The City of Horizon

A winding stream of red stretches across and between all the planes of reality and at the end of that stream
lies a Sea and a City.

Truths of Horizon Your Character in the World

 At the end of the interplanar Path lies the city of Characters begin at 1st level. You can choose from
Horizon. the following classes: Alchemist (VSoS), Antiquarian
 The city is surrounded by the boundless red Sea of (OC), Barbarian, Bard, Captain (VSoS), Cleric,
Uncertainty and the Path can be traveled by Craftsman (VSoS), Druid, Fighter, Gunslinger (VSoS),
anyone with a Path Token. Inventor (KT:CoCaC), Investigator (VSoS), Martyr
 The city of Horizon is thousands of years old. Few, (VSoS), Necromancer (VSoS), Monk, Paladin, Psion
however, know it’s true origin or creator. (KT:CoCaC), Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellblade
 No one controls which planes attune to Horizon. (KT:CoLaL), Warden (VSoS), Warlock, Warlord
Occasionally, creatures, objects, or structures (KT:CoLaL), Warmage (VSoS), Witch (VSoS), and
from other lands or other worlds fall from the Wizard.
other side. They enter the city often disoriented
and with little memory of where they came from. Available Races include: Centaur (Alseid, Minos,
 A group known as the Interpreters help new Equine), Mockeries (Changeling, Mimickin,
arrivals stepping through the arches to feel safe Chimeran, Mycelian), Dwarf (Igneous, Metamorphic,
and welcome. Sedimentary), Elf (of Nod, Exile of Nod), Gnome
(Wood, Stone), Goblin (Fey, Verdan), Gnoll, Halfling
 A vast network of sewers, cisterns, and ruins lay
(Lightfoot, Ghostwise), Human, Kobold, Verminfolk
beneath the city streets. Whole forgotten cities lie
(Mousefolk, Ratfolk, Rackin, Posskin), Geleton,
below, containing dangers and treasures.
Ironwrought, Farling, Cnidaran (Nematocyst,
Shimmerskin), Cyclopian, Genasi (Ice, Magma, Slime,
Not Necessarily Heroes Smoke), Goliath, Orc, and Swarmhive.
The characters are citizens of Horizon, either natives
of the strange city or travelers who arrived years ago You can use the “Customizing Your Origin” feature
and stayed. You and the people around you have from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
your own cares and troubles, but when disaster
strikes, no heroes are coming to save the people of Build well-rounded characters full of curiosity and
Horizon. Only you can save yourselves. able to interact with the denizens of Horizon, survive
the myriad planes, and battle the beasts hunting in
You Begin in Horizon the darkness.
A mysterious city, surrounded by a scarlet sea,
with a succession of planar surfaces hanging in the Safety Tools
sky above, Horizon is the endpoint of the Path that This game is generally PG-13 - R. The adventure
winds through every plane. features themes of extreme weather, forgotten
Ruled through a system of bounties, with places, murder, isolation, and paranoia.
architecture that shrinks and expands, but never Lines. This game will not contain physical violence
matches, the city of Horizon holds a million wonders towards children, unwanted sexual contact, animal
and the depths beneath it hold just as many terrors. abuse or cruelty, party-initiated torture, inter-party
When you find yourself in a deep debt, what violence, or inter-party betrayal.
measures will you take to end up on top? Veils. Cannibalism, mental assault, ritual sacrifice,
Notable locations include Savva’s Crossplane kidnapping, consensual sex, enemy-initiated torture,
Cantina, the Library of Worlds, the Worldswept or parasitic invasion will be “veiled” off-screen.
Market, the Preservationist Enclave, the Sisterhood If at any time you don’t feel comfortable with the
of Sages, the Lost Cisterns, and the Enclave of the content or direction of the game, say “pause for a
Mantis. second” and we will stop the game and address your
concerns
The City of Horizon
eathes, you know. All cities do, but ours stretches out to laze in the sun and
scrunches close in the cold rain. You learn to read her moods and ways and whole worlds will
- Cleric of the City

Table of Contents
Truths of Horizon ........................................................................................................................... 1
Races of the City .................................................................................................................................
Centaur ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Mockeries ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Dwarf .............................................................................................................................................. 20
Elf .....................................................................................................................................................23
Gnome ............................................................................................................................................ 26
Goblin ............................................................................................................................................. 29
Gnoll ................................................................................................................................................32
Halfling ........................................................................................................................................... 34
Human .............................................................................................................................................37
Kobold ............................................................................................................................................ 45
Verminfolk .................................................................................................................................... 49
Geleton ...........................................................................................................................................53
Ironwrought .................................................................................................................................. 56
Farling ............................................................................................................................................ 60
Cnidaran ......................................................................................................................................... 63
Cyclopian ....................................................................................................................................... 66
Genasi (Para-Elemental) ............................................................................................................. 69
Goliath .............................................................................................................................................72
Orc ...................................................................................................................................................75
Swarmhive......................................................................................................................................77

PATH TOKENS ......................................................................................................................... 80

HORIZON LOCATIONS ............................................................................................................ 85
 20 Races, 37 Subraces

Centaur Metamorphic Carved to last

Six limbs, two spines, and a face. Sedimentary Carved

Are they insects? magically

Alseid deer body, Elfy top

Elf
Minos big, bovine body,
horns up top really real.

Equine horse on the body, of Nod the really fey ones

human up top
Exile of Nod refugees from

Mockeries Dreams

Those peoples whose forms are

Gnome
most mutable.
Colorful and weird as a whole, until
Changeling Can shift they fade
appearance between different
Wood speak with animals
humanoids
Stone good with tech
Mimickin Turns into objects
Goblin
Chimeran Consumes a bit of
Fey gremlins that go through your
another to become a new
trash.
race
Fey your standard goblin
Mycelian Fungal spores
inhabiting a corpse Verdan psychic, sometimes
big?
Dwarf
Gnoll
from. Cunning hyena-people survivalists.

Igneous Carved to fight

Halfling Cnidaran
Tiny, silent, watching. Jellyfish people

Lightfoot - Sneaky Nematocyst - neurotoxin

Ghostwise - Listening Shimmerskin shimmering

hypnosis
Human
Infinitely mutable, making them Cyclopian
adaptable. One-eyed knowledge-seekers

Kobold Genasi
Tiny dragons, masters of the Touched by the intersections of the
sewers. Planes

Verminfolk Ice water + air

For all your urban evolution needs. Magma fire + earth

Mousefolk - mouse Slime water + earth

Ratfolk - rat Smoke fire + air

Rackin - raccoon
Goliath
Posskin - possum Elemental giantkin

Geleton Orc
Undead skeleton + ooze = ??? (Literally) hotblooded

Ironwrought Swarmhive
Custom built for a purpose. Out of many, One.

Farling
From beyond the stars, tentacles
for hair.
 26 Allowed Classes

Kibblestasty: Compendium of Legacies and Legends

Kibblestasty: Compendium of Craft and Creation

Alchemist (VSoS) Druid

Throws bombs, brews potions Call on the forces of nature

Antiquarian (OC) Fighter

Collects trinkets to cast from. Weapon-masters

Barbarian Gunslinger (VSoS)

Get mad, get hit. Shoot for the crit

Bard Inventor (KT:CoCaC)

Charmer with Inspiration Build-your-own artificer

Captain (VSoS) Investigator (VSoS)

Use manoeuvers to lead to Researchers/Monster Hunters

victory
Martyr (VSoS)
Cleric
Cast from HP; never die.
Call on the power of the divine
Necromancer (VSoS)
to strike with spells.
Dark minionmancy vibes
Craftsman (VSoS)
Monk
Build and customize your
weapons and armor Be an action movie star. Do your
own stunts.
Paladin Warlord (KT:CoLaL)

Call on an oath to smite and Martial force-multiplier

protect
Warmage (VSoS)
Psion (KT:CoCaC)
Cantrip masters; adjust on the
Think hard about being psychic fly.

Ranger Witch (VSoS)

Cast debuffs while cackling with

your familiar.
Rogue
Wizard
Skill monkey with sneak attack
Build your own caster through
Sorcerer
spell choices!
Adjust your limited spells to
perfection.

Spellblade (KT:CoLaL)

casting.

Warden (VSoS)

Crowd-control tank. Hold the

line.

Warlock

Make a deal with something

weird, cast from there.
 Because they rarely venture far from
Centaur their wooded glades, some call them

- Alseid
closely related to elves than nymphs.

- Minos Alseid see each forest as an individual

and a friend. They are suspicious of
- Equine outsiders who do not share this view.
Lost travelers who demonstrate deep
CENTAUR TRAITS
respect for the forest may spot a distant

Creature Type
bounces toward a road that leads out of
You are a fey.
the forest. Disrespectful strangers may
Equine Build follow the same tail to their doom.
You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the BRANCHING CROWNS
weight you can push or drag.
Alseid have antlers growing from their
In addition, any climb that requires hands
foreheads. Antlers grow very slowly,
and feet is especially difficult for you
branching every 10 years for the first
because of your equine legs. When you
century of life (so an alseid with six
make such a climb, each foot of movement
points per antler should be between 60
costs you 4 extra feet instead of the
and 70 years old). Further points only
normal 1 extra foot.
develop with the blessing of the forest.
Hooves.
No 14-point imperial alseid are known to
You have hooves that you can use to make exist, but some tribes are governed by
unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, princes with 13 points, indicating that
the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength
modifier bludgeoning damage, instead of the
forest on at least three occasions.
bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed
Because antlers signify status, alseid
strike.

Size.
Your size is Medium. direst punishments an alseid can receive.

Speed. Rangers sometimes report seeing lone

alseid exiles, wandering the wastes, their
You walking speed is 40 feet.
antlers sawn off near the scalp.

Alseid
ALSEID NAMES
Alseid are the graceful woodland kind of
Alseid name their offspring using a
centaurs, blending the torsos of elves
combination of Elvish and Sylvan
with the lower bodies of nimble deer.
syllables. Their names are often minos were first created to patrol the
extremely long, and many alseid choose intricate dungeons below the city.
shorter nicknames for themselves when Minos horns range in size from about 1-
foot-long to easily three times that
elves, or fey. Alseid do not have family length. Minos often carve their horns to
names. sharpen their edges, etch symbols of
power into them, or sheathe them in
Individual Names: Roanxilana (Anxi), bronze to prevent them from shattering
Erymleetidoral (Erym), Sarioneldorivh during battle.
(Dorivh), Thanarifaren (Anari),
Levesaelynore (Salyn), Nalesariabella and powerful backs, and some have long
(Abella) patches of hair on their chins and cheeks.
Their legs end in heavy, cloven hooves,
ALSEID TRAITS and they have long, tufted tails.
Darkvision.
STRENGTH AND ZEAL
Accustomed to the limited light beneath
Minos centaurs are zealous and love
the forest canopy, you have superior
battle. Minos tend to vent their outrage
vision in dark and dim conditions. You can
see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if
generally quick to anger. They are
it were bright light, and in darkness as if
passionate, loving their friends and
partners fiercely, and they laugh loud and
in darkness, only shades of gray.
long at good jokes.
Light Hooves. Minos legends describe a small
pantheon of heroes - perhaps they were
You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
once thought of as gods who

Woodfriend. ace in the world.

