Hu ma n

T h e s e w e r e t h e s t o r ie s o f a r e s t l e s s p e o p l e w h o

long ago took to the seas and rivers in longboats, first to

pillage and terrorize, then to settle. Yet there was an energy,
a love of adventure, that sangfrom every page. Long into
the night Uriel read, lighting candle after precious candle.
She'd never given much thought to humans, but these
stories fascinated her. In theseyellowed pages were tales of
bold heroes, strange andfierce animals, mighty primitive gods,
and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land.
—E lain e C u n n in g h a m , Daughter of the Drow

In the reck on in gs o f m ost w orlds, hum ans are the

youngest o f the co m m o n races, late to arrive on the
w orld scen e and short-lived in com p a rison to dw arves,
elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is b eca u se o f their shorter
lives that they strive to achieve as m uch as they can in
the y ears they are given. Or m aybe they feel they have
som eth in g to prove to the elder races, and that’s w hy
they build their m ighty em pires on the foundation o f
con q u est and trade. W hatever drives them, hum ans
are the innovators, the achievers, and the pion eers Va r ie t y in A l l T h i n g s
o f the w orlds.
H um ans are the m ost adaptable and am bitious p eople
am ong the com m on races. Th ey have w idely varying
A Br o a d Spe c t r u m
tastes, m orals, and custom s in the m any different lands
W ith their penchant for m igration and conquest, w here they have settled. W h en they settle, though,
hum ans are m ore physically diverse than other com m on they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and
races. T h ere is n o typical hum an. A n individual can great kin gdom s that can persist for long centuries. A n
stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and w eigh individual hum an m ight have a relatively short life span,
from 125 to 250 pou nd s. H um an skin sh ades range but a hum an nation or culture p reserves traditions
from nearly black to very pale, and hair c o lo rs from w ith origins far beyon d the reach o f any single hum an’s
black to blond (curly, kinky, or straight); m ales might m em ory. They live fully in the present—m akin g them
sp ort facial hair that is sp arse or thick. A lot o f hum ans w ell suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the
have a dash o f nonhum an blood, revealing hints o f elf, future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and
o r c , or other lineages. H um ans reach adulthood in their as a group, hum ans are adaptable opportunists, and
late teens and rarely live even a single century. they stay alert to changin g political and socia l dynam ics.
 Ev e r y o n e ’ s S e c o n d - B e s t Fr i e n d s
Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle
with members o f other races. They get along with almost
everyone, though they might not be close to many. Humans
serve as ambassadors, diplomats, magistrates, merchants,
and functionaries o f all kinds.
Dwarves. “They’re stout folk, stalwart friends, and true to
their word. Their greed for gold is their downfall, though.”
Elves. “ It’s best not to wander into elven woods. They don't parents give their children n am es from other languages,
like intruders, and you’ll as likely be bewitched as peppered such as D w arvish or Elvish (p ron ou n ced m ore or less
with arrows. Still, if an elf can get past that damned racial correctly), but m ost parents give n am es that are linked
pride and actually treat you like an equal, you can learn a lot
to their region ’s culture or to the n am ing traditions o f
from them.”
their ancestors.
Halflings. "It’s hard to beat a meal in a halfling home, as
The material culture and physical characteristics
long as you don’t crack your head on the ceiling— good food
and good stories in front o f a nice, warm fire. If halflings had o f hum ans can change w ildly from region to region.
a shred o f ambition, they might really amount to something.” In the Forgotten R ealm s, for exam ple, the clothing,
architecture, cuisine, m usic, and literature are different
in the northw estern lands o f the Silver M arch es than
L a s t i n g In s t i t u t i o n s in distant Turm ish or Im piltur to the east—and even
W h ere a single elf or dw arf m ight take on the m ore distinctive in far-off Kara-Tur. H um an physical
respon sibility o f guarding a sp ecia l location or a characteristics, though, vary accord in g to the ancient
pow erfu l secret, hum ans found sacred orders and m igrations o f the earliest hum ans, s o that the hum ans
institutions for such p u rp oses. W h ile dw arf clans and o f the Silver M arch es have every p ossib le variation o f
halfling elders pass on the ancient traditions to each coloration and features.
n ew generation, hum an tem ples, governm ents, libraries, In the Forgotten R ealm s, nine hum an ethnic groups
and c o d e s o f law fix their traditions in the b e d ro ck o f are w idely r ecog n ized , though over a d ozen others are
history. H um ans dream o f im m ortality, but (except for found in m ore localized areas o f Faerun. T h ese groups,
th ose few w h o seek undeath or divine ascen sion to and the typical n am es o f their m em bers, can be u sed as
esca p e death’s clutches) they achieve it by en su ring that inspiration no m atter w hich w orld your hum an is in.
they w ill be rem em b ered w hen they are gone.
C a l is h it e
Although som e hum ans ca n b e xenoph obic, in
Sh orter and slighter in build than m ost other hum ans,
general their societies are inclusive. H um an lands
Calishites have dusky brow n skin, hair, and eyes.
w elcom e large num bers o f nonh u m an s com pa red to the
T h ey’re found prim arily in southw est Faerun.
p roportion o f hum ans w h o live in nonhum an lands.
Calishite Names: (M ale) Aseir, Bardeid, H aseid,
Ex e m pl a r s o f A m bit io n K hem ed, M ehm en, Sudeim an, Z asheir; (female)
H um ans w h o seek adventure are the m ost daring and Atala, Ceidil, Ham a, Jasmal, Meilil, Seipora, Yasheira,
am bitious m em bers o f a daring and am bitious race. Zasheida; (surnam es) Basha, D um ein, Jassan, Khalid,
Th ey seek to earn glory in the eyes o f their fellow s M ostana, Pashar, Rein
by am assin g pow er, w ealth, and fam e. M ore than
C h o n d a t h a n
other people, hum ans cham pion cau ses rather than
Chondathans are slender, tawny-skinned folk with
territories or groups.
brow n hair that ranges from alm ost blond to alm ost
black. M ost are tall and have green or brow n eyes,
H u m a n Na m e s a n d Et h n ic it ie s
but these traits are hardly universal. H um ans o f
Having s o m uch m ore variety than other cultures, Chondathan d escen t dom inate the central lands o f
hum ans as a w hole have no typical nam es. S o m e hum an Faerun. around the Inner Sea.