Introduction

** Work In Progress **

In D&D "race" is a very important aspect of roleplaying. This aspect has nothing to do with the human "races" we are familiar with, but instead describe the differences between humans and the various groups of fantastical humanoids (such as elves and dwarves). Not only do the different races have differing traits reflected in their numerically defined game-abilities, but the races also have differing views and prejudices regarding each other that are important to keep in mind while roleplaying in a given campaign world.

The race descriptions presented here represent optional information for the World of Greyhawk (a.k.a. the World of D&D) campaign setting, based on the official published descriptions but changed in various ways, some subtle and some more obvious. Thus this material should NOT be considered an offical TSR/WotC resource of the Greyhawk campaign or any other setting, but instead is intended as a resource for those players and characters in our private campaigns.

Humans

Most humans are the descendants of pioneers, conquerors, traders, travelers, refugees, and other people on the move. As a result, human lands are a mix of people — physically, culturally, religiously, and politically. Hardy or fine, light-skinned or dark, showy or austere, primitive or civilized, devout or impious, humans run the gamut.

Personality

Humans are the most adaptable, flexible, and ambitious people among the common races. They are diverse in their tastes, morals, customs, and habits. Others accuse them of having little respect for history, but it's only natural that humans, with their relatively short life spans and constantly changing cultures, would have a shorter collective memory than dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings.

Physical Description

Humans typically stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and weigh from 125 to 250 pounds, with men noticeably taller and heavier than women. Thanks to their penchant for migration and conquest, and to their short generations, humans are more physically diverse than other common races, with skin shades that run from nearly black to very pale, hair from black to blond (curly, kinky, or straight), and facial hair (for men) from sparse to thick. Plenty of humans have a dash of nonhuman blood, and they may demonstrate hints of elven, orc, or other lineages.

Humans are often ostentatious or unorthodox in their grooming and dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, body piercings, and the like.

Physiology

Humans have short life spans (at least relative to most of the other common races), achieving adulthood at about age 15 and rarely living even a single century. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the larger moon, Luna, which waxes and wanes every 28 days.

Relations

Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mix with members of other races. Among the other races, humans are known as "everyone's second-best friends." As such, humans are often asked to act as intermediaries between the other common races on those occasions when they don't quite see eye to eye.

Alignment

Humans tend toward no particular alignment, not even neutrality. The best and the worst are found among humans.

Human Lands

Human lands are usually in flux, with new ideas, social changes, innovations, and new leaders constantly coming to the fore. Members of longer-lived races find human culture exciting but eventually a little wearying or even bewildering.

Since humans lead such short lives, their leaders are all young compared to the political, religious, and military leaders among the other races. Even where individual humans are conservative traditionalists, human institutions change with the generations, adapting and evolving faster than parallel institutions among the elves, dwarves and gnomes and halflings. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay on top of changing political dynamics with relative ease.

Human lands generally include relatively large numbers of nonhumans (compared, for instance, to the number of nondwarves who live in dwarven lands).

Religion

Unlike members of the other common races, humans as a whole do not have a chief racial deity. While, for example, Cirith is the most commonly worshipped deity in the central Flanaess, he has nothing like the central place that dwarves give Moradin or elves give Corellon Larethian for all humans. Indeed, other geographic areas not only have differing chief deities but also their own unique mythologies, beliefs and hero traditions altogether.

In addition, some humans are the most ardent and zealous adherents of a given religion, while others are the most impious people around.

Language

Almost all humans speak Common. They typically learn other languages, including obscure ones, and they are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues - Orc curses, Halfling culinary terms, Elven musical expressions, Dwarven military phrases, and so on. In addition, some humans speak local languages and dialects, depending on, amongst other factors, the ancient cultures (Suloise, Oeridian, et.al.) that originally settled the area in which they were born.

Names

Human names vary greatly, Human names tend to vary with geographic region or nationality, and also social popularity of certain names. Without a unifying deity to give them a touchstone for their overall culture, and with such a fast breeding cycle, humans change socially at a relatively fast rate. Human culture, therefore, is more diverse than other cultures, and therefore no human names are truly typical. Some human parents even give their children dwarven, elven or other culturally exotic names (pronounced more or less correctly).

Adventurers

Human adventurers are the most audacious, daring, and ambitious members of an audacious, daring, and ambitious race. A human can earn glory in the eyes of his or her fellows by amassing power, wealth, and fame. Humans, more than other races, champion causes rather than territories or groups.

Dwarves

Dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment, their knowledge of the earth's secrets, their hard work, and their capacity for brewing and drinking ales. Their mysterious kingdoms, carved out from the insides of mountains, are renowned for the marvelous treasures that they produce as gifts, for trade... or for hoarding.

Personality

Dwarves are slow to laugh or jest and suspicious of strangers, but they are generous to those few who earn their trust. Dwarves value gold, gems, jewelry, and art objects made with these precious materials, and they have been known to succumb to greed. They fight neither recklessly nor timidly, but with a careful courage and tenacity. Their sense of justice is strong, but at its worst it can turn into a thirst for vengeance. Among gnomes, who get along famously with dwarves, a mild oath is "If I'm lying, may I cross a dwarf."

