Introduction
Choosing your race is one of the first major decisions in building a D&D 5e character, and one of the most misunderstood. Race is not just flavor. The ability score bonuses, passive traits, and subrace features you pick at level 1 will shape your character's capabilities in every session from now until the campaign ends.
This guide series covers every major race available in D&D 5e 2014: all nine Player's Handbook races plus the most popular and mechanically significant options from Volo's Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and other official supplements. Each guide rates every racial trait, compares subraces, and identifies the best class pairings so you can make an informed choice before session zero.
Ratings use the standard color system:
- ● Red - Avoid or actively weak
- ● Orange - Situational
- ● Green - Good
- ● Blue - Fantastic
Choosing Your Race
Before reading individual guides, a few principles that apply across all race choices:
Ability score bonuses matter most. Almost everything else a race gives you is secondary to whether its stat bonuses align with your class. (If your table uses the Customizing Your Origin rules covered at the end of this guide, that constraint comes off entirely and you can put a race's bonus wherever you want it.) A Strength fighter needs a Strength bonus. A Wizard needs Intelligence. Mismatching your race and class stats doesn't make your character unplayable, but it delays key breakpoints.
Passive features beat situational ones. Lucky (Halfling) activates multiple times per session automatically. A breath weapon (Dragonborn) activates once per short rest and deals mediocre damage. When two options look similar, weight the passive benefit more heavily.
Darkvision is quietly enormous. Roughly half of standard D&D encounters happen in low-light or dark environments. Any race that provides Darkvision removes a recurring penalty without costing you anything. If your class doesn't have an alternative, prioritize a Darkvision race.
PHB Races
Human ●
The most flexible race in the game. Standard Human spreads +1 across all six ability scores, useful for avoiding dump stats. Variant Human is dramatically stronger: two +1 bonuses, a skill, and a free feat at level 1. Variant Human's feat is the highest single power spike available at character creation and is widely considered the best PHB race for almost every class.
Elf ●
Six subraces with distinct identities, three in the Player's Handbook. High Elf gets a free Wizard cantrip and +1 Intelligence, excellent on any arcane caster. Wood Elf gets Fleet of Foot (+5 movement), mask of the wild (hide in natural settings), and a Wisdom bonus, the best stealth and perception build. Dark Elf (Drow) trades sunlight sensitivity for Superior Darkvision and innate spellcasting, strong in underground campaigns but punishing outdoors. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes adds Shadar-kai, Eladrin, and Sea Elf. All Elves get Perception proficiency, Trance, and Fey Ancestry (advantage vs. charm, immunity to magical sleep).
Dwarf ●
Durable frontliners. Hill Dwarf gets +1 Wisdom and +1 HP per level (Dwarven Toughness), excellent for Clerics who want the stat and for anyone who wants more hit points. Mountain Dwarf gets +2 Strength and light and medium armor proficiency, the rare race that meaningfully helps a Wizard's survivability without requiring a dip. All Dwarves get +2 Constitution, poison resistance, Stonecunning, and a 25-foot speed that heavy armor never reduces.
Halfling ●
Lucky is one of the best racial features in the game: reroll any natural 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. It applies automatically, costs nothing, and fires multiple times per session. Lightfoot Halfling adds +1 Charisma and Naturally Stealthy (hide behind larger creatures). Stout Halfling adds +1 Constitution and resistance to poison. Small size is the only real downside: no heavy weapons.
Gnome ●
Rock Gnome gets +1 Constitution, Artificer's Lore, and Tinker (small mechanical constructs). Forest Gnome gets +1 Dexterity, Minor Illusion cantrip, and Speak with Small Beasts. Both get +2 Intelligence, Gnome Cunning (advantage on INT/WIS/CHA saves against magic), and Darkvision. Gnome Cunning is the star feature; it's effectively half-resistance to most magical conditions. Excellent for any Intelligence caster.
Half-Elf ●
+2 Charisma and two flexible +1 bonuses to any ability scores. Two skill proficiencies. Darkvision and Fey Ancestry. No subrace. Half-Elf is the best race for CHA-primary classes (Bard, Paladin, Warlock, Sorcerer): the +2 CHA bonus plus flexible stats means you can build around your class without compromise. Competes with Variant Human for the title of best PHB race.
