Character Races

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One of the many great reasons for fantasy role-playing is the opportunity to pretend to be someone very different from us. When choosing a race, one should be prepared to step outside their own experiences to portray characters of different races. It is also important to remember that each of the presented races are as rich and diverse as real-world humans and should not be portrayed with sweeping stereotypes. There are strong and weak, wise and foolish, and good and evil members of each race.

From a game mechanic perspective, each of the races have racial traits that can help or hinder the character. When selecting a race, make note of these racial traits on your character sheet. It should be assumed that your character will be a young adult member of the selected race, which best explains starting at level 1. If you are interested in playing an older character you should discuss this with your Gamemaster before play starts. It is also important to remember that race and culture, while often linked, are two different things. Below are racial characteristics with some cultural influences. Greater cultural information should be available in the campaign guide provided by your Gamemaster.

Character Height and base attributes

In each racial physical description, you will be prompted to roll to determine your character’s height. In Adventure’s Edge, a character’s height determines their pace modifier, base Strength and base Dexterity. There is a spot on the front page of the sheet to fill these numbers in. All the remaining stats (constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma) have a base value of 10.

All six numbers will be further modified in Step 5.

On "half" species and the issues of race

In the world of Tellus, all of the races from a taxonomic perspective are completely unique species. While there is incredible biodiversity in the world, and existing creatures do continue to evolve, every creature was created and not originally evolved, including all the sapient peoples. The important point of this is, each race can only procreate with their own kind - there are no "half elves" or "half dwarves" or half anything. This certainly doesn't prevent members of different races from falling in love and have relations, they simply cannot procreate.

In our real world, the idea of race is a flawed social construct to group members of humanity. In this fantasy world, no such sub-groupings on a social level exist - if there are multiple kinds of elves for example, it is because they were created that way, and they are truly biologically different. This author has opted to use the term race to group all of the unique peoples of the world in lieu of using scientific or technical terms such as species, or heritage or ancestry.

Table: Racial Heights
Roll d20	Cro Heights	Dwarf Heights	Elf Heights	Fairie Heights	Ferresti Heights	Gnoll Heights	Goblin Heights	Human Heights	Kobold Heights	Merfolk Heights	Ottrali Heights	Troll Heights
1	4' 1"	3' 1"	Roll 1d6 and subtract rom 5' 6"	10"	5' 5"	Roll 1d6 and subtract from 6' 6"	3' 1"	Roll 1d6 and subtract from 4' 7"	3' 8"	5' 0"	4' 5"	6' 5"
2	4' 2"	3' 2"	5' 6"	10"	5' 6"	6' 6"	3' 2"	4' 7"	3' 8"	5' 0"	4' 6"	6' 6"
3	4' 3"	3' 3"	5' 6"	10"	5' 6"	6' 6"	3' 2"	4' 8"	3' 9"	5' 1"	4' 6"	6' 6"
4	4' 4"	3' 4"	5' 7"	10"	5' 7"	6' 7"	3' 3"	4' 9"	3' 9"	5' 1"	4' 7"	6' 7"
5	4' 5"	3' 5"	5' 7"	11"	5' 7"	6' 7"	3' 3"	5'	3' 10"	5' 2"	4' 7"	6' 7"
6	4' 6"	3' 6"	5' 8"	11"	5' 8"	6' 8"	3' 4"	5' 1"	3' 10"	5' 2"	4' 8"	6' 8"
7	4' 7"	3' 7"	5' 8"	11"	5' 8"	6' 8"	3' 4"	5' 2"	3' 11"	5' 3"	4' 8"	6' 8"
8	4' 8"	3' 8"	5' 8"	11"	5' 8"	6' 9"	3' 5"	5' 3"	3' 11"	5' 3"	4' 9"	6' 9"
9	4' 9"	3' 9"	5' 8"	12"	5' 9"	6' 9"	3' 5"	5' 4"	4'	5' 4"	4' 9"	6' 9"
10	5' 0"	4' 0"	5' 8"	12"	5' 9"	7' 0"	3' 6"	5' 5"	4'	5' 5"	5' 0"	6' 10"
11	5' 1"	4' 1"	5' 8"	12"	5' 10"	7' 0"	3' 6"	5' 6"	4' 1"	5' 5"	5' 0"	6' 10"
12	5' 2"	4' 2"	5' 9"	12"	5' 10"	7' 1"	3' 7"	5' 7"	4' 1"	5' 7"	5' 1"	6' 11"
13	5' 3"	4' 3"	5' 9"	13"	5' 11"	7' 1"	3' 7"	5' 8"	4' 2"	5' 6"	5' 1"	6' 11"
14	5' 4"	4' 4"	5' 9"	13"	5' 11"	7' 2"	3' 8"	5' 9"	4' 2"	5' 6"	5' 2"	7' 0"
15	5' 5"	4' 5"	5' 9"	13"	6'	7' 2"	3' 8"	5' 10"	4' 3"	5' 7"	5' 2"	7' 0"
16	5' 6"	4' 6"	5' 9"	13"	6'	7' 3"	3' 9"	5' 11"	4' 3"	5' 7"	5' 3"	7' 1"
17	5' 7"	4' 7"	5' 9"	14"	6' 1"	7' 3"	3' 9"	6'	4' 4"	5' 8"	5' 3"	7' 1"
18	5' 8"	4' 8"	5' 10"	14"	6' 1"	7' 4"	3' 10"	6' 1"	4' 4"	5' 8"	5' 4"	7' 2"
19	5' 9"	4' 9"	5' 11"	14"	6' 2"	7' 4"	3' 10"	6' 2"	4' 5"	5' 8"	5' 4"	7' 2"
20	5' 10"	4' 10"	6' 0"	14"	6' 3"	Roll 1d6 and add to 7' 4"	3' 11"	Roll 1d6 and add to 6' 2"	4' 5"	5' 8"	5' 5"	Roll 1d6 and add to 7'2"

Cro

Biology

Cro are humanoid in shape with the head of a crow; they have a long, heavy straight bill and side-facing eyes which come in shades of blue, brown, and black. Their torso, shoulders, arms, and head are covered in a lush layer of glossy feathers, while a cro’s hands are like its feet, covered in a scaly grey, brown or black skin with three talon-like fingers and a fourth opposable one. Their legs are thick and tapering to their knees, where their thinner skin and feathers transition back to scaly skin. They are digitigrade, and their feet have three large front facing talons and a fourth smaller one on the back. Sprouting from a powerful muscle group behind their shoulders are a pair of segmented wings which are nearly as wide as its torso.

A typical cro stands five feet tall and has a fifteen-foot wingspan. Their plumage is predominantly black or a deep rich indigo, but they also occasionally have a mix of pure white feathers. Very rare cro are born completely white, and these cro are often considered divinely touched and many eventually become healers and priests. Cro as a species are monomorphic, meaning it is very difficult to differentiate males and females. They share all of the same physical characteristics. The best indicator is in conversation, as males generally have deeper voices with a harsher pitch, but even this isn't a guaranteed differentiator.

Cro have a much lighter bone structure than most other humanoids which enables them to fly. It still takes a great deal of effort, and unlike birds, a cro spends more time walking then flying. From a physical effort comparison, flying is a moderate activity.

There is another important aberration to note about cro. One in a four cro are born without wings. These cro, referred to as kukro, otherwise look identical to other cro, but physiologically they have denser bones, so for the same height they will weigh more and be physically sturdier.

Society

It is difficult to separate cro race from their culture; certainly, there are cro raised outside of cro society that could be very different, but these cro will be rare. Cro are an insular race, and most often build their cities in high places in mountainous regions or platform style cities in forests with very tall trees. Cro may also take over abandoned ruins, establishing their roosts in towers or other spires.

Cro are known for their intelligence and curiosity. They are sometimes described as quarrelsome, particularly when it comes to disagreements over personal space or property. They can also be playful, and enjoy music, song, plays and strong drink, not necessarily in that order.

Most cro are spiritual, and either worship or at least are reverent to gods of the sky or elemental lords of air. They also practice ancestor worship and partake in complex burial rituals that typically culminate in pyric cremation and subsequent release of the deceased ashes into air currents as high as they can fly.

Cro society is caste based, with the levels of opportunity divided by cro and kukro. Cro can be leaders, merchants, administrators, military officers or samurai, and even certain craftsmen. Cro samurai are known for practicing a special code of honor called The Way of the Wing, which codifies the correct way to act in all situations.

Kukro are relegated to the labor and warrior professions with two notable exceptions. Kukro can be certain craftsmen, particularly smiths. Kukro are better suited for working at forges, with their stronger bodies and lack of wings being an asset. Kukro smiths are renowned for their forging techniques and make some of the finest swords available.

Certain kukro with unique qualifications are also recruited into secret schools for assassins. It is believed that the cro invented the idea behind ninja schools to produce warriors trained in the arts of infiltration, assassination, stealth, and the use of poisons.

Racial Traits

Size: Cro are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Low-Light Vision: Cro have low-light vision. Details on how low-light vision functions can be found in the Section 5.

Cro (not kukro): Limited flight. Cro can fly at their base rate and can glide down at twice their speed. Flying is a strenuous activity for tracking endurance. A cro can only wear light armor when flying and can carry up to medium loads. Winged cro have lighter bones and are vulnerable to crushing damage. When hit by crushing weapons, impacts, or damaging falls, they always take an additional 50% damage.

