Saintheart
2018-08-31, 03:07 AM
5E's Inspiration system allows a player to gain advantage if they use their inspiration on an action intimately connected to their selected traits, bonds, flaws, and ideals. Strangely, though, and despite this seeming to be a natural place to insert character aspects closely related to the player races, the PHB does not provide any such options for use under Inspiration.
So I decided to do so.
Below are Traits, Bonds, Flaws, and Ideals for all the default player races, able to be used as options for Inspiration just as the default ones in the PHB are. They can be used in combination or in substitution with Background traits, bonds, flaws, and ideals.
Elven:
Traits: (d8)
1 Dwarves act, then think. Elves think, then act.
2 I don’t know why the other races think a year is a long time. For me, it’s a heartbeat.
3 I can’t resist a good performance or a beautiful piece of art.
4 In combat, I dance, I skirt, I goad, and I wait until my enemy makes a fatal mistake.
5 Magic is no mere tool to me, it’s an art all its own.
6 I don’t invade the personal space of others, and in turn I expect they stay out of mine.
7 I am enchanted by the natural world and want to see things live in harmony with it.
8 I am exquisitely proud of my personal grooming and work daily to make sure it is in place.
Bond: (d6)
1 It has been a century since I left my family. I will see them again someday.
2 When I fell ill many years ago, my closest friend cared and watched over me. I must repay him.
3 It was I who removed the last of my village’s communal store of a particular material, so it is I who must replenish it.
4 With my chosen art, I will exceed and therefore honour the one who taught me.
5 My home is from where I spring; I will defend it to the death.
6 I will find the one who murdered my children, and I will make him suffer as no mortal who has yet lived will suffer.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Beauty. There is no higher value than the aesthetic, and the beauty which serves it. (Good)
2 Nature. There is no higher beauty than nature in all its infinite splendour and diversity. (Neutral)
3 Superiority. The lesser races are just so; lesser. They must be ruled by their betters. (Evil)
4 Perfection. The elf who knows himself, knows all there is. (Neutral)
5 Freedom. It is the right, burden, and crown of all sentient beings. (Good)
6 Intolerance. How can these other peoples even begin to understand how tiresome they are? (Evil)
Flaw: (d6)
1 The person who insults my appearance is my enemy.
2 I can’t handle confined spaces. The open wild is my house.
3 I never forget a slight, and so, I never forgive that slight.
4 I tend to forget the contributions or abilities of others, since I am self-sufficient.
5 My needs come before those of others.
6 I don’t place a lot of value on material possessions.
Dragonborn:
Traits: (d8)
1 Dragons are amazing creatures, since obviously they gave birth to dragonborn, and I love to study them.
2 I like to fight with my allies right by my side, so we fight as one.
3 If you show me you can do something with great skill, you have my respect.
4 I don’t trust someone who doesn’t have some sort of family or some sort of clan.
5 If someone asks how I am doing, my responses tend to the laconic and single syllable if possible.
6 I firmly believe we should have a collective fund from which to draw our needs, like my clan.
7 The path to success lies through a thousand failures, conducted successively if need be.
8 I believe everyone has one thing to which they are loyal beyond anything else.
Bond: (d6)
1 My clan is everything to me, and I will fight to protect it to my last breath.
2 My god (Tiamat or Bahamut) has tasked me with a holy quest for my clan, and I must complete it, or die in the attempt.
3 I will meet the dragon from whom I derive my heritage one day.
4 My child is having difficulty accepting the fear and scorn of other races to her skin; I must teach our ways better to him or her.
5 I faithfully serve a dragon master, and will endeavour to comply with all his wishes.
6 I have a rival in the skill I strive to master. I will defeat my rival, to demonstrate my perfection.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Family/Community. The clan is more important than the gods, more than life itself. (Any)
2 Self-Sufficiency. I do not need to call on anyone’s help to achieve anything in this life. (Neutral)
3 Mastery. Master a skill to perfection, and you master yourself entire. (Any)
4 Hierarchy. Those who rebel against their station and duties must be put back in their place, forcefully. (Evil)
5 Pride. I am born of dragons, and must conduct myself with the dignity that befits that heritage. (Any)
6 Stewardship. I am an ideal of all that the other races can aspire to be, and I am here to guide them in right and noble ways. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I would rather collapse than admit failure in an endeavour I begin.
