Copyright: AD&&D° - Copyright 1999 TSR Inc.
Citation: Copyright 1999 TSR Inc.


Human

Humans can be of any character class and rise to any level in any class. Other PC races have limited choices in these areas. Humans receive no modifiers due to their race. This is because humans are the standard on which the tables are based.

See also:

Humans Player’s Handbook

Humans Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Human Monstrous Manual


Half-Elves

A half-elf can choose to be a cleric, druid, fighter, ranger, mage, specialist wizard, thief, or bard. In addition, a half-elf can choose from the following multi-class combinations: cleric (or druid)/fighter, cleric (or druid)/fighter/mage, cleric (or druid)/ranger, cleric (or druid)/mage, fighter/mage, fighter/thief, fighter/mage/thief, and mage/thief. The half-elf must abide by the rules for multi-class characters. The half-elf must meet the ability requirements for a class for it to be available on this screen.

Half-elves do not have a language of their own.

Core Rules half-elves have the following abilities (Player’s Option half-elves would have to buy these): a 30% resistance to sleep and all charm-related spells; 60’ infravision; and ability to detect secret and concealed doors..

See also:

Half-Elves Player’s Handbook

Half-Elves Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf Monstrous Manual


Gnomes

A gnome character can elect to be a fighter, a thief, a cleric, or an illusionist. A gnome can have two classes, but not three: fighter/thief, illusionist/thief, etc. The gnome must meet the ability requirements for a class for it to be available on this screen.

Core Rules gnomes automatically receive the following (Player’s Option gnomes would have to purchase these abilities): the common, dwarf, gnome, halfling, goblin, and kobold languages and the simple common speech of burrowing mammals (moles, badgers, weasels, shrews, ground squirrels, etc.); a bonus applies to saving throws against magical wands, staves, rods, and spells based on their constitution; a bonus to hit certain monsters, 60’ infravision; and ability to detect certain underground construction,

Gnomes also suffer a penalty when using most magic items.

See also:

Gnomes Player’s Handbook

Gnomes Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Gnome Monstrous Manual


Halflings

A halfling character can choose to be a cleric, fighter, thief, or a multi-class fighter/thief. The halfling must use the rules provided for multi-class characters. Player’s Option halfling can also be psionicist, fighter/psionicist, or thief/psionicist characters. The halfling must meet the ability requirements for a class for it to be available on this screen.

Core Rules halfling characters receive the following abilities (Player’s Option halfling characters would have to purchase these): the common, halfling, dwarf, elf, gnome, goblin, and orc languages; a  bonus on saving throws vs. poison, wands, staves, rods, and spells based on their constitution;  a +1 bonus to their attack rolls when using thrown weapons and slings; a bonus to surprise opponents if not wearing metal armor; a chance to have infravision; a chance to detect details of passage construction; and a chance to know direction.

See also:

Halflings Player’s Handbook

Halflings Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Halflings Monstrous Manual


Elf

A player character elf can be a cleric, fighter, wizard, thief, or ranger. In addition, an elf can choose to be a multi-class fighter/mage, fighter/thief, fighter/mage/thief, or mage/thief. The elf must meet the ability requirements for a class for it to be available on this screen.

Core Rules elves automatically receive the following abilities (Player’s Option elves would have to purchase these): the common, elf, gnome, halfling, goblin, hobgoblin, orc, and gnoll languages;  90% resistance to sleep and all charm-related spells; +1 to attacks with a bow of any sort other than a crossbow, or when using a short or long sword; a bonus to surprise opponents when not wearing metal armor; 60’ infravision; and ability to detect secret and concealed door.

See also:

Elves  Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


Dwarves

A character of the dwarven race can be a cleric, a fighter, or a thief. He can also choose to be a fighter/cleric or fighter/thief. Player’s Option dwarves can also be psionicist or thief/psionicist characters. Note that the dwarf must meet the ability score requirements of a class for that class to be available.

Core Rules dwarves receive the following abilities (Player’s Option dwarves have to purchase these): the common, dwarf, gnome, goblin, kobold, and orc languages; a bonus to saving throws against poisons and attacks from magical wands, staves, rods, and spells based on their constitution;  60’ infravision;  +1 to attack certain monsters; and familiarity with subterranean construction. They also suffer a penalty when using most magic items.

See also:

Dwarves Player’s Handbook,

Dwarves   Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Dwarf  Monstrous Manual


Aarakocra

Aarakocra are a race of intelligent bird-men who live among the highest mountain peaks. The average aarakocra stands about five feet tall, with a wingspan of nearly 20 feet. An aarakocra’s feet are powerful talons that can be used to grasp and manipulate objects, and it also has small wing-hands about halfway along the leading edge of each wing. Like all true avians, aarakocra have hollow bones, and most weigh no more than 80 or 90 pounds. The aarakocras’ voices are not well-suited for common, and they punctuate their speech with caws, screeches, and whistles.

 Aarakocra are strong and swift fliers, and they can make a special diving attack with a drop of 200 feet or more. They receive no penalties for aerial missile fire. Aarakocra avoid grappling or combat on the ground, but their talons and beak serve as formidable weapons in a pinch. As a race, aarakocra are extremely claustrophobic, and dislike being indoors or underground.

See also:

Aarakocra Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Alaghi

Distant cousins of the yeti, alaghi are forest-dwelling humanoids with barrel chests, short legs, and long, powerful arms. Their necks are thick and short, and their heads tend to be broad and flat with wide jaws. Alaghi are covered from toe to crown in long, thick hair ranging in hue from charcoal gray to reddish brown. Alaghi stand well over six feet tall and weigh more than 300 pounds.

