Humanoids

**Humanoids** are the main peoples of the world, both civilized and savage, including humans and a tremendous variety of other species. They have language and culture, few if any innate magical abilities (though most humanoids can learn spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid races are the ones most suitable as player characters: humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings. Other examples of humanoids include goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears), orcs, and kobolds.

## Scholarly Study

### Humanoids vs. Races

The words "humanoids" and "races" can in most cases be used interchangeably, as there are very few sentient beings who are not humanoids. Races are defined as creatures with sentience; meanwhile, humanoids additionally have language and culture, few if any innate magical abilities, and a bipedal form.

### Intermarriage

The biological classification of the various humanoids is not very well-understood in the present. A great deal of the confusion arises from racial intermarriage. Humans are able to mate and produce fertile offspring with elves and orcs; such unions can produce Half-Orcs and Half-Elves. That said, results vary, with some Half-Orcs and Half-Elves being infertile.

There are very few examples of Half-Dwarves, Half-Halflings, and Half-Gnomes. Even in the rare cases when they can be born, such children have been mostly found to be infertile. Perplexingly, inter-Humanoid reproduction is only believed to be possible through human blood: even beings of common fey ancestry, such as gnomes and elves, are unable to reproduce with each other, although both can reproduce with humans--with ease in the case of elves, and nigh-insurmountable difficulty in the case of gnomes.

## Humanoids

### Coldbloods ("Scalefolk")

* Saurians (Lizardfolk)
* Skinks (Small Lizardfolk)
* Testudians (Tortles)

### Draconids

* Dragonborn (in this setting, Dragonborn and Half-Dragons are the same thing. Dragonborn are a Soulbound race)
* Kobolds

### Dwarves

*Main article: Dwarves*
* Deep Dwarves (Similar but not identical to Duergar; cannot enlarge)
* Hill Dwarves.
* Mountain Dwarves.

### Elves

*Main article: Elves*
* Wild Elves (Wood Elves) (Material Plane)
* Planetouched Elves
	+ Deep Elves (Drow)
	+ High Elves
	+ Shadow Elves
	+ Sylvan Elves (Eladrin)
* Half-Elves

### Featherfolk

* (Kenku)
* Wingfolk (Aarakocra)

### Giantfolk

* Firbolgs
* Goliaths

### Goblinoids

* Bugbears
* Goblins
* Hobgoblins

### Humans

*Main article: Humans*
* Half-Elves
* Half-Orcs
* Elementals (Genasi)
	+ Airborn
	+ Earthborn
	+ Fireborn
	+ Waterborn
* Planetouched
	+ Heavenborn (Elysium-Humans, Aasimar)
	+ Hellborn (Nemesis-Humans, Tieflings)
	+ Shadowborn (Penumbra-Humans)
	+ Sylvanborn (Sylvania-Humans)

### Orcoids

* Orcs
* Half-Orcs

## Soulbound Races

The Soulbound Races are thus known because their souls are in the hands of powerful magical curses or forces. When these beings are not true soulbounds, they may be cured with lengthy and careful rituals. Otherwise, only a *wish* spell can reverse a soulbounded state. There are four major Soulbound races, and many minor ones.

### Divine

* Heavenborn (Aasimar)
* Hellborn (Tieflings)

### Khem (Yuan-Ti)

*Main article: Khem*
* Khem

### Lycanthropes

*Main article: Lycanthropes*
* Werebear
* Wererat
* Werewolf

### Vampires

*Main article: Vampires*
* **Vampires:** The curse of Vampirism is one of the oldest and most powerful of the curses of undeath. The origins of vampirism are wholly mysterious: what is known is that vampires, especially archvampires and higher vampires, are to be respected--and feared.

## Appendix

Creature Types
Aberrations • Animals • Celestials • Constructs • Dragons • Elementals • Giants • **Humanoids** • Infernals • Monstrosities • Oozes • Plants • Primordials • Sylvans • Undead

### Refs

1. ↑ Monster Manual
2. ↑ Monster Manual