Physical attacks: Cro engaged in close quarters combat can make bite attacks with their beak using their Dexterity attack. Treat this as a medium bite attack. A flying cro, or a jumping kukro, can also attack with the talons on their feet. Treat their talons as a single medium claw attack.

I’m playing a cro, what do I need to know about them?

Cro are not native to Galtia, and those that do live in Galtia are first- or second-generation migrants from Persea. There are no cro cities or towns, but there are small migrant communities in a few of the large human cities such as Kingsbridge. Immediately, this makes cro outsiders nearly everywhere they go. Due to their overall rarity, a cro travelling the land will attract attention, suspicion, and curiosity.  Cro speak fast and often have a different perspective on the world as one of the few races able to fly. Their native tongue is as complex as any of the other races but is given to higher pitched sounds interspersed with squawks - well suited for communicating in flight. Non-cro find conversations with cro confusing because they never look at other speakers directly - their head is always turned to one side or the other, and the angle of their cocked head indicates acknowledgement, approval, or disapproval. 

Cro are also not wanderers by nature. If you are adventuring, you left your high aeries for a reason-curiosity, duty, or possibly exile. Cro culture values observation and perspective, and most Cro are raised to watch the world before acting within it. You come from a caste-based society where roles matter, even if you personally reject them, and that upbringing still shapes how you view authority and obligation.

Playing a Cro often means embracing restraint rather than impulsiveness. You may be quiet where others are loud, cautious where others rush forward, and decisive only when the moment is right. Flight is not about dominance-it is about control, positioning, and survival. Cro characters tend to feel like outsiders not because they are unwelcome, but because they choose distance. When you do engage, it is usually with intent and clarity.

Dwarves

Biology

Dwarves are the shortest of the natural races, with an average adult height of four feet, and a very tall dwarf making it to five. Their arms and legs are disproportionately short when compared to the taller races, with slightly large heads for their frames. They are long-lived and like most of the humanoid races reach adulthood by twenty, but from there they age gracefully and frequently live to one hundred fifty years. Some accounts tell of Dwarves who lived to be two hundred, but these are very rare events.

People of the earth, Dwarven skin tones come in diverse shades of brown, from light tan to rich loam, generally with black or brown hair, along with very rare cases of silver or white gold.

Society

If one had but a single word to describe the dwarves, it would have to be “builders”. Dwarves of all walks of life are inclined to make things, and everything they make has an element of beauty to it. A dwarf cannot be content to make a simple shovel without carving decorations on the shaft, their carts are beautifully painted, and their clothes are adorned with patterns.

Dwarves are renowned for their skill in building and manufacturing, as well for their amazing inventions. They also build distinctive structures, favoring squat stone buildings and sprawling family homes with enclosed gardens close to the ground. Dwarven cities rarely have towers other than for defense, and while they have frequently built atop hills or terraced on the sides of mountains, they find comfort walking on the ground. Even their homes will invariable have fitted stone floors instead of wooden planks wherever possible.

Dwarven culture is often as warm and inviting as the hearths and forges that burn brightly in their stone halls. They are a people who relish in food and song and particularly in drink.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Dwarves average 4’ tall and 100 lbs. Typical dwarves mature at age 20 and live to be 300 years old.

Crafty: Dwarves are known for all kinds of crafting, and every dwarf starts with 1 rank and 1 proficiency in Crafting.

Earth Sense: Dwarves feel a deep connection to the land and prefer their feet to be on solid ground. A dwarf touching the earth can sense movement and vibrations around him within 50’. A dwarf gains +1 Edge on perception checks to detect such movement.

Lucky: Perhaps due to their unusual connection to the land itself, dwarfs are naturally lucky and gain +2 to their starting Luck stat.

Night Vision: In times long-past dwarves lived beneath the mountains, and stories tell of those who could see in the dark. True or not, dwarves have long lived on the surface of Tellus, but they still have better vision than most at night. Details on how Night vision functions can be found in the Chapter 5.

Rooted: As a reaction, any dwarf with its feet on solid ground (earth or natural stone) can immediately bond with the land to avoid being moved or knocked over. They gain +5 to their defense score versus trips or any type of reposition attack but cannot move until the start of their next turn.

I’m playing a dwarf, what do I need to know about them?

You like to make things. Or grow things. Or both. Dwarves are native to Galtia, specifically northern Galtia. Tobris created the Dwarves a bit over 6,000 years ago in “THE FIRST HALLS”, a quasi-mythical place that every dwarf, 100%, believes is real, and none of you have seen it.

The Dwarven people are from the mountains. They built vast cities below the earth using gifts of Tobris to grow food, and mine, and craft. Your hearths burned bright with drops of elemental fire, the lightless lakes provided fish, and the magic “Sunstones'' illuminated your homes and growing halls. You discovered the secrets of mithril and magic, you laughed and sang, and believed the world was yours for thousands of years. And then the orcs came.

The orcs came from distant tunnels below and the first meeting did not go well. Orcs are takers and they very quickly desired what the Dwarves had. The Dwarven people never knew war. Yes, dangers lurked below, monsters prowled the darkened halls and the deepest lakes, and the Dwarves could handle their own. But they weren’t ready for the onslaught of the Orcs. They came by the thousands. It is a bloody history, and there are many books about it, such as “The Exodus”. About 2,000 years ago the Dwarves left their homeland, and everything they knew, and came into the sunlit world. They met the elves and displaced the giants and rebuilt their lives and culture from scratch. They founded three kingdoms and slowly spread out and recovered from their losses.

Dwarves were always makers, but the new world changed them. They perfected weapons of war and pushed themselves to create even deadlier gadgets, all the while building a society of hope for the future. Determined to never be displaced again, for centuries they spoke of reclaiming their lost lands. But then one day, the last dwarf born below died, and the lost land became stories. Now the Dwarves sing and build again, easily fending off any orc encroachment, which if one thing remains, is the hatred for orcs burned into them.

When the humans arrived on the eastern shores, the Dwarves were naturally wary. A lot has happened since then. The humans came, a deal was made, and they settled in the western lands of Galtia, where the Dwarves had explored but only sparsely settled. Perhaps if they had known just how many humans would come, or how prolific they would breed, they might not have been as friendly. It’s been over three hundred years now. The humans have their own western kingdom, the Dwarves have their eastern kingdoms, and there is peace. Many Dwarves have intermingled with the humans, which of course, includes your family, which came here a generation ago for reasons of their own. Growing up in Westerness has meant growing up in predominantly human land, but there are some Dwarven settlements such as the village of Whistle.

The important thing, this is your home. These are your people. You may live far longer than those that you call friends, but it doesn’t change how you feel about them.

Elves

Biology

True creatures of nature, elves are universally slender, averaging 5 1/2 feet tall. They are a long-lived race, with a typical lifespan of two hundred years. Elves have a wide range of skin tones taken from the forest itself, from woodland browns, white birch, or leaf greens. Most elves are incapable of growing facial hair but frequently have long locks of hair in colors that accent their skin tones.

Elves are tied to the world like none other, and it is this bond that contributes to their longevity. Elves are born with a bond to their creator Sylvare, the Sacred Tree and Earth Mother. This bond ties them to the land, and more specifically to the forests of the world. If an elf is near a tree, they can concentrate and “feel” the pulsing life of the world through a vast network of connected roots which lead back to great tree.

This connectedness allows them to sense the presence of all of their kindred, and with concentration they can determine the direction and distance to the nearest elves who are in close proximity to other trees, along with a collective feeling of their emotions. While it is not possible to pinpoint any single elf’s feelings, if a great many were experiencing joy, sorrow or fear, an elf could sense that. This feeling of connectedness is the primary motivation for them to build their villages and cities within the forests, and to be reluctant to spend long periods of time away from them.

Elves do not sleep like other races and instead spend at least four hours a night in a meditational trance communing with nature. While in their trance, elves lack awareness of their surrounding and can be difficult to awaken.

Elven personalities are as diverse as any other race, although most are detached from the younger races and live their lives tending to the forests and protecting nature. They see the encroachment of developing nations as a threat to the natural order of things. Others though are intrigued by the newcomers, and choose to live among them, still surrounding themselves with nature as much as possible, never living far from trees, even in urban environments.

Society

Elves are creatures of joy and song, and they enjoy a rich and vibrant life in their arboreal cities. Highly protective of their forests, they see any encroachment on their territories as a threat to their people and will defend their territory with ferocity. Natural hunters, they move through the trees with silent speed, and many are proficient with short bows, ready to rain deadly arrows against aggressors.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Elves average 5 1/2’ tall and 125 lbs. Typical elves mature at age 20 and live to be 200 years old.

Elven Connectedness: Elves can commune with trees through touch, and they sense the location of other elves within fifty miles. They can also determine the time of day, major weather changes impacting forests within one-hundred miles, along with significant impacts to the health of the forest they are in, such as forest fires, logging, or spreading disease.

Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects (spells with the Sleep attribute) and gain a +5 Intelligence against spells that charm or cause sleep.

Natural Climbers: Elves always gain an Edge when climbing trees or other foliage, and they can move at ¾ speed instead of ½.

