Human

Humans are interesting because they’re so active, but what this means might take a different form than some would expect. Dwarves are mining the depths of the earth and Elves are contemplating ancient mysteries; but Humans are building empires, settling new lands, and fighting titanic wars with one another.

This cultural variety is why most campaigns have multiple human nations, each with its own culture. That’s the way of humans—to divide themselves up into different societies with different behaviors, customs, and aspirations. Elves, on the other hand, tend to have a single culture in most campaigns, even if their communities are spread across the campaign map and they’re not politically affiliated with each other. Put simply, elves usually act like elves. But it doesn’t mean much to say that humans act like humans.

Energy & Ambition

Humans are supposedly tenacious when they set their minds to something, not as stubbornly as dwarves nor as farsighted in their quests as Elves. 

Society's Drive to Organize

Human societies thrive on organization, perhaps because it’s the only way to keep such a varied people under control. A halfling or a gnome might enjoy cataloging a personal collection for the personal satisfaction that organization provides. But human societies regard organization as a means to an end: a more productive, efficient community.

 Take city streets as an example. In human cities, the streets are straight whenever possible, intersecting with others to form a grid pattern. Elves regard a grid layout as unimaginative, and their communities often have winding roads that encourage contemplation of the natural world. The underground cities of the Dwarves have a regular network of tunnels them, because the dwarves find regular patterns to be inherently pleasing.

Humans save their creativity for other aspects of their lives, however, and they don’t necessarily like a street grid for aesthetic reasons. They like a straight grid of roads because the grid makes travel across the city faster and because it’s easier to assign addresses and give directions if the roads follow a predictable pattern. In other words, the organization is just a means to the end of societal efficiency and “progress.”  Most tellingly, when the landscape does not allow for straight roads, humanity forces the landscape into shape, bending the world to the society’s will. Others call this arrogance, but humans call it progress.

Aggression

Human ambition is usually tied to another human trait: aggression. Humans have a primal desire to take what they do not possess and to expand their reach as far as possible. This aggression often translates to violence. As a result of this aggression, other races are often wary when dealing with humans. Nonhuman diplomats everywhere know the aggressive human mentality and are mindful that humans may push too hard or immediately make war to get what they want.

Focus on the Present or Future

Their short lifespans contribute to them spending less time looking back and remembering the past, and more time with their present or their future. A Dwarf may undertake an adventure to prove himself worthy to his ancestors (past focus). A Halfling might adventure so she can revel in the excitement of the moment (present focus). But a human will adventure to earn a knighthood and thus a better life for himself and his children (future focus).

 Humans also live in more turbulent societies than other races. Human empires are always emerging and collapsing; even a well-established human nation might be younger than an individual dwarf or elf. The rise and fall of nations means that every human generation is touched by a revolution, war, or other calamity. Humans thus take less for granted; they assume that the world will change under their feet, and they employ their ambition, adaptability, and aggression to control (or at least survive) the changes. 

they are driven by spite greed and ambition to try to change the world around them. the problem is they tend to succeed without thinking or seeing the consequences for themselves. They either don't live long enough to see the ramifications of their legacy nor KNOW exactly what their legacy will do up to a point and push for it. They do things just to make a name without knowing or caring about the consequences, with little known which of the two is a lesser of two evils. 

 When an audience regards magic as just another field of endeavor, it won’t be impressed by a simple prestidigitation spell. In a magic-rich society, only magic that features an element of artistry, grandeur, or mystery is entertaining to most humans. If magic is uncommon or prohibitively expensive, then only the privileged can see a spellcasting artist’s work, and magical effects are more impressive to those who witness them.

Competitive Sport

Humans enjoy athletics of all kinds, so individual and team sports are an important leisure activity. Humans relish competition and enjoy contests that allow them to test their skills and talents against others. Feats of speed, endurance, and coordination are common, such as running, swimming, wrestling, and horseback riding. In some communities, humans intermingle their physical games with martial training, creating fit participants who can serve as soldiers during wartime.

 In evil societies, entertainment may turn toward violence and decadence, including intentionally gruesome gladiatorial fights, animal baiting, and other spectacles that rely on humiliation and pain.

When you create a human society for your D&D game, consider what competitive leisure activities it prefers—especially if its sports involve skills or talents useful to adventurers. The following competitions are found in many human societies. 

