So a bit situational, but can start a fight off on the right note. If you catch a surprise on the first round of combat, you get to deal 2d6 extra damage. Surprise Attack is good, but not game-breakingly so.

Sneaky just grants free proficiency in Stealth, which is honestly a pretty good skill to get a free proficiency in.

The real defining features are Sneaky, Surprise Attack, and Long-Limbed. You get Darkvision like many other races, and can speak Goblin in addition to Common. Speed is the standard of 30ft and you have Powerful Build, which counts you as one size category higher for weight purposes, so encumbrance should slow you down less. For simplicity’s sake, we will be avoiding the other races listed in the Volo’s Guide (things like Tritons and Lizardfolk,) and will be covering only those listed specifically in the “Monstrous Adventurers” section.īugbear- Their big buff is in Strength, with a smaller one in Dexterity. We’ll take a look at what the benefits and drawbacks of each of them are, and how they stack up.

Today I’d like to look at them briefly and in a comparative manner. In the D&D 5e Volo’s Guide To Monsters, we are presented the option of several monstrous adventurer races.

D&d playable monster races