Half-Race Design Guidelines

A guide for creating half-race templates for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Ed.
 Half-Race Design Guidelines

T
his guide describes how to build racial Additionally, when working through your traits, try to keep
templates for characters of mixed lineage. The in mind a general sense of unity. If you are building a
PHB includes templates for half-elves and half- mountain dwarf / wood elf combination, consider whether
orcs, in which the other half is implied to be your new racial template will be lithe and quick, stocky and
human. With these guidelines, you should be strong, or somewhere in between. Make choices with this in
able to create your own combinations for PCs mind!
and NPCs with any lineage, including
consideration of parental subrace. Common Traits
If you are a player, always check with your DM to make The following traits are shared between races, though they
sure your PC's race makes sense in their setting - for frequently have different text, depending on what race it is.
example, many settings would not allow a Any traits both parental races have with the same name
dragonborn/dwarven biological hybrid, due to anatomical or should be treated as common traits when creating your racial
genetic incompatibility. Similar issues may arise with other template, even if they would normally not be considered such.
races as well. (For example, both the triton and water genasi races have the
Amphibious trait, and thus it should be treated as a common
trait when creating a triton/water genasi combination.)
Deciding to Play as a Always include all common traits in your racial template.
Half-Race PC For those with differing text, use the guidelines below to
determine how to write the trait for your template.
When creating your half-race PC, consider what sort of One special note on the Subrace trait - do not include this
impacts this may have had on them, both physically and trait in your template. It serves only as a signifier that a race
emotionally. What society did they live in? What were the has subraces at all, and there is no mechanical impact to the
circumstances of their birth? What physical traits did they trait itself.
inherit from each parent? Were they in an environment that
was inhospitable to them (such as someone with only one fire Ability Score Increase
genasi parent living in the fire plane or an extreme desert)? In most cases, races gain a +2 to one ability score and a +1 to
Keep in mind that, just like in real life, multiracial another. There are some exceptions, however, such as
individuals can and do have varying experiences, even within humans (who get +1 to all scores) or orcs (who also have a -2
the same society. Your half-gnome, half-kobold having had a to one ability score).
bad time in gnomish society does not necessarily mean that When determining what ability scores to increase,
society as a whole is negative towards such individuals, or compare your parental races. (Don't forget to include the
vice versa. subrace's Ability Score Increase, if applicable!) If they have
identical ability score increases, simply use those. If they do
not, see if there are one or more shared abilities that are
Building Your Racial increased - if so, make the shared ability your +2, and give the
Template +1 to another ability score.
If there are no shared ability scores, use your best
Creating a half-race template is not a complex thing - simply judgement, and look for synergy with other traits, such as the
follow the steps below. Be sure to write down the choices you ability used in a natural spellcasting trait or skill
make, record them somewhere safely and permanently, and proficiencies. No matter what, do not increase abilities that
share them with your DM. And finally, remember that these aren't increased by one of the parental races!
are all guidelines, not rules!
Step 1: Parental Races
The first step is deciding what racial combination you'd like
to be. Determine what race (and subrace, when applicable)
each of your biological parents are.
This is a good time to begin considering the setting your
PC is going to be in, and talking to your DM about what they
will allow. Volo'ss Guide - Monstrous Races
Volo
Volo's Guide to Monsters contains stats for 6
Step 2: Determining Traits playable "monstrous" races, including goblins,
orcs, and the like. The Guide notes specifically that
When determining traits for your racial template, keep in these races may be more or less powerful than
mind that there are two types of traits - those that are standard races. Use caution when using these as
common to every race (such as Ability Score Increase and parental races.
Size), and those that are unique to each race (like Elf
Weapon Training and Infernal Legacy). You'll handle those
types of traits differently, as discussed below.