Night Vision: Elves have Night vision. Details on how night vision functions can be found in the Section 5.

Elven Trance: When in their nightly trance, Elves lose an additional Edge on any perception/awareness checks to notice anything around them or to be awakened unless they are harmed.

I’m playing an elf, what do I need to know about them?

Elves are an ancient race, and the longest lived of the mortal races. Generations of humans come and go in their lifetimes. This leads to a feeling of detachment, as it must, because any non-elf will age and die, as will their children, and possibly their children’s children in one elf's lifetime.

Elves are creatures of magic, with a powerful bond to nature, specifically trees, and even more specifically The One Tree, the Godtree, Sylvarel. Only elves can truly understand the interconnectedness of nature and the world the way they do. Dwarves may have a profound connection to physical earth, but that connection is purely elemental compared to an elf's connection to Sylvarel. They can reach out and feel each other’s lives through this vast network, which is why elves will always prefer to be close to forests or wooded areas.

Elves build their settlements in the trees, intertwined with nature instead of laying claim to it. They are harsh judges of the way other races treat nature as a resource to be exploited and are not above intervening in situations where the offense against nature is too egregious.

Elven culture is insular by nature, and they keep their songs and secrets close, and the places where they live closed off. Those who stray too far into elven territory may only get a single warning shot, and those that ignore the red fletching may not live to see the next.

Speaking of secrets, there was a secret, a very dark secret, that came to light twenty years ago when a massive fleet of elven ships and gnoll mercenaries landed on the western shore of The Duchy of Gilmore. The following events will be detailed elsewhere, but when the war was over and the plague died off, the Kingdom of Westerness had questions and would not take a red fletching for an answer. That is how the people of Galtia learned about the Unrooted.

It is a story every elf knows, and it is their greatest shame. Five hundred years ago there was a schism, and a group of elves became dissatisfied with the Queen’s rule; it started with a college of wizardry unlocking ancient arcane secrets, and a sudden insatiable thirst for power that led to a calamitous experiment. This group of wizards tried to utilize their connection to The One Tree to draw forth the power of creation itself, and Sylvarel responded by severing their bond to the tree in a massive arcane backlash. It is said that everyone in the city was severed, whether or not they played a direct part in the experiment, and the city itself was struck down. Only one of the Unrooted, as they were soon called, could possibly explain the trauma of being cut off the way that they were. It is said that they pleaded their case before the Queen, but there was nothing she could do; they had disobeyed her decrees, and their disloyalty, failure, and curse was theirs to bear. And so, they left. They built ships and sailed west, not to be seen again for a thousand years. The elves do not fully know why the Unrooted returned. They know more than non-elves, and some have suspicions, but the common knowledge is that the Unrooted wizards tried “something” at the World Pillar, and whatever it was, much the way that they were originally severed, there was a backlash that killed everyone and everything within a hundred miles. No one knows the actual death toll - conservative numbers put it at two-hundred thousand humans, elves, and gnolls. That failure stopped the war, and the Unrooted survivors fled in the remaining ships, leaving behind the gnolls and the gutted remains of the Duchy of Gilmore.

The elven homeland is in northeastern Galtia, in the great forest of Aelfheim. Deep in that forest grows The One Tree, something that few, if any, non-elves have ever seen. Most elves live there in the great forest, but some have scattered in small pockets across Galtia. Some do it to watch over the other races, intervening to protect the forests where they deem fit. Others stand permanent guard to prevent anyone from ever finding the city of the Unrooted. And those remaining few choose to live in or near the human settlements, perhaps out of curiosity or wonder at the determination of these short-lived creatures, watching to see what they do next with what little time they have.

Fairies

Biology

Fairies are tiny humanoids, twelve to fourteen inches tall, with butterfly-like wings and small pointed ears. They look like tiny humans and have the full range of human skin tones. Fairies live in nature, making their homes in trees or in out-of-reach places, sometimes in hollowed out logs, rocks, or even giant mushrooms. They get along well with other fey, and see themselves as guardians of nature, tending to local flora and fauna.

Society

Fairies are Fey creatures, beings born of magic. Fey come in countless shapes and sizes, from tiny brownies, water-born naiads, tree-bound dryads, or pan flute playing satyrs. Fey can be aloof, mysterious, whimsical or even dangerous, many not possessing the same value of life that most races have. Some use their magic to play at the edges of civilization while others use it to live among humans and their kind, acting as benefactors or tormenters based on their whim. Fey rarely appear openly and when they do, people notice. This may evoke curiosity, wonder, desire, suspicion or even fear, depending on the type of fey and how they act. Of all the fey, fairies are the most curious about the mortal races.

Fairies can be helpful or mischievous, and they are known to be fickle and possess short attention spans. There are stories of fairies helping lost children in the forest, and there are stories of fairies who lead travelers astray. Most fairies stay out of humanoid settlements, but some are drawn in, sometimes due to falling in love with a mortal and following them home and taking up residence with them, unbeknownst to the target of their affection. They then become obsessed, doing chores, and leaving gifts for their love, only then to become jealous and harass anyone who that person expresses romantic interest in. Others simply like the exotic sights, sounds, and smells of the city which overloads their senses. They may settle in a high nook, taking what they need, helping or harassing people as suits their mood. Some of these fairies may follow around adventuring parties, fascinated by the excitement and danger but rarely taking it seriously.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Fairies are 10 to 14 inches tall and weighs 1 to 1 ½ lbs. All Fairies use the value of 1 for their size modifier.

Graceful Flier: Fairies always gain +1 Edge on fly checks.

Iron Bane: All fey have a weakness against iron (not steel) and iron weapons are bane weapons against them.

Enchanted Form: As creatures of magic, Fairies are more resistant to harm than non-fey of a similar size and do not modify their Health Points based upon size.

Fairy Dust: Fairies can produce fairy dust as an action at the cost of one power. A fairy can hold the dust in their hand as long as they desire but cannot produce more until it has been used or dropped. Fairy dust cannot be stored or otherwise saved for later. If it is dropped, it disperses into the air and fades away, the magic lost.

Fairy dust can be used in the following ways.

• Fairy flight: Fairies have wings, but their wings are fragile and do not generate enough lift for them to fly. At best they can glide down to the ground without injury. If a fairy’s wings become wet, they cannot fly or glide at all, and any application of fairy dust on their wings is washed away. Throwing a handful of dust onto their wings allows them to fly for eight hours. Fairies have a flying movement speed equal to four times their base movement.
• Clean: One application of fairy dust allows the fairy to cast the Clean spell.
• Cure wound: One application of fairy dust allows the fairy to cast Heal Minor Injuries.
• Mend plant or bloom: One application of fairy dust allows the fairy to mend a small broken plant or cause a flower to spontaneously bloom.
• Shrink / Bind item: One application of fairy dust will shrink a medium-sized item down to fairy sized for a day, adjusting any abilities appropriately. Fairies have little use for possessions, but do collect trinkets, particularly shiny or enchanted things. A fairy can also bind an item in this matter to themselves. By spending at least one hour with an item that they have shrunk, a fairy can infuse the item with a point of their own spirit (costing one Spirit, which will heal normally.) The item will remain fairy sized until the fairy reverses the process using an application of fairy dust, or if they perish.

I'm playing a fairy, what do I need to know about them? 

Playing a fairy can be a rewarding experience, but it is important to understand certain obvious, key differences. Fairies are not just tiny humans, they are beings literally born of magic, coming into being when a drop of perfect morning dew is infused with a ray of sunshine and a swirl of magical essence. Most fairies have no recollection of when they were "born", or even how long ago it was. They don't age, but they do, slowly "wear thin" until one day they lay down to rest from weariness and simply wink out into tiny motes of energy. Fairies also experience hiraeth, a frequent ache for some place lost, as if they truly belong somewhere else. This may lead some to endlessly search for the source of this feeling, to no avail. If a fairy is killed, there is a very short window of time, usually less than a minute, before their body evaporates into magic. This means that any chance of resurrecting a fairy character is next to impossible.

Adventuring fairies, by necessity of the game, adopt a group as a type of surrogate family. There can be any number of motivations for this, but it will most likely be an attraction to one of the other characters, sheer curiosity, or an unhealthy fascination with danger. Fairies are also not the stereotypical adventurer that collects gold or piles of loot - they simply cannot carry it. They can shrink and bond items, but any worn armor is useless against larger foes, and instead they must solely rely on magic and speed to avoid danger. This means that though they are fast and can fly, they are vulnerable to harm and players should always bear this in mind. They are also weak compared to everyone else, and in combat will need to rely on positioning and aerial strategy to deal effective damage. This doesn't mean they cannot be melee combatants, simply understand that if your play satisfaction relies on dealing massive damage to your enemies you probably won't enjoy playing a fairy. They do make excellent scouts and magicians, as spells do not have a caster size component in their effect. 

Fairies should always be viewed, at least initially, with surprise, wonder or suspicion, as their presence will never be commonplace. Fairies are easily distracted, but they are not intrinsically chaotic. They should not be seen as a means to derail gameplay by constantly playing pranks on the other characters for example. They can be serious when the moment requires it, especially when someone they care about is in danger. Any player interested in playing a fairy should have a conversation with their gamemaster about expectations around style of play and how a fairy would fit into the campaign.

