Races

Purpose

This document defines what Races are, how they work, and how to build them. It establishes the mechanics that all Races follow, then provides template examples.

Races represent inherent nature, biology, and inborn capability. Class is what you've BECOME. Race is what you ARE.

What Races Provide

Every Race provides three things:

1. Innate Traits

Races grant Traits that are inherent to being that thing. A Dragon breathes fire because it's a Dragon, not because it studied fire-breathing. An Elf sees in the dark because Elves see in the dark.

This includes:

• Natural weapons (claws, bite, horns)
• Natural armor (scales, shell, thick hide)
• Innate abilities (darkvision, flight, breath weapons)

2. Base Stat Ranges

Races define starting stat ranges. A Dragon's minimum STR is higher than a Human's maximum. A Goblin's maximum CON is lower than a Dwarf's minimum.

These ranges define where you BEGIN, not where you end. Training, items, and class bonuses can push stats beyond racial limits later.

3. Size

Size is inherent to what you ARE. A Dragon is large because it's a Dragon. A Pixie is tiny because it's a Pixie. Size is a framework property; content defines what sizes mean mechanically.

"A dragon has wings. A dwarf does not. No amount of training gives a dwarf wings. Race defines your starting equipment. What you do with it? That's on you."

Race Structure

Every Race follows this structure:

Name

What the Race is called.

Size

The typical size category for this Race. Content defines what sizes exist and what they mean.

Description

A brief statement of what this Race IS. Not lore. Functional identity.

Base Stat Ranges

Minimum and maximum starting values for each stat. Characters of this Race must start within these ranges. Advancement can exceed them later.

Default LUK Range: Most races have LUK -3 to +3. Races with unusual fortune (or misfortune) note exceptions.

Natural Weapons

Innate attacks the Race can make. Listed with damage bonus. Using a natural weapon is an action (cannot combine with held weapon in same attack).

Damage can be flat (+5) or dice-based (+1d6) or both (+2 + 1d4). Content decides per weapon.

Natural Armor

Innate protection the Race has. Listed with Deflection percentage. Stacks with worn armor, respecting the 75% cap. For how armor interacts with equipment slots, see Document 15 (Equipment & Slots).

Slots

What equipment locations this Race has. A standard humanoid has Head, Face, Ears (2), Neck, Torso, Back, Arms (2), Hands (2), Fingers (10), Waist, Legs (2), and Feet (2). Non-humanoids may have different slots (a Dragon has no Finger slots; a spider has 8 Leg slots).

Slots define where equipment CAN go. What equipment EXISTS is content's job. For full slot mechanics, see Document 15 (Equipment & Slots).

"A centaur has four legs and two arms. Where do the boots go? This is why Races define Slots. The engine doesn't assume two legs. It asks how many."

Traits

Other innate abilities. Binary (have or don't). No levels, no tiers.

Human As Baseline

Human is the baseline Race. All other Races are implicitly compared to Human.

This makes Race design intuitive. Everyone understands what "Human" means.

Template Races

The following six templates demonstrate Race design patterns. They are examples, not canonical content.

THESE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY.

TDGS is an engine, not a game. These templates show PATTERNS: how to structure a Race, how stat ranges convey racial identity, how a powerful Race differs from a weak Race, how Traits define racial flavor.

Copy them. Modify them. Ignore them entirely. They're models, not scripture.

"I HAVE CATALOGUED TEN THOUSAND RACES ACROSS A HUNDRED SETTINGS. HUMANS ARE IN EVERY ONE. ELVES IN MOST. DRAGONS IN MANY. THE NAMES CHANGE. THE PATTERNS DO NOT."

"Elves think in centuries. Humans think in decades. This makes Elves patient and Humans urgent. Neither is wrong. Both die eventually. The Elf just has more time to be smug about it."

"Never assume an Orc is finished. I've seen one take a killing blow, grin, and swing back. They died a moment later, yes. But so did the person who thought they'd won."

"People always ask why I don't have a hoard of gold. Friend, I have something better. I have FRIENDS. And fire. Mostly fire. But also friends! Some of them are on fire right now. They seem upset about it but I'm sure they'll warm up to the idea!"

Building Your Own Races

When designing a Race, ask these questions:

1. What IS this Race?

Not backstory. Identity. "Big and strong" or "small and sneaky" or "magical and frail." The core truth that drives everything else.

2. How does it compare to Human?

Use Human as your anchor. Stronger? Smarter? Faster? Tougher? Where does this Race exceed Human baseline, and where does it fall short?

Most Races should have tradeoffs. Higher STR might mean lower INT. Higher DEX might mean lower CON. Pure upgrades (like Dragon) should be rare and intentional.

3. What makes it FEEL different?

Traits define racial flavor. An Elf without Darkvision and Longevity doesn't feel like an Elf. A Dwarf without Poison Resistance and Sturdy doesn't feel like a Dwarf.

Pick 2-4 Traits that capture the Race's essence.

4. Does it have natural weapons or armor?

Most humanoid Races don't. Beasts and monsters often do. Natural weapons and armor significantly increase combat power without requiring equipment.

A Race with 40% Deflection scales (Dragon) is dramatically tougher than a Race that needs to buy armor (Human).

5. What Size is it?

Size affects narrative and may affect mechanics depending on content implementation. A Tiny Race has different challenges than a Gargantuan Race.

"Designing a race is asking 'what is true about this thing?' Not what it does. What it IS. A Dragon doesn't breathe fire because it learned how. It breathes fire because that's what Dragons ARE. Start with truth. Mechanics follow."

Power Spectrum

Races span a wide power range. This is intentional.

A Goblin PC fighting alongside a Dragon PC creates imbalance. This isn't a bug. TDGS doesn't assume balanced parties. It provides the math to handle whatever you throw at it.

If your setting wants balanced parties, restrict Race choices. If your setting wants a Goblin sidekick to a Dragon hero, the system supports that too.

Transformation

When an entity changes Race (human becomes vampire, wizard becomes snake), several things happen:

1. Stats may change to fit new racial ranges
2. Racial Traits swap (lose old racial Traits, gain new ones)
3. Class abilities persist (but may become Dormant if physically impossible)
4. Power Tier recalculates based on new stats

Transformation is covered in detail in Document 7 (Abilities). The key point: Race is what you ARE right now, and what you ARE can change.

Summary

Races define what you ARE. Classes define what you BECOME. Together, they create an Entity.

Document Status

This document defines Race mechanics and provides template examples for TDGS. All Races in TDGS-based systems should follow the structure and mechanics defined here.