Creature size determines how many squares it occupies, what weapons it can hold, etc. Creatures of size medium or smaller take up 1 square. Larger creatures can take up a 2x2 area or more, and may have extended reach. Medium tends to be the baseline for how the rules are written, and other sizes have special rules that modify them further.
Special rules for size
Creatures smaller or larger than Medium have special rules relating to position and attacking.
- Tiny: Four individual Tiny creatures can fit in a square, but a swarm of Tiny creatures might consist of hundreds, or even thousands, of them in a square. Most Tiny creatures can’t attack, and if they can, they can’t attack adjacent targets. They can attack only targets in the space they occupy. They can enter and end their turn in a larger creature’s space.
- Small: Small creatures occupy the same amount of space as Medium creatures. However, Small creatures cannot use two-handed weapons. If a one-handed weapon can be used two-handed for extra damage, a Small creature must use it two-handed and does not do extra damage.
- Large, Huge, and Gargantuan: Very large creatures take up more than 1 square. For example, an ogre takes up a space 2 squares by 2 squares. Most Large and larger creatures have melee reach greater than 1 square—that is, they can make melee attacks against creatures that aren’t adjacent to them. A creature’s basic body shape usually determines its reach—a Large ogre has a reach of 2, but a Large horse has a reach of 1.
| Size | Example | Space | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | Rat | 1/2* | 0 |
| Small | Goblin | 1 | 1 |
| Medium | Human | 1 | 1 |
| Large | Troll | 2 × 2 | 1–2 |
| Huge | Death titan | 3 × 3 | 2–3 |
| Gargantuan | Ancient dragon | 4 × 4 or larger | 3–4 |
Notes:
* Four individual Tiny creatures can fit in a square. More can fit if the creatures are a swarm.
Player race sizes
The following table lists the corresponding sizes of some of the main races available to playable characters.
| Race | Size |
|---|---|
| Bugbear | Medium* |
| Changeling | Medium |
| Dragonborn | Medium |
| Drow | Medium |
| Dwarf | Medium |
| Eladrin | Medium |
| Elf | Medium |
| Githyanki | Medium |
| Githzerai | Medium |
| Gnoll | Medium |
| Gnome | Small |
| Goblin | Small |
| Half-elf | Medium |
| Halfling | Small |
| Hobgoblin | Medium |
| Human | Medium |
| Kobold | Small |
| Minotaur | Medium* |
| Orc | Medium |
| Shadar-kai | Medium |
| Shifter | Medium |
| Tiefling | Medium |
| Warforged | Medium |
* Oversized ability allows use of weapons one size larger than the player as well as ones previously allowed.