Hello! Due to the length of this one, I had to make the Tabletops and Tyrants section its own chapter. Races is a BIG, BIG bag when compared to explaining the die. There are around 44 races (45 if we do TCoE's Custom Lineage), and that's excluding sub-races. We won't be going over EVERY race, but rather, the traits and giving a bit of a summary along with a joke here and there. For further suggestions, questions or ideas involving the fic, feel free to comment or send me a PM.

Without further ado, let's begin!

(Credits to users 'P!nk' for the guest suggestions of this session.)

The stage was set: with a sizable table in the center and a few chairs around it, our teenage protagonist had everything set up for today's session. With the press of a button, a camera began to record.

"Hello and welcome to 'Tabletops with Tyrants' session 2, where I go over topics or questions involving DnD 5th Edition with the help of a guest. Introducing... Dulio Gesualdo," Issei said, before it transitioned to the seat across him.

"Who must be raiding the fridge, give me a moment."

PLEASE STAND BY

"Hailing from Heaven as its Joker, with an appetite as big as his heart, Dulio Gesualdo," the brunette said, before it transitioned to a blonde young man with green eyes who happened to be dressed in priest robes.

"Hello Issei," the young man said, a table filled with pastries located between them.

"Hello Dulio. Given the context, we had to bring out the big guns, and we may be needing them from here on out. Ladies and gentlemen, not our Tiamat," the brunette said, before the focus went to a third seat, and in it, a beautiful woman dressed in a light blue t-shirt, jeans and heels, her hair done in a ponytail.

"What were you referring to 'not our Tiamat', boy?" the bluenette asked, looking at the host with a raised eyebrow. The host in response looked at a figurine of a five-headed dragon before looking back at the female guest.

"Nothing... anyways, it's a pleasure to have the two of you here."

"The feeling is mutual, Issei."

"It could always be Ddraig."

"... Well, let's get the ball rolling. Tiamat, would you like to kick things off?"

"With pleasure. A race is a refers to the species or ancestry of someone or something. The races have 6 prime traits: score increases, age, alignment, size, speed and languages. These are mainly to help the setting and also build a sense of lore in a world or worlds. These may vary given on the setting, so consult with your Dungeon Master on this matter."

"Thank you Tiamat, very cool."

"Hmph."

"Dulio, please continue, I'm almost done over here," the human said, scribbling on a sheet of paper.

"Hehe, ok. The first when choosing a race is the Ability Score Increases, which are mainly a bonus of 3 points across 2 stats. It's mainly a stat getting a 2 bonus, and a 1 in another."

"For example, the Goliath receives a 2 to their Strength, while they also get a 1 to their Constitution," Issei said, opening a book.

"Thank you, Issei. There are rare cases where the sum of these increases is over 3, or the increases are distributed to more than two scores. Enter stage left, Tritons and Half-Elves. The Triton gets a 1 to their Strength, Constitution and Charisma while the Half-Elves... get a 4, 2 going for Charisma, and a 1 to two different stats of your choosing if they're not Charisma. What might be the only exception is the standard human, who gets a 1 to each stat," the gluttonous angel continued.

"How are these points distributed? Well, at times, they'll be predetermined. There's also variables given subraces which we'll visit later, and also cases where you'll be able to choose where the increases go, such as Strength and Dexterity, Strength and Wisdom, etc," Ise added, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Want to take over, Issei?" Dulio asked, giving the teen a smile.

"It'll be my *sip* utmost pleasure," the brunette said, taking a sip from his juice pouch before continuing.

"The floor is yours."

"Yes please. Age is an easy one, as they provide an estimate per race that way you can go ahead and flesh out your character. Here, we're talking about lifespans ranging from the 30-year maximum of the Warforged to the Elves, who have been recorded to live up to 750 years."

"Wait, for real?" the angel asked.

"You're part of the supernatural, and yet you find an elf's lifespan surprising?" Tiamat asked, glaring at Heaven's Joker.

"I haven't seen an elf, have you?" Dulio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Now we have the bigger bastard, that one section that may be the push needed for DnD races needing their own college degree... sub-races."

"What do you mean?" Tiamat asked.

"Not all races are going to have just one variant. Some will have two, three, or even enough to be sold by the dozen!" Issei exclaimed, sighing.

"It can't be that bad," Dulio said.

"It is, based on region, continent, overlord or whatever deeds they did. And this is where it gets a bit messy. First, some will feature body parts that can be used for offense, such as a bite, a tail, claws or talons. Look no further than Tabaxis and Aarakocras for these examples," the brunette answered.

"Some races feature Darkvision, no?" Tiamat asked, as she took a sip from her pint.

