Note: Population is based on how commonly the Species is seen in civilization on the surface of the main continent, not the total population in existence.

Goblin (10 pt.)

Population: Common

Language(s): Goblin

Description: Tenacious and nearly impossible to exterminate, Goblins are often viewed as a mere nuisance by other sapients. Goblins can be found throughout all known lands. However they rarely participate in developed civilization.

Most Goblins live in extended family units of 10 to 50 individuals. Rarely crafting complex tools or structures themselves, Goblins scavenge most resources from what is discarded by other sapient populations. The refuse heaps of any given city are almost guaranteed to host a Goblin population.

Goblins have a deeply ingrained distrust of civil law and order, viewing attempts to form lasting agreements with their familial unit to be a trick or form of subjugation. Subsequently, Goblins trade most often and in best faith with Orcs, sea Dwarves and other cultures that avoid bureaucracy and legally binding contracts.

Many sapient Species that are normally hostile to outsiders will still trade with Goblins due to their aptitude as scavengers. Orcs, Dark Elves, Trolls, Ogres, Giants and most other Species hostile to Human dominant nations will trade with Goblins as an alternative to forming deals with Human traders.

While not viewed as a threat by most nations, Goblins can be dangerous to lone travelers or small caravans, often swarming those they encounter and stealing whatever they find to use themselves or trade to other local Species.

Goblin can live up to 45 years.

Talents: Goblins start with the following Talents:

• 4 Dexterity (max 7)

• 3 Fortitude (max 6)

• 1 Strength (max 4)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 1 Influence (max 4)

• 1 Intellect (max 4)

Resources: Goblins start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 4

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 5

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Athletics, Dodge or Survive (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Scent (1 pt.): The difficulty of scent based Perception rolls is reduced by 1.

• Danger Sense (2 pt.): When a Goblin is in danger, the Game Master rolls the Goblin’s Awareness + Sixth Sense (difficulty set by Game Master). On a Success, the Goblin gets a feeling that danger is near.

• Pack Tactics (3 pt.): A Goblin always uses the highest initiative rolled by any of their allies in the same fight.

• Disease Resistance (2 pt.): The difficulty of Fortitude rolls to resist pathogens is reduced by 2.

• Poison Resistance (2 pt.): The difficulty of Fortitude rolls to resist toxins is reduced by 2.

Halflings (10 pt.)

Population: Common

Language(s): Human

Description: Traditional living living an agrarian lifestyle, Halflings have increasingly integrated into Human society over the last millennium. In large cities there is usually a “halflingtown” with architecture fitting their stature and many shops catering to Halflings as well as other non-Humans. 

Many Human dominant nations treat Halflings as second class citizens, although typically of higher standing than other non-Human Species. Some nations make no legal or strong cultural distinction between the two Species, in many ways treating Halflings as a Human sub-species. However, Halflings and Humans cannot interbreed, allowing the two Species to remain genetically distinct even when culturally intertwined.

Many of the old Halfling gods have been integrated into Human pantheons (often as minor deities) or forgotten entirely. Likewise, the original Halfing language is no longer spoken, existing only as a dead language in preserved texts and the occasional barrow word preserved in Human.

Halflings can live up to 150 years.

Talents: Halflings start with the following Talents:

• 3 Dexterity (max 6)

• 2 Fortitude (max 5)

• 1 Strength (max 4)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 3 Influence (max 6)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Halflings start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 2

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 5

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Dodge, Stealth or Survival (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Disarming (1 pt.): Receive -1 difficulty on Subturfuge to appear harmless.

• Diversity (2 pt.): Halflings increase their Soul, Arcanum, Divinity or Primal by a total of 2 at character creation.

• Talented (3 pt.): Start with a level of 1 in an Art chosen at Character Creation.

Humans (10 pt.)

Population: Common

Language(s): Human

Description: In competition with Goblins for the most widely spread sapient Species, Humans are exceptionally adaptable and possess a talent for organizing on scale. Only rivaled by mountain Dwarves in architecture and infrastructure, they are often seen as the primary agents of civilization, the subjugation of the natural world to mortal control.

Humans are relatively short lived. However their natural flexibility allows them to achieve great works in a short time.

