Abilen
Gentle, civilised catfolk descended from savage beasts
Abilen Heritage Traits
Average Height: 137-167cm (4’6”-5’6”)
Average Weight: 27-45kg (60-100 lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence or Dexterity
Size: Small
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light vision
Languages: Common, Abil, plus any one.
Skill Bonuses: +2 Diplomacy, +2 Insight
Feline Grace: You have a +1 racial bonus to Reflex and Will.
Cultural Savant: At first level, you gain training in one additional skill of your choice.
Through the Crowd: You have the through the crowd heritage power.
| Through the Crowd | Abilen Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You utilise your small frame to slip into the perfect position, right under your enemies’ noses. | |
| Encounter | |
| Free Action Personal | |
| Effect: Until the end of your turn, you do not provoke opportunity attacks for moving, and you can move through enemy squares. | |
Known the world over for their hospitality and smooth social skills, the catlike abilen are a fixture of civilised cities. Secluded in Ashar during the War of Empires, they adapted quickly to peace in Alm, ingratiating themselves to friendly nations with a fortuitously-timed trade offer or favourable business deal. Abilen became a necessary part of the new era so smoothly it was barely noticed.
Like the nation of Independence, the abilen’s approach to the recent wars was to take great pains to work themselves into the political and mercantile foundations of all of Alm’s important nations, meaning hostility toward them is widely frowned upon.
Play an abilen if you want…
- to have feline traits and appearance.
- to get along easily with friends and strangers.
- to be a nimble, lightly-armoured adventurer.
Physical Qualities
Abilen are small and slight creatures, with delicate builds and fine features. Their height is as a short human—typically a little under five feet—but they are extraordinarily light, weighing as little as a human youth. Their slender bodies lack the physical bulk of their bestial forebears, but in return grant them natural grace and agility.
Although their shape and stance are humanoid, abilen bear many feline features, especially on their face. They have rounded faces with short muzzles, sharp teeth, and small pointed ears which sit toward the top of their heads. Their soft, sleek fur ranges in colour and markings, and they have tails much like domestic cats. They also sport small claws on their fingers and toes, which retract when they are at rest.
Abilen have lifespans similar to humans, but spend much longer in their prime. They show virtually no signs of aging until their twilight years, when their health typically deteriorates very swiftly.
Playing an Abilen
Despite being beast-kin, abilen evolution has followed a very different path to gnolls and equitarn. The typical abilen is spry but delicate, ill-suited to combat or heavy labour, and hardly a brutal predator. Nevertheless, Ashari business dealings can be ruthlessly efficient, even when they are mutually beneficial.
Though they are native to the desert nation of Ashar, there are few civilised places where abilen have not become part of the community. Between Ashar’s diplomatic efforts and the abilen’s non-threatening image, they have a good reputation that puts them at an advantage in many social situations. They are strongly associated with trade in all nations, and often travel with merchant caravans, going wherever they perceive value.
While abilen do not typically seek out danger, many adventuring companies and guilds are financially linked to Ashar, giving them plenty of opportunities to get a taste for adventure. The typical abilen adventurer is optimistic but practical, planning for both the best and worst outcomes. Most prefer low-risk ventures, seeing adventuring as a job rather than a chance to brawl, but there are always those who prefer high risk and high reward.
Abilen are perceived as… Friendly, easygoing, sharp-witted, practical, mercantile, sanguine, creative, adaptable, sensible.
Names: Adina, Ari, Ashei, Eisha, Janya, Laksha, Leyla, Mia, Myan, Ruhan, Samira, Sanura, Shadi, Shameen, Shema, Tasha.
Abilen names are the only modern use for Abil, the native abilen tongue. They are typically short—no more than two syllables—and usually end in vowel sounds.
Abilen Backgrounds
Merchant Prince
“ I believe there is an opportunity here.”
The heir of a wealthy business empire, you have grown up wanting for nothing. Now, however, you find yourself separated from your former life of luxury. Did you strike out to find your own worth, without the aid of your lineage? Or have been sent forth by your family to prove yourself an adequate heir? How badly do you want to return home—and what will allow you to do so?
Associated Skills: Bluff, diplomacy
Associated ritual: Fluid funds (EPG)
Caravan Minstrel
“ You know, this reminds me of a song…”
Growing up as a traveller on the merchant caravans, you have never felt the desire to settle; to you, home is about what you experience, and with whom you share it. You collect performances like souvenirs—an exotic dance from Ashar, an artful symphony from Sorairo, a bold epic from Brandeis—and better yet, you can share them freely without ever giving them away. Are you travelling with your current group in order to add their heroic chronicle to your repertoire? Or have you decided it’s finally time to be part of the story?
Associated Skills: History, religion
Associated ritual: Call of friendship (AP)
Industrial Saboteur
“I protect something which is bigger than all of us.”
Culturally, abilen value community and cooperation—and they see worldwide economic stability as something more valuable than any individual. Threats to the international marketplace are taken as seriously as anything can be, and the agents of this cause are subtle and without recognition. If an arms dealer runs aground after subverting trade sanctions, if a powerful cartel makes a bad deal and loses its monopoly, why should any special interference be assumed? Only a few are ever aware that the market does indeed possess invisible hands.
Associated Skills: Bluff, diplomacy
Associated ritual: Fool’s gold (AP)
Abilen Feats
Circle of Fate
Prerequisite: Abilen, Awakened or Gremblin
Benefit: When you or one of your allies misses all targets with an attack power, the next creature to attack one of those targets gains a +1 bonus to hit with that attack.
Communal Instinct
Prerequisite: Abilen, Equitarn or Gremblin
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls on attacks granted to you by allies. The damage bonus increases to +4 at Paragon tier and +6 at Epic tier.
Community Spirit
Prerequisite: Abilen, Shaman
Benefit: Whenever you summon or dismiss your spirit companion, one ally adjacent to it gains temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Double Dealing
Prerequisite: Abilen, Con 13+
Benefit: Whenever an ally’s healing power causes you to gain hit points, you also gain temporary hit points equal to half the amount healed. Whenever an ally’s healing power causes you to gain temporary hp, you heal hit points equal to half the number of temporary hit points.
Eye of the Storm
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to all defences against burst and blast powers used by your allies, and any damage dealt to you by such powers is reduced by half. At the end of your turn, you may end any effect on you, caused by an ally, that a save can end.
Friendly Face
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: During a skill challenge, failed Diplomacy or Bluff checks you make do not count against the total number of failures.
High Spirits
Prerequisite: Abilen, Shaman
Benefit: Allies adjacent to your spirit companion gain a +5 bonus to saving throws versus fear effects.
Insider Information
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: As long as more than one enemy is adjacent to you, any ally who makes a ranged attack against an enemy adjacent to you gets a bonus to the attack roll equal to your dexterity modifier.
Invisible Hand
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: As long as you have combat advantage against an enemy, your weapon attacks gain a +2 bonus to damage against that enemy. This bonus increases to +4 at Paragon tier and +6 at Epic tier.
Marked Merger
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: If an enemy marked by you is adjacent to another enemy marked by you, it suffers a -3 penalty to attack rolls for attacks that don’t target you, instead of the normal -2 penalty.
Opportunity Cost
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: The first time an opportunity attack is made against you during an encounter, you can make a melee basic attack against the attacking creature as a free action.
Settle the Score
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: Once per round, when you hit an enemy by whom you are marked, you may choose to end that enemy’s mark on you.
Strategic Withdrawal
Prerequisite: Abilen, through the crowd heritage power, at least one encounter attack power
Benefit: At the beginning of your turn, if you have no encounter powers remaining, you regain the use of your through the crowd power.
Trade Futures
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: The first time you become bloodied during an encounter, you regain the use of your Second Wind. The first time each day you drop to 0 hp, you regain one Healing Surge.
Trade Up
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: The first time during an encounter you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, you may shift half your speed as a free action, as long as you end your movement closer to another enemy than when you started.