Physical Description

Dwarves stand only 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall, but they are so broad and compact that they are, on average, almost as heavy as humans. Dwarven males are slightly taller and noticeably heavier than dwarven females. While dwarves have no difficulty in identifying members of the opposite sex, other races tend to have difficulty telling dwarven males and females apart, as both sexes grow mustaches and beards.

Dwarves' skin is typically deep tan or light brown, and their eyes are dark. Their hair runs the gammut between black, gray, brown, and blond, and is typically worn long. Dwarven men value their beards highly and often grow them quite long, grooming them very carefully. While dwarves favor simple styles for their clothes, their hair and bears are often done in elaborate, though practical, styles.

Physiology

Dwarves are considered adults at about age 25, and they can live to be over 400 years old. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the larger moon, Luna, which waxes and wanes every 28 days.

Spending much of their lives under ground in caverns and mines, dwarves are not tied to the sun for their sleep cycle. They are also very hardy. So unlike humans they need only 6 hours of sleep to be fully refreshed. In addition, while they enjoy taking frequent naps throughout the day, they can actually go three days without rest before any detrimental effects occur from not enough sleep.

Relations

Dwarves get along fine with gnomes, and passably with humans, half-elves, and halflings. Dwarves say, "The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years." Humans, with their short life spans, have a hard time forging truly strong bonds with dwarves. The best dwarf-human friendships are between a human and a dwarf who liked the human's parents and grandparents.

Dwarves fail to appreciate elves' subtlety and art, regarding elves as unpredictable, fickle, and flighty. Still, elves and dwarves have, through the ages, found common cause in battles against orcs, goblins, and gnolls; and elves have earned the dwarves' grudging respect, making any rivalry with the fae folk a friendly one. Dwarves mistrust half-orcs in general, and the feeling is mutual. Luckily, dwarves are fair-minded, and they grant individual half-orcs the opportunity to prove themselves, with caution.

Alignment

Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend toward good. Adventuring dwarves are less likely to fit the common mold, however, since they're more likely to be those who did not fit perfectly into dwarven society.

Dwarven Lands

Dwarven kingdoms are usually deep beneath the stony faces of mountains, where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome here, though some parts of these mine-fortresses are off limits even to them. Whatever wealth the dwarves can't find in their mountains they gain through trade. Dwarves dislike water travel, so enterprising humans frequently handle trade in dwarven goods when travel is along a water route.

Dwarves in human lands are typically mercenaries, weaponsmiths, armorsmiths, jewelers, and artisans. Dwarf bodyguards are renowned for their courage and loyalty, and they are well rewarded for their virtues.

Religion

The chief deity of the dwarves is Moradin, the Soul Forger. He is the creator of the dwarves and their inspiration for the love of finely crafted items, and he expects his followersto work for the betterment of the dwarven race.

Language

Dwarves speak Dwarven, which has its own runic script. Dwarven literature is marked by comprehensive histories of kingdoms and wars through the millennia. The Dwarven alphabet is also used (with minor variations) for the Gnome, Giant, Goblin, Orc, and Terran languages. Dwarves often speak the languages of their friends (humans and gnomes) as well as their enemies. Some also learn Terran, the strange language of earth-based creatures such as Xorn.

Names

A dwarf's name is granted to him by his clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. Dwarves who associate with humans often translate their clan names into common and typically have meanings with aspects of craftmanship, special materials and body parts, such as Ironbrow, Silverhand, etc. A dwarf's clan name is not his own. It belongs to his clan. If he misuses it or brings shame to it, his clan will strip him of it. A dwarf stripped of his clan name is forbidden by dwarven law and tradition to use any dwarven name in its place, with severe penalties for those who continue to use their stripped clan names.

Male Names: Barendd, Brottor, Eberk, Einkil, Oskar, Rurik, Taklinn, Traubon, Ulfgar, and Veit.

Female Names: Artin, Audhild, Dagnal, Diesa, Gunnloda, Hlin, Ilde, Liftrasa, Sannl, and Torgga.

Clan Names: Balderk, Dankil, Gorunn, Holderhek, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rumnaheim, Strakeln, Torunn, and Ungart.

Adventurers

A dwarven adventurer may be motivated by crusading zeal, a love of excitement, or simple greed. As long as his accomplishments bring honor to his clan, his deeds earn him respect and status. Defeating giants and claiming powerful magic weapons are sure ways for a dwarf to earn the respect of other dwarves.

In addition, some dwarves leave their community (by their own will or against it) for lack of being able to "fit into" their dwarven community and its strict social requirements.

Racial Traits

These are racial traits that are in addition to those listed in the Player's Handbook.

• Dwarven Sleep Cycle: Dwarves need sleep only 6 hours for full rest, and may go without sleep, with normal activity, such as light walking or riding, for three days before incurring penalties. Fighting or other strenous exercise reduces this to two days.

Elves

Elves mingle freely in human lands, always welcome yet rarely at home there. They are well known for their poetry, dance, song, lore, and magical arts, and favor things of natural and simple beauty. When danger threatens their woodland homes, however, elves reveal a more martial side, demonstrating great skill with sword, bow, and battle strategy, honed by long tradition and experience.

Personality

Elves are not humans with pointy ears. They have their own, almost alien, philosophies and ways of thinking about events, people and problems. With such long lives, they tend to keep a broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether an adventurous mission or learning a new skill or art, they can be focused and relentless, and think nothing of projects or quests that might take years to accomplish. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance. They are more often amused than excited, more likely to be curious than greedy, and more likely to tease than be truly critical.