Horse Racing & Charioteering

Humans have a greater affinity for horses than members of other races, and many of their sports involve these animals

At its simplest, a horse race is a series of opposed Animal-Handling checks made once per round. Rather than have each horse and rider move individually in initiative order, have each rider in the race make a Animal-Handling check. The rider with the highest result is in the lead, with other riders 5 feet back for each 2 points their result is lower than the leader’s (but they go at least half the distance covered by the leader no matter how low they roll). For example, if the leader gets a 24 on her Animal-Handling check, a rider with a result of 23 would be neck-and-neck with the leader (but slightly behind), a rider with a 20 would be 10 feet behind, and a rider with a 14 would be 25 feet behind. The lead horse travels four times its speed on a straightaway and twice its speed if it has to turn. When you use this system to resolve a horse race, assume that the competitors are successfully taking the spur mount action discussed in the Animal-Handling skill description on page 80 of the Player’s Handbook. If a racer doesn’t want to spur his or her mount, simply assess a –4 penalty on Animal-Handling checks during the race.

 While some horse races take place on fairly smooth tracks, it’s common to include jumps or other obstacles. Use the leap rules in the Animal-Handling skill description to resolve jumps over obstacles. Racers who fall end their movement for that round. In the following round, a fallen rider must stand up (a move action), then attempt a fast mount (as per the Ride description, but this is 3.5e) or spend a move action to remount the horse. 

 Chariot races function similarly to horse races, except that Profession (teamster) is the relevant skill. Leaping is nearly impossible; any jumping DCs are tripled.

King of the Ring

This game, which has dozens of names, takes place in a 20-foot-radius circle. Two competitors begin a match by standing at opposite edges of the circle, then running toward one another and attempting to bull rush their rival back outside the circle’s boundary. Both competitors make bull rush attempts each round, except that neither side can make attacks of opportunity (unarmed attacks and grappling are against the rules).

 A common variant of King of the Ring has more than two competitors at a time, with the winner being the last person remaining inside the ring. Another version of the game involves varying the terrain, with contestants trying to push each other off a log, out of a pond, or off a hillock.

Gambling

Humans love to wager and will bet on almost anything given the chance. Gambling can come in many forms, from cards, dice, and other games of chance, to betting on the outcome of horse racing, fighting tournaments, and the like. In lawful areas, particularly those with strict moral codes, gambling is either frowned upon or banned. In areas with looser laws and morality, gambling is out in the open and may be an important part of social interaction.

 Gambling takes three forms.

1. First, humans often bet on the outcome of someone else’s efforts, such as wagering on a horse race.
2. Second, the gamblers themselves may participate in a game that incorporates both skill and chance. Most card games fall into this category. To resolve this sort of gambling, have the participants make a skill check every 10 minutes. The relevant skill is Profession (card gambler) for most card games and another Profession skill for games you invent yourself. The competitor with the highest check result wins an amount set by the DM: a typical pot for 10 minutes of play, depending on the wealth of the competitors and the circumstances of the game. The losing competitors lose as much as the winner receives, divided among themselves. In a five-person card game, for example, the winner might get 20 silver pieces after 10 minutes of play, and each of the other four players would lose 5 silver pieces.
   
   Competitors can employ other skills to improve their chances. If the game rewards intimidating and concealed motives, an Intimidate check that’s higher than everyone else’s Insight check earns the Intimidater a bonus on his Profession check equal to the difference between his Intimidate result and the highest Insight result. If the game involves easily palmed tokens such as playing cards, a competitor can cheat by making a Sleight of Hand check opposed by all the other player’s Perception checks. A successful Sleight of Hand check earns a bonus equal to the difference between the Sleight of Hand result and the highest Perception result. But unlike bluffing at cards, there’s generally a game-ending consequence for failing this Sleight of Hand check: you’ve been caught cheating.
3. The third form of gambling encompasses games of pure chance, such as roulette or simple dice games. Because there’s no skill involved, resolve this sort of gambling by rolling the relevant dice (if it’s a game like craps) or by assigning a percentage chance of success and rolling percentile dice (if it’s roulette or a similar game of chance that doesn’t involve dice).

 If you design a scenario involving gambling, make sure that PCs can’t come out ahead simply by wagering on multiple outcomes. For example, betting on both horses in a race shouldn’t make for a sure profit, and always betting black on a roulette wheel should result in the gradual diminishing of a player’s stake. Make sure that the wagering authority (“the house”) has a small but significant percentage advantage. 