Every minos in the city claims descent
When in a forest, you leave no tracks and
from one of these heroes. The Ordrannus
can automatically discern true north.
line is the most prominent, with

Minos thousands of members descended from

an ancient hero who is said to have
Minos centaurs are hulking specimens,
taught minos the arts of war.
blending barrel-chested humanoid torsos
Since every family line has so many
with horns and bodies resembling bovines.
Blessed with a supernaturally strong
helpful to connect the name of the line to
sense of direction, minos make great
their personal names, eschewing
navigators. Some sages believe that
surnames like other humanoids use.
MINOS NAMES modifier, you push it up to 10 feet away
from you.
The legends that recount the deeds of
ancient minos heroes are full of other Horns.
names as well: those of the retainers,
You have horns that you can use to make
allies, lovers, servants, enemies, and
unarmed strikes. When you hit with them,
others who played roles, however small,
the strike deal 1d6 + your Strength
in the lives of the heroes.
modifier piercing damage, instead of the
Almost every minotaur name is drawn
bludgeoning damage normal for an
from that long list of minor characters of
unarmed strike.
legend, so that those folk are never
forgotten.
Imposing Presence.
You have a proficiency in one of the
Male Names: Alovnek, Brogmir, Brozhdar,
following skills of your choice:
Dornik, Drakmir, Drazhan, Grozdan,
Intimidation or Athletics.
Kalazmir, Klattic, Melislek, Nirikov,
Prezhlek, Radolak, Rugilar, Sarovnek,
Labyrinthine Recall.
Svarakov, Trovik, Vraslak, Yarvem
You always know which direction is north,
Female Names: Akra, Bolsa, Cica, Dakka, and you have advantage on any Wisdom
Drakisla, Eleska, Enka, Irnaya, Jaska, (Survival) check you make to navigate or
Kalka, Makla, Noraka, Pesha, Raisha, track.
Sokali, Takyat, Vrokya, Veska, Yelka,
Equine
Zarka, Zoka
Equine centaurs have the upper bodies,
MINOS TRAITS down to the waist, of muscular humans,

Hammering Horns. displaying all the human variety of skin

tones and features. Their ears are
Immediately after you hit a creature with
slightly pointed, but their faces are wider
a melee attack as part of the Attack
and squarer than those of elves. Below
action on your turn, you can use a bonus
the waist, they have the bodies of small
action to attempt to push that target
horses, with a similar range of coloration
with your horns. The target must be
- from various shades of chestnut or bay
within 5 feet of you and no more than
or dappled or even zebra-like striped
one size larger than you. Unless it
patterns.
succeeds on a Strength saving throw
against a DC equal to 8 + your AFFINITY FOR NATURE
proficiency bonus + your Strength
Equine centaurs have an affinity for the
natural world. They tend to favor the
wild patches that poke up into the city
over the tighter passageways of the Male Names: Bonmod, Boruvo, Chodi,
undercanals and sewers. Equines Drozan, Kozim, Milosh, Ninos, Oleksi,
celebrate life and growth, and the birth Orval, Radovas, Radom, Rostis, Svetyos,
of a foal is always cause for festivities. Tomis, Trijiro, Volim, Vlodim, Yarog
At the same time, they revere the
traditions of the past and can often be Female Names: Daiva, Dunja, Elnaya,
found preserving old ways and keeping Galisnya, Irinya, Kotyali, Lalya, Litisia,
alive the legends of heroes. They feel a Madya, Mira, Nedja, Nikya, Ostani, Pinya,
close kinship with animals, both wild and Rada, Raisya, Stasolya, Tatna, Zhendoya,
domesticated, perhaps because of their Zoria
horse-like bodies, and delight in the
feeling of running alongside herds and
EQUINE TRAITS
packs of other beasts. Charge.

EQUINE NAMES If you move at least 30 feet straight

toward a target and then hit it with a
melee weapon attack on the same turn,
through family lines. The name bestowed
you can immediately follow that attack
on a new foal is typically the name of the
with a bonus action, making one attack
most recently deceased family member
against the target with your hooves.
of the same gender, keeping alive the
memory - and, the equines believe, some Natural Affinity.
shard of the spirit - of the departed.
Your fey connection to nature gives you
an intuitive connection to the natural
wear symbols that represent their family
world and the animals within it. You
membership. These symbols might include
therefore have proficiency in one of the
graphical representations of plants or
following skills of your choice: Animal
animals, printed mottoes, braids and
Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.
beads worn in the hair and tail, or even
specific patterns of woven fabric.
 PERSONS AND PERSONAS
Mockeries
In their true form, changelings appear
- Changeling faded, their features almost devoid of
detail. It is rare to see a changeling in
- Mimickin
that form, for a typical changeling

- Chimeran changes their shape the way others might

change clothes. A casual shape-one
- Mycelian created on the spur of the moment, with
no depth or history-is called a mask. A
MOCKERY TRAITS
mask can be used to express a mood or
Creature Type to serve a specific purpose and then

You are a fey. might never be used again. However,

many changelings develop identities that
Size.
have more depth, crafting whole
Your size is Medium or Small.
personas complete with histories and
Speed. beliefs. A changeling adventurer might
You walking speed is 30 feet. have personas for many situations,
including negotiation, investigation, and
Changelings combat.

With ever-changing appearances, Personas can be shared by multiple

changelings reside in many societies changelings; a community might be home

undetected. Each changeling can to three healer changelings, with whoever

supernaturally adopt any face they like. is on duty adopting the persona of

For some changelings, a new face is only Andrea, the gentle physician. Personas

a disguise. For other changelings, a new can even be passed down through a

face may reveal an aspect of their soul. family, allowing a younger changeling to

The first changelings in the multiverse take advantage of contacts established

appeared in Nod, and the wondrous, by th

mutable essence of that plane lingers in

CHANGELING NAMES
changelings today-even in those
changelings who have never set foot in A changeling might use a different name
the fey realm. Each changeling decides for each mask and persona and adopt
how to use their shape-shifting ability, new names as easily as they change
channeling either the peril or the joy of faces. The true name of a changeling
Nod. Sometimes they adopt new forms tends to be simple and monosyllabic;
for the sake of mischief or malice, and however, there are often accents to a
other times they don a new identity to
right wrongs or delight the downtrodden. through shapeshifting, something single-
skins will likely miss. So, two changelings You stay in the new form until you use an
might have the name Jin, but one is Jin- action to revert to your true form or until
with-vivid-blue-eyes and one is Jin-with- you die.
golden-nails.

Mimickin
Changelings have a fluid relationship with
gender, seeing it as one characteristic to
change among many. Mimickin mockeries have more in common
with Mimics than their brethren, having
Changeling Names: Aunn, Bin, Cas, Dox, perfected the art of using avarice to their
Fie, Hars, Jin, Lam, Mas, Nix, Ot, Paik, Ruz, advantage. Mimickin blend in with the
Sim, Toox, Vil, Yug environment and snatch up greedy prey
by surprise. Mimickin often find hunting
CHANGELING TRAITS grounds in abandoned castles, Kobold
Changeling Instincts. dens, or locations where the less
observant of adventurers tend to flock.
Thanks to your connection to the fey
realm, you gain proficiency with two of OBJECTIFIED OBJECTS
the following skills of your choice:
Often mistaken for monsters, when not
Deception, Insight, Intimidation,
disguised as objects mimickin tend to hide
Performance, or Persuasion.
their faces behind masks made from
Shapechanger. common objects such as chests, pots, or
even large hats. The rest of their form
As an action, you can change your
consists of flesh and muscles that range
appearance and your voice. You
nearly the entire cool end of the color
determine the specifics of the changes,
spectrum.
including your coloration, hair length, and
sex. You can also adjust your height and
weight and can change your size between
MIMICKIN NAMES
Medium and Small. You can make yourself Mimickin names often sound like an
appear as a member of another race, afterthought, with these mockeries often
though none of your game statistics naming themselves after common
change. You c objects. In truth, a name is an important
thing for a mimickin and is given a great
seen, and you must adopt a form that has deal of thought. In an ever-shifting world,
the same basic arrangement of limbs that these ambush predators consider
you have. Your clothing and equipment unchanging objects in a similar way to the
are not changed by this trait. ancestral heroes of other races. A young
mimickin may take the name Shovel to
signify their desire to dig deep into their
curiosity or to swear an oath to carve out Shapechanger.
a new home for their family. All
As an action you can polymorph into a
traditional mimickin names are
Medium or Small object or back to your
aspirat
original form.
symbolism.

Mimickin Names: Rake, Bowl, Blanket, When you shapechange you may take the
Knife, Rock, Quill, Cup, Tankard, Hammer, appearance of any Small or Medium sized
Sword, Halberd, Basket, Spoon, Toolbox, object, your stats remain the same while
Backpack, Bread, Fork in this new form. Remaining motionless
while in this form makes you
MIMICKIN TRAITS indistinguishable from an ordinary version

Tongue. of the form you have taken.

While in this form you are incapable of
Mimickin have long pseudopod like
communicating verbally. While in an
tongues that can extend up to three
object form you are capable of using your
times the Mimickin
Tongue attack, Bite attack and you are
tongues are used to lash out of their
capable of moving while in your object
gaping maws, blindside prey with the
form, however you are unable to use any
initial strike and then constrict around
equipment or items as all equipment is
them while also applying an adhesive
hidden within you during the
slime.
transformation. If a creature willingly
Mimickin have a natural tongue attack
touches you they are automatically
that deals 1d4 bludgeoning + your
considered grappled by you and are
Strength modifier. On a successful hit
unaware of this until you initiate an
with your tongue attack you constrict the
attack action. While grappled to a
target in an automatic grapple. At the
creature as an object, you can use an
start of its turn the grappled target must
action to return back to your original
make a Strength vs 8 + Proficiency +
form while still grappled to the target. A
your Constitution modifier to break free
mimickin returns back to their original
of the grapple, on failure it loses its
form if they die and all equipment the
move action. The grappled target may
mimickin was wearing during their
still attack you but with disadvantage.
transformation spills out of their corpse.
While your target is grappled your speed
is reduced to 0 and at the start of your Chimeran
next turn you can make a melee attack
A mélange of possibility, chimerans are
as a bonus action.
as changeable as the day. They require
utes
of some other species, if not in outlook,
then at least physically, as long as they from their previous embodiment, some
have a bit of hair or blood to work with. resemblance remains.
Rumored to be the mortal spawn of a
demon lord or a variety of doppelganger, MERCURIAL AND MEDITATIVE
chimerans are often feared by people Perhaps it has to do with their changeable
who realize what they can do. embodiments, but chimerans can be
However, given the chimerans ability to moody.
radically alter themselves, most of the
time they can pass among others without on this trait find themselves going
through friends and opportunities at an
anything other than what they appear as alarming pace. These individuals can end
that day. On the other hand, chimerans up living mean lives of deceit and
em criminality. However, chimerans
any cultural knowledge, including the understand that changing forms so often
language. So others of the species that a can be a shock to their mental
chimeran is posing as may begin to equilibrium, so they often practice daily
suspect that something is off about the meditation where they seek to
stranger among them. concentrate on compassion and
equanimity. Those who master these
ALWAYS DIFFERENT, ALWAYS
techniques seem anything but moody, but
THE SAME instead contemplative and kind.

