TEXT: ©2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC 
  1 
  UNEARTHED ARCANA 2021 
  TRAVELERS OF THE MULTIVERSE 
  By Christopher Perkins and Jeremy Crawford 
  This playtest document presents a collection of races to 
  playtest for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: 
  Astral Elf: An elf denizen of the Astral Plane who is likely 
  thousands of years old 
  Autognome: A mechanical gnome gifted with free will 
  Giff: A hippo-headed being of impressive size 
  Hadozee: A highly adaptive simian being who uses wing-
  like membranes to glide 
  Plasmoid: An amoeba-like being 
  Thri-kreen: A six-limbed, telepathic insectoid 
   
  When you’re making a character using one of these 
  races, use the rules under “Creating Your Character” below 
  to fill out the details of your character. 
   
  THIS IS PLAYTEST MATERIAL 
  The D&D material in this article is presented for playtesting and 
  to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft 
  form, usable in your D&D campaign but not refined by full game 
  design and editing. They aren’t officially part of the game and 
  aren’t permitted in D&D Adventurers League events. 
   
  Feedback. The best way for you to give us feedback on this 
  material is in the survey we’ll release on the D&D website soon. 
  If we decide to make this material official, it will be refined based 
  on your feedback, and then it will appear in a D&D book. 
   
  Power Level. The character options you read here might be 
  more or less powerful than options in the Player’s Handbook. If a 
  design survives playtesting, we adjust its power to the desirable 
  level before official publication. This means an option could be 
  more or less powerful in its final form. 
  CREATING YOUR CHARACTER 
  When you create your D&D character, you decide whether 
  your character is a member of the human race or one of 
  the game’s fantastical races, which include the races 
  presented in this article. If you create a character using a 
  race option presented here, follow these additional rules 
  during character creation. 
  ABILITY SCORE INCREASES 
  When determining your character’s ability scores, increase 
  one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 
  1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule 
  regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, 
  such as rolling or point buy. 
   
  The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class 
  offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You’re free 
  to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever 
  scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be 
  raised above 20. 
  LANGUAGES 
  Your character can speak, read, and write Common and 
  one other language that you and your DM agree is 
  appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook 
  offers a list of widespread languages to choose from. The 
  DM is free to add or remove languages from that list for a 
  particular campaign. 
  CREATURE TYPE 
  Every creature in D&D, including every player character, 
  has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of 
  creature they are. Most player characters are of the 
  Humanoid type. A race option presented here tells you 
  what your character’s creature type is. 
   
  Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical 
  order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, 
  Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, 
  Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, 
  but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain 
  types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure 
  wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a 
  creature that has the Construct type (the autognome, 
  described below, being a noteworthy exception by virtue 
  of its True Life trait). 
  LIFE SPAN 
  The typical life span of a player character in the D&D 
  multiverse is about a century, assuming the character 
  doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of 
  some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for 
  centuries—a fact noted in the description of the race. 
  HEIGHT AND WEIGHT 
  Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the 
  same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our 
  world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or 
  weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight 
  table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the 
  table that best represents the build you imagine for your 
  character. 
  ASTRAL ELF 
  Long ago, groups of elves ventured from the Feywild to the 
  Astral Plane to be closer to their gods. Life in the Silver 
  Void has imbued their souls with a spark of divine light. 
  That light manifests as a starry gleam in an astral elf’s 
  eyes. 
   
  Because nothing ages in the Astral Plane, astral elves 
  from that plane are thousands of years old, and their 
  
  ©2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC 
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  longevity gives them an unusual perspective on time. 
  Some are prone to melancholy, while others display an 
  absence of feeling. Many look for creative ways to occupy 
  themselves. Whether they choose to live in quiet 
  contemplation or strike out to explore the reaches of the 
  multiverse, they tend to see things through the lens of time 
  as having little or no meaning to them. 
   
  Astral elves who don’t dwell on the Astral Plane can live 
  to be over 750 years old. 
  ASTRAL ELF TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. 
   
  Size. You are Medium. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. 
   
  Astral Fire. You know one of the following cantrips of 
  your choice: dancing lights, light, or sacred flame. 
  Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting 
  ability for it (choose when you select this race). 
   
  Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of 
  you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were 
  dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as 
  shades of gray. 
   
  Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you 
  make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself. 
   
  Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception 
  skill. 
   
  Radiant Soul. When you succeed on a death save, you 
  can regain a number of hit points equal to your proficiency 
  bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier 
  (choose when you select this race). You can’t use this trait 
  again until you finish a long rest. 
   
  Trance. You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put 
  you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you 
  spend those hours in a trancelike meditation, during 
  which you remain conscious. 
   
  Trance Proficiencies. Whenever you finish a long rest 
  using your Trance trait, you gain two proficiencies, each 
  one with a weapon or a tool of your choice (selected from 
  the “Equipment” chapter of the Player’s Handbook). You 
  mystically acquire these proficiencies by drawing them 
  from shared elven memory, and you retain them until you 
  finish your next long rest. 
  AUTOGNOME 
  Autognomes are mechanical beings built by rock gnomes 
  in their image, usually with a particular purpose in mind. 
  For example, a gnome might build an autognome to be a 
  steadfast colleague or a loyal companion. Sometimes, 
  because of a malfunction or a unique circumstance, an 
  autognome becomes separated from its creator and 
  strikes out on its own. 
   
