Races (Oblivion)

Race is a classification used to categorize beings with similar phenotypical traits. Some races are more similar than others, while some are vastly different. Each race falls into three different subcategories: human, mer, and betmer. Of all the races in, there are ten playable races open to the Hero of Kvatch, the game's protagonist. Most NPCs fall into one of these races. Dremora are abundant in Oblivion, although almost entirely hostile. Several extinct races are mentioned in Oblivion 's lore.

Comparisons with other games
There have been 10 playable races in every Elder Scrolls game except and, where Imperials and Orcs were not a playable race. Because Oblivion is partially set in the realms of Oblivion, more Dremora are encountered than in previous titles, where they are merely summoned by Conjuration magic. Oblivion is also the first title to depict female Dremora.

Impact on character creation
Upon selecting a race, certain bonuses and impediments are immediately counted toward the hero's attributes and skills. Mer, or elves, excel at magic and are more intelligent, while Nords, Redguards, and Orcs excel at combat-oriented abilities. Each race is better suited for a different class, although Oblivion allows for enough customization to make any race work with any class, depending on player preference. Baurus, in the Imperial City Sewers, offers his opinion of the player's class depending on their race and the skills used during the tutorial.

Playable races
Tamriel is the home of all the ten main races, each occupying a different portion of the continent. The races are:
 * Altmer (High Elf) - Summerset Isles
 * Argonian - Black Marsh
 * Bosmer (Wood Elf) - Valenwood
 * Breton - High Rock
 * Dunmer (Dark Elf) - Morrowind
 * Imperial - Cyrodiil
 * Khajiit - Elsweyr
 * Nord - Skyrim
 * Orsimer (Orc) - High Rock and Hammerfell
 * Redguard - Hammerfell
 * Order of Jellof - Half Elf - Morrowind and Summerset Isles

Race attribute modifiers

 * All attributes have a base of 30, except for luck, for which all races have 50

Non-playable races
Some of the races that inhabit the world of Nirn and Tamriel, but are not playable or included as NPCs in Oblivion are:
 * Aedra and Daedra – Not races per se, but they are divine beings beyond mortal classification.
 * Ayleid (Heartland High Elves/Wild Elves) – The predominant ancient race of Cyrodiil who have now been reduced to tribal primitives.
 * Imga (Ape-Men)
 * Maormer (Tropical Elf)
 * Sload – Slug-men who are skilled mages
 * Tsaesci
 * Hist
 * Dragons

Some of the ancient races of the Tamriel, most of whom have disappeared, include:
 * Chimer – The ancestors to the current Dunmer
 * Dwemer – An ancient elven race, incorrectly called Dwarves
 * Falmer (Snow Elf)
 * Nedes – Predecessors of the Nord, Imperials, and Bretons

Recognizing races
The race of most NPCs in Cyrodiil can be recognized by physical appearance. However, some NPCs, especially those of Breton or Imperial ancestry, are more difficult to distinguish. PC players can identify races using console commands: Enter the console by pressing tilde (~), click on the target NPC, and type: GetIsRace {RaceID} using one of the following RaceIDs below.