When a chimeran takes on a new form,

MADE, NOT BORN
they might go from human embodiment
to that of an elf, a centaur, or a gnome, A chimeran comes into their ability to
gaining the gross physical attributes of embody other species later in life.
the new species. But anyone who knows
the chimeran can see the resemblance dwarf, centaur, elf, or some other known
between their previous embodiment and t they
their newest one. If a given chimeran has learn the secret of embodiment, gather
large eyes, an expressive mouth, and a their first samples of another kind of
high forehead when embodied as a human, creature, and switch their form to gain an
they have something of those features as advantage in a specific circumstance.
an elf, dwarf, or cnidaran, too, just Once someone embodies a different
translated accordingly. And if they ever species for the first time using this
return to a previous form, they regain the longer part of their
same features as their last embodiment
of that species, including height and chimeran, even if they later
weight. Even if they vary their gender
predominantly choose to embody their of this material. You need to ingest only
original species. a single hair, a drop of blood, or a nibble
of flesh. Over the course of about ten
DIVINE HERITAGE minutes, you lose the form and traits of

According to one legend that chimerans whatever species you were previously

pass among themselves, the children of embodying and gain the new form and

Proteus, a long-vanished god of change, traits associated with the sample you

were drowned in the sea by a divine rival. ingested. During this period, you are

Grief-stricken, Proteus faded away, unconscious.

presumably finding his final peace. The secret of embodiment that makes a

However, his children survived, taking on chimeran what they are is truly a deep

the shapes of sea beings, but forgetting and mysterious one, possibly something

themselves in so doing. That heritage was

passed down the ages to the present. understand. In addition to having a sample

Chimerans are not deviants; they are the of another creat

heirs to Proteus. involves meditating in a particular way

when consuming the sample. But the
CHIMERAN NAMES heart of the secret is that only certain
people seem capable of acting on it. Even
Chimeran birth names are those of their
if the process were fully explained on a
birth species. Later, a chimeran could end
pamphlet that was widely distributed,
up using different names to match the
maybe only one among hundreds reading
species they are currently living as, if
it might be able to act on the knowledge.
their purpose is to fool others.
However, many chimerans keep their
empty wishing.
original names.
Once the process is complete, you have
CHIMERAN TRAITS exchanged physical traits from the old

Chimerans share a unique trait after species and the new one. These include

learning the secret of embodiment. size, speed, darkvision, special

resistances, breath weapons, skill
Embody Species.
exact likeness of the creature from
Changing into another kind of creature
whom you obtained the bit of flesh; you
requires preparation. First you must
instead retain recognizable facial and
collect a bit of skin, hair, blood, nail
other features translated into your new
clippings, or some other portion of once-
form.
living flesh from the humanoid species
you wish to embody. Then, anytime you
derived knowledge such as language, nor
finish a long rest, you can ingest a shred
 Much like hermit crabs wear shells,
learn any secrets or special knowledge mycelians inoculate corpses with
that the creature from which you microscopic spores, before growing a web
obtained the sample may have possessed. of hyphae through the body. Nerves are
Any equipment y co-opted, muscles are repaired, and
fungal organs replace the internal viscera
die as whatever species of creature you of the host.
are embodying at the time. The process is entirely biological, but

Mycelian
less tolerant denizens of the world often
believe these reanimated bodies to be
Reusing and recycling are key tenets in the work of necromancers, treating
the life of any mycelian (my-SEE-lee-an). mycelians as infectious, living dead.
Nothing is waste; rotten food can fatten a The key to distinguishing a mycelian
pig, a ruined shirt is a bandage waiting to from a zombie, of course, is the smell.
happen, and corpses are new homes in Mycelians carry a hearty, musky aroma
need of a little bit of reinvigoration. like that of a vivacious forest floor.
Marginalized and persecuted by most Undead, on the other hand, carry the
putrid-sweet scent of decay. After
recycle the recently deceased often several unfortunate interactions with
brings them into conflict with other necromancer-hunters, the Sisters of
humanoids. That being said, graverobbers Mercy began employing dogs, with their
and less scrupulous grey market traders keen sense of smell, to help differentiate
have been known to make a pretty penny between innocent mycelians and undead
out of selling aging mycelians their next artifice.
vessels.

REUSE AND RECYCLE

ANCESTORS AND AGING
Mycelians reanimate the bodies of the
recently deceased. Understandably, many
changes a little, molded by the brain,
civilized
body, and abilities of the host it co-opts.
practice
In moving from one host to another, a
again a few hours after interring him.
mycelian also leaves behind some of its
own memories. forever lost to the decay
of time.
original inhabitant; wounds are patched
Despite being potentially thousands of
over with a web of hyphae, the skin takes
years old, the longest-living communities
on a pale pallor, and the body wears out
of mycelians often have memories
fairly quickly, lasting six to seven years.
stretching back only a few decades.
 For this reason, mycelians conduct a names may have a melodic, earthy
ritual shortly before death, where they quality, often incorporating syllables that
recant a rhythmic history of their evoke growth, decay, and regeneration.
exploits in this host, adding it to the oral
history of their community. These oral combines a strong, almost ancient-
histories can be days long, and minor -like
word changes (or linguistic decay as
scholars refer to it) have resulted in tales resilient and ethereal. This name might
becoming more and more outlandish the have originated fr
further back in time they occurred. communal history, possibly signifying a
revered elder or an important figure
LEGEND OF THE known for resilience and wisdom.
MOTHERSHROOM Additionally, the name could be chosen
based on the characteristics or abilities of
Every mycelian oral history has one thing
the current host body, as mycelians often
in common: its beginning. These stories
adapt to their surroundings and
experiences.
behemoth fungal organism and progenitor
Overall, mycelian names are a blend of
to all mycelians. In some stories, the
their fungal essence, their past
Mothershroom takes the form of a giant,
experiences, and their communal
multi-colored tree. In others, it is a miles-
heritage, creating a unique identifier for
wide web of interconnecting, pulsing
each individual.
hyphae that thrum with thought and
feeling. Despite their best efforts, no
Mycelian Names: Thraxis, Liorael, Myrke,
mycelian, explorer, or scholar has ever
Eldun, Sporael, Zylo, Bryth, Corwyn,
found the Mothershroom. Any knowledge
Phaelos, Jorim
of its location if it even exists has
been lost to the grinding wheel of time.
Many mycelians have embarked on MYCELIAN TRAITS
quests to find their ancient ancestor. For
Creature Type
some such adventurers, the desire to find
You are also considered a plant for any
this holy figure is the only memory they
prerequisite or effect that requires you
retain between bodies.
to be a plant.
MYCELIAN NAMES
Age
A typical mycelian name often reflects
In the right conditions, a corpse
their fungal nature and their deep
inoculated with mycelial spores can rise
connection to both their current host and
as a newly-formed, adult mycelian in
under a month. Mycelians tend to wear On a success, the new body rises again
out a host in less than 7 years, and in 2d6 days. You gain the benefits of a
periodically redeploy their personal long rest and lose your previous
spores to animate a new, fresher corpse. Symbiotic Assimilation adaptations,
Theoretically, a mycelian can live on gaining new ones according to the race of
indefinitely, their minds and personalities the target corpse. On a failure, you die as
changing with each rebirth. normal.

Spore Spray Symbiotic Assimilation

As a reaction when a creature within 10 Your unique lifecycle allows you to co-
feet of you hits you with a melee attack, opt some of the adaptations of your host
you can attempt to poison it with a burst corpse. Choose two of the following
of spores. adaptations; the race to which your host
The target must succeed on a corpse belonged must have had this racial
Constitution saving throw DC = 8 + your tra
Constitution modifier + your proficiency discretion).
bonus) or take 1d8 poison damage and
become poisoned until the end of its next RACIAL TRAITS NOT IN THIS LIST
turn. You can use it a number of times A GM has great latitude in deciding whether
equal to your proficiency bonus, and you traits not in this list are available from
regain all expended uses when you finish other host races. If a trait is especially
a long rest. This damage increases to 2d8 powerful, such as a flying speed, the GM
at 5th level. could consider permitting a character to
select only that feature and no others (i.e.
Insporeation the character gains one option from this list
When you die within 100 feet of a instead of two).
humanoid corpse that has been dead no  Damage Resistance (Multiple). You have
resistance to one damage type
been subjected to magic that accelerates
decay or prevents decay (such as  Darkvision (Multiple). The darkened
the gentle repose spell), you can use chambers of The Low are your home. You
your dying breath to eject spores to have superior vision in dark and dim
inhabit that corpse. conditions. You can see in dim light within
Roll percentile dice. If you roll a 60 feet of you as if it were bright light,
number equal to or higher than the and in darkness as if it were dim light.
distance between your body and the color in darkness, only
corpse in feet, your spores take hold. For shades of grey.
example, a target 30 feet away requires
a roll of 30 or higher to succeed.
 Dwarven Resilience (Dwarf). You have deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing
advantage on saving throws against damage (depending on the body part)
poison, and you have resistance against equal to your Strength modifier plus a
poison damage. damage die determined by your host
 Halfling Nimbleness (Halfling). You can he bludgeoning
move through the space of any creature damage normal for an unarmed strike.
that is of a size larger than yours.  Powerful Build (Multiple). You count as
 Muscle Memory (Any). You gain one size larger when determining your
proficiency in one skill of your choice. carrying capacity and the weight you can
You can take this option multiple times. push, drag, or lift.
 Natural Weapon (Multiple). You have a  Relentless Endurance (Orc). When you are
physical characteristic, such as horns, reduced to 0 hit points but not killed
claws, or teeth, that acts as a natural outright, you can drop to 1 hit point
melee weapon which you can use to make
unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you you finish a long rest.
 proficiency bonus to the check, instead of
Dwarf your normal proficiency bonus.

- Igneous Tool Proficiency.

s
- Metamorphic

- Sedimentary

DWARF TRAITS Dwarves are literally made of stone.

Creature Type
ritual to sculpt a new dwarf requires at
You are a Humanoid.
least two mature dwarves but often

Size. involves as many as a dozen. The

sculptors usually maintain a close
Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall
emotional tie to the dwarves they make.
and average about 150 pounds. Your size is
The sculpting process takes over a year
medium.
to complete, and only skilled
Speed. stonecarvers can even attempt the ritual.