2 I do not understand why others place their own wealth and safety above that of their tribe or their clan.
3 I do not need to speak of my injuries or wounds or my fears; I am sufficient for my needs.
4 I would sacrifice all I have, including my travelling companions, for the good of my clan.
5 I get angry when other races are afraid of me. I have done them no harm.
6 I am indifferent to the suffering of other races; only the clan matters.
Gnome:
Traits: (d8)
1 I love pulling pranks and japes on people. What’s life without laughter?
2 I’m just as likely to stop and contemplate whether a hammer actually exists as use it to bang in a nail.
3 I know how simple tricks and sleight-of-hand work, and I can’t resist telling people about how, especially when a trick is in progress.
4 Fighting is a pointless waste of time. But if I have to fight, I’ll end it the quickest way possible, by foul means if I have to.
5 Magic’s just the easy way of doing things. I’ll never resort to magic to solve a problem if there’s some mechanical or ingenious little device I could use instead.
6 I am intrigued by other people’s philosophies of existence. I will happily talk to anyone – at length – about that subject.
7 I can’t go past a mechanical device without studying it or examining how it works.
8 I believe money’s main use is in making yourself look and feel great.
Bond: (d6)
1 I am sponsoring a talented young artist, and need to find money to support his work.
2 I am gathering stories and songs from all the great masters to contemplate them fully.
3 I have to get back to my wife and family.
4 I am an artist seeking inspiration for the day I will sit down to compose my masterpiece.
5 I am on hiatus from a college in the city, seeking truth in the wilderness.
6 I’m looking to set up an alchemists’ university.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Freedom. No society can stand for long unless its people are free to pursue truth in whatever form they seek it. (Chaotic)
2 Deception. If the world will not show you Truth, neither should you ever show it to others. (Evil)
3 Aesthetics. Art is the language by which Truth speaks to us. (Any)
4 Rebellion. When society becomes clogged with illusion, it is necessary to tear away the veils to reveal what is really happening. (Chaotic)
5 Family/Community. The deepest truth comes in caring for my people. (Good)
6 Discernment. I am committed to discovering the Truth in all reality, in piercing lies and illusions. (Lawful)
Flaw: (d6)
1 If I can’t get what I want honestly, I’ll trick someone into getting it.
2 I think the illusion of reality is often preferable to reality.
3 The system is utterly broken; I will destroy anyone and anything in my quest to fix it.
4 I prefer the objectivity of devices and substances to the lies of people.
5 I have massive mood swings: happy and contemplative one minute, angry and shouting the next.
6 I don’t do so well at relating to other people; I prefer the company of abstract concepts.
Halfling:
Traits: (d8)
1 I just can’t sit still. Nothing’s more grating on me than having to wait patiently.
2 I will talk the leg off a chair if the conversation is about the places I’ve seen and people I’ve met.
3 I love romancing members of the opposite sex. Seduction is its own grand adventure.
4 I’m not afraid of anything, but as a result I don’t have to be ‘courageous’ either.
5 I can’t walk past a purse without seeing what’s in it and possibly sampling a coin from it.
6 I can see when a trick is being played on me, but I’ll go along with it just to see what happens next.
7 I can’t stand the idea of an unexplored cave, a closed door, or a locked chest.
8 I’m committed to my friends and oil their interactions to keep them happy.
Bond: (d6)
1 I sell trinkets I make to the passerby I meet; everybody is a potential customer!
2 I am a travelling musician, known for my ditties in a dozen taverns across the world.
3 There is a storytelling fair among Halfling caravans due soon, and I must return for it.
4 I need to find where my wife wandered off to.
5 I’ll get back to my village someday.
6 I was adopted as a child by a Halfling caravan. I wonder if I’ll see them again?
Ideal: (d6)
1 Curiosity. The high point of life is reaching into the unknown. (Any)
2 Egalitarianism. Sometimes an individual’s needs are important, sometimes the group’s needs are important – neither is the rule. (Neutral)
3 Greed. All the coins of the world should be in my pocket where I can best examine them. (Evil)
4 Family/Community. Family bonds matter most, whether by blood or companionship. (Good)
5 Deception. People love stories, but I like to tell stories that serve me best (Evil)
6 Generosity. Money, stories, and songs have one thing in common: they work best when given, not stashed away. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I’m not afraid of anything, and I don’t care whether that thing is dangerous or not.
