Player's Handbook, Chapter Two

Okay, so now that we know how 3e ability scores work, it's time to take a look at the core races. I'll do a quick overview of each race, then add my thoughts at the end. The two main things to note about the different races is that most of them modify the ability scores in some way, and every race has a favored class that makes them immune to the multiclassing XP penalty. They also have certain languages that are common to their race.

The seven core races are the same ones from the original Players Handbook in 1978: Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, and Halfling. Half-orcs are making their official return, having been banished from 2nd edition.

Humans are the baseline, of course; they have no racial ability score adjustments, and any class can be their favored class. So, if you're a human, you can add a single multiclass level to your primary class without worrying about XP penalties regardless of your primary class. That's a nifty trait right there, if you're into multiclassing.

Most of the racial description for humans says 'they can be anything'. Alignment, home climate, religion, languages, names...there are no real limits or expected choices due to their race. Which makes sense, since humans have proven to be extremely adaptable to any and all conditions in real life.

Human traits are straightforward; humans are medium-size, and move at 30 feet per turn. They get an extra feat at 1st level just because humans are great, and they also get an additional four skill points at 1st level (and one extra skill point per level after that). This reflects the adaptability and quick learning of humans compared to other races, and gives you a reason to play one since that's all the bonuses they get.

DWARVES

Dwarves are described as...well, exactly what you'd expect. Short, stocky, tough, taciturn, and they live under hills and mountains. Most dwarves follow the god Moradin, and they have their own language. Dwarves also get a clan name in addition to their personal name.

Their special abilities include adjustments of +2 to Constitution and -2 to Charisma, Medium-size despite their shorter stature (they're just in the Medium range), base speed of 20 feet, and Darkvision (which replaces infravision). They also get a +2 racial bonus to checks to notice unusual stonework such as traps, sliding doors, and new construction. They notice these things in passing, because they are that in tune with the rocks around them. Nice ability.

Dwarven toughness is reflected in their +2 to saving throws vs. poison and spells. They also get attack bonuses against orcs and goblinoids, as well as an AC bonus of +4 against giants. These are just the same bonuses dwarves have always gotten, adapted to the new rules. They're also good at appraising stone and metal items and get a bonus of +2 when crafting stone and metal items. Their favored class is fighter, so dwarven fighters can multiclass without penalty.

ELVES

Short, slim, graceful, nearly immortal...everyone likes elves. Their primary deity is Corellon Larethian, and they get family names that sound very elfin and flowery. Oh, and they live in forests, of course. No surprise there.

Their adjustments are +2 to Dex and -2 to Con, so they're graceful but frail. They're Medium-size with a base speed of 30. They're immune to sleep spells and get a +2 saving throw bonus against Enchantments. Their new version of infravision is called low-light vision, which lets them see twice as far as humans in poor illumination. All elves are proficient with the longsword or rapier, and with a bow of some sort (not including crossbows), regardless of their class. So you can have elven wizards firing arrows when they run out of spells, and monks that can use a sword alongside their martial arts. Sure, why not? The idea of an elven barbarian using a rapier is funny.

Their classic perception abilities are reflected in +2 bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot skills, and they can spot secret doors automatically if they make a Search check. This check isn't an active one; they just spot them in passing even if they aren't looking for such a door. Their favored class is wizard, of course, so elven wizards can multiclass without penalty.

GNOMES

Gnomes are basically dwarves with a sense of humor. They're curious, love gems and jokes in equal amounts, and get along with dwarves pretty well. They live in hilly, wooded areas, and worship Garl Glittergold. Their names can be lengthy and many, including clan names and nicknames.

Their adjustments are +2 to Constitution and -2 to Strength; they're Small creatures, so they're tough but weaker than larger creatures. Their size gives them an attack bonus, an AC bonus, and a bonus to Hide checks, but they use smaller weapons and can't lift as much as a Medium-size character of the same strength. Their base speed is 20 feet, so they can keep up with dwarves. Like elves, they get low-light vision.