Half-Orc ●
Savage Attacks (extra damage die on critical hits) and Relentless Endurance (drop to 1 HP instead of 0 once per long rest) make this the best frontline tank race in the PHB. +2 Strength, +1 Constitution, Darkvision, Intimidation proficiency. Relentless Endurance is a free death save nullifier every long rest; it will save your life several times per campaign. Excellent for Barbarians, Fighters, and Paladins.
Tiefling ●
+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Darkvision, resistance to fire damage, and a scaling innate spellcasting package (Thaumaturgy cantrip, Hellish Rebuke 1/day, Darkness 1/day). The fire resistance is consistently useful. Hellish Rebuke as a free reaction damage spell is excellent. The CHA bonus works for most of the same classes as Half-Elf. The +1 INT is wasted on most builds but doesn't hurt you.
Dragonborn ●
+2 Strength, +1 Charisma, a breath weapon, and resistance to one damage type matching your draconic ancestry. The concept is strong; the execution is weak. The breath weapon scales poorly (2d6 at level 1 growing to 3d6, then 4d6), recharges on a short rest, and competes with a full action. Resistance to one damage type is nice but passive. The Fizban's Treasury of Dragons variants fix the breath: it replaces one attack instead of your action and has several uses per day. Dragonborn is playable, just outclassed by most alternatives for the classes it wants to help. The full guide also covers the Wildemount Draconblood/Ravenite variants and the Fizban's Treasury of Dragons Chromatic, Gem, and Metallic variants.
Popular Non-PHB Races
Aasimar ●
Three subraces from Volo's Guide: Protector (wings, extra radiant damage), Scourge (a radiant aura that also burns you and nearby allies), and Fallen (a fear burst and extra necrotic damage). Each transformation costs an action from 3rd level. All Aasimar get +2 Charisma, Darkvision, resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, Healing Hands (hit points equal to your level), and Light Bearer (Light cantrip). The +2 CHA and dual resistances make Aasimar one of the best CHA-primary race options in the game.
Astral Elf ●
A Spelljammer elf variant: floating +2/+1 ASI, a free cantrip (dancing lights, light, or sacred flame) with a free INT/WIS/CHA choice, Starlight Step (slot-free 30-foot teleport, proficiency bonus uses per long rest), and Astral Trance (a rotating skill-and-tool proficiency that resets every long rest). Strong for any INT/WIS/CHA caster or mobility-focused martial, with the daily-rotating proficiency rewarding a player willing to re-plan each morning.
Autognome ●
A Spelljammer Construct race: Armored Casing (AC 13 + DEX unarmored), Built for Success (a d4 added after you see the roll), Healing Machine (cure wounds, healing word and three related spells work on you, plus a mending-fueled self-heal), and full independence from food, water, and air. As a Construct you lose Lay on Hands, prayer of healing and mass heal, but hold person, charm person and dominate person can't target you, which makes the type a fair trade rather than a trap.
Bugbear ●
+2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, Long-Limbed (+5 feet of reach on melee attacks made on your turn, which does not extend opportunity attacks), Surprise Attack (extra 2d6 damage on a surprised first-turn hit, once per combat), Sneaky (Stealth proficiency), and Powerful Build (carrying capacity only). Built for an ambush opener, and pairs exceptionally with Barbarian and Rogue and a reach-weapon Fighter.
Read the Bugbear section of the Monstrous Races Guide →
Centaur ●
A Fey-type race from Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica: +2 Strength, +1 Wisdom, 40-foot base speed, a bonus-action Hooves attack after Charging, Equine Build (counts one size larger for carrying capacity, and hand-and-foot climbing costs 4 extra feet per foot), and one skill from a Survivor list (Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival). Being Fey rather than Humanoid is a real, always-on defensive edge against any "targets a humanoid" spell or feature. Strongest on Barbarian, Paladin, or Ranger builds that want speed and a mobile opener.
Changeling ●
An Eberron race from Eberron: Rising from the Last War: +2 Charisma, +1 to another ability of choice, Shapechanger (a full appearance change as an action, no ability score or race-trait change), Changeling Instincts (proficiency in 2 of Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion), and Common plus 2 languages of choice. No combat trait at all, the entire kit is built around social and infiltration play. Strongest on Rogue and Bard, and solid on any Charisma-primary caster.
