At Age of the Ancients, we provide you with 24 races to choose from, ranging from the tiny Pixie to the monsterous Cyclops.   For a more detailed description of each race, just click on the name of the race.  You can also navigate to the Main Page, or the Classes Page.

no special abilities or bonuses, but also have no penalties.  Because of
this, Humans are extremely adaptable and are able to assume a variety of
classes and roles.

Humans are bipedal beings, boasting two arms, two legs and a roundish head.
Amazingly, Humans have a strange tendency to look different from each the
other; almost none look exactly alike.

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are distant cousins to the Pixies and share the intelligence and dexterity
of that winged race to a lesser degree.  With a lighter frame than Humans,
what they lack in strength and stamina is made up for with their superior
agility - both in thought and movement.  Elves are capable in all classes,
though they function poorest in the role of pure fighter.  Most Elves will
prefer to stay close to nature, and many become druids.  All Elves have
the inherent ability to detect magic.
 
The average Elf stands taller than most Humans, being well over six feet.
Most have fair skin and long, straight hair, though there are individual
Elves who chose a darker life reflected in their outward appearance.

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Dwarves are relatively short (in Human terms), stocky and powerfully-built
creatures.  Long-lived and extremely sturdy, they are known equally as well
for their hardiness as for their cantankerous personalities.  Their thick,
stout frames lend them poor dexterity, but high strength and stamina.  This
race has produced some of the most reknowned fighters.  Dwarves possess the
inherent ability to see in the dark with infravision.
 
Dwarves average from four foot five inches and five feet tall, with dusky
complexions and thick, fur-covered torsos and limbs.  Both men and women
proudly wear and take pride in their beards.

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Short, slender, bull-headed and very mischievous the Halfling has a level
of dexterity which knows no equal, and many enjoy the thrill of stealing
valuables from other people.  Many halflings choose the path of the Thief,
for which their silent footstep and nimble fingers serve them well.  This
dexterity coupled with a surprising fearlessness makes them a ferocious
(though somewhat underpowered) opponent.
 
Halflings have compact bodies and thick, long limbs, and are usually
covered from head to toe in hair of varying thickness and color.

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Pixies are small Elfin creatures with gossamer wings.  They are very much
more intelligent than most other races, but their strength and constitution
suffers from their small size.  Because of this, the Pixie often choose the
calling of magic and excels especially in the arts of the Mage; the mind of
the Pixie knows no equal.  Pixies possess the obvious ability of flight.
 
Pixies are slight of stature, standing less than five feet in height.  Both
their skin and hair color varies from among all the colors of the rainbow.

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A race of beings, that were born vampires instead of being embraced by one.
They have had all their natural lives to become accustomed to being a blood
user, and because of this, they have more options open to them when they gain
enough wisdom and experience in this realm.

When they are finally ready to achieve their mastery of their fourth class however,
they, like the other vampires and werewolves, may only choose to become a Wraith
or Jackel.

Here is a brief summary of how they compare to the other classes:
                                                                 
Vampires use blood points (bp) instead of mana for casting spells.
Blood points can be lost by taking massive damage during battle. 
Spare blood points can save a vampire during battle by providing a
small burst of extra hit points (hp).                            
Vampires get a penalty to armor  class (ac) during the day, and a 
and a bonus during the night.                                    
Vampires may mist walk to their victims under cover of darkness.
  

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A recent mingling of Orcish and Human blood arising as the darker races
have encroached further upon the remaining settled areas, most members
of this half-blooded race are distinctly more Orcish than Human in both
appearance and behavior.  Large and dull of wit, with short but broad
bodies, their poor mental and physical dexterity is offset by an iron
constitution.  Though some have dabbled in the sorcerous arts due to
their human influence, brute combat is is still the natural call which
stirs in the soul of the Half-Orc.  All Half-Orcs possess infravision.
 
Though not as broad nor powerful as full-blood Orcs, Half-Orcs usually
retain their wider bodies, longer, bowed limbs and heavier musculature.
A ridged brow crowned by bushy eyebrows conceals small, squinting eyes;
below a snout-like noses opens a maw filled with crooked fangs; dark
skin emanating a rancid odor; their presence disgusts civilized races.
Standing from five to seven feet tall and averaging two hundred pounds,
they are an altogether fearsome race.

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(Note:  Racial  Werewolves are not blood users)

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Draconians carry in their veins the blood of dragons.  Though their
outward forms resemble humans they are much fiercer warriors and
more intellegent as well.  They possess the ability to see through
barriers of illusion, even beyond the abilities of the astral Gith.

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These short wilderness loving creatures are very good at skills
of the mind and make great Psionicists. They have Goats or Deers legs, the
upper body looks elven, and there are tiny horns on their head, males usually
sport a goatee. If only they would become a little more serious, when
ever the forest folk throw a party be sure that you will be seeing many a
satyr there, and when they bring out their panpipes they are above all in
leading listeners to do their bidding with just a few notes.  Another aspect
of these creatures is their almost insatiable desire for the pleasures of
life, the more the better in every way, they are lusty and have been known to
start trouble by chasing the wrong Nymph about.  In short they make exelent
magic users and thieves, they are not the best at warrior style fighting...

