Race Rule Changes

These are the changes from the race rules described in the Fifth Edition Player's Handbook.

Starting PC Races
This campaign starts in the human village of Ag-Rakade. This is primarily a human village, although halflings are pretty common.

The campaign has long since moved past that point. Human cities & villages, halfling villages, plains, deserts, and swampland have all been visited up to this point.

Humans
Humans are the same as described in the Player's Handbook, except for ethnicities.

There are two ethnicities available for human PCs: One special feature of the people of Aruru is their imagination. The other races tend to stagnate in their crafts, arts, and skills: becoming very good at what they do, but rarely innovating beyond those specific talents or products. Humans lack the skills in comparison, but bring imagination and innovation. For example, the halflings are superior farmers, but it wasn't until humans discovered irrigation that the Cradle of Aruru became the agricultural powerhouse it is today. This doesn't affect any PC statistics, but does affect the nature of the campaign.
 * The people of Aruru: well tanned to dark skin, strong build, short (5'10" is the typical maximum height), dark hair. These people come from the agrarian nation of Kassithe, the mercantile nation of Hurrethe, or the great library city of Jow-Hadan.
 * The people of Perskebeth: well tanned to dark skin, slighter build, taller (6'5" is not unheard of), lighter hair. These people come from the desert kingdom of Perskebeth.

Perskebethi, on the other hand, are known for their strict caste system. There are seven castes: high nobility, religious, merchant, military, artisan, commoner, and slave. Only the nobility is allowed to own slaves, however exceptions have been granted to others from other castes from time to time. Not everyone in the society is happy with slavery.

Humans are common in this campaign. No special background is required to explain a human's presence in Ag-Rakade. Human PCs at the beginning of the campaign are assumed to be from Kassithe and not another nation-state, since then Perskebeth came into play. If a player has a concept that doesn't fit in with these ethnicities, work with the DM to come up with something.

Halflings
Halflings are effectively the same as described in the Player's Handbook. Tallfellows are more common, but stouts are OK, too.

The halflings of Kassithe historically dwelled along the river banks. They survived by farming (they are excellent farmers) and by being quiet, small, and sneaky. They have dwelled near humans for many generations, are treated as equals, and have very good relationships with their larger kin.

Halflings are common in Kassithe. No special background is required to explain a halfling's presence in Ag-Rakade. They typically don't travel far from town, but there have been notable exceptions. A halfling PC can easily be one of these exceptions.

Dwarves
Dwarves are effectively the same as described in the Player's Handbook. Both hill and mountain dwarves are acceptable.

Few dwarves live in Kassithe itself, but many do pass through the area. Most are either trading their own crafted wares for agriculture goods or are hired out for construction projects. A few have seen the value in human ingenuity and are collaborating with humans on new designs.

Elves
Elves are effectively the same as described in the Player's Handbook. High elves and wood elves are acceptable. Drow are discouraged, this campaign doesn't involve the Underdark very much.

Elves are still very reclusive and tend not to be found outside their homeland. Exceptions are either sages & scholars doing research on other cultures; trained operatives doing surveillance for their leaders; or outcasts.

Gnomes
Gnomes are effectively the same as described in the Player's Handbook, but they live more like fey creatures in this age. They don't have large settlements but live as isolated clans in secluded glens and burrow systems.

Rock gnomes are only just developing their tinker skills. They can't create clockwork devices in this era, but creative players are encouraged to work with the DM to craft items appropriate to the timeframe.

Gnomes are not necessarily reclusive, but are very rare.

High Orcs
Half-orcs do not exist in this campaign. Instead, there is a race of advanced orcs called High Orcs. They have the same basic traits as half orcs in the PHB, however they are a civilized race and a major power in the region. They do engage in trade with most other races (except for the dwarves), and are fairly well known as weaponsmiths. They are shrewd businessmen, somewhat less shrewd diplomats, and are pretty fair sailors (having extensive fleets on the waters of the Ter-Mith and Dohmgrest). There are even rumors of High Orcs living on exotic lands east of the Presett Sea.

