History Characters / PathfinderPlayableRaces

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to [[UsefulNotes/AttentionDeficitHyperactivityDisorder ADHD]] and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects in favor of [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the common stereotype]], particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to [[Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/UsefulNotes ADHD]] and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects in favor of [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the common stereotype]], particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to [[UsefulNotes/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD]] and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects in favor of [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the common stereotype]], particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects in favor of [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the common stereotype]], particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects in favor of [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny, particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects, particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than neurotypical people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects, particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than "normal" people as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects, particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being just as much affected by their emotional lows to a far greater degree than "normal people" as they are their emotional highs, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD and its more overlooked or disregarded aspects, particularly those who have it physically having trouble summoning up the motivation to do anything unless it involves personal curiosity, novelty, or a personal passion- referred to as an "interest-based nervous system"- and being affected by emotional highs and lows to far greater degree than "normal" people, referred to as "emotional hyperarousal" (both of which are described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression. In a similar vein, comparisons could also be drawn to ADHD, particularly in respect to people who have it having "interest-based nervous systems" (as described [[https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/ here]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Gnomes who fail to seek out new experiences and otherwise get too bored tend to suffer the Bleaching, so called because it turns their (normally [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation very colorful]]) skin a stark white, makes them lose their sense of wonder and lust for life, and often results in DeathByDespair or them being DrivenToSuicide. Aside from the skin color change, this pretty much exactly describes the symptoms of clinical depression.

* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: This trope was averted in [=1E=] for elves due to it using TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5 rules, played straight by the start of [=2E=] (which explained that elves become physically mature around the age of twenty but aren't considered adults by other elves until the end of their first century), and deconstructed in the Lost Omens Travel Guide. [[AllThereInTheManual According to that book]], many elves have a tradition of spending part of their adolesence living among humans, departing just quickly enough to avoid becoming [[WhoWantsToLiveForever Forlorn]]. This means that most elves the average person on Golarion encounters are not considered adults by elven society, with no one around them knowing any better.

* MonochromaticEyes: Elf eyes are pretty much all iris.

* TimeDissonance: Such that being raised in the company of shorter-lived races can leave them emotionally damaged.

[[folder:Drow]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pathfinder_drow_1.png]]
->'''Type:''' Humanoid (elf)

The descendants of the elves who chose not to flee the planet before Earthfall. They were forced underground and eventually were corrupted by the forces of the Darklands and their growing hatred of their kin who left.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The ''Advanced Race Guide'' states that ''most'' drow are ChaoticEvil, but actual character creation [[GameplayAndStorySegregation doesn't give alignment limits]]. In theory, the drow species as a whole is evil by nature [[spoiler: due to being elves that were transformed by the evil in their own nature (the Second Darkness Adventure Path actually shows this happening)]], but it's possible for a (second generation or later) drow to be non-evil. The tricky part is surviving in drow society long enough to reach adulthood and escape. Most non-evil drow are found out and either killed or turned into driders long before then.[[invoked]]
* BodyHorror: Their fleshwarping does this to anyone unlucky enough to be caught by them.
* CardCarryingVillain: These guys developed vegepygmies so that even their ''vegetables'' could be made to suffer.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: When the game transitioned from the OGL to the ORC with the 2nd Edition Remaster, the drow were [[https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43tg8&page=7?PF2R-Drow#336 retconned out of existence]]; their role as Sekamina's main villainous species is now taken by the serpentfolk.
* DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes: Without the "Surface Infiltrator" alternate race trait, drow, like dhampirs, are left dazzled by daylight.
* FantasticRacism: They hate all non-drow, but their dislike of surface elves tends to be most noteworthy.
* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: Drow society is built on the backs of its legions of slaves, but their contempt for their thralls means that drow slavemasters are afforded extremely little standing or respect.
* {{Matriarchy}}: Men have very little status within drow society, and are generally restricted to serving as low-ranking soldiers and servants. Female drow hold all positions of power and authority, and non-drow are advised to have the women in their group do the speaking when dealing with them in order to be taken with anything approaching respect.
* OurDarkElvesAreDifferent: Archetypal dark elves -- subterranean, cruel to the point of absurdity, lavender-skinned and with a tendency towards [[{{Stripperific}} less than modest clothing styles]]. Drow were once standard elves who "fell" and had their bodies transform, and normally worship various demon lords. ''Any'' elf can still become a drow, though the conditions are more complex than merely being evil. When the game adopted the new Open RPG Creative License after the January 2023 [[MediaNotes/D20System Open Game License]] controversy, the drow were retconned out of existence, with the implication that everything known about drow was essentially (in-universe) fiction written by an author racist against elves.

