

They’re also a good shout for an elven monk or fighter, thanks to their broad weapon proficiency (longsword, shortsword, shortbow and longbow). If you’re more into the idea of creating a smarty-pants (like a Merlin-type), then high elf is definitely your pick, as you’ll get an increase to your intelligence ability score.
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Depending on which subrace you choose, elves can be a good pick for characters that sneak, like rogues or rangers, or characters that cast spells, like druids or wizards (learn how to play the Dungeons & Dragons 5E wizard class). Like dwarves, they also benefit from having darkvision, and have automatic proficiency in perception (which is a great thing to have, regardless of character build). For example, all elves have an ability score increase to dexterity, and have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. Elves are a better pick for characters that favour dexterity or magic, as their traits hover around the speedy and charismatic aspects, more-so than the stabby and thrusty aspects. Graceful, beautiful and stuck-up-their-own-arses.

Half orcs: think barbarians, fighters, that sort. All these factors make half-orcs incredibly efficient frontline attackers, particularly of the physical kind, as they get to give additional damage whenever they score a critical hit with a melee weapon. Their ability score increases feed into their strength and constitution, they have proficiency in intimidation from birth, and automatically gain the Relentless Endurance feat (which initially prevents characters from hitting zero hit points). Sure, they’re not as hench as their full-blooded orc brethren, but if you’re looking to be completely and utterly ripped, then the half-orc is your best bet (unless you want to try and wrangle a goliath into being). The first thing to establish about half-orcs is that they’re certified meat-shields. If you’re more of a fighter, choose a mountain dwarf, as they get added strength and proficiency in both light and medium armour. If you’re after more resilience, pick a hill dwarf, as you’ll get an increase to your maximum hit points, as well as an increase to your wisdom. Advantage on saving throws against poison.Additionally, because of their innate combat training, they’re a fantastic choice if you’re looking to play a character who’s a dab hand with weaponry, such as a monk, fighter or barbarian. They’re generally a good shout when it comes to creating heavy-set characters, because their speed isn’t reduced by the armour they’re wearing. Dwarves get a nice selection of general traits, such as darkvision (can see in dim light for up to 60 feet, which is always handy to have) and, of course, tool proficiency (can choose a toolkit to use). They’re pretty much what you expect from a classic dwarf: short, stout and good with a set of tools. However, with that in mind, we’re going to provide our own brief, but hopefully informative, look at what each race is really about – and help you decide what your own roleplaying avatar will be. Whilst the nitty-gritty elements of the Player’s Handbook are a chore to read - which is why we’ve broken it down nicely in our guide to how to get started with Dungeons & Dragons - the little bits of flavour text are actually quite good and can help you get a better understanding of how each race fits into the D&D world as you create your character. The character creation section of the Dungeons & Dragons 5E Player's Handbook provides a decent selection of major races, and their sub-section of races, each one bringing their own unique set of traits, sometimes both positive and negative. However, as we advise in our guide to Dungeons & Dragons 5E character creation (which you really should have read already), jumping straight into the wacky world of the wider D&D universe and homebrew content for your very first character is a tad ambitious.

Theoretically, you can create a character with any race featured in the Dungeons & Dragons universe (including typical enemy races, such as bugbears).
