Playable Races

Players can choose from 7 races when making their character.

In general:

• The once human-only trait of a bonus 1st level feat is applied to all races.
• Racial ability bonuses/penalties do not exist. Characters will instead be given 4 attribute points to distribute shortly after entering the game world.
  • The maximum an ability can be after this distribution is 20.
  • You may only distribute 2 points into a single attribute during this distribution.

Human

Humans are the most adaptable of the player races. Skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, hair from black to blond, and facial hair from sparse to thick.

Skilled: Humans gain 4 extra skill points at character creation, and 1 additional skill point per level.

Dwarf

Dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment, their hard work, and their capacity for drinking ale. They stand just 4 to 4 and a half feet tall, but are broad and compactly built, almost as wide as they are tall. Dwarven skin varies from a deep tan to light brown, with varied hair of blacks, grays, or browns.

Hardiness: 5% Immunity vs. Fire and Cold

Darkvision: Dwarves are able to see in the dark.

Elf

Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old, and by human standards are slow to make friends and enemies - and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4 and a half to 5 and a half feet tall. They tend to be pale-skinned and dark-haired with deep green eyes. They have no facial or body hair, and possess unearthly grace.

Keen Senses: Elves make active Investigation and Perception checks automatically and with no movement penalties.

Low-Light Vision: Allows elves to see better than normal in the dark.

Gnome

Gnomes possess an uncanny talent for manipulating things delicate things with their hands and are able to enter a meditative trance when they need to focus. They stand between 3 to 3 and a half feet tall, with skin that ranges from dark tan to woody brown. Their hair is fair, and their eyes are often some shade of blue. Gnomes live between 350 to 500 years.

Lore regarding the existence of gnomes around Risenholm is typically more difficult to discover than the other races. There are traces of the people living among the settlements much in the way of halflings, but for the most part they appeared to number in the minority within a given population. It has been discovered that gnomes once lived in small villages among the lakelands, thriving despite the harsh environment and whispers of a monstrous fey presence always lurking nearby.

Fade Away: Gnomes have a natural affinity for illusions, and may use this ability to receive the effects of an Invisibility spell once per rest.

Halfling

Halflings are clever, capable and resourceful survivors. They are notoriously curious, and show a daring that many larger people cannot match. They have ruddy skin, hair that is black and straight, and brown or black eyes. Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and commonly live to 150 years or so.

Much of the unearthed history regarding the civilizations in and around the Suthwood indicate a healthy population of halflings among the various settlements. They were a hardy people who favored more rural environments and were prolific practitioners of horticulture, with many of the technologies that needed to be "rediscovered" being relics and artifacts of halfling size and make that were found in nearby ruins.

Halflings typically followed the naming style of the settlements they inhabited. For the most part they followed a first and surname structure, though occasionally there are references to halflings with a singular name among particularly rural and traditional communities. Example names: Alaric, Branton, Caldwell, Drogon, Oscar, Thomas, Olivia, Amelia, Charlotte, Gilly, Evelynn, Tasha.

Second Breakfast: Halflings may benefit from the effects of two foods at one time, with doubled duration. The durations of all food effects are refreshed upon further consumption.

Triton

Tritons are large, amphibious humanoids and rank as the tallest of the player races. They have smooth, silvery-blue skin, and hair that is a shade of blue or green. Their facial features are unusually varied compared to other races, and many possess horns of varying shapes and sizes. Their fingers and toes are often webbed, and many prefer to keep their hands and feet bare. Most live for around 200 years.

Amphibious: Tritons can breathe underwater without aid, and traverse water hazards without penalties to movespeed.

Low-Light Vision: Allows tritons to see better than normal in the dark.

Orc

Orcs are one of the largest of the playable races, averaging over 6 feet in height. While tritons are typically taller, orcs are generally heavier and more muscular in build. They are known for having powerful, bulky frame and possess an almost natural aptitude for battle.

Their hues of hair and skin vary even more widely than humans, and their features are often intruded upon by tusk-like teeth protruding from the jaw. Orcs live approximately 60 years.

Recently collected fragments of knowledge of the western plains has revealed a potential connection to the nomadic people who lived among the steppes. These tribes of orcs seemed to give services as guides to travelers seeking to cross the plains and offered fine silk native to the region in trade to nearby settlements - usually as luxurious garments or pieces of intricately woven fabrics to ward off The Sleeping Gods. While game and space was plentiful in the steppes, these tribes favored sportlike competition between khans to settle various disputes - some have claimed that the prophet Shentar originated or spent time with the tribes in life and helped shape this aspect of their culture.

Orcs typically received a single name when born, and would refer to the name of their tribe much like a surname. Examples: Arban, Batuhan, Dzhambul, Erden, Erhi, Muunokhoi, Nekhii, Sarnai, Taban, Timur, Yuul.

Powerful Build: Orcs have an additional capacity of +1 Dash.

Darkvision: Orcs are able to see in the dark.