Editor’s Note: The following contains full spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesWhenever players of the world-renowned tabletop role-playing gameDungeons & Dragonsstart up a new campaign, one of the first things they do is choose their character’s race. The standard edition of the game features a total of nine races, but add in all the various expansions over the years and there are now dozens upon dozens of different species to choose from, and even those are just the playable ones. There’s an even wider variety of intelligent denizens outside of party member classes, and the diverse array of characters certainly did not go unnoticed by filmmakersJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldsteinwhen they began production onDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
The party that we follow in the critically acclaimed blockbuster is already made up of heroes who come from all across the Forgotten Realms, and they unite tostop a dreaded Red Wizard plotfrom destroying their world. However, we also see so many more fantastical humanoid races outside the main protagonists, all of which will certainly be recognized by dedicated fans of the franchise. Even more impressive, most if not all of these fantasy races are brought to life via some very impressive practical effects. Rather than being CGI creations like the film’s dragons and monsters, most of the humanoid races are comprised of make-up, prosthetics, and animatronics, making the iconic figures feel more alive than they ever have before.
If you’ve been looking for a recap of every single race that is represented inDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, look no further, as we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the many that we see in the film that you can read below.
The Humans
Humans are pretty easy to cover, seeing as how if you’re reading this, you probably are one. Like most fantasy franchises, humans are vast and plentiful in the world ofDungeons & Dragons, each residing on many sides of both good and evil and ranging from heroic adventurers to conquering warlords. Though it may be surprising to some, humans are often considered to be one of the weaker races to start as in the tabletop game but are also considered one of the most malleable interms of the classes they can take on.
The main character of Edgin (Chris Pine), the charismatic bard, is of course a human, originally being a noble Harper before turning to a life of professional thievery. We also meet a couple of other humans from specific civilizations, and while they’re not technically races of their own, they’re still significant and worth mentioning. There’s the Uthgardt - the barbarian people who often prove their strength through conquest and combat. Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), Edgin’s lifelong warrior companion, used to be a member of one of these tribes, but was exiled when she fell in love with the halfling, Marlamin (Bradley Cooper). Also, briefly present are the people of Thay, who dedicated their lives in service to the evil Red Wizards. Following the betrayal ofSzass Tam(Ian Hanmore), most of the Thayans have been turned into undead servants of the Red Wizards, with the only known survivor being the noble paladin, Xenk (Regé-Jean Page)
The Half-Elves
As the name implies, half-elves are half-human half-elf, and as such inherit many of the traits from both sides of their parents. They have the capacity for empathy and other common emotions as humans do, yet also possess the enhanced senses and much longer lifespan that elf-kin possess. Many half-elves take a magical career path and become mages, sorcerers, and magicians, which happens to be the case forthe thieves' magic authority, Simon(Justice Smith). Simon possesses some pretty severe self-confidence issues, but through the help of his friends, he’s finally able to move past those apprehensions and become a more than adept magic wielder.
The Tieflings
Much like the half-elves are bred between a human and an elf, tieflings are most commonly the offspring of a human and a demonic entity. Most demons come from the lands known as the fiendish planes, which exist on the outer sides of theDungeons & Dragonsuniverse and function as the franchise’s own form of hell. Most tieflings don’t look all that dissimilar from humans, but the big distinction appears with each tiefling having two horns on their head. This appearance occasionally makes like quite difficult for tieflings, with many assuming that they’ve inherited the traits of their demon parents and are born evil. We see that isn’t the case, as the rebel tiefling Doric (Sophia Lillis) inHonor Among Thieves, selflessly fights to defend the wood elves who gave her a home.
The Hobgoblins
The fearsome hobgoblins are the relatives of the smaller goblins and the larger bugbears. Compared to their goblinkin cousins, hobgoblins have made a name for themselves as the most formidable of the bunch, being unparalleled in combat and easily the most intelligent of their relative races. One of the first races we see inHonor Among Thievesis a particularly naughty hobgoblin prisoner named Gorg (Spencer Wilding), and the career criminal takes a liking to his cellmate, Holga. That’s a decision he’d live to regret, and Holga brings the hobgoblin to his knees by breaking them.
The Yuan-ti
One of many reptilian races in the world ofDungeons & Dragons, the snake-like yuan-ti have some of the most interesting designs in the entire franchise. That’s partially because of how varied they are, with some appearing near identical to humans while others have the full body of a serpent. Many are also clearly inspired by real-life snakes, as some look closer to cobras and others closer to rattlesnakes. We briefly see one that looks like the former as a prisoner at Revel’s End, which can’t possibly be a comfortable location for a cold-blooded creature like a yuan-ti.