Deep Gnome ●
A Gnome subrace from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes built for stealth and Underdark survival: +2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, Superior Darkvision (120 feet), Stone Camouflage (advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in rocky terrain and underground), and an optional Svirfneblin Magic feat granting at-will nondetection on yourself plus blindness/deafness, blur and disguise self once each per long rest. A strong fit for Rogue and any infiltration- or scouting-focused build.
Dhampir ●
A half-vampire lineage from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: flexible ability scores (+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 wherever you choose), 35-foot walking speed, Darkvision, Deathless Nature (no need to breathe), Spider Climb, and Vampiric Bite, a Constitution-based bite that on a hit lets you regain hit points equal to its damage or add that damage to your next check or attack roll, a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus, with advantage on the bite while you are at half hit points or fewer. The recurring lifesteal on every hit lands is a more reliable survivability shape than a once-per-day panic button, and it's especially strong on any melee build that wants to keep swinging while low.
Duergar ●
The gray-dwarf subrace from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, taken in place of Hill or Mountain Dwarf: the dwarf's +2 Constitution and poison resilience plus +1 Strength, Superior Darkvision, advantage on saves against illusions, charm and paralysis (Duergar Resilience), and enlarge at 3rd level and invisibility at 5th (Duergar Magic). Both spells need concentration, which Rage blocks, so this is a better Fighter race than Barbarian race. Sunlight Sensitivity is a real tradeoff outside Underdark-set campaigns.
Eladrin ●
An Elf subrace from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes built around Fey Step: a bonus-action 30-foot teleport once per short or long rest, with a seasonal rider from 3rd level (Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter) that you can change when you finish a long rest. +1 Charisma on top of the base Elf traits, including +2 Dexterity. A strong pick for any build that wants a free, no-slot-cost mobility and control tool.
Firbolg ●
+2 Wisdom, +1 Strength, Detect Magic and Disguise Self 1/day each (as a bonus action), speech with beasts and plants, Hidden Step (invisibility as a bonus action), and Powerful Build. The +2 WIS bonus combined with Detect Magic and daily invisibility makes Firbolg the best Druid race and a strong Cleric option. Hidden Step alone is worth the pick for any class that can use a tactical invisibility tool.
Genasi ●
Four elemental subraces from the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, all with +2 Constitution. Air Genasi: +1 DEX, unending breath, Levitate 1/day. Earth Genasi: +1 STR, Earth Walk, Pass Without Trace 1/day from 1st level. Fire Genasi: +1 INT, Darkvision (the only genasi with it), fire resistance, Produce Flame, Burning Hands 1/day from 3rd level. Water Genasi: +1 WIS, acid resistance, water breathing, swim speed, Shape Water, Create or Destroy Water 1/day from 3rd level. Water Genasi suit Druids and Clerics; Earth Genasi give any party a 1st-level stealth engine.
Giff ●
A hippo-headed Spelljammer race: Astral Spark (flat proficiency-bonus force damage on a weapon hit, once per turn), Firearms Mastery (full firearm proficiency, ignores Loading, no long-range disadvantage), and Hippo Build (advantage on Strength checks and saves, one size larger for carrying/pushing/lifting). Astral Spark and Hippo Build alone make this a safe, table-independent Strength pick; Firearms Mastery raises the ceiling further if your DM allows firearms.
Githyanki ●
An Astral Plane raider race from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes with a rare STR/INT stat combo: +2 Strength, +1 Intelligence, Martial Prodigy (light/medium armor plus longsword, shortsword, and greatsword proficiency regardless of class), and free jump and misty step (neither uses a save or attack roll, so the Intelligence behind them barely matters). One of the strongest race-subclass matches in the catalog for Fighter (Eldritch Knight) and any martial-caster hybrid.
Githzerai ●
Githyanki's Limbo-dwelling cousins from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes: +1 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and an innate Shield-then-Detect-Thoughts spell progression. The Wisdom bonus and defensive kit make this one of the strongest race options for Monk.
Goblin ●
+2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, Nimble Escape (Disengage or Hide as a bonus action every turn, no rest limit), and Fury of the Small (once per rest, deal extra damage equal to your level to a larger creature with an attack or a spell). A hit-and-run stat line that suits Rogue, though Nimble Escape shares the bonus action with Cunning Action, so the escape is worth more on a caster like Sorcerer.
