Races

Step into the shoes of adventurers who are far from ordinary, embodying races that stand apart from the common tapestry of the Sword Coast. Beyond the familiar realms of humans, elves, and dwarves, a multitude of extraordinary beings are now gracing these lands with their unique presence. The Sword Coast presents a canvas of both wonder and danger, where your unique heritage will shape not only your journey but the fate of the realm itself.

Aarakocra

EEPC p5 | MPMM p5

(MPMM p5) A winged people who originated on the Elemental Plane of Air, aarakocra soar through the sky wherever they wander. The first aarakocra served the Wind Dukes of Aaqa—mighty beings of air—and were imbued with a measure of their masters' power over winds. Their descendants still command echoes of that power.

From below, aarakocra look like large birds and thus are sometimes called birdfolk. Only when they roost on a branch or walk across the ground is their Humanoid nature clear. Standing upright, aarakocra are typically about 5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons. Feathers cover their bodies—usually red, orange, yellow, brown, or gray. Their heads are also avian, often resembling those of parrots or eagles.

Bugbear

MPMM p8 | VGM p119Bugbear

(MPMM p8) Neither bugs nor bears, bugbears are the hulking cousins of goblins and hobgoblins. With roots in the Feywild, early bugbears resided in hidden places, in hard-to-reach and shadowed spaces. Long ago and from out of the corner of your eye, they came to the Material Plane, urged to spread throughout the multiverse by the conquering god Maglubiyet. Centuries later, they still bear a fey gift for lurking just out of sight, and many of them have sneaked away from that god's influence.

They are long of limb and covered in coarse hair, with wedge-shaped ears and pointed teeth. Despite their formidable build, bugbears are quiet skulkers, thanks to a fey magic that allows them to hide in spaces seemingly too small for them.

Centaur

GGR p15 | MOT p18 | MPMM p9

(MOT p18) Powerful and curious, quick to act and knowledgeable of the wider world, centaurs seek to experience life's boundless bounty. The centaurs of Theros are divided into two groups: members of the far-traveling Lagonna band and the proud raiders of the Pheres band. These bands occupy territories situated between the three major human poleis, making them common sights to those who travel human lands. Not ones to settle in permanent homes, though, centaurs might be found wherever there are wonders to be witnessed and adventures to be had.

Dragonborn

Base

PHB p32

Born of dragons, as their name proclaims, the dragonborn walk proudly through a world that greets them with fearful incomprehension. Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, dragonborn originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, combining the best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear calling in life.

Chromatic

FTD p10

Dragonborn with chromatic ancestry claim the raw elemental power of chromatic dragons. The vibrant colors of black, blue, green, red, and white dragons gleam in those dragonborn's scaled skin and in the deadly energy of their breath weapons. Theirs is the raw elemental fury of the volcano, of biting arctic winds, and of raging lightning storms, as well as the subtle whisper of swamp and forest, toxic and corrosive.

Gem

FTD p11

Gem dragonborn partake of the heritage of gem dragons, who claim to be heirs of Sardior, the Ruby Dragon. The colors and mysterious powers of gem dragons—amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, and topaz—gleam in these dragonborn's scaled skin and course through their veins. Theirs are the wonders of the mind, the force of will, the brilliant light of insight, and the resounding echo of discovery—but also the desiccation of despair.

Metallic

FTD p12

Dragonborn with metallic ancestry lay claim to the tenacity of metallic dragons—brass, bronze, copper, gold, and silver—whose hues glint in their scales. Theirs is the fire of hearth and forge, the cold of high mountain air, the spark of inspiration, and the scouring touch of acid that purifies.

Fey

Eladrin

DMG p286 | MPMM p13 | MTF p61

(MPMM p13) Eladrin are elves of the Feywild, a realm of perilous beauty and boundless magic. Using that magic, eladrin can step from one place to another in the blink of an eye, and each eladrin resonates with emotions captured in the Feywild in the form of seasons—affinities that affect the eladrin's mood and appearance. An eladrin's season can change, though some remain in one season forever.

Eladrin Seasons
Autumn
is the season of peace and goodwill, when summer's harvest is shared with all.
Winter is the season of contemplation and dolor, when the vibrant energy of the world slumbers.
Spring is the season of cheerfulness and celebration, marked by merriment as winter's sorrow passes.
Summer is the season of boldness and aggression, a time of unfettered energy.

Fairy

MPMM p13

The Feywild is home to many fantastic peoples, including fairies. Fairies are a wee folk, but not nearly as much so as their pixie and sprite friends. The first fairies spoke Elvish, Goblin, or Sylvan, and encounters with human visitors prompted many of them to learn Common as well.

Infused with the magic of the Feywild, most fairies look like Small elves with insectile wings, but each fairy has a special physical characteristic that sets the fairy apart. For your fairy, roll on the Fey Characteristics table or choose an option from it. You're also free to come up with your own characteristic if none of the suggestions below fit your character.

Sea Elf

MPMM p30

Sea elves fell in love with the wild beauty of the ocean in the earliest days of the multiverse. While other elves traveled from realm to realm, sea elves navigated the currents and explored the waters of many worlds. Today these elves can be found wherever oceans exist, as well as in the Elemental Plane of Water.

Like other elves, sea elves can live to be over 750 years old.

Firbolg

MPMM p15 | VGM p107

Distant cousins of giants, the first firbolgs wandered the primeval forests of the multiverse, and the magic of those forests entwined itself with the firbolgs' souls. Centuries later, that magic still thrums inside a firbolg, even one who has never lived under the boughs of a great forest.

A firbolg's magic is an obscuring sort, which allowed their ancestors to pass through a forest without disturbing it. So deep is the connection between a firbolg and the wild places of the world that they can communicate with flora and fauna.

Firbolgs can live up to 500 years.

Giff

AAG p12

Giff are tall, broad-shouldered folk with hippo-like features. Some have smooth skin, while others have short bristles on their faces and the tops of their heads. As beings of impressive size and unforgettable appearance, giff are noticed wherever they go.

Most giff believe they originated on one world, but their home world is now the stuff of legend, because no living giff has seen it or knows where it is. The divine beings who created giff have likewise been forgotten. Their titanic petrified bodies drift on the Astral Sea, isolated and unrecognizable in their current forms.

Gith

Goblin

Hadozee

Kender

Kenku

Kobold

Leonin

Lizardfolk

Loxodon

Minotaur

Owlin

Satyr

Tabaxi

Thri-Kreen

Tiefling

Tortle

Triton

Vedalken