Unexpected Advance
Prerequisite: Abilen, through the crowd heritage power, paragon tier
Benefit: When you use your through the crowd heritage power, you can spend a standard action to use an at-will melee attack power on an enemy whose square you move through. That attack gains combat advantage against the target.
Vested Interest
Prerequisite: Abilen
Benefit: When and enemy suffering ongoing damage caused by you becomes bloodied for the first time during an encounter, you gain a bonus to damage rolls against that enemy equal to your Intelligence modifier. The bonus lasts until the end of the encounter.
Awakened
Aberrant humans sensitive to psionics and emotions
Awakened Heritage Traits
Average Height: 165 – 188cm (5’5” – 6’2”)
Average Weight: 59 – 86kg (130-190 lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom or Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common plus any one.
Skill Bonuses: +2 Insight, +2 Perception
Aberrant Soul: Something in you is not of this world, so you are considered an aberrant creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Familiar Blood: For all race-based effects and requirements, you are considered to be a human as well as awakened.
Psionic Endowment: You gain one power point, which you can use to augment psionic powers and feats with the augmentable keyword, as if you had the psionic augmentation class feature. You are considered to have the psionic augmentation class feature for the sake of feats, paragon paths and other requirements.
Awakened Awe: You have the awakened awe background power.
| Awakened Awe | Awakened Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You use your psionic sensitivity to turn your own suffering into your enemies’ pain. | |
| Encounter ✦ Psionic, Augmentable | |
| No Action Personal | |
| Trigger: You would spend a healing surge and regain hit points. | |
| Effect: You do not regain any hit points. Instead, you can deal psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier to one adjacent enemy. | |
| Augment 1: | |
| Effect: You do not regain any hit points. Instead, you or one ally who can see you can make a basic attack as a free action. | |
The key to humanity’s freedom, the awakened began to appear seemingly at random during the last century, bringing with them the gift of psionic power. It was these individuals who heard the mysterious voices beckoning them to the lands of Alm, and led their people across the seas. Although other humans later came to find the power of the soul within themselves, the inherent psionic nature of the awakened still sets them apart.
The true nature of the awakened is a subject of controversy; some consider the awakened to be the logical progression of human evolution. Others wonder if the awakened were created by outside interference—if an existing psionic race could have gifted their powers to humanity—or suspect that they are the result of an ill-conceived Overseer experiment. Some even hold them as divine beings, shepherds sent to guide humanity’s path.
Play an awakened if you want…
- to have native empathic powers.
- to be revered by your people, but kept at arm’s length.
- to receive visions of the past, and the future.
Physical Qualities
Awakened come from various human stock, but beyond that they don’t share any unique physical traits. They tend to be visually striking, but not necessarily beautiful—rather unusual and interesting, compelling in ways which are difficult to describe. Most are marked in some unnatural but minor way, such as strange eye or hair colours, tattoo-like birthmarks, strangely-shaped pupils, or other quirks.
Playing an Awakened
Most awakened have in common a somewhat introspective nature. It’s difficult to grow up awakened without an acute awareness of being different; even as children, they are usually quiet and thoughtful individuals. Their psionic nature seems to grant them a kind of unnatural magnetism which is difficult to explain, but most view this as a weapon, so it rarely leads to them becoming socially adept.
Having a great sense of the emotions around them, awakened often have difficulty being at peace. A good number seek solitude even when they are well-liked, preferring the “quiet” of keeping their own company. Nonetheless, most are held by their home communities as a sign of good fortune, or at least as special being who must be treated well.
Due to this well-intentioned othering, many awakened never feel truly at home in the place of their birth. For many, the life of an adventurer is simply the natural choice. However, some also believe they feel the call that caused their ancestors to lead humanity out of Parosea. These individuals are driven and determined adventurers, striving to discover new ways to help others.
Awakened are perceived as… Ethereal, bizarre, rare, visionary, emotional, sensitive, introspective, intriguing, restless, lonely, treasured.
Names: As the human, though they may also be given a title by their community, such as “dreamwalker” or “farseer”.
Awakened Backgrounds
Gifted Recluse
“I never asked for this!”
Although the awakened are normally celebrated by their communities, you have instead fallen into the role of the outcast. Perhaps you have hidden your true powers, feeling you are unworthy of adoration—or fearing responsibility. Perhaps your empathy is too strong for comfort, forcing you away from company just to hear yourself think. For whatever reason, you have secluded yourself until falling in with your current group. How and why did you join them, and was it against your own wishes?
Associated Skills: Stealth, nature
Associated ritual: Seek rumour (FRPG)
Village Mystic
“All big problems are made up of small things.”
While most awakened feel themselves destined for grand purposes, your concerns are for more immediate things—for the people around you and the community they form. The problems you solve may seem trivial to others, but you know that by dealing with them, you tend your community like a garden, keeping fear and hatred from ever taking root. Are you seen as a benevolent oracle, or a mysterious soothsayer? Perhaps even an imperious prophet, levying your aid for status and renown? And what has motivated you to leave the home you care so much for?
Associated Skills: Insight, streetwise
Associated ritual: Object reading (AP)
Messiah
“I have a duty—I must show my people the path.”
Like the visionaries who led humanity out of Parosea, you have a duty. Blessed with the ability to glimpse the road ahead, you must guide and protect your people as they seek their destiny. You recognise and accept this duty—but is regret also there in your heart? Do you doubt your own abilities, or is your resolve firm and unyielding? Do you worry for a home or family you left behind, or has your calling kept you from forming such bonds? And what, then, of your current companions?
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, intimidate
Associated ritual: Battlefield Elocution (D366)
Awakened Feats
The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.
Circle of Fate
Prerequisite: Abilen, Awakened or Gremblin
Benefit: When you or one of your allies misses all targets with an attack power, the next creature to attack one of those targets gains a +1 bonus to hit with that attack.
Fates Intertwined
Prerequisites: Awakened or Rahbe
Benefit: As long as you have at least 1 power point remaining, you ignore partial concealment, and treat full concealment as partial concealment.
Independent Thought
Prerequisite: Awakened or Rahbe
Benefit: You can still take minor actions while stunned.
Lion of War
Prerequisite: Awakened
Benefit: You may use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Strength modifier to determine attack and damage rolls for warlord powers.
Memory of Flame
Prerequisite: Awakened or Felbraug
Benefit: When you deal fire damage to an enemy not marked by you, that enemy cannot move closer to you until the end of its next turn.
Memory of Pain
Prerequisite: Awakened or Rahbe
Benefit: When you cause an enemy to take ongoing damage with a psionic or psychic power, the ongoing damage is increased by 1 per tier.
Memory of the Void
Prerequisite: Awakened or Rahbe
Benefit: Enemies take a -2 penalty to saving throws against fear effects caused by you.
Mindshield
Prerequisite: Awakened or Rahbe
Benefit: As long as you have at least one power point remaining, when an enemy makes an opportunity attack against you, they must make the attack roll twice and use the lower result.
- 4 years ago Add Initial publication
- 6 days ago Update Effect updated from static bonus to “disadvantage” style effect
Bannyr
Big-hearted giantkin, hardy and belligerent
Bannyr Heritage Traits
Game mechanics for the bannyr heritage are identical to the dwarf race detailed in the D&D 4e official rulebooks, except as noted below. For all other mechanical purposes (including feats, paragon paths, etc.), bannyr is simply an alternative name for dwarf.
Average Height: 180-208cm (5’11”-6’10”)
Average Weight: 105-174kg (230-380 lb.)
Giantkin: You have the giant subtype.
Plowshares to Swords: Bannyr have a long tradition of turning peacetime tools into weapons of war. You gain proficiency with the battleaxe and the warhammer. This benefit replaces Dwarven Weapon Proficiency.
Burly giants with a penchant for brawling and intoxication, the bannyr have an enduring reputation as fierce—if not especially shrewd—warriors. Once sea raiders from nearby Aethys, they were among the Brandish tribes who first settled in Alm during the Age of Beasts, and would eventually go on the found mighty Brandeis.