The Human population is divided by the Great Wilderness and World’s Crest at its heart into two cultural distinct groups. Western Humans live primarily in city-states with nebulous and disputed territories. There are few agreed upon borders and the small settlements between nations often hold no allegiance to either.

Eastern Humans are nearly all unified under imperial rule. The Firdalon Empire has dominated the area for over 600 years, after expanding rapidly in a series of bloody conflicts lasting less than a century. Now only small fringe states in areas of little interest to the Empire exist independently.

Humans can live up to 120 years.

Talents: Humans start with the following Talents:

• 2 Dexterity (max 5)

• 2 Fortitude (max 5)

• 2 Strength (max 5)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 2 Influence (max 5)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Humans start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 3

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 6

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two Skills (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Diversity (2 pt.): Humans increase their Soul, Arcanum, Divinity or Primal by a total of 2 at character creation.

• Highly Talented (6 pt.): Start with a level of 2 in an Art chosen at Character Creation.

Orc (10 pt.)

Population: Common

Language(s): Goblin

Description: Orc culture is shaped by their exceptional strength and biological aptitude for violence. Nomadic raiders, Orcs are feared and distrusted by nearly all sapients.

Orbs typically lives in extended family units of fifty to a hundred. In traditional orcish culture, sapients creatures and the items those sapients possess are viewed as natural resources no different than the trees in a forest or water in a river. Raiding sapient settlements for resources is seen as the natural order.

A small number of Orcs can be found integrated into Human nations, although they represent less than a hundredth of the population. Often outcasts or those born from outcasts from Orc society, these individuals must learn to navigate the norms of their host nations. Even if an Orc entirely adopts the values of another Species, their raw capacity for violence remains.

Orcs can live up to 80 years.

Talents: Orcs start with the following Talents:

• 2 Dexterity (max 5)

• 3 Fortitude (max 6)

• 4 Strength (max 7)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 1 Influence (max 4)

• 1 Intellect (max 4)

Resources: Orcs start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 2

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 7

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Athletics, Brawl or Intimidation (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Scent (1 pt.): The difficulty of scent based Awareness rolls is reduced by 1.

• Frenzy (3): Orcs start with a Berserk level of 1.

Dwarves (10 pt.)

Population: Uncommon

Language(s): Dwarven, Human/Goblin

Description: Dwarves are a short but sturdy Species found throughout human and elven lands, but always as a minority presence. Few outsiders have ever seen the subterranean cities that house the society of the mountain Dwarves.

The mountain Dwarves have long since hollowed out the World’s Crest range that divides the continent between East and West. Small surface fortresses hidden in alpine valleys are the only sign of the massive complex within the rocky peaks. Mountain Dearves are a common sight in trade centers, as they rely on neighboring nations to supply food, lumber and other resources challenging to find below the earth.

A smaller but still substantial part of the dwarven Species can be found on a chain of islands off the Western coast, entirely isolated and culturally separated from their subterranean kin. Sea Dwarves have little to no architecture and sustain their population primarily through raids on the coastline. Sea Dwarves attack almost exclusively at night, taking advantage of their inherited night vision to catch sea side villages and any ship brave enough to sail the Western seas off guard.

Both groups are physically indistinguishable, averaging a foot or more shorter than a Human but matching Humans in weight through bone structure and muscle mass. Mountain Dearves start with Human as a second language, while sea Dearves start with Goblin.

Dwarves can live up to 350 years.

Talents: Dwarves start with the following Talents:

• 1 Dexterity (max 4)

• 3 Fortitude (max 6)

• 3 Strength (max 6)

• 2 Awareness(max 5)

• 1 Influence (max 4)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Dwarves start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 4

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 6

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Craft, Geography or Intimidate (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Infra-vision (2 pt.): Can see in complete darkness.

• Professional (1 pt.): The difficulty of rolls related to a specific profession is reduced by 1. Sailing, mining or metallurgy would all be appropriate professions.

• Poison Resistance (2 pt.): The difficulty of Fortitude rolls against toxins is reduced by 2.

• Endurance (3 pts): The difficulty of Fortitude rolls against fatigue is reduced by 2.