Read the Goblin section of the Monstrous Races Guide →
Goliath ●
+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, Powerful Build (counts as one size larger for carrying capacity only), Mountain Born (acclimated to high altitude and cold climates), Stone's Endurance (reaction to reduce damage by 1d12+CON modifier, 1/short rest), and Athletics proficiency. Stone's Endurance is the standout: a free damage reduction reaction every short rest. Excellent for any STR-based frontliner.
Hadozee ●
A Spelljammer race built around Hadozee Dodge, a reaction to roll a d6 plus proficiency bonus and reduce any incoming damage by that total, with no damage-type restriction. Adds a climb speed and Glide (a reaction that zeroes fall damage and repositions you horizontally). Resistance applies after the Dodge, so it is worth less on a raging Barbarian. Among the strongest pure defensive racial traits in the 2014 catalog; build this race from its current, post-2022-errata text only.
Hexblood ●
A Fey-type, hag-touched lineage from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: flexible ability scores, 30-foot speed, Darkvision, Eerie Token (a token of your hair, nail, or tooth that lets you send a telepathic message to whoever holds it or see and hear from its location, once per long rest), and Hex Magic, granting free casts of disguise self and hex that can be recast with your own spell slots once the free use is gone. That slot-recast clause makes Hexblood a strong pick for any class with slots to spare, not only Warlocks who already have hex on their list.
Hobgoblin ●
+2 Constitution, +1 Intelligence, Martial Training (two martial weapons, light armor), and Saving Face (once per rest, add a bonus equal to the number of allies you can see within 30 feet, up to +5, to a missed attack, failed check, or failed save). An unusual CON/INT combo that makes Hobgoblin one of the better non-obvious picks for Wizard and Eldritch Knight Fighter.
Read the Hobgoblin section of the Monstrous Races Guide →
Kalashtar ●
A psionic human/quori-hybrid race from Eberron: Rising from the Last War: +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma, Dual Mind (advantage on all Wisdom saving throws, unconditional), Mental Discipline (resistance to psychic damage), Mind Link (telepathy to a seen creature, extendable to a second creature for 1 hour), Severed from Dreams (immune to magic requiring you to dream), and no Darkvision. Strongest on Cleric and Druid.
Kender ●
A small, cheerful race from Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen: floating +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1, Fearless (advantage on frightened saves, plus a guaranteed once-per-long-rest success), Kender Aptitude (proficiency in one of Insight, Investigation, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, or Survival), and Taunt (a bonus-action save-or-suffer that punishes an enemy for attacking anyone but you). No Darkvision - the trait most players assume a Small race has by default.
Kenku ●
+2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom, proficiency in two skills from a specific list, advantage on forgery and mimicry checks, and Expert Forgery. The DEX/WIS combo works for Monks and Rogues. The skill advantages are narrow. Kenku's biggest limitation is the Sunlight Sensitivity equivalent: they cannot speak normally (only mimicry), which is a significant social roleplay constraint at most tables. Check with your GM before committing.
Kobold ●
+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, Pack Tactics (advantage on any attack roll, including ranged spell attacks, when an ally is within 5 feet of the target), Grovel Cower and Beg (once per rest, grant nearby allies advantage), and Sunlight Sensitivity. A team-oriented skirmisher stat line, excellent for Rogue and any ranged-spell-attack caster fighting alongside a melee ally, poor for anything Strength-based.
Read the Kobold section of the Monstrous Races Guide →
Leonin ●
A Mythic Odysseys of Theros race: +2 Constitution, +1 Strength, 35-foot speed, darkvision, 1d4 claws, one skill from Athletics, Intimidation, Perception or Survival, and Daunting Roar, a bonus-action roar that frightens chosen creatures within 10 feet until the end of your next turn (Wisdom save, once per short or long rest). Frightened enemies have disadvantage on every attack, not just attacks against you, so the roar protects the whole party. Strongest on Fighter and Paladin; a Barbarian has to choose between the roar and Rage on its first turn.
Lizardfolk ●
+2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, Natural Armor (AC 13 + DEX with no armor needed), a Bite attack, and Hungry Jaws (bonus-action bite that grants temporary hit points on a hit, 1/rest). Built for durability over spellcasting: the CON bonus and Hungry Jaws make it one of the sturdiest frontline race options, especially for Barbarian.
