There are 10 different races on Dead of Night, each with its own inherent abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.  The race you choose for a character can play an important part of your roleplay and interaction with others, but the main factor in choosing a race is the abilities they possess.  Characters of each race have certain aptitudes for each of the classes in the game.  Some races have a pious nature which makes them adept at the holy classes, while others are more physically suited to the fighting classes.  The race you choose for your character will be a major influence on his or her adventures.


Humans are the most populous race on the whole of Pancea. They are adaptable, resourceful and inventive. These qualities have helped their race spread and have also made Humans equally good at all professions. They have no favorite classes, although they do produce the most powerful monks of any of the races.  It is as likely for you to meet a human mage as it is to meet a human druid or cleric.
The main disadvantages with humans are that they tend to be quite average in their ability scores and that they suffer massively from dual or multiclassing. The adaptability they possess does mean that they can be effective at almost any class, but they tend to focus their efforts on one profession only.


Elves seem to be dying out on Pancea, since many of their forest homes have been taken over by evil creatures and human expansion. Despite this, Elven adventurers are still fairly prolific. Elves are a graceful, beautiful race as a whole. Even the evil Drow elves are beautiful in their own cruel way. Along with this grace come their massive life spans and other seemingly supernatural abilities. They can see heat sources in the dark, are immune to sleep and charm magics and are naturally very dextrous.
Elven civilization, over the years, has slowly moved away from the worship of deities and toward a more nature-oriented lifestyle.  As such, elves do not take to the religious professions easily.  This emphasis on nature, along with the ancient elven love of all things magical, lends itself to producing exceptional elven mages and rangers, while their litheness and penchant for lore allow them to excel at the bardic trade.


Dwarves, as a race, strike a casual observer as a dour, short and combative people. Although the dwarves themselves do little to rectify this opinion, and may even encourage it, they can be very friendly and helpful. The problem is that dwarves do not forget grudges quickly, if at all. But the same is true for friendships. Their history is heavily peppered with racial wars against orc-kind, meaning that almost every dwarven child is taught the basics of combat; as such, they excel as warriors, and produce some of the finest crafted weaponry around. They also have a strong religious side and dwarven holy festivals, overseen by a dwarven priest, are raucous events not to be missed.
For some reason, probably known only to the Immortals, dwarves have very little magical ability. A dwarven mage is a rare creature indeed, and a dwarven archmage rarer still. Also, with little patience or interest in nature, they rarely succeed as rangers or druids. Because of their mostly subterranean lifestyle, dwarves are able to see in the dark as elves can.


Hobbits are even shorter than dwarves, but have almost a completely opposite temperament. They seem to revel in life and relish each situation to the full. Young hobbits are usually sent to apprentice with older hobbits so that they can learn the ways of their people. Unfortunately for those with loose purse strings, the vast majority of hobbits are thieves, or reclamation specialists, or scouts, or any number of names given to the profession by the hobbits themselves. They have a natural quickness of action and slight frame that lends itself to this craft. Their outlooks on life do not lend themselves to the rigidity of the paladin lifestyle so they do not do well at this profession, but they do have an innate talent for music. They can see heat sources in the dark as elves can.


The result of the pairing of a human and an elf, half-elves seem stranded in between the two parent races. Not fully accepted by their elven relatives, most half-elves live around humankind as the humans seem to be more accepting of strangers. The adaptability of humans shines through, as does the nature and magical aptitude of the elven side. They also have a great aptitude for music and performances. Half-elves make highly powerful druids, rangers, mages, and bards, excelling in these professions and sometimes outstripping the most powerful of their parents' races. Inherited from the elven side, half-elves have the ability to see heat sources and a limited resistance to charm and sleep magics.


Gnomes are a very small race, both in numbers and stature. They stand shorter than dwarves and their numbers are dwindling rapidly. To gnomes, magic and intelligence are as important as food and drink are to humankind. Almost every gnome adult has at least a small amount of magical ability and many gnome youths can cast minor magics. This talent and their massive intelligence and force of will lends itself to making perhaps the most powerful mages, clerics and psionists in Pancea. The more powerful gnome mages approach if not outstrip most of the more powerful human, half-elven or elven mages. For some reason though, gnomes have difficulty lending their prodigious intelligences to nature-based professions. Perhaps it is their analytical nature that causes this failing. They also have a disadvantage with the more physical professions. Their size and stature do not lend themselves to becoming warriors or paladins and as such they are slightly lacking in these fields.


To the casual observer, Lycanthropes are almost identical to humans. In fact, no one is completely sure where this race originally came from. Born seemingly human, they have similar advantages and disadvantages to humans. What separates them from humans is that they are born with the ability to alter their bodies almost at will; Lycanthropes are the only race that can become shape shifters. This unique ability garners awe, repulsion, and fear from others around them.


Vampires, as a race are very diverse. Some are are not even born into the race, but are made or sired by an older vampire. This creation process strips the creature of it's former self and forces upon it what has been alternatively called a curse or a blessing. Vampires possess great strength and force of will along with the Sight and the Hunger, but also a severe aversion to sunlight and holy ground. Vampires are able to see invisible items and creatures and can see in the dark as easily as other creatures can in daylight. Certain clerical spells can hide people from this sight but normal invisibility cannot. This clerical ability stems from the vampiric aversion to holy places and holy things. Consecrated ground will either simply prevent vampires from moving onto it, or seriously damage the vampire who crosses it.  Being undead, vampires also have a reduced response to healing magics. Vampiric bodies are highly reactive to sunlight, and even the slightest exposure can be fatal. The vast majority of new vampires fall to this vulnerability either by accident or by ignorance, but older vampires have learned to travel carefully during the day. The vampiric strength and force of will lends itself to producing vastly powerful vampire warriors, mages and psionists, but their unholy and unnatural qualities prevent them from succeeding as rangers, druids, clerics, blackguards, or paladins.


Half-orcs are large in body, yet weak in brain, being physically strong, but of quite low intelligence. This is due to their parent races of orc and human. Unlike half-elves who seem to take only the best qualities of their parents, half-orcs, usually born of violence, take the strength and low intelligence of their orcish parent and inherit only a few of the adaptive qualities of the human parent. This tremendous strength lends itself to producing hugely powerful warriors, and rangers as many half-orcs are cast out to fend for themselves in the wilderness. When communities of half-orcs form, the worship of spirits may produce powerful half-orc shamans or clerics, and they excel at the blackguardly professions, but a half-orc mage is a rarer gem than a vampire paladin.


Merfolk are native to the oceans and rivers where with both mind and voice they have ensnared the senses of sailors, often causing ships to crash and sink because the whole crew was mesmerized by their power. Not just amazingly strong in voice and mind, when at home in the waters they are a force to be reckoned with, and few other sea-creatures are brave enough to prey upon the Merfolk. In order to fit in with the landbound, Merfolk have learned the ability to form legs and walk on dry earth, though this ability is not without its disadvantages. While exposed to the air, they become susceptible to fire, an aspect which has led them to shun the arts of the magi. Being part fish gives them greater abilities underwater, the ability to see clearly in the dark, and the ability to swim great distances with very little effort. They swim so well that even the fastest current can not push them along.