Can 5e Races Be as Interesting as Classes? In Rule of Chaos, the Answer is Yes!

By guest poster Brave Alice Studios

For most 5e players, the race of their character is an important question in character creation. You have some set characteristics and gain some feats. And after that, your race normally stays the same from 1st level all the way up to level 20. All further customizations of your character are done on class level.

Most race feats are quite interesting and your character’s race is an important part of their identity. This counts even more so for demons. We think it is important to portray that demons don’t live mortal lives, growing only stronger by learning but are strong and versatile beings to begin with. They are a manifestation of chaos and therefore should also be able to evolve on a deeper level. Therefore, we introduced race levels.

A Rule of Chaos Demon Race Spotlight

In Rule of Chaos your demons’ race level equals their character level. They level up simultaneously with their class giving them the opportunity to advance their class and their race at the same time.

This means a 3rd level character multiclassed into 2 levels Shadow (Rogue) and 1 level Hellwarden (Paladin) would have a race level of 3 (visit www.rule-of-chaos.com to learn more about these demonic classes). This means your demon will unlock special traits and other improvements.

These race evolvements can be resistances and immunities. But you could also choose new proficiencies that your class wouldn’t provide to further customize your character. You could take mobility feats like burrow, climb, or fly speeds or sharpen your senses to unlock Darkvision or Truesight.

There are also more exotic feats to evolve, like producing large quantities of acid out of thin air, growing natural weapons which can tear apart your enemies, create and spread a beguiling scent or a frost breath dealing damage and slowing your enemies. There are many more options, categorized in the evolvement table down below. And at certain race levels, you can decide which ones to pick. There is a huge variety to pick from so that everybody finds a suiting skill set for their demon.

While most race feats can be chosen by any race, some of these are race specific. Each race starts with a unique skill set at level 1. As they level up you can choose additional race traits to evolve in different directions. This way each race feels truly unique while allowing the player to customize their demon to their liking.

While we are on the topic of customization. We decided that demonic races of Rule of Chaos have close to no regulations on how they look. For example: The Spectral demon race is known for their ghostlike appearance and skills. Therefore, they all have a transparent, demonic look in common. But size, shape and appearance are up to you. It could be a huge ghostlike dragon made from the bones of its victims, a small cute transparent cat with demonic eyes that can look right into your soul or whatever comes to your mind.

Do you want to be a demonic wolf, standing tall on your hind legs while tearing your enemies apart with your claws? A scaly beast with wings and a quivering mass of tentacles as a face? Or would you rather be a chest with unlimited legs and a surprisingly big capacity?

Subscribe now on www.rule-of-chaos.com/landingpage to start your demon journey and to get our first two races and an adventure via email for free!