Metahumanity

Metahuman is varyingly used in the Shadowrun universe to describe either humans and the other metatypes as a single group, or to refer to elves, dwarves, orks and trolls as separate from Homo sapiens sapiens. Although the word metahuman is increasingly reclaimed in-universe for the former definition, this article deals with them primarily in the latter sense.

Metahumans are described as being subspecies of Homo sapiens who began emerging following the return of magic in 2011 and generally have been the targets of racism throughout their existence. In game terms, metahuman characters generally have abilities beyond those of normal humans, such as increased strength or agility, improved vision, etc.

Major Classifications in Metagenetics

Dwarves

There are currently six known variants of the Dwarven Metatype:

Gnomes: Central European Dwarf

Harumen: Dwarven variant from India with monkey-like appearance

Korobokuru: Japanese Dwarven variant

Menehune: Hawaiʻian Dwarf

Querx: Variant from Saxony in the Allied German States

Duende (Dour): Variant in 6th Edition in the Philippines, West Africa, and Peru