Ferresti

Biology

The Ferresti are a race of feline humanoids, with physical characteristics similar to jaguars. Their feline heads bear expressive, predatory eyes, long whiskers, and sharp teeth. They have digitigrade legs, long tails for balance, and retractable claws. Most stand between 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet tall.

They are lithe and muscular, with sleek fur that ranges in tone from golden tan to deep obsidian, often marked with spots or rosettes.

Society

Hailing from the lush jungles of The Varnathi Wilds in Hyperia, theirs is a civilization steeped in ritual and tradition, known as much for its beauty as its brutality. The ferresti people build sprawling stone cities in the jungle, comprised of ziggurat temples, stepped towers, winding canals and pools, all surrounded and interspersed with the jungle itself. Their architecture is ornate and functional, and their homes and places of worship align with sacred geometry mapped to solar, lunar, and other celestial events. Ferresti religious and military life are closely tied together, and ferresti youth are initiated into society through complex rites that honor their ancestors and ancient jungle spirits. As a people they are quick to laugh, and even quicker to anger, and they are known for their passion and boldness. Ferresti culture places high value on personal strength and bravery, which has led many ferresti to leave their lands and explore across Hyperia and to build ships and sail to distant shores. While the only known cities of ferresti are in Hyperia, they can be seen nearly anywhere that ships can take them. Ferresti explorers will travel with their mates and young, even, sometimes resulting in them settling in other cities around the world, growing their own new packs.

Racial Traits

Physical Features: Ferresti average 6 feet tall.

Claws: Ferresti have retractable claws and know how to use them. Their base damage is 1-3.

Agile Climbers: Ferresti with exposed hands and feet gain +1 Edge to climbing wood surfaces.

Righting Reflexes: Ferresti gain +1 Edge to Acrobatic maneuvers.

Warrior Lineage: Ferresti increase the damage range by 1 on spears, javelins, and atlatls.

I'm playing a ferresti, what do I need to know?

When playing a Ferresti, embrace their physical prowess and cultural intensity. Whether you're a cunning jungle scout, a stoic temple guardian, or a flamboyant seaborne rogue, you carry the legacy of a proud and vibrant people. Ferresti tend to value bravery, loyalty, and cleverness, and many struggle with controlling their temper. They are often seekers of greatness, ever looking for a worthy tale to carve into the stone of history. Ferresti come from a culture that values action, strength, and presence. Raised in stone cities entwined with the jungle, Ferresti learn early that survival and honor are won through decisiveness, courage, and the willingness to face danger directly. Strength is respected in many forms; physical power, endurance, passion, and the will to stand firm. Ferresti tend to feel deeply and act openly, taking pride in who they are and where they come from.

Playing a Ferresti often means leaning into bold choices and emotional honesty. You may respect bravery even in enemies, react strongly to insults or cowardice, and feel compelled to meet challenges head-on rather than avoid them. Many Ferresti adventure not to escape their homeland, but to test themselves against the wider world and return with stories worth telling. You are not subtle by nature, but you are rarely uncertain.

Gnolls

Biology

Gnolls are a humanoid race of anthropomorphic hyenas. They average 7 feet tall and 300 lbs., their bodies are lean, and they move with speed and grace. Gnolls are covered in thick fur, usually sandy, yellowish, or gray with dark spots. They predominantly have brown eyes, with some variations of green, red, and yellow. Their legs are digitigrade, and they walk on large, clawed paws. Their hands are also clawed, but they possess fingers and opposable thumbs instead of paws.

Female gnolls are larger and more aggressive than male gnolls which leads to their matriarchal society. Gnolls are scavengers and carrion eaters, and their unique digestive tract allows them to quickly digest most things including bone.

Society

Gnoll society is tribal, and gnolls are some of the most primitive of the sapient races. They are fiercely loyal to their pack and to their family, and it is rare to find a gnoll living in isolation. Gnolls that have lost their pack or family for any reason will seek out a new pack that they will bond too.

Gnolls are not nomadic but instead will lay claim to an area that they see as their hunting ground. Sometimes this claim may come into conflict with others who already live there and convincing a pack of gnolls to give up their claim is a difficult task that involves intimidation, which is the only true diplomacy that gnolls recognize.

Gnoll hierarchy in the pack relies on strength and domination, with the weak relegated to menial tasks. Due to their superior size and strength, female gnolls frequently rule gnoll packs.

Gnolls always prefer to scavenge or take what they can instead of making something for themselves. Most gnoll settlements were abandoned by others. It is not that gnolls cannot make their own settlements, it is more that it is not in their nature.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Gnolls average 7 feet tall and 300 lbs.

Bite: Gnolls have powerful jaws and can attack with their bite for 1-5 as an action in combat.

Keen senses: Gnolls can smell carrion up to a mile away and always gain +1 Edge on perception checks to see, hear, or smell other creatures within a mile.

Large heart: Gnolls have great endurance and gain the Running proficiency.

I’m playing a gnoll, what do I need to know about them?

Gnolls are not native to Galtia. In fact, they have only been here about twenty years, and they came here specifically with the intent to conquer the land. Right off, this creates a bit of difficulty when it comes to current relations with the other races present. But let’s back up.

Gnolls are from Enbar. Most people do not know this. Gnoll cubs learn of the wild savannas of home, the dense jungles, the jagged mountains that block the cold winds, the beating sun, and the countless untamed beasts that roam. Here the gnolls were born, not by the will of a god, but by the beating heart of the land itself. Wild and savage, the gnolls fought their way to the top with tooth and claw, moving about the plains as nomads, ever on the hunt. This was the life of the gnolls.

When the elves came to the northern shores in their black ships and with powerful magic, the gnolls were amazed, but then saw them as a threat to be eliminated. These wizards wanted their land, they wanted to build cities, and hew trees from the forests, and mine minerals from the mountains. The gnolls would not be cowed by their sorcery and they fought these intruders, but in the end, they were beaten. Instead of destroying them though, the elves sought a partnership. They showed them magic, and gave them the secrets of steel, and for generations they brought them up from primitive savagery and trained them to be an organized and deadly military force. Then when the time came, they made them promises of a new land that they could once again tame for themselves, just across the sea. Once again, the elves built their ships, perhaps the greatest fleet ever made, and the unrooted, along with fifty thousand gnolls left their homeland, sailing thousands of miles to land on the shores of Galtia.

The unrooted didn’t take into account how much time had passed for the younger races, that there would be an entire human kingdom in their way, but it didn't matter. They set upon the Duchy of Gilmore with the greatest army ever fielded and crushed everyone in their path. But that is part of another story. What came out of this conflict brings us to the present. The gnolls were promised a new homeland. They came with their mates and pups, expecting to find another untamed wilderness. They instead were handed blood and death, and eventual abandonment by their Unrooted masters. The broken army of the gnolls fled the field after the great explosion. They were soon faced with a harsh winter and unfamiliar land, along with new and dangerous creatures preying on them. But they persevered. For they are gnolls.

After the war, most of the surviving gnolls fled south, leaving the lands of Gilmore and moving along the foothills west of Landon. Uninterested in fighting tooth and claw with the army of Landon, they continued south and settled in the plains north of Wyrdood. Those that went farther south into the wood learned about the red fletching the hard way. The elves were unkind to the gnoll encroachment and showed no mercy. With hostile nations on two sides, a wasteland to their north, and the ocean to the west, they dug in and began building shelters to survive the winter. The land was rich with game and natural resources, yet unexplored by the humans and dwarves. And in a blink of an eye, twenty years have gone by. The gnolls have thrived. Some still test the elves. Some raid the humas to the east. Some explore the ruins to the north. But most have focused on building anew in this place that is their home, for they have no ships and no means to return from whence they came.

If you are a gnoll, you value strength and cleverness. Gnoll society is matriarchal, but gnoll warriors are primarily male. Gnolls are fiercely loyal to their pack, and gnoll young are raised by the village more so than family units. Gnolls like the open plains, where they can see long distances, and relish chasing down their prey. The world is full of sights and sounds, but gnolls relate to the world and its scents more than anything else. You will always be the first one in the room to smell something of interest. You will sniff at the air, always on the lookout for food or danger. The world is filled with hunters and prey, and you are a hunter.

Not all gnolls made it south after the war. Small bands sought refuge in the hills, and some slipped into Landon lands. These isolated bands did not fare well, cut off from the rest with no resources, they had to survive by raiding and stealing. Trying to negotiate with the humans and explain that the war was a misunderstanding was not an immediate option. For a gnoll to be accepted, there must be an interesting story to tell. Perhaps a warband met their untimely end, but someone spared a cub and returned with it either due to mercy or curiosity? Or maybe a small group stayed hidden, only to prove themselves as potential allies in a surprising situation. These are questions to be answered before proceeding. For the rest, gnolls have a reputation that will be difficult to get past, one well-deserved. ↵

Goblins

Biology

Goblins are small, green-skinned humanoids that are typically about four feet tall. They are hairless, with oversized pointed ears, tough leathery skin, broad flat faces with wide mouths and sharp fangs. Their hands and feet have razor-sharp claws, and their voices are most often high-pitched if not shrill.