2 I can’t help embellishing the truth or outright lying if it makes others happier.
3 I am so overawed by elves it’s embarrassing.
4 I don’t care too much about the niceties of private property.
5 I don’t like sharing much about myself, I cover it up with telling tall tales.
6 I think dwarves are just too stodgy and I have made it my life’s work to prank them in order to make them lighten up.
Half-Elf:
Traits: (d8)
1 I’m not shocked when encountering a new culture.
2 Bloodsports sicken me.
3 I am calm, at my most intuitive, when out in nature, away from the cities.
4 In combat, I hit hard and gracefully run.
5 I am most inclined to try and negotiate a solution first.
6 I’ll never show you how much I’m conflicted inside between human ambition and elven tradition.
7 You have to take a long-term view of things.
8 I behave as a courteous foreigner does when in a human or elven settlement.
Bond: (d6)
1 I wish my elven parent would accept my love of life for what it is.
2 My human parent is growing old, all too soon. I hope I can make their passing bearable.
3 The best place I ever lived was a settlement that was neither human nor elven. Nobody cared who my parents were there.
4 I was a negotiator for a great lord, and he may well call me back into his service one day.
5 I don’t know who my father was beyond his race, but I’m going to find out.
6 I pursue a love in the elven or human race.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Nature. The natural world is where all things are in harmony, including myself. (Any)
2 Tradition. I adhere closest to my elven parent’s ways and their centuries-old customs. (Lawful)
3 Progress. I was taught by my human nature that life always moves forward, always moves on, and so should we. (Chaotic)
4 Respect. All people deserve to be understood and deserve to be heard. (Good)
5 Self-interest. If my parents’ communities don’t accept me, I will live for myself, not for them. (Evil)
6 Balance. Everyone has two sides to them, and we must be prepared to accept both. (Any)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I despise elves and humans alike, because I don’t fit into either race.
2 I’m always melancholic about the world, because I can’t live in it fully no matter what.
3 I would talk rather than fight to the point of extreme danger.
4 I can see all the sides of an argument so clearly that I often can’t decide between them or decide what course should be set.
5 In order to stop fights I’ll happily tell lies to people.
6 I sometimes see people’s conflicted natures so clearly I can’t help but tell them their issue, without prompting.
Half-Orc:
Traits: (d8)
1 You know why I get in fights so much? Because I’ve got no time for talkers or fools.
2 I’ll stick with my first impression of you no matter how wrong it later turns out to be.
3 I tell it like I see it, I’m not interested in putting things gently.
4 I’d rather settle a disagreement with a fight than with words.
5 I love physical challenges: whether it’s running, wrestling, swimming, or whatever, I lose myself in the sheer joy of movement.
6 Everything I feel, I feel as that emotion maximised.
7 There is no such thing as combat, there are only living things that try to kill me and dead things that don’t.
8 I don’t care about the contemplative life, I care about the next meal, the next sleep, and the next fight.
Bond: (d6)
1 My friends are the most valuable thing in the world to me.
2 I hate my human parent. If he or she crosses my path I’ll make him know it.
3 I’m highly regarded as an enforcer for a local criminal lord.
4 My orc parent hates me, but it doesn’t stop me trying to prove myself to them.
5 I hate that I owe money to the local loan shark, but he’s been good to me, I have to pay him back.
6 I’ll get even with all those bullies who insulted me when I was a kid.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Hedonism. What matters is a good time, a good fight, a good meal, a good sleep, or a good tumble. (Any)
2 Loyalty. The one I call my friend is the one I would kill for and die for. (Good)
3 Might. All that matters is strength, and that I am stronger than you. (Evil)
4 Pragmatism. Only idiots kill or go to war for ideals. (Neutral)
5 Retribution. I’ll show this world the same pain it’s showed to me. (Evil)
6 Redemption. I will overcome the shame in my heart by force of doing the right thing. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I don’t do manners, decorum, or civil conversation.