Most alaghi live as semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. They tend to be shy and peaceful creatures, with a driving sense of curiosity. Alaghi love riddles and games of strategy, especially a good game of chess. Alaghi tend to hoot and hiss when they speak, and their fearsome size and power can often frighten people who are not used to them.

See also:

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills and Powers.


Bugbear

Bugbears are the largest variety of goblinkind, standing about seven feet tall with muscular frames. They have light yellow to light brown hides, with thick coarse hair and bestial eyes. Their ears are large and prominent, and their mouths are full of sharp fangs. Bugbears are true carnivores, with keen sight and hearing, and they can move with amazing stealth when they try.

Most bugbears live by plundering and ambush, taking slaves and eating anything they kill. A player character bugbear is an extremely unusual representative of his species who must struggle to control a vicious temperament and natural inclination to bully those weaker than himself. Even the most honorable bugbears can be fatally misled by avariciousness and hunger for power.

See also:

Bugbear Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Bullywug

Bullywugs are bipedal frog-like amphibians inhabiting swamps, marshes, and other dank locations. They are covered with smooth, mottled green hide, with huge frog-like faces and bulging eyes. Bullywugs are strong swimmers and comfortable in water or out of it, but they are vulnerable to dehydration once they leave their native swamps.

A player character bullywug is actually a member of an advanced variety of this species, since most bullywugs are savages and marauders of the worst sort. Common bullywugs are scarcely able to wield a stone spear or club, but advanced bullywugs are able to wear armor and use most human weapons with little trouble.

See also:

Bullywug Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Centaur

These powerful and noble creatures have the torso and upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. They are a strong and proud race, easily offended and impulsive. Centaurs can make use of any human weapon, but they’re especially fond of oaken clubs, longbows, and medium lances, the latter of which they can wield in the same fashion as a human rider on a medium warhorse.

Centaur society is generally pastoral and peaceful, but they can be fierce warriors when the need arises. Like many woodland creatures, they have a great respect for nature’s balance, and try not to disturb the world they live in. Centaurs are on good terms with elves, gnomes, and halflings, but they are suspicious of humans and dwarves.

See also:

Centaur Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Flind

Flinds are warlike humanoids with many of the worst traits of hyenas and similar scavengers. They are covered with mangy brown or reddish-brown fur, with bestial muzzles and long, muscular limbs. Flinds are closely related to gnolls, but are stronger, smarter, and more fierce than their cousins. Gnolls look upon flinds as leaders, heroes, and champions.

Unlike the chaotic pack-like society of most gnolls, flind society tends to be organized and less savage. Flinds are quick to resort to violence, just like gnolls, but unlike their lesser cousins they’re much more likely to consider the consequences and risks first, and then carefully plan their attack.

See also:

Flind (Gnoll) Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Giff

The giff are a race of hulking, powerfully-muscled mercenaries that resemble bipedal hippopotami. Their legs are cylindrical and stocky, with a heavy torso and clumsy but strong thick-fingered hands. Their faces are very hippopotamus-like, with small eyes and ears, and their skulls are exceedingly dense and strong. Giff are not known as towering intellectuals, but they are immensely strong and loyal to their employers.

The life of soldiering has become the only occupation in giff society, and bands of giff hire out their services to all causes. Therefore, a giff considers it his only purpose in life to keep himself fit, strong, and ready for action. They are fascinated by weapons (the more complicated, the better) and the trappings of military life, such as regimental histories, parades, and other forms of spit and polish.

See also:

Giff Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Githzerai

Native to the chaotic plane of Limbo, the githzerai are a monastic race of travelers and traders who can be found in almost all the infinite planes. Githzerai appear human, but they tend to be thin and gaunt, with drawn faces and sharp features. They favor plain clothing and conservative tones.

Githzerai society is extremely chaotic, but it is not without its own laws and mores. An individual githzerai is usually strongly loyal to his race, even if he is completely out of contact with his fellows. It is not unusual for a githzerai to spend years at a time in a single plane, wandering and adventuring.

See also:

Githzerai Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Gnoll

Gnolls are hyena-like humanoids with mangy yellow or brown fur, drooling muzzles full of long, sharp teeth, and gaunt but powerful frames. They give the impression of starving scavengers, with the disposition to match, and they are among the most chaotic and faithless of all humanoids. Gnolls have a hard time seeing past the moment, and patience is a virtue unheard of in gnoll society.

Player character gnolls must work hard to overcome the strong (and generally well-justified) prejudices they will encounter in the world outside their band. Their short tempers and bestial habits are not much help in dispelling these beliefs. Despite these distasteful qualities, gnolls can be brave and fierce fighters and valuable companions—provided they’re not given too many tests of honor, honesty, or loyalty.

See also:

Gnoll Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Goblin

Goblins are small humanoids standing about four feet tall, with long arms, bandy legs, and harsh mannerisms. A goblin’s face is broad and flat, with a wide fang-filled mouth, pointed ears, and an olive or dull yellow coloration. Goblins are generally cowardly, opportunistic, and untrustworthy.

Goblin society is fairly savage, and each tribe has an exact pecking order. Moving up this ladder by pulling down those above them is the typical dream of most goblins, and cooperation with others of their kind is always halfhearted. Typically, a goblin will let others do his work or fighting for him any time he can, and then strike from ambush only after he’s sure his enemies have been weakened to the point where they can’t threaten him. Or, if the wrong side is winning the fight, a goblin isn’t above reevaluating his allegiances in the middle of a battle.

