Species of Arvor

The Cataclysm shattered old racial empires, scattering and mixing the peoples of Arvor. The continent is now home to a diverse range of people living in largely mixed-species civilizations. Most people live and work with those around them without racial strife.
There is old resentment between the gnomes and humans of the Lost Coast after the human settlement at Redacre displaced the gnomish town of Pitkijuke, the elves of Silent Lake live largely in isolation (the elves of Thalos even more so), and the orcs of Dirtyard treat outsiders with suspicion. But the great conflicts of Arvor aren’t racial in nature.
This page describes the species of Arvor, grouped by how common they are. When you are creating a character, you can choose from any of these – but keep in mind that your choice has an impact on how you're perceived. While city dwellers encounter many different kinds of people, if you choose a rarer species you may be the only one that most folks have encountered. You'll stand out.

Arvor vs. Official Lore

Most of the species of Arvor have at least something that diverges from the official WOTC lore. Anything Arvor-specific takes precedence when it comes to lore. I encourage you to read the lore on these species pages rather than what you find on D&D Beyond.

Dominant Species

The majority of the people of Arvor are descendants of one of the following species. You'll find them just about everywhere.

• Dwarf (Hill and Mountain)
• Gnome (Forest and Rock)
• Halfling
• Human

Common

You can usually find one or two of these people in a town or large village. For a rural villager, meeting one might stick out in memory if the species don't live in the area. In total, they represent between 25-30% of the population.

• Half-orc
• Half-elf
• Elf (High, Wood)
• Gnome (Deep)
• Goblin

Uncommon

The far traveler will encounter several of these species, but towns and even most cities won't have all of them. You'll stick out when traveling, though some are more common in their ancestral regions. In total, they represent about 5% of the population.

• Dragonborn
• Elf (Drow*)
• Hobgoblin
• Kobold
• Orc

Rare

You'll find at least one household in the largest of cities, but otherwise you will only find them in small pockets. Most Arvoreans will never meet one. In total, they represent about 1% of the population.

• Bugbear
• Dwarf(Duergar)
• Firbolg
• Goliath
• Tabaxi
• Tiefling
• Tortle

Exceptional

You'll probably never encounter another of your kind outside of a very specific region or dimension. If you choose one of these, let me know so we can brainstorm some of their backstory.

• Aasimar
• Birdfolk (Aarakocra, Kenku, Owlin)
• Elf (Sea, Shadar-Kai)
• Fey (Centaur, Changeling, Eladrin, Fairy, Satyr) †
• Genasi
• Grung
• Harengon
• Reptilian (Lizardfolk)
• Locathah
• Minotaur
• Yuan-ti

Special

This list contains species or lineages that are special in some way, requiring us to collaborate on a lore reason for them. You can absolutely play one of these! But if you do, it's likely that your character is the only person like this in the world, or that something happened to them that made them this way. We will work together to figure out what's up with your character.

• Dhampir
• Hexblood †
• Plasmoid †
• Reborn
• Shifter
• Simic Hybrid

Don't Exist

These species are in an official rule book, but don't exist in Arvor for lore-reasons. If you're really sad about something on this list, let's talk about it. Maybe we can come to some explanation for it.

• Autognome
• Elf (Astral)
• Giff
• Githyanki and Githzerai
• Hadozee
• Kalashtar
• Leonin
• Loxodon
• Thri-Kreen
• Triton
• Vedalken
• Verdan
• Warforged

Legacy vs. MMOTM 

Many species (especially the "monstrous" ones) were revamped in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse. You can choose between the legacy versions and the MMOTM versions when creating your character, but I recommend the new ones.

Customizing your origin

We are using the "Customizing Your Origin" rules from Tasha's Cauldron of everything. You can use those to change the starting bonuses and proficiencies for your character.

Essentialism and culture

No humanoid species in Arvor is inherently anything: smart, dumb, evil, lawful, chaotic, or good. This site describes historical cultures of the common species, but your character may be different. In fact, even if they’re pretty run-of-the-mill, I’d encourage you to think about what is different about them. Hobbies, beliefs, favorite foods, etc.

*Sunlight Sensitivity

Species with an asterisk have Sunlight Sensitivity, a trait which disadvantages them in sunlight. Make sure you're ok with those penalties before you choose one of these.

† Non-humanoid

these races do not have the "humanoid" creature type. Some spells only effect certain types of creatures, so you may be affected by some spells that other party member's aren't, or unaffected by spells that do affect them. In addition, Eladrin are considered both Fey and elves for the purposes of spells and features in Arvor (this is not true in rules as written).