2 I’ll spend a coin as fast as I get it.
3 I feel endless shame about my heritage and my birth.
4 I drink like a fish, if a fish had capacity for gallons of alcoholic beverages.
5 I am so stubborn a mule would get exasperated with me.
6 I lash out violently at anyone who accuses me of being weak.
Tiefling:
Traits: (d6)
1 It’s not that I’ll never trust you, I’ll just have a knife to your back until I do.
2 Don’t tell me you’re my friend, show me.
3 Wealth is a tool to get what I want, never an end in itself.
4 If you gain my trust, you have a friend for life.
5 I stay in the shadows, out of the way of prying eyes.
6 I’m acutely conscious of the way people look at me.
Bond: (d4)
1 I work in the shadows to protect my tiefling community, by cloak and dagger.
2 I want to contact my demonic forebear, to better understand my powers.
3 I will have my revenge on the bigoted cleric who preached against my kind.
4 I know the dark powers that I came from, and I fight to eradicate them.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Self-restraint. My evil heritage must never influence my actions. (Good)
2 Power. Is it better to be feared or respected? I say: both. (Evil)
3 Community. Tieflings need to look after other tieflings, first and last. (Neutral)
4 Greed. Money doesn’t care what you look like or where you came from. (Evil)
5 Spite the Devil. I do good so that the powers that made me are thwarted. (Good)
6 Freedom. You do you, and I’ll do me. (Any)
Flaw: (d4)
1 I have problems trusting even those who say they are my friend.
2 I find the call of evil so irresistible I give into it regularly.
3 I have a sarcastic, bitter tongue that can be directed even at my friends.
4 My appearance always seems to get me into trouble.
Dwarf:
(Full credit to Angry DM – these are taken from his article on improving Inspiration (https://theangrygm.com/take-the-suck-out-of-inspiration/))
Traits: (d8)
1 Dwarven craftwork is the best craftwork, and I want everyone to know it.
2 I don’t like to part with coin if I don’t have to. And I never have to.
3 If you insult a friend, you insult me.
4 Elves talk, dwarves act.
5 Anything worth doing is worth doing right, however long it takes.
6 Once you lose my trust, you’ve lost it forever.
7 I can recite the history of every one of my ancestors. The trouble is getting me to stop.
8 I don’t care if you think I’m rude as long as you know I’m right.
Bond: (d6)
1 My clan is the most important thing in the world, even when they are far away.
2 I’m the last of my clanhold and it is up to me to keep the memories of your ancestors alive.
3 Someday, I will have my revenge against those who insulted my family.
4 My honour and the honour of my clan are my life.
5 Those who fight beside me are worth dying for.
6 Someday I will earn enough to repay the debts of my family.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Justice. Justice is about truth and fairness. Mercy doesn’t enter into it. (Lawful)
2 Tradition. We must never forget the lessons of our ancestors. They make us who we are. (Lawful)
3 Community. It’s the duty of every dwarf to stand in defense of clan, kin, and community. (Good)
4 Live and Let Live. Keep your nose to the grindstone and out of the affairs of others. (Neutral)
5 Greed. Wealth is the only real right in the world. (Evil)
6 Perfection. A dwarf’s skills are his worth. And I aim to be the best dwarf.
Flaw: (d6)
1 I respect the feelings of my kinfolk. To everyone else, I speak my mind.
2 I’m never wrong. At least, I’ll never admit that I’m wrong.
3 Once I start drinking, it’s hard for me to stop.
4 Once someone questions my courage, I can’t back down. No matter what.
5 I can never fully trust a non-dwarf.
6 I will not suffer goblins or giants to live. They are beyond reason or mercy.
(1) Yes, there are less options for Tieflings. That's because they are given even less distinctive personality than the other races other than "Rams Horns + Vaguely Evil Disposition". If someone has a good resource on tiefling society in the game that would compel expansion or amendment of these racial aspects, please go ahead and supply them.
(2) These are obviously default races - subraces or variants have not been included, I might do so if there's interest and/or a real need for them.
