Every D&D 5e Playable Race That's Based On A Real Animal

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The 5e ruleset has an abundance of playable races for players to choose from, many of which are based on real-world animals. It's not difficult for characters to transform into animals, as this is the point of the druid's Wild Shape ability in , and there are different spells that allow the player to shift form. But there are also plenty of options for playing an animal the whole time. It just depends on whether a player wants to spend the entire game playing as a rabbit or a cat with a sword.

One major change in 5e that has happened over time concerns the way in which playable races work. The fact that dropped racial stat bonuses meant that there was a lot less pressure to play specific builds, making it easier for players to create the characters they want to play. A lot of the monstrous races have also been updated, making them more viable as character options. This means that any race/class build is now viable, including the animal races.

There are lots of playable races in that are based on real-world animals, but there are lots based on fictional animals, too. The following list won't include races from, shapeshifters, or Greek mythology-inspired creatures like satyrs and minotaurs, which, while technically inspired by goats and bulls, are bizarre animal/human hybrids that don't quite fit the theme. But even without these, there are still plenty of animal races for players to choose from should they wish to walk on the wild side.

In, the human and humanoid races have many gods to call their own, some of which govern regular animals. There are some animals that have protector deities of their own, and all felines fall under the banner of the Cat Lord. It's said that the Cat Lord created a race called the tabaxi, which are humanoid cats who commonly resemble jaguars and house cats, though they can resemble any kind of feline.

Although this race debuted in, the most recent version of the tabaxi appeared in. They have a number of abilities that reflect their