The following Races are allowed in Midgard campaigns as a default list. This is not an exhaustive list, only the most common races. Please consult the DM for anything outside of this list.
Bearfolk:
Bearfolk are massive people of iron resolve and deep nobility, resembling bears that walk upright rather than all fours. Hailing from either the cold climates of Midgard’s Northlands or from a nation of light carved out of the Shadow Realm itself, bearfolk put their trust in family and tribe to stand against the world. In defiance of their brutish appearance, they are deeply spiritual and artistic.
Catfolk:
Catfolk are a social and active people of natural grace and obsessive curiosity, resembling bipedal, feline humanoids with tails, cat‑like ears, and fur. They are equally comfortable wandering in far‑off regions, wallowing in the heart of the largest cities, or delving into the lair of forgotten horrors. Most catfolk dwell in the deserts and endless plains of the Southlands, but love of travel and new experiences often draw catfolk to distant realms. There are whispers of hidden catfolk communities in the Wungo jungles, beyond the Tunturi Range, or even far to the northeast in the Land of Frost and Bears.
Centaur:
On the plains, in the forests, and across the steppes live creatures who blend humanoid and equine aspects. Centaurs are neither man nor beast, but occupy a strange niche in both the civilized and natural worlds. They are born with grace befitting a human king, but are possessed of the fierce savagery of a wild stallion. Centaurs are a scattered race, roaming in small clan groups from the Rothenian Plain (where their numbers are great) to the court of the young Valeran Emperor, whom several serve as personal guards. But they also have a reputation for banditry and bullying, and most cultures consider them dangerous.
Centaurs are largely a nomadic people. Their archery is excellent and their healing arts are well advanced. Because they have little interest in magic or in writing, other cultures sometimes disregard centaurs, but they do so at their peril. Large centaur hordes have smashed baronies and even small nations flat.
Dhampir:
The half-living children of vampires and human mothers, dhampirs are born into a world that rejects them. Stigma and suspicion follow them regardless of whether the truth of a dhampir child’s nature is known. This mistrust either forces a dhampir to develop a disarming wit and charm, or to embrace bitterness and keep others at arm’s length through guile or outright intimidation.
Few dhampirs find solace with their undead forebears. As living creatures, even tainted ones, the reality of living with an evil, blood-sucking monster seldom appeals even as they struggle with their own urges or hungers. Dhampirs struggle to find acceptance both within society and within themselves.
Dwarf:
The dwarves of Midgard live in three great realms: the Northern halls such as Tanserhall and Wolfheim, the cantons of the Ironcrags, and the Southern city of Nuria Natal. The dwarves of the three realms are distinct in their culture, strengths, and style.
- Northland Dwarf (Mountain Dwarf Traits) are keepers of the old ways and the old gods, smiths and warriors, farmers and traders, stout and strong and able to down a barrel of ale at one sitting. They keep busy fighting the giants or the werewolves and worgs in the North, but sometimes the Northern dwarves take to the sea in their longships and raid the coasts, from Vidim through the Donnermark and Krakova to northern Dornig territories, but passing over the magocracy of Allain.
The Northern dwarves are especially accomplished at ring-making and smithwork, and their society of bear-shirted berserks is celebrated for its ferocity. - Cantonal Dwarf (Hill Dwarf Traits) are makers, miners, and smiths, digging deep into the Ironcrags for iron and gold and forging items of great wonder, primarily exceptional spears, crossbows, and arrows, but also great artistic works. Singular items are a lifetime’s masterwork: a clockwork steed or wagon, an airship, a returning hammer, or a suit of invulnerable armor. None of these are beyond the grasp of a cantonal smith.
The cantonal dwarves serve no kings, but rule themselves. They often serve as mercenaries in the Seven Cities, among the Princes of Dornig, and even against the Mharoti Empire, side by side with the Magdar knights. - Southland Dwarf (Gold Dwarf Traits) are distant relatives at best, with different language, magic, and style. In the desert heat the Southern dwarves shave their heads and wrap their beards tightly in gold or copper wire; sometimes these beards are forked or braided as well. They serve a male mask of Rava they call Ptah, and they build clockwork bodies they call shabti, or servants. Their skin is dark, and— when not shorn—their hair runs to pure black, gold, or red.