Physical Description

Almost all elves are slender in build, but vary greatly in height, depending on subgroup, with the shortest of elves standing at about 4 1/2 feet tall, and the tallest at around 6 1/2 feet tall. Slender, their height matches their weight, with weight ranging from 85 to around 200 pounds. Elven males and females share the same range of heights, with the males being only marginally heavier, on average, than the females. They are graceful looking, but relatively frail.

Elves have no facial or body hair. They prefer simple, comfortable clothes, especially in pastel blues and greens, and they enjoy simple yet elegant jewelry. Elves possess unearthly grace and fine features. Many members of other races find them hauntingly beautiful. Indeed, many from other races have stood in awe, been moved to great bravery (or foolishness) or even wept at the sight of the most beautiful of elves.

Sub Groups

The elven race has several subgroups that, while sharing most of the same physical abilities and disadvantages, vary widely not only in physical appearance but also in culture and world outlook from each other. See the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual entries (and any other official published works) on Elves for further details on the game rules for these sub groups.

High Elves: These are the most common and widespread of the elves, and also the most likely to mingle with the other races (especially humans). Thus player character elves (and half-elves) are most likely to be of High elven stock. In some cases this mingling goes so far as to find them living side by side with humans and sharing a semi-common culture with similarly aligned humans. They are pale skinned, dark haired (light brown to black) and have green eyes. They stand anywhere between about 5' even to about 5'11", with males slightly taller than females. Alignment for High elves is typically Chaotic with Good tendancies.

Grey Elves: These are tallest, most captivating and most hauntingly beautiful of the elves. They seem to know this, and have a reputation of being aloof (even by elven standards). They are much more reclusive than their High elven kin, allowing few outsiders into their realms. Indeed, they most often prefer to be left alone and remain neutral in affairs outside their own border, so that those few Grey elves who travel the world outside their communities or nations are most often outcasts who disagree with their fellows' neutral stance toward others' affairs. They have lightly toned skin, light colored hair (silver, pale golden or white) and either amber or violet eyes. They stand between around 5'8" and 6'6" tall, with males and females roughly the same height. They prefer clothing of white, silver, yellow or gold, with cloaks of deep blue or purple. Their favored class is the Sorcerer; their physiology has such close ties to the magical world, sorcerers are relatively common among them. Alignment for Grey elves is typically Neutral with Good tendancies.

Sylvan Elves: Also called Wood elves, these live deep in ancient forests, far from the influences of other races, a situation which they prefer. Their hair is yellowish blond or coppery red, their skin light tan, their eyes brown, amber or grey. They are more muscular and less gaunt looking than other elves. Their clothing is in dark shades of green and earth tones, and are designed to blend into the nature that surrounds them. They stand around 5'4" to 6' tall. Their favored class is the Ranger, reflecting their close ties to nature and their desire to protect it from outside destruction. Alignment for Sylvan elves is typically Chaotic with Good tendancies.

Wild Elves: Also called Grugach, these elves live in many different climates and terrains througout the Flanaess. Living in small, close knit, nomadic tribes, they are the most barbaric of the elves, preferring a life closer to the nature which they love. Occasionally Wild elves and human barbaric tribes have been known to travel with each other for mutual protection and prosperity, with intermarriages (and thus half-elves) in these situations common. Their hair ranges from black to brown, lightening to silvery white with age. Their skin, like the Sylvans, is light tan, on which they often sport tattoos and ornate body jewelry. their eyes brown, amber or grey. They are more muscular and less gaunt looking than other elves. Their clothing consists of simple animal skins and plant weaves. They stand around 5'4" to 5'10" tall, with males and females of similar heights. Their favored class is the Barbarian, though some tribes favor the Druid class. Alignment for Wild elves is typically Chaotic, with either Good or Neutral tendancies.

Drow: Also called Dark elves, drow are twisted, evil cousins of the other elves that were long ago driven into the underdark where they have since thrived. They have ink black skin and pale, usually whitish hair. The females are as tall as Grey elves and nearly as burly as Sylvan elves, and are an imposing sight. The males, on the other hand, are as small as High elven females, and take a -2 penalty to both Str and Con. As might be expected, then, theirs is a matriarchal society, with the males having nearly slave status. Their favored class is the Cleric, with their only choice (in most cases) for a deity being Lolth, Queen of Spiders; Please see official published entries on Lolth for details about her cult. Alignment for Drow is almost always Chaotic Evil; even those who are not are still typically evil of some kind, though a few very rare exceptions to this rule have been known.

Physiology

An elf achieves adulthood at about 30 years in age. Elves are partly mortal and partly immortal and are not known to actually die; instead, at somewhere between the approximate ages of 1000 and 2500 an elf begins to have an internal, irresistable inclination to leave the Flanaess. Where they depart to, however, not even the wisest scholars seem to know. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the smaller moon, Celene, which waxes and wanes every 3 months (i.e. 4 times per year). The four human festivals surrounding the full moon cycle of Celene are actually borrowed from the elven reverence for that smaller moon.