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your

speed is not reduced by wearing heavy Once the ritual is complete, the stone

armor. comes to life, magically transforming the

statue into an adult, humanoid creature
Darkvision. with all the usual features: blood, guts,
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of hair, bones, and so on. As such, dwarves
you as if it were bright light, and in are not Constructs.
darkn
discern color in darkness, only shades of Dwarves maintain an appearance like the
grey. stone they were carved from. Dwarven
sculptors tend to choose a block of stone
Dwarven Resilience.
like that from which they were carved.
You have advantage on saving throws Like begets like. However, sometimes
against poison and you have resistance that kind of stone is not available, or the
against poison damage.
sculptors want to do something unusual.

Stonecunning.
as it
Whenever you make an Intelligence
does in humans, but the wealthier
(History) check related to the origin of
dwarven castes have access to better
stonework, you are considered proficient in
stone, and some dwarven royalty only
the History skill and add double your
carve their children out of rare materials
(stone or metal). There are golden dwarf guests, counted as friends and advisors in
princes, alabaster dwarf queens, and jade construction, building, and crafting
dwarf empresses. projects of all kinds. Some, however,
believe the giants are a little too
Ruin builders. welcoming, and worry that there might be

If you see an abandoned cliff-fortress or some larger, darker plan that the empires

menhirs set high on a hill, you can be have for their stoneworking allies.

almost certain it was once dwarvish.

DWARVEN NAMES
Obsessive builders and carvers of stone,
dwarves have been known to build a The names of dwarves are usually a
fortress for generations, only to abandon series of up to nine single-syllable
it overnight when the last stone is sounds. These names act as gates of
carved, ready to start anew. Their familiarity
industry is ferocious, their dedication to one learns, the closer one is to the dwarf.
craftsmanship eternal. Many a wandering
dwarf can be tracked by an unconscious euphemism for romantic intimacy.
habit of piling pebbles into little cairns Typical names: Du-Ma-Lin-Bah-Gol-Sum-
wherever they go. Cha-Mu-Rin (known by most as Du, Duma,
or Dumalin), Tho-Sar-Vun-Til-Am-Eng-Pil-
Industrious & competitive. Mek-Ta (known by most as Tho, Thosar,
or Thosarvun).

dwarves know that once they set their

Igneous Dwarves
mind to a task or challenge, nothing can
IGNEOUS TRAITS
stop them. Their tirelessness and
dedication is respected by those around Dwarven Combat Training.
them. Yet with every generation,
You have proficiency with the battleaxe,
dwarvish elders are a little more
handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.

growing love for strong drink and the Dwarven Armor Training
ease of life on the banks of the Three
You have proficiency with light and
Brothers.
medium armor.

Friends of giants.
It is known that the giants greatly admire
the dwarves for their natural cunning
with stone, and that dwarves are often
invited into their high- walled cities as
Metamorphic Dwarves
METAMORPHIC TRAITS
Dwarven Toughness
Your hit point maximum increases by 1,
and it increases by 1 every time your gain
a level.

Sedimentary Dwarves
SEDIMENTARY TRAITS
Magic of the Earth and Air
Starting at 3rd level, you can cast
the enlarge/reduce spell on yourself with
this trait, without requiring a material
component. Starting at 5th level, you can
also cast the invisibility spell on yourself
with this trait, without requiring a
material component. Once you cast either

cast that spell with it again until you

finish a long rest. You can also cast these
spells using spell slots you have of the
appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your
spellcasting ability for these spells when
you cast them with this trait (Choose
when you select this race).
 Whenever you finish this trance, you can
Elf
each one with a weapon or a tool of your
- Exile of Nod choice. You mystically acquire these
proficiencies by drawing them from shared
- Elf of Nod
elven memory, and you retain them until

ELF TRAITS you finish your next long rest.

Creature Type Semi-translucent, elves have something

You are a humanoid. not-quite-real about them. Originating in
Nod, the twin worlds of dreams and
Size. nightmares, elves never quite sleep,
Your size is Medium. always seeming only partly attached to
Horizon, their thoughts ever wandering
Speed. far away.
You walking speed is 30 feet.
Graceful translucence.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
hand. They are generally a sleek and
you as if it were bright light, and in
slender people and are known to move
with a subtle step, their eyes seemingly
discern color in darkness, only shades of
focused on something just out of reach.
gray.

Wandering minds.
Fey Ancestry
You have advantage on saving throws you Elves are known for being in a state of

make to avoid or end the charmed condition distraction. They often seem either one

on yourself. step behind or two steps ahead of the

moment, as if their thoughts are
Keen Senses wandering on quite a different path than
You have proficiency in Wisdom (Perception) that of other mortals. Yet when they
checks. arrive at their destination and choose a
course of action, they are both brilliant
Trance and intuitive. Use this table to inspire how
your wandering mind manifests.
you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4
hours if you spend those hours in a
trancelike meditation, during which you
retain consciousness.
Wandering d6 The call of Nod.
1 You lose focus quickly, distracted by the next
the
interesting thing you see
World of Dreams and Nightmares is real
2 You have a habit of interrupting the to them, and they must travel through
conversation with an unrelated observation or doorways or by magic to g
question never stops calling to them. Whether
born in Nod or elsewhere, an elf always
3 You reject the binaries of black and white, yes
and no, life and death
feels the draw of the dream world, and

option rare is the elf who does not at some

point in their long life seek a way to at
4
least gaze into their former home.
create your own detours

5 There are always two or three problems or

Elven names.
Elves traditionally name their children
back of your mind with mirrored names, built of two

6 Wherever you go, you trace, draw, and paint opposed ideas. Elves believe that a name
swirling, abstract patterns that reflect your is a reflection, a meditation, and an
inner state exploration of the space between the
two concepts. The names might describe
ntity or simply
Eternal beauty.
abstract concepts. Some names are
Elves remain in the prime of their life an
untranslated from elvish, though they are
unthinkably long time. They are believed
typically constructed in the same way.
to simply be immortal. Although many
elves enjoy the company of other
Typical names (in Common): Cloudknife,
kinships and find their perspectives
Owlfish, Dreamwake, Calmfear,
interesting, they can be aloof in
Greatsmall, Wanderfound, Wildsafe.
distracted immortality. Some elves prefer
to live with their own kind, to avoid the EXILE OF NOD
pain of getting attached to such short-
Many mortal lifetimes ago, a terrible
lived companions. Such elvish clans are
crime or sin was committed by a clan of
almost never permanent encampments,
elves from the World of Dreams. These
preferring to wander in search of places
elves were cast out, banished forever
of great natural beauty. Elves are known
from Nod, and have dwelt in the waking
for their work in feathers, beads, colorful
world ever since. Exiles of Nod are less
paint, and weaving, and their textiles are
translucent than their kin, and have spent
highly sought, especially for feasts and
festivals.
their outcast generations learning how to a number of times equal to your
survive. Because of this, they tend proficiency bonus, and you regain all
towards more practicality and skill with expended uses when you finish a long
both magic and weaponry than others of rest.
their kind. When you reach 3rd level, your Fey Step
No human and few elves know why gains an additional effect based on your
they were banished, but the oldest of the season; if the effect requires a saving
exile elves know, and some say they are throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency
still working towards some larger plan for bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or
return or revenge. Charisma modifier (choose when you
select this race):
EXILE OF NOD TRAITS  Autumn. Immediately after you use your
Dreams of the City Fey Step, up to two creatures of your
choice that you can see within 10 feet of
As a bonus action, you can magically
you must succeed on a Wisdom saving
teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied
throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute,
space you can see. You can use this trait
or until you or your companions deal any
a number of times equal to your
damage to the creatures.
proficiency bonus, and you regain all
 Winter. When you use your Fey Step, one
expended uses when you finish a long
creature of your choice that you can see
rest.
within 5 feet of you before you teleport
Starting at 3rd level, you also gain
must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw
resistance to all damage when you
or be frightened of you until the end of
teleport using this trait. The resistance
your next turn.
lasts until the start of your next turn.
 Spring. When you use your Fey Step, you
During that time, you appear ghostly and
can touch one willing creature within 5
fully transparent.
feet of you. That creature then teleports
ELVES OF NOD instead of you, appearing in an
unoccupied space of your choice that you
Those who cross from the World of
can see within 30 feet of you.
Dreams or Nightmares have other forms
 Summer. Immediately after you use your
that are more insubstantial, more curious.
Fey Step, each creature of your choice

ELF OF NOD TRAITS that you can see within 5 feet of you
takes fire damage equal to your
Fey Step proficiency bonus.
As a bonus action, you can magically
teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied
space you can see. You can use this trait
 Because of their constant need for new
Gnome experiences, gnomes are perceived by
other races as being erratic, chaotic,
- Wood
daring, and innovative.

- Stone
A gnome is a short humanoid who
GNOME TRAITS typically stand around three feet in

Creature Type. height, slightly taller than halflings but

weighing about as much as a human child.
You are a Humanoid.
Gnomes have long spindly fingers and

Size. large heads, which have a subtly different

shape than those of other humanoids.
You are Small.
Compared to their bodies, they have

Speed. surprising toughness, as their bones are

of a harder but lighter cast than those of
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
humans.
Age
Their coloration, like their aging, is
Gnomes age much like other mortals do,
albeit more slowly than most but not as altered by experience. Their skin, hair,

slowly as elves; they reach physical and eyes can run the complete gamut of
maturity by their 18th year but could in colors that appear in nature, betraying
theory live to any age. However, they also their fey nature like no other
begin to suffer from a condition known as characteristic.
bleaching when they lose passion and fail to
experience new things, and few live longer Many, though not all, gnomes have skin
than 400 years. tones that match those of other
humanoids who live in the region, often
Darkvision
with tints of olive or gold. A few might
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of also have green, black, or pale blue skin.
you as if it were bright light, and in Their hair in particular is often vibrantly
colored, expressing their recent history
discern color in darkness, only shades of
and experiences in reds, greens and
gray.
more, as often (if not more so) than
browns and blonds. They have very long
Gnome Cunning
expressive eyebrows above large, child-
You have advantage on all Intelligence,
like eyes that can cause others to be
Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws
more trusting and protective of gnomes.
against magic.
Some find these traits, along with the
too-wide mouths and smiles, to be alien putting down a powerful evil force. While
and frightening. such apparently fickle and impulsive acts
are not universal among gnomes, they
Nod, from which the gnomish race are common enough for the race as a
originally hails, is a land of wild whole to have earned a reputation for
imaginations and impossibility where the being impetuous and at least a little mad.
Eldest of that plane have the power to
reshape reality on a whim. Even though Combined with their diminutive sizes,
our own world has magic and other vibrant coloration, and lack of concern
fantastical wonders, it is nevertheless for the opinions of others, these attitudes
based on a physical reality that is have caused gnomes to be widely
constant and unchanging. Because of their regarded by the other races as alien and
heritage, gnomes have difficulty coping strange. Gnomes, in turn, are often
with and accepting this reality, and must amazed how alike other common, civilized
therefore constantly strive to innovate, races are. It seems stranger to a gnome
dream, and take in new experiences. that humans and elves share so many
Those who fail to do so become bored similarities than that the gnomes do not.
and slowly accept our reality, succumbing Indeed, gnomes often confound their
to a condition only experienced by allies by treating everyone who is not a
gnomes: The Bleaching. gnome as part of a single, vast non-
gnome collective race.
Those who suffer from this ailment
slowly lose all color in their hair and skin, Wood Gnomes
and eventually succumb to dementia or
madness, and death. Those few who
WOOD GNOME TRAITS
survive this ordeal become bleachlings. Natural Illusionist
Gnomes can have the same concerns and You know the minor illusion cantrip.
motivations as members of other races, Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for
but just as often they are driven by it.
passions and desires that non-gnomes see
as eccentric at best, and nonsensical at Speak with Small Beasts
worst. A gnome may risk his life to taste
Through sounds and gestures, you can
communicate simple ideas with Small or
bottom of a pit just because it would be
smaller beasts.

tell jokes to a dragon and to the gnome

those goals are as worthy as researching
a new spell, gaining vast wealth, or
Stone Gnomes
STONE GNOME TRAITS

Whenever you make an Intelligence

(History) check related to magic items,
alchemical objects, or technological
devices, you can add twice your
proficiency bonus, instead of any
proficiency
Goblin
If you want a character who is eccentric,
- Fey enthusiastic, and fun-loving, you should play
a goblin.
- Verdan

GOBLIN TRAITS You Might...