Elves (10 pt.)

Population: Uncommon

Language(s): Elven, Human

Description: The Great Wilderness is the original homeland of the Elves, but it is increasingly common to see the slender and graceful Species in Human lands as Human civilization expands.

Traditional hunter gathers, many elven communities have adopted agriculture along with similar cultural bleed over from other Species. It is still rare to see Elves manufacture refined materials such as iron or other metals, instead trading with Humans or mountain Dwarfs for metallic tools.

Elves can live up to 800 years.

Talents: Elves start with the following Talents:

• 3 Dexterity (max 6)

• 1 Fortitude (max 4)

• 1 Strength (max 4)

• 3 Awareness (max 6)

• 2 Influence (max 5)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Elves start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 2

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 2

• Health: 6

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Alert, Stealth or History (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Embrace Of The Unknown (0 pt.): If an Elf has a Divinity of 1 or more and takes Tasp as their patron deity, they become a Dark Elf, replacing all Heritage Traits from Elf with the Heritage Traits of Dark Elf. This is not reversed if they switch patron deities later.

• Fæ Mind (2 pt.): Any roll to magically control the mind of an Elf has the difficulty increased by 1.

• Plantwhisperer (6 pt.): Start with a Commune With Plants level of 2.

Gosaa (10 pt.)

Population: Rare

Language(s): Human or Goblin

Description: In humid forests, marshy wetlands, overgrown ruins, refuse pits and the vermin filled sewers below cities Gosaa can be found. Amorphous masses of flowering flesh, Gosaa are little different from mundane slime molds. However, Gosaa possesses an ability which makes them exceptionally dangerous.

When a Gosaa first buds from an adult Gosaa, it is nothing more than a mass of cells capable of creating rudimentary muscles and neural networks. At this point, its Species limit in every Talent is 1, and it is not sapient.

As a Gosaa consumes other species, it learns from the anatomy it absorbs, gaining the knowledge to replicate the adaptations of other species with its own flesh. Bones, joints, ligaments, hide, scales and anything else it consumed can be replicated. But most importantly, it can integrate the instinctual adaptations and eventually intellect of the species it eats.

A Gosaa only became a Playable Species after they have consumed another sapient creature and integrated the neural structures found within. Awakening to full sapience does not inherently change the predatory and pathologically utilitarian mindset of a Gosaa, many remaining monsters by the definition of sapient Species.

The terror of shapeshifters that infiltrate society to prey on villagers and replace their victims and steal their lives all originate from Gosaa. In truth, most predatory shapeshifters are Gosaa who have progressed down a particular path to development.

Only Gosaa who fully commit to the survival strategy of society choose to integrate emotions like sympathy. While this can lead to a Gosaa experiencing the same emotional range as a naturally social sapient Species, such Gosaa are exceptions even among their awakened kin.

Gosaa have no known maximum life span.

Talents: Gosaa start with the following Talents:

• 1 Dexterity (max 4)

• 1 Fortitude (max 4)

• 1 Strength (max 4)

• 1 Awareness (max 4)

• 1 Influence (max 4)

• 1 Intellect (max 4)

Resources: Gnomes start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 2

• Arcanum: 1

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 2

• Health: 8

Abilities: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Intimidation, Stealth or Survive (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Merits

• Alien Mind (2 pt.): The difficulty of Empathy rolls against a Gosaa is increased by 1.

• Amorphous (8 pt.): Each turn a Gosaa can reflexively spend 1 Primal and roll Fortitude + Medicine (difficulty 5). They gain 1 Health point per Success. All structural damage (including lost limbs) is healed once they return to full Health.

• Assimilate Biology (1 pt.): When a Gosaa consumes the fresh corpse of a creature with a Talent higher than their species limit in that Talent, they increase their species limit in that Talent to the level the consumed creature had in the Talent. A fresh body is raw and less than 24 hours old, or longer at low temperatures or similarly preserved.

• Clinical (4 pt.): Receive -1 difficulty to Analysis.

• Engulf (3 pt.): Gosaa have innate control over space, their amorphous bodies holding much more than the space they occupy would allow. They start with a Topomancy level of 1.