Elves do not sleep, as members of the other common races do. Instead, an elf meditates in a deep trance for 4 hours a day. An elf resting in this fashion gains the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. While meditating, an elf dreams, though these dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. The Common word for an elf's meditation is "trance," as in "four hours of trance." In addition, on nights when Celene is full and the skies are clear, so that the light of that moon falls upon an elf's face, that elf need not sleep at all.

Relations

Elves consider humans rather unrefined, halflings a bit boring, gnomes somewhat trivial, and dwarves not at all fun. They look on half-elves with some degree of pity, while regarding half-orcs with unrelenting suspicion and all goblinoids with disdain and almost immediate violence. While haughty, elves are not particular the way halflings and dwarves can be, and they are generally pleasant and gracious even to those who fall short of elven standards (which, after all, consists of just about everybody who is not an elf), so long as cause for other, less pleasant behavior isn't given.

Alignment

Generally speaking, elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression. They lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. Generally, they value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are much more often good than not. See Sub Groups for info on the alignments of the sub groups of elves.

Elven Lands

Elves mostly live in woodland clans of less than two hundred souls. Their well-hidden villages blend into the trees, doing little harm to the forest. They hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, their skill and magic allowing them to support themselves amply without the need for clearing and plowing land.

Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, depending on the elven type, community and geographic circumstances, though some few elves make a good living trading finely worked elven clothes and crafts for the metals that elves have no interest in mining. Elves encountered in human lands are commonly wandering minstrels, favored artists, or sages. Human nobles compete for the services of elven instructors to teach swordplay and bowcraft to their children, with such instruction given more because the noble is honorable and good than for the payment, if any.

Religion

Above all others, elves worship Corellon Larethian, the Protector and Preserver of life. Elven myth holds that it was from his blood, shed in battles with Gruumsh (the god of the orcs) that the elves first arose. Corellon is a patron of magical study, arts, dance, and poetry, as well as a powerful warrior god.

Language

Elves speak a fluid language of subtle intonations and intricate grammar. While Elven literature is rich and varied, it is the language's songs and poems that are most famous. Many bards learn Elven so they can add Elven ballads to their repertoires. Others simply memorize Elven songs by sound, if imperfectly. The Elven script, as flowing as the spoken word, also serves as the script for Sylvan, the language of dryads and pixies.

Names

When an elf declares herself an adult, usually about the time of achieving her thirtieth birthday, she also selects a name. Those who knew her as a youngster may or may not continue to call her by her "child name," and she may or may not care. An elf's adult name is a unique creation, though it may reflect the names of those she admires or the names of others in her family. In addition, she bears her family name. Family names are combinations of regular Elven words, and some elves traveling among humans translate their names into Common while others use the Elven version.

Male Names: Aramil, Aust, Enialis, Heian, Himo, Ivellios, Laucian, Quarion, Thamior, and Tharivol.

Female Names: Anastrianna, Antinua, Drusilia, Felosial, Ielenia, Lia, Melhanna, Qillathe, Silaqui, Valanthe, and Xanaphia.

Family Names: Amastacia ("Starflower"), Amakiir ("Gemflower"), Galanodel ("Moonwhisper"), Holimion ("Diamonddew"), Liadon ("Silverfrond"), Meliamne ("Oakenheel"), Naïlo ("Nightbreeze"), Siannodel ("Moonbrook"), Ilphukiir ("Gemblossom"), and Xiloscient ("Goldpetal").

Adventurers

Elves often take up adventuring out of wanderlust, but just as often due to a sense of duty to their communities or forests. Life among humans moves at a pace that elves dislike - regimented from day to day but quickly changing from decade to decade. Elves among humans, therefore, find careers that allow them to wander freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy demonstrating their prowess with the sword and bow or gaining greater magical powers, and adventuring allows them to do so. Elves may also be rebels or crusaders, adventuring to further their cause.

Racial Traits

These are racial traits that are in addition to those listed in the Player's Handbook.

• Elf Eyes: Elves can see three times as far as humans regarding Spot checks.
• Snow Travel: Elves can walk on top of snow or other small, granular debris (such as sand), so that even the deepest snow does not slow them down (though a snow storm itself might). They do leave footprints, however, unless they have some other ability (magical or otherwise) of covering their tracks. This is an innate supernatural ability.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass elf's sorcerer class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56). Sorcery comes almost naturally to elves, due to their close physiological ties to the magical world, and fighter/sorcerers are especially common among them.

Gnomes

Gnomes are welcome everywhere as technicians, alchemists, and inventors. Despite the demand for their skills, most gnomes prefer to remain among their own kind, living in comfortable cavern and/or mine systems in the foothills of mountains, where animals abound but where hunting is often a very bad idea.

Personality

Gnomes adore animals, beautiful gems, and jokes of all kinds. Gnomes have a great sense of humor, and while they love puns, jokes, and games, they relish tricks — the more intricate the better. Indeed, many gnomes hold the philosophy that life is one big joke, and that the best way to spend such a life is to contribute humor to the world. Fortunately, they apply the same dedication to more practical arts, such as engineering and invention, as they do to their pranks.

Gnomes are inquisitive. They love to find things out by personal experience. At times they're even reckless. Their curiosity makes them skilled engineers, since they are always trying new ways to build things. Their curiosity can have a non-practical side, however, as sometimes a gnome pulls a prank just to see how the people involved will react.