Age. Strive to prove that you have a place

Goblins reach adulthood at age 24 and live among other civilized peoples, perhaps even
up to 200 years. to yourself.

Creature Type. Lighten the heavy emotional burdens

You are a Fey. others carry (and amuse yourself) with

antics and pranks.
Size.
You are Small. Others Probably...

Speed. Work to ensure you don't accidentally (or

intentionally) set too many things on fire.
Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Wonder how you survive given your

Goblins are a short, scrappy, energetic
ancestry's typical gastronomic choices,
people who have spent millennia maligned
reckless behavior, and love of fire.
and feared.

The convoluted histories other people cling Physical Description

to don't interest goblins. These small folk
live in the moment, and they prefer tall Goblins are stumpy humanoids with large
tales over factual records. Goblin virtues bodies, scrawny limbs, and oversized heads
are about being present, creative, and with large ears and beady red eyes. Their
honest. They strive to lead fulfilled lives, skin ranges from green to gray to blue, and
rather than worrying about how their they often bear scars, boils, and rashes.
journeys will end. To tell stories, not nitpick Goblins average 3 feet tall. Most are bald,
the facts. To be small, but dream big. Many with little or no body hair. Their jagged
goblins enjoy simpler delights like songs, teeth fall out and regrow constantly, and
fire, and eating, and hate reading, dogs, and their fast metabolism means they eat
horses. Other goblins might have more constantly and nap frequently.
complex pursuits, though, such as tinkering
with scraps or concocting snacks and Goblins reach adolescence by the age of 3

explosives from most anything. and adulthood 4 or 5 years later. Goblins

can live 50 years or more, but without
 FEY GOBLIN TRAITS
anyone to protect them from each other or
themselves, few live past 20 years of age.

Fey Ancestry.
Society
You have advantage on saving throws

Goblins tend to flock to strong leaders, you make to avoid or end the charmed
forming small tribes. These tribes rarely condition on yourself.
number more than a hundred, though the
larger a tribe is, the more diligent the
Fury of the Small.
leader must be to keep order a When you damage a creature with an
notoriously difficult task. Play and
creativity matter more to goblins than
larger than yours, you can cause the
productivity or study, and their
attack or spell to deal extra damage to
encampments erupt with songs and
the creature. The extra damage equals
laughter.
your proficiency bonus.
You can use this trait a number of times
Goblins bond closely with their allies,
equal to your proficiency, regaining all
fiercely protecting those companions who
have protected them or offered a expended uses when you finish a long

sympathetic ear. Goblins tend to assume for rest, and you can use it no more than
their own protection that members of taller once per turn.
ancestries, which goblins often refer to
colloquia
Nimble Escape.
them kindly. Learning to trust longshanks is You can take the Disengage or Hide
difficult for a goblin, and it's been only in action as a bonus action on each of your
recent years that such a partnership has
turns.
even been an option. Goblins keep their
names simple. A good name should be easy VERDAN TRAITS
to pronounce, short enough to shout
without getting winded, and taste good to
Size.
say. The namer often picks a word that Verdans are between 3 and 4 feet tall at
rhymes with something they like so that the start. Your size is Small until you
writing songs is easier.
reach 5th level where you get a 2-foot
growth spurt and become a Medium
Names creature.

Ak, Bokker, Frum, Guzmuk, Krobby, Loohi, Black Blood Healing.

Mazmord, Neeka, Omgot, Ranzak, Rickle,
When you roll either 1 or 2 on any Hit
Tup, Wakla, Yonk, Zibini
Die, you can instantly re-roll the die and
take the new roll.
Limited Telepathy.
You can telepathically speak to any
creature within 30 feet. You do not have
to share a language to speak, however,
they must be able to speak a language.
You can only communicate simple ideas.

Telepathic Insight.
You have advantage on all Wisdom and
Charisma saving throws.
 both in the problem-
Gnoll solving sense and the book-smart

The ultimate survivors and adapters, sense and take to professions that use

gnolls are found nearly everywhere. They their intelligence.

are huge, hyena-like humanoids with a

Gnoll Names
language that includes the unsettling
vocalizations of their quadrupedal The most important identifier for a gnoll
brethren. is its whoop. While deceptively short, a
whoop includes a range of ultrasonic
CLAN DYNAMICS inflections that indicate clan, a personal

Gnolls organize into a matrilineal clan identifier, and a suggestion of family

structure. Each clan consists of at most a affiliation (the gnoll trace lineage through

couple hundred of their kind (and

occasionally other races adopted into the most non-gnolls to properly replicate a

clan). Within the clan, there are no ranks whoop, gnolls also use contract names

or castes, but each gnoll forms a web of names intended to be used with clients

complex alliances to accrete political and other outsiders. There is a basic

capital. Within the clan, women are in structure of contract names used by all

charge, and the daughter of a strong gnolls; the inflection of the name
indicates gender, though few people

power from birth. To outsiders, it is very recog

difficult to tell the difference between The gnoll typically attach clan name to

female and male gnolls (though gnolls can

tell easily). The clan is everything, while Barrakas

it lasts. Sometimes a group of gnolls will Gnoll Contract Names: Dagnyr, Dhyrn,

split off and form a new clan, absorbing Ghyrryn, Gnasc, Gnoryc, Gnyrn, Gnyrl,

other small groups of gnolls it Hyrn, Lhoryn, Lhyr, Lhyrl, Mognyr, Myrl,

encounters. Sorgnyn, Thyrn, Toryc, Yrgnyn, Yrych

EXTREME CUNNING GNOLL TRAITS

Age. Young gnolls grow with uncanny
Gnoll cunning is legendary. Especially in
speed. A gnoll is capable of fending for
groups, gnolls are extremely competent,
itself after only a few months, and is
whether in combat or social encounters.
considered an adult at 5 years of age.
Gnolls live to be around 30 years old.
and work in diabolic concert. Individually,
They remain vigorous until the end; death
gnolls exhibit surprising grace and
by old age is marked by a catastrophic
maneuverability in society, navigating
decline over a space of a few days. Many
complex social situations with ease.
believe this unusual lifecycle is tied to you are especially cunning at: add twice
the supernatural origins of the gnoll. your proficiency bonus instead of your
normal proficiency bonus you normally
Size. apply.

Gnolls are between 7 and 8 feet tall and

Bite.
weigh between 250 to 320 pounds. Your
size is Medium. Your teeth are natural weapons, which
you can use to make unarmed strikes. If
Speed. you hit with your bite, you deal piercing

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength
modifier, instead of the bludgeoning
Darkvision. damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Your eyesight has adapted to dark desert

Rampage.
nights. You can see within 60 feet of you
in dim light as if it were bright light, and On your turn, when you make an unarmed

in darkness as if it were dim light. You strike using your bite attack or reduce a

rn color in darkness, only creature to 0 hit points with an attack,

shades of gray. you can use a bonus action to move up to

half your speed and make a weapon
Languages. attack or bite attack.

You can speak, read, and write Common

and Gnoll.

Pack Sense.
When working with a group of other
gnolls, or with close friends with whom

times before, you can pr

behavior once per round. Once per day,
use Pack Sense to grant advantage to an
ally.

Extreme Cunning.
You see the complex relationships of
things in the world: people, events,
nature. You have proficiency in three
additional skills related to Intelligence,
Charisma, or Wisdom. One of those skills,
 Lucky.
Halfling
When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an
- Lightfoot attack roll, ability check, or saving
throw, you can reroll the die and must
- Ghostwise
use the new roll.
Called silentfolk or quietkin, halflings are
etive Size.
people who hunt by ambush, they are
Halflings average about 3 feet tall and
eerie and unsettling, yet highly valued as
weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is
hunters and allies, if other kinships are
small.
able to befriend them.

Unseen and unheard.

Small and deadly.
Halflings are capable of speech, but their
Halflings are known by their small stature
culture is built around silence, and their
and quiet step. Because of their size,
clan tongue is an elaborate sign language
they are natural prey for many hungry
beasts, so halflings have learned the art
of hiding and striking first from the
that on the rare occasions when they feel
shadows. They tend to wear dark natural
safe and secure, they are clever and
colors, and are known for elaborate
bright companions, full of the jokes and
striped face painting or tattoos as an art
of camouflage.
was time to speak. Use this table for
Age. inspiration on how this tradition of silence
affects your character.
A Halfling reaches adulthood at the age
of 20 and generally lives into the middle d6 Silence
of their second century. 1 You sneak up on people without meaning to,
often startling your companions by appearing
Brave.
behind them without warning.
You have advantage on saving throws
2
against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness. 3 You bottle up grudges literally. Your belt has

skins and jars that hold objects that remind
You can move through the space of any
creature that is of a size larger than
yours.
4 You consider flamboyance of all kinds a great halfling refused. On the third request, the
sin and personal offense, and instinctively halfling agreed, but only in exchange for
distrust anyone who attracts attention three favors from Death in days to come.
Death agreed, and ever since, halflings
5 You love a good jump scare, and will go out of
your way to startle your companions for a have been a people touched by

laugh. preternatural luck, which they rely on

and count as their well-deserved
6
birthright.
know halfling sign language, and slip in and out
of your native dialect without realizing it. Halfling names.
Most halflings have a sign made with the
Kill or be killed.
hands or body that they consider their
Somewhere in the past, halflings realized true name as given by their parents.
that, thanks to their size, they must However, for moving through the dark or
choose between living as easy prey or communicating with outsiders, they are
becoming predators, and decided on the also given a spoken name, which they
latter. Halflings keep to their own kind typically think of as an informal
more than most other kinships, largely nickname. These usually have simple,
because they find others too noisy and repeated sounds that are easy to pick out
clumsy to survive in the halfling way. if whispered.
Their clans tend to camp in hidden places Typical names: Taktak, Emem, Bilbil, Adu-
and live their days in total silence, Adu, Lolo, Sansan, Pippip, Odod.
considering it a great offense to make
more sound than absolutely necessary. QUIETKIN (LIGHTFOOT
But when halflings feel safe when
sentries are posted, the tents are well-
HALFLINGS)
hidden, and the land and sky are empty Most halflings are from clans that have
of threats or intruders long kept quiet and kept to themselves.
the planes to match Some leave their clans because curiosity
the joyful uproar of halflings letting draws them into the world, others are
loose. sent out as long- range hunters or scouts
and then through misfortune or
The three favors. curiosity never find their way home.
There is an old story about a halfling who
wandered through the jungle so silently
Naturally Stealthy.
that it snuck up on Death, who was You can attempt to hide even when you
trapped under a fallen tree. Twice, Death are obscured only by a creature that is at
asked the halfling for help, and twice the least one size larger than you.
WALKAWAY
(GHOSTKIN) HALFLINGS
There are those who refuse the way of
silence and make homes among the other
clans. These halflings called walkaways
by the quietkin are most known for
being very clear-spoken and difficult to
misunderstand.