See also:

Goblin Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Half-Ogre

This hybrid comes from ogre and human parents. They average 7–8' tall, have ruddy complexions, dark hair, and dark eyes. They look like huge humans. Half-ogres can be fighters or clerics, and they cannot be multi-classed. Half-ogres can be any alignment.

Half-Ogres speak common, ogre, orc, troll, stone giant, and gnoll.

Half-ogres qualify as Large creatures and suffer more damage from many weapons. Also, certain smaller races enjoy combat bonuses against half-ogres.

See also:

Half-ogres Monstrous Manual, and

Half-ogres Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Half-Orc

Half-orcs are products of human and orc parents. Of a height similar to half-elves, half-orcs usually resemble their human parent enough to pass for a human in public. Their skin ranges from peach to olive to deep tan, and their hair can be blond, red, brown, black, gray, and shades in between. Half-orcs can be members of the following classes: fighter, cleric, or thief. They can be multi-classed in any two classes, but not three. Half-orcs can be of any alignment.

See also:

Half-orcs Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Hobgoblin

Hobgoblins are stocky humanoids with hairy hides of dark red to gray, and they stand about six and a half feet tall. They have yellow eyes and sharp yellow teeth, and favor dressing in brightly colored outfits. Hobgoblins wage a perpetual war with all other intelligent creatures, especially the other humanoid races. And they are proud of their status as the pariahs of the humanoid cultures. They feel that they are only weakened by alliances or treaties with other creatures.

Hobgoblin society is built around war, with military organization, and they seek out conflict wherever they can find it. Unlike the giff, who believe in the “rules” of warfare, hobgoblins seek to terrify and antagonize their enemies at all times. A player character hobgoblin is a rare individual indeed, since association with “weaklings” and “inferiors” is taken as a sign of weakness and decadence in hobgoblin society.

See also:

Hobgoblin Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Kobold

The smallest and weakest race of goblinkind is the race of kobolds. A kobold stands about three feet in height, with a scaly hide of dark brown to rusty black, and glowing red eyes in a vaguely dog-like face. Kobolds tend to be cowards and whiners, but are quick to turn on their enemies when they find themselves with an advantage of numbers or position. Due to their lack of physical prowess, kobolds specialize in dirty tricks, distractions, and traps, using these to incapacitate or distract larger foes.

Kobolds strive to be taken seriously by larger races, and often try to make up for their shortcomings with ferocity and tenacity. Kobold PCs are unusual examples of the race, but even the most pleasant kobolds are still mean-spirited and spiteful from time to time.

See also:

Kobold  Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Lizard man

A lizard man is a reptilian humanoid standing between six and seven feet tall. They weigh between 200 and 250 pounds, and their hides are covered with tough scales of dark green to brown. Lizard men have long, dangerous claws and thick, powerful tails up to four feet in length. They are exceptional swimmers and can hold their breath twice as long as most other air-breathing creatures, but they are slow and somewhat clumsy on land.

Generally, lizard men are dim savages who have not even mastered the use of the most basic tools and weapons, but PC lizard men are members of a more advanced variety that is capable of using weapons and armor. Despite this, lizard men are barbarians by any definition of the word, and human society and behavior is baffling to them. Unlike some other barbarians, lizard men are likely to react to this with violence instead of curiosity.

See also:

Lizard Man Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Minotaur

These are not the minotaurs of the Dragonlance® game setting, but instead standard minotaurs as described in the Monstrous Manual. Most are cursed humans, or the offspring of minotaurs and humans. Minotaurs are powerfully built and tower more than seven feet in height, with the head of a bull and the body of a human male. Minotaurs revere physical strength above all else, and they believe that the strong should naturally rule the weak. Minotaurs view surrender as an admission of weakness, and are likely to fight to the death regardless of the circumstances.

Many minotaurs are brutal savages, but they are not always mindless killers. They are ruthless, harsh, and stubborn, but they can be surprisingly intelligent and introspective.

See also:

Minotaur Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Mongrelman

Mongrelmen combine the worst features of many species, including humans, orcs, gnolls, ogres, bugbears, and more questionable heritages. No two look alike, but all appear to be poorly constructed combinations of various humanoid races, with misshapen limbs of different shapes and proportions. Without exception, mongrelmen are hideously ugly, and most are ashamed of their appearance and go to great lengths to conceal their bodies from others.

Mongrelmen are often enslaved by evil societies, and ostracized even by good ones. Without a place in the world, they have developed great patience and a surprising degree of human kindness and compassion within their misshapen forms. They tend to avoid bloodshed when they can, staying in the shadows and living by petty theft and scavenging.

See also:

Mongrelman Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Ogre

Ogres are great brutes standing more than nine feet tall, with thick torsos, heavy limbs, stringy hair, and warty hides. They are usually ill-tempered beings who enjoy violence for its own sake, indulging in all manner of cruelty to entertain themselves. Ogres are extremely strong and hardy, but their lack of mental prowess is the stuff of legend.

Ogres live by raiding and scavenging, taking what they want from those too weak to defend themselves. A player character ogre is rare in the extreme—the intelligence and character necessary to rise beyond the petty cruelties and appetites of their kind just isn’t found in many ogres.

See also:

Ogre Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Orc

Orcs resemble primitive humans, with gray-green skin and coarse hair. They stoop slightly, have low, jutting foreheads, snouts, canine teeth, and short pointed ears. They stand between five and a half and six feet tall, and often have powerful, stocky builds. Orcs are aggressive hunters and raiders who constantly seek to expand their territory at the expense of their neighbors.

