CHARACTER RACES

Your choice of race 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. Choose from one of the following races:

• • Dwarves. Good fighters with bonuses vs. giants and resistance to poison and magic.

  • Elves. Good fighters and magic-users with keen senses, stealth ability, and weapon bonuses using swords and bows.

  • Gnomes. Good thieves and illusionists with bonuses vs. giants and resistance to poison and magic.

  • Half-elves. Strong single and multi-classing options including ranger and cleric classes and keen senses.

  • Halflings. Excellent thieves with exceptional stealth abilities and resistance to poison and magic.

  • Half-orcs. Strong fighters and assassins, with some clerical multi-classing ability.

  • Humans. Unlimited advancement in any single class; best option for rolling ability scores. (See Campaign web site)

If selecting a demi-human character, understand the limitations and benefits of the race. Multi-class capability and racial abilities including infravision are major advantages especially at lower levels. If extending play into higher levels, pay attention to level limitations and slower advancement.

Creature Type and Sub-types. All of the above races have the creature type, humanoid and the following sub-types:

• • Dwarves have the creature type humanoid (dwarf).

  • Elves and half-elves have the creature type humanoid (elf).

  • Gnomes have the creature type humanoid (gnome).

  • Halflings have the creature type humanoid (halfling).

  • Humans have the creature type humanoid (human).

  • Half-orcs have the creature type humanoid (orc, giant*). * Half-orcs that appear fully human do not have the creature sub-type, giant.

CLASS LEVEL LIMITS

A class level limit means when your character attains the maximum level achievable, you can no longer advance in levels.

Demi-humans will often have a level limits and restrictions on allowable multi-class combinations. Thus, while demi-humans offer major advantages (racial abilities and multi-classing), they will be limited in maximum level.

Humans have no level limit other than that imposed by the class itself.

A “U” means “unlimited”. A dash in the Class & Level Limits by Race table means the class or class combination is unavailable to the race in question. A number indicates the maximum level achievable by the race in that class.

Multi-class Characters. For more details on running multi-class characters, see Multi-class Characters.

Legendary Ability Scores and Maximum Level. Any character limited in maximum class level due to race that achieves a legendary ability score (19+) in all class primary abilities can increase their maximum limit by 1 per full point above 18. Any permanent increase in ability score will count (amulets, tomes, books, gauntlets, girdles, pearls, cloaks, etc.) but not spells, non-permanent effects, or items like ion stones requiring a special process to function. Obtaining such an item after a level limit has been reached will not allow access to experience points "lost" after the limit was hit. If the ability score was obtained using (wearing or carrying) an item and the item is destroyed or lost, the levels and all experience gained is forfeit after 24 hours (a full wish would only have the effect as listed below).

Wish Spells and Maximum Level. A full wish spell can increase a character's racial maximum level by 1 for a single class.

* These characters actually roll normally for Charisma and the actual Charisma score is kept for interactions with their own kind. Thus a half-orc who rolls a 17 Charisma will be a 12 Charisma to others but a 17 Charisma to orcs and half-orcs including number of henchmen allowed and other modifiers.

Racial Ability Score Adjustments. Make the following adjustments to ability scores based on race.

These adjustments come after any changes necessary to increase a score to meet the minimum required for the class and age adjustments.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Character Traits include:

• Age by Race

• Height & Weight by Race

• Languages (including regional tongues)

• Social Class

• Human Ethnicities

• Character Backgrounds

All of these character details are campaign specific and should be shared by the Game Master before play.