As the predominant species among the original Brands, the bannyri are inextricably linked to Brandish culture; even today, most of them still live within Brandeis and embody its cultural stereotypes. Placing great weight on traditional rivalries, they love nothing more than brawling amongst themselves—that is, until an outside force draws their ire.
Play a bannyr if you want…
- to be a broadly good-natured lout.
- to protect what is yours with unreasonable force.
- to approach animosity with a sense of fun.
Physical Qualities
Bannyr look much like oversized humans—so much that scholars have proposed they may have been the “source material” from which humans were made. They typically stand six to seven feet tall, with solid trunks and thick limbs, and rugged chiselled features. Their hands are large and their feet broad, making them sturdy and powerful, but not especially nimble.
Though they aren’t considered beast-kin, bannyr are often likened to bears in Brandish lore; their name itself means “bear hands”, referring to the leathery pads on their palms and the soles of their feet. They also have naturally dark, thick, opaque fingernails and toenails, which can look like claws at a glance.
Bannyr skin, eye and hair colours typically match those of humans, though red and blonde hair seem particularly common in bannyr. Long, braided or knotted hair is overwhelmingly popular, to the point that it has become a traditional point of pride for many bannyr families. Brandish art centres around similar cord and knot motifs, with intricately twisted lines being a sure sign of bannyri influence.
Playing a Bannyr
The bannyr have a reputation for good humour and welcoming hearth. Other creatures often migrate to Brandish territory, and the bannyr take great pride in bragging that their mighty land can support multitudes. This is an important display of strength, passed down by Brayden Bloodmane herself; only the strong can afford gifts like trust or mercy, so what better way to show that Brandeis fears nothing from her enemies? Not coincidentally, this fits well with the ancient bannyri values of indulgence, enthusiasm, and brawling at a moment’s notice.
Though they wander far and wide, bannyr rarely live outside of Brandeis. Most think of themselves in terms of nation before race; all Brands are kin, whether or not they are bannyri. However, they also remain thinly-spread enough to represent a plurality of cultures, each clan retaining its own distinct identity. This is especially true of those who live close to Brandeis’ many borders, who often integrate appealing parts of their neighbouring cultures.
Most bannyri adventurers are bravos, warriors seeking to prove their might and enjoy themselves on the way. Among adventurers, they have a reputation for being sturdy and reliable companions, as much able to lift spirits in a tavern as lift axes on the battlefield.
Bannyr are perceived as… Rowdy, territorial, indulgent, fierce, enthusiastic, rude, friendly, emotional, forthright, loud, boisterous, cheerful.
Given Names: Brayden, Conor, Elwyn, Strathen, Brann, Fionn, Amareth, Amnil, Nolan, Finn, Tiergan, Ellis, Luin, Tharald, Chaia, Lairne, Farley, Almedha, Adnis, Ruskin.
In addition to one or more given names, bannyr also carry a traditional clan name. The eight great clans are those whose lands became the Brandish states—Albion, Ironhilt, Adelhae, Kurast, Navorey, Woodfall, Saffron and Aragon—but there are also countless minor clans associated with each one.
Bannyr Backgrounds
Nothing found.
Bannyr Feats
Nothing found.
Eladrin
Insular aristocrats who value honour and tradition
Almish Eladrin Heritage Traits
Game mechanics for the Almish eladrin are identical to the eladrin race detailed in the D&D 4e official rulebooks, except as noted below.
Average Height: 170-195cm (5′ 7″-6’5″)
Average Weight: 59-82kg (130-180 lb.)
Stolen Life: Your distant ancestors linked their bloodlines to the magic of the feywild, giving you the fey origin.
An ancient people who once colonised much of Alm, the eladrin are infamous for their elaborate social structures and restrained dignity. They would have themselves known as the descendants of the first fey, but the truth is a darker secret; in the ancient past, their ancestors attempted to steal eternal life from the feywild, causing a calamity that forever closed Alm’s permanent feywild gates.
Though it is never spoken, the eladrin are actually responsible for two of Alm’s great empires; the powerful Calanshae, built by those who sought to explore and colonise, and the ancient separatist island of Sorairo. Political differences fractured these two factions long ago, and today neither group acknowledges any connection to the other; even the sylvan word “eladrin” is unheard of in Sorairo, where they call themselves only “Soratami”.
With a history of elevating themselves over “lesser” cultures, both Calan and Soratami eladrin are seen as arrogant at best. Even as they are held firmly in check by the Brands and their allies, their countries’ paternalism has won them little affection among non-eladrin, who rightly suspect they still consider themselves superior.
Play an Almish eladrin if you want…
- to keep your companions at arms’ length.
- to consider yourself smartest person in the room.
- to strongly respect—or pointedly defy—your nation’s strict traditions.
Eladrin and Soratami
Prior to July 2022, Skies of Escarnum presented the soratami as a distinct heritage in name only, whose mechanics were synonymous with eladrin. In the interest of reducing “subrace” complications, information included in that description has now been folded into this page, or the page for their homeland of Sorairo.
Physical Qualities
Almish eladrin are tall, slender humanoids known for their grace and regal bearing. They have no facial or bodily hair save for eyebrows and lashes, and tend toward thin builds with narrow shoulders and hips. They display little sexual dimorphism, and their delicate features present a generally feminised androgyny by the standards of a human.
Eladrin skin tone is typically very pale and vaguely pearlescent, giving them an otherwordly appearance that is either instantly enchanting, or mildly unsettling. Like their hair, it comes in a variety of rainbow hues, though invariably in soft, pale pastels. Eye colours have a similar range of hues, but are often strikingly dark by comparison.
Most eladrin wear their hair very long, carefully bound up in elaborate fashion. Those in high society paint both skin and hair with incredibly intricate designs, which are considered all the more beautiful for their ephemeral nature. Adventurers tend to tone this down by necessity, but most still favour complex styles that require significant effort, perhaps to imply their aesthetic superiority.
Playing Almish Eladrin
Most eladrin are raised to be be aloof, insular, and convinced of their own superiority. Perhaps due to their long lifespans, they tend to be conservative and rigid in their ideas, preferring the company of their own kind and the traditions of their own lands. This includes a great importance placed on etiquette and outward appearance, and the belief that it is uncouth to ruin one’s dignified front by allowing excessive emotion. Typically, these ideals create an impression of smug haughtiness that other peoples rarely find endearing.
Most eladrin exist in a world of courtly intrigue, elaborate social rituals and constant deception. Their dealings are polite and civilised, but never kind. Although this encourages widespread distrust, it also considered a sign of respect—the acknowledgement that your fellows have the cunning and the mettle to threaten you.
Although some eladrin reject this attitude when they become adventurers, they often bring it with them, making them something of a gamble as allies. Other adventurers frequently view them as disloyal and paranoid, untrustworthy when the stakes are high. Ultimately, many eladrin adventurers prefer to remain detached, viewing their parties as business associates rather than companions.
Almish Eladrin are perceived as… Aloof, cunning, arcane, proud, aloof, graceful, polite, smug, aesthetic, perfectionist, insular, erudite, honourable, structured, strict, patient, dignified.
Names: Calanish eladrin use elven names, but with a preference for longer and more elaborate words. Name meanings are considered very important in society, as they are an extra change to show off one’s wit with a clever double-meaning or reference.
Soratami eladrin have as many as five given names, forming elaborate titles written with a special alphabet and taken from a limited pool. Every name carries the weight of history—most children hope to have the honour of inheriting names from important forebears. A Soratami’s names belong not to an individual, but to their entire family, and all those who have carried the names before.
Soratami Given Names: Akeshi, Amaya, Baiken, Emiko, Haruka, Hidatsu, Kanae, Koujiro, Kurai, Masaru, Naoko, Saori, Shiki, Tenseikou, Uyoku, Yasuo.
New Eladrin Backgrounds
Nothing found.