Southern dwarves are alchemists and mystics, with a deep hatred of dragons and the Mharoti Empire. They have served the King of Nuria Natal faithfully as bodyguards and as his heavy infantry for centuries, and as engineers who build his temples, city walls, and step pyramids.
Elf:
The elves are a people apart, as they are quick to remind others. They were not the first settlers of the forests and fields, but they taught humans and dwarves and others the arts arcane and the art of civilization. The empire they founded at Thorn and in the Arbonesse, which later spread as far east as Sephaya and south to Valera, was a wonder for the ages. Its magical roads, its slim towers, and its speedy and lethal armies maintained an age of peace that lasted until a few centuries ago.
Now the elves are in retreat, and a splintered race. A few with mixed elven/human blood—the so-called elfmarked, who are dealt with in their own section—remain and can claim descent from the great elves of old, despite being as much human as elf. True elves are rarely seen, and are confined to three groups: the windrunner elves of the Rothenian steppes, who are so few in number and so reclusive that they may as well be myth; the shadow fey of the Realm of Shadow, who are discussed separately below; and the reclusive river elves of the Arbonesse, who are the strongest and wisest of the three groups.
- River Elf (High Elf Traits) The river elves are what remains of the elves of Thorn, with the River King retaining only slight contact with the Domains of the Princes. The Arbonesse forest is their homeland and the river their highway, and their borders include all the land where the leaves’ shadow falls. The river elves sometimes exile one of their number to wander the world for a time (a span defined in decades), but otherwise, the other races rarely see the elves who built so many castles, roads, and cities throughout Midgard.
- Windrunner Elf (Wood Elf Traits)
Gearforged (Replaces Warforged) 
Originally created as powerful soldiers, they must now find their own paths to navigate the second life they’ve been given. Many devote themselves to civil service, others to their gods. Some dedicate their extraordinarily long lives to the pursuit of knowledge. A few, naturally, seek out lives of adventure.
The gearforged are an artificial race. More importantly, its members are created one at a time and come from a vast array of backgrounds. Nevertheless, they maintain rich traditions of history, culture, and spirituality all their own, largely because of the influence of the race’s patron, the gear goddess Rava.
Gnoll:
The average gnoll views the virtues of work and self-sufficiency with distaste. Gnolls with leadership skills or who tire of sharing the fruits of their labors frequently break off from the pack alone or in small groups to fend for themselves. Sometimes a male gnoll foolishly announces that he believes males are more fit to lead, and necessarily sets out on his own until he can find a new pack or the controversy is forgotten. Gnolls who possess the will to face danger make excellent adventurers.
Gnome:
As a gnome of the Niemheims, you bear the mark of a bargain made long before your birth. You hail from the nine Great Cities, which aspire to greatness among the trees of the Wormwood. Surely that faint whiff of brimstone that haunts your steps is not your fault! You have stayed safe in your forest, shrouded from the gaze of Baba Yaga and her daughters. You’ve learned the limits of your sanctuary and have heeded the warnings never to stray beyond the treeline. In your youth, you saw bloody sacrifices made to devils; sometimes unwary travelers and sometimes kin, but all offered to the eleven hells at the point of a blade.
You yearn to see the world beyond the trees. It calls to you, and it terrifies you. How can you walk freely on the roads of Midgard when Grandmother wishes to eat your feet? What have you made from the mushrooms and rooty soil of the forest that will aid you? A hat, made of redcaps and small growing plants is your safety. If you leave and risk the ancient ire of Baba Yaga, remember—never remove your living headpiece and never let the plants woven into its brim go thirsty.
- Lightfoot (PHB Traits)
- Stout (PHB Traits)
- Winterfolk Halfling
Whereas lightfoot and stout halflings seek ways to make life as comfortable and luxurious as possible, winterfolk halflings lead lives of almost unrelenting hardship. They burrow their sod-roofed homes into the windswept hillocks of the Rothenian Plain, where they hunt and trap creatures much larger and fiercer than themselves among the frigid lakes and snow-blanketed evergreen forests. They invoke ancient runes and sigils for protection, and sing droning songs to ancient gods of the sky, the hills, and the forest. Pound for pound, winterfolk halflings are as tough as any dwarf or orc. While they don’t despise their softer cousins, they do view them with a reserved pity.
