Anything flies in a home game, up to the GM. In PFS they have their own rules, there's a list of them on the site, it will not load for my phone for some reason so hopefully can link it for you (if they don't I can once I get home)
This question depends entirely on your game master. Usually it is assumed that the seven races in the core book are open to all, but even that is world dependent. The continent our games take place on has no gnomes or half-orcs, but gains two non standard races of firbolg and ansvar. Talk to your GM.
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In home games...whatever the group decides...even custom races.
In PFS...
To create an dhampir, fetchling, goblin, ifrit, kitsune, nagaji, oread, sylph, undine, or wayang character, you must have a Chronicle sheet that opens the race as a legal option at character creation.
Note: Alternate racial traits, racial archetypes, racial evolutions, racial feats, and racial spells are only available for characters of the associated race. Racial equipment and magic items can be purchased and used by any race as long as the specific item permits it (for example, only halflings can purchase and use solidsmoke pipeweed).
The new alchemist discovery on page 44 is legal for play for characters of all races.Dwarves: all alternate racial traits, except craftsman and xenophobic, are legal for play; racial subtypes are legal for play; all favored class options except wizard are legal for play; all archetypes are legal for play. The Forgemaster's 3rd level Craft Magic Arms and Armor bonus feat is replaced with the Heavy Armor Proficiency feat. The Forgemaster's 5th level master smith ability is replaced with Skill Focus (Craft); all dwarven equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Elves: all alternate racial traits, except darkvision; all racial subtypes except arctic and dusk elves, are legal for play; all racial subtypes, favored class options, racial archetypes, elven special materials, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Gnomes: all alternate racial traits, racial subtypes, and favored class options are legal for play; all racial archetypes except experimental gunsmith are legal for play; all gnome equipment, feats, and spells are legal for play; all gnome magic items except amazing tools of manufacture are legal for play; Ring of craft magic may be used for Day Job checks.
Half-Elves: all alernate racial traits except drow-blooded and drow magic are legal for play; all racial subtypes except drow-descended are legal for play; all favored class options are legal for play; all racial archetypes except wild caller are legal for play. For the bonded witch archetype, energy siege shot is replaced with resounding shot (Advanced Player's Guide 238) at 10th level and arcane cannon is replaced with fire brand (Advanced Player's Guide 222) at 14th level under the bonded item weapon entry; all half-elven equipment, magic items, and spells are legal for play; all half-elven feats except Half-Drow Paragon are legal for play.
Half-Orcs: all alternate racial traits, racial subtypes, and favored class options are legal for play; all racial archetypes except blood god disciple and hateful rager are legal for play; all half-orc equipment is legal for play; all half-orc feats except Tenacious Survivor is legal for play; all half-orc magic items are legal for play; all half-orc spells except half-blood extraction are legal for play
Halflings: all alternate racial traits except Practicality are legal for play; all racial subtypes, favored class options, racial archetypes, orders, equipment, feats, and magic items are legal for play.
Humans: all alternate racial traits except heart of the fields and heroic are legal for play; all racial subtypes, except trailblazer, are legal for play; all favored class options, feats, equipment, and spells are legal for play; all racial archetypes and bloodlines except buccaneer and feral child are legal for play.In Chapter 2, nothing from the catfolk, drow, hobgoblins, kobolds, orcs, and ratfolk entries are currently legal for play.
Aasimars: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Dhampirs: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, magic items, and spells are legal for play; all dhampir feats except Blood Drinker, Blood Feaster, Blood Salvage, and Diverse Palate are legal for play.
Fetchling: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, archetypes except shadow caller, evolutions, equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Goblins: all alternate racial traits, goblin discoveries, favored class options, archetypes, equipment, feats, magic items, and spells except vomit twin are legal for play.
Ifrits: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Oreads: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Sylphs: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Tengus: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.
Tieflings: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play; all racial archetypes except Fiendish Vessel are legal for play.
Undines: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spells are legal for play.In Chapter 3, nothing from the changelings, duergar, gillmen, gripplis, merfolk, samsarans, strix, sulis, svirfneblin, vanaras, and vishkanyas entries are currently legal for play.