Soratami Backgrounds
Courtly Outcast
“My departure was deemed… prudent.”
Although you are a native of Sorairo, you have somehow lost the favour of your peers, cast out of courtly society until you can redeem yourself. What happened to bring such shame upon you—and was it legitimate, or the work of an underhanded rival? Were you cast out by force, or did you leave on your own to save face? Will you eventually win back your former status, or discover something even more valuable?
Associated Skills: History, religion
Associated ritual: Seek Rumour (FRPG)
Shadow Warrior
“There is but one virtue greater than honour, and it is duty.”
The society of soratami is built on millennia of strict political structures and codified behaviour. Soratami leaders need to appear beyond mortal failings, yet they are still mortal; how, then, can they be divine and infallible? To allow your exalted leaders to occupy such a role, you have taken on the heavy mantle of the shadow warrior. Unseen by mortals and by history, you do what your master cannot, sacrificing your own honour to maintain the celestial order.
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, thievery
Associated ritual: Hidden Pocket (MP2)
Trailblazer
“Ignoring the lesser races will lead to our stagnation.”
Though your family may not have been pleased, you are one of the proud few who willingly chose to leave your homeland. Perhaps you see some value in the “lesser races” that your peers do not, or perhaps you are fascinated by their alien ways. Do you aim to bridge the gap between your insular people and the races of the mainland? Or are you happy to leave your own kin behind, if that is what it takes?
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, streetwise
Associated ritual: Comprehend Language (PHB)
New Eladrin Feats
Nothing found.
Elf
Children of the feywild, descendants of a race long forgotten
When Alm was still young, its connection the Feywild was deep and powerful. Two gates stood permanently open between the planes of the fey and the mortal, flooding the land with the energy from which all life sprung. Around them grew the twin forests of Heartwood and Deepwood, wildernesses deep and impenetrable, filled with giant vegetation and impossible fey beasts.
Here, sheltered beneath the mighty canopies, a new kind of creature came to be. Equally fey and mortal, they were born into bodies native to the mortal plane, yet connected eternally to life itself—never to age, and never to die. These timeless ancients walked alongside the primal beasts and held the forest as their sanctuary, unconcerned with the world beyond.
It is not understood why, or how, the ancient gates were sealed. Tales of war and calamity abound, but all that is truly known is that the ancient fey have vanished, and the gates now stand closed. Those who failed to retreat into the Wild, so the story says, became the first truly mortal fey—eventually called “elves”.
Play an Almish elf if you want…
- to be swift, agile and observant.
- to be at home in the wilds, but not wild yourself.
- to deal with the impact of colonialism.
Physical Qualities
Almish elves stand a little shorter than a human on average, and are typically of slender build; athletic individuals are typically wiry and sinuous rather than bulky. Their fine features and long, pointed ears are very much like those of eladrin, though they usually project a less haughty demeanour.
Where eladrin are pale, elves have skin of dark, earthy tones—rarely lighter than a moderate tan, usually a very deep brown. They lack the bodily hair of humans, but grow extremely fine hair uniformly over their skin, making it slightly velvety to the touch. Their hair and eyes are most often some shade of green, but red, orange and brown are also common.
Natural elves sport two short, elegant horns curving back along their crown, much like those of an antelope. Although these have no apparent function, they are traditionally decorated with small ornaments or painted patterns—a courageous elf may even carve a pattern into their surface. However, the eladrin-dominated Calanish society encourages that elven infants have their horns removed at birth, to better fit in amongst “polite company”.
Traditional elven craft favours flowing linework that curves endlessly back and forth around itself to form an intricate pattern. Those who make their home in Deepwood usually favour these motifs strongly in their personal belongings, making a point of preserving an aesthetic that the Calans have done much to erase.
Playing an Almish Elf
The elves of Alm have a long and rich history, but all of it has been dramatically overshadowed by the coming of the eladrin. While they formed an alliance as equals, the eldarin saw it as their duty to “enlighten” the elves; ultimately, their success in the war lent them the power to consume and supplant elven customs and beliefs.
Today, elves find themselves quickly reduced to their relationship with this history; as Calans they are either complacent peasants or angry rabble-rousers, or in Deepwood they are noble, savage warriors. Of course, elves are as diverse as any other species, so frustration with this lack of nuance unites them more often than any other factor.
Elves in the greater world know that they must avoid or confront these ideas eventually. Elven adventurers often choose to keep their allies at arms’ length, rather than spending the considerable energy required to educate them. However, some choose a more confrontational path, believing that their companions are worth the effort. Often, such adventurers are motivated by a particular need to explore, that they might become worldly and well-informed beyond reproach.
New Elf Backgrounds
Nothing found.
New Elf Feats
Nothing found.
Equitarn
Stoic equine giants violently displaced from their traditional home
Equitarn Heritage Traits
Average Height: 290 – 320cm (9’6″-10’6″)
Average Weight: 680 – 907kg (1,500-2,000 lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, plus any one
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Athletics
Beast Kin: Your ancestors were amongst the many beast-kin who once ruled Alm. You are considered both a beast and a humanoid for the purpose of effects that relate to creature type.
Pack Mule: When determining your normal load, heavy load, or maximum drag load, you treat your Strength score as 5 points higher.
Stubborn: You gain a +5 bonus to saving throws against effects that daze, stun or dominate.
Rock Solid: You have the rock solid background power.
| Rock Solid | Equitarn Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| By stopping still and holding your ground, you become a truly immoveable object. | |
| Encounter | |
| Move Action Personal | |
| Effect: Until the beginning of your next turn, you are immobilised and cannot be pushed, pulled or slid. | |
Traditional occupants of the Almish grasslands, equitarn are an ancient beast-kin people who resemble humanoid horses. Historically, the equitarn were nomads, who formed small social groups which met and mingled as they traversed the Grasslands. However, they suffered tremendous losses during the War of Empires, which forced many to leave their traditional home and adapt to living in foreign lands.
Although many equitarn were able to return after the war, their displacement and diaspora remain significant cultural scars. Today, many have grown up having little or no knowledge of their traditional home and culture. Nevertheless—wherever they may be—their size and strength makes them popular candidates for any form of manual labour, and certainly for adventuring.
Play an equitarn if you want…
- to be a massive, unmoveable foe.
- to act slowly, but decisively.
- to consider the effects of lingering diaspora.
Physical Qualities
Equitarn are gigantic, barrel-chested humanoids, taller even than jotun and bannyr at their largest. Much like horses, some are naturally thick-limbed and solid, while others are lean and statuesque—even as they tower over most other folk. Sex seems to have little influence on their size or weight.
Equitarn have human-like faces, but with a broad, high bridge to the nose, and an elongated jaw that’s almost—but not quite—a muzzle. They have short, smooth coats that display various equine patterns, and mane-like hair on a scalp that reaches down the neck, even to the shoulders. Their hides and manes come in any colour found among horses, and they typically have yellow, orange or deep brown eyes.
Naturally hardy, equitarn usually opt for simple, sparse clothing that does not hamper movement. They rarely choose to wear armour, but when they do it resembles horse barding—though rare is the equitarn who will willingly serve as a mount. Their fingers and toes are capped with hard keratin not unlike a hoof, so they often go barefoot in any terrain.
Equitarn have somewhat shorter lifespans than humans and grow quickly, becoming full-grown in less than ten years. Though robust, they have low fertility rates; births are typically celebrated, and children cared for eagerly by the entire community.
Playing an Equitarn
The archetypal equitarn is stoic and reserved, wasting few words on emotional matters. They prefer careful reasoning to rash decisions, but once their minds are made up, they are resolute in their choices. Their experience during the war galvanised the cultural importance they place on family and community; wherever they live and whoever they perceive their family to be, an equitarn will likely do anything in their power to keep them safe.