"Correct, the most popular of the bunch is 60 ft, on rare occasions 120 ft. Apparently, the ones that are more tied to the divine or nature seem to get these benefits, like Aasimars and Elves. There are also gnomes and dwarves, to go a bit further. I think Orcs? My memory's kinda iffy, but those with Superior Darkvision get 120 ft of Darkvision in exchange for Sunlight Sensitivity, more on that later."

"I see. Speaking of, some will get a proficiency in an array of things: skills, weapons, armor, you name it. Prime examples are dwarves, gaining a proficiency with armor and a few weapons such as a battleaxe."

"So yeah, it's a bit of a pain but a bonus given the amount of options and all." Issei said, a soft smile on his face.

"Ahh... hey, does the same apply with spells?" Dulio asked, looking at the brunette. The blue-haired guest, on the other hand, chose to intercept.

"Yes, some gain the ability to cast a certain spell once per day as a certain tier, or learn a certain spell or cantrip. A good example is the Genasi variants, each learning a cantrip and eventually a spell. Remember, these spells may vary with the amount of times and conditions needed to be used, so consult your DM about that."

"Thank you Tiamat, and seeing how our friend here is peppy, would you mind sharing with the class what you learned from movement speeds, Dulio?"

"Ok. Some classes gain a certain movement speed, let it be a bonus or a determined amount. For instance, the average Elf has 30 ft, but Wood Elves have 'Fleet of Foot', a trait that bumps their speed up to 35 ft. Remember, a movement speed varies between 25 feet and 40 feet, depending on race or subrace. That, and Tabaxis can double their speed on one turn and refreshes after they spend a turn moving 0 feet," the brunette said, before continuing. "Speaking of bonuses, some gain traits such as a bonus to their carrying capacity, like BUgbears."

"They are quite impressive, especially since they gain a 5-foot bonus to their attack reach due to their limbs," Tiamat said, munching on an apple. "And while we're at it, some races gain combat traits such as the Minoutaur, who after attacking in melee using their action, can consume their bonus action to shove a target if the requirements are met."

"Or Lizardfolk and Simic Hybrids, which have AC conditions. Lizardfolk gain an Armor class of 13 plus Dex if they're unarmored, while Simic Hybrids gain a 1 to their armor if they're not using Heavy Armor."

"Damn right."

"There are also classes that gain resistance to a certain type of damage, the main example being the Dragonborns. No, not the Skyrim kind. They have a draconic ancestry that depending on their choice influences their abilities and resistances. You could see this as subclasses for the Dragonborn."

"I've also read that some classes just say no to conditions like the Elves, who can't be put to sleep via magic."

"Wouldn't that make them one of, if not the strongest races?" Tiamat suggested.

"I'm sure there are worse. And even then, some classes have advantages on things such as saving throws against poison or being charmed. There are also advantages against certain things such as Gnomes, who with their cunning have an advantage if a spell requires a saving throw involving Charisma, Wisdom or Intelligence, so a Fireball may help and- no, I forgot..."

"What's the matter, Issei? What did you forget?" Dulio asked.

"Despite the few races that have weaknesses to Perception checks in sunlight and even attack rolls in certain circumstances, I forgot about an even worse equivalent of the Variant Human..."

"No, not something worse than that!" Tiamat said, shock on her face.

"I thought that Warlocks of the Ghost (1) couldn't go lower but they did!"

"Wait, 'impractical worse' or 'Emergency Banlist worse'?"

"Emergency Banlist worse..." Issei said with a defeated sigh.

"Oh dear..." Dulio said, his hand shaking.

"The custom lineage is the excuse to use a fursuit or be a spooky skeleton. You are a humanoid who can either be small or medium for the duration of the campaign unless specified otherwise. Your walking speed is of 30 feet, and proficiency with Common and another language if your DM approves."

"But wait there's more..." Tiamat added, looking downcast after looking at Issei.

"Yep. They gain a feat if they qualify for it, so no race-exclusive feats such as Elven Accuracy. But the worst of all, is that they gain a 2 to an ability score of their choosing. Basically, with a certain feat they can start the game with an 18 to a stat of their choosing. Unlike other races who would cap a score at around level 8 per average class, they can cap it at level 4. Point-wise it's not a difference, but with a 4-level advantage it can leave people queasy."

"What if I want to play as an Orc bard and want to use my Strength bonus for Charisma instead?" Dulio asked.

"There is an optional route for redirecting bonuses involving your race, but that is up to the Dungeon Master, which is the big aspect here: CONSULT THE DUNGEON MASTER. They may not be fine with it or find it easy to take away your 1 to Strength and add it to your Charisma. That is the big takeaway, the difference in races may be overwhelming, but it's fun, just be careful of subraces, keep track of your bonuses and what race and subrace you choose. With that said..." he answered, before motioning the other two to stand up.

"Thank you for playing Tabletops with Tyrants!"

(1) Wizards of the Coast parody

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day.