Chapter 1: Character Creation

The Player’s Handbook describes a step-by-step process of character creation. When you create a character for a Ravnica campaign, you’ll go through the same steps, with the added step of choosing a guild.

Creating a character begins with imagining the person you want to play. The ten guilds of Ravnica provide a way to jump-start your imagination and steer you toward certain character archetypes that can guide the rest of the decisions you make for your character.

Choosing a Guild

Chapter 2 describes the ten guilds of Ravnica in detail. How do you decide what guild you want your character to belong to? You can choose one of these approaches:

• Look at the questionnaire, “What’s Important to Me?”, in this chapter. Let its questions and your choice of answers direct you to a guild that appeals to you or that sounds like a fun character to play.
• Read the guild descriptions in chapter 2 and choose one that appeals to you.
• Read the descriptions of races and classes in this chapter. Guild membership recommendations are provided for each race and class, should one catch your eye.
• If you have access to Magic: The Gathering cards from a Ravnica set, find a card that appeals to you and build that character.
• If you’re a Magic player and you already have a favorite guild, create a character from that guild.

To reflect your character’s membership in a guild, you can choose the background included in the guild’s description instead of a background from the Player’s Handbook or some other source. Also make a note of your contacts.

Guildless Characters

You can play a character who isn’t a member of a guild. Choose one of the character backgrounds in the Player’s Handbook or another source instead of one of the guild backgrounds in chapter 2. Your guildless character can be of any class, race, and alignment. At the DM’s option, you might have contacts within guilds, or the DM can invent contacts for you that aren’t associated with the guilds of Ravnica in any way.

If you want your character to join a guild at a later time, the same guidelines apply as if the person were changing guilds, as described in chapter 2.

Race and Class

Each guild description in chapter 2 provides suggested races and classes for characters belonging to that guild. Some races have strong traditions that direct them toward certain guilds, but exceptions exist. If you choose a class or a race that’s not typical for your guild, you might have trouble finding a role in the guild—or, more accurately, your superiors might have trouble figuring out what to do with you—but that challenge can be an interesting facet of your character’s development. An atypical choice can also motivate your character to adventure independently from the guild.

This chapter describes new races you can choose from: centaurs, goblins, loxodons, minotaurs, Simic hybrids, and vedalken. It also presents two new subclass options: the cleric’s Order Domain and the druid’s Circle of Spores. Every subclass in the Player’s Handbook also receives a mention in this chapter, indicating the guilds where characters of those subclasses might find a home.

Once you’ve chosen your race and class and recorded the benefits you get from them, you can proceed with the remaining steps of character creation as described in the Player’s Handbook.

Building a Party

It’s possible to put together a diverse party of D&D characters drawn from a single guild. The guild descriptions in chapter 2 offer suggestions for what such a party might look like. Conversely, your party can include members of different guilds united by alliances or common principles. Or they could be childhood friends who ended up in different guilds, or just a haphazard collection of individuals thrown together by unforeseen circumstances. The Party Makeup table in this section offers suggestions for how you might compose your party.

The tables of contacts in chapter 2 can also help you create connections among the characters in your party. Those tables describe family relationships, current and former romantic connections, random acquaintances, past rivals, and many other ties that form among people in different guilds. Let these tables inspire you as you think about the circumstances that bring your party together.

Although conflicts among the guilds drive much of the action in a Ravnica campaign, it’s important not to let that tension cause too much friction in a party of adventurers. The D&D game relies on cooperation among the players, so it’s helpful for the player characters to find common ground that unites them despite their differences in guild affiliation, ideals, and agendas. Even though some guild leaders (especially the villainous ones) might talk about exterminating or dominating other guilds, many guild members have family, lovers, friends, and acquaintances among other guilds. Those positive associations can bind an adventuring party together.

The DM can also use the Common Cause table in this section to find a way to bring together characters who don’t know or trust each other.

Party Makeup

Common Cause

Races

The people of Ravnica include members of many different races. Aside from humans, elves, and a smattering of half-elves, the races from the Player’s Handbook are unknown on Ravnica, unless they’re visiting from other worlds.

This chapter provides information about the following common races of Ravnica, as well as racial traits for all of them but humans and elves:

• Humans on Ravnica are like those found on other D&D worlds: adaptable, ambitious, and wildly diverse.
• Elves in their three common subraces, are strongly associated with nature.
• Centaurs the quintessential merging of human and horse, savor freedom and champion nature’s cause.
• Goblins are small, fierce, stealthy, and sometimes comical.
• Loxodons resemble humanoid elephants with powerful bodies, stoic natures, and serene wisdom.
• Minotaurs on Ravnica are sophisticated tacticians as well as strong and fierce warriors.
• Simic hybrid are the results of the Simic Combine’s Guardian Project, which magically infuses the adaptive qualities of certain animal species into human, elf, or vedalken volunteers.
• Vedalken are tall, blue-skinned, and ingenious, with insatiable curiosity and a penchant for invention.