  An autognome bears a resemblance to its creator, and 
  most autognomes are programmed to speak and 
  understand Gnomish. The internal components used in an 
  autognome’s manufacture can vary wildly; one autognome 
  might have an actual beating heart in its chest cavity, while 
  another might be powered by stardust or intricate 
  clockwork gears. 
   
  Roll on the Autognome History table or choose an entry 
  to determine what event set your autognome on the path 
  to adventure. If nothing on the table appeals to you, work 
  with your DM to create an origin story for your 
  autognome. 
   
  Like gnomes, autognomes can live for centuries, up to 
  500 years. 
  AUTOGNOME HISTORY 
  d8 
  Story 
  1 
  Your creator gave you autonomy and urged you to 
  follow your dreams. 
  2 
  Your creator died, leaving you to fend for yourself. 
  3 
  A temporary malfunction caused you to harm your 
  creator, and you fled rather than face reprisal. 
  4 
  A glitch caused you to forget your original 
  programming. You don’t remember who made you or 
  where you came from. 
  5 
  You were stolen from your creator and long to return 
  to them. 
  6 
  You didn’t like how you were being treated by your 
  creator, so you ran away from home. 
  7 
  Your creator built you to complete a special mission. 
  8 
  You felt trapped in the role for which you were built 
  and abandoned your creator, determined to find a 
  greater purpose. 
  AUTOGNOME TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are a Construct. 
   
  Size. You are Small. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. 
   
  Armored Casing. You are encased in thin metal or some 
  other durable material. While you aren’t wearing armor, 
  your base Armor Class is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. 
   
  Built for Success. You can add a d4 to one attack roll, 
  ability check, or saving throw you make, and you can do so 
  after seeing the d20 but before the effects of the roll are 
  resolved. You can use this trait a number of times equal to 
  your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses 
  when you finish a long rest. 
   
  Mechanical Nature. You have resistance to poison 
  damage and immunity to disease, and you have advantage 
  on saving throws against being paralyzed or poisoned. You 
  don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe. 
   
  Sentry’s Rest. When you take a long rest, you spend at 
  least 6 hours in an inactive, motionless state, instead of 
  sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but you aren’t 
  unconscious. 
   
  Specialized Design. You gain two tool proficiencies of 
  your choice. 
   
  True Life. If the mending spell is cast on you, you can 
  expend a Hit Die, roll it, and regain a number of hit points 
  equal to the roll plus your Constitution modifier 
  (minimum of 1 hit point). 
   
  In addition, your creator designed you to benefit from 
  common spells that preserve life but that normally don’t 
  affect Constructs: cure wounds, healing word, and spare the 
  dying. 
  GIFF 
  Giff are tall, broad-shouldered folk with hippo-like 
  features. Some have smooth skin, while others have short 
  bristles on their faces and the tops of their heads. As 
  beings of impressive size and unforgettable appearance, 
  giff are noticed wherever they go. 
  
  ©2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC 
  3 
   
  Storytelling is a rich tradition among giff, and it’s not 
  uncommon to see a giff recounting their past exploits to an 
  enraptured crowd. Having a friendly giff nearby when a 
  tavern brawl erupts can also be useful, for a giff can 
  usually more than hold their own when pleasant revelry 
  devolves into fisticuffs. 
   
  The giff are split into two camps concerning how their 
  name is pronounced. Half of them say it with a hard g, half 
  with a soft g. Disagreements over the correct 
  pronunciation often blossom into hard feelings, loud 
  arguments, and headbutting contests, but rarely escalate 
  beyond that. 
  GIFF TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. 
   
  Size. You are Medium. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a 
  swimming speed equal to your walking speed. 
   
  Damage Dealer. Like a hippopotamus in a crystalware 
  shop, you are naturally adept at damaging things. When 
  you roll a 1 on a damage die for a melee attack, you can 
  reroll the die and use the new roll. You can do so no more 
  than once per turn. 
   
  Hippo Build. You have advantage on Strength-based 
  ability checks and Strength saving throws. In addition, you 
  count as one size larger when determining your carrying 
  capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. 
  HADOZEE 
  Hadozees are people with simian features that long ago 
  adapted to live among the tall trees of their home world. 
  They are natural climbers, with feet as dexterous as their 
  hands, even to the extent of having opposable thumbs. 
  Membranes of skin hang loosely from their arms and legs. 
  When stretched taut, these membranes enable a hadozee 
  to glide. 
   
  The first hadozees were hunted by large natural 
  predators. To survive in this hostile environment, they 
  developed an instinctual sense of community. Today, that 
  same instinct compels many hadozees to cultivate 
  friendships, knowing there is safety in numbers. 
  HADOZEE TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. 
   