Goblins have voracious appetites and are known to be able to eat almost anything, but they prefer above all else meat of any kind. They can digest raw meat and have no qualms about eating live animals or bugs. They prefer their food fresh, but a desperately hungry goblin could eat carrion, though even they would find it distasteful.

About one in a hundred goblins are aberrations and are born very large, more often than not resulting in the mother’s death. These goblins have all the same physical characteristics as their brethren but typically grow over six feet in height with more powerful builds. These goblins are called hobgoblins. If they are not murdered while they are young, they often rise to prominent positions in goblin society. Almost all goblin chiefs are hobgoblins.

Society

Most goblins dwell underground in elaborate warrens or natural cave systems. They band together into tribes and have a social hierarchy based on strength and cleverness. Every goblin has their place, and the only way to move up in the pecking order is to beat another goblin down in bloody public quarrels. Goblins have little concern for family units; goblin young are communally cared for by goblins relegated to those jobs. There is little in the way of nurturing, and it is believed that a goblin too weak to survive childhood is too weak to be a goblin.

Despite their crude and barbaric nature, goblins are surprisingly progressive when it comes to gender roles. There is little difference in size and strength between males and females, and often female goblins make up any differences in strength with their superior cunning.

Goblins are feared by travelers and anyone living at the Edges of civilized areas. They travel in packs, are well coordinated, stealthy, and come at night to steal livestock, food and even children. Anyone on the road at night in goblin country must be wary as few survive a goblin ambush.

As depraved as most goblins are to other races, there are goblins who have turned away from their goblin roots. It is unclear when it happened or why, but a branch of goblins has become part of human society. Most still live communally in urban warrens, finding work as laborers willing to do the dirtiest of jobs. Some few have managed to work their way out of poverty, becoming craftsmen, merchants or even bodyguards. No matter what a goblin achieves though, they are always viewed with a degree of suspicion and more often than not, loathing. If a crime occurs, people will quickly blame a goblin. It takes extraordinary success to shed the prejudice against their kind.

There is a niche that some of these “civilized” goblins have found. The tale goes back to the plague, when thousands were dying from the scourge, and a second plague of rats began infesting the cities causing even more sickness and disease. With a need for rat catchers in high demand, goblins, with their innate resistances to disease, lack of qualm for eating vermin and uncanny stalking skill, brought their predatorial abilities to bear on the problem. For the goblins it was food they were getting paid to eat, and many goblins got fat off the rat plague in more ways than one. Goblin rat catchers remain popular, and it is quite common for sailing ships to take on a “ship’s goblin” to deal with vermin aboard. The term ‘lucky goblin’ has come into use thanks to their ability to keep disease at bay and to protect cargo such as grain on long voyages.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Goblin’s average 4’ tall and 75 lbs. Typical goblins mature at age 10 and live to be 50 years old. Hobgoblin’s average 5’ tall and 110 lbs.

Claws and bite: Goblins can attack with their claws and fangs. Goblin claws and bites do 1-3 damage; Hobgoblin claws and bites do 1-4.

Resilient: A lifetime of deprivation, violence, and survival has hardened you beyond what your size suggests. Do not modify your Health Points based upon size. 

Strong gut: Due to their varied diet, goblins always gain +5 to their Constitution to resist poison or disease related to ingesting rotten/spoiled food or water.

Stealthy: Goblins are incredibly stealthy from generations of both hiding from predators and hunting prey. They always gain an Edge on stealth and stalking checks.

Low-Light Vision: Goblins have low-light vision.

I’m playing a goblin, what do I need to know about them?

Goblins are a loathsome race of creatures, disliked or hated by nearly everyone. It doesn’t matter if any one goblin socializes and follows the cultural norms, breaking through the barriers of prejudice will be a significant barrier. You will have lived your life being looked down upon, both physically due to your short stature, but personally too. The core book covers goblins as a whole, and how there are some goblins that have found a niche in human society as ratcatchers, sewer cleaners, or any other dirty job. The important part to note is, only humans have accepted goblins in this way; but Dwarves simply do not understand how any humans can tolerate goblins in their cities. Furthermore, the goblins that have separated from the larger branch of goblins to find a place in human lands probably did so out of need or desperation. Goblin society is harsh and predatorial, and the ones who have left it would be considered ‘weak’ by their kin; there is no going back for them, and a goblin traveling in the company of non-goblins would be considered prey just as much as the company they are keeping, with the best they could hope for being a quick death, but the most likely outcome would be suffering at the whims of their attackers beforehand.

What this means for roleplaying a goblin is, it requires additional story planning with the other players in order to be true to the setting. This isn’t meant to be creatively stifling, as playing a goblin can be a rewarding experience, but to maintain internal consistency with the setting it is important to understand the setting and have clear expectations about how the world perceives goblins. Even a goblin hero will always be a goblin first.

Humans

Humans are adventurers and risk-takers and possess an indomitable spirit in the face of nearly any challenge. Where other races prefer the safety of their lands or forests, humans have banded together and traversed the world just to see what is out there. This thirst for exploration is what has led them to their prolific spreading to most places to the point where even they don’t know where they first came from.

Biology

Humans come in all shapes and sizes, with an average height of five and a half feet tall. Humans are also extremely adaptable; while they do not take on physical aspects of their environment, their skin darkens and lightens in response to prolonged or reduced sun exposure and they then in turn pass their skin tones directly on to their children. This has led to entire sun-soaked regions of darker skinned people, and colder or temperate climes of lighter skinned people, and a myriad of shades between.

Racial Traits

Physical features: Human’s average 5’ 5” and weigh 150 lbs.

Obstinate: Humans walk the line between fearless and foolhardiness, and they head into danger more than they should. Humans gain +5 to their Intelligence against non-magic fear effects.

Resilient: Generations of exploration and survival have made humans uniquely resilient resulting in +1 DR against hot and cold weather.

Skilled: Humans are adaptable and constantly learning; they gain an additional skill point at each level including their background level.

I’m playing a human, what do I need to know about them?

Humans originated somewhere in the land of Cathan, a huge continent (actually two large, adjoined lands including Persea) many times bigger than Galtia. Humans have already had their own storied history as they spread across the lands given to them. Tribal by nature, it was less than a thousand years before any sense of them being one “people'' was lost. They formed city-states, expanded, founded kingdoms and then warred with each other. Some became nomads, spreading across plains into horse clans. When the land could not contain them, they built ships and set sail, dying at the mercy of the waves and weather by the tens of thousands before finding distant shores. Now nearly two-dozen unique kingdoms sprawl across the distant continent, the largest being the Cathan Empire. Never satisfied, and ever eager to see what is out there across the water, they eventually reached the shore of eastern Galtia and introduced themselves to the dwarves about three-hundred and fifty years ago.

Eventually more settlers came, trade was established, deals were made, and humans began settling in western Galtia. The Dwarves took to calling them Westlanders. The humans spread and built, taming the wilderness where they could and founding settlement upon settlement. The land had bountiful riches, and the story may sound familiar. Almost one-hundred fifty years after that founding, the colonies declared their independence from Cathan and its greedy Emperor. All things considered; it was a remarkably short war - about six years. It didn’t help that, though the Dwarves refused to take part in the war, they also refused passage through their lands, forcing the Empire to navigate around Galtia with limited ports to land in. The Cathan Empire was at a disadvantage - the oceans are treacherous and only easily passable half the year, and half-way through the war they lost over a hundred ships in a massive freak elemental storm. This essentially broke the back of their navy, at least for a time, and other matters at home forced them into a ceasefire. Many believed that they would resume their claim on the new lands after a year or two of recovering, but that never happened. For nearly two decades there was little communication with the homeland, but then a new Emperor took the throne, and a somewhat cold negotiation reopened the trade routes. Attitudes were tense for decades, but these days the two nations, while not truly allies, are no longer enemies.

There is more to know about the Kingdom of Westernesse and the Duchies, but this is about the humans themselves. They are fiercely independent, hardy, and adventurous. They have braved down the dangers of the wild and built a civilization from the ground up. There are still plenty of frontiers filled with monsters, but they build their towns to protect against these dangers.

The humans of Galtia have been highly influenced by the Dwarves; they adopted their calendar, they have learned their language, they celebrate some of their holidays, and they have proven to be both trade partners and military allies against the Unrooted invasion. Human society is strongly egalitarian when it comes to gender roles, and while there is a divide between the nobility and commoners, most people do not equate rank to the value of one’s life.

Speaking of egalitarian, the cultural norm for surnames is a mix of profession (Baker, Smith, etc.) and location (estates, cities, locale names, etc.) and when a couple weds, the expectation is that both families provide a dowry, and the family that gives the most to the marriage is generally the name that both parties assume.

Kobold

Biology

Kobolds are small reptilian humanoids, standing around four feet tall and weighing roughly seventy-five pounds, a portion of which is carried in their long, balancing tails. Kobold skin is dry and scaly, and comes in shades of blue, brown, green, grey, and even orange. Kobold males have typically brighter colorations and are on average slightly larger than the females. Their legs are digitigrade, and their hands and feet are clawed. Kobolds have snouts, with wide mouths and long rows of teeth. Some of them are born with a long, low fin down their spine, others with a row of short spikes, and others with nothing. Kobolds are cold-blooded and rely on their environment for heat. They prefer warm, dry climates, and the largest kobold tribes occupy desert regions.