Height and Weight

You can roll for your character’s height and weight on the Random Height and Weight table. See the Player’s Handbook for humans, elves, and half-elves.

Random Height and Weight

Height = Base Height + Height Modifier in inches

Weight = (Base Weight + Height Modifier in pounds) × Weight Modifier

Human

Humans are a scant majority among the peoples of Ravnica, dominating some guilds and barely represented in others. As on other worlds, they are innovators, achievers, and pioneers whose daring and adaptability make them capable of great things—and great falls.

Not one of the paruns of the ten guilds was human, although the Ghost Council of the Orzhov Syndicate is of human origin. Likewise, no current guildmaster is human. But humans are lieutenants, advisors, and strategists in many guilds. Their ambition and drive propel them toward the top, but the sheer might of beings such as ancient dragons, sphinxes, and demons keeps humans one rung down from the pinnacle of power.

The humans of Ravnica are no less physically diverse than those of other worlds. Similarly, they are varied in their inclinations: they alone are found in every guild.

Human Names

One particular human tongue has triumphed over all others to become Ravnica’s Common language, and its phonemes and traditions shape the names of most of Ravnica’s humans. Humans sometimes borrow names from other races, but they have a rich pool of traditional names to draw from.

The use of family names seems to be a peculiarly human custom. Family names are passed down to children from either parent, and sometimes children use the family names of both their parents. For example, Micyl Savod Zunich was the son of Fonn Zunich and Jarad Vod Savo. When other races use family names, they are usually derived from some connection (not necessarily a blood tie) to a human family.

• Male Human Names: Agmand, Agosto, Bell, Brev, Dars, Dobromir, Dravin, Evern, Gorev, Ivos, Janik, Juri, Lannos, Lucian, Micas, Nikos, Obez, Olrik, Osidar, Rogad, Sergiu, Sirislav, Tibor, Trigori, Tzaric, Uzric, Valen, Vennick, Vict, Vorimir, Vuliev, Zunak
• Female Human Names: Anksa, Aszala, Berta, Bori, Briska, Dahlya, Geetra, Izolda, Jozica, Lavinia, Luda, Lyzolda, Milana, Miotri, Nefara, Palla, Pel, Ruba, Strava, Sulli, Vina, Voka, Zija
• Family Names: Andon, Bara, Bejiri, Borca, Capobar, Forenzad, Gerava, Gharti, Golozar, Gostok, Grezar, Helsk, Javya, Karlaus, Kirescu, Koba, Kos, Macav, Migellic, Nar, Nodov, Pelerine, Pijha, Ralinu, Ringor, Rokiric, Sarv, Shonn, Suszat, Tandris, Trul, Tylver, Valenco, Vay, Vinloskarga, Wenslauv, Yaszen

Elf

The elves of Ravnica are as much at home in the markets of Ivy Lane and the inns of Oak Street as their kin on other worlds are in ancient forests and fey castles. They scale the spires of cathedrals and meditate in gardens and greenbelts. They are part of the city, contributing to its vibrant life and sprawling growth while ensuring it never strays too far from its roots in the earth.

Elves are associated with the principles and magic of nature, growth, and stability. Striving to live in harmony with both nature and the community of Ravnica, they are drawn to guilds that share those ideals, particularly Selesnya, Golgari, and Simic. The Gruul Clans revere nature but set themselves in opposition to civilization, so they don’t hold much appeal for the typical elf.

Ravnica’s elves don’t share the unearthly, haunting presence of their kin on other worlds, perhaps because of the extent to which the city has rubbed off on them. They can easily be mistaken for human from certain angles, particularly if their long, pointed ears and their delicate facial features aren’t apparent.

Elf Subraces

As on other D&D worlds, Ravnica’s elves can be categorized as high elves, wood elves, and dark elves, though there is little physical difference among the three subraces here. Elves share the traits described in the Player’s Handbook for their race and subrace.

High Elves

The high elves of Ravnica have been subsumed into the Simic Combine and have lost their original tribal name. They are more slender than other elves, and they tend to have angular features and pale skin that often verges toward greenish hues.

Wood Elves

The wood elves of Ravnica, called the Silhana, are strongly associated with the Selesnya Conclave. Most guildless elves can also trace their ancestry to the Silhana. Their coloration covers the whole human range, and sometimes extends to green- or copper-colored hair.

Dark Elves

The word “drow” isn’t used on Ravnica, but the Devkarin elves are sometimes called the elves of shadow. They are closely connected to the Golgari Swarm, and because they generally live underground, they share other dark elves' sensitivity to sunlight. Unlike the drow of other worlds, their coloration is much the same as that of wood elves, though their hair is usually dark brown or black.