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Age It is also a bit of a special case, as the wording in the
Races have widely varying lifespans. If your parental races do darkvision descriptive text is always exactly the same (except
not have similar lifespans, take the average of the age of for the first clause, which is pure flavor). When creating a
adulthood for each race, and the maximum lifespan for each half-race in which only one parent has darkvision, you will
race. almost always want to copy the standard description word-
Don't feel bound to the precise numbers you end up with - for-word.
tinker until it feels right to you and your DM. Half-elves, for If you do feel it necessary to include a lesser version of
example, only live to 180, despite their parental races being darkvision, you should only change the distance to which it is
humans ("less than a century") and elves ("live to be 750"). effective. (That is to say, the aforementioned one-parent-with-
Additionally, keep in mind that a physical maturation rate is darkvision scenario might lead to offspring with 30 feet of
not always the same as what society considers 'mature.' A darkvision, rather than 60.) Do not change any other
note to this effect can be included, particularly for someone mechanics of darkvision - monsters and spells in the game
living in a society with a widely different typical lifespan than are designed with only one "level" of darkvision, and
their own. including a weakened version of it introduces an unnecessary
layer of complexity.
Alignment
Look for commonalities between your parental races' Languages
alignments, and use that as the likely alignment for your The Languages trait is always the last trait listed in any race.
racial template. If there are no shared alignments, then either Nearly all races speak Common (which is primarily a
choose what you suspect would be the dominant alignment, simplifying mechanic, to prevent the creation of adventuring
or consider stating that alignment would be dependent on parties that cannot communicate to one another) and one
what society the individual lives in. other language.
Generally speaking, when creating a half-race, you should
Size simply include both parents' unique languages. One
Size has two different components: a physical description of additional language is a relatively minor benefit from a
height and weight, and a size category. gameplay perspective. Do not give any race more than three
When determining the physical description, you are languages total, however - knowing a large number of
probably looking for an in-between point of both parental languages should remain the province of the Linguist feat
races. If they differ significantly (gnomes and dragonborn, for and certain backgrounds.
example) you might consider a fairly broad range of height
and weight, to allow a creature of that combination to run the Unique Traits
gamut between parental races. After completing all of the common traits, you should have
Most races are in the Medium size category. The what amounts to the basics of a race. You know how large
exceptions are the Small races (halflings, gnomes, and the they are, how fast they are, what languages they speak - but
like). Even the physically imposing races of goliaths, firbolg, you are lacking the really interesting things, the
and orcs are still considered Medium creatures. Most of the differentiators; you lack the spice of life, as it were.
time, unless your parental races are both Small, your half- There are many different unique traits, far too many to list
race will be Medium. in this guide. Instead, a few general varieties of unique traits
are discussed, as well as general guidelines for determining
Speed what unique traits to include, and how to modify unique
Most creatures have a walking speed of 30 feet. The primary traits.
exceptions to this are Small creatures, which have a default
movement speed of 25 feet. Speed is always a multiple of 5, Common Trait Modifiers
so don't have your gnome/human template have a speed of There are a few unique traits that exist specifically to modify
27.5, simple though it may seem. a common trait. These typically exist in subraces, such as the
The simplest way to determine speed is simply to use the Dark Elf's Superior Darkvision. When a parental race has a
Size you determined previously. Only if the parental races trait like this, make sure that you've considered it when
have a non-standard speed for their size should you consider determining your new race's common traits.
another option.
Additionally, some races have other speeds, such as flying, Proficiencies
swimming, or climbing. These are usually listed in this trait, Several unique traits grant proficiencies in something,
unless the other speed is only usable conditionally, in which whether it be skills, weapons, armor, or tools. Consider all of
case it typically receives its own unique trait. For example, the potential proficiency-granting traits as a unit. Do any of
the aarakocra have a trait called Flight, which states that them grant matching proficiencies? Do any grant
they have a flying speed, and that they can only use it if they proficiencies of the same type? Use similarities as your
aren't wearing medium or heavy armor. Follow this model for starting point.
your own racial template. Once you've done that, then you might consider other
proficiencies from your parental races. Don't overload the
Darkvision racial template with proficiencies, however - keep in mind
This trait is not properly a common trait, as there are some that backgrounds and classes also add proficiencies during
races that do not have it. However, it is used frequently character-building.
enough to merit inclusion in this section.