Grasslander equitarn rarely become adventurers for the sake of their own interests, but can frequently be found acting as bodyguards for less hardy creatures. Their traditional culture also values the idea of “long memory”; one should take care to repay debts and answer wrongdoing, for the good of the entire group. Often, dying equitarn pass unsettled scores on to their next-of-kin, a responsibility treated with great solemnity.
For equitarn born in industrialised areas, adventuring is more likely to be a simple career choice; there’s always room in a company for a big, imposing heavy who doesn’t mind carrying an extra pack.
Equitarn are perceived as… Loyal, calm, dependable, stoic, stubborn, cautious, vengeful, patient, placid, momentous.
Example names: Alder, Autumn, Bank, Briar, Bracken, Calyx, Dust, Eve, Maple, Oak, Rust, Smoke, Storm, Teak, Trace, Thorn.
Most equitarn names come from an aspect of nature significant to their birth; a particular type of tree, for example, or the time of year they were born.
Equitarn Backgrounds
Day Labourer
“One, two, three – heave!”
While others of your kind yearn for the freedom of the open plains, your world is that of the city. Wherever goods need to be hauled or structures built, there is always work for a strong pair of arms and a steady back. With a reputation for reliability and diligence, equitarn labourers rarely have difficulty finding work. Do you live up to that reputation, or are you using it to cover a private lazy streak? Who is your current employer, and how do they feel about you taking up with an adventuring party?
Associated skills: Athletics, endurance
Associated ritual: Feat of strength (FRPG)
Herd-Lost Wanderer
“There is nothing left for me here.”
Though you chose the life of the herd, your family was somehow taken from you. What happened to them, and who was responsible? Did they fall to the ravages of nature, or to deliberate warfare—and how were you spared? Do you seek revenge? Do you regard your current group as your new family, or do you believe that nothing can truly replace your old herd?
Associated skills: Nature, endurance
Associated ritual: Long-distance runner (MP2)
Indebted Bodyguard
“I go where you go.”
For some reason, you owe a debt of gratitude to one of your companions. Perhaps they helped you directly, or maybe their ancestor did you a great service. Perhaps you even agreed to inherit the debt of a herd member who passed away. Either way, your duty to repay this debt is even more important than your home and family, and you are a loyal guardian to your charge—whether they like it or not.
Associated skills: Intimidate, insight
Associated ritual: Warded campsite (MP2)
Equitarn Feats
The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.
Blade Catcher
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: While you do not wield any crafted weapons and are not using a shield, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC and Reflex defences.
Bullheaded
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: You can move through squares occupied by enemies marked by you.
Caveat Imperator
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Leader
Benefit: Whenever an ally charges, you gain a +2 feat bonus to speed until the end of your next turn.
Centre of Gravity
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: As long as three or more enemies are adjacent to you, any enemy that begins its turn flanking you cannot move away from you during that turn.
Cleave Ranks
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: When you push, pull or slide an enemy, you can increase the distance of the forced movement by 1, if this puts the enemy in a square that is adjacent to no other enemies.
Communal Instinct
Prerequisite: Abilen, Equitarn or Gremblin
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls on attacks granted to you by allies. The damage bonus increases to +4 at Paragon tier and +6 at Epic tier.
Definitive Might
Prerequisite: Gnoll or Equitarn; trained in Intimidate
Benefit: You use your Strength modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Intimidate checks.
Earth’s Renewal
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun
Benefit: Your total number of healing surges increases by two. You add your Constitution modifier to your healing surge value.
Fortified Defences
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: When you are wearing heavy armour, you gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude and Will.
Hammer Hooves
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: You gain proficiency with the hoof slam natural weapon.
Your hoof slam is a natural two-handed melee weapon in the hammer and unarmed groups. It has a +2 proficiency bonus and deals 1d12 damage, and has the brutal 1 property. Whenever you are not wielding another weapon and do not have a shield equipped, you are considered to be wielding this weapon in both hands.
You can enchant and disenchant your hoof slam like a normal weapon, except that when you disenchant it, it does not turn to dust.
- 4 years ago Add First published as “hammer fists”
- 2 months ago Update Revised name to avoid plural confusion
- 2 months ago Update Broad revision to wording to clarify intended usage
- 2 months ago Add Weapon now has the ‘unarmed” group
Inevitable Might
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Str 15+
Benefit: When you miss all targets with a daily attack power that has no miss effect, each target takes damage equal to your Strength modifier.
Landstrider
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to exploration speed. When you travel in a group, the group can move at your exploration speed, instead of using the speed of its slowest member.
Mighty Hammer
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Hammer Fists
Benefit: Your hammer fists have a +3 proficiency bonus instead of +2, and grant a +1 bonus per tier to damage rolls.
Mighty Hurl
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Str 15+
Benefit: When you push, pull or slide an enemy with a melee or close attack, you may knock that target prone at the end of the movement.
Natural Armour
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: When you are wearing light or no armour, you gain a +2 racial bonus to AC.
Rebellious Instinct
Prerequisite: Equitarn
Benefit: When you fail a saving throw against an effect that dazes, stuns, or dominates you, you can make a melee basic attack as a free action. If this attack hits the source of the effect, you get a +5 bonus to your next saving throw against that effect.
Shudderstrike
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Str 15
Benefit: When you make a close or melee attack that targets AC, you may make the attack target Fortitude instead.
Stonewall
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Paragon Tier
Benefit: At the end of your turn, if you did not move during your turn and are immobilised, you gain resist all equal to your Constitution modifier until the beginning of your next turn.
Tower of Fear
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun, trained in Intimidate
Benefit: Foes marked by you suffer a -2 per tier penalty to damage.
Uphill Struggle
Prerequisite: Equitarn, Con 13
Benefit: As long as you are bloodied, you gain a +1 bonus per tier to all defences. When you are on 0 hit points, this bonus is doubled.
Gnoll
Mightiest of the beast-kin, the former rulers of Alm
Almish Gnoll Heritage Traits
Game rules for the Almish gnoll are identical to the gnoll race detailed in the D&D 4e official rulebooks, except as noted below.
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution or Strength
Languages: Bestial and Common.
Primal Beast: Your ancestors were amongst the many beast-kin who once ruled Alm. You are considered both a beast and a humanoid for the purpose of effects that relate to creature type. For the purpose of effects relating to beast form, you are considered to always be in beast form.
Pack Tactics: You gain a +2 heritage bonus to damage rolls against enemies that are adjacent to two or more of your allies. This replaces the Pack Attack feature.
Bestial Might: You gain your choice of either the bestial charge or bestial surge power. This choice replaces the ferocious charge power.
| Bestial Charge | Gnoll Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You lunge toward the enemy with all of your considerable might. | |
| Encounter | |
| Standard Action Personal | |
| Effect: You charge and deal an extra 1[W] on a successful attack. If you are bloodied, double the extra damage and gain an equal number of temporary hit points. | |
| Bestial Surge | Gnoll Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You are revitalised by the scent of impending victory. | |
| Encounter | |
| Free Action Personal | |
| Trigger: You bloody an enemy or reduce an enemy to 0 hit points. | |
| Effect: Spend a healing surge. If the amount healed would exceed your maximum hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to the excess. | |
In Alm’s distant past, the lands were shared by countless beast-kin tribes of all types. The most powerful of these were the gnolls, whose strength and numbers allowed them to dominate less powerful folk for millennia. Arrayed in matriarchal clans from one side of Alm to the other, these brutal warlords lost their absolute dominance only after the Calans came to power. Even after centuries of war between the two empires, it took the mythic hero Brayden Bloodmane—and the combined might of the bannyri clans—to finally break the gnolls.
Though the pride of conquerors still burns in them, the gnolls are now an empire in decline. The territory of Beasthome is their final stronghold, the only land where they still enjoy complete dominance. Increasingly, their leaders are beginning to understand that if they are to have any place in their changing world, they must begin to form relationships with other cultures.
As it stands, most gnolls are still hostile toward other races. Outsiders are no longer treated as prey, but they are still foes in a war that is ultimately unresolved. The typical gnoll still lives fast, bleeds often, and dies surrounded by their enemies.
