Species

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.

Gnomes are distant relatives of the fey, and their history tells of a time when they lived in the fey’s mysterious realm, a place where colors are brighter, the wildlands wilder, and emotions more primal. Unknown forces drove the ancient gnomes from that realm long ago, forcing them to seek refuge in this world; despite this, the gnomes have never completely abandoned their fey roots or adapted to mortal culture. Though gnomes are no longer truly fey, their fey heritage can be seen in their innate magic powers, their oft-capricious natures, and their outlooks on life and the world.

The comforts of home are the goals of most hin’ lives: a place to settle in peace and quiet, far from marauding creatures and clashing armies; a blazing fire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some hin live out their days in remote agricultural communities, others form nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples. But even these wanderers love peace, food, hearth, and home, though home might be a wagon jostling along a dirt road or a raft floating downriver.

In the reckonings of most worlds, humans are the youngest of the common species, late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder species, and that’s why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds.

Aasimar are imbued with a divine energy that blazes within them. They are charged by the powers of good to guard the weak, to strike at evil wherever it arises, and to stand vigilant against the darkness. From a young age, an aasimar receives advice and directives that urge to stand against evil.

Centaurs have a love of wide spaces and the freedom to travel. As much as they can, centaurs run—in wide plazas, spacious parks, and expanses of rubble and ruin. They race the wind, hooves thundering and tails streaming behind them, until the next wall looms in their path and brings them to a stop.

Firbolg tribes cloister in remote forest strongholds, preferring to spend their days in quiet harmony with the woods. When provoked, firbolgs demonstrate formidable skills with weapons and druidic magic.

Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth, carry the power of the planes in their blood. The genasi are one such people, the offspring of genies and mortals.

The convoluted histories other people cling to don’t interest goblins. These small folk live in the moment, and they prefer tall tales over factual records. The wars of a few decades ago might as well be from the ancient past. Misunderstood by other people, goblins are happy how they are. Goblin virtues are about being present, creative, and honest. They strive to lead fulfilled lives, rather than worrying about how their journeys will end. To tell stories, not nitpick the facts. To be small, but dream big.

At the highest mountain peaks—far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl—dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great physical power. Their spirits take after the wandering wind, making them nomads who wander from peak to peak. Their hearts are infused with the cold regard of their frigid realm, leaving each goliath with the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying.

Fierce and militaristic, hobgoblins survive by conquest. The raw materials to fuel their war machines come from raids. Naturally ambitious and envious, hobgoblins seek to better themselves at the expense of others of their kind, yet in battle they put aside petty differences and fight with discipline rivaling that of the finest soldiers. Hobgoblins have little love or trust for one another, and even less for outsiders. Life for hobgoblins consists of duty to those of higher station and the rare opportunities to seize personal glory and elevate their status.

The kalashtar are a compound people, created from the union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane of dreams—spirits called quori. Kalashtar are often seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion for others. There is an unmistakable alien quality to the kalashtar, though, as they are haunted by the conflicts of their otherworldly spirits.

Kobolds proudly claim kinship to dragons. They are hardworking, clever, and blessed with a natural talent for mechanical devices and mining. Kobold tactics specialize in traps and ambushes.

Orcs are a tribal people. These tribes are often nomadic in nature, searching for resources. When resources grow scarce, orc tribes can form a larger warband that seeks to take resources from others. Orcs are proud and strong.

Shifters are sometimes called the weretouched, as many believe that they are the descendants of humans and lycanthropes. They are humanoids with a bestial aspect; while they cannot fully change shape, they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features—a state they call shifting. Whatever their origins, shifters have evolved into a unique species. A shifter walks on the knife’s edge between the wilds and the world around them. Do they embrace their primal instincts or the path of civilization?

