Racial Level / Racial Class

• As with class levels, each race caps at 15, 10, or 5.
• YGGDRASIL has about 700 races including higher races (420 in the Web novel).
• A character can switch races partway through, but this requires items and several other conditions, and there is no switching back. Examples: becoming an Elder Lich requires a "Book of the Dead," becoming an Imp a "Seed of Corruption," and becoming an Angel a "Wing of Ascension."
• Examples: Ainz's sheet at the end of Vol. 1 lists Skeleton Mage 15, Elder Lich 10, Overlord 5, and more; Demiurge is Imp 10 + Archdevil 5; Cocytus is Insect Warrior 10 + Vermin Lord 10.
• Dragons' racial levels seem to be divided only by age stage (Dragonling, Young, Adult, Old, Elder, and Ancient), with no racial level for a dragon type such as "Frost Dragon."
• Quagoa King Pe Riyuro is Quagoa 10 + Quagoa Lord 10; Shalltear is Vampire 10 + True Vampire 10.
• Common wisdom among players: taking more classes for their skills is more useful than raising racial levels for stats, hence "if you want a strong character, don't level your race"; classes with hard requirements also have high stat growth (Web setting)
• Heteromorphic races have very high stats but also penalties: they are barred from certain cities, face equipment restrictions, and killing them does not count as PK; backed by high stats, the special skills granted by racial levels (such as Ainz's [Despair Aura] and [Negative Energy Touch]) become even stronger
• Web novel: stat growth rates rank Heteromorphic > demi-human > Humanoid, at about 3, 2, and 1 per level in each one's best stat; taking a new racial class switches growth to the better rate
• In the game, Humanoids and demi-humans have lifespans and grow, while Heteromorphic races stop aging after a certain point (Vol. 8)
• Some Heteromorphic races can have multiple forms; a common approach is to accept penalties in a human or half-human form in exchange for bonuses in the full Heteromorphic form (Vol. 1)
• With a World Item, all 100 levels can be racial (author's Twitter); the system can also turn a player into a "boss," as the former Muspelheim World Champion did with a Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins drop

Notes

Sources note that the classification of Heteromorphic races (especially undead and insect types) relies heavily on editors' subjective guesses; the series itself does not spell out every lineage. Ainz's race is "Overlord," the top magic race of the skeleton line.

Related characters

• Ainz Ooal Gown
• Demiurge
• Cocytus
• Shalltear Bloodfallen
• Pe Riyuro
• Narberal Gamma

Same category

• Human / Demi-Human / Heteromorphic Species
• Human Species
• Demi-Human Species
• Heteromorphic Species