Introduction (DHR)

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==Introduction==
: A hero must move.
:: —Cormyrean proverb
: It seem to me that there is a direct relation between the amount of time a person spends traveling and just how much that person truly understands about the world, not to mention the degree of that person's fame and power. With sincerest apologies to my parents, I cannot think of a single worthwhile individual of any sort who never left home.
:: —Binbollar Clambake ,halfling merchant of Luiren
Demihumans of the Realms is similar to two previous FORGOTTEN REALMS® game accessories that described character kits of Faerûn. In these two earlier works, Wizards and Rogues of the Realms and Warriors and Priests of the Realms, the Warrior, Rogue, and Wizard kits were primarily for human characters and were categorized by geography (Waterdeep, Cormyr, the Dales, Moonsea, etc.). The Priest kits were based upon the deities worshiped, one kit per Faerûnian god but again were primarily for human characters.
This work offers new Warrior (fighter and ranger), Rogue (thief), and Wizard (mage and specialist wizard) kits for Faerûnian demihumans: elves, half-elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. Kits for demihumans from Maztica, Zakhara, or Kara-Tur are not covered.
Demihuman Deities (9585) covers the gods of the demihumans, along with the appropriate Priest kits, so no Priest kits appear here for demihuman clerics or druids. (In the Realms, wild elves as well as any sort of half-elf can become druids.) Religious training, beliefs, and behaviors supersede regional, cultural, and racial characteristics in most cases.
Many character kits allowed for use by demihumans of the Realms are detailed in other works and are not covered here. The reader is encouraged to look for Wizards and Rogues of the Realms, Warriors and Priests of the Realms, The Complete Book of Elves, Elves of Evermeet, The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings, and The Complete Book of Dwarves for important examples. In addition, many of the kits appearing in other volumes in the Complete Handbook series and the PLAYER'S OPTION® Skills & Powers book are useful for Faerûnian demihumans—for example, elves and half-elves could use many of the kits from The Complete Ranger's Handbook, and half-elves could use The Complete Bard's Handbook.
The kits presented in this book simultaneously incorporate cultural, racial, and occupational elements. Some are very specialized and can be used by only one race, and by only those individuals likely to be found outside their homelands. Still, these kits fill major functions in the workings of the Realms.
Demihumans of the Realms often do not have greatly differing powers or abilities within each specific occupation. A wayfaring halfling merchant from Luiren is much like a wayfaring halfling merchant from Tethyr, except for particulars of their dress, personalities, beliefs, and cultural habits. The player should look up details to make each character more authentic and add a true personality to a hero with a kit—something game mechanics and guidelines cannot do—for example, what were the hero's family and childhood like? What are his beliefs, goals, and motivations? What does he love, fear, and hate? What does he think of the world? Some kits here are altered versions of published generic kits. Changes were made to merge very similar kits, tone down overpowered kits, and most importantly to make them specific to the Realms and give characters reasons to adventure widely. For example, the halfling sheriff from The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings is good for a halfling homeland campaign, but the halfling marshal herein wanders the whole of Faerûn as part of his job. The pestkiller kit here merges the vermin slayer and pest controller kits from The Complete Book of Dwarves and adds new material to boot. And a wide assortment of barbarians and merchants tailored to fit unusual races and their cultures appear to bring more unusual demihumans into regular campaigning.
Proficiencies from many sources were used, their origins noted in parentheses. The option is offered to use either the nonweapon proficiencies system or the secondary skills system, as per the Player's Handbook (PHB). If proficiencies are used, the number of languages normally granted to a character for Intelligence (PHB, Table 4) should be taken as bonus nonweapon slots instead.
Minor modifications of previous guidelines regarding kits are used here. The following two points are very important regarding the kits described in this book.
* A multiclassed character may have only one kit, which can be applied to only one of the character's classes. Thus, a fighter/thief may use either a fighter kit or a thief kit but not both. Certain kits may be applied to several different classes; for example, the bandit kit can be used with either the fighter or thief class but not both classes in the same character, as with a halfling fighter/thief.
* A specialist wizard cannot be multiclassed, except in the case of a gnome illusionist. A gnome illusionist can mix his magic use with either the fighter, thief, or cleric class.