Orcs respect skill in battle, and from time to time an orc champion approaches human standards of bravery and honor in battle. A player character orc is one of these heroes. Even the best orcs are quick to take offense and are somewhat bloodthirsty.

See also:

Orc Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Satyr

The half-human, half-goat satyrs are a race of pleasure-loving beings, Like the sylvan locations they dwell in, satyrs are personifications of nature, embodiments of all that is wild and carefree. Satyrs have the head, torso, and arms of a human, with the hind legs of a goat. Two sharp black horns jut through the coarse, curly hair on top of the head. They love to spend their days and nights in sport, and they never miss an opportunity to chase after wood nymphs or other comely creatures.

Satyrs are an inoffensive race—they just want to have fun. And when one takes up the life of an adventurer, he’s usually looking for entertainment. They don’t understand seriousness or violence, and while they can fight with the best, they’re more likely to view a battle as just another kind of contest or game. Satyrs are very impulsive, and are generally unreliable companions despite their good intentions.

See also:

Satyr Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Swanmay

Swanmays are human females who are gifted with the magical power to transform themselves into swans. In human form, they are indistinguishable from other people, although they’re frequently women of striking looks and grace. In swan form, they are great white birds of extraordinary beauty. All swanmays carry a magical token of some kind—a ring, cloak, or belt, for instance—that allows them to change shape.

Swanmays belong to a special sisterhood of druids and rangers, living in communal lodges in hidden forests. Their homes are always near silent lakes or marshes. They oppose poachers, raiders, and others who disturb the natural order of the land, and they act as friends and protectors of the forest folk. Many swanmays give up routine adventuring to guard their homes against the forces of evil, but a few—player character swanmays—wander the land to fight evil wherever they find it.

See also:

Swanmay Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Thri-kreen

The thri-kreen are a race of large, intelligent insects often referred to as mantis warriors. They roam the deserts and savannas, existing as nomadic hunters. Mature thri-kreen are roughly seven feet tall at the shoulder, with six limbs and a tough, sandy-colored exoskeleton. They have black compound eyes, short antennae, and a complicated jaw structure. The thri-kreen’s uppermost four limbs are equipped with opposable claws that can grasp tools or weapons, or serve as weapons themselves. The thri-kreen language is made up of clicks and grindings, and they have difficulty learning the common tongue.

Thri-kreen are organized into hunting packs, and they constantly roam their territory. It’s unusual for a thri-kreen to leave its pack-mates and travel alone, and even more unusual for one to take up with others not of its kind. A PC thri-kreen has probably lost its true family in some disaster or another, and accepts its companions as a substitute family.

See also:

Thri-Kreen Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Wemic

Wemics are part human and part lion, combining the two as centaurs combine human and horse. The wemic’s leonine body has a human torso where the lion’s neck and head would be. The leonine body is covered with dusky golden fur, with a white underbelly, while the human half tends toward a tawny skin tone and a slight catlike cast to the face and eyes. Wemics are aboriginal nomads who live through hunting—they use fire and craft weapons and tools, but rarely build any kind of permanent dwelling. Wemics believe that everything in the world is a living thing, from the skies to the sun or earth, and they are very superstitious.

Wemics are playful and curious as cubs, and a small number never grow out of this stage. Wemic adventurers are most often characters of this sort, although other wemics may choose to trade with humans or sell their services as guides, and come into contact with a player character party in that fashion.

See also:

Wemic  Monstrous Manual

Racial abilities and restrictions  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Deep Dwarves

As their name implies, deep dwarves live farther underground than their hill or mountain relatives. They prefer the security and the isolation that living far beneath the earth provides.

The typical deep dwarf is 4–41/2' tall and weighs 120 pounds. They are large-boned, but thinner than their cousins who live closer to the surface. And they can move easily through the narrow tunnels they dig in the bedrock.

Deep dwarves seldom have contact with creatures from the surface—few such creatures can reach remote underground places—and the deep dwarves feel no need to dig tunnels to the surface. Most deep dwarves are neutral, lawful neutral, or chaotic neutral. Players may choose any alignment for their deep dwarf characters.

See also:

Dwarves Player’s Handbook

Dwarves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Dwarf  Monstrous Manual


Gray Dwarves

Also known as duergar, gray dwarves live far underground—at times even beyond the deep dwarves. However, since they occasionally reside near each other, gray and deep dwarves tend to come into conflict over the resources of the Underdark.

An average gray dwarf is about 4' tall and weighs 120 pounds. The thinnest of the subraces, gray dwarves almost appear emaciated. Most are bald, and those who are not usually shave their heads. Their beards are white. Gray dwarves rarely venture above ground, as they find sunlight to be painful to their eyes.

Most gray dwarves are lawful evil in alignment, with neutral tendencies. Player character gray dwarves can be of any alignment.

See also:

Dwarves Player’s Handbook

Dwarves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Dwarf  Monstrous Manual


Hill Dwarves

Hill dwarves live in areas of rolling headlands—often dwelling underground, though they are known to have outposts on the surface.

A typical hill dwarf stands 4' tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He is well-muscled and stocky, with tan or brown skin, dark hair, and bright eyes. Hill dwarves prefer earth tones and seldom wear jewelry. They are the most common of all the dwarven varieties, as they adapt well to life above and below ground. Most hill dwarves are lawful good, but player characters can be of any alignment.