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 Spellcasting Choosing Unique Traits
Many unique traits allow for the casting of one or more When attempting to choose unique traits you want for your
spells. As a general rule, do not include any more than three half-race, keep the following guidelines in mind:
spells in any given half-race template, and no more than one
spell of level three or higher. Use a similar number of traits from both parental races
Additionally, a race should usually have no more than one Combine similar traits when possible
spellcasting trait - if you're using traits that grant magic from Copy the PHB's wording when possible, and mimic the
both parental races, make an effort to combine them. For style and grammar when you can't copy.
example, a tiefling's Infernal Legacy and a fire genasi's Have approximately 10 traits. Never have less than 6 (like
Reach to the Blaze both grant spells that deal fire damage - humans) or more than 14 (like dark elves).
consider selecting one or two spells from each trait and Reduce the power of certain traits that are strongly
combine them into one new one. associated with a specific race, like tieflings' Infernal
If they cannot be combined, or only one parental race has a Legacy or goliaths' Stone's Endurance.
spellcasting trait, consider including lesser versions of these Re-name traits that you've combined or modified. This can
traits. (For example, a half-tiefling might only get be as simple as adding a modifier ("Lesser Drow Magic")
thaumaturgy and hellish rebuke, but not darkness, from a or you can come up with something completely new.
hypothetical Distant Infernal Legacy trait.) Remember that races are only the start of character-
Damage Types building - your half-race should not be so powerful that it can
Several races have unique traits which grant innate keep up with a fully built PC.
resistance or immunity to a damage type. Races should Modifying Unique Traits
almost never be resistant or immune to more than one Modifying traits is the most subjective part of this activity,
damage type. apart from choosing the traits you want to pass on to your
When determining which damage type to retain immunity half-race.
to, consider again that your race should have a sense of unity. Most half-races will contain at least one, and likely more,
If your water genasi / tiefling half-race is steering towards a modified traits. You should modify traits that are key to the
water demon-esque race, perhaps you maintain acid identity of a race, or that make up a large portion of the
resistance; if it is looking to be a race comfortable near power of a specific race (see the section on dragonborn below
superheated undersea vents, maybe you keep fire resistance. for the primary example of this).
When choosing which resistance to keep, consider how When modifying a trait, first look for simple things to
many traits you've taken from each race, and their relative simply remove. Modifying a spellcasting trait can be as
power. It often makes for a more interesting and unique simple as removing access to the highest-level spell. Similarly,
combination if you try to pull as evenly as possible from both when combining two weapon proficiency traits, keep access
parental races. to about half of the weapons from each parental race.
Communication Always consider the intent of the half-race you're creating,
Certain unique traits grant communication abilities beyond and the theme you want it to fulfill. This is usually a good
language. These vary, but most allow some form of limited guide for determining what portions of traits to keep and
communication with animals. what to remove.
These traits can frequently be combined without much Special Cases
trouble, and when only one parent has them, do not tend to
be powerful enough to bother reducing to a lesser version, if Certain races have odd structures compared to the standard
you keep them at all. racial templates, or otherwise merit particular mention.
Some that stand out to the author are listed below.
Other Varieties
Many other unique traits exists that do not fit neatly into the Humans
above categories. If your parental races have similar traits Humans are intended to be the ultimate generalists, and their
(for example, a firbolg's Hidden Step and a wood elf's Mask traits reflect such. Standard humans receive a total of 6 extra
of the Wild), consider combining them. ability points, rather than the 3 most races get, but get little
For traits that have no good match, remember to try to take else. When using standard human as a parental race,
some traits from both races, and consider reducing the remember that these extra ability points are the entirety of
power of said traits if you find yourself wanting to keep too their racial power. Keep some aspect of this (perhaps grant
many traits. two +2s, instead of a +2 and a +1) in your half-race.