Loxodon ●
A Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica race: +2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, Natural Armor (a flat AC of 12 + CON modifier that does not stack with any other AC-calculation method), Powerful Build, Loxodon Serenity (advantage against being charmed or frightened), a Trunk utility action, and Keen Smell (advantage on Perception, Investigation, and Survival checks involving smell). The flat AC floor is strongest on a class that never gets a competing AC formula, like Sorcerer or Cleric; it's a wash or worse on Barbarian or Monk once their own formula out-scales the flat 12.
Minotaur ●
A Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica race: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution, no innate Darkvision, Horns, Goring Rush (a bonus-action Horns attack after Dashing at least 20 feet), Hammering Horns (a bonus-action shove after hitting with the Attack action; a separate trigger from Goring Rush, the two cannot combo on the same turn), and an Imposing Presence skill choice (Intimidation or Persuasion). An action-economy tool for a mobile Barbarian or Fighter who has to close distance every fight, not a pure damage stack. Half-Orc still wins on static, already-adjacent fights.
Orc ●
+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, Aggressive (bonus-action move toward an enemy), Menacing (Intimidation proficiency), and Powerful Build (carrying capacity only). The same +2 Strength and +1 Constitution as Half-Orc and Goliath plus an Intelligence penalty, workable for Barbarian and STR-based Fighter, but generally outclassed by Half-Orc's Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks.
Read the Orc section of the Monstrous Races Guide →
Owlin ●
A Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos race: a floating +2/+1 (or +1/+1/+1) ability score increase, 120-foot Darkvision (double the standard range), Stealth proficiency, and a flying speed equal to your walking speed available from level 1, disabled while wearing medium or heavy armor. The strongest level-1 mobility trait in the catalog for any build that can stay unarmored or in light armor, and dead weight the moment a build needs plate. Best on Monk and Rogue.
Plasmoid ●
An Ooze-type Spelljammer race built around Amorphous, squeezing through a space as narrow as 1 inch, provided you're wearing and carrying nothing. Adds Natural Resilience (acid and poison resistance plus advantage against poisoned) and Shape Self, reshaping into a Humanoid-compatible form that can wear gear and wield weapons. The strongest infiltration trait in the 2014 catalog, best treated as a planned heist tool rather than a mid-combat escape given its naked-and-unarmed cost.
Reborn ●
An undead-adjacent lineage from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft for a resurrected character: flexible ability scores, Deathless Nature (advantage on death saving throws and on saves against disease and poison, resistance to poison damage, no need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, and a long rest in 4 motionless hours), Ancestral Legacy (keep your former race's skill proficiencies and climbing, flying, or swimming speed, or gain two skills), and Knowledge from a Past Life, a d6 bonus to a skill check a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus. The advantage on death saves holds up fine against Half-Orc and Warforged on pure survivability math, but Reborn's real hook is the built-in, mechanically supported amnesia mystery behind the character's forgotten former life.
Satyr ●
A Mythic Odysseys of Theros race: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity, the Fey creature type, 35-foot speed, Magic Resistance (advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects), a 1d4 Ram attack, Mirthful Leaps, and Performance and Persuasion proficiency. Magic Resistance is one of the strongest defensive racial traits in the 2014 catalog. Best on Bard, Sorcerer and Warlock.
Shadar-kai ●
A Shadowfell-touched Elf subrace from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes: base Elf traits, +1 Constitution, necrotic damage resistance, and Blessing of the Raven Queen, a once-per-long-rest bonus-action teleport that from 3rd level also grants resistance to all damage until your next turn. A strong escape and survivability tool for Rogue, Monk, or Ranger builds that want a panic button.
Read the Shadar-kai section of the Elf Guide →
Shifter ●
An Eberron race from Eberron: Rising from the Last War: Darkvision, Shifting (bonus action, temp HP equal to level plus CON modifier, once per short or long rest), and 4 subraces each with a distinct ASI, skill proficiency, and Shifting Feature (Beasthide: durability, Longtooth: a bonus-action bite attack, Swiftstride: speed and a reactive move, Wildhunt: WIS-check advantage and no advantage on attacks against you from within 30 feet). The richest single-race decision space in this batch. Strong for any martial build, especially Fighter and Barbarian.
