Height, Age, and Weight in DnD 5e: How 38 Races Stack Up

Last Updated on January 22, 2023

In this article, we’ll be going over height, age, and weight playable races in 5e.

We’ll discuss the few mechanics of this, how to roleplay age-appropriately, and anything silly that exists in 5e related to these topics. 

How Does Size Work in 5e?

Every creature and even object, has a size in D&D 5e that impacts the mechanics of 5e. For playable races, this is typically medium, although certain outliers do exist.

This means that most player characters are between 4 and 8 feet tall, along with a few other mechanics.

One of the main mechanic points of size is how much space a creature takes on the battlefield. For both medium and small creatures, this is one 5×5-foot square.

In the table below we show how much space a creature takes up.

Creature Size

Size	Space	Number of 5×5 foot squares
Tiny	2 ½ ft x 2 ½ ft.	½ of a square
Small	5 x 5 ft.	1 square
Medium	5 x 5 ft.	1 square
Large	10 x 10 ft.	4 squares
Huge	15 x 15 ft.	9 squares
Gargantuan	20 x 20 ft.	16 squares

Size can also affect how much a creature can lift and carry. Medium or small creatures can carry a number of pounds equal to 15 times their strength score and lift double that.

For each creature size larger than medium, you double that equation (meaning a gargantuan creature can lift 240 times their strength score).

This is important for playable races like the Goliath who are size medium but treated as size large when it comes to carrying capacity or lifting, pushing, and dragging items.

How Do I Calculate My Character’s Height and Weight?

Fifth edition D&D uses a simple formula to calculate the height and weight of most playable races. Each uses a base number and a random number.

For height, this is your Base Height + your Height Modifier (which is in inches). For weight, this is your Base Weight plus your Height Modifier multiplied by your Weight Modifier.

We’ll use humans as an example (which you can see below). Humans have a Base Height of 4’8”, a Height Modifier of 2d10, a Base Weight of 110 lb. and a weight modifier of 2d4. 

• Height = 4’8” + 11 (2d10) = 5’7”
• Weight = 110 lb. + (11(2d10) x 5(2d4)) = 165 lb.

This method is for coming up with a random weight, but anything within or near the range would be acceptable. 

Mechanically, the only way these can really affect your characters is when you end up in very specific traps or puzzles.

A small creature can generally do anything that a large creature can do, but it shouldn’t be able to easily reach a button that is 6 feet up a wall. 

Race	Base Height	Base Weight	Height Modifier	Weight Modifier	Average Height and Weight
Aarakocra	4’4″	90	1d6	1d6	4’8″ 106 lbs.
Bugbear	6’0″	110	2d10	2d4	7’1″ 291 lbs.
Centaur	6′	600	1d10	2d12	8’7″ 678 lbs.
Dragonborn	5′ 6″	175	2d8	2d6	6′ 3″ 238 lbs.
Dwarf, Hill	3′ 8″	115	2d4	2d6	4′ 1″ 150 lbs.
Dwarf, Mountain	4′ 0″	130	2d4	2d6	4′ 5″ 165 lbs.
Elf	54	90	2d10	1d4	5’4″ 119 lbs.
Elf, Drow	4’5″	75	2d6	1d6	5’0″ 103 lbs.
Elf, High	4′ 6″	90	2d10	1d4	5′ 5″ 123 lbs.
Elf, Shadar-kai	4’8″	90	2d8	1d4	5’5″ 133 lbs.
Elf, Wood	4’6″	100	2d10	1d4	5’5″ 133 lbs.
Firbolg	6′ 2″	175	2d12	2d6	7′ 3″ 266 lbs.
Giff	6′ 6″	400	2d8	2d8	7′ 3″, 517 lbs.
Githyanki	5’0″	100	2d12	2d4	6’1″ 165 lbs.
Githzerai	4’11”	90	2d12	1d4	6’0″ 129 lbs.
Gnoll	6’11”	276	1d6	2d4	7’3″, 296 lbs.
Gnome	2′ 11″	35	2d4	1	3′ 4″ 40 lbs.
Goliath	6′ 2″	200	2d10	2d6	7′ 1″ 277 lbs.
Grung	24	23	1d12	1	2’7″ 30 lbs.
Half-Elf	4′ 9″	110	2d8	2d4	5′ 6″ 155 lbs.
Half-Orc	4′ 10″	140	2d10	2d6	5′ 9″ 217 lbs.
Halfling	2’7″	35	2d4	1	3’0″ 40 lbs.
Halfling, Longshanks	4′ 2″ (50″)	80	2d8	1d6	4′ 11″ 116 lbs.
Human	4’8″	110	2d10	2d4	5’7″ 165 lbs.
Kenku	4′ 4″	50	2d8	1d6	5′ 1″ 86 lbs.
Kuo-toa	4′ 7″	110	3d6	2d4	5′ 6″ 165 lbs.
Leonin	6′ 6″	180	2d10	2d6	8’5″ 257 lbs.
Lizardfolk	4′ 9″	120	2d10	2d6	5′ 8″ 197 lbs.
Loxodon	6′ 5″	295	2d10	2d4	5′ 8″ 197 lbs.
Minotaur	5′ 4″	175	2d8	2d6	6′ 1″ 238 lbs.
Orc	5′ 4″	175	2d8	2d6	6′ 1″ 238 lbs.
Satyr	4′ 8″	100	2d8	2d4	5’5″ 145 lbs.
Tabaxi	4′ 8″	90	2d10	2d4	5′ 0″ 120 lbs.
Tiefling	4′ 9″	110	2d8	2d4	5′ 6″ 155 lbs.
Tortle	4′ 11″	415	1d12	2d4	5′ 6″ 350 lbs.
Vedalken	5′ 4″	110	2d10	2d4d	5′ 10″ 140 lbs.
Warforged	5’10”	270	2d6	4	6’5″ 298 lbs.
Yuan-ti	4′ 8″	110	2d10	2d4	5′ 7″ 165 lbs.

How Do I Determine the Age of My Character?

Each playable race has a general lifespan, and your age can be anything in that range.

Typically, a playable race will also specify the age at which most members reach maturity. It’s a good idea to have your character be “mature,” but it’s by no means necessary.

You might often see a race’s age section mention some sort of relation to human longevity.

A certain species might “age at the same rate as humans,” or they might “mature at the same rate as humans” but live much longer or shorter. In these cases, just refer to the Human’s stats on the table below.

5e Age Chart (in years)

Race	Adulthood	Longevity
Aarakocra	3	30
Bugbear	16	80
Centaur	Same as humans.
Dragonborn	15	80
Dwarf	50	350
Elf	100	750
Firbolg	30	500
Gith	Late teens	100
Gnome	40	350-500
Goliath	Same as humans.
Grung	1	50
Half-Elf	20	>180
Half-Orc	14	75
Halfling	20	150
Human	18	100
Kenku	12	60
Kuo-toa	7	50
Leonin	Same as humans.
Lizardfolk	14	60
Loxodon	60	450
Minotaur	Same as humans.
Orc	12	50
Satyr	Same as humans.
Tabaxi	Same as humans.
Tiefling	Same as humans, but live slightly longer.

*Before I leave you, I am once again here to say: Tortles should have the longest lifespans. At very least they should be on par with elves. WotC did this turtle-folk species injustice by making them a short-lived race.

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.