The rogue talents on page 193 are legal for play for characters of all races.Kitsune: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial feats, and magic items are legal for play.
Nagaji: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial feats, and magic items are legal for play.
Wayangs: all alternate racial traits, favored class options, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, magic items, and spell are legal for play.
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Short answer for PFS: all the core races (dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling, half-elf, half-orc, human) are always legal.
Aasimar, Teiflings, and Tengu are legal if you own a rulebook with the one you are playing of them in it (Bestiary, Advanced Race Guide, that sort of thing).
Dhampir, fetchling, goblin, ifrit, kitsune, nagaji, oread, sylph, undine, and wayang are only legal if you have what's called a 'boon' that lets you play one. Pretty much the only way to get a boon is at Cons or other similar special events.
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Sasha Simic, HERE is where you can post future questions about the Pathfinder Society. Be sure to read the FAQ and other links there.
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So I need to complete a mission which would then get me a chronicle sheet which would allow for me to play, drow, goblin etc?
Just to be clear on what a "race boon" Chronicle sheet is -- they aren't awarded for completing particular adventures (i.e., you don't get a boon allowing you to play a kitsune, for example, by playing PFS adventure #x). They are special Chronicles, which are usually given out at larger conventions and game-day events, as part of PFS's "prize support" for such events.
They're sometimes given out as, essentially, raffle prizes to PFS players at these events, and/or given to GMs at the events as thanks for running games. Even so, attending (or GMing) at a convention is still not a guarantee that you'll get a race boon -- there are other sorts of boon chronicles, as well, which give other in-game bonuses.
As Cold Napalm notes, drow are flat-out not allowed in PFS. There were a very small number of goblin boons given out at GenCon last year (to players who were at the "winning tables" in the big Race for the Runecarved Key event); it appears that this was a one-time award, and goblin boons are unlikely to be given out again.
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What's with people not liking the core races?
Elves: An ancient race that stays young basically forever. You can be playful, hedonistic and wise at the same time, or you can be a forlorn who is shunned by just about anyone, but strives through on pure will. I just read Queen of Thorns, and there are some great ideas for elves in that book.
Half-elves, Half-orcs: Play an outsider, a bastard or a mongrel. Play up or play down your dual-nature. Take advantage of the floating stat boost to make for an easily-realized concept. Half-elves have tons of great alternate race traits, and half-orcs get some of the best weapons in the game for free.
Gnomes: The most insane Pathfinders should apply here. Gnomes are hilarious if you play up how many new experiences they crave. Be a young gnome who is curious about every single thing, or be an older gnome who is valiantly fending off the bleaching by trying to find just one new experience every day. Gnomes of Golarion is a hilarious read as well.
Halflings: Brave, underestimated, and amazingly lucky. Check out the Advanced Race Guide for some really cool feats that can make you one of Desna's chosen. Frodo was one of these you know.
Dwarves: One of the best defensive races. The boost to constitution and to saves against spells and poison mean you are more likely to come out of an adventure than any other race. Special shout-out to the feat Steel Soul, which makes you really resistant to magic.
Not to mention that in PFS you can be a tiefling, aasimar or tengu without needing a convention boon. I just don't see the issue. No concept is so dependant on a specific race that you can't mould it otherwise.
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After nearly 20 years of different fantasy RPGs I think I can safely say I've played nearly every race/creature from Aasimar to Zombie and yet I still enjoy tossing on a fake beard and roleplaying a dirty dwarf. It's the people that are new to the game that always want to play something on the fringe. In fact, since my 2nd character ever was a goblin, and my 3rd a gargoyle, I guess I was that type of player once, too.
It's an interesting psychological phenomenon, for sure.
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Well I am relatively new, granted I understand just about everything as I've read through the rules and played quite a few games, even though like this I double check on the forums in case I'm wrong, but yeah I mean I have no problem with the core races, my two mains are a human sorcerer and half elf fighter. But I was thinking in my head like what I wanted to play a half giant fighter, would it be possible you know and then like a tree it expanded what about a drow rouge and stuff like that. I'm not complaining though, I've yet to reach high tier in IRL games, but thanks everyone. :)