See also:

Dwarves Player’s Handbook

Dwarves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Dwarf  Monstrous Manual


Mountain Dwarves

This variety of dwarf lives beneath the mountains in isolated strongholds. Most mountain dwarves value their privacy and avoid contact with outsiders. A typical mountain dwarf stands 41/2' tall and weighs 170 pounds. Their hair is lighter than their hill dwarf cousins’, and their skin tends to have a reddish tint.

Mountain dwarves are often wary of hill dwarves, as they are suspicious of their cousins’ dealings with the outer world. Most mountain dwarves are lawful good, but player characters can be any alignment.

See also:

Dwarves Player’s Handbook

Dwarves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Dwarf  Monstrous Manual


Aquatic Elves

Aquatic elves, also called sea elves, live in oceans, lagoons, inlets, bays, and other bodies of salt water. They patrol the shallows and depths and rule from their courts of living coral. Though not often seen, when they are encountered it is common to find dolphins among them.

Aquatic elves serve to keep the evil inhabitants of the depths in check. Sahuagin are particularly hated foes, as are sharks that are large enough to threaten sea folk.

Skin colors vary from silver-green to pale blue. Hair is usually green or blue-green, matching the kelp beds where most sea elves make their homes. Their coloring helps conceal the elves from their natural predators. Aquatic elves have gill slits like fish, and they process the air they need out of the water. Unlike most fish, aquatic elves can live for some time out of water.

Aquatic elves can move about on land for a number of days equal to their Fitness scores. However, the longer they spend out of water, the weaker they become. For every two days spent out of the water, aquatic elves suffer a –1 penalty to all ability scores, and to proficiency checks and attack and damage rolls. If any ability or subability score reaches zero, the elf dies. Weakened elves recover within two turns when they return to salt water. Elves who enter fresh water do not recover, but the process of dehydration halts. Aquatic elves can stay in fresh water indefinitely. However, if an aquatic elf leaves fresh water, the dehydration process starts again.

Most aquatic elves are chaotic good, but player characters can be any alignment.

See also:

Elves Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


Dark Elves

The dark elves, also known as drow, live underground. Nearly all of them are evil, and they have used their cunning to become masters of much of the Underdark. Most intelligent creatures shun them. In many ways, dark elves are the twisted, corrupt versions of their above-ground relatives.

Drow have jet black skin, the better to hide their movements underground. And they tend to be shorter than other elves. The only other physical difference drow exhibit is their eyes, which glow a feral red—evidence, perhaps, of the hatred that burns in their hearts and minds.

See also:

Elves Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


Gray Elves

Gray elves are considered the most noble and reclusive of elvenkind, devoting time to improving their minds. Also known as the faerie, this race has withdrawn from the world around them, stepping forth only to combat great evils. To some—even other elves—this retiring nature makes gray elves seem aloof and uncaring. Indeed, the faerie can be haughty, disdaining contact with their cousins and considering themselves to be the highest, purest, most noble form of elf.

Tall and slender, gray elves have amber or violet eyes and silver or pale golden hair. They prefer to dress in white, silver, or golden yellow with cloaks of dark tones such as deep blue or purple.

Most gray elves are chaotic good, though player characters can be any alignment.

See also:

Elves Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


High Elves

The most common type of elf, these are also the most open, friendly, and cooperative. High elves set the physical standards for elves, being about 5' tall and weighing about 110 pounds. High elves are the palest of all elves, with a skin tone resembling the color of fine cream. High elves usually have blond hair and blue eyes or darker hair, ranging from sandy brown to jet black, with intensely green eyes. High elves like to wear pastel shades. When out on a hunt or adventuring in the forest, high elves typically cover themselves in a cloak of forest green in the spring and summer and one of tan or russet in the autumn.

Most high elves are chaotic good, though as player characters they can be any alignment.

See also:

Elves Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


Sylvan (Wood) Elves

Sylvan elves, or wood elves as they also are known, descended from the same stock as other elves. However, they prefer to live a more primitive lifestyle, more in touch with their roots in the primeval forests they have made their homes. They are geared toward simple survival, and they concentrate on their environment rather than on philosophical debates and the study of magic. Sylvan elves enjoy the beauty of a singing bird, the patterns of an intricate spider web, and their own practice of tattooing. They are the most temperamental and emotional elves.

Sylvan elves are more muscular than other elves, and their complexions are darker. They have yellow to coppery-red hair and brown eyes, though some rare cases of hazel or blue eyes are known. Any sylvan elf born with hazel or blue eyes is considered a good omen for the tribe, believed to be destined for personal greatness. Sylvan elves normally dress in browns and greens, the better to blend in with the forest.

Unlike most of their brethren, sylvan elves tend toward neutral alignments, though player characters can be of any alignment.

See also:

Elves Player’s Handbook

Elves  Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Elf  Monstrous Manual


Deep Gnomes

Most surface dwellers consider deep gnomes, or svirfneblin as they call themselves, to be the gnomish equivalents of gray dwarves and dark elves—evil counterparts of their above-ground cousins. This is untrue. Deep gnomes are no more or less evil than their surface-dwelling cousins, and their notorious reputation is a result of ignorance and mistaken association.

Deep gnomes tend to be smaller than other gnomes, but their wiry frames are just as strong. They also prefer to wear cool tones that reflect their stony underground habitats. Most males are bald, while females tend to have stringy gray hair.

The majority of deep gnomes are neutral with good tendencies, but player characters can be of any alignment.

