The Largest And Smallest Species You Can Play In DND

Summary

• Some of the lightest species in D&D include the aarakocras, gnomes, and halflings, who make great spellcasters and agile rogues.
• Some of the heaviest creatures in D&D include the centaurs, minotaur, and bugbear species.
• Giff, loxodon, and tortle offer unique abilities and stats for tanky, sturdy, or frontline fighter builds.

When it comes to character creation in Dungeons & Dragons, players can choose many aspects of their character. Each species you can choose in the game alters a character’s stats and can provide one’s character with special abilities. As the characters of D&D come in a variety of shapes, it would only make sense that their weight would vary as well.

Weight can often play a larger role than one may expect, as lighter characters have the potential to be carried, while the heaviest characters can function like immovable walls. So today, we’re going to examine the species of D&D and see which are the lightest and heaviest.

Updated on February 25, 2025 by Jack Filsinger: With the continuous release of more sourcebooks, there are now more playable species in Dungeons & Dragons than ever. We’ve updated this list to include a few more playable species options and added tables breaking down species size and speed, and organized these options from largest to smallest. If you’re wondering whether to go for the smallest or the largest species in 5e, this list has you covered.

16

Loxodon

Appearing in the Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica, the loxodon are a massive species of elephant-like beings. Weighing an impressive 400 pounds, loxodons are incredibly sturdy, gaining natural armor from their tough skin and a +2 Constitution.

Loxodons bring along a great deal of distinct utility, such as the ability to use their trunks as a functional third arm and having advantage on any checks that involve the sense of smell. Despite being a brute in essence, they also make for great druids or clerics.

15

Goliath

Goliaths are your quintessential brute in D&D. Goliaths usually live atop mountains, molded by cold, harsh living conditions and challenges. It’s no surprise that they are as sturdy as species come.

A goliath’s strong stature is represented within game mechanics, too, with species features such as Giant Ancestry, Large Form, and Powerful Build. Thanks to Grog, the iconic goliath barbarian, this is among the most popular species for barbarians, and for good reason.

14

Giff

Tall with imposing frames, giff are hippo-folk with smooth skin, featured in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. The giff tend to be found out in the Astral Sea and have their own unique creator gods out in Wildspace. Because of this connection, the giff can channel astral powers into their weapons and tend to wield firearms.

Giff are technically medium in size, but they can range anywhere from seven to eight feet tall and weigh five hundred pounds. This makes them great for tanky builds in Dungeons & Dragons.

13

Centaur

Centaurs are easily one of the heaviest playable species in D&D, being made up of one-half-human and one-half-horse. There are several different stat blocks available for centaurs across multiple D&D modules, but most of them tend to average between six and seven feet tall and are medium in size.

A centaur’s equine build even provides them with a substantial increase in their carrying capacity, allowing them to carry other party members with ease. If the rest of one’s party is made up of some of the lightest entries on this list, a centaur could likely carry an entire party at once, and quite fast, too, at a base speed of 40ft.

12

Minotaur

While minotaurs had originally been tested in an unearthed arcana in 2015, they have since made official appearances in the Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Originally stated to weigh 375 pounds with an unearthed arcana, minotaurs are an excellent species option for players looking to build a physically offensive character.

Minotaurs gain additional Strength and Constitution and even gain abilities that allow them to utilize their horns in combat! These Greek Myth legends are a perfect fit if you’re planning to play as a fighter or barbarian.

11

Bugbear

Bugbears were made playable in Volo’s Guide to Monsters and can weigh anywhere between 250 pounds to 350 pounds. Standing above an average human’s height at six to eight feet tall, bugbears tend to excel in offensive or Dexterity-based roles.

Gaining bonuses in Strength and Dexterity, bugbears gain proficiency in stealth and even get an ability akin to a rogue’s sneak attack. All these feats make them prime candidates for fighters, rogues, or even rangers.

10

Firbolg

Contrary to goliath, firbolgs are proof that a giant body can house a gentle and timid soul. These forest giants are the definitions of the literary trope of a giant brute with a heart of gold. While they may look intimidating, they prefer isolation and peace above all else, spending their days with mundane tasks in their forests.

Firbolgs make for amazing druids, thanks to their fey connection. They weigh between 240 and 300 pounds on average, and they have the Powerful Build species feat.