Silent Speech.
You can speak telepathically to any
creature within 30 feet of you. The
creature understands you only if the two
of you share a language. You can speak
telepathically in this way to one creature
at a time.
 teens and rarely live even a single
Human century.

HUMAN TRAITS
Variety in All Things
Creature Type.
You are a Humanoid. Humans are the most adaptable people
among the common races. They have
Age. widely varying tastes, morals, and

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens customs in the many different lands
and live less than a century. where they have settled. When they
settle, though, they stay: they build cities
Size. to last for the ages, and great kingdoms
Humans vary widely in height and build, that can persist for long centuries. An
from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. individual human might have a relatively
Regardless of your position in that range, short life span, but a human nation or
your size is Medium. culture preserves traditions with origins
far beyond the reach of any single
Speed.
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. present making them well suited to the
adventuring life but also plan for the
Adaptable.
future, striving to leave a lasting legacy.
You gain proficiency in one skill of your Individually and as a group, humans are
choice.
adaptable opportunists, and they stay
alert to changing political and social
A Broad Spectrum dynamics.

With their penchant for migration, humans Humans are unique among the many races
are more physically diverse than other due to their lack of a natural soul. This
common races. There is no typical human. absence profoundly influences their
An individual can stand from 5 feet to a interaction with magic, particularly
little over 6 feet tall and weigh from 125 healing and resurrection spells, which are
to 250 pounds. Human skin shades range ineffective on most humans. However,
from nearly black to very pale, and hair humans possess a remarkable
colors from black to blond (curly, kinky, adaptability, both physically and
or straight); males might sport facial hair culturally, leading to frequent mutations
that is sparse or thick. A lot of humans and evolutions based on their
have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing environment and interactions with other
hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. races.
Humans reach adulthood in their late
Physical Characteristics: Rudimentary Souls:
Adaptability: Through prolonged and deep interaction

Humans are known for their ability to with other species, some humans may

quickly adapt to new environments and develop a rudimentary soul. This soul

situations. This adaptability often results allows them to be affected by healing

in physical mutations, which can range and resurrection magic, marking a

from minor changes like skin tone and significant evolution in their magical

height to more significant alterations such potential.

as enhanced senses or physical abilities.

Role in Society:
Mutations can provide humans with unique Versatility:
abilities tailored to their environment, Humans are often seen as versatile and
such as night vision, resistance to resourceful, capable of filling a wide
extreme temperatures, or enhanced range of roles within society. Their
physical strength. adaptability makes them valuable as
explorers, diplomats, and innovators.
While mutations can be beneficial, they
can also be unpredictable and potentially Survivalists:
harmful, leading to physical or mental
In harsh or changing environments,
instability.
humans' ability to quickly adapt and
mutate can give them an edge over more
Variation:
rigidly defined races. This makes them
Due to their propensity for mutation,
formidable survivors in the ever-changing
humans can vary greatly in appearance
world.
and abilities. These variations make each
human unique and highly specialized for The WORLD of SCIENCE!!!
their particular environment.
Due to their innate resistance to healing
Cultural Integration: magic, humans have had to make do with

Influence of Surrounding Cultures: slow, natural healing. Without a soul,

Humans tend to assimilate aspects of the common humans do not recover magically

cultures they are exposed to, often with a long rest and must wait for

adopting practices, languages, and even muscles and skin to do their own, slow

magical traditions. This cultural fluidity healing over weeks and months. This has

helps them to integrate and thrive in led clever humans to delve deep into

diverse societies. non-magical means of healing that most

other lineages would consider a waste
compared to the bounty of magical
healing. Human techniques have been eyes and coarse, black hair. Sometimes
adapted for creatures suffering from these humans also bear the marks of a
curses and other magical maladies that ritual sacrifice gone terribly awry.
resist healing as well as for their utility in
null magic zones and on long-term health. Darkvision.
You can see in dim light within 120 feet of

ABERRANT SPAWN you as if it were bright light and in

darkness as if it were dim light. You
You were somehow mutated by an
discern colors in that darkness only as
aberration, such as an aboleth, and you
shades of gray.
have adapted against such things as a
result. Due to these changes, you have Spider Magic.
the following racial traits:
You know the poison spray cantrip.
Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the
Aberrant Mind.
bane spell with this trait. Starting at 5th
You have advantage on saving throws
level, you can also cast the spider climb
you make to avoid or end the charmed
spell with this trait. Once you cast bane
condition on yourself and against any
effect that would sense your emotions or
cast that spell with it again until you
read your thoughts.
finish a long rest. You can also cast either
of those spells using any spell slots you
Psychic Resistance.
have of the appropriate level.
You have resistance to psychic damage. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your
spellcasting ability for these spells when
Tentacle.
you cast them with this trait (choose
At least one of your limbs is muscular, when you select this race).

GREEN SKIN
rubbery, and pliant, acting as a tentacle
that you can use to make unarmed
strikes. When you hit with it, the strike Your people metabolize by basking in the
deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier sunlight. Aided by your tough,
bludgeoning damage, instead of the photosynthetic skin, you gain the
bludgeoning damage normal for an following racial traits:
unarmed strike.
Natural Armor.
ARACHNE Your skin acts as a tough natural armor.
With enough time spent underground or
around swarmhives some humans mutate, base AC equals 12 + your Dexterity
becoming arachne humans with eight modifier. You can use your natural armor
to determine your AC if the armor you On your first turn in combat, you can add
wear would leave you with a lower AC. A your proficiency bonus to your attack
rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
you use your natural armor.
GRUE
Photosynthetic Resilience.
Grues, such as yourself, have blackened
You have advantage on saving throws skin and cast a shadow in all directions,
you make to avoid or end the poisoned even when directly in light. In shadows,
condition on yourself. You also have you are nearly invisible. You have the
resistance to poison damage. following racial traits:

GRENDEL Darkvision.
Despite their varied heritage, the You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
influence of Nod is strong in grendels. you as if it were bright light, and in
G
their parents, with green- or orange- discern color in darkness, only shades of
tanned skin, coarse hair, and three gray.
knuckles on each finger.
Covert.
Size.
When you are hidden and a creature
Unlike other humans, you are Medium or discovers you with a successful Wisdom
Small, depending on your heritage. (Perception) check, you can reattempt
your Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide. On
Darkvision. a success, you silently reposition yourself

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of

you as if it were bright light, and in
d again until you finish a short or long rest.

discern color in darkness, only shades of

gray.
INSECTOID
Insectoids bear one or two insectlike
Fey Ancestry.
features, such as prominent compound
You have advantage on saving throws eyes or chitinous plates, but almost
you make to avoid or end the charmed always have a pair of sensitive antennae
condition on yourself. atop their heads.

Grendel Ambition. Blindsight.

 MUL
Due to your antennae, you have
blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within
that range, you can effectively see You have defied the odds to join the
ranks of the sturdy and resilient muls,
adapted to dangerous work in the
Moreover, you can see an invisible deepest places. You have the following
creature within that range, unless the racial traits:
creature successfully hides from you.
Darkvision.
Regenerative.
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
If any part of your body is amputated, you as if it were bright light, and in

can fully regrow that part of your body in discern color in darkness, only shades of
24 hours. gray.

IMMORTAL Armor Acclimation.

According to legend, a human can achieve by wearing

immortality by replacing their heart with heavy armor and you never have
a mote of celestial radiance. The secret disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth)
to immortality, including the elixirs and checks as a result of wearing heavy
rituals needed to achieve it, is protected armor.
by a small, clandestine sect of immortal
Determined Toughness.
mystics, each of whom only know one
component of the process. There are Your hit point maximum increases by 1,
perhaps only a dozen true immortals in and it increases by 1 every time you gain
the world, but as many as hundreds if a level.
every tale can be believed.
OGRE-BLOODED
Ageless.
Your coarse features and monstrous build
most resembles that of an ogre or other
and suffer none of the frailty of old age. wild giantkin. You have the following
racial traits:

Immortal Resilience.
You have advantage on saving throws
you make to avoid or end diseases and
the poisoned condition yourself. You also
Darkvision.
have resistance to poison damage.
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of jump. This extra distance costs
you as if it were bright light, and in movement as normal.
darkness as if it were dim light. You
discern color in darkness, only shades of Squeeze.
gray. You suffer no penalty for squeezing into
a space that is only large enough for a
Monstrous Strength.
creature that is one size smaller than
You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. you.
Additionally, when you make a Strength
(Athletics) check, you can treat the result PSIONIC
as a 10, or your level plus your Strength
Most humans possess some dull psionic
modifier, whichever is higher.
potential, but those that unlock their
psionic spark transcend their peers.
Powerful Build.
Sometimes, these humans are
You count as one size larger when indistinguishable from ordinary folks, but
determining your carrying capacity and other times their psionic awakening
the weight you can push, drag, or lift. leaves a tell-tale mark: stark white hair,
glowing pupils, or hair and clothing that
PORTERLING float and drift around them.

You are a porterling, an adaptation to the

Empathy.
cramped quarters and low ceilings of the
smallfolk. You stand about as tall as a You can use your action to probe the
dwarf, but are far leaner. Though they su
are often confused for dwarves, You must be able to see the creature and
porterlings can only rarely grow large or it must be within 30 feet and have an
thick beards. You have the following Intelligence of 3 or higher. You learn the
racial traits:

Flexible. Bonds.