Human
- Elfmarked (Half-elf Traits) Although the elven race is in decline and its members are scattered, the elves created a lasting legacy. In addition to the obvious reminders of their past greatness—ruined cities and straight, level roads—they left an invisible mark in the elven blood that courses throughout Midgard’s people. The so-called elfmarked are the result of unions between elves and humans. Elven blood running through their veins ties the elfmarked to the realms of the fey; some trace their lineage back to the great elves of ages long ago. The elfmarked are spread throughout the kingdoms of Midgard. They mingle with humans and other races in cosmopolitan cities and rustic villages, the latent power in their blood always whispering in their subtly pointed ears.
- Kariv Wanderer
A wind blows over the steppes and through the valleys of the Wandering Realm. Wild thyme and the smoke from a hundred campfires is carried on it. Listen for the old songs sung with too much wine and a quiet sadness beneath. You have returned to your clan’s tabor after riding the trade caravan to Vellarsheim. Kariv is the name of your people, and you are nomads of the Rothenian plain. The hoof and the wheel are your destiny. None know the land as you do, for you’ve seen it all in your wandering, from the sod huts of the winterfolk in sternest Domovogrod to the limits of Kaa’nesh and its brutish inhabitants. Your pony, sash, and blade have accompanied you at each step, as has your love for laughter, for drink, and for games of chance.
But revelry can’t lighten your strange burden or lessen the pull in your heart to take a step when you’ve stood still too long. Some call your people cursed, and perhaps they are, for they have no homes but the saddle and the caravan. If you tarry too long in one place, you grow barren and joyless. The colorful silks you wear turn gray and dull, your thoughts turn cloudy, and wolves lurk beyond the low light of your campfire. Don’t fall to this curse, nomad; walk, run, or ride from it as fast as you can. Kariv humans of the Rothenian Plain are spirited and fierce. They make superior fighters and bards. - Baseline Human (Normal plus Variant Human)
Kobold:
Of the smaller races, the kobolds have adapted best to the changing world. Enslaved long ago by reaver dwarves, kobolds quickly carved a niche for themselves as miners, scouts, and tinkerers: small enough to be useful, and also small enough to be dismissed as a threat. At first they were tolerated, then largely ignored. As a result, the shadows of dwarven society are rife with kobold rogues and entrepreneurs (many of them secret worshippers of Loki), seemingly subservient but busily trading dwarven goods for resources extracted from the dwarves’ own mines and storehouses, right under the noses of their “masters.”
Free kobolds defend their mines viciously but otherwise maintain the ruse of a harmless and subservient little folk—at least until the opportunity to sheathe a knife in someone’s kidneys presents itself.
Many other small races have adopted the kobold’s strategy, including the worship of Loki, embracing his cunning ways and the advantages of guile and cunning over brawn and bravado.
Lizardfolk:
The lizardfolk are a little‑known race in the Southlands, but they have existed in Midgard for untold ages. While most are content to remain within their jungles or marshes and care little for the extravagant pleasures of warm‑blood civilizations, those lizardfolk who become adventurers form strong attachments to their companions, calling them “not‑egg‑brothers” and “not‑egg‑sisters.
Minotaur:
Minotaurs are imposing and powerful, with a reputation for ferocity that borders on monstrous. That reputation is well-earned. Minotaurs display their achievements proudly
by decorating their horns with engraved sigils and designs. If one is versed in minotaur custom, one can tell at a glance the achievements and prowess of a minotaur by examining the decoration on her horns. A minotaur who loses part or all of a horn suffers considerable stigma and must strive to prove his worth. Sometimes a “brokehorn” (a fighting insult to any minotaur) who manages to achieve great deeds earns the gift of having the missing horn magically restored by a temple. Beware any minotaur that willingly gives up or chooses not to restore a lost horn, for this is one of Midgard’s most driven and dangerous creatures.