Society

Kobold culture is tribal, and they often inhabit cliff-side villages made from natural features and caves, pressed mud bricks or even carved into rock faces. Kobolds adapt well to their environment and are known to raise insect farms along with grapes and certain green crops. Kobold society is matriarchal, and female Kobolds often hold positions of power and influence as they are the ones with the ability to grow the strength of the tribe. Kobolds have complex mating rituals, and males must prove themselves worthy by competing in contests of skill and combat. Kobold females lay eggs clutches which are fiercely protected by the males.

While kobolds can appear cold and calculating to outsiders, they are deeply communal. Kobolds are pack creatures by nature, instinctively coordinating with one another in ways that seem almost preternatural.

A kobold separated from their tribe will seek to join another group, sometimes even among other races, driven by a fundamental need to belong to a pack.

Kobolds claim that they trace their ancestry to the great dragons, and that it was the first dragons that brought the kobolds into the world to act as their minions; certainly there are still cases where kobolds do willingly server their dragon-kin, but more often than not they are their own creatures - and they are considered by the more civilized races to be little more than menaces akin to goblins. Kobolds are less chaotic than goblins and are more devious; they work well together and demonstrate advanced group tactics. One traveler's warning for the road is, "If you see one kobold, there are a dozen that you don't." Kobolds are omnivorous, and prefer eating small game animals, particularly birds. They fight well with spears and are notoriously excellent slingers. They also run faster than most humanoids twice their size and can scale rocky areas with ease. They do not attack and kill other humanoids indiscriminately - but they enjoy raiding for the plunder, especially to acquire new weapons and valuables, meaning if travelers are reasonable and hand over their wealth the interaction will not necessitate violence.

Racial Traits

Cold Blooded: Kobolds require external heat to regulate their body temperature. Anytime a kobold is taking exposure damage from cold they become sluggish and suffer an activity penalty to their combat speed and all strength or dexterity-based actions equal to the exposure number.  If a kobold’s speed is reduced to one, their only goal would be to find the warmest possible spot and lie still. As exothermic creatures, they do not benefit from warm clothing as they rely on external heat to survive.

Distracted: Kobolds are biologically motivated by food and greed. In any situation where there is desirable food or alluring valuables, they lose an edge on any perception checks due to being distracted. If they are hungry and food is close by, a kobold must make a Discipline check to overcome their urge to eat the food. The base DC is 10 for something typical, 15 for desirable food, and 20 for a feast or wonderfully smelling roasted meat. If there are situational consequences that the kobold knows about, the Game Master may award an edge on the check, but the consequences should be more severe than just drawing simple ire.

Natural Bite: Kobolds have sharp teeth and gain a small bite attack for 1-4 damage.

Quick-footed: Kobolds gain +10 to their base movement speed.

Strong Grip: Kobold hands and feet possess fine gripping structures that allow them to adhere to surfaces.

Kobolds gain +1 Edge on all climbing checks and may climb at half their normal movement speed, even on difficult or near-vertical surfaces, provided all four limbs are free.

Well-balanced: Kobold tales are not prehensile, but they do provide for excellent balance. Kobolds always gain +1 edge on athletics checks to maintain their balance.

I’m playing a Kobold, what do I need to know about them?

Kobolds are creatures of instinct, speed, and community. You are not built for brute strength or lone heroics, you thrive through cunning, coordination, and opportunity.

You are part of a pack.

Whether you’re traveling with other kobolds or not, that instinct never leaves you. You look for allies, fall naturally into teamwork, and are at your best when you’re not alone. Flanking, assisting, and setting up others should feel second nature.

You are quick, agile, and hard to pin down.

You move faster than most and climb where others struggle. Use terrain to your advantage; walls, rocks, and elevation are your domain. If a fight is happening on flat ground, you’re not thinking like a kobold.

You are clever, not fearless.

Kobolds survive by being smart. You don’t fight fair if you don’t have to, and you don’t stay in losing fights. Ambushes, retreats, distractions, and traps are all part of your mindset.

You are driven by hunger and greed.

Food and valuables matter to you, sometimes more than they should. A glittering prize or a hot meal can pull your focus at the worst possible time. Play into that temptation; it’s part of what makes kobolds fun.

You need warmth.

Cold is not just uncomfortable, it’s dangerous. In harsh conditions, your body slows and your priorities narrow to survival. You should always be aware of your environment and seek heat whenever possible.

You are not mindlessly violent.

Kobolds raid for gain, not destruction. If someone gives you what you want, there’s no need for a fight. You understand risk versus reward better than most.

You carry the shadow of dragons.

Whether you believe it strongly or not, kobolds are tied, by myth or truth, to dragons. That legacy may shape your pride, your ambitions, or how others see you.

Merfolk

Biology

Merfolk are a race of amphibian humanoids who possess both lungs and gills. Merfolk have broad faces with large eyes (typically twice human sized), with pointed, ridged ears. Merfolk skin is thin and moist, and they have a row of gills on each side of their neck. Their bodies are hairless save for their heads, where they oddly produce human-like hair.

Merfolk skin comes in shades of blue and green, and their eyes are round, most commonly with gold, blue or green sclera and black irises, although very rarely a merfolk is born with red or even white sclera. Their hair comes in the full range of humanoid colors but is predominantly lighter blondes.

Merfolk have human-like lifespans, with an average of 90 years. They are transitional creatures; merfolk lay eggs in water, called clutches. Their eggs are large and jelly-like. When a merfolk hatches, it looks little like an adult merfolk, as they do not have legs but instead are born with a long tail and no arms, and they only breathe water. It can take a full year for a baby merfolk to go through the process of metamorphosis, where they finish growing their limbs and eventually, their tail splits and forms into legs and webbed feet. It is at this point that they can begin to breath air. Merfolk children continue to spend half their time in the water as they mature. Once a merfolk has reached adolescence, it can stay out of water for days, and eventually weeks at a time as long as it can stay properly hydrated.

Society

Merfolk are creatures of water and land, and all of their settlements reflect this. Their predominant building style are domes of fired clay that line riverbanks, with tunnels beneath them that provide access to the water and to chambers where they keep hatcheries. When merfolk reside in non-merfolk settlements, they will always try to occupy dwellings near the water.

Merfolk tend to be very religious; most being devoted to Numara the sea goddess. Merfolk are an insular people, spending much of their time with their extended family. They are matriarchal, and do not have typical family units. Merfolk eggs are gathered into their clutches once they are laid, and are protected by the males of the family, but once the eggs are in a clutch they do not belong to any male or female of the family, but to the family as a whole. Typical extended family’s number in the dozens, depending on available resources in the area. If a family grows to become too large, there is a practice called the ‘unjoining’, where a family will split, and half will go and establish a new home.

Merfolk are known as fishermen and craftsmen, using resources from the river and create fine baskets, nets, and ropes. They also have many healers and river witches among them.

Racial Traits

Size: Merfolk are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Racial Skills: Merfolk start with one rank in Athletics and the Swimming proficiency.

Fins: Merfolk have webbed hands and feet, along with small fins along their legs. They have a swim speed, and always gain an edge on swim checks as long as they are unarmored.

Gills: Merfolk can breathe in and out of fresh water. They can stay underwater for a number of hours equal to their constitution score.

Moist Skin: Adult merfolk are able to stay out of water for a number of days equal to their constitution score. Each day beyond this and their skin slowly dries out, causing them intense pain. The first day beyond their threshold and each day following a merfolk suffers one degree of fatigue that they do not recover from rest. On the morning of day 6 they take 1d6 points of damage that cannot be healed until after they have been immersed in fresh water for a period of 8 hours. This will continue each day until their skin dries out and they suffer internal organ failure and die.

Secretions: Merfolk keep their skin moist by secreting mucous-like fluid from small glands under their skin. This also acts as a defensive mechanism; as long as they are unarmored, any creature trying to grapple a merfolk does so at minus one edge.

I’m playing a Merfolk, what do I need to know about them?

Merfolk live between two worlds. Born of the sea but dwelling along protected shores, they grow up navigating both water and land, never fully belonging to either. Merfolk culture emphasizes cooperation, craftsmanship, and survival through shared effort; few things are accomplished alone, and waste or greed is frowned upon. The sea is central to Merfolk identity, not as an abstract ideal, but as a living force that feeds, shelters, and threatens in equal measure.

You are not a blue human that can breathe water. You are alien, from your large eyes, blue or green skin, to your finned appendages. Where others fear the deep, you embrace it. Your race came from deep water, and you do not have any fear of drowning. There are dangers that lurk below, and you revere or respect the gods and goddesses of the sea. You are far more concerned about being too far from open water because you need it to survive. There would be almost no scenario that would take you into a desert.

Playing a Merfolk often means embracing patience and quiet competence. You may think in terms of community rather than personal glory, favor preparation over bravado, and observe carefully before acting. Merfolk tend to be calm and measured, but when danger threatens those they protect, they act with steady resolve. You are shaped by tides, not tempests, and that makes you harder to move than most realize.