You have advantage on checks you make

Psionics.
to escape grapple or to slip bindings.
You know the mage hand cantrip, and the
Springheel Leap. hand is invisible when you cast the

Whenever you make a long jump or a cantrip with this trait.

high jump, you can roll a d8 and add the Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the

number rolled to the number of feet you unseen servant spell with this trait.

cover, even when making a standing Starting at 5th level, you can also cast
the levitate spell with this trait.
Once you cast unseen servant or levitate
racial traits:
with it again until you finish a long rest.
You can also cast either of those spells Horns.
using any spell slots you have of the You have horns that you can use to make
appropriate level. unarmed strikes. When you hit with them,
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength
spellcasting ability for these spells when modifier piercing damage, instead of the
you cast them with this trait (choose bludgeoning damage normal for an
when you select this race). unarmed strike

PROTO-MAN Labyrinthine Recall.

You come from a place of massive flora You always know which direction is north,
and ancient creatures; your people are and you have advantage on any Wisdom
fearless and robust. You gain the (Survival) check you make to navigate or
following racial traits: track.

Brave. Rush.
You have advantage on saving throws
On any turn in which you only move in a
you make to avoid or end the frightened
straight line, your speed increases by 10
condition on yourself.
feet.

Primal Recovery.
TROLL-BLOODED
When you take a short rest, you can
With their green-tinted and boil-ridden
automatically regain 1 Hit Die and can
skin, spindly fingers, and pointed teeth,
choose to spend it immediately. Once you
most people will mark troll-blooded
use
humans as such You have the following
again until you finish a long rest.
racial traits:

TAURAN Troll Regeneration.

Your large nose, strong jaw, and wide
You have developed some of the
head do much to reveal your distantly
regenerative properties of trolls. You
bovine nature, but the prominent bull-
regain 1 hit point each minute if you have
horns atop your head reveal to all that
no more than one-fourth of your hit
you have developed among the centaurs.
points (rounded down) left.
Taurans tower over most people and can
this trait if you have 0 hit points.
solve mazes with ease, but typically
possess only a shadow of their minotaur TWO-HEADED
Like ettins, you have two heads with and at the end of each of your turns, you
differing personalities that jointly control and each creature within 10 feet of you
your body. take radiant damage equal to half your
level (rounded up). In addition, once on
Two-Heads. each of your turns, you can deal extra

You have advantage on saving throws radiant damage to one target when you

you make to avoid or end the following deal damage to it with an attack or a

conditions on yourself: blinded, charmed, spell. The extra radiant damage equals

deafened, frightened. your level.

Wakeful. again until you finish a long rest.

Because one of your heads is always

awake, you retain consciousness when
you take a long rest.

IRRADIATED
After enough exposure to high powered

too.

Light Bearer
You know the light cantrip. Charisma is
your spellcasting ability for it.

Radiant Resistance
You have resistance to radiant damage.

Radiant Consumption.
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your
action to unleash the radiant energy
within yourself, causing a searing light to
radiate from you, pour out of your eyes
and mouth, and threaten to char you.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or
until you end it as a bonus action. During
it, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius
and dim light for an additional 10 feet,
 Defiance. You have advantage on saving
Kobold

throws to avoid or end the frightened
condition on yourself.
KOBOLD TRAITS  Draconic Sorcery. You know one cantrip of

Creature Type your choice from the sorcerer spell list.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your
You are a Humanoid.
spellcasting ability for that cantrip (choose
when you select this race).
Size.
Some of the smallest draconic creatures
You are Small.
in the multiverse, kobolds display their

Speed. draconic ancestry in the glint of their

scales and in their roars. Legends tell of
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
the first kobolds emerging from the

Darkvision. Underdark near the lairs of the earliest

dragons. In some lands, kobolds serve
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
chromatic or metallic dragons-even
you as if it were bright light and in darkness
worshiping them as divine beings.
as if it were dim light. You discern colors in
that darkness only as shades of gray. In other places, kobolds know too well
how dangerous those dragons can be and
Draconic Cry. help others defend against draconic

As a bonus action, you let out a cry at your destruction.

enemies within 10 feet of you. Until the Whatever their relationship to dragons,
start of your next turn, you and your allies kobold scales tend to be rust colored,
have advantage on attack rolls against any although the occasional kobold sports a
of those enemies who could hear you. You scale color more akin to that of a
can use this trait a number of times equal
to your proficiency bonus, and you regain cry can express a range of emotion:
all expended uses when you finish a long anger, resolve, elation, fear, and more.
rest. Regardless of the emotion expressed,
their cry resonates with draconic power.
Kobold Legacy.
EXPERT TUNNELERS
manifest in unpredictable ways in an
Kobolds are naturally skilled at tunneling.
individual kobold. Choose one of the
Similar to dwarves, they seem to have a
following legacy options for your kobold:
near instinctive sense of what sections of
 Craftiness. You have proficiency in one of
the following skills of your choice: Arcana,
stone or earth are strong or weak, are

Investigation, Medicine, Sleight of Hand, or bearing a load or are safe to excavate, or

Survival. are likely to contain minerals or offer

access to water. This ability enables them
to fashion secure homes in places where the surface. Roughly one quarter of the
towns and cities in the world have kobold
Kobolds take advantage of their size by communities living under them, but the
creating small-diameter tunnels that they kobolds are so good at staying hidden
can easily pass through, but that require that the surface-dwelling citizens in the
larger creatures to hunch over or even
crawl to make progress. In places where them.
a tunnel opens into a chasm and Because the kobolds make sure they stay
continues on the other side, the kobolds out of the way of anyone more dangerous
might connect the two passages with a than themselves, grow their own
rope bridge or some other rickety subterranean food, and prefer to sneak
structure, designed to collapse under the about at night, the people of a town
weight of any creature heavier than a might go for weeks or months without
kobold. On occasion, the route through a noticing evidence that kobolds are in the
kobold lair runs along a ledge that area, and years between actual sightings.
borders a cavern or a crevasse, and the
kobolds might erect a railing or a wall ABLE SCAVENGERS
that prevents them from falling off the Kobolds are adept at identifying broken,
edge - high enough to protect a kobold misplaced, discarded, or leftover crafted
but low enough to serve as a tripping items from other creatures that can still
hazard for a larger creature. be put to use. They prefer to scavenge
Some humanoid communities hire kobolds objects that have clearly been lost or
to dig their sewer tunnels, paying them thrown away, which is easy to do without
attracting attention. At the same time,
have access to on their own. If they are
treated well and left alone to do the job, trying to grab items that are the
the kobolds work industriously and build a property of other creatures, because
network of passages beneath the streets, such objects are more likely to be in good
connecting them to a nearby waterway condition and thus more useful or
valuable.
sanitation. If the kobolds like the area When they go a
for the taking, kobolds try to remain
they might build a warren and make a
permanent home there, while continuing reason to harm them. For example, a
group of city kobolds might sneak into a
community grows. These so-

knives, leather bits, nails, and other

make occasional nighttime forays up to useful items, but if they are at risk of
discovery, they run away rather than tribe, but they are rarely affectionate
attack anyone in the house. By fleeing
before they can be seen or identified, known each other for over a decade
they avoid getting into a situation where might consider each other friends or
the townsfolk would try to hunt down all enemies, but the strength of this
kobolds and sentiment is much fainter than any
risk. comparable human emotion. Since most
Some aggressive individual kobolds and of their waking time is spent working,
tribes do exist, but in general kobolds adversarial kobolds rarely have
opportunities to exchange insults, let
attacks from the creatures they steal alone come to blows over their
differences.
overlooked than to be considered Kobolds choose mates primarily for
dangerous and a threat. convenience. Their lack of emotional
bonding means they have no concept of
LIFE AND OUTLOOK marriage or permanent family

Kobolds have a tribal society in which relationships. Their eggs are placed in a

they all take on specialized roles that common tribal hatchery with no effort to

protect and sustain the tribe. The

strongest kobolds are trained to be This practice and the communal raising of

hunters and warriors, the most clever are the hatchlings mean that the tribe

crafters and strategists, the toughest are operates like a group of cousins.

miners and beast-wranglers, and so on. Because they lay eggs, and the eggs

Even a stupid or physically weak kobold

is given a role in the tribe, whether
something as simple as picking work. Furthermore, kobolds can slowly

mushrooms for food or watching over change sex. If most males or females of a

hatchlings, and they all understand that tribe are killed, some survivors change

their actions contribute to the survival of over several months until the tribe is

the group. balanced again. In this way, the tribe can

The tribe practices for the eventuality of quickly repopulate with just a few

defending the lair against intruders, and survivors. Because of these factors,

their plans always include knowing the

best escape routes and who is for young or adults. A leader, sorcerer,

responsible for blocking tunnels to deter miner, or crafter is as likely to be female

pursuit. as male.

Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something

like kinship for other members of their
GROW FAST, DIE EARLY Most kobold tribes avoid eating what they
intelligent
Kobolds grow and mature much more
creatures - because such behavior
swiftly than members of other humanoid
prompts retaliation. The fear of
races. At 6 years old a kobold is
starvation can make them flexible about
considered an adult. Most succumb to
this principle, however, and if their
violence, accidents, or disease by age 20,
options are either attacking such
but a kobold can live for up to 120 years
creatures or going hungry, kobolds are
- a longevity they attribute to being
practical. A few tribes, particularly those
distantly related to dragons. A female
in lightly populated areas, practice
can lay up to six eggs per year, and an
cannibalism, believing it is foolish to
egg matures for two to three months
waste good meat.
before it hatches.

KOBOLD NAMES
Kobold names are derived from the
burned or disposed of in some other
Draconic tongue and usually relate to a
convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic
characteristic of the owner, such as scale
tribe, eaten).
color, distinctive body parts, or typical

Food and Cannibalism

Although their sharp teeth would suggest
translations of often-used names. A
they are carnivores, kobolds are actually
kobold might change its name when it
omnivores, and can eat just about
becomes an adult, or add additional word-
anything, including meat, fruit, tree bark,
syllables after important events such as
bone, leather, and eggshells (a newly
completing its first hunt, laying its first
egg, or surviving its first battle.
own shell). A hungry tribe leaves nothing
behind from a kill, eating everything
Kobold Names: Arix, Molo, Eks, Ohsoss,
dible and using the rest to make
Ett, Rotom, Galax, Sagin, Garu, Sik,
tools or adornments.
Hagnar, Sniv, Hox, Taklak, Irtos, Tes,
Kobolds shed teeth as they wear out and
Kashak, Urak, Meepo, Varn
grow new ones their entire lives. Many
wear their own shed teeth as jewelry,
with more teeth indicating an older - and
wiser kobold. Some unscrupulous
individuals wear teeth stolen or
harvested from others in an attempt to
make them seem older and more
respectable.
 Ysoki as verminfolk call themselves are
Verminfolk a clever, adaptable, and fastidious ancestry
who happily crowd their large families into
- Mousefolk the smallest of living spaces

- Ratfolk
Most surface-dwelling humanoids call ysoki
verminfolk know them as a communal
- Rackin
people who prefer cramped conditions, with
- Posskin up to 100 individuals living in a given house.

VERMINFOLK TRAITS instead live in caves and cavern complexes,

Creature Type. as these provide great storage for the

many and varied goods they bring back
You are a Humanoid.
from trading expeditions.

