling. C lass sh ap es the w ay you think about the class. A rogu e m ight sw itch direction in life and sw ear w orld and interact with it and your relationship with the oath o f a paladin. A barbarian m ight d iscover latent other p eop le and p ow ers in the m ultiverse. A fighter, m agical ability and dabble in the sorcerer class w hile for exam ple, m ight view the w orld in pragm atic term s continuing to advance as a barbarian. Elves are kn ow n o f strategy and m aneuvering, and see h erself as ju st a to com bin e m artial m astery w ith m agical training paw n in a m uch larger gam e. A cleric, by contrast, might and advance as fighters and w izards sim ultaneously. see h im self as a w illing servant in a g o d ’s u nfolding plan O ptional rules for com bin in g cla sses in this way, called or a con flict brew in g a m on g various deities. W h ile the m ulticlassing, appear in chapter 6. fighter has contacts in a m ercen a ry com pa n y or army, Twelve c la s se s—listed in the C la sses table—are found the cleric m ight kn ow a num ber o f priests, paladins, and in alm ost every D & D w orld and define the sp ectru m o f devotees w h o share his faith. typical adventurers. C lasses Hit Primary Saving Throw Armor and Weapon Class Description Die Ability Proficiencies Proficiencies Barbarian A fierce warrior of primitive background d12 Strength Strength & Light and medium armor, shields, who can enter a battle rage Constitution simple and martial weapons Bard An inspiring magician whose power d8 Charisma Dexterity & Light armor, simple weapons, hand echoes the music of creation Charisma crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords Cleric A priestly champion who wields divine d8 Wisdom Wisdom & Light and medium armor, shields, magic in service of a higher power Charisma simple weapons Druid A priest o f the Old Faith, wielding the d8 Wisdom Intelligence Light and medium armor (nonmetal), powers of nature— moonlight and & Wisdom shields (nonmetal), clubs, daggers, plant growth, fire and lightning— and darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, adopting animal forms scimitars, sickles, slings, spears Fighter A master o f martial combat, skilled with d10 Strength or Strength & All armor, shields, simple and martial a variety o f weapons and armor Dexterity Constitution weapons Monk An master of martial arts, harnessing d8 Dexterity & Strength & Simple weapons, shortswords the power of the body in pursuit of Wisdom Dexterity physical and spiritual perfection Paladin A holy warrior bound to a sacred oath d10 Strength & Wisdom & All armor, shields, simple and martial Charisma Charisma weapons Ranger A warrior who uses martial prowess and d10 Dexterity & Strength & Light and medium armor, shields, nature magic to combat threats on the Wisdom Dexterity simple and martial weapons edges of civilization Rogue A scoundrel who uses stealth and d8 Dexterity Dexterity & Light armor, simple weapons, hand trickery to overcome obstacles and Intelligence crossbows, longswords, rapiers, enemies shortswords Sorcerer A spellcaster who draws on inherent d6 Charisma Constitution Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, magic from a gift or bloodline & Charisma light crossbows Warlock A wielder of magic that is derived from d8 Charisma Wisdom & Light armor, simple weapons a bargain with an extraplanar entity Charisma Wizard A scholarly magic-user capable of d6 Intelligence Intelligence Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, manipulating the structures of reality & Wisdom light crossbows A tall hum an tribesm an strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. H e laughs as he ch arges tow ard the frost giant w h o dared p oa ch his p eop le’s elk herd. A half-orc snarls at the latest challen ger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck w ith her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals. Frothing at the mouth, a d w arf slam s his helm et into the face o f his d row foe, then turns to drive his arm ored elb ow into the gut o f another. T h ese barbarians, different as they m ight be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. M ore than a m ere em otion, their anger is the ferocity o f a corn ered predator, the unrelenting assault o f a storm , the churning turm oil o f the sea. F or som e, their rage springs from a com m u n ion with fierce anim al spirits. O thers draw from a roiling reservoir o f anger at a w orld full o f pain. For every barbarian, rage is a p ow er that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats o f strength. P r im a l In s t in c t P eop le o f tow n s and cities take pride in h ow their civilized w ays set them apart from anim als, as if denying on e’s o w n nature w as a m ark o f superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign o f w eak n ess. T h e stron g em b ra ce their anim al n a tu r e - keen instincts, prim al physicality, and ferociou s rage. B arbarians are u ncom fortable w hen h edged in by w alls and crow ds. They thrive in the w ild s o f their hom elands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslan ds w here their tribes live and hunt. Barbarians co m e alive in the ch a os o f com bat. They can enter a b erserk state w here rage takes over, giving them superhum an strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir o f fury only a few tim es w ithout resting, but th ose few rages are usually sufficient to defeat w hatever threats arise. A L if e o f D a n g e r Not every m em ber o f the tribes deem ed “barbarians” by scion s o f civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian am ong these p eople is as u n com m on as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a sim ilar role as a p rotector o f the p eople and a leader in tim es o f war. Life in the w ild places o f the w orld is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying
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