Human Race Guide: D&D 5e (2014)

Introduction

No race in the 2014 Player's Handbook generates as much competitive conversation as the Human, specifically its Variant option. While mechanically unremarkable on its own, the Variant Human's free feat at character creation is a sledgehammer dropped into a game that otherwise withholds feats until level 4. That single trait reshapes what your character can do from session one, and it is the reason Variant Human appears in more optimized builds across every class than any other race.

This guide covers both Human variants in full: Standard Human, which is stronger than its reputation for classes that need three good scores, and Variant Human for anyone who wants the most mechanically potent level-1 foundation in the 2014 rules. It also covers the options that compete with or extend the Human: Tasha's Custom Lineage, the Xanathar's Prodigy feat, and Eberron's dragonmarked humans.

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Disclaimer

Ratings use the following color system throughout this guide:

• ● Red - Poor or avoid. This option underperforms or conflicts with the race's strengths.
• ● Orange - Situational. Useful in specific builds or campaigns but not a default pick.
• ● Green - Good. A reliable choice that works well in most contexts.
• ● Blue - Excellent. A top-tier option that significantly enhances your character.

Ratings reflect the 2014 rules only. No content from the 2024 revision is considered here.

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Racial Traits

All Humans

● Size: Medium, Speed: 30 ft. Standard size and movement, on par with most races. Not a differentiator, but not a disadvantage either.

● Languages: Common + One Extra Free language selection is useful for roleplaying and occasionally for bypassing communication barriers. Combined with a background language, Humans can speak three languages at level 1.

Humans get no darkvision. In a dungeon-heavy campaign that means carrying a light source or relying on a party member who can see in the dark, and it is the most common reason a DM or player picks Custom Lineage over Variant Human.

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Standard Human vs. Variant Human

● Standard Human

Standard Human grants +1 to all six ability scores. That is six points of ability improvement spread across your sheet, more than any other race's total. Most of those points land on stats your character rarely rolls, which is why the option is underrated rather than weak.

The value depends on how many scores your class needs. Point buy caps each score at 15 before racial bonuses, so a Standard Human can buy 15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8 and start at 16, 16, 16, 9, 9, 9. Half-Elf can also start with three scores of 16 or more, but one of them must be Charisma; Standard Human puts them in any three stats. The classes that need three good scores are the ones that benefit:

• Paladin: Strength, Constitution, and Charisma all matter from level 1.
• Monk: Dexterity and Wisdom set AC and attacks, and Constitution keeps a d8 class alive.
• Multiclass builds: most multiclass combinations require 13 in two or more scores, and the spread makes those requirements cheap.

When Standard Human is worth considering:

• A class or multiclass that needs three high scores, as above
• Campaigns with very low point buy (25 or lower), where the +1s prevent crippling dump stats
• Tables that do not allow feats at all, where Variant Human is not available

Outside those cases, Variant Human is the stronger pick.

● Variant Human

Variant Human trades the blanket +1s for a focused package:

• +1 to two different ability scores of your choice
• One skill proficiency of your choice
• One feat of your choice

The feat is the entire reason this variant exists in competitive play. Feats in the 2014 system are taken in place of an Ability Score Improvement, and the first ASI arrives at level 4 for every class. Variant Human bypasses that gate entirely, so you arrive at the table with a feat no other character can have until level 4.

This is not a marginal advantage. A War Caster Cleric keeps Bless running through hits from the first fight. A Crossbow Expert Fighter makes a bonus-action hand crossbow attack every turn from level 1. A Sentinel Paladin controls the battlefield before anyone else has a feat.

Variant Human has one requirement worth knowing: it is an optional rule in the Player's Handbook, tied to the optional feat rule. A table that does not use feats does not have Variant Human either.

Variant Human vs. Custom Lineage

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything added Custom Lineage, a build-your-own race with:

• +2 to one ability score of your choice
• One feat of your choice
• Darkvision (60 feet) or proficiency in one skill
• Small or Medium size, and one extra language

The comparison is close. Custom Lineage's single +2 lets an odd-scored build reach 17 in its primary stat, and darkvision fixes the Human's biggest practical gap. Variant Human's two +1s are better when two scores both sit at 15. A Variant Human can also take a feat that has a Human prerequisite; Custom Lineage has no race to qualify with.

Most tables that allow Tasha's allow both. When they do, pick Custom Lineage if you want darkvision or a 17, and Variant Human if you want two even scores or the Prodigy feat described below.