Simic Hybrid ●
A Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica race with the richest single-race decision space in the catalog: +2 Constitution, +1 to one ability score of your choice, then pick 1 of 3 Animal Enhancements at 1st level (Manta Glide, Nimble Climber, Underwater Adaptation) and 1 more at 5th level (one of the first-level options you didn't take, or Grappling Appendages, Carapace, or Acid Spit, a 2d10 attack that deals nothing on a successful Dexterity save and scales to 4d10 by 17th level). Acid Spit is a limited backup attack; for a class with Extra Attack, Carapace is often the better 5th-level pick. A strong fit for any build that wants mobility or utility tuned to a specific campaign's terrain.
Tabaxi ●
+2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity, Darkvision, proficiency in Perception and Stealth, natural claws (1d4 slashing), and Feline Agility (double movement speed for one turn, recharges by moving 0 feet on a subsequent turn). Feline Agility is the star: entering combat, closing to melee, and striking is dramatically easier with doubled movement. Excellent on Rogues, Monks, and mobile melee builds.
Thri-kreen ●
A four-armed, insectile Spelljammer race: Chameleon Carapace (AC 13 + DEX unarmored, plus an action to camouflage for advantage on Stealth), Secondary Arms (a permanent free hand, not extra attacks), Sleepless, and Thri-kreen Telepathy, a hard trade-off that removes the ability to speak any non-native language without magic. It doesn't block spellcasting, since verbal components aren't a language, and the carapace works as a permanent mage armor for casters. A strong unarmored AC floor and utility package paired with a real, permanent roleplay and mechanical constraint - not a race to build a social-face character around.
Tortle ●
No Dexterity bonus, but a natural AC of 17 (Shell Defense gives +4 AC but leaves you prone, which gives adjacent attackers advantage, so it works best against ranged attacks). The base AC 17 unarmored is the entire point: spellcasters who would otherwise sit at AC 12 can reach AC 17 without any armor investment. +2 Strength, +1 Wisdom. No swimming speed, despite the theme. Natural Armor removes the need for Mage Armor, and Bracers of Defense still add +2 as long as you carry no shield.
Triton ●
+1 Strength, Constitution, and Charisma, water breathing and a swim speed, fog cloud, gust of wind and wall of water once per long rest (Control Air and Water), one-way speech with water-breathing beasts (Emissary of the Sea), and cold resistance (Guardians of the Depths). The Theros reprint adds darkvision. A well-rounded aquatic race that contributes meaningfully in both combat and exploration. Limited to its element in most campaigns; in landlocked adventures, Triton's unique features rarely trigger.
Vedalken ●
A Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica race: +2 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, Vedalken Dispassion (advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, no "against magic" qualifier), Tireless Precision (add a d4 to one chosen skill or tool check, unlimited use), and Partially Amphibious (up to 1 hour of water breathing per long rest). Dispassion is the single strongest mental-save trait in the 2014 race catalog; it never loses a ruling dispute over whether an effect counts as "magic" the way Gnome Cunning does. Best on Wizard, Cleric, or Druid.
Warforged ●
An Eberron race from Eberron: Rising from the Last War: +2 Constitution, +1 to another ability of choice, Constructed Resilience (advantage and resistance vs. poison, no need to eat/drink/breathe, immune to disease, can't be magically forced to sleep), Sentry's Rest (6 hours inert instead of sleeping, full senses active), Integrated Protection (+1 AC, armor integrates over 1 hour), and Specialized Design (one skill plus one tool proficiency). A living construct that heals normally under RAW, not a construct-type creature. Strongest on Fighter and Paladin, and strong on Artificer.
Yuan-ti Pureblood ●
Magic Resistance (advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects) is one of the strongest racial passives in the game, period. Also gets +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Darkvision, innate spellcasting (Poison Spray cantrip, Animal Friendship at will with snakes, Suggestion and Poison Spray 1/day each), and immunity to poison. The combination of Magic Resistance and CHA bonus makes Yuan-ti Pureblood one of the strongest races in all of 5e 2014.