Any active advocate for peace can expect to be cast out of their clan, most likely to face a future of scorn and fear. These few often become adventurers—hard-bitten survivors, seeking to rise above their totalitarian history. Many remain outcast to the end, but others make genuine efforts to repair past ills, laying the trail for slow but inevitable progress.
Almish gnolls are perceived as… Savage, proud, unforgiving, warlike, decisive, spiritualistic, domineering, capable, standoffish.
Names: Blackheart, Bladeclaw, Bloodburn, Bonesaw, Deadscar, Denward, Godhand, Longtooth, Redfang, Stonefist, Warcry.
Gnollish names are given in bestial, largely unpronounceable to foreigners. However, to make their achievements known to their enemies, most translate their names into common as well.
New Gnoll Feats
The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.
Beast Claws
Prerequisite: Gnoll
Benefit: You gain proficiency with the beast claw natural weapon.
Your beast claw is a natural one-handed melee weapon in the light blade and unarmed groups. It has a +3 proficiency bonus and deals 1d8 damage, and has the off-hand property. Whenever you do not wield another weapon or hold a shield in one of your hands, you are considered to be wielding a beast claw in that hand.
You can enchant and disenchant a beast claw like a normal weapon, except that when you disenchant it, it does not turn to dust. (Each hand is its own weapon and has its own enchantment, just as if you were wielding two manufactured weapons.)
[This feat is intended to replace the existing claw fighter feat.]
Blood Fury
Prerequisite: Gnoll
Benefit: The first time you bloody an enemy during an encounter, you gain a +1 bonus per tier to damage rolls until the end of the encounter.
Blood Hunt
Prerequisite: Gnoll, Warlord
Benefit: Whenever an ally taking advantage of your commanding presence feature misses all targets, that ally regains an Action Point at the end of their turn and may spend it during this combat.
Blood Magus
Prerequisite: Gnoll
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus per tier to attack rolls with arcane powers. When you are bloodied, you gain an additional +1 to attack rolls and +2 to damage rolls per tier with arcane attack powers.
Brutal Display
Prerequisite: Gnoll
Benefit: When you reduce an opponent to 0 or fewer hit points, each enemy who can see you suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls until the beginning of your next turn. This is a fear effect.
Definitive Might
Prerequisite: Gnoll or Equitarn; trained in Intimidate
Benefit: You use your Strength modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Intimidate checks.
Hounding Harrier
Prerequisite: Gnoll, Leader
Benefit: Whenever an ally misses all targets with a basic attack granted by you, you can make a basic attack against one missed target as a free action.
Howl of Command
Prerequisite: Gnoll, Warlord, brash assault power
Benefit: At the end of a charge, you can use brash assault in place of a melee basic attack.
Savage Hunt
Prerequisite: Gnoll or Wilderskin
Benefit: If a bloodied enemy is threatened by you and at least one ally, you gain combat advantage against that enemy.
Savage Scion
Prerequisite: Jotun or Gnoll; Paladin
Benefit: You gain a +3 feat bonus to your healing surge value. The bonus increases to +4 at 11th level and +5 at 21st level.
Your paladin powers and paladin paragon path powers are primal as well as divine.
Shield of Blood
Prerequisite: Gnoll, Paragon Tier
Benefit: At the beginning of your turn, you can choose to take 10 damage which cannot be reduced in any way. If you do, you gain resist all 5 until the start of your next turn.
Thirst of the Beast
Prerequisite: Gnoll
Benefit: The first time you become bloodied during an encounter, you regain the use of your ferocious charge power.
Gremblin (Almish Goblin)
Pint-sized scroungers, full of community spirit
Gremblin Heritage Traits
Except as specified below, game mechanics for the gremblin are identical to the goblin race detailed in the D&D 4e official rulebooks. For all other mechanical purposes (including feats, paragon paths, etc.), gremblin is simply an alternative name for goblin.
Average Height: 100 – 112cm (3’4″ – 3’8″)
Average Weight: 70 – 100kg (155 – 220lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity or Wisdom
Languages: Common, plus any one.
Trash eater: Your remarkable digestion means no food is off limits. You are immune to disease and to consumable poisons.
Goblin Hoard: As long as you are not in combat, you can spend a few minutes to produce a mundane, non-living item of your choice from an unspecified location on your person. The item must be small and light enough for you to carry without exceeding a normal load. The item functions exactly as normal, except it has no sale value and breaks after your next short rest.
Gremblin Scramble: You may choose the Gremblin Scramble heritage power instead of the Goblin Tactics heritage power.
| Gremblin Scramble | Gremblin Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You scuttle beneath your opponent’s attack, leaving them stumbling wildly into under their own momentum. | |
| Encounter | |
| Opportunity Action Close burst 1 | |
| Trigger: An enemy makes a melee attack that includes you as a target. | |
| Target: The triggering enemy | |
| Effect: You shift into any other square adjacent to the target. Then, you slide the target into the square you vacated. | |
Gremblins have dwelt in Alm since antiquity, but have spent most of their history being regarded as a sub-sentient race by the likes of Calanshae and Brandeis. Even today, many folk regard them as unintelligent monsters, taking their lowly lifestyles as a sign that they simply don’t know any better.
Looking closer reveals the folly of this thinking. Gremblins have a unique culture that values community and safety, and thrives on the excess of more wasteful civilisations. With no tradition of land ownership, gremblins don’t build nations or even cities, but simply settle wherever there is a safe place. Instead of growing crops or raising livestock, they sustain themselves almost entirely by recovering and re-using items discarded by their neighbours.
Thus, gremblins are everywhere in Alm where nearby settlements don’t deliberately drive them out. If they are not met with hostility, they rarely seek out conflict; however, their values are often misunderstood, leading them to mostly stay hidden in their underground warrens. To those who respect them, however, they can be the most stalwart of allies.
Play a gremblin if you want…
- to make use of other peoples’ garbage.
- to surprise those who look down on you.
- to make your party into your family.
Physical Qualities
Gremblins are small, round creatures with solid bodies, short arms and legs, and stubby fingers. They stand less than half the height of a human, even including their ears, though they weigh far more than one might expect. Their skin might be any shade of grey or brown, from an inky black to a warm white, and is usually scattered randomly with darker or lighter patches.
A gremblin has an oval-shaped head, rather like an overfilled dumpling, topped by rabbit-like ears anchored at the very top of the skull. The ears pivot to a wide variety of angles, making them a key component of gremblin body language. They have a powerful jaw with a pronounced underbite, which reveals their short, thick fangs. Their noses are small and snubbed, barely noticeable from a distance.
With large, wide eyes and small pupils, Gremblins can seem permanently on high alert. However, their eyesight is mediocre, and they rely more on their exceptional non-visual senses to experience their surroundings.
A gremblin actually has a slightly longer lifespan than a human, though frequently cut tragically short. Their biology seems strongly tied to periods of wax and wane, so many gremblings are often born at once during times of plenty.
Playing a Gremblin
Gremblins have a reputation for boundless frenetic energy, but the truth is that most need to be quick to survive. Existing in the spaces left by bigger and meaner creatures, they have learned to be alert, observant, and quick to flee. Even as adventurers, they are rarely at rest outside of their secure spaces, and in response they tend to busy themselves with whatever work they can find.
In gremblin communities, family is more important than anything—and everybody is family. In times of hardship, gremblins think nothing of taking essential supplies from those who have an excess, and in times of plenty they are eager to share. This carries over into the adventuring life, where a gremblin typically views everything as community property, and makes it their business to see nothing is wasted.
With no concerns over disease, most gremblins are very hands-on in social situations. Gremblin culture considers it quite normal to paw, sniff and even lick most everything you come across, including other people—something for which few non-gremblins are prepared.
An adventurer gremblin is new idea to most creatures, so those who choose this life have a difficult road ahead. “Bigguns” often need time to adjust to gremblin values—but once they learn how to share, even humans can make excellent allies.
