2. Choose a Species

Every character belongs to a species, one of the many intelligent humanoid species in Arden. The most common player character species are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. Some species also have races, such as mountain dwarf or wood elf. Here, you can find more information about these species, as well as the less widespread species of dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs and tieflings.

The species that you choose contributes to your character’s identity in an important way, by establishing a general appearance and the natural talents gained from culture and ancestry. Your character’s species grants particular species traits, such as special senses, proficiency with certain weapons or tools, proficiency in one or more skills, or the ability to use minor spells. These traits sometimes dovetail with the capabilities of certain classes (see step 2). For example, the species traits of lightfoot halflings make them exceptional rogues, and high elves tend to be powerful wizards. Sometimes playing against type can be fun, too. Half-orc paladins and mountain dwarf wizards, for example, can be unusual but memorable characters.

Pick a species, applying any modifiers to your attributes and any other species traits. Each species lists the languages that a character of that species automatically knows.