[[folder:Dwarf]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pathfinder_dwarf.png]]
->'''Type:''' Humanoid (dwarf)

Dwarves once lived deep in the Darklands beneath Golarion's surface, until [[ColonyDrop Earthfall]], the impact of which was taken as a sign to begin the Quest to the Sky, a long exodus to the surface world.

* FamilyHonor: Extremely important to them, and a BerserkButton if challenged.
* FireForgedFriends: The surest way to win their respect.
* GoodOldWays: With long lives and strong traditions, there's a lot of cultural inertia.
* LongLived: Barring misfortune, they can easily live over 300 years. It's a factor in their slight mistrust of humans since they're used to building friendships over a century or more.
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: The Grondaksen and Holtaksen are standard dwarves that originated underground, tunneled their way to the surface during the Age of Darkness, and pulled humanity out of the dark ages. Otherwise, the bald-shaved, monastic Ouat and xenophobic Pahmet dwarves of Osirion, the traditionalist Mbe'ke and totemist Taralu dwarves of the Mwangi Expanse are a bit different from the stereotype.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Elf]]
[[quoteright:474:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/th_1510097169_7.jpg]]
->'''Type:''' Humanoid (elf)

Elves were one of the first races on Golarion but fought a losing war for space against the developing humans. Foreseeing the coming Earthfall, the majority of Elves fled for the sanctuary of Sovyrian, only to come back to protect their ancestral homes from the demon Treerazer.
----

[[folder:Lizardfolk]]

[[folder:Ratfolk]]

* BreakoutCharacter: ''Pathfinder'' goblins' much more unique design and characterisation from their original ''Dungeons and Dragons'' versions proved immensely popular with players, eventually promoting Paizo to promote them to a core race in 2nd Edition.

* OurKoboldsAreDifferent: Much like their ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' predecessors, they're small, reptilian humanoids distantly related to dragons. Second edition reimagines them as squatter beings with almost toadlike faces and broad, backwards-pointing horns. Their myths generally link them to dragons in some manner, usually with kobolds being dragons who were stripped of their power in some manner or with dragons having been created by empowering preexisting kobolds. In the modern day, kobolds live underground in mazelike warrens behind layers of deadly traps, are ancestral enemies of goblins, dwarves and gnomes and worship dragons as living gods. The vastly more powerful dragons, in turn, mostly see kobolds as a cheap source of expandable minions and as a source of mild embarrassment otherwise.

** Culturally, kobolds are defined by strictly hierarchical societies, profound xenophobia towards anything that isn't a kobold or a dragon, fanatical devotion to their tribes and a vastly overwrought sense of self-importance -- kobolds believe themselves to be the true rulers of the world and as the creators of most forms of technology and civilization.

* ServantRace: Biologically adapted to it, in fact! They will attach themselves to anyone who can incubate their eggs and lets them.

* TheSymbiote: Kobold eggs are incubated by exposing them to powerful magic, which assists their development. In return, the kobolds serve the source.

* OurElvesAreDifferent: Archetypal dark elves -- subterranean, cruel to the point of absurdity, lavender-skinned and with a tendency towards [[{{Stripperific}} less than modest clothing styles]].

* LongLived: The longest-lived of the common races by a large margin, second only to the luckiest of the Planetouched.

Some leshies, born from weaker spirits, can only form diminutive bodies and are sometimes taken as companions by their larger kin or other beings. For tropes pertaining to these non-playable leshy familiars, see [[Characters/PathfinderPlants the Plants character page]].

Changelings are secretly conceived by hags from mortal fathers. When they grow up, their mothers call them back to complete their transformation. Not all of them are willing.

* HalfHumanHybrid: The offspring of human men and hags.
* MarkOfTheSupernatural: The easiest way to figure out if someone is a changeling is to check their eye color -- all changelings have mismatched eyes. This is not the ''source'' of any of their abilities, however, as one-eyed changelings can attest.
* {{Metamorphosis}}: Changelings are essentially the "larval" version of hags. Though some resist the call, most end up succumbing to the lure of power and transform into hags like their mothers.

Short, profoundly arrogant draconic reptilian humanoids with delusions of grandeur.

* AbsoluteXenophobe: For the most part, other species are to be tormented, killed, avoided, or distracted with flattery until they slip up.

* PurposelyOverpowered: In 1st Edition, Azlanti humans gain a bonus to all ability scores. For comparison, normal humans only gain that bonus in ''one'' single ability score. They're also [[DyingRace effectively extinct]] (except for a few who have survived to the present day via very specific means), particularly implausible [=PCs=] in most adventures without a convoluted backstory, and the game instructs that they should be only playable with explicit GM permission. In 2nd Edition, as it became more plausible for them to be [=PC=]s (courtesy of a city that was transported from ancient Thassilon to the present day after escaping a StableTimeLoop), they're no longer overpowered. They can take a background to reflect having once been a resident of Thassilon, but otherwise aren't any different from other human characters.