Gremblins are perceived as… Humble, uneducated, energetic, thrifty, hardy, sticky-fingered, shy, secretive, opportunistic, creative, frantic, wary, gluttonous, cowardly.
Example names: Arby, Banmi, Bao, Brouff, Gumi, Kino, Nodel, Kupo, Maro, Miso, Nacho, Perogi, Poto, Sbubby, Tikel, Zucci. Gremblins collect names like they collect garbage; frequently, and without regard for their original purpose.
Many thanks to the Alpha Flight hosts and chat community of Desert Bus 2021 who kindly contributed their name suggestions for my precious monster babies!—Fox
Gremblin Backgrounds
Nothing found.
Gremblin Feats
The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.
Circle of Fate
Prerequisite: Abilen, Awakened or Gremblin
Benefit: When you or one of your allies misses all targets with an attack power, the next creature to attack one of those targets gains a +1 bonus to hit with that attack.
Communal Instinct
Prerequisite: Abilen, Equitarn or Gremblin
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls on attacks granted to you by allies. The damage bonus increases to +4 at Paragon tier and +6 at Epic tier.
Lurking Light
Prerequisite: Rahbe, Kobold or Gremblin; Leader role
Benefit: When you grant an attack to an ally, enemies from whom you are hidden grant combat advantage to that ally until the end of your next turn.
Overthrow
Prerequisite: Gremblin, gremblin scramble heritage power
Benefit: When you use your Gremblin Scramble heritage power, and the triggering attack either misses or can no longer target you, the triggering enemy also falls prone.
Shared Scramble
Prerequisite: Gremblin, gremblin scramble heritage power
Benefit: When you use your gremblin scramble power, each ally of yours adjacent to the triggering enemy can also shift 1 as an opportunity action. Instead of sliding the triggering enemy into the square you leave, you can instead choose to slide it into any square vacated by one of your allies in this way.
Skitter
Prerequisite: Kobold or Gremblin
Benefit: When you move through a creature’s square, the movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from that creature.
Human
Created beings unsure of their identity or purpose
The humans of Escarnum came to Alm from the continent of Parosea, where they were enslaved by their creators, the supernaturally powerful “Overseers”. Kept from learning magic or training warriors, humans languished under this rule for many centuries—until, by some miraculous fortune, the gift of psionic power began to appear amongst their number.
With this aid—and that of their fellow slaves, the mor—the humans finally managed to overthrow and destroy their masters. Then, under the guidance of the awakened, they left their scarred cradle and struck out over a southern land bridge, toward the promised land of Alm.
Here they found the land rich beyond their hopes, and diverse beyond their imagination. Granted a land of their own by the powerful Brands, they settled for a brief time before their alliance quickly splintered into three factions unable to find peace. Through the Establishing War, these would become the three human nations—Aurion, the Kingdom of Light; Tenebrae, the Kingdom of Shadow; and Kalyvas, the Kingdom of Steel.
Playing an Almish Human
In many ways, nobody in Alm fully knows what it means to be human. As slave masters, the Overseers did everything they could to keep humans from developing a shared culture or history. Now, barely more than a generation from their escape, humanity is still discovering themselves—and deciding what they wish to become.
This lack of commonality makes humans versatile and adaptable, but it also means their nations rarely get along well. Aurion staunchly espouses the merits of their state religion, prescribing a correct set of moral values everybody is expected to uphold. Tenebrae embraces a grim pragmatism that finds the power to survive wherever necessary. Kalyvas finds strength in material permanence, rewarding dedicated study and artisanship. Whichever one happens to be their home, most humans who grow up in the three kingdoms are raised with a strong belief in their nation’s values.
Of course, not all humans care for the three kingdoms. The majority living outside the human nations can be found in the shared territory of Faradh, or in the various city-states of Independence. These individuals are likely to view the animosity between the three kingdoms with scorn, particularly if they left of their own accord.
Almish humans are perceived as… Determined, adaptable, opportunistic, interdependent, youthful, uncertain, passionate, rootless, ambitious, unreliable, selfish.
Names: Acacia, Cassius, Celes, Domiel, Enon, Eth, Eulalie, Evander, Fiolessa, Gaius, Lheraz, Lucien, Mordechai, Pietris, Rahel, Sephora, Tanis, Theron, Tyris, Yaryn.
Jotun (Fey Troll)
Proud fey infused with the spirit of the wilds
Jotun Heritage Traits
Average Height: 183 – 244cm (6’0” – 8’0”)
Average Weight: 125 – 191kg (275-400 lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution or Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Darkvision
Languages: Sylvan, plus either Common or Bestial
Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception
Fey Origin: You are considered a fey creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Giantkin: You have the giant subtype.
Weathered Soul: You do not need to make Endurance checks to resist the effects of natural environmental dangers.
Unfathomable Stomach: You can live on almost any “food” you can consume, regardless of whether or not it is intended for eating—twigs, sand, rocks and even coins can all make an adequate meal. You are immune to starvation, and the time you can go without water is measured in weeks rather than days.
Acquired Immunity: Your bizarre diet has left you inured to many toxins. You have resist poison 5. This resistance increases to 10 at 11th level, and to 15 at 21st level. In addition, you are immune to consumable poisons.
Landfall: Your have the landfall heritage power.
| Landfall | Jotun Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You drive your fist into the earth, drawing forth the power of the primal world. | |
| Encounter ✦ Primal, Zone | |
| Minor Action Close burst 2 | |
| Target: Each enemy in the burst | |
| Effect: The target falls prone. The burst creates a zone of difficult terrain that lasts until the end of your next turn. You and your allies are not affected by this difficult terrain. | |
Jotunar, also called fey trolls, are one of the few ancient Almish creatures which are not bestial in nature. Instead, these creatures are descended of the fey, their origins rooted deeply in the most hostile of nature’s reaches. Although they draw life from the land, jotunar are far from whimsical sprites; their strength rivals that of any beast, and they are terrible foes indeed.
Nonetheless, they have found little acceptance from beast-kin folk, and thus they remain solitary creatures, diverse and distant. Found in every sort of wilderness—from the forests of Deepwood to the barren outlands, the mountains of Okarthel to the swamps of K’aa—the tenacious jotunar live at one with nature even as they fight to survive it. They are the ancient scions of the wild, beautiful and terrible as the land itself.
Play a jotun if you want…
- be able to eat anything.
- to be inherently connected to the wilderness.
- to be a monstrous creature of fey origin.
Physical Qualities
Jotunar stand head-and-shoulders over most civilised creatures, and are markedly heavier. They are long-limbed and muscular, some straight and tall like mountains while others are bent and twisted like thorn bushes. They have broad foreheads, almond eyes, and short pointed ears. Their skin can seem uniform from a distance, but close observation reveals an intricate banded texture rather like a human fingerprint, and similarly unique.
Beyond this, jotunar appearance is highly variable, reflecting an individual’s environment rather than their genetics. A jotun born in forest or swampland probably has green skin and a moss-like hide, and almost black eyes. Callused brown and red skins are seen in the deserts and mountains, while snowfields or deep caves yield smooth grey and white skins, perhaps with a crystalline aspect. Mountains usually mean sharp, angular noses and jaws, where rivers yield smooth, rounded features.
Jotunar exhibit little sexual dimorphism, and all appear fairly masculine to human sensibilities. Most have no regard for gender, and are left perplexed by the additional traits other cultures ascribe to various body parts and shapes.
Likewise, they seldom understand the desire to modify one’s presentation, since theirs changes naturally with the land. If a jotun should leave their attuned environment, their appearance shifts accordingly—albeit over tens or hundreds of years. Like nature itself, a jotun is both immutable, and ever-changing.