Physical Description

Gnomes stand about 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin ranges from dark tan to woody brown, their hair is fair, and their eyes can be any shade of blue. Gnomes males prefer very short hair and short, carefully trimmed beards. Gnome females prefer short to shoulder length, loosely styled hair. Gnomes generally wear leather or earth tones, and they decorate their clothes with intricate stitching or fine jewelry.

Physiology

Gnomes reach adulthood at about age 35, and they live about 350 years, though some can live almost 500 years. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the larger moon, Luna, which waxes and wanes every 28 days.

Relations

Gnomes get along well with dwarves, who share their love of precious objects, their curiosity about mechanical devices, and their hatred of goblins and giants. They enjoy the company of halflings, especially those who are easygoing enough to put up with pranks and jests. Most gnomes are a little suspicious of the taller races — humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs — but they are rarely hostile or malicious to such folks unless overtly provoked.

Alignment

Gnomes are most often good. Those who tend toward law are sages, engineers, researchers, scholars, investigators, or consultants. Those who tend toward chaos are tricksters, wanderers, or fanciful jewelers. Gnomes are good-hearted, and even the tricksters among them are more playful than vicious. Luckily, evil gnomes are as rare as they are frightening.

Gnome Lands

Gnomes tend to make their cavern and finely hewn homes in the foothills of vast mountain ranges (though sometimes a hilly region with plenty of rock formations seem suitable to them as well). Often these mountain ranges are the home of dwarves, with whom the gnomes can enjoy mutual defense and trade.

They live underground but get more fresh air than dwarves do, enjoying the natural, living world on the surface whenever they can. Their homes are well hidden, by both clever construction and illusions. Those who come to visit and are welcome are ushered into the bright, warm caverns and finely constructed stone chambers. Those who are not welcome never find the burrows in the first place.

Gnomes who settle in human lands are commonly gemcutters, mechanics, sages, or tutors. Some human families retain gnome tutors. During his life, a gnome tutor can teach several generations of a single human family, adding a consistancy to that family from generation to generation that would otherwise be difficult.

Religion

The chief gnome god is Garl Glittergold, the Watchful Protector. His clerics teach that gnomes are to cherish and support their communities. Pranks, for example, are seen as ways to lighten spirits and to keep gnomes humble, not ways for pranksters to triumph over those they trick.

Language

The Gnome language, which uses the Dwarven script, is renowned for its technical treatises and its catalogs of knowledge of the natural world. Human herbalists, naturalists, and engineers commonly learn Gnome in order to read the best books on their topics of study.

Names

Gnomes love names, and most have half a dozen or so. As a gnome grows up, his mother gives him a name, his father gives him a name, his clan elder gives him a name, his aunts and uncles give him names, and he gains nicknames from just about anyone. Gnome names are typically variants on the names of ancestors or distant relatives, though some are purely new inventions. When dealing with humans and others who are rather "stuffy" about names, gnomes learn to act as if they have no more than three names - a personal name, a clan name, and a nickname. When deciding which of his several names to use among humans, a gnome generally chooses the one that's the most fun to say. Gnome clan names are combinations of common Gnome words, and gnomes almost always translate them into Common when in human lands (or into Elven when in elven lands, and so on).

Male Names: Boddynock, Dimble, Dunkel, Fonkin, Glim, Gerbo, Jebeddo, Namfoodle, Roondar, Seebo, and Zook.

Female Names: Bimpnottin, Caramip, Duvamil, Ellywick, Ellyjobell, Loopmottin, Mardnab, Roywyn, Shamil, and Waywocket.

Clan Names: Beren, Daergel, Folkor, Garrick, Nackle, Murnig, Ningel, Raulnor, Scheppen, and Turen.

Nicknames: "Aleslosh," "Ashhearth," "Badger," "Cloak," "Doublelock," "Filchbatter," "Snipper," "Oneshoe," "Sparklegem," and "Stumbleduck."

Adventurers

Gnomes are curious and impulsive. They may take up adventuring as a way to see the world or for the love of exploring. Lawful gnomes may adventure to set things right and to protect the innocent, demonstrating the same sense of duty toward society as a whole that gnomes generally exhibit toward their own enclaves. As lovers of gems and other fine items, some gnomes take to adventuring as a quick, if dangerous, path to wealth. Depending on his relations to his home clan, an adventuring gnome may be seen as a hero, a vagabond or even something of a traitor (for abandoning clan responsibilities).

Half-Elves

Half-Elves are not a race of their own, but the simple result of a mating between humans and elves, which is rare but not unheard of, the elf attracted to the human's energy and the human to the elf's grace. These matings and marriages end quickly, however (from an elven standpoint) because a human's life is so brief, but they leave an enduring legacy... half-elven children.

The life of a half-elf can often be hard. If raised by elves, the half-elf grows with astounding speed, reaching maturity within two decades. The half-elf becomes an adult long before she has had time to learn the intricacies of elven art and culture, or even grammar. She leaves behind her childhood friends, becoming physically an adult but culturally still a child by elven standards. Often she leaves her elven home, which is no longer familiar, and finds her way among humans, where she often finds she is also an outsider, culturally. If, on the other hand, she is raised by humans, the half-elf finds herself different from her peers - more aloof, more sensitive, less ambitious, and slower to mature. Such half-elves often try to fit in among humans, while others find their identities in their differences. Most, however, find places for themselves in human lands, but some feel like outsiders all their lives.