Other Games: Complete Warrior has information on jousting and gladiator battles, two other common forms of competition in human lands

Roleplaying Application: Decide what your character’s attitude is toward leisure in general—whether it’s wasteful frivolity or a well-earned reward for hard work. Then consider what kinds of leisure your character especially likes or dislikes, looking at your abilities and skills for guidance. Brawny characters with the Improved Bull Rush feat would naturally gravitate toward King of the Ring as participants, and King of the Ring might also make a particularly good spectator sport for a low-Strength character who finds the display of might particularly impressive.

Dwarfs:  Humans look up to the stalwart traditions, deep convictions, and dedication to family and honor that are central to the Dwarves’ outlook. A Dwarf's martial skills and beautiful stonecraft are also worthy of admiration. While human and Dwarf communities don’t always see eye to eye, the two races have always been allies, or at least cordial neighbors
Humans who live close to a Dwarf stronghold sometimes model their society after the Dwarves, which can bring great joy and pride to the dwarven heart. Still, the relatively freewheeling spirit of humans runs counter to the slower-paced culture of Dwarves; humans seem flighty and impatient.

Elves: Much of humanity considers Elves to be idealized humans: hauntingly beautiful beings in touch with their own inner power. Humans admire the sheer beauty in everything that Elves do, say, or produce, but they have a hard time understanding the long-range foresight of Elves, and many wrongly believe that Elves are indifferent to the plights of the world.
Humans who live close to elf communities may prefer the smooth patois of Unknown over their own crude-sounding language and may dress in the comfortable elven style. Elves regard such efforts with a mixture of paternal satisfaction and bemusement.

Goliaths: Most humans find the hulking Goliaths to be more than a little frightening. A Goliath's close resemblance to a Giant (albeit a smaller one) triggers a human’s primal fear of similar creatures such as ogres and trolls. Some closed-minded humans refuse to consider that Goliaths and Giants might be different. Many humans operate from the assumption of a stereotype—“large equals dumb”—and treat Goliaths accordingly.
Some mountain-dwelling humans have overcome their fear of these gentle beings and have forged close relationships with Goliaths, including limited trade agreements and pacts of mutual assistance against common foes.

Gnomes: Humans have a rather patronizing though cordial view of Gnomes, whom they regard as being comical and more than a bit silly. Their initial exposure to Gnome humor delights most humans, but they quickly become annoyed when the smaller beings do not let up with their incessant pranks. However, the Gnomes' capacity for working with magic and technology amazes humans, who go to great lengths to obtain both skills from Gnomes.
Humans dwelling in the same hills and forests as gnomes find them to be fine neighbors that are willing to help out with common problems.

Half-Elf: To humans, half-elves are only marginally less aloof than elves and seem to possess the same eerie grace that humans find both intriguing and a bit difficult to comprehend. Humans tend to treat half-elves as they would treat Elves, but a little more kindly as they remind themselves, “Hey, this guy is half-human, too.”
 In areas where Elves and humans live together, half-elves are far more common, and they gain more understanding and acceptance from humans, who view them as ideal mediators between the two races. Some half-elves thrive in such a role and become an integral part of these communities. Other half-elves chafe at always being treated like they’re all elf or all human, so they get away from both parent races as soon as possible. 

Half-orc: In most places, humans and Orcs have engaged in violence for as long as anyone can remember. Despite this animosity, Orcs and humans have been known to interbreed. In human lands, Half-orcs are second-class citizens, and few humans make an effort to see the human side of such individuals. Humans lay the burden of proof squarely on the Half-orc: “Prove you’re better than an Orc.”
 In those rare areas where humans and Orcs coexist peacefully, the lot of a Half-orc is slightly better. Some Half-orcs hold high positions within human settlements or act as liaisons between the two cultures.
In purely human communities, Half-orcs are often treated with scorn and derision, respected and feared only for their strength and ferocity.

Halflings: Since the two races have lived side by side for thousands of years, most humans have a strong affinity for Halflings. Humans respect Halflings for their drive, curiosity, and willingness to get along. The kinship is so close that some human societies prefer living alongside Halflings to living alongside other human cultures.
Human and Halfling communities are sometimes integrated into one another, and many human cities have a Halfling neighborhood where the smaller race can retain a sense of cultural heritage.
Despite this peaceful coexistence, many humans retain the impression that Halflings are whimsical or cute, much to the dismay of these small folk. Over the years, Halflings have learned either to tolerate such attitudes or to redouble their efforts to act “fiercer than the big folk.”