  Size. You are Medium or Small. You choose the size 
  when you select this race. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a 
  climbing speed equal to your walking speed. 
   
  Dexterous Feet. You can take the Use an Object action 
  as a bonus action. 
   
  Glide. If you are not incapacitated or wearing heavy 
  armor, you can extend your skin membranes and glide. 
  When you do so, you can perform the following aerial 
  maneuvers: 
  • When you fall, you can move up to 5 feet horizontally 
  for every 1 foot you descend. 
  • When you would take damage from a fall, you can use 
  your reaction to reduce the fall’s damage to 0. 
  PLASMOID 
  Plasmoids are amorphous beings with no typical shape. In 
  the presence of other folk, they often adopt a similar form, 
  but there’s little chance of mistaking a plasmoid for 
  anything else. They consume food by osmosis, the way an 
  amoeba does, and excrete waste through tiny pores. They 
  breathe by absorbing oxygen through another set of pores, 
  and their limbs are strong and flexible enough to grasp 
  and manipulate weapons and tools. Although most 
  plasmoids are translucent gray, they can alter their color 
  and translucence by absorbing dyes through their pores. 
   
  Plasmoids don’t have internal organs of the usual sort. 
  Their bodies are composed of cells, fibers, plasma-like 
  ooze, and clusters of nerves called ganglia. These nerves 
  enable a plasmoid to detect light, heat, texture, sound, 
  pain, and vibrations. Plasmoids can stiffen the outer layers 
  of their bodies to maintain a humanlike shape, so they can 
  wear clothing and accessories. They speak by forcing air 
  out of tubular cavities that constrict to produce sound. 
   
  When plasmoids sleep, they lose their rigidity and 
  spread out and are sometimes mistaken for a rock or some 
  other feature of the environment. 
  PLASMOID TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are an Ooze. 
   
  Size. You are Medium or Small. You choose the size 
  when you gain this race. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. 
   
  Amorphous. You can squeeze through a space as 
  narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and 
  carrying nothing. You also have advantage on ability 
  checks you make to initiate or escape a grapple. 
   
  Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of 
  you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were 
  dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as 
  shades of gray. 
   
  Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for 1 hour. 
   
  Natural Resilience. You have resistance to acid and 
  poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws 
  against being poisoned. 
   
  Shape Self. If you are not incapacitated, you can reshape 
  your body to give yourself a head, one or two arms, one or 
  two legs, and makeshift hands and feet, or you can revert 
  to a limbless blob (no action required). 
   
  As a bonus action, you can extrude a pseudopod that is 
  up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into 
  your body. You can use this pseudopod to manipulate an 
  object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or 
  retrieve an item from an open container, or pour out the 
  contents of a container. The pseudopod can’t attack, 
  activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds. 
  THRI-KREEN 
  Thri-kreen have insectile features and two pairs of arms. 
  Their bodies are encased in protective chitin. They can 
  alter the coloration of this carapace to blend in with their 
  natural surroundings. 
   
  Although thri-kreen don’t sleep, they do require periods 
  of inactivity to revitalize themselves. During these periods, 
  
  ©2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC 
  4 
  they are fully conscious and aware of what’s happening 
  around them. 
   
  Thri-kreen speak by clacking their mandibles and 
  waving their antennae, indicating to other thri-kreen what 
  they are thinking and feeling. Other creatures find this 
  method of communication difficult to interpret and 
  impossible to duplicate. To interact with other folk, thri-
  kreen rely on a form of telepathy. 
  THRI-KREEN TRAITS 
  You have the following racial traits. 
   
  Creature Type. You are a Monstrosity. 
   
  Size. You are Medium or Small. You choose the size 
  when you select this race. 
   
  Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. 
   
  Chameleon Carapace. While you aren’t wearing armor, 
  your carapace gives you a base Armor Class of 13 + your 
  Dexterity modifier. 
   
  As an action, you can change the color of your carapace 
  to match the color and texture of your surroundings, 
  giving you advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made 
  to hide in those surroundings. 
   
  Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of 
  you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were 
  dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as 
  shades of gray. 
   
  Secondary Arms. You have two slightly smaller 
  secondary arms below your primary pair of arms. The 
  secondary arms function like your primary arms, with the 
  following exceptions: 
  • You can use a secondary arm to wield a weapon that has 
  the light property, but you can’t use a secondary arm to 
  wield other kinds of weapons.  
  • You can’t wield a shield with a secondary arm. 
   
  Sleepless Revitalization. You do not require sleep and 
  can choose to remain conscious during a long rest, though 
  you must still refrain from strenuous activity to gain the 
  benefit of the rest. 
   
  Thri-kreen Telepathy. You have the magical ability to 
  communicate mentally with any number of willing 
  creatures you can see within 120 feet of you. A contacted 
  creature doesn’t need to share a language with you, but it 
  must be able to understand at least one language. Your 
  telepathic link to a creature is broken if you and the 
  creature move more than 120 feet apart, if either of you is 
  incapacitated, or if either of you mentally breaks the 
  contact (no action required). 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Unearthed Arcana/UA80 - Travelers of the Multiverse.pdf