Personality

Most half-elves have the curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition of the human parent, along with the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elven parent.

Physical Description

To humans, half-elves look like elves. To elves, they look like humans (indeed, elves call them "half-humans"). In general, though, they share traits of both of their parents, elf and human.

Since High elves are the most likely elves to mingle with humans, player character half-elves (and elves) are most likely to be of High elven stock, and thus the following description is for half elves of that type. Generally stockier than elves, yet more slender than humans, half-elves' height ranges from under 5 feet to a bit over 6 feet tall, with weight usually ranging from 90 to 180 pounds. Half-elven males are taller and heavier than half-elven females, but the difference is less pronounced than that found among humans. Half-elves are paler, fairer, and smoother-skinned than their human parents, but their actual skin tone, hair color, and other details vary just as human features do (though are typically lighter than those of their human parent). A half-elfs' eye color is typically the same as that of their elven parent, and their ears have a slight point near the top, both of which are the biggest indication their elven heritage.

Half elves of elven heritage other than High stock will, of course, vary from the above.

Most half-elves are the children of human–elf pairings. Some, however, are the children of one or more parents who themselves are partly human and partly elven. Some of these "second generation" half-elves have human-like eyes, but most still have green eyes.

Physiology

A half-elf reaches adulthood at around age 20 and can live to be over 180 years old. They do not share their elven parent's immortality nor their extreme closeness to or affinity for the magical world. Their life (fertility) cycle (like that their elven parent) is, however, tied to the smaller moon, Celene, which waxes and wanes every 3 months (i.e. 4 times per year).

Relations

Half-elves do well among both elves and humans, and they also get along well with dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. They have elven grace without elven aloofness, human energy without human boorishness. They make excellent ambassadors and go-betweens (except between elves and humans, where each side may suspect the half-elf of favoring the other). In human lands where elves are distant or not on completely friendly terms, however, half-elves are viewed with suspicion.

Some half-elves show a marked disfavor toward half-orcs. Perhaps the similarities between themselves and half-orcs (both have human lineage), or perhaps simply the ancient enmity between orcs and elves, or both, make these half-elves uncomfortable in their presence.

Alignment

Half-elves typically share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage, but, like humans, they tend toward neither good nor evil. Like elves, they value personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating no love of leaders nor lust for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others' demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Alignment for half-elves also depends on the culture or family in which they are raised. Thus a half-elf raised by elves will typically tend toward the good side of chaos, whereas a half-elf raised among humans will tend toward the alignment of her parents or community.

Half-Elven Lands

Half-elves have no racial lands of their own, though they are typically welcome in human cities and most elven forests. In large cities, however, half-elves sometimes do form small communities of their own, where they often have built their own traditions, beliefs and values based on both human and elven cultures.

Religion

Half-elves raised among elves follow elven deities, principally Corellon Larethian, god of the elves. Those raised among humans often follow Ehlonna, goddess of the woodlands.

Language

Half-elves speak the languages they are born to, typically Common, Elven and perhaps a human ancestral language (Suloise, Oeridian). Half-elves are slightly clumsy with the intricate Elven language, though only elves notice, and even so they do better than those with no elven heritage.

Names

Half-elves are given names using either human and/or elven naming conventions. Ironically, half-elves among humans are often given elven names in honor of their elven heritage; in contrast, half-elves raised among elves most often are given elven names. Names for half-elves are, however, almost always the chosen depending on cultural norms, just like for children of non-mixed heritage.

Adventurers

Half-elves find themselves drawn to strange careers and unusual company. Taking up the life of an adventurer comes easily to many of them. Like elves, they are often driven by wanderlust or a sense of duty to the world community.

Half-Orc

In the wild frontiers, tribes of human and orc barbarians live in uneasy balance, fighting in times of war and trading in times of peace. The half-orcs who are born in the frontier may live with either human or orc parents, but they are nevertheless exposed to both cultures. Some, for whatever reason, leave their homeland and travel to more civilized lands, bringing with them the tenacity, courage, and combat prowess that they developed in the wilds.

Personality

Half-orcs are short-tempered and sullen. They would rather act than ponder and would rather fight than argue. Those who are successful, however, are those with enough self control to live in a civilized land, not the crazy ones whose bloodlust overwhelms them.

Half-orcs love simple pleasures such as feasting, drinking, boasting, singing, wrestling, drumming, and wild dancing. Refined enjoyments such as poetry, courtly dancing, and philosophy are lost on them. At the right sort of party, a half-orc is an asset. At the duchess's grand ball, he's often a liability.

Physical Description

Half-orcs are typically a bit taller than humans and a little heavier, thanks to their muscle. A half-orc's grayish pigmentation, sloping forehead, jutting jaw, prominent teeth, and coarse body hair make his lineage plain for all to see. Some few, however, can pass for full human, but this is extremely rare, and typically because they themselves are the product of a half-orc and a human.

Orcs like scars. They regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Any half-orc who has lived among or near orcs has such scars, whether they are marks of shame indicating servitude and identifying the half-orc's (former) owner, or marks of pride recounting conquests and high status. Such a half-orc living among humans either displays or hides his scars, depending on his attitude toward them and his desire to fit in.