Read the Yuan-ti Pureblood Guide →
Race Tier Summary
| Tier | Races |
|---|---|
| ● Blue (Best) | Variant Human, Yuan-ti Pureblood, Half-Elf, Halfling, Elf, Aasimar, Firbolg, Tabaxi, Githyanki, Githzerai, Simic Hybrid, Vedalken, Owlin, Hadozee, Goblin, Satyr |
| ● Green (Good) | Dwarf, Half-Orc, Tiefling, Gnome, Goliath, Genasi, Tortle, Triton, Lizardfolk, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, Kobold, Deep Gnome, Duergar, Eladrin, Leonin, Shadar-kai, Centaur, Minotaur, Changeling, Kalashtar, Shifter, Warforged, Dhampir, Hexblood, Reborn, Astral Elf, Autognome, Giff, Plasmoid, Thri-kreen |
| ● Orange (Situational) | Dragonborn, Kenku, Standard Human, Loxodon, Orc |
| ● Red (Avoid) | (no race is actively bad, but Dragonborn and Standard Human underperform in most contexts) |
Ratings assume general adventuring play. Any race can work in any campaign; the tier reflects average mechanical value across a typical adventuring day.
Build Your Dungeons & Dragons (5e, 2014) Character
The Dungeons & Dragons (5e, 2014) character builder is live - build a Beastkin, a Kobold, or whatever your table is missing, free, right now.
Start BuildingCustomizing Your Origin
Every rating above assumes a race's printed Ability Score Increase. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything opens its character options chapter with a set of rules that loosen exactly that assumption - and if your table uses them, most of the race-class synergy pressure in this guide disappears. Customizing Your Origin covers four separate opt-in tools: moving a race's Ability Score Increase to different scores, swapping an ill-fitting racial or class proficiency for a better-fitting one, building a character from Custom Lineage instead of any published race, and revisiting a skill or subclass choice after the fact when the story calls for it.
None of this is automatic. Every option here needs your DM's sign-off, and a table that prefers the fixed racial packages in the Player's Handbook is free to skip all of it. What follows walks through each tool in the order the rules present them, so you know exactly what you're asking your DM to approve and why you might want it.
Ability Score Increases: Moving the Bonus, Not the Race
Every playable race in the 2014 rules carries a trait called Ability Score Increase - the flat bonus that pushes a dwarf's Constitution up or a half-elf's Charisma up, meant to reflect an archetypal strength for adventurers of that race. That reinforcement helps when your concept leans into the archetype. It works against you when it doesn't: a dwarf bard who never wanted the Constitution bump, or a half-orc wizard whose class has no use for bonus Strength.
The fix is narrow on purpose. You keep your chosen race and every one of its other traits - Darkvision, resistances, subrace features, the works - and apply the same total Ability Score Increase your race would normally grant to ability scores of your choice instead of the printed ones. A race that grants a single +2 still grants a single +2, just wherever you want it. A race that splits its bonus across two scores (a +2 and a +1, or two +1s) still splits it the same way, just onto scores you pick.
This is the cleanest tool in the chapter for the specific complaint of "I like this race's non-stat traits, I just don't want its stat bonus." If the complaint runs deeper than that - if you don't want the race's cultural baggage or its other traits at all - Custom Lineage below is the better fit.
Languages and Proficiency Swaps
Two smaller tools round out the "keep your race, adjust the trim" toolkit.
Languages. You can replace any language your race grants with a different one from the standard list: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Deep Speech, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, Infernal, Orc, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon. Your DM can add or remove options from that list depending on what languages actually make sense in the campaign.
Proficiencies. Races and subraces often hand out proficiencies tied to a cultural assumption your character might not share - a high elf's longsword training, an elf's Perception instinct. Swap any of those for a different proficiency in the same broad category, using the Proficiency Swaps table as the boundary on what counts as a fair trade:
| Original Proficiency | Replacement Options |
|---|---|
| Skill | A different skill |
| Armor | A simple or martial weapon, or a tool |
| Simple weapon | A different simple weapon, or a tool |
| Martial weapon | A simple or martial weapon, or a tool |
| Tool | A different tool, or a simple weapon |
The Player's Handbook's equipment chapter lists the weapons and tools available for these swaps, and your DM can expand that list at their discretion. A high elf who's actually a traveling musician might trade longsword proficiency for a musical instrument; an elf who never developed the family's sharp senses might trade Perception for Performance instead.
This same permission extends to your character's personality. Nothing about a race's described temperament - alignment leanings, typical moods, common interests - binds your character to play that way. Racial personality suggestions are flavor text, not a contract.
