Race
Race is selected once at character creation and defines several permanent mechanical properties of a character. Beyond flavor and appearance, race determines ability score modifiers, creature size, base movement speed, special senses, automatic and bonus languages, and a set of racial traits — passive abilities that apply for the character's entire adventuring career.
What Race Grants
| Property | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Ability Modifiers | Racial bonuses and penalties applied to base ability scores after generation. Most core races have a +2 to one score and −2 to another; humans get +2 to any single score of their choice. Some races (half-orcs, half-elves) also get +2 to one chosen score with no penalty. |
| Size | Most playable races are Medium. Gnomes and halflings are Small (−1 to CMB/CMD, +1 size bonus to attack rolls and AC, +4 Stealth, smaller weapons, ¾ carrying capacity). Size also affects space and reach — see Size & Reach for details. |
| Base Speed | Standard races move 30 ft. per round. Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings move 20 ft. but are never slowed by medium or heavy armor or encumbrance (dwarves only for armor; gnomes and halflings have no armor exception). |
| Special Senses | Many races have darkvision (60 ft., sees in total darkness as dim light, but no color) or low-light vision (sees twice as far as humans in dim light, still needs some light source). These replace normal vision, not supplement it. |
| Languages | Each race has a set of automatic languages (always known) and bonus languages (one per point of INT bonus above 10, chosen from the race's list). Characters with INT 8 or lower lose a bonus language slot but cannot go below their automatic languages. |
| Racial Traits | Passive abilities covering skill bonuses, resistances, spell-like abilities, weapon familiarity, and more. Each race entry lists its standard trait set. |
Alternate Racial Traits
Many races have alternate racial traits — optional swaps that replace one or more standard racial traits with a different ability. An alternate trait lists explicitly which standard trait(s) it replaces. You may only take an alternate trait if you give up all of the listed standard traits it replaces.
Favored Class Bonus
Each race has a list of favored classes — one per core class, with additional entries in the Advanced Player's Guide and other sourcebooks. When you gain a level in your favored class, you choose one of the following bonuses (once per level, every level):
| Option | Effect | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| +1 HP | Gain 1 extra hit point | Frontline characters who want maximum durability |
| +1 Skill Rank | Gain 1 extra skill rank (treated as a rank for all purposes) | Skill-dependent characters (Rogues, Bards, Rangers) |
| Race/Class Bonus | A special bonus listed in the race entry for that specific class — often a fraction that accumulates over multiple levels (e.g., +½ to one specific ability per level taken) | Focused builds that match their race to their class |
The favored class bonus applies only on levels taken in that class. Multiclassing does not invalidate past bonuses — they simply stop accruing if you switch away. You do not have to choose your favored class at character creation; you declare it the first time you gain a level in the class you want to designate.
Building a Custom Race
The Advanced Race Guide introduces the Race Point (RP) system — a framework for designing balanced custom races from scratch. Every racial trait is assigned an RP cost; standard published races cost between 8 RP (humans) and 23 RP (fetchlings). The system doesn't enforce a budget — GMs and players can intentionally build over or under — but the RP total gives a useful benchmark for comparing races.