9

Tortle

Tortles are a turtle-like species that, despite standing around the height of a human, weigh around 450 pounds. Their shells are notably the source of one-third of this weight and provide tortles with natural armor that provides them with a base armor class of seventeen.

Tortles even possess the ability to withdraw into their shells, further increasing their AC by four and allowing them to make Strength and Constitution saves at advantage. They are amazing frontline fighters for sure, but you could also go with a monk and play as Master Oogway or even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle if that’s your thing.

8

Aarakocra

Aarakocra are humanoid birdfolk that can fly. They prefer to live in isolation atop high mountains and tall trees. They make great rogues, fighters, and rangers, thanks to their ability to keep away from threats via flight.

While they are medium-sized, meaning they’re bigger than a lot of other species, they are literally birdfolk, meaning they are among the lightest of the available species. According to the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, the book that introduces Aarakocra as a playable species in fifth edition, they only weigh about 80 to 100 pounds.

7

Kenku

Kenkus are feathered, bird-like creatures that speak primarily in mimicry, much in the way some ravens can. They also have scarily accurate memories. Thanks to their bird-like features, they are known to be somewhat flighty and fidgety.

Kenkus can range from small to medium, depending on what sourcebook you’re using. Thanks to the kenku’s great memory, you gain advantage on checks made with skills in which you are proficient a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.

6

Goblin

Another species that was made playable in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, goblins are a traditionally diminutive species that can range anywhere from 40 to 80 pounds. Classified as small size, goblins are one of the few species in the game that have access to an ability that directly utilizes their size.

With their “Fury of the Small” ability, once per short rest, a goblin can deal extra damage equal to its level to a creature it’s attacking, as long as that creature is of a larger size. While the +2 Dexterity bonus makes them fit for being a rogue, they can also become great fighters and spellcasters.

5

Gnome

Gnomes are a cornerstone species of modern D&D, appearing as one of the playable species within the Player’s Handbook. Gnomes are small-sized and tend to weigh around 40 pounds. Gaining advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, they can make excellent spellcasters such as wizards.

They even come in numerous distinct subspecies, such as forest gnomes and rock gnomes. While you could obviously experiment, they are perfect candidates for being wizards and artificers, which also fit their lore perfectly well.

4

Halfling

Halflings are among the oldest, most iconic species in Dungeons & Dragons, being part of the game since the first edition. Traditionally standing around two to three feet tall while weighing around 40 pounds, this species is the most traditional option for a small-sized character.

Halflings are a dexterous species that is home to two subspecies, the lightfoot and stout halflings, which are based around stealth and sturdiness, respectively. Their species feat Lucky makes them amazing, and they easily fit into any class, with rogue being the most optimized.

Lightfoot and stout halflings are only available in the 2014 Player’s Handbook, not the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Consult your DM before choosing one of these subspecies.

3

Grung

On the other end of the weight spectrum, the grung are an amphibious species that resemble poisonous dart frogs. Standing anywhere between two and a half feet to three and a half feet, an average grung only weighs about 30 pounds.

Grung come along with numerous notable benefits such as complete immunity to poison, the ability to breathe both water and air, and the ability to jump great distances. Unfortunately, this all comes at the cost of their water dependence, inflicting them with a point of exhaustion every day that they don’t spend at least one hour immersed in water.

2

Kobold

Even lighter than the grung, the iconic kobolds are one of the lightest species that one can play in D&D. Made playable in Volo’s Guide to Monsters and recently updated in Monsters of the Multiverse, these undersized creatures can weigh anywhere between 25 and 35 pounds!

Despite being traditionally weak monsters, kobold characters are deceptively powerful. Kobolds can roll their attacks at advantage as long as one of their allies is within five feet of the target, and they can provide their allies with advantage on their attack rolls by causing a distraction.

1

Fairy

Introduced in Wild Beyond the Witchlight and featured in Monsters of the Multiverse, fairies are a small-sized species that is most commonly found within the Feywild. Fairies are a potent species that are capable of flight and have access to several useful spells regardless of their class.

Most notably of these spells, fairies are capable of casting Enlarge and Reduce. As Fairies are already small-sized, if a fairy targets themselves with the shrinking effects of Enlarge and Reduce, they can become tiny-sized, easily functioning as the lightest playable species in D&D, regardless of their class or build.