Ottrali (Otterfolk)

Biology

Ottrali are humanoids with rounded, furry faces, small, rounded ears, large eyes, and lush lips, with small flat black, brown, or pink noses. Their bodies are covered in thin, soft fur in many shades of white, grey, brown, and black, and they also grow human-like hair on their heads, generally in darker colors. Most Ottrali do not have tails but instead have small furry nubs that they usually conceal beneath their clothing. They average five-feet tall with slender builds, with an average lifespan of 100 years.

Ottrali are natural swimmers, with webbing between their fingers and toes, and though they cannot breathe water they can hold their breath for long periods of time.

Ottrali are naturally high-energy creatures and are usually very charismatic. They often live together in extended family groups called a holt, which describes both their family and their home which they see as being intertwined.

Society

Ottrali are a friendly species and integrate well into human communities. Ottrali make their settlements near rivers or lakes, or any type of connected body of water. An Ottrali settlement can be comprised of many separate holts, with each holt being a series of interconnected thatched roof houses ringing around a large central community structure where they hold family gatherings.

Ottrali engage in many professions but are well known for their construction of boats that they use for trading. Each Ottrali community that is large enough may build their own boat to engage in trade. Ottrali have created some of the largest trading networks, moving goods up and down rivers all across the region.

Ottrali are often boisterous, and love song and bright colors. They enjoy dressing in elaborate costumes, particularly riverboat crew, who wear flowing vibrant outfits as they leap about their boat in a rhapsody of sound and color.

Racial Traits

Physical Features: Ottrali average five-feet tall and weigh 100 lbs.

Strong lungs: Ottrali can hold their breath for a number of minutes equal to their constitution stat.

Webbed digits: Ottrali have webbed hands and feet. They have a swim speed equal to their walking speed and always gain an Edge on swim checks if they are unarmored.

Vibrant Personality: Ottrali gain +1 Edge on their first diplomacy checks against Humans and Dwarves to improve their disposition or gain favor.

I’m playing an ottrali, what do I need to know about them?

Ottrali are a young race, in fact, they are the youngest race (but they don’t actually know that). They are also one of only a few races that were NOT created by a god, at least, not directly. Earlier I mentioned the first gods unraveling, and their god juice flowing through creation. Some of this essence triggered creation “events” around the world. One such event transformed a large number of otters into the ottrali. Unlike many other races, the ottrali weren’t greeted with a guiding presence to explain the world to them, or give them tools, or teach them language, or anything. The first ottrali were actually discovered by some curious fey, if the legends are to be believed, and these benevolent fey showed the first ottrali what they needed to know.

Ottrali are native to Galtia and it is the only place that has any population groups of them as far as anyone knows. With that said, the Ottrali have existed for several thousand years. They didn’t have written language or books for a long time.

Ottrali have spread throughout the rivers of Galtia. They build their homes in interconnected groups of sturdy baked-clay domes, always on riverbanks or lakeshores. Each “village” is called a holt, which ottrali see as one extended family. Once a holt grows too large for the local area to sustain them, a family group will depart during a separation ritual. This group will then journey along the river to find a new unoccupied stretch to call home.

Ottrali can be fierce, frenetic, friendly, and ever curious about the world. It is not unusual for the boldest ones to stray from the holt in their youth, generally not too far, but sometimes latching onto other groups. For generations this would have been fey, as the elves, though intrigued by the furry beings, could never see them as equals. When the Dwarves surfaced, the ottrali were quick to greet them. It was with the Dwarves that the ottrali formed the strongest partnership. As the Dwarves expanded across the lands, the ottrali found ways to be useful, and it wasn’t long before they started the first river trade. Initially it was a matter of a group of ottrali swimming and pulling simple rafts with goods, but as the years passed dwarf ingenuity stepped in and helped create more advanced boats (that the Dwarves themself were not interested in crewing). Within a few hundred years or more this continued to evolve into the first true paddle riverboats, powered by simple steam engines. Now today, hundreds of these craft ply the rivers of Galtia with joyful ottrali leaping about the ships, playing music, shouting, and swinging on lines dressed in flowy, bright colored clothing. They move goods all over Galtia, and the many holts that own such vessels have become quite prosperous

Example of Play

GM: Laurel makes her way through town to the riverboat docks. Several large brightly painted paddlewheel boats are at the end of separate docks. Human dockworkers are loading and unloading cargo with wooden cranes, while dozens of ottrali move about the boats performing various tasks.

Emma (Laurel): I make my way down one of the docks and try to see who I need to speak to about booking passage.

GM: Laurel gets to the end of the dock, dodging some hurried workers. Many of the gaily dressed ottrali are singing or whistling. You stand there expectantly long enough for one of them to notice. She grabs onto a line attached to a crane and swings dramatically down from the top deck to you, landing gracefully. 

GM: "Hello there. I'm first mate Mela of the Swiftcurrent. May I help you?"

Emma (Laurel): "Hi, yes, my name is Laurel. I'm looking to book passage for myself and four of my friends to Bellshire. Are you heading that way, and do you have space?"

GM: "Ah, yes we are. We will be leaving out first thing in the morning. We have two available guest rooms so you'd have to share. We have hammocks to sleep in."

Emma (Laurel): That should be fine, but, ah, one of my friends is a troll. He's a bit large. But another is a fairy and she is quite tiny. Will that be a problem?

GM: "Oh a troll and a fairy. Most unusual. Your big friend might have to sleep on the deck. It's four days to Belshire. That would be 100 silver crowns for all of you.

Emma (Laurel): Oof. That's a lot of money. I want to haggle with her.

GM: You can do that. Roll your Influence, Trading skill. Are you offering anything?

Emma (Laurel): Yes, I'll tell her we can provide additional security, and the troll is great for moving things around.

Jace: Hey now!

GM: You aren't there, chuckling. Ok, give me an Influence check. She is friendly, and you are offering a fair deal, so the DL is her charisma of 15.

Emma (Laurel): That will be a 13, +7, oh for a total of 20

GM: Very nice. You beat the DL by 5 and offer up your group's services. She agrees to half off the fair, so 50 silver crowns.

Trolls

Biology

Trolls are large, leathery-skinned humanoids that average seven-feet tall and three-hundred pounds. Trolls have pointed ears, large noses, and broad, bestial faces, and some few have a pair of horns that are either curving or coiling. Trolls have muscular builds, with skin colors including dark tan to dark brown, a full range of greys, with regional variations of dark greens or even dark blue. Trolls are not generally hairy, but most do grow robust facial hair, with hair on their arms, legs and back.

Society

Troll society is a clan-based one, and almost all of them live far from other settlements. They prefer to live in mountains or hills where they raise goats and other animals and grow food in terraced gardens. They are also very fond of music and are known for their craftmanship of a variety of instruments including the fiddle. They also enjoy celebrations and gather for dozens of holidays throughout the year to revel in singing, dancing, and feasting.

Trolls have developed a complex system of honor that they live by, and those few outsiders that are welcomed into Troll society frequently do not understand it. Trolls have three codes of honor, their personal honor, their family honor, and their clan honor. Disputes with Trolls can result in insulting their honor and depending on if the person they are disputing with is a member of that troll’s family or clan can affect which honor gets insulted.

Racial Traits

Physical Features: Trolls average 7’ tall and weigh 300 lbs.

Fearless: Trolls are fearless to the point of being foolhardy; they are immune all forms of normal or magic fear.

Honor bound: A Troll’s honor is an integral part of his identity, even if he is no longer part of a clan. Any perceived insult to a Troll, his family, or his adopted family or clan must be addressed. This is a straightforward challenge, demanding an apology or immediate retribution. This is not something that a Troll will walk away from.

Thick skinned: Trolls have thick leathery skin that gives them DR1. This stacks with any armor that they wear.

I’m playing a troll, what do I need to know about them?

Trolls are an enigmatic race of explorers from the land of Thule. Much of Thule is a colder climate than Galtia, and Trolls have well adapted to the land of ice and snow. The patron goddess of trolls is Khyris the Ice Queen, and their legends tell of the Hills of Creation where they were fashioned from dirt and stone and given life. They wandered the tundra for a thousand years, learning about every stone, cleft, every bush and tree, every stream, lake, and blade of grass. They transitioned from wandering to building towns and cities, learning the arts of husbandry, taming mammoths and snowy owlbears.

Trolls eventually took to the seas, crafting massive longships, sailing their coasts and eventually traveling to distant shores, and in some cases, the bravest of trolls made landfall in Galtia. There aren’t clear records, and no one was around when the first trolls arrived, but most trolls think they got here a good four hundred years ago. If any elves or fey saw their arrival, they kept their distance. These first settlers built villages dotting the shores, but few followed in their wake, and fewer still make the journey anymore. It is rare to find a troll these days who has seen their homeland, and those that have returned home invariably stay there. Eventually these scattered clans of trolls moved inward, preferring the highlands with its cooler air, raising goats, brewing ale and hunting wild game. The trolls of Shepherds Vale made their way here two-hundred years ago, settling in the ‘Northern Jaw’ of The Dragon’s Teeth hills. When the humans arrived some fifty-years later it took time to establish warm relations, but the trolls proved to be able guides of the region and taught the first settlers their secrets of husbandry, and the humans were a great source of much needed trade.