See also:

GnomesPlayer’s Handbook

Gnomes Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Gnome Monstrous Manual


Forest Gnomes

Forest gnomes are less common than rock gnomes. They fill an important niche in the ecology of the woodlands, caring for small plants and animals that other races sometimes overlook. Unlike other gnomes, forest gnomes prefer to make their homes above ground in small log cabins or in large, hollow trees.

The smallest of gnomes, they average only 21_2' in height. They share the physique of rock gnomes—though their noses are not quite as large. Forest gnomes wear their hair and beards long, and the color runs from brown to black in their youth, fading to gray or white with age. Their skin tends toward a greenish cast to tan, rather like some tree barks, and their eyes are blue or brown.

Although most forest gnomes are neutral good, player characters can claim any alignment.

See also:

GnomesPlayer’s Handbook

Gnomes Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Gnome Monstrous Manual


Rock Gnomes

Rock gnomes are the most common gnomes, and they can be encountered in a variety of climates and environments. The most noticeable feature of the rock gnome is his nose. All gnomes have large noses, but rock gnomes sport the biggest noses of all. Rock gnomes love gems, especially diamonds bigger than their noses.

Rock gnomes stand about 31_2' tall and weigh about 70 pounds. Eye color is predominately blue, although green or brown are seen occasionally. Their hair is usually white or pale gray.

Rock gnomes are typically neutral good, but player characters can choose any alignment.

See also:

GnomesPlayer’s Handbook

Gnomes Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Gnome Monstrous Manual


Hairfoot Halfling

The most common halfling, hairfoots prefer rural settings. They are a practical people, and there are many bakers, millers, farmers, and innkeepers in their society. Averaging 3' tall, hairfoots are stockier than their cousins. Their complexions run from pale peach to ruddy to dark brown, and their eyes are usually black or dark brown. Their hair can be blond, brown, red, black, and shades in between—though with few exceptions it is always curly. Hairfoots are distinguished from other halflings by their lack of facial hair.

Most hairfoots are lawful good, though player characters can be of any alignment.

See also:

Halflings Player’s Handbook

Halflings Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Halflings Monstrous Manual


Half-Stout Halfling

See also:

Halflings Player’s Handbook

Halflings Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Halflings Monstrous Manual


Stout Halflings

Stouts are not as common as hairfoots, and they tend to be stockier. As a result, they also tend to be stronger. Stouts usually live apart from human societies, choosing instead to live near dwarves. There may be some dwarven blood somewhere in the stouts’ ancient past.

Ruddy in complexion, stouts vividly blush when pleased or embarrassed. Their hair tends to be light, and their eyes usually are blue, gray, or green. They favor practical, sturdy clothes, such as well-cured leather. They are the most industrious of all halflings, and are even comfortable around bodies of water and boats.

Most stouts are lawful good, though players can choose any alignment for their characters.

See also:

Halflings Player’s Handbook

Halflings Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Halflings Monstrous Manual


Tallfellow Halflings

These halflings are the tallest and slimmest of their kind, averaging a little over 4' tall. Their favorite locale is temperate woodlands. As such, they often live nearer to elves than humans.

They usually wear their hair long, sometimes covered with small caps. And they tend to wear clothes of greens and tans to help them blend into the woods. Tallfellows are the best carpenters, and they often live in spacious above-ground wooden houses. When they need to travel, tallfellows prefer riding small ponies to walking.

Most tallfellows are lawful good, but player characters can be of any alignment.

See also:

Halflings Player’s Handbook

Halflings Player’s Option: Skills & Powers

Halflings Monstrous Manual


Abjurer

An abjurer is a wizard that specializes in the school of Abjuration.

Abjuration spells are a group of specialized protective spells. Each is used to prevent or banish some magical or nonmagical effect or creature. They are often used to provide safety in times of great danger or when attempting some other particularly dangerous spell.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook,

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Alchemist

An alchemist is a wizard that specializes in the school of Alchemy.

Alchemists are inventors and experimenters, always striving for a way to create new and greater effects through the use of magical powders, reagents, and potions.

The school of alchemy is opposed by the Schools of Illusion/Phantasm (things that aren’t real are of no interest to alchemists) and Necromancy (similarly, life forces and spirits are too intangible for alchemy.) All the spells in the school of alchemy are considered to have no verbal component when employed by an alchemist, which means that an alchemist has little to fear from a silence spell or any other magic that prevents speaking.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Bard

The bard is a rogue, but he is very different from a thief. His strength is his pleasant and charming personality. With it and his wits he makes his way through the world. A bard is a talented musician and a walking storehouse of gossip, tall tales, and lore. He learns a little bit about everything that crosses his path; he is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. While many bards are scoundrels, their stories and songs are welcome almost everywhere.

See also:

Bard Player’s Handbook

Bard Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Cleric

The cleric is a generic priest (of any mythos) who tends to the needs of a community. He is both protector and healer. He is not purely defensive, however. When evil threatens, the cleric is well-suited to seek it out on its own ground and destroy it.

See also:

Cleric Player’s Handbook

Clerics Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Conjurer

A conjurer is a wizard that specializes in the school of Conjuration/summoning.

Conjuration/summoning spells bring something to the caster from elsewhere. Conjuration normally produces matter or items from some other place. Summoning enables the caster to compel living creatures and powers to appear in his presence or to channel extraplanar energies through himself.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Diviner

A diviner is a wizard that specializes in the school of Greater divinations.

Greater divinations are more powerful than lesser divinations. These spells enable the wizard to learn secrets long forgotten, to predict the future, and to uncover things hidden or cloaked by spells.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Druid

The druid class is optional; it is an example of how the priest can be adapted to a certain type of setting. The druid serves the cause of nature and neutrality; the wilderness is his community. He uses his special powers to protect it and to preserve balance in the world.

