In a fantasy world, humans often aren’t alone. Elves may populate the great forests, dwarves may carve their halls and mines into the deepnesses of the earth, and halflings may reside in the comfortable hill-houses of their bucolic shires. By contrast, some fantasy worlds depict an isolated human race pitted against ancient pre-human evils and the grim, savage wilderness of worlds at the dawn (or dusk) of human civilization itself. Some fantasy worlds, as a third example, accentuate the bizarre, with a wide variety of fantasy races available to the players – such worlds are filled with conflict and contradictions, always with a new wonder to be found beyond the next corner. The Game Master determines what non-human races, if any, you can choose for your character. In fact, the Game Master might permit races that aren’t covered here.
Dwarven characters modify their starting stats as follows:
Non-Magical: Dwarves get a +4 on saving throws against any magic. They may not employ any spell-effect magic items.
Stonemaster: Dwarves easily take note of certain features of stonework: sloping corridors, moving walls, and traps made of stone (in particular: falling blocks, rigged ceilings, and tiny arrow slits designed to release poison gas or darts). There is no established die roll or rule for using these abilities; exactly what the Dwarf does or does not perceive is up to the Referee.
Sturdy: Dwarves can carry heavy loads without tiring. They are less encumbered by heavy armour than are other races. Dwarves’ movement penalties for encumbrance are one level lower than normal.
Strong Constitution: Dwarves get a +2 bonus to any saving throw vs. poison. They recover hit-points and CON damage at twice the usual rate — 1 point per day regardless of exertion, 2 points per day if resting, and 4 points per day when under competent medical care. A dwarf recovers all hit points completely after three weeks of rest, regardless of how many he or she may have lost.
The only character classes available to player-character Dwarves is Fighter or Thief, and they may take no magic-using sub-class.
Dwarves that are not player-characters might have completely different limitations or abilities than player-character Dwarven adventurers. For example, dwarven smiths are highly skilled at smith-magic, dwarven architects at stone-magic, and their services are in high demand. Presumably one of the reasons PC dwarves are adventuring instead engaging in these respectable professions is because they have no talent in those directions.
Dwarves have a base move of 8.
Elvish characters modify their starting stats as follows:
Hardy: Elves are highly resistant to disease and injury. They are immune to normal (non-magical) diseases, and recover hit-points and CON damage at twice the usual rate — 1 hit point per day regardless of exertion, 2 points per day if resting, and 4 points per day when under competent medical care. An elf recovers hit points completely after three weeks of rest, regardless of how many he or she may have lost.
Keen Senses: Elves can see in the dark (darkvision) at a range of 60 ft and have a 2d6 chance to find secret doors when searching (unlike the other races, which get 1d6, succeeding on a 1 or 2). They can distinguish detail at much greater distances than any of the other player races.
Elves’ keen senses make them difficult to surprise, and are surprised only on a 1 on 1d6. (An elvish Ranger or Barbarian also gets the benefits of the enhanced surprise die progression for those sub-classes).
Self Posession: Elves are immune to the spells Charm Person and Sleep.
Immortality: Elves are immortal and are thus immune to aging effects. Unfortunately, they are also unable to be raised, reincarnated or resurrected. If raised from the dead they return as a hostile undead creature, the exact nature to be determined by the DM (usually as a Wraith or Spectre or similar).
Player-character elves can advance to any level as a Fighter-Mage or Magic-user, or to sixth level as a Fighter or Thief.
Elves, like Humans, have a base move of 12.
Halfling characters modify their starting stats as follows:
There are many types of Halflings which appear in literature, and this group could include gnomes, pixies or fairies, small folk from the shire-land, or any other of the “wee folk” which the Referee will allow in his campaign.
Halfling characters may advance to fourth level as a Fighter, or to any level as a Thief.
Hard to Hit: Halflings, being tiny, nimble and hard to hit, get a defensive bonus in combat against larger folk. (+2 AC against men-folk and +4 AC against giants.)
Deadly Accuracy with Missiles: Halflings receive +1 to hit when firing missile weapons.
Near Invisibility: When not engaged in combat, Halflings tend to blend in with the background and move with almost total silence.
Saving Throw: Halflings don’t use magic and as such are somewhat immune to it; Halflings get +4 on saving throws vs. magic. Since they are such hardy folk, Halflings also get +1 on saving throws against poisons.
Halflings have a base move of 6.