(3) The general idea of these traits, per Angry DM's article, is that these are designed to help players work out who their character is and design them better. This was an interesting exercise, it forced me to read through the fluff material for most of these races in previous editions in order to arrive at a sense of who these folks are. I hope it serves you well.
So I decided to do so.
Below are Traits, Bonds, Flaws, and Ideals for all the default player races, able to be used as options for Inspiration just as the default ones in the PHB are. They can be used in combination or in substitution with Background traits, bonds, flaws, and ideals.
Elven:
Traits: (d8)
1 Dwarves act, then think. Elves think, then act.
2 I don’t know why the other races think a year is a long time. For me, it’s a heartbeat.
3 I can’t resist a good performance or a beautiful piece of art.
4 In combat, I dance, I skirt, I goad, and I wait until my enemy makes a fatal mistake.
5 Magic is no mere tool to me, it’s an art all its own.
6 I don’t invade the personal space of others, and in turn I expect they stay out of mine.
7 I am enchanted by the natural world and want to see things live in harmony with it.
8 I am exquisitely proud of my personal grooming and work daily to make sure it is in place.
Bond: (d6)
1 It has been a century since I left my family. I will see them again someday.
2 When I fell ill many years ago, my closest friend cared and watched over me. I must repay him.
3 It was I who removed the last of my village’s communal store of a particular material, so it is I who must replenish it.
4 With my chosen art, I will exceed and therefore honour the one who taught me.
5 My home is from where I spring; I will defend it to the death.
6 I will find the one who murdered my children, and I will make him suffer as no mortal who has yet lived will suffer.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Beauty. There is no higher value than the aesthetic, and the beauty which serves it. (Good)
2 Nature. There is no higher beauty than nature in all its infinite splendour and diversity. (Neutral)
3 Superiority. The lesser races are just so; lesser. They must be ruled by their betters. (Evil)
4 Perfection. The elf who knows himself, knows all there is. (Neutral)
5 Freedom. It is the right, burden, and crown of all sentient beings. (Good)
6 Intolerance. How can these other peoples even begin to understand how tiresome they are? (Evil)
Flaw: (d6)
1 The person who insults my appearance is my enemy.
2 I can’t handle confined spaces. The open wild is my house.
3 I never forget a slight, and so, I never forgive that slight.
4 I tend to forget the contributions or abilities of others, since I am self-sufficient.
5 My needs come before those of others.
6 I don’t place a lot of value on material possessions.
Dragonborn:
Traits: (d8)
1 Dragons are amazing creatures, since obviously they gave birth to dragonborn, and I love to study them.
2 I like to fight with my allies right by my side, so we fight as one.
3 If you show me you can do something with great skill, you have my respect.
4 I don’t trust someone who doesn’t have some sort of family or some sort of clan.
5 If someone asks how I am doing, my responses tend to the laconic and single syllable if possible.
6 I firmly believe we should have a collective fund from which to draw our needs, like my clan.
7 The path to success lies through a thousand failures, conducted successively if need be.
8 I believe everyone has one thing to which they are loyal beyond anything else.
Bond: (d6)
1 My clan is everything to me, and I will fight to protect it to my last breath.
2 My god (Tiamat or Bahamut) has tasked me with a holy quest for my clan, and I must complete it, or die in the attempt.
3 I will meet the dragon from whom I derive my heritage one day.
4 My child is having difficulty accepting the fear and scorn of other races to her skin; I must teach our ways better to him or her.
5 I faithfully serve a dragon master, and will endeavour to comply with all his wishes.
6 I have a rival in the skill I strive to master. I will defeat my rival, to demonstrate my perfection.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Family/Community. The clan is more important than the gods, more than life itself. (Any)
2 Self-Sufficiency. I do not need to call on anyone’s help to achieve anything in this life. (Neutral)
3 Mastery. Master a skill to perfection, and you master yourself entire. (Any)
4 Hierarchy. Those who rebel against their station and duties must be put back in their place, forcefully. (Evil)
5 Pride. I am born of dragons, and must conduct myself with the dignity that befits that heritage. (Any)
6 Stewardship. I am an ideal of all that the other races can aspire to be, and I am here to guide them in right and noble ways. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I would rather collapse than admit failure in an endeavour I begin.
