Human
Humans on Toril were widespread, could be found in most regions and, in general, were fierce and disagreeable, which could sometimes lead certain other races to view them with contempt. They were renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lacked specialization, they could excel in many areas.
“Ah, humans, now. There’re a lot of us, to be sure, flung far across all these lands, and more besides, across the sundering seas. We battle like orcs and dream like elves and work harder than all but the dwarves at their forges—and we cover Faerûn.”
— Olram Faravaerr, Merchant of Mintarn.
Overview
Humans are the youngest of the common races, late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that’s why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds. Humans dwell in every corner of Toril and encompass a full range of cultures and ethnicities. Across Faerûn, humans are the most pervasive of the races and in many places the most dominant. Their cultural and societal makeup runs the gamut, from the cosmopolitan folk who reside in great cities such as Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep to the barbarians who rage throughout The North. Humans are famous for their adaptability. No other race lives in so many diverse lands or environments, from lush jungles to burning deserts, from the eternal cold of The North to the fertile shores along rivers and seas. Humans find ways to survive and to thrive almost anywhere. In locations where elves and dwarves have withdrawn, humans often move in and build anew alongside or on top of an earlier community. It follows, then, that the most common feature of humans is their lack of commonality. This diversity has enabled human civilizations to grow faster than those of other races, making humans one of the dominant races in much of the world today. It has also led to conflicts between communities of humans because of their cultural and political differences. If not for their penchant for infighting, humans would be even more populous and predominant than they already are.A Broad Spectrum
With their penchant for migration and conquest, humans are more physically diverse than other common races. There is no typical human. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and weigh from 125 to 250 pounds. Human skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, and hair colors from black to blond (males might sport facial hair that is sparse or thick). A lot of humans have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century.Variety in All Things
Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common races. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different lands where they have settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single human’s memory. They live fully in the present - making them well suited to the adventuring life - but also plan for the future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics.Lasting Institutions
Where a single elf or dwarf might take on the responsibility of guarding a special location or a powerful secret, humans found sacred orders and institutions for such purposes. While dwarf clans and halfling elders pass on the ancient traditions to each new generation, human temples, governments, libraries, and codes of law fix their traditions in the bedrock of history. Humans dream of immortality, but (except for those few who seek undeath or divine ascension to escape death’s clutches) they achieve it by ensuring that they will be remembered when they are gone. Although some humans can be xenophobic, in general, their societies are inclusive. Human lands welcome large numbers of nonhumans compared to the proportion of humans who live in nonhuman lands.Exemplars of Ambition
Humans who seek adventure are the most daring and ambitious members of a daring and ambitious race. They seek to earn glory in the eyes of their fellows by amassing power, wealth, and fame. More than other people, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups.Humans' Deities
The breadth and variety of the human race in Faerûn is never more evident than in the diverse collection of deities that humans worship. The Faerûnian Pantheon includes gods of every stripe, and a number of deities whose spheres of influence overlap and compete, which seems to be just how humans like it. Across Faerûn, most human communities have temples and shrines tended by priests who are devoted to various gods. In some of these places, the faithful of deities revered by rulers and other powerful individuals play a greater role in local politics than those not so favored. In the extreme, worship that is deemed heretical or dangerous is outlawed - for example, in a region where followers of Shar hold authority and power, the worship of her good twin and nemesis Selûne might be against the law.Human Names
Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents give their children names from other languages, such as Dwarvish or Elvish (pronounced more or less correctly), but most parents give names that are linked to their region’s culture or to the naming traditions of their ancestors. The material culture and physical characteristics of humans can change wildly from region to region. The clothing, architecture, cuisine, music, and literature are different in the northwestern lands of the Silver Marches, for example, than in distant Turmish or Impiltur to the east - and even more distinctive in far-off Kara-Tur.Civilization and Culture
History
The origin of humanity was unknown. Although the Tel-quessir could claim the primal war between Corellon and Gruumsh for their heritage and the dwarves claimed to have been forged from the rocks of Abeir-Toril itself, humans had no unifying creation myth. However, they were certainly an ancient race, having originated since before written records existed and were frequently considered one of the creator races, though they weren't known to have actually created any species. More confusing yet was that, while humans indeed were native to Toril, they had been found on other worlds as well, with the Mulani standing out as an example of human immigrants to Toril.
During the Days of Thunder (−35,000 DR to −30,000 DR) on the supercontinent of Merrouroboros, humans were a primitive race, similar to apes. Tribes of humans largely inhabited the land later known as the continent of Katashaka. They used simple tools, banged rocks together to make fire, and dwelled in caves. According to Bazim-Gorag, a Batrachi (another of the creator races) they hid in caves in fear—he called them "Meat".
Regardless of their precise origins, humans were undeniably successful. While hardly the only dominant race of Toril, humans were one of them and the most recent to obtain dominance. In spite of this strength, or perhaps because of it, humanity was an eternally fractured and divided race, broken up into over a dozen ethnic offshoots. It was believed that this was in part because humanity, unlike most other races, did not emerge as a whole but rather in several places at once, thereby resulting in its diversity.
Lifespan
80 years
Average Height
5 to 6 feet
Average Weight
120 to 250 pounds
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