A New Player’s Guide to the D&D Basic Races

Building a character from the face up

So, you’re starting a new campaign. You already know the setting, the hook, and what level you’re starting at. Now it’s time to start building a character! And where do you start? Well, what race is your character? As with many other aspects of D&D, picking a race for your brand-new character looks really simple on the surface. Why should it matter? It’s just how they look and talk, right?

Alas, no. In D&D, every choice matters mechanically, including what race your character hails from. The basic gist of it is that each race, due to their inherent story, has a set of mechanical bonuses that make them predisposed to different strengths and classes in the game.

Where the Races Come From

Although there are hundreds of official and homebrew races to choose from, the best place to start for a new player is the nine Player’s Handbook races, which are the most basic and universally explored. They’ve got clear rules for mechanics, appearance, and culture, meaning that you don’t have to create them all yourself (is that fun? Yes! Is that overwhelming! Oh, yes).

Most of the original D&D races are based on Tolkien-esque classic fantasy tropes, although there are a couple that are unique to the game…