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Ability Scores

Variant Human gives +1 to two different ability scores of your choice. This is one of the most flexible ability score packages in the game.

Recommended pairings by role:

Put each +1 on a score you bought at 15 (or 13, if a feat raises it later). A Variant Human with 16 in its primary stat is one point behind a race with a +2, and the level-4 ASI closes the gap to 18.

Unlike races with fixed bonuses (for example, Mountain Dwarf always giving Strength and Constitution), both Human variants fit any build.

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Best Classes for Humans

● Wizard

Variant Human Wizard is among the best race-class combinations in 2014. War Caster at level 1 solves the Wizard's biggest problem, concentration loss, before it becomes a problem. Alternatively, Alert prevents the Wizard from being caught flat-footed, and Observant boosts Passive Perception. A Wizard without darkvision should consider Custom Lineage instead if the campaign spends a lot of time underground.

● Fighter

A Polearm Master or Crossbow Expert Fighter makes a bonus-action attack from level 1, which is a larger damage increase at that level than any other feat provides. Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter are stronger later, once your attack bonus can absorb the -5 penalty; at level 1 they are best saved for the ASI at level 4.

● Paladin

Sentinel or Polearm Master Paladin creates a lock-down melee character who can smite opportunists as they try to flee. War Caster keeps Bless running. This is also the best class for Standard Human, whose three 16s cover all of a Paladin's needs.

● Ranger

Crossbow Expert gives a Ranger a bonus-action hand crossbow attack from level 1, and the free skill pairs well with the class's skill list. Sharpshooter becomes the natural level-4 feat once the Archery fighting style and a higher Dexterity offset its penalty.

● Rogue

Alert almost guarantees acting before the enemy, setting up Sneak Attack before they can react. Skulker is a solid thematic pick for stealth-focused builds, and the Prodigy feat below adds a third Expertise at level 1. Rogues benefit less from combat feats than pure martials but still gain a meaningful edge.

● Cleric

War Caster Cleric maintains concentration on Bless reliably from level 1 and on Spirit Guardians from level 5. War Caster is so strong for Clerics that it is often the top feat recommendation for any spellcasting Cleric regardless of subclass.

● Warlock

War Caster keeps concentration spells such as hex running despite frequent damage, while Alert helps the low-hit-point class act early and stay out of reach. Avoid Sharpshooter on a Warlock: it does not work with Eldritch Blast, which is a spell attack rather than a weapon attack.

● Sorcerer

War Caster Sorcerer maintains concentration on Twinned Haste or Fly more reliably. Sorcerers also appreciate Lucky for critical concentration saves.

● Monk

Monk is the other class where Standard Human earns its place, with Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution all starting at 16. A Variant Human Monk takes Mobile or Alert instead.

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Worst Classes for Humans

● Barbarian

Variant Human still works, and Great Weapon Master pairs well with Reckless Attack. But a Barbarian gets less from an early feat than most classes because Rage and Reckless Attack already carry its first levels, and races with +2 Strength and +1 Constitution plus a durability trait, such as Half-Orc or Goliath, compete well.

● Druid

A Circle of the Moon Druid fights in beast forms that use the beast's physical scores, so a +1 to Strength or Dexterity does little. War Caster still helps a caster Druid, which keeps Variant Human workable, just not as dominant as on a Wizard or Fighter.

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Best Feats for Variant Human

● War Caster

For: Any spellcaster maintaining concentration

Advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration, the ability to cast a spell as an opportunity attack, and the ability to perform somatic components with a weapon or shield in hand. This is the most common level-1 pick for casters on a Variant Human.

● Crossbow Expert

For: Dexterity martials (Fighters, Rangers, Rogues)

Ignore the loading property, suffer no disadvantage on ranged attacks within 5 feet of an enemy, and make a bonus-action hand crossbow attack after attacking with a one-handed weapon. At level 1 that is a second attack every turn, which no class can otherwise match.

● Polearm Master

For: Strength melee martials

A bonus-action attack with the butt of a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear, plus an opportunity attack when a creature enters your reach. Like Crossbow Expert, it gives a level-1 character a second attack every turn.

● Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master

For: Martials planning ahead

Both trade -5 to hit for +10 damage and are among the strongest feats at higher levels. At level 1, with a +5 attack bonus, the penalty costs too many hits, so most builds take them at level 4 instead.

● Alert

For: Any class, especially frail characters

+5 initiative, you can't be surprised while conscious, and unseen creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you. One of the strongest defensive feats for any class that needs to act early.

