Their appearance in the original 1974 edition of Dungeons & Dragons appealed to fans of Tolkien.Īs D&D shaped the field of fantasy fiction, fantasy races have come to be a staple of computer roleplaying games and other media. Tolkien, particularly The Hobbit, which features all three of those races. The inclusion of the dwarf, elf and halfling (originally called hobbit) is influenced by the works of J.R.R. The pact which changed the humans of Bael Turath into tieflings.The Ritual of Rebirth, which can change an individual into dragonborn.Some races can be divided into multiple variants or subtypes, known as subraces.Ī few rare mechanics allow a character to change their race. In most editions of the game, each race has modifiers to their ability scores, while in earlier editions of D&D, characters must meet certain ability score minimums to qualify.

All editions of Dungeons & Dragons feature the human, elf, dwarf and halfling as options, and most include other options.Įach race possesses unique traits and abilities, many of which are helpful in the context of dungeoneering and combat. In Dungeons & Dragons, a player creating their character selects from one of many fantasy species known as 'races'.

D&d playable monster races