Custom Lineage: Building a Race From Scratch
Custom Lineage is the option to reach for when adjusting an existing race's stat placement or proficiencies isn't enough - when you want full control over your character's origin with none of a published race's assumptions attached. Instead of picking a race at 1st level, you build one from these fixed pieces:
- Creature type. Humanoid, with an appearance entirely of your own design - you decide whether or how much you resemble any particular kin.
- Size. Small or Medium, your choice.
- Speed. 30 feet, base walking speed.
- Ability Score Increase. +2 to one ability score of your choice.
- Feat. One feat of your choice at 1st level, provided your character meets its prerequisites.
- Variable trait. Either 60-foot darkvision, or proficiency in one skill of your choice.
- Languages. Common, plus one other language you and your DM agree fits your character.
The free 1st-level feat is the headline trade. It puts Custom Lineage in the same conversation as Variant Human for raw power at character creation - see the Human guide for how that comparison plays out feat by feat. Unlike Variant Human, Custom Lineage gives up every other racial trait to get there: no bonus skills beyond the one optional pick, no resistances, no innate spellcasting, no subrace features. You're trading a race's entire supporting cast of traits for total control over where your one Ability Score Increase lands and a feat no other 1st-level character can access without waiting for their first Ability Score Improvement.
Custom Lineage suits a character concept that specifically doesn't want an existing race's baggage - an orphan raised outside any cultural context, a magically altered being with no clean racial category, or simply a player who wants the mechanical floor of "any single +2, any feat" without negotiating which published race gets closest. It's a poor fit if you actually want a race's flavor traits (a dragonborn's breath weapon, a tiefling's resistance and cantrips) - those traits aren't available to buy back piecemeal under Custom Lineage.
Changing a Skill
Sometimes a 1st-level skill choice stops making sense - it never comes up in the campaign, or it no longer fits where your character's story went. With your DM's approval, you can swap that skill proficiency for a different one your class also offers at 1st level.
The rules suggest a natural moment for this: whenever your character gains an Ability Score Increase. The fictional read is that your character spent a level or two studying the replacement skill while the old one went unused long enough to fade. This only covers a straight skill-for-skill trade within what your class already offers at 1st level - it isn't a route to picking up a skill your class never granted in the first place.
Changing Your Subclass
Most classes lock in a subclass somewhere between 1st and 3rd level, and that choice usually stands for the rest of the campaign. With your DM's approval, you can revisit it instead - swapping in a different subclass from your class's list and replacing every old subclass feature with the new subclass's features for your current level and below. This works only at a level where your class would normally grant or advance a subclass feature, not on demand mid-adventure.
Two frameworks govern how that change actually happens in the fiction:
Training Time. The default path treats a subclass change as something your character has to actively work at. The transition takes a number of days equal to twice your new level in the class - a higher level means more to unlearn and relearn. Your DM can also attach a gold cost, typically 100 gp times your new level, covering training, reagents, or other materials the transition needs, and can tie that cost to a quest instead of or alongside the gold (a sorcerer chasing a Draconic Bloodline might need to track down an actual dragon for a blessing). If you're returning to a subclass you held before, you skip the gold cost entirely and the time requirement is cut in half.
Sudden Change. Some subclass changes should happen instantly, driven by story rather than downtime. When a character undergoes a real transformation - a profound self-realization, or a confrontation with something of overwhelming power, beauty, or terror - your DM can allow an immediate subclass swap with no training time or cost at all. A paladin who failed to protect her homeland rising the next morning with a new Sacred Oath, or a wizard whose dreams in the Feywild rewrite their arcane tradition, are both Sudden Change moments: the trigger is dramatic and specific, not a convenience.
Either path is a DM call, not a player entitlement. A table that wants subclass choices to stay permanent is free to leave this section unused entirely.
Where This Leaves the Ratings Above
All four tools solve a different version of the same problem: a fixed choice from character creation that no longer fits, and doesn't have to stay fixed if your DM is willing to open it back up. The practical effect on this guide is concentrated in one place. Once ability score bonuses move freely, the "does this race's +2 match my class" question that drives most of the tier placements above stops mattering, and what's left to compare is the traits themselves - Darkvision, Lucky, Magic Resistance, innate spellcasting. Races rated Orange largely because their bonuses land awkwardly gain the most from that shift; races rated Blue for a standout passive keep their edge either way. Bring it up at session zero rather than assuming it, because none of it is on by default.