Gnomes are great with illusions; they get a +2 bonus to saving throws against them, and their favored class is the illusionist, a specialist wizard. Like dwarves, they get an attack bonus against certain traditional enemies (kobolds and goblinoids), as well as a +4 AC bonus vs. giants. They have a +2 bonus to Listen checks (gnomes have great ears), as well as a +3 bonus to Alchemy checks thanks to their sensitive noses. Gnomes also get automatic spells regardless of their class, if they have an Intelligence of 10 or more. They get dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation once per day, and cast them exactly as a 1st-level wizard would, regardless of their class. I wonder if gnome wizards would actually improve these as they level up. It doesn't seem to be the case, but we'll see.

HALF-ELVES

Half-elves are caught in the middle of elves and humans; they're not as good at elven things as elves are, and they don't get the human bonuses of extra feats and skills. They get no adjustments to ability scores, can have any favored class, are medium-size with a base speed of 30 feet, and share the elven immunity to sleep spells and the +2 save bonus vs. Enchantments. They also have low-light vision and a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks. However, they don't get the secret door detecting ability of their elven parent. They can use any items that are specifically noted as elven, such as elven weapons and magic items. So, there's not much else about them. They seem like a slightly downgraded elf, really.

HALF-ORCS

Once again, half-orcs get the shaft when it comes to ability adjustments; their +2 to Strength is offset by two penalties: -2 to Intelligence AND Charisma. So that will make it tougher to get a half-orc wizard or bard. The artwork on the half-orc makes them look rather bestial, but gone are the porcine features of the 1e half-orc.

Half-orcs who follow orcish ways are more brutish but have more cunning. They would follow Gruumsh, the orc god, and hate dwarves and elves. And gnomes, and halflings, and...yeah, they're just mean. However, some half-orcs are raised by humans, so they would have a more 'civilized outlook'. Their favored class is, of course, barbarian, because why not fall into a bestial rage in the middle of a fight? It is possible to have a half-orc paladin, despite the Charisma penalty. It would be a heck of a role-playing challenge, but those are the best kinds.

Half-orcs are Medium-size with a base speed of 30. They get darkvision like dwarves, and are considered orcs for weapons and magic item effects. And...that's it for their special racial abilities. Like I said, half-orcs still get the shaft.

HALFLINGS

Finally, we got the little people, the Frodos and Bilbos of D&D. Their personality description puts them somewhere between classic hobbits and kender from the Dragonlance setting. They're Small-sized (3 feet tall) with a base speed of 20 feet, and they get a -2 to Strength and a +2 to Dexterity. Being small, they get the same size bonuses as gnomes do. They get racial bonuses of +2 on Climb, Jump, Listen, and Move Silently checks, as well as a global +1 to all saving throws. They're not immune to fear, but they do get an additional +2 on saves vs. fear effects. They also get a +1 attack bonus with thrown weapons. Can you guess what their favored class might be? Of course it's the rogue. They are basically built to be rogues in this game.

THOUGHTS

Okay, so these are the classic races that have been around since the early days of D&D. There aren't many surprises here, because as I said the game designers basically took everything we already knew about these races and translated their abilities into the new ruleset. The new rule allowing any combination of race and class will make for some interesting combinations, but the races are obviously build towards certain classes that suit their stereotypes: Dwarven fighters, elven wizards, halfling rogues, etc. In fact, the iconic characters we saw in the countdown to 3rd edition were mostly racial stereotypical characters. But it will definitely be fun to see class/race combos we've never seen before, like dwarven wizards, half-orc druids, halfling barbarians, gnome paladins...

The standardization of things like Small size bonuses do give a unity to the system, but take away some of the charming individuality of the original editions. I'm already getting a sense that in order to simplify what is a very complicated ruleset, some shortcuts were taken. We'll see how this affects the rest of the rules going forward.

Alright, so let's continue with my character creation. As I mentioned last time, my rolls were 9, 11, 14, 14, 15, and 16, so I've got a good set to work with. I'm going to try something I haven't done before in all my years of gaming: I'm going to play a half-orc. Sure, they're ugly and dumb, and they don't get much in the way of special abilities, but it's a new era, so it's time to try this out for the heck of it. So, half-orc it is.

And that's it for the races; next up will be the character classes.