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Wraiths are the spirits of those long dead... Being undead they have
a very unattractive appearance on a translucent body.  They possess
a very high intellegence and are extremely adept in the use of magic
Wraiths, unrestrained by the barriers of the carnal world, have an
innate ability to pass straight through barriers

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Centaurs have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse
while this does make them a little clumsy, their strength is far beyond
a human.. however like humans they have no special abilities to set
them apart from other species except for their incredible strength

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Half-Ogres are offspring of the successful coupling of the neanderthal-like
Ogre with and Humans.  Standing from six to nine feet in height and packed
with bulging muscles, Half-Ogres possess great physical abilities, enabling
this race to thrive in battle.  Half-ogres tend to be less quick-witted
than humans and, like their pure-blood Ogre relatives, are aggressive in
the extreme, often engaging in battle to establish superiority, leaving the
loser shunned as a weakling incapable of survival.  Because of their human
parentage, Half-Ogres are not as large or powerful as pure-breed Ogres, but
nevertheless boast truly awesome strength.  Half-Ogres possess infravision.
 
The torso and limbs of many Half-Ogre are commonly covered in small, boney
growths.  Most are relatively hairless, with disproportionally long limbs,
giving many an ape-like appearance.  Their weight runs from three hundred
to four hundred pounds.

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An intermingling (carried out in the darker lands of the world) of the
blood of the Troll with that of Humans, the Half-troll is as deadly as
it is hideous.  Though considerably smaller than full-blood Trolls, the
Half-troll often stands well over eight feet in height and carries over
three hundred pounds on its heavily-muscled frame.  Though naturally of
low wisdom, the race was sorcerously imbued with a wicked intelligence
and the ability to see naturally in the darkness.  Half-trolls usually
make poor pure magic users, and suffer from an unusually low dexterity.
Yet their boundless energy and high intellect create one of the most
cunning physical beasts in experienced hands.
 
Owing in part to the black blood which courses through their heavy veins,
the heavily-scaled skin of the Half-troll ranges in color from a charcoal
grey to a deep, blackish green.  Half-trolls revel in the fright of their
appearance, often wearing their hair in battle-braids and emblazoning
themselves with brands and tattoos to accentuate the effect.

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A mixing of Human and Elven blood, these attractive creatures are neither
as intelligent as full-blood Elves (but moreso than Humans), nor as hardy
as full-blood Humans (but moreso than Elves).  They serve best in classes
which require a mix of mental and physical strength without demanding
superiority in either.  Half-elves carry the inherent Elven ability to
see limitedly in the dark with infravision.
 
Though not as tall as a pure-blood elf, a half-elf is a relatively tall
creature ranging from five foot five inches tall to six foot five inches,
with a generally more muscular build than the pure-blooded elf.

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The Gith are a race descended from humans.  Once long ago, they were a
peaceful civilization of humans that were captured by mind flayers and
tormented for centuries.  Eventually, a savior named Gith led them to
freedom, yet their bodies had been flayed by the mental powers of the
illithids.  The Gith found themselves, stronger, quicker, luckier and
smarter than average humans, yet they had lost much of their faith,
wisdom, stamina and charisma.
 
They had yellowed skin and were very long of limb.  Sunken eyes peered
from yellowed sockets, now strangely capable of naturally detecting
invisible things.  The Gith race has split into three distinct groups
recently.  The good, the Githzerai, the selfish neutral, the Pirates
of Gith, and the evil, the Githyanki.

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Driders have the upper body of a Drow Elf and the lower body of
a giant spider.  They have mostly Drowish abilities and can cast
spells just as well, however their greatest asset lies in agility
and speed.  Like Drow most Driders are not welcomed by Elven Communities.

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The Drow are another type of elf, however they disdained the elves
love of the forest and the horrible thing they call sunlight.  The
Drow left, or were exiled from, the elven villages and forests and
took up residence in underground caverns, now playfully refered to
by other elves as "dark elves" they slink in shadow and strike with
a speed and intellegence unmatched.  They take after their kin the
Gith in the arts of magic.

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A Minotaur is a large burly creature with huge horns atop its head
The Minotaur possesses great strength and an iron constitution.
 
While making poor magic users, they make superb warriors, able to
fight battle after battle with little to no difficulty in maintaining
alertness.

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The Cyclops is a huge giant with a single eye in the center of its
face, its almost stone muscles make for a strength unsurpassed by
any other race, however they also contribute to an almost sloth like
agility, Cyclops' definately make poor thieves and the magical arts
elude them just as much as a shiny object will distract them.

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The Brownies of the forest are about the same size as a medium pixie
but lacking the wings and ability to fly.  Brownies are the swiftest
creatures around, but are frail in battle.  A Brownie can become a
pretty good magic user and some do dabble in the magical arts, sometimes
it's the only way out for a trapped Brownie.

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Leprachauns are small folks, but very powerful in the use of magic
especially the magic of illusion and trickery.  While making excellent
thieves, Leprachauns make better Mages and Psionicists....
The legend however, about catching a Leprachaun and getting its gold
is not honored in this world, if you capture one, count on it to fight
back

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The Mrrshan are a feline like race, possessing a cat-like appearance
including a tail which provides excellent balance..  Mrrshan also
possess swift reflexes and razor sharp claws
 
Mrrshan make exquisate thieves and assassins as well as a quick and
cunning warrior

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