Races (Dungeons & Dragons)

Dungeons & Dragons (v3.0 and v3.5) has introduced a bewildering array of races. Many of them are traditional races from previous publications, versions of the game or various fantasy sources. However, a large number of them (perhaps even a majority) are original creations of Wizards of the Coast with no relevance outside of the game.

The races can further be separated into three categories.

*Player Character Races
*Races With Levels
*Monster Races

While 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons drew heavily from traditional mythology and Tolkien-esque literature, later versions of the game have increasingly created their own mythology and zoology.

Recently however, the races have been limited these:

*Elf
*Dwarf
*Half-Orc
*Halfling
*Gnome
*Human
*Half-Elf

The Individual races all have different stat-adjusters

Several campaign worlds have their own variations on the individual races. However, the 3rd Edition book Unearthed Arcana introduced variants on each of the races based on terrain locations, elements and other indicators, such as arctic, forest, fire, etc. These variations do not seem to be attached to any specific world or setting.