Ratfolk:
Ratfolk are small, rodentlike humanoids with twitching snouts, bony feet, and long, pink tails. They are about the same size as halflings but of a slimmer build. They often wear hooded cloaks or long robes to conceal their true nature from the gaze of casual onlookers. Ratfolk can be found throughout Midgard, from Zobeck and other cities of the Crossroads region to the dusty streets of Per-Bastet in distant Nuria Natal and the valley of Golden Ulthar. The little creatures often inhabit the fringes of human society, scraping a living as petty thieves and tricksters. Many make their homes in decrepit slum tenements, in disused dockside warehouses, or even in sewers and other warrens beneath the city streets. Some, particularly in the Southlands, live a nomadic existence, wandering from place to place and trading in whatever odds and ends they acquire along the way, through honest means or otherwise. Other groups can be found on small tropical islands in the Tethys Ocean.
Ravenfolk (Replaces Aarakocra)
Few races in Midgard live amid so much rumor, suspicion, and outright falsehood as the ravenfolk. They make their rookeries in every major city. Depending on whom you ask, they might condemn the ravenfolk as solitary wanderers bearing misfortune or praise them as messengers from the gods. Ravenfolk are loyal comrades and treacherous thieves, brave warriors and contemptible cowards. They are despised for their strange and secretive culture, and criticized for having no true culture of their own. The ravenfolk are a study in contradictions. These truths, half-truths, and lies conceal a greater mystery that few outsiders know. Ravenfolk have no wings, but they do have tail feathers that sometimes flare out when they’re angry.
Shadow Fey:
The enigmatic shadow fey of the Shadow Realm dwell in ebon spires and moonlit keeps, encroaching on the mortal world in places where barriers between the planes are thin. They prowl the darkest recesses of the forest, hunting mortal prey. They dance in the darkly luminous halls of their shadow palaces, the lords and ladies of twilight. Their actions brim with contradictions and their motivations are shrouded in mystery. They seek to throw their observers off-guard, for anyone and everyone is a potential enemy. Shadow fey resemble elves physically, with some striking differences. Their skin color tends toward alabaster white, ebon black, or subtle grays. A few have scintillating, shimmering skin. Many shadow fey have horns, from subtle nubs to large and obvious protrusions, either satyr- or fiend-like depending on the chronicler.
Subek:
The kindly, scholarly subek come from a river‑based culture, known for advising others and lending their physical and intellectual prowess to local projects. During flood season, however, the subek become violent and territorial. Subek adventurers often wish to break away from the ebb and flow of the river and discover in the process some control over their destructive nature. Subek dwell along the banks of the major rivers in warm climates. In the Southlands, the river Nuria shelters several communities of subek, as do the Selwheyha and the Amaja.
Tosculi:
The tosculi are known in the Southlands as vicious raiders seeking to overrun all civilization from their mud‑and‑resin cities perched among ancient ruins. They are insectoid humanoids, operating under a shared consciousness and most often hostile or uncaring toward all non‑tosculi. A fearsome and ruthless insectoid queen rules each hive city, sending her drones to raid for living captives to act as hosts for the next generation of drones.
Occasionally, though, a tosculi is born who does not hear the voice of the queen and possesses a trait anathema to the hive: individualism. Known as the Hiveless, these tosculi do not fit into the well‑tuned social mechanics of the hive. They resist the orders of the queen and thoughts of the hive mind. Others are physically unsuited to the tasks for which they were bred and are cast out. Whatever the reason, they do not conform to tosculi society. Renegades must flee or be killed. These outcasts enter a world where they are reviled, where they learn what it means to be alone, but their lives and destinies are theirs to choose.
Trollkin:
In ancient times, ogres, trolls, and fey sometimes took human mates. Their descendants are the trollkin. Tall and lanky with a brutish appearance, trollkin are seldom welcome among the civilized races of the north, even when the full extent of their inhuman ancestry is difficult to determine. As a result, most trollkin live in isolated tribal settlements and subsist on hunting and raiding.