Trolls are prone to extremes, going from serious to boisterous with little notice. They laugh loud and hard, and they work even harder. They are brave to a fault, probably the most honest people you will ever meet, and they don’t mince words. Troll society is clan based, and trolls have a complex system of honor that few outsiders can readily understand. A troll can brush off an insult to himself, but any insult to his family or clan will be addressed and atoned for, then and there, in words or blood. It took a while for the new arrivals to understand this, and more than one outsider has made that his last lesson.

Other Races of Tellus

In a fantasy world rich in magic such as Tellus, there are many races that have come into being - some through arcane events, some created by divine acts, and some remain a mystery. Not all of these races have spread across the world; for example, the ottrali exist only on Galtia. Below is a list of other races not well-suited to be player characters, but they are creatures that adventurers are bound to come across in their exploits. Each of these races have more details in the Creature Codex.

Centaur

Biology

Centaur are creatures that appear to be half man and half horse. The front half of a centaur averages 6’ 6”, and it weighs about 700 lbs. This puts their horse half smaller than a typical horse. Centaur have human-like faces with broad mouths and slightly pointed ears, and their colors come in a wide range including all the natural colorings of horses. Their torsos are not furred above the waist, but they tend to be hairy, and their hair typically matches the dominant color of their fur but is not usually multi-colored.

A centaur’s upper body is muscular, but not any more so than a muscular human of the same height. They are able to bear larger loads on their equine back, and their dragging and pulling strength is on par with a small horse. Centaur are a shorter-lived race, and typically live to their seventies. Centaur are omnivorous, and much of their diet is comprised of grains, but they do eat meat and they will cook their kills.

Society

Centaur are almost always a nomadic people, favoring wide open spaces where they can forage and hunt. Groups of centaurs are called a herd, and some centaur herds can grow quite large, numbering into the hundreds. Centaur do not typically wear clothing during the warm seasons but will do so when it gets cold and wet. They do build shelters, usually large tents made from animal hides, and when the herd migrates there is a separation of duties between the load bearers, the hunters, and the old and young.

Centaur do not use family names, but instead they each have their own name and their herd’s name. It is uncommon for more than one centaur to share the same given name in the same herd.

Some centaurs leave their herd and either live alone or join other societies. This could happen for a few reasons, from being outcast or due to a schism within the herd, but it is not common. Due to their size and food requirements, it is difficult for a centaur to fit well into regular humanoid settlements. When they do, they most often take up roles transporting goods or as caravan guards, but some find their place as smiths and crafters.

Giants

Giants are one of the first races of the world created by the great builder god Ogmus. Long before men and dwarves conquered lands, the giants built sprawling kingdoms of their own before they were mastered by the Urlosh. It was on their backs that many of the original Legacies were constructed, and when the Urlosh grew weak, they led the charge to overthrow their masters. Though their race survived the breaking of the world and the greatest calamities known, time has worn them down. Each year, fewer and fewer of these first ones remain, and those that do have been driven from the most bountiful lands by the smaller folk.

Giants stand a towering 18' tall, massively strong, keen of mind, and many possess ancient magics, some being magicians themselves. They live in isolated mountain regions, some in the mountainous islands in southern Galtia. They dwell in great stone keeps and want nothing to do with the lesser races. They are no longer empire builders, and for the most part they live in small remote communities raising animals and growing crops. Anyone wandering into these protected domains should have good reason as their presence there will not be met with warm welcome.

Harpies

Harpies are female avian humanoids, with feathered torsos, clawed feet, and large wings sprouting from their backs, which stretch out to an average span of twelve feet. The skin on their upper legs is rough, while their arms, neck and head are mostly smooth. They have angular features, slightly pointed ears, with human hair. Most have bird-like eyes, with yellow, green or blue sclera, and their mouths seem human too until they open them, revealing small, pointed fangs, and razor-sharp teeth designed for rending. Known and feared for their enchanting songs that they use to lure travelers with, harpies otherwise live simple lives, building their village aeries atop high places, often near water. They are talented crafters, herbalists, foragers, and hunters - the last part being key. Harpies are the only known species on Tellus that can, and must, mate with males of another species. All harpies are born female, and procreation requires some combination of enchantment, seduction, or force to complete their mating ritual. Some harpies might keep such a mate around as a pet for a period of time, but harpies almost as a rule see males of other species as little more than chattel to be used and then discarded or consumed.

Ogres

Ogres were a slave race created by the Urlosh to perform manual labor. They are strong but slow, ill-tempered, inbred, and often dangerous to anyone they come across. Never a race of builders, they predominantly live in the ruins left behind from others. They are tribal, and do raise and grow their own food, but tribal conflicts and constant infighting prevent them from ever becoming a force to be reckoned with. Ogres average ten feet tall, and while they are very strong, they are slow and ponderous. They rarely wear anything in the shape of armor, favoring nothing more than heavy hides or crude pauldrons fashioned from smaller sets of armor. They wield clubs or large bashing weapons, spears, and the occasional axe. Most ogres organize only in extended family units, almost never anything larger, and might be encountered in groups of one to three. They do not eat their own kin, but nearly any other sapient race is fair game, although they are particularly fond of dwarves. Without strength in numbers, ogres have been driven steadily back by civilization. There are certainly tales of ogres engaging in some form of mutual cooperation with their neighbors, especially when resources are scarce. Ogres can make for fierce allies to defend remote villages in exchange for food and supplies. These arrangements are often tenuous, as keeping an ogre sated is a difficult task, but one potentially worth doing in the right situation.

Orcs

Orcs are brutish, pig-headed humanoids with shades of leathery pink skin. They average six feet tall, and most have broad shoulders and muscular builds. Orcs are tribal, aggressive, and highly adaptable to new environments, but they are mostly associated with living in large cave complexes.

Orcs organize themselves into tribes, but they are far from primitive. They do not have kingdoms or nations, as they are typically not cooperative enough to sustain large governments, but their villages and towns are self-sufficient. They are capable of farming, mining and metallurgy, although their artistic works are not seen as beautiful by non-orcs. Orcs are omnivorous and lack refined palates, and while they prefer meat of any kind, they are not above eating whatever is at hand. Their society lacks gender roles, and work assignments are mostly determined by strength and skill. Orc young are communally raised with little in the way of nurture; this ensures that only the strong survive, with cases of runts being killed and eaten by the others. Orcs enjoy violence and warfare and see non-orcs as resource providers to be killed or subjugated.

Orcs came to Galtia nearly a thousand years ago from below the mountains. They discovered the dwarf nation, and the escalation from skirmishes and raids to total invasion happened in less than a year. The following years were written in blood, as countless orcs and dwarves died before the dwarves conceded victory against the seeming endless onslaught. Once the dwarves fled the mountains, the orcs occupied the abandoned cities, growing even stronger and wealthier, until the unifying force that led to that invasion collapsed. Now, centuries later, orcs have proliferated across Galtia within the dark spaces, displacing goblins and any other creatures they encounter. They occupy ruins and abandoned towns, raiding and pillaging wherever the opportunity allows. Where they first originated from remains a mystery. Orcs have appeared across the world, which remains the biggest unanswered question about them, as no orcish sailing ships have ever been encountered.

Militarily they are very organized, mostly operating as small groups of raiding parties. They favor spears, javelins, maces, clubs and sometimes horn bows. They predominantly wear boiled leather armor or mail, sometimes with unique mail coifs, but almost never solid helms. Anyone encountering an orc raiding party should expect a cunning and dangerous foe that will show no mercy. Any hope of negotiation will require clearly superior strength or an offer of something valuable that cannot simply be taken.

Reptilians

Reptilians are humanoid snake people. They average five and a half feet tall, plus another five to six feet of tail, weigh an average of two hundred-fifty pounds, forty of which is comprised of their tails. Reptilian skin is rough and bumpy, and comes in shades of blue, brown, and green and grey. Reptilians have serpentine heads and venomous fangs. Reptilians are cold blooded and rely on their environment for heat. They prefer warm, wet climates, and the largest reptilian tribes occupy coastal marshes. Reptilians are the only sapient humanoid species to lay eggs, which they lay in clutches and fiercely protect.

Reptilian culture is tribal and technologically primitive compared to the other races; they do not have their own smiths and craft equipment from fiber, leather, and wood. They predominantly live in simple huts arranged together by tribe. If a tribe grows too big for an area, it will split, and a new tribe will form and move to new place. Reptilians adapt well to their environment, and although they are omnivores, they strongly prefer a diet of fresh meat of any kind. Reptilian society is matriarchal, and female reptilians often hold positions of power and influence as they are the ones with the ability to grow the strength of the tribe. Reptilians have complex mating rituals, and males must prove themselves worthy by competing in contests of skill and combat.

Reptilians are often considered alien, and one reason may be that the cold stare of a reptilian very much feels like they are sizing you up to be a meal. In most aspects of reptilian life they are cool and calculating, but when the need for violence arises, their blood boils and they quickly revert to savagery. Reptilians do not coordinate well in combat, instead acting on their own interests and going in for the kill instead of watching out for their allies.

Reptilians are by nature xenophobic and reclusive; they are very slow to trust any outsiders, and they are highly protective of their village and their surrounding hunting grounds. They also have no qualms about eating other sapient races, particularly any that wander into their domain, but they would not necessarily attack on site, depending on what the intruders did or said. These behaviors make nearly every other race distrust reptilians, and it would be highly unusual for a reptilian to try and integrate into non-reptilian society.