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“Chapter 4: Character Origins”
created: 2026-03-09T12:15:34.394-04:00
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Chapter 4: Character Origins

Source: Player’s Handbook (2024), p. 176

Not even a white dragon's ...

This chapter describes the two components of an adventurer’s origin: “background” and “species”. Together, these elements suggest your character’s early experience and family origin before taking up the adventuring life and learning the capabilities of a class (described in “chapter 3”).

Origin Components

Each part of your character’s origin reflects facets of your character, their life, and the circumstances that started them on the path to adventure.

If you choose a background or a species from an older book, see the sidebar ""Backgrounds and Species from Older Books"" in “chapter 2” for how to use them with the options here.

Character Backgrounds

Your character’s background is a collection of characteristics that represent the place and occupation that were most formative before your character embarked on a life of adventure.

Each background includes a brief narrative of what your character’s past might have been like. Alter the details of this narrative however you like.

Parts of a Background

A background includes the following parts.

Ability Scores

A background lists three of your character’s ability scores. Increase one by 2 and another one by 1, or increase all three by 1. None of these increases can raise a score above 20.

Feat

A background gives your character a specified Origin feat (described in “chapter 5”).

Skill Proficiencies

A background gives your character proficiency in two specified skills.

Tool Proficiency

Each background gives a character proficiency with one tool—either a specific tool or one chosen from the Artisan’s Tools category. Tools are detailed in “chapter 6”.

Equipment

Each background offers a choice between a package of equipment and 50 GP.

Character Species

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.

Background Descriptions

Sixteen backgrounds are presented in this section in alphabetical order:

Species Descriptions

Ten species are presented in this section in alphabetical order: Aasimar, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goliath, Halfling, Human, Orc, and Tiefling.

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