Physiology

Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, maturing at around 14, and age noticeably faster. Few half-orcs live longer than 75 years. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the larger moon, Luna, which waxes and wanes every 28 days.

Relations

Because orcs are the sworn enemies of dwarves and elves, half-orcs can have a rough time with members of these races. For that matter, orcs aren't exactly on good terms with humans, half-elves, halflings, or gnomes, either. When fitting into such groups is desireable to him, each half-orc finds his own way to try to gain acceptance from those who hate or fear his orc cousins. Some are reserved, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Others demonstrate piety and goodheartedness as publicly as they can (whether or not such demonstrations are genuine). Others simply try to be so tough that others have no choice but to accept them.

Alignment

Half-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents, but, like their human parents, they favor neither good nor evil.

Like with half-elves, Alignment for half-orcs also depends on the culture or family in which they are raised. Thus a half-elf raised by orcs will typically tend toward chaos, whereas a half-orc raised among humans might tend toward the alignment of her parents or community (though even in these cases, chaos still typically prevails). Half-orcs raised among orcs and willing to live out their lives with them, however, are usually evil, or at best neutral (in terms of good and evil).

Half-Orc Lands

Half-orcs have no lands of their own. They most often live among orcs. Of the other races, humans are the ones most likely to accept half-orcs, so that half-orcs almost always live in human lands when not living among orc tribes.

Religion

Like orcs, many half-orcs worship Gruumsh, the chief orc god and archenemy of Corellon Larethian, god of elves. This is especially true of those half-orc that are raised or live near or among orc tribes. While Gruumsh is evil, half-orc barbarians and fighters may worship him as a war god even if they are not evil themselves (though this will only typically be true if the half-orc in question does not choose to live among orcs). Worshipers of Gruumsh who are tired of explaining themselves, or who don't want to give humans a reason to distrust them, simply don't make their religion public knowledge. Half-orcs who want to solidify their connection to their human heritage, on the other hand, follow human gods, and they may be outspoken in their shows of piety.

Language

Common and/or Orc, depending on whether the half-orc was raised by humans, orcs or both. Orc, which has no alphabet of its own, uses Dwarven script on the rare occasions that someone actually writes something in Orc. Orc writing turns up most frequently in graffiti.

Names

Half-orcs are given names using either human and/or orcish naming conventions. Depending upon the circumstances, half-orcs raised among humans are often given human names to distance them from their orcish parentage; half-orcs raised among orcs are likewise most often are given orcish names. Names for half-orc are, therefore, almost always the chosen depending on cultural norms of those raising him, just like for children of non-mixed heritage.

When a half-orc has been raised by orcs but is now living among humans, for example, a half-orc might choose a name different from that which he was given. In these cases, a half-orc typically chooses a name that helps him make the impression that he wants to make. If he wants to fit in among humans, he chooses a human name. If he wants to intimidate others, he chooses a guttural orc name. Many half-orcs aren't quite bright enough, of course, to choose a name this carefully.

Orc Male Names: Dench, Feng, Gell, Henk, Holg, Imsh, Keth, Ront, Shump, and Thokk.

Orc Female Names: Baggi, Emen, Engong, Myev, Neega, Ovak, Ownka, Shautha, Vola, and Volen.

Adventurers

Half-orcs are drawn almost invariably toward violent careers in which they can put their strength to good use. Frequently shunned from polite company, half-orcs often find acceptance and friendship among adventurers, many of who are fellow wanderers and outsiders.

Racial Traits

These are racial traits that are in addition to those listed in the Player's Handbook.

• Super Endurance: Half-Orcs may run, fight or perform other strenuous activities for three days (72 hours) without a break, sleep, food or water before incurring penalties. After doing so, however, they need to sleep a full eight hours to be fully refreshed.
• Half-Orc Sleep Cycle: They need only sleep four hours on a daily basis to be fully refreshed (see Super Endurance for caveats).

Halflings

Halflings, who call themselves Hobbits, are clever and capable, but are typically home bodies who like nothing better than to sip a good ale or work with good, tillable earth planting and tending a healthy garden. Called "halflings" because they tend to be about half the height of a human, to many outsiders they often seem lazy and glutonous. But while they are certainly fond of their leisure activities, deep down they are reliable and hard-working, and loyal, perhaps even to a fault. Regardless of others' perceptions of them, halflings are cunning, resourceful survivors.

Personality

Halflings typically prefer boredom to trouble. They love warm summer days in the sun, and long winter nights in front of a cozy fire. They are notorious for gossip, but quick to forgive transgressions.

Halflings have ample appetites, both for food and for other pleasures. They like well-cooked meals, fine drink and good tobacco ("pipe weed"). They love to have guests and to throw celebrations. Birthdays are especially important, and halflings often have very large birthday parties indeed.

While they can sometimes be lured by the promise of wealth, they tend to spend any gold they gain (often on celebrations) rather than hoarding it. Rare items (magic items, works of art, or even exotic versions of mundane items, for examples) are another matter, however, and such treasures are almost always kept in the family from generation to generation.

Halflings are also known as collectors. While more orthodox halflings may collect teapots, books, or pressed flowers, some collect such objects as the hides of wild beasts - or even the beasts themselves. Wealthy halflings sometimes commission adventurers to retrieve exotic items to complete their collections, while the few adventurous halflings might adventure themselves to add to their own collections.

