Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous

Most table-top role-playing games are part of a franchise that includes video games, and Pathfinder is no exception. The game has a reputation for being one of Dungeons & Dragon's biggest competitors, although the latter has more of a share in the video game market that might be poised to change with the recent release of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. This is the second in the series that now includes two isometric video games, the first being Kingmaker which was released in 2018.

There are 12 different races to choose from during the character creation process in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous compared to the seven available in the table-top one. Each of these 12 races eventually chooses between varying subraces and backgrounds, so every choice is highly customizable. The following 12 races only cover the ones you can create and play as opposed to homebrews or elusive groups that have yet to be discovered.

Updated on Match 16, 2022, by Kristy Ambrose: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has gone through some changes since the initial release, such as a new DLC and two major updates that included some minor additions and bug fixes. There aren't any new races available to players, at least not yet, but there are more details available for the existing ones. That includes their innate abilities and bonuses along with ideas for Mythic Paths and other story and progression details. The list is limited to the Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous playable races.

There are a few races in the game that the protagonist can't play, but they do have representation among your Companions. These include Mongrels, and the hero can have one or two of these in the party in the form of Lann and Wenduag depending on how the plot unfolds. Another example of Arueshalae, an Ascendant Demon, who is a rare creature and something of an anomaly. Players that choose the Lich Mythic Path can have Undead companions, but can't be one themselves. The closest option for an undead protagonist here would be the Dhampir, a half-vampire race.

12 Aasimar

Aasimar paladin battling demons — caelarpaladin

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: A +2 bonus to Wisdom and Charisma, a +2 racial bonus on Persuasion when used for Diplomacy rolls and Perception checks.
Number of Heritage Choices: Seven different Heritage Choices, so they can choose from during the character creation process which can vary these bonuses somewhat.
Special Abilities: They can use holy spells like Searing Light or Restoration once per day regardless of class choice.

Aasimar are essentially humans, but their ancestry includes some kind of celestial or angelic being. Whether your character knows exactly who they are or where their powers came from depends entirely on how you decide to drive their storyline. An obvious choice for Mythic Path for an Aasimar would be the Angel, but other ideal possibilities include the Azata or Aeon, depending on other factors like moral alignment and class choice.

The racial bonuses are what you might expect of a celestial race. They lean towards Good moral alignments, but that's a guideline, not a rule. Daeran, one of the Companions, is an Aasimar with a Neutral Evil moral alignment.

11 Dhampir

Pathfinder Dhampir split image fighter sorcerer ranger wizard

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: Some great bonuses to Persuasion, Perception, or World Knowledge skills, with Ability Score bonuses of +2 to Dexterity. Strength, Charisma, and occasionally Wisdom.
Number of Heritage Choices: There are six, depending on the Dhampir's ancestry.
Special Abilities: Is healed by Negative Energy and resistant to spells associated with the undead, such as Level Drain.

The Dhampir is a unique race in the world of Golarion, and there's some debate whether they're a race at all or a humanoid creature suffering from the unholy affliction of Vampirism. These are half-vampires, and they can be tricky to play when it comes to combat because conventional healing actually hurts them.

Spellcasters will lean towards the Lich Mythic Path while martial classes would prefer the Devil or Demon. Dhampirs choose a Heritage that gives them bonuses to a variety of stats, but there are also similar penalties to a Dhampir's Ability Scores depending on which one you take.

10 Dwarf

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: Bonuses and penalties for this race include +2 to Constitution and Wisdom but a -2 to Charisma, and these don't change depending on the Heritage or racial background.
Number of Heritage Choices: There are only three, including the basic option, so not a lot of variation here.
Special Abilities: Stability, which means you get a +4 bonus to Combat Maneuver Defense, and Dwarven Weapon Familiarity.

One of the core races that also exists in the Pathfinder universe, the hardy Dwarf race is a staple of role-playing games everywhere. This race is pretty much an essential feature if you're building a world with a fantasy aesthetic. Dwarves tend to be the gruff, no-nonsense sort, often with martial roles in the party even as casters or healers, so they make good Aeons or Legends, the more neutral of the Mythic Paths.

Dwarves in Pathfinder: WotR have a lot going for them when it comes to combat-related bonuses. There's Stability, which means you get a bonus to Combat Maneuver Defense and Dwarven Weapon Familiarity, which automatically grants proficiency with battleaxes, heavy picks, war-hammers, or anything with the word "dwarven" in its name.

9 Elf

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: Bonuses to Dexterity, Charisma, and Intelligence and arcane abilities, like Perception and Use Magical Device. Their racial penalty to Constitution means that they'll probably be standing the back most of the time anyway.
Number of Heritage Choices: Only three, and the differences consist of Skills as opposed to Ability Score bonuses.
Special Abilities: Elven Weapon Familiarity grants proficiency with longbows, long swords, and short bows, along with finesse melee weapons. Immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 bonus to their saving throw when they are targeted by any enchantment, which can save the party if fighting a monster with these kinds of powers.

No RPG game would be complete with the Elves appearing in some form, and in Pathfinder they have many of the same bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence that you see in their other many incarnations. Elves are often magic-users since they often have high scores in Charisma and Intelligence, the most useful stats when it comes to spellcasting.