If using the variant human race for your half-race, the
author recommends that you use +2 from the other parent's
race, and then +1 to an ability score of your choice, and
maintain the Skills trait. You can consider the Feat trait
instead, but remember that not all DMs use feats, and one
feat is generally much more powerful than one skill.

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Dragonborn Half-Race Examples
The dragonborn racial template revolves entirely around the
Draconic Ancestry trait. When using dragonborn as a Some examples of half-races built using this methodology are
parental race, the author recommends you utilize the as follows. You can find others in the author's PHB Half-
following trait in your half-race: Race Pack, downloadable at dmsguild.com.
Distant Draconic Ancestry: You have draconic ancestry.
Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table Half-Dwarf / Half-Gnome
(PHB pg. 34). Your breath weapon and damage resistance are You share the following traits with other individuals of this
determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table. Your race.
Breath Weapon and Damage Resistance work as described Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases
on PHB pg. 34, with the exception that your damage rolls are by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
d4s, not d6s. Age. You reach adulthood in your mid-20s and live to
between 350 and 400 years.
Aarakocra (Elemental Evil) Alignment. You are likely to be Good-aligned.
Aarakocra are the only playable race with a permanent flying Size. You may be anywhere from 3’ to 4’6” tall, and weigh
speed, as described in their Flight trait. Flight is clearly anywhere between 40 and 160 pounds. Your size is Small.
considered very powerful by the designers, as that trait and Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
the relatively meaningless Talons trait are the only unique Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you
traits the aarakocra have, and the ability to fly is conditional as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim
at that. Take care when using the aarakocra as a parental light.
race - if you maintain the Flight trait, you can include very Inherent Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws
little else from another race without overpowering your half- against poison, and you have resistance against poison
race. damage. If you succeed on a saving throw against a spell or
spell effect that would deal poison damage, you take no
Kenku (Volo's
(Volo s Guide) damage.
The kenku are unique in that they are unable to speak, except Natural Cunning. You are considered proficient in History
with the use of their Mimicry trait. When homebrewing a checks related to alchemical objects, magical items,
half-race using the kenku, speak with your DM as to whether technological objects, or the origin of stonework. If you are
this particular kenku trait (which is canonically the result of a already proficient in History, you may double your proficiency
curse, but could be easily re-thought to be biological) is bonus in these situations.
passed on to descendants that are not fully kenku. Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and
increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Tritons (Volo's
(Volo s Guide) Languages. You speak, read, and write Common,
Tritons have access to a unique spell (wall of water). Your DM Gnomish, and Dwarvish.
may or may not consider that spell usable by other
spellcasters, and regardless of whether they do or not, be Half-Elf / Half-Tiefling
sure to consider carefully if half-tritons would have access to
said spell. You share the following traits with other individuals of this
race.
Orcs (Volo's
(Volo s Guide) Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases
The orc race is one of the Monstrous races included in Volo's, by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
and they have the odd inclusion of an ability score decrease - Age. You reach adulthood at around the age of 20, and live
they take a -2 to their Intelligence score. When using the orc to between 150 and 200 years.
as a parental race, consider carefully whether or not you Alignment. You are likely to be Chaotic.
want to retain this aspect of the racial template. Size. You may be anywhere from just under 5’ to over 6’
tall, and likely have a slender build. Your size is Medium.
Other Fractional Races Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you
This guide could be used to build a PC with a lineage of half- as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim
races. (For example, a character whose parents are a wood light.
elf and a half-human / half-gnome.) Simply use the Ancestral Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage
appropriate half-race template as a parental race, and follow and advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
the guidelines as normal. Magical Heritage. You know one cantrip of your choice
from the Wizard spell list. When you reach 3rd level, you can
cast the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once per long
rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You speak, read, and write Common, Elvish,
This sheet was laid out using The Homebrewery, located at and Infernal.
homebrewery.naturalcrit.com. The content was created by
Quintessential Gaming. Many thanks to the several people
who have looked over and edited this content, including
Persnicketese, SamUndomiel, noblevictori, BreeAtWork,
AnnaLandin, FrostFromFire, and banjelerp.