• Flowing Flesh (5 ptz): The difficulty on the activation roll for Shapechange Spells is reduced by 1. This does not stack with the Domain Affinity Trait.

• Low Light Vision (1 pt.): The penalty to see in low light or darkness is reduced by 1.

• Natural Shapechanger (6 pt.): Gosaa start with a Shapechange level of 2.

• Neurovore (5 pt.): If a Gosaa consumes the fresh brain of an organic creature, they can assimilate the memories of the creature. They can roll Intellect + Analysis (difficulty set by Game Master) to search the memories of the consumed mind.

Dark Elf (10 pt.)

Population: Mythical

Language(s): Elven, Goblin

Description: Scholars have speculated whether Dark Elves are a truly separate Species from the Elves of the surface. The rare cases of an Elf becoming a Dark Elf complicate this matter, as does the ability of Elves and Dark Elves to interbreed, even if the offspring are always Dark Elves.

Despite this, elven society views Dark Elves as a mockery of their people, and most Elves would consider it offensive to view them as the same. Dark Elves lack the Elven affinity for the natural world, trading it for a deeper grasp of the arcane.

The true form of a Dark Elf is similar to their elven kin, except for a dark grey complexion that blends into the shadows and entirely black eyes. However this form is rarely seen even in dark elven society, few Dark Elves beyond infancy ever taking on an unaltered appearance.

In the dark elven culture, sympathy and mortality is a failing. The most valuable pursuit is the accumulation of personal power and ability, which is only surpassed by the discovery of knowledge and expansion of understanding.

Their cities sprawl deep below the earth, further down than any Dwarves have dared to dig. In truth, only their potent grasp of the arcane allows them to make the lower depths habitable.

Almost universally asocial, Dark Elves collaborate for personal gain but never trust. Likewise the sapients of the surface world have long since learned to fear the subterranean Dark Elves, but have little chance of identifying a skilled Dark Elf hiding amongst them.

Elves can live up to 850 years.

Talents: Dark Elves start with the following Talents:

• 3 Dexterity (max 6)

• 1 Fortitude (max 4)

• 1 Strength (max 4)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 3 Influence (max 6)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Dark Elves start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 3

• Arcanum: 3

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 0

• Health: 6

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Stealth, Subterfuge or Spellcraft (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Fleshwarper (6 pt.): Dark Elves start with a Biomancy level of 2.

• Fæ Mind (2 pt.): Any roll to magically control the mind of a Dark Elf has the difficulty increased by 1.

• Infra-vision (2 pt.): Can see in complete darkness.

• Light Sensitivity (-2 pt.): Dark Elves suffer +1 difficulty to sight based Awareness rolls in full sunlight.

Leshi (10 pt.)

Population: Mythical

Language(s): Spirit Speech, plus 1 more

Description: An awakened Humanoid plant. Created by powerful Druids using the Commune With Plants and Spirit Domains typically as a guardian of a certain natural area.

Leshi have no known maximum lifespan.

Talents: Leshi start with the following Talents:

• 2 Dexterity (max 5)

• 3 Fortitude (max 6)

• 1 Strength (max 5)

• 2 Awareness (max 5)

• 1 Influence (max 5)

• 2 Intellect (max 5)

Resources: Leshi start with the following Resources:

• Soul: 3

• Arcanum: 0

• Divinity: 0

• Primal: 3

• Health: 5

Skills: Receive -1 difficulty to rolls with two of Craft, Survive or Natural History (chosen at Character Creation).

Heritage Traits

• Natural Camouflage (1 pt.): Receives -1 difficulty to Stealth when in a natural area.

• Green Tongue (3 pt.): Start with a Commune With Plants level of 1.

• Photosynthetic (-5 pt.): After going without sunlight for more than three days, they must succeed on a Fortitude roll (difficulty 5) each day or lose 1 Health point.

• Root (5 pts.): Leshi can root themselves in soil while sleeping. As long as they root each night, they do not require food or water (assuming the soil is fertile and well watered).

• Plant Creature (-1 pt.): Affected by Spells and other effects that target plants such as Blight of Death.

• Spiritual Being (9 pt.): Start with a Spirit level of 3.