Races

This page is dedicated for playable race options in the world of Nova. To find the stats and special features of a race, you can find it here. There is also an indication as to how rare the race is in Nova, and where they are likely to be from.

## Standard Races

These races are identical to the races listed in the players handbook so are only really useful if you do not own a copy.

### Dwarf

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep minds and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred of goblins and orcs - these common threads unite all dwarves.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2.
* Age: Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they're considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.
* Alignment: Most dwarves are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend towards good as well, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of a just order.
* Size: Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
* Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armour.
* Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
* Dwarven Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
* Dwarven Combat Training: You have proficiencys with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer and warhammer.
* Tool Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the artisan's tools of your choice: smith's tools, brewer's supplies or mason's tools.
* Stonecunning: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered profieicnt in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of y our normal proficiency bonus.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.

#### Hill Dwarf

As a hill dwarf, you have keen senses, deep intuition, and a remarkable resilience.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
* Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
* Rarity: Common.
* Inhabited Regions: Fechin, Réga, Ossu.

#### Mountain Dwarf

As a mountain dwarf, you're strong and hardy, accustomed to a difficult like in rugged terrain. You're probably on the tall side (for a dwarf), and tend toward light colouration.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2.
* Dwarven Armour Training: You have proficiency with light and medium armour.
* Rarity: Common.
* Inhabited Regions: Whitespires, Roxaban, Darsh.

### Elf

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world. (In Nova, they are a more significant part of the world and NPCs don't have such an affinity for magic)

* Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
* Age: Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.
* Alignment: Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception: their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and drangerous. Drow are more often evil than not.
* Size: Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is medium.
* Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
* Keen Sense: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
* Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
* Trance: Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varies, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their languages so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.

#### High Elf

As a high elf, you have a keen mind and a mastery of at least the basics of magic.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
* Elf Weapon Training: You have profieicn

## Custom Races

The playable races in Nova that aren't listed in the players handbook are listed here. They are mostly constructed from information taken from the monster manual and previous versions. Some are designed from scratch and some are taken from the dungeon masters guide.

### Aquatic Elf

A shy subrace of elf that inhabits the seas and some particularly large lakes, aquatic elves live in underwater cities and are in a constant war with the sahuagin. They have greenish-blue skin with some markings. They are slightly stronger than other elves and have webbed digits. Their hair is usually thick, coloured blue, black, silver or red, and gills are visible on their neck and ribs.

* Ability Score Increase: Your strength score increases by 1.
* Webbed Fingers: You have a swim speed of 40 feet.
* Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
* Aquatic Weapon Training: You have proficiency with spear, javelin, trident and net.

### Eladrin

Creatures of magic with strong ties to nature, eladrin live in the twilight realm of the Feywild. Their cities sometimes cross over to the Material Plane, appearing briefly in mountain valleys or deep forest glades before fading back into the Feywild. Eladrin are a subrace to elves.

* Ability Score Increase: Your intelligence score increases by 1.
* Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow and longbow.
* Fey Step: You can cast the *misty step* spell once every short rest.

### Deep Gnomes

A subrace of gnome that lives far below Nova's surface, normally in Nender. They are surprisingly heavy and strong, with grey skin to camouflage with the rocks. They survive the Underdark with stealth, cleverness and tenacity, ever in the search for more precious gems. Male deep gnomes are normally bald, and females have stringy hair. They are usually friends with creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth, who often held guard their cities. They use secret tunnels to navigate the Underdark and to escape when there's an attack. Although friendly, they are usually more serious than other gnomes, not having so much time for experimentation and pranks.

* Ability Score Increase: You wisdom score increases by 1.
* Super Darkvision: You have Darkvision to 120 feet.
* Languages: You also know Terran and Undercommon, in addition to Common and Gnomish.
* Stone Camouflage: You have advantage on Stealth checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
* Nondetection: Unless you specifically choose otherwise, you are permanently hidden from divination magic and can't be perceived through magical scrying sensors.
* Gem Expert: You can usually identify any gems you find.

### Aasimar

Whereas tieflings have fiendish blood in their veins, aasimar are the descendants of celestial beings. These folk generally appear as glorious humans with lustrous hair, flawless skin, and piercing eyes. Aasimar often attempt to pass as humans in order to right wrongs and defend goodness on the Material Plane without drawing undue attention to their celestial heritage. They strive to fit into society, although they usually rise to the top, becoming revered leaders and honourable heroes.

* Ability Score Increase: You wisdom score increases by 1 and your Charisma score increases by 2.
* Age: Aasimar mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
* Alignment: Due to their celestial heritage, aasimar are often good. However, some aasimar fall into evil, rejecting their heritage..
* Size: Aasimar are built like well-proportioned humans. Your size is medium.
* Speed: You base walking speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Thanks to your celestial heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern darkness in darkness, only shades of grey.
* Celestial Resistance: You have resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage.
* Celestial Legacy: You know the *light* cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the *lesser restoration* spell once every long rest. Once you reach 5th level, you can cast the *daylight* spell as a 3rd level spell once every long rest.Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Celestial.

### Goblin

Goblins are pitiful, selfish creatures. They have no pride and they have no courage. Numbers are the advantage goblins normally have, and once they lose that, they will run. They are motivated by greed and malice, quickly abusing any power they are given.

* Ability Score Increase: You Dexterity score increases by 2
* Age: Goblins quickly "mature", reaching adulthood by about the age of 5. A goblin will rarely live past the age of 30.
* Alignment: Goblins are almost always evil, and usually fail to understand the concept of chaotic or lawful.
* Size: Goblins are small, of similar size to a halfling. Your size is small.
* Speed: Goblins are good at running away, giving them a base walking speed of 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Living underground has given goblins Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Coward: You have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened.
* Nimble Escape: You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
* Redirect Attack: When a creature you can see targets you with an attack, as a reaction you can swap places with another small creature within 5 feet, and that creature will take the attack instead.
* Swarming Brethren: You have advantage when using Animal Handling on a rat or wolf.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Goblin.