They tend to mind their own business regarding other races, and expect other races to do the same towards them. When pushed into a corner, however, they will push back. They do not tend to enjoy or desire long crusades or conquests, however; once their community is safe from harm, they typically attempt to end any conflicts that have been started by others.

Crime is rare among halfling communities, and murder is unheard of. The worst crimes committed in halfling communities are typically those of halfling youth, who might snatch an apple or some carrots from a neighbor's gardens for an afternoon snack.

Those few who choose (or are forced into) a life outside of their communities rely on the uncanny halfling ability to avoid and escape danger, but also tend to demonstrate a daring and heroism that many larger folk cannot match.

Physical Description

Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. The color of their skin, eyes and hair vary like humans, though their hair is almost always naturally wavy or curly. Halfling men often have long sideburns, but beards are rare among them and mustaches almost unseen.

They like to wear simple, comfortable, and practical clothes. Unlike members of most races, they prefer actual comfort to shows of wealth. A halfling would rather wear a comfortable shirt than jewelry. Halflings never wear shoes. Their feet are quite hairy and have protective pads on the bottom, both of which protect them from the cold, with the latter protecting them from sharp objects and other foot hazards, just as well as any shoe or boot.

Physiology

A halfling reaches adulthood in her late teens and generally lives well into her eighties or nineties. Their life (fertility) cycle is tied to the larger moon, Luna, which waxes and wanes every 28 days.

Relations

Halflings try to get along with everyone else. When necessary, they are adept at fitting into a community of humans, dwarves, elves, or gnomes, and they make themselves valuable and welcome. It is human society that most resembles that of the halflings, however, so that halflings who do not live in a halfling community (for whatever reason) are most often found in human lands.

Alignment

Halflings are generally of good alignment, though tend to act in a neutral, conservative and practical manner. While they are inherently adaptable to change, they tend to view change with disdain and resist those things and events that will disrupt the quiet lives they so enjoy.

Only those halflings who leave their lands, for whatever reason, tend to embrace the adaptable aspects of halflings, and thus they tend toward chaos or neutrality. However, they vary widely in their regard for good and evil.

Halfling Lands

Halflings tend to settle into secluded places with low-lying hills, where they set up self-reliant villages. They are individually self governing, so that these villages have only a very loose governmental structure. Indeed, they do not tend to create nations or even city states of their own, and thus their villages tend to fall within the national boundaries of other races, especially those of humans. Despite this, however, they tend to keep to themselves, involving themselves in outside political affairs, by and large, only when the direct safety of their village is in question.

They make their homes in clean, dry, fully finished and well kept burrows, but enjoy spending the day in the natural, living world above ground. Their homes are not hidden, per se, but a casual observer looking upon them from afar might see only their fields and gardens, such is their skill in artistically incorporating their homes into the landscape. This is not an attempt to hide themselves, but an artistic expression reflecting their love of the natural world. Those who come to visit a halfling's home are ushered inside and served the host's best foods and drinks.

On rare occasions, halflings form tight-knit communities in human or dwarven cities, though this is only typically the case when they have been driven from their own communities by force. Even so, while in these situations, they attempt to build their communities in as close to halfling fashion as is possible given the particular circumstances and while they work readily with others, they often make friends only among each other, keeping to themselves as much as possible socially and politically. Once they have established such a community, however, they are loath to leave it unless forcibly removed or unless they can return to their original homes.

Religion

The chief halfling deity is Yondalla, the Blessed One, protector of the halflings' health, hearth and home. Yondalla promises blessings and protection to those who heed her guidance, defend their communities, and cherish their families. Halflings also recognize countless small gods, which they say rule over individual villages, forests, rivers, lakes, and so on. They pay homage to these deities to ensure safe journeys as they travel from place to place.

Language

Halflings speak their own language, which uses the Common script for writing. As a whole they write very little in their own language so, unlike dwarves, elves, and gnomes, they don't have a rich body of written work. They do, however, have a vast tradition of writing personal cookbooks that include recipes and garden tending secrets. Each family has their personal, secret shorthand in which these cookbooks are written, and they are then hand down from generation to generation.

Many halflings speak Common as well, especially those few who make it their business to trade with outsiders.

Names

A halfling has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname. It would seem, at least to an outside observer, that family names are often nothing more than nicknames that stuck so well they have been passed down through the generations.

Male Names: Alton, Beau, Cade, Eldon, Garret, Lyle, Milo, Osborn, Roscoe, and Wellby.

Female Names: Amaryllis, Charmaine, Cora, Euphemia, Jillian, Lavinia, Merla, Portia, Seraphina, and Verna.

Family Names: Brushgather, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, Highhill, Hilltopple, Leagallow, Tealeaf, Thorngage, Tosscobble, Underbough, Underhill.

Adventurers

Halflings occasionally set out on their own to make their way in the world. Such halflings are typically looking for a way to use their skills to gain wealth or status, to simply escape the boredom inherent in the typicaly halfling community. In some cases, however, they leave their safe, warm burrows because they feel it is the best way to protect their community. For an adventurous halfling, adventuring is less of a career than something to do, or that must be done. While halflings have a mostly unfounded reputation for larceny or fraud, halfling adventurers typically make trustworthy, loyal companions to those they befriend.