Playing a Jotun
Jotun adventurers are young, almost without exception. Jotunar live far longer than most creatures, even soratami—but actually existing through such a lifespan is rarely compatible with the brief concerns of other creatures. Even if a jotun socialises with other creatures during their prime, almost all of them eventually retreat back to solitude in the wilderness. Some stories hold that jotunar do not die naturally, but simply fall asleep and become rocks, trees, and other parts of nature.
Jotunar are typically solitary, pragmatic and proud. Many are quite stoic, preferring slow but inevitable progress, while others feel that unbridled emotion is the true voice of the wild. They are not without philosophy, but pastimes without practical results have little traction amongst them; typically, one will listen to your words, but base judgements only on your actions.
Jotun adventurers are uncommon but valuable; their tenacity and toughness, as well as their native connection to the wilderness, make them born survivalists. Though they prefer solitude, jotunar can often be persuaded to act as guides or bodyguards in treacherous terrain—at least for a temporary time. A debt may also be a compelling reason for a jotun to join a group; their pride seldom allows such dues to go unpaid. Unscrupulous groups exploring a new land might even capture a jotun and force it to aid them—if they have the power.
Jotun are perceived as… Solitary, unassailable, proud, spiritual, rustic, decisive, practical, physical, determined.
Names: Ald, Ark, Baldur, Drea, Ein, Ix, Keld, Lai, Rhynnu, Rine, Skald, Skarn, Slew, Thrall, Tarn, Urdh.
Jotun names tend to be short and practical, preferably written with a single runic character. Since community living is so rare for them, jotun family names are all but unheard of.
Jotun Backgrounds
Pathfinder
“Follow me, if you wish to live.”
Like most of your kin, you choose to live away from civilisation, making your home deep in the wilderness. There, your intimate knowledge of nature and survival skills makes you a desirable companion for explorers, if only in a temporary role. Those who can find you, and persuade you to act as their guide, find your skills invaluable. This is probably how you met your current companions, but what is it that makes them worthy of your continued support?
Associated Skills: Nature, Insight
Associated ritual: Endure elements (PHB)
Gatekeeper
“This world is not yours.”
Jotunar are scions of the feywild, living embodiments of those savage places where one plane bleeds into the next. Many instate themselves as the guardians of such places, watchers who see that creatures born of the feywild do not overstay their welcome on the material plane. Is your stewardship born of a sense of great duty? Or is it simply the way to find a worthy challenge? Were you in pursuit of an escaped quarry when you met your current companions, and are you chasing them still?
Associated Skills: Perception, Intimidate
Associated ritual: Hunter’s Curse (D380)
Stolen One
“The jotunar reflect the land… what must I reflect?”
Though it is outlawed in most human settlements, black market slavery is hardly unknown in Alm. Wild instincts and physical prowess make the jotunar difficult but rewarding targets for those who would exploit them, especially given their generally solitary nature. You are one such individual—probably captured during your youth by arrogant eladrin or unscrupulous gnolls. Where did you grow up, and how has it set you apart from other jotunar? Do you mourn for the freedom you lost, or do you believe your unusual experiences have made you all the stronger?
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Endurance
Associated ritual: Iron Vigil (DP)
Jotun Feats
The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.
Blightborn
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the poison keyword. When you use your landfall power, any enemy which attacks you before the end of your next turn suffers a -2 penalty to the attack roll.
Cracked Earth
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: When you attack a prone foe who is on difficult terrain, you can score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.
Crash Landing
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: At the end of a charge, you can use your landfall power as a free action before you attack.
Earth’s Renewal
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun
Benefit: Your total number of healing surges increases by two. You add your Constitution modifier to your healing surge value.
Eternal Cycle
Prerequisite: Jotun, Paragon Tier
Benefit: Your landfall power gains “Sustain minor: the zone persists”. The zone moves with you as you move.
Grinding Halt
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: While you are in the zone created by your landfall power, you can increase or decrease the distance of any slide effect that takes place within the zone by 1.
Heir of Earth
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: When you spend a healing surge to regain hit points, if you are not healed to maximum hit points, you regain the use of your landfall power.
Imminent Domain
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: When an enemy provokes an opportunity attack from you by moving, you can use your landfall power as an opportunity action instead.
Killing Fields
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: When you hit a prone enemy, that enemy considers squares within burst 1 to be difficult terrain until the end of your next turn.
Land’s Bounty
Prerequisite: Jotun, Paragon Tier
Benefit: When you use a close burst attack power, you can choose to use your landfall power as part of the same action. If you do, the zone created by your landfall power occupies all squares in the burst caused by the chosen power.
Landstrider
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to exploration speed. When you travel in a group, the group can move at your exploration speed, instead of using the speed of its slowest member.
Laze-born
Pre-requisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the acid keyword. When you use your landfall power, you ignore enemy resistances until the end of your next turn.
Lifebloom
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: When you use your second wind, instead of recovering hit points, you can choose to gain regeneration 5 until the end of the encounter.
Lightning Rod
Prerequisite: Jotun, Defender
Benefit: When a lightning power targets one of your allies, and you are in difficult terrain, you become the only target of the power. The affected power gains a +1 bonus to hit you.
Magma-born
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the fire keyword. When you use your landfall power, your attacks gain the fire keyword until the end of your next turn. While this effect lasts, you have combat advantage against each creature you attack.
Maw of Earth
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: If an enemy is suffering ongoing damage caused by you, it cannot move from difficult terrain into normal terrain.
Primal Glory
Prerequisite: Jotun, divine power source, Channel Divinity class feature
Benefit: When you use a Channel Divinity power, bloodied enemies within 5 squares of you take a -2 penalty to all defences until the end of your next turn.
Rimeborn
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the cold keyword. When you use your landfall power, you also gain resist 5 all until the end of your next turn. This increases to resist 10 all at Paragon Tier, and to resist 15 all at Heroic tier.
Savage Scion
Prerequisite: Jotun or Gnoll; Paladin
Benefit: You gain a +3 feat bonus to your healing surge value. The bonus increases to +4 at 11th level and +5 at 21st level.
Your paladin powers and paladin paragon path powers are primal as well as divine.
Scion of Stone
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: If an enemy ends its turn in difficult terrain created by your landfall power, it becomes slowed (save ends).
Scorched Earth
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: An enemy who moves into difficult terrain created by you must takes ongoing 2 fire damage (save ends). The ongoing damage increases to 5 fire at paragon tier and to 10 fire at epic tier.
Second Sunrise
Prerequisite: Jotun, Paragon Tier
Benefit: Whenever a power you use causes an ally to spend a healing surge, you can spend a healing surge.
Steel, Rust, Guilt
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: As long as an enemy is subject to ongoing damage caused by you, all of its resistances are reduced by 5 (if this effect would reduce the resistance to 0, the resistance is lost entirely until the ongoing damage ends).
Stormborn
Prerequisite: Jotun, Landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the lightning keyword. When you use your landfall power, you gain a +2 bonus to speed until the end of your next turn. While this effect lasts, you do not grant combat advantage to creatures flanking you, and do not provoke opportunity attacks for moving.
Sun-born
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the radiant keyword. When you use your landfall power, you can also make a saving throw.
Terror Firma
Prerequisite: Jotun
Benefit: Once per round, when you hit an enemy with a fear attack power, you can create a zone which covers all squares adjacent to or occupied by that enemy. Your enemies treat each square in the zone as difficult terrain until the end of your next turn. The zone does not move with the enemy.
Thunder-born
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the thunder keyword. When you use your landfall, your attacks gain the thunder keyword until the end of your next turn. While this effect lasts, whenever you hit with an attack, you can also push the target one square. If the attack already pushes the target, the push distance is instead increased by 1 square.
Tower of Fear
Prerequisite: Equitarn or Jotun, trained in Intimidate
Benefit: Foes marked by you suffer a -2 per tier penalty to damage.
Voidborn
Prerequisite: Jotun, landfall heritage power
Benefit: Your landfall power has the necrotic keyword. When you use your landfall power, you also gain 5 temporary hit points. This increases to 10 temporary hit points at Paragon tier, and to 15 at Epic tier.