Playable Species of Taelgar

Many creatures inhabit the world of Taelgar and the multiverse in which it is set, as described in Creatures of Taelgar.

A subset of these creatures are available as options for player characters, although not all playable species will be appropriate for all campaigns. This page provides a brief summary of the playable species of Taelgar, with links to more extensive mechanics and background.

Common Species

The four most numerous playable species in Taelgar, by a wide margin, are humans, halflings, dwarves, and lizardfolk. These species can be found nearly anywhere in the world.

Humans are the most numerous sapient species in Taelgar. Diverse and resilient, they have spread across the world inventing numerous cultures, religions, and languages along the way.

Halflings are wanderers and travelers, merchants and sailors, storytellers and poets, often found living on the road, or sometimes in the cities and towns other species. Though many halflings are nomadic, they are deeply connected to each other by a unique ancestral consciousness mediated by their gods, the First Ones, which allows them to communicate telepathically and remember fragments of their ancestors’ knowledge and lives.

Dwarves make their homes beneath the mountains of Taelgar, carving great halls of stone and light beneath the earth, aided by their innate runic magic from their connection to their gods, the Bahrazel. Their culture and society are shaped by ties of kinship and clan, and by the mystical bonds of their thuhr, a uniquely dwarven combination of guild, secret society, and found family. Dwarves are often found in human realms, as travelers, visitors, and long-term residents.

Lizardfolk shape their homes in swamps and rivers into rich ecosystems, teeming with abundant life among their simple, often semi-aquatic, homes. Though they are usually found living with their own kind, organizing their lives around the seasonal and cyclic rhythms of their gods, the Tharzen Anzinakoa, who give them prophetic insights into the future, many lizardfolk communities maintain close ties with nearby human towns and villages.

Species	Key Question(s)	Details	Starting Languages
Human	What is your cultural and religious background?	Playing a Human	4
Halfling	Did you grow up nomadic, or not? How did it impact you?	Playing a Halfing	5
Dwarf	What is your thuhr, and how did it impact (or not) your life?	Playing a Dwarf	4
Lizardfolk	What is your relationship to the elders and ancestors of your home?	Playing a Lizardfolk	4

Uncommon Species

Although less numerous than some other species, elves, stoneborn, kenku, and centaurs are either widely known if rarely met, or locally common in some regions of the world. While their presence in some parts of the world might be unusual, only the most isolated people will have never heard of these species.

Elves claim to be the first species awakened after the dawn of time, and have a deep connection to magic and nature through their connection their gods, Aldanor, the Living Tree and Elmerca, the Wild Star. Their culture and society is strongly shaped by the ka, a unique cycle system of non-overlapping generations arising from elves’ extremely long lifespans but limited time when they can bear children. Though elves are rarely seen among human cities, most people have heard of them in legends and tales.

Stoneborn prefer to settle in the inhospitable and inaccessible places of the world, often living in high mountains in small, reclusive communities, thriving only through their deep connection to Entamba, their creator god, which preserves them in even the most challenging alpine environments. Stoneborn appear to be made of stone, taking on diverse appearances as different as the kinds of stone in the world; rumors even say they are literally born from the stone of their mountain homes. Though rare among human communities, the occasional travelers, crafters, visionaries, warriors, and others do travel amongst human lands.

Kenku are a species of humanoid birds, sometimes called the birdfolk. Feathered wings sprout from their backs, giving them the ability to fly. Most kenku make their home in the cold open plains and mountains of the far north, and few talk about their history or origin to outsiders. Still, kenku can often be seen along the cities, towns, and villages of the Green Sea, although rarely do any cross the mountains to the western coast of Taelgar.

Centaurs are tall, powerful beings with the bodies of horses and the torsos of humans, blending strength, grace, and endurance. Said to be born of Taelgar itself when the world first took form, they see themselves as the land’s chosen guardians. Many centaurs travel in great migrations that trace ancient routes across plains and valleys, some taking years or even generations to complete. Though they are often visitors to human lands, only rarely do centaurs settle in villages, towns, or cities of other species.

Species	Key Question(s)	Details	Starting Languages
Elf	What generation (ka) are you from? What stage of your life are you in? Is this your first time leaving your homeland (your first leya)? Or have you taken another path?	Playing an Elf	6
Stoneborn	What led you to leave the tight-knit community of your home? Do you have a particular craft or skill that is the focus of your mastery?	Playing a Stoneborn	4
Centaur	If you were raised in a nomadic herd, what made you leave that deliberate, wandering lifestyle? If you were not, how was your upbringing different from most centaurs?	Playing a Centaur	6
Kenku		Playing a Kenku	4

Fey Species

Of all the planes, the Feywild is the closest and most accessible from the Material Plane, and it is not uncommon for natives of that plane to be seen across Taelgar. Although fey species (fae and fairies), especially those with more unusual appearances, may inspire fear, curiosity, distrust, excitement, or many other emotions in natives of the Material Plane, most people will at least have heard rumors of the fey and have context for which to understand members of this species (even if that context may be garbled or wrong).

Fae are the most common inhabitants of the Feywild, and are the most likely of the fey to be encountered on the Material Plane. Many of the fae take on the appearance of elegant humans with subtly unnatural features, though stories tell of diverse beastfolk (including the goat-like satyrs), changelings who are said to be able to shift their form at will, and many other forms among the fae.

Fairies are far less commonly seen on the Material Plane, though this may simply because they are so good at staying out of sight. Fairies are usually small, often tiny, and frequently can fly; they take on many forms and appearances, including pixies and sprites.

Species	Key Question(s)	Details	Starting Languages
Satyr	What made you leave the Feywild to adventure on the Material Plane?	Playing a Satyr	4 + Sylvan
Changeling	What made you leave the Feywild to adventure on the Material Plane?	Playing a Changeling	4 + Sylvan
Fae	What made you leave the Feywild to adventure on the Material Plane?	Playing a Fae	4 + Sylvan
Fairy	What made you leave the Feywild to adventure on the Material Plane?	Playing a Fairy	4 + Sylvan
Beastfolk	What made you leave the Feywild to adventure on the Material Plane?	Playing a Beastfolk	4 + Sylvan
See also: Fey.

Rare Species

There are a wide range of other species that live on Taelgar and across the multiverse. While most of these are not suitable to be playable species, a few rarer or more unusual species could be playable in the right circumstances, including orcs, kobolds, and the rare plane-touched human.

Orcs are widely known as the servants of Thark, their creator and god, who commands orcs to fight in endless wars. But rumors persist of orcs who have broken the chains binding them to Thark, and now live free to chose their own destiny. A free orc could make an interesting character choice in the right game, but would face deep suspicion in almost all civilized parts of the world.

Kobolds, small draconic creatures often assumed to be the servants of more powerful dragon masters, live at the margins of civilization, often constructing elaborate underground warrens. To many other species, they are a nuisance and treated as pests or harbingers of trouble. The sight of a kobold in the realms of other species would bring comment, and often suspicion, though a kobold could make an interesting character in the right game.

Species	Key Question(s)	Details	Starting Languages
Plane-touched	Which plane touched your soul? Are you open about your plane-touched heritage? If so, how has it impacted your life? If not, how do you hide it?	Playing a Plane-Touched	4 + the language of your plane
Orc	How did you escape the bonds of Thark? Were you born to a community of free orcs, or did something happen to you? How do you handle the suspicion and fear you generate in most of the world?	Playing a Free Orc	4
Kobold	Most non-kobolds stereotype you as a nuisance, how do you handle that?	Playing a Kobold	4