When you choose your character’s species, you determine whether your character is a human or a member of a fantastical species, such as dragonborn or gnome.
The peoples of the D&D multiverse hail from different worlds and include many kinds of sapient life forms. A player character’s species is the set of game traits that an adventurer gains from being one of those life forms.
Some species can trace their origin to a single world, plane of existence, or god, while other species first appeared in multiple realms at once. Whatever a species' genesis, its members have spread across the multiverse and contribute to many different cultures.
Members of most species live for about 80 years, with exceptions noted in the text about the species in this chapter. Regardless of life span, members of all species reach physical maturity at about the same age. Your character can be any age that isn't beyond their species' normal life span.
Parts of a Species
A species includes the following parts.
Creature Type. A character’s species determines the character’s creature type,
which is described in the rules glossary. Every species in this chapter is Humanoid; playable
non-Humanoid species appear in other D&D books.
Size. Your character’s species determines the character's size. Individuals
within a species cover a wide range of heights, and some species include such diversity of size
that you can choose whether your character is Small or Medium.
Speed. Your character’s species determines the character’s Speed.
Special Traits. Each species gives a character special traits - unique
characteristics based on the species' physiology or magical nature. When you choose a species,
your character gets all the special traits listed for it. Some traits involve making a choice from
a handful of options.