### Neigerthal

The neigerthal are a hardy race that live predominantly in the peaks of Whitespires. They are tremendous survival experts and have light blue skin which helps them blend with their natural environment.

* Ability Score Increase: Your constitution increases by 2 and your strength increases by 1
* Age: Neigerthal age the same as humans.
* Alignment: Neigerthals range as much in alignment as humans do.
* Size: Slightly larger than humans, with slightly bigger feet.
* Speed:Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
* Snow Walker: Walking in the snow or on ice doesn't count as difficult terrain and you won't trip
* Relentless Endurance: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
* Survival Expert: You gain proficiency in Survival and get advantage on Survival and Constitiution checks related to snow or the cold.
* Cold Resistance: You have resistance to cold damage.
* Mask of Snow: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by snowy objects or falling snow

### Sahuagin

The sahuagin are a predatory, piscine race who are related to sharks. They are sometimes referred to as "sea devils" for their lack of mercy and violent fighting. They live in underwater cities and wage war on all other aquatic races, claiming the sea to be their kingdom. In Nova, they have learned the values of trading so (usually) suppress their lust for blood in order to obtain weapons and armour. However, if somebody has no more wares to trade, they will feel no reluctance in killing them.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Strength increases by 2 and your Wisdom increases by 1.
* Age: Sahuagin grow much faster than humans, with a much shorter lifespan. They mature rapidly, by the age of 5 or 6 are adults and usually live until around 40.
* Alignment: Sahuagin are usually evil and live in organised societies with a clear hierarchy, so are usually lawful.
* Size: Slightly larger than humans, they are similar in height to half-orcs, but more streamlined. Your size is medium.
* Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swim speed of 40 feet.
* Superior Darkvision: Sahuagin spend most of their time in the depths of the water, so have adapted to the dark conditions. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.
* Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
* Blood Frenzy: You can double your proficiency bonus when attacking a creature that has lost half of its hit points.
* Shark Telepathy: You can magically command any shark within 120 feet of you, using a limited telepathy. Additionally, no shark will naturally attack you or your allies.
* Sahuagin Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the spear and trident.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Sahuagin.

### Thri-kreen

The thri-kreen normally like to be isolated from the other races, and don't collect in settlements. Instead they wander deserts alone or in small groups, primarily just searching for food to survive. However, they have recently been forced into some organisation and an alliance with the dwarves of Ironlight due to the yuan-ti taking control of much of their home, the Darsh Desert. They are insect-like humanoids with four arms, bug eyes, mandibles and antennae. They are unable to speak because of their insect mouths, so communicate with each other using clacks and antennae movements, and usually communicate with other races by using pictures. They make strong, agile fighters and don't usually suffer the emotional weaknesses other humanoids might have.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Strength increases by 1.
* Age: Thri-kreen live short lives, normally living to just 30 years.
* Alignment: They have no real sense of morals, but no malice either, so they lean towards neutral. Their wandering, isolationist nature makes most of them chaotic.
* Size: Similar height to humans, but with long, slim insect limbs and torso. Your size is medium.
* Speed: Quick and nimble, your base walking speed is 40 feet.
* Darkvision: Your insect-like eyes give you good vision in the dark to 60 feet.
* Sleepless: You don't require sleep, so can perform light tasks and remain alert while resting.
* Free of Emotions: You are immune to the Charmed condition.
* Exoskeleton: Your base unarmoured AC is equal to 13 + Dexterity modifier, but this has no significant impact if wearing armour, and armour must be custom designed to fit you, tripling it's normal cost.
* Chameleon Carapace: You can change the colour of your carapace to match the colour and texture of your surroundings, giving you advantage on Stealth checks made to hide. This will obviously not work if you are wearing armour or other very noticeable equipment.
* Standing Leap: Your long jump is 30 feet and high jump is 15 feet, even without a running start. You have advantage on Athletics checks made when jumping.
* Thri-kreen Weaponry: You have proficiency with gythka and chatkha.
* Languages: You can speak Thri-kreen, and you can understand Common.

### Yuan-ti Pureblood

The yuan-ti are a violent race of fanatics. They have a mix of human and snake features, with the higher castes having more snake features. Not only are bigger yuan-ti strong fighters, they also all have innate abilities in persuasion and suggestion. To beat their enemies, they use both intrigue and military strength. The lowest in society are called "Purebloods", who have predominantly human features. There will always be snakelike features somewhere, perhaps serpentine eyes, pointed teeth, a forked tongue or scaly patches of skin, but this can usually be hidden with a cowl or a mask. The more capable purebloods are sent to infiltrate other nations and corrupt the society and military before the yuan-ti's army strikes. Scaremongering about the presence of purebloods is common and some say that the yuan-ti have purebloods in every major city across Nova, slowly working towards their eventual goal of global dominance.

* Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma increases by 2.
* Age: Purebloods follow the same ageing pattern as a human.
* Alignment: Almost always evil.
* Size: Same size as a human. Your size is medium.
* Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: You have Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Venomous Bodies: You have resistance to poison damage and advantage to save against poisons.
* Snake Magic: You have the Poison Spray cantrip. You can cast *Animal Friendship* at will on snakes. At level three, you can cast *Speak With Animals* at will on snakes. At level five, you can cast *Suggestion* once a day.
* Persuasive Tongue: You are proficient with Persuasion.
* Languages: You can speak, read and write Abyssal, Common and Draconic.