Elf Names

If the tradition of using child names for young elves, as described in the Player’s Handbook{@i }, was ever practiced on Ravnica, it has long since died out. Some traditional Elvish names remain in use, often modified by the influence of human names. Most elves don’t use family names.

• Male Names: Alcarus, Aramin, Beryan, Carric, Ezoc, Gurras, Immeral, Jarad, Laucian, Mihas, Mandor, Molander, Peren, Suniel, Theren, Varis
• Female Names: Arin, Bethrynna, Cevraya, Dainya, Drusilia, Elga, Emmara, Fonn, Ielenya, Iveta, Karissa, Kirce, Meriele, Nayine, Niszka, Svania, Veszka, Yeva

Centaur

See the Centaur entry in the races page.

Goblin

See the Goblin entry in the races page.

Loxodon

See the Loxodon entry in the races page.

Minotaur

See the Minotaur entry in the races page.

Simic Hybrid

See the Simic Hybrid entry in the races page.

Vedalken

See the Vedalken entry in the races page.

Classes by Guild

Your character can have any class that appears in the Player’s Handbook (or other sources, with your DM’s permission). Certain classes and subclasses are especially appropriate for particular guilds, reflecting the traditions and training of those guilds. This section can help you choose a guild if you already know what class you want to play.

Barbarian

If you want to play a barbarian, your most likely guild home is the Gruul Clans, but you could also put your rage to work in the wild spectacles of the Cult of Rakdos.

Gruul barbarians of the Zhur-Taa clan often choose the path of the Totem Warrior and a boar totem spirit. The effects are the same as for a bear spirit.

Barbarian

Bard

In Ravnica, bards are commonly found among the Azorius Senate, the Cult of Rakdos, and the Selesnya Conclave, serving in a variety of capacities as lore keepers and entertainers.

Bard

Cleric

Though the worship of gods isn’t widespread in Ravnica, clerics dedicated to more abstract principles do exist, primarily within the Azorius Senate, the Boros Legion, the Gruul Clans, the Orzhov Syndicate, and the Selesnya Conclave. They most often use their guild insignia as holy symbols.

Cleric

Druid

Druid characters are typically associated with the Golgari Swarm, the Gruul Clans, the Selesnya Conclave, and the Simic Combine. Druid circles do not cross guild boundaries; the fact that a Golgari druid and a Selesnya druid both belong to the Circle of the Land does not necessarily create common ground between them.

Druid

Fighter

Fighters are common in almost every guild, with Dimir as the notable exception. In a world where constant tension among the guilds often blooms into physical violence, fighters are the core of most guilds' defenses.

Fighter

Monk

Unarmed fighting styles like those practiced by monks are uncommon on Ravnica, but a few guilds—House Dimir, the Selesnya Conclave, and the Simic Combine—do have contemplative traditions that include channeling magic in the form of ki.

Monk

Paladin

The loyalty of a paladin is appreciated most by those guilds that value oaths of service, namely the Azorius Senate, the Boros Legion, and the Selesnya Conclave.

Paladin

*Appears in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Ranger

Standing as a bastion between civilization and the wilderness, Boros rangers scout the rubblebelts and other wild areas of Ravnica. Gruul rangers serve a similar role, though they are focused on protecting their clans from the encroachment of civilized forces such as the Boros. Selesnya and Golgari rangers are focused on protecting their communities.

Ranger

Rogue

Rogues are most at home in House Dimir, the Golgari Swarm, and the Orzhov Syndicate.

Rogue

*Appears in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Sorcerer

Ravnica’s sorcerers usually attribute their magical power not to bloodlines or cosmic forces, but to laboratory experiments—often ones gone awry. Thus, they are most often found among the Izzet.

Niv-Mizzet, the guildmaster of the Izzet, is a dragon. Sorcerers who gain their elemental powers from laboratory incidents often claim that they have been infused with some of Niv-Mizzet’s power.

Sorcerer

Warlock

In a handful of guilds, service to a powerful individual is common among warlocks. Warlocks are most often found in the Cult of Rakdos and the Selesnya Conclave.

Members of any guild who delve too deeply into forbidden secrets—perhaps at the behest of their guilds' leaders, or sometimes in defiance of them—might unearth lore regarding the “old gods” of Ravnica. These mysterious beings, called the Nephilim, grant warlocks the mysterious and maddening powers of the Great Old One.

Warlock

Wizard

Almost every guild has wizards. Noteworthy exceptions include the Gruul Clans, the Cult of Rakdos, and the Selesnya Conclave, which are built around devotion to ancient ways and powerful beings.

Wizard

Subclass Options

Two classes receive subclass options in this section: the cleric and the druid.

At 1st level, a cleric chooses a Divine Domain. This source adds the cleric to the options available to the cleric making that choice.

At 2nd level, a druid chooses a Druid Circle. This source adds the druid to the options available to the druid making that choice.