Race

Races are the highest level character differentiators in the roguelike genre; they define the major characteristics which differentiate all the characters, including attributes, skills and appearance. Usually the "races" would more correctly be defined as different "species" or even "types" (golems, for example, are neither a race nor a species, but a class of magically-powered artificial beings).

Most roguelikes use classic Tolkien races, like humans, elves, dwarves, trolls, etc. However, there is a growing tendency to explore different universes with a brand new stock of races. Certainly, non-fantasy themed roguelikes will generally require a different set.

The races offered in a game can provide setting flavor, offer different difficulty levels, or offer qualitatively different gaming experiences (although only a few exotic races actually fulfill this last function, the most challenging to achieve and have it work well).