Human
Source: Player's Handbook
Today we review the Human race. If they were described in a single word, it would be versatile. As a race, they offer very little to define themselves. It is their classing advantages that make them worthwhile.
Pros
- +1 Skill Point per Level
- Bonus Feat
- Highest-level class counts as favoured
- Medium Size
Cons
- Compared to most other races, has relatively few benefits
Humans are generally considered to be the most abundant race, inhabiting all manner of regions, with no set civilization style. From tiny farming villages to sprawling cities, they can be found almost anywhere in most game worlds. This may not hold true if the Dungeon Master has created a world that is not human-dominated, but we can't really account for such decisions in a review, can we?
Mechanically, humans have very few direct advantages. Even when weighed against the negatives of many other races, they still come out pretty close to the bottom. Despite this, they are one of the most common races to be played, and are considered an 'Easy' species. They are versatile, and in human-dominated worlds they tend to have some diplomatic advantage (excepting cases where such domination was achieved through less tasteful means). Due to how common they are, they have some advantages when it comes to 'staying off the radar', so to speak. More exotic races are much more likely to draw attention.
Class Synergy
Humans are exceptionally versatile when it comes to class choices, and their multiclassing advantage enhances this greatly.
Rogues especially work well as Humans, where the extra skill point gained each level can supplement the Rogue's already-impressive array of skills. Their diplomatic advantages can benefit a class choice of Bard or Cleric, and an additional feat at first level can give a Fighter a good head start when working towards some more advanced techniques (often leading to those prized abilities such as Whirlwind being obtained two to three levels before a non-human Fighter would have mastered them).
The skill point and feat advantages can also be used to offset a class deficiency in such areas. Wizards can put the extra feat to good use, and a single extra skill point is more meaningful to a Fighter than most other classes, with only 2 + Int Modifier gained per level.
Summary
Overall, a Human character is likely to be just a little more versatile, or slightly more specialized than any other race in the same role. They have no distinct advantages in terms of survivability, but can offset this with feat selections early on (Toughness for more hit points, or one of the many feats that grants a bonus to certain saving throws).
Source Material Referenced in this Article