2 I do not understand why others place their own wealth and safety above that of their tribe or their clan.
3 I do not need to speak of my injuries or wounds or my fears; I am sufficient for my needs.
4 I would sacrifice all I have, including my travelling companions, for the good of my clan.
5 I get angry when other races are afraid of me. I have done them no harm.
6 I am indifferent to the suffering of other races; only the clan matters.
Gnome:
Traits: (d8)
1 I love pulling pranks and japes on people. What’s life without laughter?
2 I’m just as likely to stop and contemplate whether a hammer actually exists as use it to bang in a nail.
3 I know how simple tricks and sleight-of-hand work, and I can’t resist telling people about how, especially when a trick is in progress.
4 Fighting is a pointless waste of time. But if I have to fight, I’ll end it the quickest way possible, by foul means if I have to.
5 Magic’s just the easy way of doing things. I’ll never resort to magic to solve a problem if there’s some mechanical or ingenious little device I could use instead.
6 I am intrigued by other people’s philosophies of existence. I will happily talk to anyone – at length – about that subject.
7 I can’t go past a mechanical device without studying it or examining how it works.
8 I believe money’s main use is in making yourself look and feel great.
Bond: (d6)
1 I am sponsoring a talented young artist, and need to find money to support his work.
2 I am gathering stories and songs from all the great masters to contemplate them fully.
3 I have to get back to my wife and family.
4 I am an artist seeking inspiration for the day I will sit down to compose my masterpiece.
5 I am on hiatus from a college in the city, seeking truth in the wilderness.
6 I’m looking to set up an alchemists’ university.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Freedom. No society can stand for long unless its people are free to pursue truth in whatever form they seek it. (Chaotic)
2 Deception. If the world will not show you Truth, neither should you ever show it to others. (Evil)
3 Aesthetics. Art is the language by which Truth speaks to us. (Any)
4 Rebellion. When society becomes clogged with illusion, it is necessary to tear away the veils to reveal what is really happening. (Chaotic)
5 Family/Community. The deepest truth comes in caring for my people. (Good)
6 Discernment. I am committed to discovering the Truth in all reality, in piercing lies and illusions. (Lawful)
Flaw: (d6)
1 If I can’t get what I want honestly, I’ll trick someone into getting it.
2 I think the illusion of reality is often preferable to reality.
3 The system is utterly broken; I will destroy anyone and anything in my quest to fix it.
4 I prefer the objectivity of devices and substances to the lies of people.
5 I have massive mood swings: happy and contemplative one minute, angry and shouting the next.
6 I don’t do so well at relating to other people; I prefer the company of abstract concepts.
Halfling:
Traits: (d8)
1 I just can’t sit still. Nothing’s more grating on me than having to wait patiently.
2 I will talk the leg off a chair if the conversation is about the places I’ve seen and people I’ve met.
3 I love romancing members of the opposite sex. Seduction is its own grand adventure.
4 I’m not afraid of anything, but as a result I don’t have to be ‘courageous’ either.
5 I can’t walk past a purse without seeing what’s in it and possibly sampling a coin from it.
6 I can see when a trick is being played on me, but I’ll go along with it just to see what happens next.
7 I can’t stand the idea of an unexplored cave, a closed door, or a locked chest.
8 I’m committed to my friends and oil their interactions to keep them happy.
Bond: (d6)
1 I sell trinkets I make to the passerby I meet; everybody is a potential customer!
2 I am a travelling musician, known for my ditties in a dozen taverns across the world.
3 There is a storytelling fair among Halfling caravans due soon, and I must return for it.
4 I need to find where my wife wandered off to.
5 I’ll get back to my village someday.
6 I was adopted as a child by a Halfling caravan. I wonder if I’ll see them again?
Ideal: (d6)
1 Curiosity. The high point of life is reaching into the unknown. (Any)
2 Egalitarianism. Sometimes an individual’s needs are important, sometimes the group’s needs are important – neither is the rule. (Neutral)
3 Greed. All the coins of the world should be in my pocket where I can best examine them. (Evil)
4 Family/Community. Family bonds matter most, whether by blood or companionship. (Good)
5 Deception. People love stories, but I like to tell stories that serve me best (Evil)
6 Generosity. Money, stories, and songs have one thing in common: they work best when given, not stashed away. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I’m not afraid of anything, and I don’t care whether that thing is dangerous or not.
