I’m not a fan of the non-human character races in Dungeons & Dragons.

I rarely play non-human characters and often exclude them as playable classes in my campaigns. It’s not because I have a problem with non-human characters per se. I just don’t like the way they were implemented in the original game. My preferences aside…

If your referee allows non-human characters and plays rules as written, playing a non-human character has some benefits over humans at first level.

Non-humans are about trade offs

In the retro-clones mimicking Original D&D or Basic/Expert non-human races are classes. You don’t play an elf fighter. You play an elf.

Depending on which OSR game you are playing, there may be a minimum ability score requirement. These tend to be a 9 so your characters will probably qualify. Some games also tie the experience bonus for prime requisite scores to two abilities instead of one.

If you are playing in an “advanced” retro-clone like OSRIC or the Advanced Fantasy version of Old School Essentials, class and ancestry are separate choices. Those games limit which classes these races can play and have the downside of level limits in most classes, thief being the exception.

Level limits don’t make any sense for purposes of verisimilitude. Why would an elf who is effectively immortal not be able to reach 20th level? Aren’t Tolkien’s elves more capable than humans?

The games sometimes include a rationalization like humans being more precocious. The real reason is to keep the different characters within the party at an equal level of ability and give players an incentive to play humans.

Non-humans have the upside of being able to multi-class in the advanced games. Humans can dual class but the rules for that make it less appealing. If I’m playing a non-human, I multiclass if the character meets the ability score requirements. A multi-classed character has more utility than a single class character. The trade off is that the character doesn’t level as fast because the experience points are split equally between both classes.

Elves and dwarf characters have the ability to see in the dark. That makes them particularly useful for sneaking up on monsters in dungeons or scouting ahead.

How I play a 1st level dwarf

In combat encounters, I play them the same way I play a fighter. The tradeoff is that they can’t use longbows or two handed swords. Some retro-clones give dwarfs a slower movement rate which can be a problem when being chased.

The place dwarf characters are most useful to a party is in dungeon exploration. They have ability to detect slopes, new construction, and other tricks Dungeon Masters deploy to confuse and confound exploration.

In social encounters, it is a good idea to keep the dwarf in the back of the party. A lot of dwarf players tend to turn social encounters into combat encounters.

How I play an elf

The elf is able to wear any armor, use any weapon, and still cast spells. This makes them a very flexible class. If you are playing in a group of just two or three characters, the elf is a great choice. You can get away with not having a human magic user and still have a spell caster in the group.

If there’s a human magic user in the party and I’m playing an elf, I’ll prepare utility spells like detect magic, and encourage the other caster to prepare an offensive spell. We have the utility spell for exploration, I’ll be able to fight in melee, and the spell caster can turn a bad situation with a well timed sleep spell.

Elves are immune to being paralyzed by ghouls. I’ve seen elves save a low level party from a total party kill via ghoul more than once. If you have a ghoul encounter, get the elf up front.

I would play an elf in social encounters the same as I play a magic user. I ask a lot of questions about what lore my character knows and any possibilities for leveraging that lore. An elf player character helps in a situation with NPC elves.

Halflings

Halflings are a sort of fighter in Old School Essentials and other Basic/Expert clones.

Halflings can use any weapon or armor that fits their diminutive size. They get a +2 to armor class due to their smallness and they can hide very well, especially in forests or undergrowth. Halflings also get a +1 attack bonus for missile weapons.

In wilderness adventures, a halfling would be a good scout and adequate fighter specializing with missile weapons. The halfling would be less useful in the dungeon since they don’t have dark vision and a D6 hit die unlike the human fighter or dwarf who have a D8.

Most gamers will play hobbits halflings as affable gourmands. If you are playing a halfling thief in an OSRIC game, the same recommendations for playing a human thief would apply in social encounters and urban settings. Cultivate contacts in the underworld and thieves guild to gather information for your party. Don’t steal from the party. Steal for the party.

Not that different

Playing a non-human character isn’t much different from playing a human in most campaigns. They have some mechanical advantages at low levels but limits at higher levels. Since most campaigns don’t reach higher levels, that may not be a concern.

Some campaign settings include cultural conflicts between the various peoples of the game world. I recommend talking with your gaming group about how you are going to handle that, and how it could effect the party’s interactions with non-player characters.

Here are links to other essay about how I play first level magic users, thieves, fighters, and clerics in classic fantasy adventure games.