Kenku
Kenku live out to the west of Perskebeth, beyond the Long River. Kenku are dedicated to the protection of their homeland, and recently battled the Mages of the Quarry to reclaim their coveted Heart of the Mountain, a large stone consisting of striated gold and silver bands. Kenku tend to be monks, rogues, two-weapon DX-based fighters, or wizards, but any class is acceptable.

Kenku in this campaign are the same as detailed in Volo's Guide to Monsters, although they are less stereotypical. They have lost their ability to fly, but that's more evolutionary than from some ancient curse. They do not have the loss of creativity that is suggested in that book.

If a player wishes to roll a kenku, and doesn't have Volo's Guide, the DM will send them their stats. They can't be posted here for copyright reasons.

Lizardfolk
There are two sub-races of lizardfolk: swamp and desert. Swamp lizardfolk are well connected to nature, tend to be neutral and independent in their outlook, and are actually known as good neighbors if they are not harassed. Druids and rangers are fairly common amongst swamp lizardfolk, however they can be of any class. Desert lizardfolk do hire themselves out as mercenaries, are not as wise as their swamp brethren, but have a higher constitution. They tend to be ST-based fighters or barbarians, but can be of any class.

Lizardfolk in this campaign are the same as detailed in Volo's Guide to Monsters, although they are less stereotypical. Desert lizardfolk get the book's +2 CN and +1 WI; swamp lizardfolk have the reverse (+2 WI and +1 CN). If a player wishes to roll a lizardfolk, and doesn't have Volo's Guide, the DM will send their stats. They can't be posted here for copyright reasons.

There is also a third race that's not available as a player character: the armored lizardfolk.

Kappa
Kappa are a race of turtle folk. They've also been known as "tortles", although they don't like that name. They are similar to swamp lizardfolk, but they are meeker but more kindly than their larger brethren. They are surprisingly stealthy for their clunky physique, this is because they are naturally very quiet. Druids, rangers and rogues are common amongst the kappa, but they can be of any class.

Kappa in this campaign are a pure homebrew class. If a player wishes to know more about kappa, the DM will send their stats.

Grippli
Grippli are a race of small frog people. Their homes are in the trees of the swamps of Sesskeyeth, south of Perskebeth, where they co-exist with the Kappa. They are natural climbers, easily swinging from tree to tree in their native land. This advantage carries forward to walls and cliffs. They also have the ability to self-poison their arrows with a mild sleeping draught. They tend to be isolationist, but they do come out when their lands are threatened. They tend to be rogues and assassins, but can be of any class.

Grippli in this campaign are a pure homebrew class. If a player wishes to know more about grippli, the DM will send their stats.

Minotaur
Minotaurs are a sentient, intelligent race in this campaign. They come from the island of Chokrathi, and are excellent seafarers. They are generally xenophobic, visitors to their island can not leave the immediate dock area. However, off their island, they will serve on ship crews, as bodyguards, or will travel the land, serving their own agenda.

To keep game balance amongst the other races, any PC minotaur will be assumed to be a runt, and not the full-strength monster. Runt minotaurs are generally shunned by all but the most enlightened minotaurs. There is something interesting about runt minotaurs, though: in exchange for the excessive strength of normal minotaurs, they are wiser and smarter (hence they can become PCs). This means runt minotaurs can play any class, although they are still not known for their finesse or charisma (minotaur monks, rogues and bards are incredibly rare).

Minotaurs in this campaign are a pure homebrew class. If a player wishes to know more about playing a minotaur, the DM can send their stats.

Other Races

 * Dragonborn do not exist. The situations that caused the rise of the dragonborn have simply not occurred yet.
 * Half-elves do not exist. Inbreeding between elves and other races has simply not occurred yet.
 * Tieflings do not exist. The strong barrier surrounding the Prime Material Plan prevents the interbreeding between humans and extra-planar creatures.
 * Of the other races in Volo's Guide, only the aasimars are outright prohibited. The Planar Boundary prevents their creation. The other races not mentioned in this wiki can be played if desired, work with the DM to figure out how to integrate them.