See also:

Druid Player’s Handbook

Druids Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Enchanter

An enchanter is a wizard that specializes in the school of Enchantment/charm.

Enchantment/charm spells cause a change in the quality of an item or the attitude of a person or creature. Enchantments can bestow magical properties on ordinary items, while charms can unduly influence the behavior of beings.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Fighter

The fighter is a champion, swordsman, soldier, and brawler. He lives or dies by his knowledge of weapons and tactics. Fighters can be found at the front of any battle, contesting toe-to-toe with monsters and villains. A good fighter needs to be strong and healthy if he hopes to survive.

See also:

Fighter Player’s Handbook

Fighter Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Geometer

A geometer is a wizard that specializes in the school of Geometry.

The school of Geometry consists of both diagrams that can be drawn on the target, as well as geometrical designs that can be created through gestures. Often, spells of this school require unusual writing implements—the material components for the spell—but generally, no verbal components are necessary.  Potent magical forces can be locked in designs, symbols, and diagrams of mystical significance. Geometers are wizards who study the summoning and control of magic through the creation of intricate geometrical patterns, ranging from runes drawn on paper or carved in stone to free-floating constructs composed of brilliant lines of energy. For a geometer, the somatic component of a spell—the gestures required to unlock the spell’s energy—represent the creation of an extra-dimensional doorway through which magic is drawn and shaped into the form the wizard desires.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Illusionist

An illusionist is a wizard that specializes in the school of Illusions.

Illusions deal with spells to deceive the senses or minds of others. Spells that cause people to see things that are not there, hear noises not made, or remember things that never happened are all illusions.

See also:

Illusionist Player’s Handbook

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Invoker

An invoker is a wizard that specializes in the school of Invocation/Evocation.

Invocation/Evocation spells channel magical energy to create specific effects and materials. Invocation normally relies on the intervention of some higher agency (to whom the spell is addressed), while evocation enables the caster to directly shape the energy.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Mage

A mage is a wizard. He strives to be a master of magical energies, shaping them and casting them as spells. To do so, he studies strange tongues and obscure facts and devotes much of his time to magical research.

A wizard must rely on knowledge and wit to survive. Wizards are rarely seen adventuring without a retinue of fighters and men-at-arms.

Because there are different types (or schools) of magic, there are different types of wizards. The mage studies all types of magic and learns a wide variety of spells. His broad range makes him well suited to the demands of adventuring.

See also:

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Necromancer

A Necromancer is a wizard that specializes in the school of Necromancy.

Necromancy is one of the most restrictive of all spell schools. It deals with dead things or the restoration of life, limbs, or vitality to living creatures. Although a small school, its spells tend to be powerful. Given the risks of the adventuring world, necromantic spells are considered quite useful.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Paladin

The paladin is a warrior bold and pure, the exemplar of everything good and true. Like the fighter, the paladin is a man of combat. However, the paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions.

See also:

Paladin Player’s Handbook

Paladin Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Psionicist

A psionicist uses the force of his or her mind to affect the environment and inhabitants around them.

See also:

Psionicist Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Ranger

The ranger is a warrior and a woodsman. He is skilled with weapons and is knowledgeable in tracking and woodcraft. The ranger often protects and guides lost travelers and honest peasant-folk. A ranger needs to be strong and wise to the ways of nature to live a full life.

See also:

Ranger Player’s Handbook

Ranger Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Shadow Mage

The places where light and darkness meet have long symbolized opposition and balance, the clash of good and evil, even of chaos and law. The School of Shadow teaches mages to use these contrasts to reach the secret source and union of all shadow and harness its power. Shadow mages tend to be grim sentinels who have exchanged the bright spark of a normal existence for the power of twilight and darkness. Very few shadow mages are of good alignment; a great number are neutral, and some have embraced the darkness completely and turned to ways of evil.

See also:

Shadow Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Song Wizard

The power of music and words has long been acknowledged as an important source of inspiration and amusement. The School of Song concentrates on spoken spells, using the wizard’s skill at weaving melody, lyrics, and rhythm to create enchantments of great power. Elves and great bards have tapped into this source of magic for countless years, but now more wizards are investigating the intriguing possibilities of this school of magic. Musical proficiency or knowledge is not a strict requirement for this school, but most song wizards are also virtuoso vocalists—the subtleties of pitch and expression can have tremendous effect in the casting of the spell.

See also:

Song Wizard Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Transmuter

A transmuter is a wizard that specializes in the school of Alteration.

Alteration spells cause a change in the properties of some already existing thing, creature, or condition. This is accomplished by magical energy channeled through the wizard.

See also:

Specialist Wizards Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Handbook

Mage Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Thief

Thieves come in all sizes and shapes, ready to live off the fat of the land by the easiest means possible. In some ways they are the epitome of roguishness.

The profession of thief is not honorable, yet it is not entirely dishonorable, either. Many famous folk heroes have been more than a little larcenous -- Reynard the Fox, Robin Goodfellow, and Ali Baba are but a few. At his best, the thief is a romantic hero fired by noble purpose but a little wanting in strength of character. Such a person may truly strive for good but continually run afoul of temptation.

To accomplish his goals, for good or ill, the thief is a skilled pilferer. Cunning, nimbleness, and stealth are his hallmarks. Whether he turns his talent against innocent passers-by and wealthy merchants or oppressors and monsters is a choice for the thief to make.