Tabaxi are natural explorers who rarely tire of trailblazing. While most tabaxi are nimble, capable, and often active creatures, there is also a strong tendency among some tabaxi to engage in quiet contemplation and study. Such individuals are interested in finding new solutions to age-old problems and questioning even the most steadfast philosophical certainties of the day. They are curious by nature, and tabaxi culture never discourages inquisitiveness, but rather fosters and encourages it. Many are seen as quirky extroverts by members of other species, but within tabaxi tribes there is no shame attached to minor peculiarities, eccentricities, or foolhardiness. All but the most inwardly focused tabaxi enjoy being the center of attention, but not at the expense of their tribe, whether it’s the one the tabaxi are born into or the tribe they choose through the bonds of friendship with other creatures. Tabaxi tend to be both generous and loyal to their family and friends.

Thri‐kreen are intelligent beings born from eggs that possess a mindset very different from any other humanoid. They roam the wastes in packs, hunting for food day and night. Thri‐kreen are quick and agile and make fearsome fighters, feared throughout the wastes. They refer to thri-kreen who have become city dwellers as “tohr-kreen,” meaning “settled person,” whereas thri-kreen means “wanderer-person.”

To be greeted with stares and whispers, to suffer violence and insult on the street, to see mistrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot of the tiefling. And to twist the knife, tieflings know that this is because a pact struck generations ago infused the essence of Asmodeus—overlord of the Nine Hells—into their bloodline. Their appearance and their nature are not their fault but the result of an ancient sin, for which they and their children and their children’s children will always be held accountable.

Vayemniri walk proudly through a world that greets them with fearful incomprehension. Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, the vayemniri are proud, honorable, and relatively rare. Slaves to dragons on their world of origin, they are now a free people looking for a place and purpose in their new world.

Androids’ bodies are artificial, though made of materials that mimic the flexibility, shape, and density of human flesh and bone. It can be difficult to differentiate the two, but in the right light androids’ alien nature is revealed by the metallic sheen in their eyes and the biological, tattoo-like circuitry that riddles their skin. Their organs mirror those of humans so well that only by examining the materials and makeup of these systems—which use sheeny oils and polymer alloys rather than blood and marrow—could one guess that their physiology is alien.

The enigmatic and reclusive azarketi (known to some as “Low Azlanti”) are the aquatic descendants of the vanished Azlanti humans. When Earthfall struck Golarion and the continent of Azlant was shattered, most of the Azlanti dwelling died in the fires or drowned in the waves. Yet a number found succor with their undersea aboleth enemies. For reasons that remain unknown to this day (but which surely have nothing to do with compassion), the aboleths rescued a small fraction of these drowning humans, warping their flesh to help them survive in the aboleths’ uncontested undersea realm. Yet with that action, the aboleths seemed to lose interest, and in the thousands of years that followed, the azarketi formed a society of their own.

Changelings are the offspring of hags and their lovers taken through magic or madness. Dropped off on doorsteps of prospective foster parents, changelings are raised by strangers. Typically tall, slender, and attractive, changelings otherwise resemble their fathers’ species. Their hair colour is most commonly a light shade of silver followed by platinum and blond. In rarer cases their hair can be pale shades of green, pink and blue. Their mismatched colored eyes, abnormally pale skin, and hair color hint at their true heritage. At puberty, changelings receive “the call,” a hypnotic spiritual voice that beckons them to travel and discover their true origins. Changelings who ignore this call choose their own destiny; those who heed it discover their “mother” and may come into great power by transforming into hags themselves.

Fairies are a wee folk. Infused with the magic of the Feywild, most fairies look like Small elves with insectile wings.

The warlike githyanki and the contemplative githzerai are a sundered people—two cultures that utterly despise

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the itarii are reclusive avian humanoids devoted to their homelands and their tribes. They defend their precious communities with broad wingspans and razor talons.

Nagaji were originally humans who transformed themselves through ancient rituals. Most nagaji were corrupted into monsters by those rites, but some nagaji instead became a new people who mix characteristics of humans and snakes.

The warforged were built to fight. While the first warforged were mindless automatons, resources were devoted to improve these steel soldiers. An unexpected breakthrough produced sapient soldiers, giving rise to what some have only grudgingly accepted as a new species. Warforged are made from wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion. Built as weapons, they must now find a purpose beyond war. A warforged can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted killer, or a visionary in search of meaning.