Human

Humans are a species of highly intelligent primates, in the real world native to Earth, that often appear as a race in role-playing games that use race as a character type. Although the term human is typically lower case, in rpg settings (especially fantasy settings), the species are often known as Humans (with a capital H) or Men (for example in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth). In science fiction settings, they may be known as Terrans or Earthers (assuming that they are from the planet Earth).

Humans have a tremendous ability for speech and sound production, rivaled and exceeded only by certain birds. Human speech is complex, and is generally regarded as the most sophisticated language in the animal world, apart from perhaps whales and other complex systems poorly understood by humans. Like chimpanzees, humans are tool users. During humanity's Stone Age, humans developed new technologies at an extremely rapid pace, distinguishing them from other primates. Human exhibit a moderate amount of sexual dimorphism, less than the closely related chimpanzee and bonobo species, and considerably less than gorillas, the next most related primate. Humans have little body hair, probably an adaptation against parasites such as lice. Humans are born relatively undeveloped and helpless, experiencing a period of dependence sometimes referred to as the "fourth trimester" (a reference to the traditional division of pregnancy into three trimesters). Humans seemingly evolved in part as endurance hunters, capable of stalking game over the course of hours and days, and over long distances are able to keep pace even with exceptional runners such as wolves and horses.

Humans are the only known sapient species in the real world, and as such all fictional sapient species and races are derived in some respects from humans, with some differences. As such, humans in role-playing games generally fill a mundane, middle-of-the-road niche, being a template that other races diverge from in different directions. If they are considered special, it is often because of their diversity and versatility, since to exclude human populations from the real world (by skin colour or sexuality or gender, for example) can be seen as erasure of real people and excluding of potential players.

Although uncommon in fantasy rpgs, some fantasy stories in other media do not include humans. Some have suggested that fantasy worldbuilding in rpgs can be made fresher and more engaging by excluding humans in rpgs as well.