See also:

Thief Player’s Handbook

Thief Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Multi-class and Dual-class characters

A multi-class character improves in two or more classes simultaneously. His experience is divided equally between each class. The available class combinations vary according to race. The character can use the abilities of both classes at any time, with only a few restrictions. Only demihumans can be multi-class characters.

A dual-class character is one who starts with a single class, advances to moderate level, and then changes to a second character class and starts over again. The character retains the benefits and abilities of the first class but never again earns experience for using them. There are some limitations on combining the abilities of the two classes but, as long as minimum ability and alignment requirements are met, there are no restrictions on the possible character class combinations. Only humans can be dual-class characters.

See also:

Multi-Class Characters Player’s Handbook

Multiclassed and Dual classed Characters Player’s Option: Skills & Powers


Wild Mages

Spells cast by wild mages are inherently unpredictable.

Only characters with Intelligence of 16 or greater are qualified to become wild mages. The theories of wild magic are breaking new ground, and only characters of high intelligence are able to decipher the arcane convolutions of its meta-mathematical theory. Although wild magic is chaotic on the surface, study in this field requires diligence and discipline.

There are no restrictions to the alignment of a wild mage. The race of a wild mage is limited to those races with competency at magic; thus, only humans, elves, and half-elves can be wild mages. Gnomes have some magical talent, but lack the broad base of skills and knowledge necessary to master this new field.

Wild mages must abide by the normal restrictions for all wizards concerning weapons and armor. They use the same THAC0 and saving throw values of traditional wizards. They progress in level according to the Wizard Experience Levels and Wizard Spell Progression tables (Tables 20 and 21 in the Player's Handbook ).

Wild mages have several abilities and restrictions. Like specialists, wild mages are able to memorize one extra spell per spell level. This spell must be a wild magic spell, although it can be from any school; wild mages have no opposition schools as do specialists.

Wild mages receive a bonus of +10% when learning new wild magic spells and a -5% penalty when learning other spells. Because wild magic is somewhat "fast and loose," wild mages can research new spells as if they were one level less difficult, decreasing the amount of time and money needed to create new spells.

Certain magical items behave differently in the hands of a wild mage. This is due to his understanding of the random processes that power them. Most notable of these is the wand of wonder. The wild mage has a 50% chance of controlling the wand, allowing him to use charges from the wand to cast any spell he already knows (but does not need to have memorized). The number of charges used by the wand is equal to the number of levels of the spell desired. If the attempt fails, only one charge is used and a random effect is generated.

The wild mage can control the following items 50% of the time, thereby allowing him to select the result or item instead of relying on chance: amulet of the planes, bag of beans, bag of tricks, deck of illusions, deck of many things, and the well of many worlds.

Wild Mages Tome of Magic


Elemental Wizards

The elemental wizard is a new variety of specialist mage beginning to appear throughout the lands. These wizards scorn the "accepted" theories of magical classification (the rigid school structure) in favor of a holistic, natural understanding of magic. The result is elementalism.

Elementalism is not a school in itself; it is an area of specialization focusing on spells involving the four prime elements of air, earth, fire, and water. These spells may be from any of the nine schools of magic. The fireball spell, for example, belongs to the evocation school, but according to elementalists, it is also a spell of elemental fire.

Unlike other specialists, an elementalist does not specialize in a single school of magic, but may learn and cast spells belonging to any school. Although this may seem to be a great advantage, elementalists suffer considerable penalties when learning and casting spells that do not relate directly to the elements. The exception to this penalty is the spells of the school of lesser divination, which every wizard may learn.

Each element has a diametrical opposite: air opposes earth, fire opposes water, and vice versa. Every elementalist must choose one element as his specialty. He may learn and cast any spells relating to his chosen element and gains advantages when doing so. He may also cast spells of the two elements which do not oppose his specialty, for which he receives no bonuses or penalties. Consequently, he may not learn or cast any spells associated with the element that opposes his element of specialty. For example, a fire elementalist may cast spells relating to fire, air, or earth, but may not cast spells of elemental water. A specialist is also prohibited from using magical items that duplicate spell effects of his oppositional element.

Fire

|

Air -- opposes -- Earth

|

Water

Although their repertoire of spells is small, elementalists are potent wizards, for they gain the following advantages when involved with spells of their chosen element:

•Elementalists receive a bonus of +25% when attempting to learn spells of their element and a bonus of +15% when learning other elemental spells. They suffer a penalty of -25% when trying to learn spells that do not relate to the elements.

•An elementalist may memorize one extra spell per level, providing that at least one of the memorized spells is from his element of specialty.

•Because elementalists have an enhanced understanding of spells within their element, they receive a +2 bonus when making saving throws against those spells. Other creatures suffer a -2 penalty when making saving throws against an elementalist casting spells from his specialty.

•Once per day, an elementalist may choose to cast one memorized spell from his element of specialty as if he were 1d4 levels higher. He must declare his decision to do this immediately prior to casting the spell. This affects range, duration, area of effect, and damage; it does not allow the wizard to cast a spell from a level which he normally could not use.

•When an elementalist attempts to create a new spell relating to his specialty element, the DM should count the new spell as one level less (for determining difficulty).

•Upon reaching 15th level, an elementalist does not need to concentrate when controlling elementals of his specialty element summoned by the 5th-level spell conjure elemental . The normal 5% chance of the elemental turning upon its summoner remains in effect.

•At 20th level, there is no chance of a summoned elemental turning upon an elementalist if the creature is of the wizard's specialty element.

See also:

Elemental Wizard Tome of Magic

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