Like the other ancient people that make up the core races of Golarion, Elves have bonuses based on their long history. Any Mythic Path would make sense for them, depending on their moral alignment and class, but since Elves tend to be of the magical persuasion they can think about the Lich or the Azata.

8 Gnome

pathfinder-2e-rpg dawf/gnome fighter and mage

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: A -2 to their Strength, which should come as no surprise, but their +2 bonuses to Charisma and Constitution compensate nicely.
Number of Heritage Choices: A few, but they are dramatic - there's the default choice, the Traveler, or the Pyromaniac.
Special Abilities: A +2 to every saving throw against illusion spells and effects and a +4 bonus to their dodge chance when fighting giants.

The Gnomes in Pathfinder trace their origins back to a Fey ancestry which makes them related to fairies, satyrs, and other such creatures. This is a versatile choice for a race, and you'll see them as everything from Artificers to Warpriests, although they don't play martial classes as often as others but have more choices of mounts thanks to their small stature.

As a core race that has lived in Golarion since the early days, Gnomes have a number of racial traits related to magical resistances. Their Mythic Path often leads to the Azata, which is related to their Fey background, but Trickster is another good choice.

7 Half-Elf

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: Choose from an extra Skill, improved Will saving throws, or a Charisma bonus depending on the Heritage Choice.
Number of Heritage Choices: There are three, the basic one, Kindred Raised, or Dual Heritage.
Special Abilities: Keen Senses, and the same immunities to magic as Elves.

More common than a Dhampir and much more socially accepted, Half-Elves have the best of both human and elven worlds. They are one of the more customizable Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous races, equally useful with melee as they are ranged damage, and just as adept as spellcasting should you choose to build them that way. The Basic racial heritage offers you the choice of a Skill Focus that can cover a variety of abilities that include Athletics or Knowledge along with magical abilities or extra resistances to several kinds of damage.

Players who choose to play Half-Elf characters will be impressed with the choices available very early in the character creation process. Any Mythic Path can fit here, depending on the class and moral alignment of the protagonist.

6 Half-Orc

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: A +2 racial bonus to any ability of your choice, so that could also mean your character is more charismatic or wise than others.
Number of Heritage Choices: There are three - basic, Human Raised, or Tribal.
Special Abilities: Orc Ferocity and proficiency with Orcish weapons, regardless of Heritage Choice.

Playing a Barbarian, Fighter, or other melee or martial class? The Half-Orc is the ideal race for this kind of character, and it's also a good class for an Aeon or Demon. They have access to abilities like Orc Ferocity, which means that when they go below zero hit points but don't die, they can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled.

At the end of the next turn, they fall unconscious unless their health is restored. That's one extra chance that can mean the difference between winning a fight and losing one. This ability, among other traits, makes Half-Orcs are more versatile in Pathfinder than their counterparts in other fantasy RPGs.

5 Halfling

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: +2 bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, a -2 to Strength.
Number of Heritage Choices: Three, consisting of basic, Craven, or Hasty.
Special Abilities: Halfling Luck and Fearless, but these aren't available to all Heritage Choices.

Here's one of the Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous races that is popular, even revered in fantasy media, but for some reason gets overlooked when it comes to RPGs. Pathfinder has a version of this plucky character. The Halfling is counted as small, the same as Gnomes. This means less weapon damage but some interesting options when it comes to mounts.

Halflings get a +2 bonus to Dexterity and Charisma immediately, which makes them ideal for classes like Rogues, Bards, or anything requiring party leadership skills. That naturally leads into Mythic Paths such as the Azata, Demon, or Trickster.

4 Human

Cavalier Pathfinder mounted with a red banner

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: This entirely depends on the Background, Skill, and Heritage choices.
Number of Heritage Choices: The only class that has none, and skips right past it to Background selection.
Special Abilities: A +2 to any ability score, along with a bonus Feat and Skill.

The most popular RPG race, although it's a conundrum as to why anyone would play a race that exists in real life. It might have something to do with the number of customization options. It's easy it is to make them unique, highly specialized, or even homebrewed.

Players who are new to RPGs in general or the Pathfinder universe specifically can start with a simple, fun combination like a Human Fighter or some kind of magic user, which can progress into any Mythic Path depending on the moral alignment and class. It's a nice way to learn the mechanics of the game while playing a fairly easy race and class blend.

3 Kitsune

Racial Bonuses and Penalties: Their racial bonuses vary depending on what Heritage you choose, but they always get a -2 penalty to Strength along with +2 bonuses to Dexterity and either Charisma or Intelligence.
Number of Heritage Choices: Two, the basic choice or the Keen Kitsune.
Special Abilities: When a Kitsune changes from fox to human, they have to spend an Action, and they can only use their special Bite attack in fox form.

Be careful not to confuse this race with the Tabaxi, a cat-like race from the D&D universe. This is a race of humanoids that have two forms, a humanoid fox or a human with certain features, like ears or a tail. Nenio, one of the Companions, is a Kitsune, and they are often eccentric magic-users just like her.

Kitsune tend to be logical and pragmatic, making them ideal Aeons or Legends. Should a player want to role-play a morally compromised Kitsune, a Lich or Devil would also be interesting.