A Guide to DnD 5e Races
Published on June 10, 2020, Last modified on August 25th, 2020
Choosing your race is a huge decision when creating a character. You have to take into account what traits your race has and how that impacts your roleplay, you also have to take into consideration which classes with synergize well with your chosen race.
Wesley Burt - Wizards of the Coast - Elvish Mystic
What is a Race in DnD 5e?
There are many different types of creatures that call the wondrous, fantastical lands of D&D home. These creatures vary wildly from your plain old humans to ax swinging Orcs to experimental creatures that have been fused together by magic. Many of these creatures started off as a stat block in one of the many monster sourcebooks that have been released by Wizards of the Coast, in order to widen the player’s and DM’s ability to shape their worlds, they have been made into playable races.
What DnD 5e Races Can I play?
According to the Player’s Handbook, the most common character races are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. There are more uncommon races such as Dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings. In Volo’s Guide to Monsters, it is mentioned that the supplemental races provided in the sourcebook are rarer than any of the “standard” classes presented in the Player’s Handbook.
Below is a list of all of the playable races and their subraces in D&D 5e. If you want to learn more about a race or their subclass, click on the link in the “Race” column to visit our Race Guide page. Keep in mind that your DM has the final say when it comes to which playable races are included in their campaign.
| Race | Language | Size | Speed | Ability Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarakocra | Common, Aarakocra, Auran | Medium | 25 | 2 DEX, 1 WIS |
| Aasimar | Common, Celestial | Medium | 30 | – |
| Fallen | 2 CHA, 1 STR | |||
| Protector | 2 CHA, 1 WIS | |||
| Scourge | 2 CHA, 1 CON | |||
| Variant | 2 CHA, 1 WIS | |||
| Bugbear | Common, Goblin | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 DEX |
| Centaur | Common, Sylvan | Medium | 40 | 2 STR, 1 WIS |
| Changeling | Common, 2 | Medium | 30 | 1 DEX or WIS, 2 CHA |
| Dragonborn | Common, Draconic | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 CHA |
| Draconblood | 2 INT, 1 CHA | |||
| Ravenite | 2 STR, 1 CON | |||
| Dwarf | Common, Dwarf | Medium | 25 | – |
| Gray (Duergar) | Undercommon | 2 CON, 1 STR | ||
| Hill | 2 CON, 1 WIS | |||
| Mark of Warding | 2 CON, 1 DEX | |||
| Mountain | 2 CON, 2 STR | |||
| Elf | Common, Elvish | Medium | 30 | – |
| Aereni High | 2 DEX, 1 CON | |||
| Aereni Wood | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Drow | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Eladrin | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Eladrin (Variant) | 2 DEX, 1 INT | |||
| High | 2 DEX, 1 INT | |||
| Mark of Shadow | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Sea Elf | 2 DEX, 1 CON | |||
| Shadar Kai | 2 DEX, 1 CON | |||
| Valenar High | 2 DEX, 1 INT | |||
| Valenar Wood | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Wood | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Firbolg | Common, Elvish, Giant | Medium | 30 | 2 WIS, 1 STR |
| Genasi | Common, Primordial | Medium | 30 | – |
| Air | 2 CON, 1 DEX | |||
| Earth | 2 CON, 1 STR | |||
| Fire | 2 CON, 1 INT | |||
| Water | 2 CON, 1 WIS | |||
| Gith | Common, Gith | Medium | 30 | – |
| Githyanki | 2 STR, 1 INT | |||
| Githzerai | 2 WIS, 1 INT | |||
| Gnome | Common, Gnomish | Small | 25 | – |
| Forest | 2 INT, 1 DEX | |||
| Mark of Scribing | 2 INT, 1 CHA | |||
| Rock | 2 INT, 1 CON | |||
| Deep | 2 INT, 1 DEX | |||
| Goblin | Common, Goblin | Small | 30 | 2 DEX, 1 CON |
| Goliath | Common, Giant | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 CON |