The Dragonborn
No, this is not the player character fromThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimbut instead is another reptilian race that is descended from the legendary titular draconoids. Though they may look like massive humanoid versions of their gargantuan ancestors, the dragonborn are just as intelligent and skilled as the rest of the races in the Forgotten Realms. Virtually all members of the race have natural armor with their scales and have the ability to breathe fire. Pretty much the only thing they didn’t inherit from the dragons are their wings, so they’re not big fliers. We get to see a remarkably cool dragonborn in the flesh with the educated Kriv Norixius, a member of the parole council when Edgin and Holga make their cases. Before Kriv can tell the two thieves that they’ve been pardoned, they’re already using Councilor Jarnathan (Clayton Grover) to escape.
The Aarakocra
The dragonborn may not be blessed with the gift of flight, but the same can’t be said for the avian aarakocra. The eagle people have grand wings that can take them to the skies of the Realms, with their beaks and talons also being quite useful in combat. Aarakocra typically side with the forces of good, and we see that as the case with the innocent Chancellor Jarnathan. Edgin and Holga seem weirdly anxious for Jarnathan to show up for the meeting, and once he finally arrives, the two grab a hold of the aarakocra, so they can use him as an impromptu glider and escape the prison.
The Wood Elves
The only pureblood elves that we meet inHonor Among Thievesare the noble wood elves. Named after the forests they live in, wood elves have a particularly strong attachment to nature and the creatures that inhabit it, willing to defend their homes and tenants at any cost. We see this in the film as they defend themselves from Lord Forge’s (Hugh Grant) soldiers, who are razing the forest for resources. Thankfully the wood elves have a powerful ally in Doric, who repays the elves for taking her in by fighting against their enemies.
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The Halflings
Though they’re not the same hobbits who cast the One Ring into the Fires of Mount Doom, Halflings are still an essential part of daily life in the Forgotten Realms. Due to their smaller size, you won’t find many halflings in the heat of battle, but they still find themselves being remarkably helpful in situations that require more brain than brawn. In what is by far the film’s most surprising cameo,Honor Among Thievesfeatures a halfling played by none other than Bradley Cooper, who plays Holga’s beloved ex-husband, Marlamin. Unfortunately for her, Marlamin has long since moved on from their relationship, but Holga does seem to take a liking to another halfling that she meets at the end of the film.
The Undead
When one hears the term “undead”, the things that typically come to mind are zombies, ghosts, specters, and so on. All of those concepts exist in some way or another in the world ofDungeons & Dragons, and we see a few other examples inHonor Among Thieves. The first form of undead that the group meets (as far as they know) iswhen they head to the Evermoors graveyardto figure out where the Helmet of Disjunction is. Using a deathly token, they temporarily revive various corpses to get some info, all of whom are courteous and even fairly friendly despite being rotting warrior corpses. The same can’t be said for the Thayan assassins that Sofina (Daisy Head) sends after the adventurers. They may be fiercely loyal thralls to the Red Wizards, but they’re still very intelligent and very hard to kill.
The Tabaxi
The last anthropomorphic race that we meet inHonor Among Thievesare the tabaxi, the feline jaguar people who primarily reside in the jungle climates of theDungeons & Dragonsworld. The tall feline race is best known for its impeccable athleticism, with their cat-like reflexes and biology making them ideal rogues, thieves, and assassins. We don’t see any tabaxi fill those roles inHonor Among Thieves, but we do see one concerned tabaxi parentseek the aid of Xenk, who saves their child from the mouth of a rather large fish.
The Dwarves
It may be a bit cliche, but the dwarven people of the Forgotten Realms of some of the strongest warriors and the most skilled craftsmen in all the land. Though they often deal with all races in the world, they typically prefer to keep to their own private enclaves where they can hone their secretive craft away from prying eyes. There are also many variants of the dwarven race, some kinder than others, with some of the most notorious being the gray dwarves of the Underdark (where our gangencounters a particularly pudgy dragon). We only see one kind of dwarf inHonor Among Thieves, and unfortunately for him, he meets a gruesome end at the hands of a hungry displacer beast.
Last but certainly not least, one of the most feared and powerful creatures in all the Realms are the gruesome lich - a particularly deadly form of the undead. Unlike thralls or other undead minions, lich are usually sorcerers who have traded their souls for eternal life, maintaining all their knowledge and sentience yet still walking the earth as a member of the living dead. We only get a taste of what these terrifying beings are capable ofwith the fearsome Szass Tam, and in the final battle with Sofina, she also reveals herself to be a living corpse before she’s dispatched by the heroic thieves.