● Sentinel

For: Melee controllers, Paladins, Fighters

Opportunity attacks reduce speed to 0, creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they Disengage, and you can make an attack when a nearby creature attacks someone other than you.

● Resilient (Constitution)

For: Spellcasters who want a save proficiency instead of advantage

Proficiency in Constitution saving throws is the alternative plan for maintaining concentration, and its +1 rounds out an odd Constitution score.

● Prodigy

For: Skill-focused characters (Rogues, Bards, face characters)

Xanathar's Guide to Everything racial feat for Humans, Half-Elves, and Half-Orcs: one skill proficiency, one tool proficiency, one language, and Expertise in one skill you are proficient with. On a Variant Human, taken at level 1, it produces a character with Expertise before any Rogue or Bard class feature. It is one of the few racial feats a Variant Human can take and Custom Lineage cannot.

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Dragonmarked Humans in Eberron

Eberron: Rising from the Last War offers dragonmarks as an alternative to a subrace, and Humans can bear more of them than any other race. A dragonmarked Human uses the mark's ability score increase in place of the Human one and gains the mark's traits, including an expanded spell list for spellcasting classes:

• Mark of Finding (shared with half-orcs): tracking and finding magic.
• Mark of Handling: animal handling and beast-focused magic.
• Mark of Making: crafting, a free cantrip, and magic item magic.
• Mark of Passage: extra speed and teleportation.
• Mark of Sentinel: guardian magic and a protective reaction.

A dragonmarked Human does not get the Variant Human feat. The trade is worth it mainly when the mark's expanded spell list fits the class, such as Mark of Sentinel on a Paladin or Mark of Making on an Artificer. The dragonmarks section of the Eberron guide compares every mark.

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Multiclassing Considerations

Both Human variants make multiclassing easier: Standard Human spreads points across the 13s that multiclass requirements demand, and Variant Human's feat smooths the early power gap.

• Fighter 1 / Wizard X: Take War Caster as your Variant Human feat. Starting as a Fighter gives you Constitution saving throw proficiency, all armor proficiencies, and a Fighting Style.
• Paladin 2 / Sorcerer X: War Caster or Resilient stabilizes concentration while still landing Divine Smites. Standard Human covers the Strength and Charisma requirements comfortably.
• Fighter / Rogue: Crossbow Expert at level 1 and Sharpshooter at the first ASI make one of the most consistent ranged damage builds in the 2014 rules.

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Example Build: Level 1-10

Crossbow Tactician: Variant Human Fighter (Battle Master)

Ability Scores (Point Buy): STR 8, DEX 15 (+1 = 16), CON 15 (+1 = 16), INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8. Skill: Perception. Feat: Crossbow Expert.

Use Precision Attack to rescue a Sharpshooter shot that misses by a few points, and turn Sharpshooter's -5 off against high-AC targets. Crossbow Expert removes the penalty for shooting while an enemy is next to you, so this Fighter can stand in the second rank without retreating.

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FAQ

Is Variant Human the best race in D&D 5e 2014?

Variant Human is widely considered the strongest race in the 2014 Player's Handbook. The free level-1 feat is an enormous power spike that no other core race can match.

What is the best feat for Variant Human?

It depends on your class. War Caster suits concentration casters, Crossbow Expert and Polearm Master give martials an extra attack from level 1, and Alert helps any class that benefits from going first.

Is Standard Human ever worth taking over Variant Human?

Yes, for classes that need three good scores. Point buy lets a Standard Human start with three 16s, which suits a Paladin or Monk.

Does Sharpshooter work with Eldritch Blast?

No. Sharpshooter and the Archery fighting style only apply to ranged weapon attacks, and Eldritch Blast is a spell attack.

What is the difference between Variant Human and Custom Lineage?

Custom Lineage gives +2 to one score, a feat, darkvision or a skill, and a choice of size. Variant Human gives two +1s, a skill, and a feat, and qualifies for Human-only feats such as Prodigy.

What languages do Humans speak in 2014?

All Humans know Common plus one additional language of their choice. This stacks with extra languages from backgrounds.

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Final Notes

The Human race in D&D 5e 2014 is defined by its choices. Variant Human hands you a feat at character creation, bypassing the level-4 gate that every other race faces, and for most builds that is the strongest start in the game. Standard Human is the better pick for the handful of classes that need three good scores. Custom Lineage competes with both when darkvision matters.

If you want maximum character power, start with Variant Human and choose the feat before anything else. The conversations around "best race" in 2014 are, more often than not, conversations about which feat Variant Human should start with.