Playable Lineages

Humans are not the only intelligent people who walk on (or below) the surface of the Faerûn continent. They live and work alongside dwarves, elves, halflings, and countless other fantastic species. Your character belongs to one of these people.   Not every intelligent lineage of the multiverse is appropriate for a player-controlled adventurer. Dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans are the most common people to produce the sort of adventurers who make up typical parties. Dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings are less common as adventurers.   Your choice of lineage affects many different aspects of your character. It establishes fundamental qualities that exist throughout your character’s adventuring career. When making this decision, keep in mind the kind of character you want to play. For example, a halfling could be a good choice for a sneaky rogue, a dwarf makes a tough warrior, and an elf can be a master of arcane magic.   Your character lineage not only affects your ability scores and traits but also provides the cues for building your character’s story. Each race’s description includes information to help you roleplay a character of that lineage, including personality, physical appearance, features of society, and racial alignment tendencies. These details are suggestions to help you think about your character; adventurers can deviate widely from the norm for their race. It’s worthwhile to consider why your character is different, as a helpful way to think about your character’s background and personality.