2 I can’t help embellishing the truth or outright lying if it makes others happier.
3 I am so overawed by elves it’s embarrassing.
4 I don’t care too much about the niceties of private property.
5 I don’t like sharing much about myself, I cover it up with telling tall tales.
6 I think dwarves are just too stodgy and I have made it my life’s work to prank them in order to make them lighten up.
Half-Elf:
Traits: (d8)
1 I’m not shocked when encountering a new culture.
2 Bloodsports sicken me.
3 I am calm, at my most intuitive, when out in nature, away from the cities.
4 In combat, I hit hard and gracefully run.
5 I am most inclined to try and negotiate a solution first.
6 I’ll never show you how much I’m conflicted inside between human ambition and elven tradition.
7 You have to take a long-term view of things.
8 I behave as a courteous foreigner does when in a human or elven settlement.
Bond: (d6)
1 I wish my elven parent would accept my love of life for what it is.
2 My human parent is growing old, all too soon. I hope I can make their passing bearable.
3 The best place I ever lived was a settlement that was neither human nor elven. Nobody cared who my parents were there.
4 I was a negotiator for a great lord, and he may well call me back into his service one day.
5 I don’t know who my father was beyond his race, but I’m going to find out.
6 I pursue a love in the elven or human race.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Nature. The natural world is where all things are in harmony, including myself. (Any)
2 Tradition. I adhere closest to my elven parent’s ways and their centuries-old customs. (Lawful)
3 Progress. I was taught by my human nature that life always moves forward, always moves on, and so should we. (Chaotic)
4 Respect. All people deserve to be understood and deserve to be heard. (Good)
5 Self-interest. If my parents’ communities don’t accept me, I will live for myself, not for them. (Evil)
6 Balance. Everyone has two sides to them, and we must be prepared to accept both. (Any)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I despise elves and humans alike, because I don’t fit into either race.
2 I’m always melancholic about the world, because I can’t live in it fully no matter what.
3 I would talk rather than fight to the point of extreme danger.
4 I can see all the sides of an argument so clearly that I often can’t decide between them or decide what course should be set.
5 In order to stop fights I’ll happily tell lies to people.
6 I sometimes see people’s conflicted natures so clearly I can’t help but tell them their issue, without prompting.
Half-Orc:
Traits: (d8)
1 You know why I get in fights so much? Because I’ve got no time for talkers or fools.
2 I’ll stick with my first impression of you no matter how wrong it later turns out to be.
3 I tell it like I see it, I’m not interested in putting things gently.
4 I’d rather settle a disagreement with a fight than with words.
5 I love physical challenges: whether it’s running, wrestling, swimming, or whatever, I lose myself in the sheer joy of movement.
6 Everything I feel, I feel as that emotion maximised.
7 There is no such thing as combat, there are only living things that try to kill me and dead things that don’t.
8 I don’t care about the contemplative life, I care about the next meal, the next sleep, and the next fight.
Bond: (d6)
1 My friends are the most valuable thing in the world to me.
2 I hate my human parent. If he or she crosses my path I’ll make him know it.
3 I’m highly regarded as an enforcer for a local criminal lord.
4 My orc parent hates me, but it doesn’t stop me trying to prove myself to them.
5 I hate that I owe money to the local loan shark, but he’s been good to me, I have to pay him back.
6 I’ll get even with all those bullies who insulted me when I was a kid.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Hedonism. What matters is a good time, a good fight, a good meal, a good sleep, or a good tumble. (Any)
2 Loyalty. The one I call my friend is the one I would kill for and die for. (Good)
3 Might. All that matters is strength, and that I am stronger than you. (Evil)
4 Pragmatism. Only idiots kill or go to war for ideals. (Neutral)
5 Retribution. I’ll show this world the same pain it’s showed to me. (Evil)
6 Redemption. I will overcome the shame in my heart by force of doing the right thing. (Good)
Flaw: (d6)