| Halfling | Common, Halfling | Small | 25 | – |
| Ghostwise | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Lightfoot | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Lotusden | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Mark of Healing | 2 DEX, 1 WIS | |||
| Mark of Hospitality | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Stout | 2 DEX, 1 CON | |||
| Half-Elf | Common, Elvish | Medium | 30 | 2 CHA, 1 ASI |
| Half-Aquatic | 2 CHA, 1 ASI | |||
| Half-Drow | 2 CHA, 1 ASI | |||
| Half-High | 2 CHA, 1 ASI | |||
| Mark of Detection | 2 WIS, 1 ASI | |||
| Mark of Storm | 2 CHA, 1 DEX | |||
| Half-Wood | 2 CHA, 1 ASI | |||
| Half-Orc | Common, Orc | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 CON |
| Mark of Finding | 2 WIS, 1 CON | |||
| Hobgoblin | Common, Goblin | Medium | 30 | 2 CON, 1 INT |
| Human | Common, 1 Additional | Medium | 30 | 1 to All |
| Mark of Finding | 2 WIS, 1 CON | |||
| Mark of Handling | 2 WIS, 1 ASI | |||
| Mark of Making | 2 INT, 1 ASI | |||
| Mark of Passage | 2 DEX, 1 ASI | |||
| Mark of Sentinel | 2 CON, 1 WIS | |||
| Variant | 2 ASI | |||
| Kalashtar | Common, Quori, 1 | Medium | 30 | 1 WIS, 1 CHA |
| Kenku | Common, Auran | Medium | 30 | 2 DEX, 1 WIS |
| Kobold | Common, Draconic | Small | 30 | -2 STR, 2 DEX |
| Lizardfolk | Common, Draconic | Medium | 30 | 2 CON, 1 WIS |
| Loxodon | Common, Loxodon | Medium | 30 | 2 CON, 1 WIS |
| Minotaur | Common, Minotaur | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 CON |
| Orc | Common, Orc | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 CON, -2 INT |
| Shifter | Common | Medium | 30 | – |
| Beasthide | 2 CON, 1 DEX | |||
| Longtooth | 2 STR, 1 DEX | |||
| Swiftstride | 2 DEX, 1 CHA | |||
| Wildhunt | 2 WIS, 1 DEX | |||
| Simic Hybrid | Common, Elvish/Vedalken | Medium | 30 | 2 CON, 1 ASI |
| Tabaxi | Common, 1 | Medium | 30 | 2 DEX, 1 CHA |
| Tiefling | Common, Infernal | Medium | 30 | 2 CHA, 1 INT |
| Asmodeus | 2 CHA, 1 INT | |||
| Baalzebul | 2 CHA, 1 INT | |||
| Dispater | 2 CHA, 1 DEX | |||
| Feral | 2 DEX, 1 INT | |||
| Fierna | 2 CHA, 1 WIS | |||
| Glasya | 2 CHA, 1 DEX | |||
| Levistus | 2 CHA, 1 CON | |||
| Mammon | 2 CHA, 1 INT | |||
| Mephistopheles | 2 CHA, 1 INT | |||
| Variant | 2 CHA, 1 INT | |||
| Zariel | 2 CHA, 1 STR | |||
| Tortle | Common, Aquan | Medium | 30 | 2 STR, 1 WIS |
| Triton | Common, Aquan | Medium | 30 | 1 STR, 1 CON, 1 CHA |
| Vedalken | Common, Vedalken, 1 | Medium | 30 | 2 INT, 1WIS |
| Warforged | Common | Medium | 30 | 2 CON, 1 ASI |
| Yuan-Ti Pureblood | Common, Abyssal, Draconic | Medium | 30 | 2 CHA, 1 INT |
DnD 5e Races Ability Modifier Breakdown
We took a look at all of the D&D 5e Race’s Ability Modifiers and have come up with some interesting data that will help you when you are trying to pick a race that will mesh with your intended build. Keep in mind, this table excludes 11 Races that do not apply a +2 racial bonus to ability modifiers.
Looking at the tables above, we can see a number of interesting takeaways:
DEX is by far the most common +2 racial bonus
This is great news for Rogues, Rangers, and Monks, all of which draw their AC, Attack, Damage, Stealth, etc from their DEX modifier.
WIS and INT both have very few +2 racial bonus
An even more interesting conclusion is that only 2 of these races are from the PHB: the Rock and Forest Gnome. This can be quite limiting for the large majority of classes that use their WIS as their spellcasting modifier (Ranger, Druid, Cleric, Monk). That being said, both WIS and INT have the most common +1 racial bonus.
DEX + CON bonuses are more common than STR + CON bonuses
This certainly goes against the grain because STR based melee fighters are more likely to tank than DEX based fighters due to a higher AC.