1 I don’t do manners, decorum, or civil conversation.
2 I’ll spend a coin as fast as I get it.
3 I feel endless shame about my heritage and my birth.
4 I drink like a fish, if a fish had capacity for gallons of alcoholic beverages.
5 I am so stubborn a mule would get exasperated with me.
6 I lash out violently at anyone who accuses me of being weak.
Tiefling:
Traits: (d6)
1 It’s not that I’ll never trust you, I’ll just have a knife to your back until I do.
2 Don’t tell me you’re my friend, show me.
3 Wealth is a tool to get what I want, never an end in itself.
4 If you gain my trust, you have a friend for life.
5 I stay in the shadows, out of the way of prying eyes.
6 I’m acutely conscious of the way people look at me.
Bond: (d4)
1 I work in the shadows to protect my tiefling community, by cloak and dagger.
2 I want to contact my demonic forebear, to better understand my powers.
3 I will have my revenge on the bigoted cleric who preached against my kind.
4 I know the dark powers that I came from, and I fight to eradicate them.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Self-restraint. My evil heritage must never influence my actions. (Good)
2 Power. Is it better to be feared or respected? I say: both. (Evil)
3 Community. Tieflings need to look after other tieflings, first and last. (Neutral)
4 Greed. Money doesn’t care what you look like or where you came from. (Evil)
5 Spite the Devil. I do good so that the powers that made me are thwarted. (Good)
6 Freedom. You do you, and I’ll do me. (Any)
Flaw: (d4)
1 I have problems trusting even those who say they are my friend.
2 I find the call of evil so irresistible I give into it regularly.
3 I have a sarcastic, bitter tongue that can be directed even at my friends.
4 My appearance always seems to get me into trouble.
Dwarf:
(Full credit to Angry DM – these are taken from his article on improving Inspiration (https://theangrygm.com/take-the-suck-out-of-inspiration/))
Traits: (d8)
1 Dwarven craftwork is the best craftwork, and I want everyone to know it.
2 I don’t like to part with coin if I don’t have to. And I never have to.
3 If you insult a friend, you insult me.
4 Elves talk, dwarves act.
5 Anything worth doing is worth doing right, however long it takes.
6 Once you lose my trust, you’ve lost it forever.
7 I can recite the history of every one of my ancestors. The trouble is getting me to stop.
8 I don’t care if you think I’m rude as long as you know I’m right.
Bond: (d6)
1 My clan is the most important thing in the world, even when they are far away.
2 I’m the last of my clanhold and it is up to me to keep the memories of your ancestors alive.
3 Someday, I will have my revenge against those who insulted my family.
4 My honour and the honour of my clan are my life.
5 Those who fight beside me are worth dying for.
6 Someday I will earn enough to repay the debts of my family.
Ideal: (d6)
1 Justice. Justice is about truth and fairness. Mercy doesn’t enter into it. (Lawful)
2 Tradition. We must never forget the lessons of our ancestors. They make us who we are. (Lawful)
3 Community. It’s the duty of every dwarf to stand in defense of clan, kin, and community. (Good)
4 Live and Let Live. Keep your nose to the grindstone and out of the affairs of others. (Neutral)
5 Greed. Wealth is the only real right in the world. (Evil)
6 Perfection. A dwarf’s skills are his worth. And I aim to be the best dwarf.
Flaw: (d6)
1 I respect the feelings of my kinfolk. To everyone else, I speak my mind.
2 I’m never wrong. At least, I’ll never admit that I’m wrong.
3 Once I start drinking, it’s hard for me to stop.
4 Once someone questions my courage, I can’t back down. No matter what.
5 I can never fully trust a non-dwarf.
6 I will not suffer goblins or giants to live. They are beyond reason or mercy.
(1) Yes, there are less options for Tieflings. That's because they are given even less distinctive personality than the other races other than "Rams Horns + Vaguely Evil Disposition". If someone has a good resource on tiefling society in the game that would compel expansion or amendment of these racial aspects, please go ahead and supply them.
(2) These are obviously default races - subraces or variants have not been included, I might do so if there's interest and/or a real need for them.
(3) The general idea of these traits, per Angry DM's article, is that these are designed to help players work out who their character is and design them better. This was an interesting exercise, it forced me to read through the fluff material for most of these races in previous editions in order to arrive at a sense of who these folks are. I hope it serves you well.