Age.
Verminfolk love to travel, and they can
Verminfolk age slightly quicker than often be found on the road in merchant
humans, reaching adulthood by 14. They live
to be around 70 years old. have a keen eye for spotting anything out
of the ordinary, from threats to treasures.
Size.
T
Verminfolk are between 3 and a half to 4 warrens are crammed full of unusual odds
feet tall. and ends gathered by previous generations
They have light gaits but sturdy frames, and stowed away in preparation for some
weighing between 50 and 90 pounds. Your future emergency.
size is Small.
If you want a character who is smart, fast,
Speed. well-traveled, and adaptable, try playing a
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. ysoki!

Darkvision. You Might...

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
you as if it were bright light, and in Have pride in your large extended family,
and stay in contact with everyone in it.
discern color in darkness, only shades of
grey. Like to travel near and far in search of
new experiences, likely collecting trinkets
Deft Climber. along the way.

You have a climbing speed equal to your

Work well with others.
walking speed.
Others Probably... communal games, social occasions, and
sports to forge fast friendships and

Mistake you for a wererat or another connections with ysoki outside their family.

monster. You may never know whos

going to need, but when you d
Are surprised by your careful grooming going to need it now.
and other fastidious habits.
With a long tradition of working as traders
and tinkers, ysoki travel frequently from
their personal space. one town to another. Their wagons are
usually grouped into caravans of up to half

Physical Description a dozen vehicles. Ysoki wagons are pulled

by exceptionally large giant rats; many

Verminfolk have whiskered snouts, large ysoki can speak to such animals.

ears, and hairless tails, and typically have

Discrimination against ysoki has shaped
red eyes and short brown or black fur. A
their culture, prompting them to rely on
common ysoki is 4 feet tall and weighs
each other and strengthening their family
around 80 pounds. Verminfolk vary
and communal bonds. Ysoki are very good
considerably, however; even a single family
at differentiating between bad actors and
group can exhibit substantial variation in
those who are simply acting out of
hair color, eye color, or size.
ignorance, modeling good behavior and

Instinct drives ysoki to maintain cleanliness, slowly working to reverse generations of

though this is also reinforced through their discrimination for those willing to learn.

strong social structures. Other They are always on the lookout for

condescending humanoids often presume members of ot

verminfolk are dirty or diseased, but in judge them for their appearance, embracing

actuality, they are meticulous about these individuals as true friends and

personal hygiene. Because their appearance welcoming them into their communities. But

is often considered unnatural and other they also can quickly spot determined

people mistake them for wererats ysoki bigots prone to violence and steer clear of

often conceal their physical features with such individuals, minimizing any opportunity

hoods, gloves, shoes, long-sleeved tunics, for tragedy.

robes, and other layers of clothing when

moving through spaces dominated by other Names
ancestries.
Every ysoki family has perhaps two dozen

Society names that have been passed down from

generation to generation, sometimes with

Ysoki culture values cooperation and minor alterations or alternative nicknames.

community. Every ysoki learns through A grandfather might be Grivver, for

example, while his daughter goes by Griva You need only half as much food and
and her son is simply Griv. Verminfolk are water as normal as you supplement your
often assigned nicknames and sobriquets by diet with whatever is close at hand, you
humanoids they interact with, but most can treat normally inedible or spoiled
ysoki find these names distasteful and objects as appropriate rations and you
endure them only when outside ysoki
have advantage on Constitution saving
communities.
throws.

MOUSEFOLK RACKIN TRAITS

Keen Senses Streetwise.
You have proficiency in Wisdom You gain proficiency in your choice of the
(Perception) checks. Sleight of Hand or Stealth skills.

Nimble Dodge
Nimble Dodge.
When attacked with an Attack of
Opportunity, you may use your reaction When you are forced to make a Dexterity
to impose disadvantage on the attack. saving throw against an effect you can
see, you can use your reaction to gain
Brave advantage on the saving throw. Success

You have advantage on saving throws or failure, immediately after the effect

against being frightened. occurs, you can move up to your speed

without provoking opportunity attacks.
Speak with Small Beasts Once you use this trait, you must finish a
short or long rest before you can use it
Through sounds and gestures, you can
again.
communicate simple ideas with Small or
smaller beasts.
POSSKIN
RATFOLK With the road as their home, posskin

Keen Senses never settle in one place for long and are
well adapted to the harsh conditions
You have proficiency in Wisdom
associated with constantly sleeping
(Perception) checks.
outdoors.
You are immune to disease. You have Their ability to withstand disease enables
advantage on saving throws against them to act as scavengers, feasting on
poison and you have resistance against the left-to-rot remains of other
poison damage. carnivores. Should they ever find
themselves the target of a territorial
Savvy Snacker creature, their innate ability to play dead
can often trick such aggressors into Play Dead.
believing they are no longer a threat and
When you take damage that reduces you
leaving them alone, if a little bloodied.
to half your hit point maximum or lower,
Posskin might find employ in a variety of
you can use your reaction to play dead,
walks of life. From hedge knights to
lowering your heart rate and relaxing
circus performers, travelling snake oil
your muscles as you fall prone for the
salesmen to chronic dumpster divers, so
next hour, or until you use your bonus
long as the job keeps moving, a posskin
action to end the effect early, a creature
stays happy.
that spares you a casual look sees only a

Posskin Names. corpse. A creature that uses its action

while within 5 feet of you to make an
The words used to name a posskin are
Intelligence (Investigation) check
more than just sounds; they are a story.
contested by your Constitution
(Deception) check sees through the trick
far, a litany of major life events since
on a success.
birth. The more adventurous the life, the
longer the name. The name Leo
so again until you finish a short or long
Charrburned Halfleg might specify a
rest.
young (and unfortunate) posskin born
under the sign of the lion, who was
burned in a forest fire, and later lost
their lower leg to a bear.

POSSKIN TRAITS
Bite.
You have a maw of sharp teeth that you
can use to make unarmed strikes. When
you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 +
your Strength modifier slashing damage,
instead of the bludgeoning damage
normal for an unarmed strike.

Scavenger.
You have advantage on saving throws
against disease and poison, and you have
resistance to poison damage.
 Symbiotic Fortitude.
Geleton
GELETON TRAITS have resistance to acid damage and are
immune to disease.
Creature Type.
You are considered a humanoid.
Wakeful.
Geletons only need to sleep for a short
Age. time each day. Even while sleeping, you

Geletons come to life fully matured but remain aware of your immediate

may resemble a younger or older creature. surroundings thanks to your limited

Their full life span is unknown, but in blindsight. After sleeping for 4 hours, you
general they live for about a century. gain the same benefit that a human does
from 8 hours of sleep.
Size.
THE DARK OF THE RUIN WAS
inside of it. You can choose to be either COMFORTING, DESPITE the occasional
Medium or Small when you select this race. creaks and distant howls. It was, after all,
the only home ever known.
Speed. Sitting next to them on the stone floor
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. lay the remnants of long-disused
weaponry and rusted chainmail. A little
Darkvision.
book, long since faded and mildewed, was
Your eyes were magically formed from clutched in their translucent hands. They
ooze through the process of your creation, know what it used to say, only that
granting you a degree of vision in dark and
it felt like it mattered. The leather
dim conditions. You can see in dim light
binding was both curious and familiar,
within 30 feet of you as if it were bright
much like the strewn equipment beside
light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
them. A pair of letters, J and S, were
sewn into the cracking leather.
shades of gray.
And so, Jayess was the name
Limited Blindsight. given to themselves. Whether the armor
was theirs or not was a mystery, but it
You still retain a small portion of sightless
awareness from your ooze heritage. You
was nice to have an identity to cling to.

have blindsight out to a range of 5 feet. Of course, it seem like anyone else
was around for them to tell, but in case
they came across someone on one of the
slow and quiet foraging trips they took, it
would be nice to brandish like a A BRAND NEW LIFE
badge of honor.
At the start of their new lives, geletons
For now, the only thing that mattered
are featureless, ooze-covered humanoids
was sitting still, resting, and staying safe.
with only a spark of traditional
Terrible, hungering things crept in the
consciousness. Over time, usually about a
shadows outside, and this life grew more
month, this small consciousness grows
and more precious to them with each
into a fully sentient being just like any
passing day.
So until they needed to move again, it
appearance also becomes more
was best to enjoy the comforts of home
discernable, and eventually grows into a
and hold their book. The faded echoes of
humanoid form that feels natural to its
lost memories touched mind as
budding sense of self. The memories from
they caressed the cover, and as
any of their previous lives are lost in this
they thought of everything its pages
process, but can resurface in pieces
might have once said, they began to
through hazy dreams or waves of déjà vu.
imagine the future that they could write
Without a unified culture or history, each
in it instead.

adopt attitudes similar to those close to

Geletons are the living, symbiotic fusion
them early on in their lives, but others
of two semiconscious life forms: oozes
develop strong personalities entirely on
and reanimated skeletons.
their own.
When a skeleton suspended in an ooze is
subjected to necromancy that would
DANGEROUS BEGINNINGS
normally transform it into a mindless
By their very nature, almost all geletons

magically connect to the reanimated come to life in dangerous places. For

body, and its departed life, instead. This however many there are in the world,
there are countless more that inevitably

this process that the fragments of life perished shortly after their creation.

held by ooze and skeleton can come Some unscrupulous figures -typically

together to form a complete whole. necromancers or mad scientists try to

Occasionally called Symblexes for their use the process of Synthesis for personal

parallels to other intelligent oozes, gain, but are for the most part stopped

geletons are given a rare second chance

at life-one that they are as moldable to Geletons created and held captive in such

as their gelatinous forms themselves harrowing conditions for a long time often
carry a deep-seated fear or resentment
for necromancy, if not all magic, for the
remainder of their lives. Other geletons
created in such conditions recover faster, unusual races are hardly given a second
especially if they are found and rescued look, but superstitious villagers and rural
shortly after their Synthesis. Regardless, townsfolk may see a geleton as a
the origins of virtually all geletons are creature of mere ooze and bone rather
rife with danger, and those that are than as a complete person.
brought into safety early in their lives This can cause friction in some cases, and
are counted among the most lucky. outright panic in others. Geletons that
travel to these places with other
UNUSUAL APPEARANCE creatures, especially those that resemble

By far, gelatinous cubes are the most more common humanoids, can usually

common subject of Synthesis. These clear avoid any issues if at least one of their

oozes are known to carry skeletal companions is with them.

remains longer than others, and in doing

GELETON NAMES
so have a higher chance of becoming a
Geletons tend to choose names that are
bodies are similarly translucent. When important to them and are independent
other oozes like black puddings or ochre of the gender that they eventually
jellies undergo Synthesis, the resulting choose to assume, if any. These names
may be based on items that were nearby
opaque. when they gained sentience, or could
even be based on names they dimly
always reflects their desired features. remember. Geletons that are rescued or
Most eventually resemble humans or become part of an adventuring party
elves, but when a less conventional early in their lives may choose to adopt
skeleton is used in Synthesis, their or modify a name given to them by an
appearance will often reflect that ally, rather than create one from scratch.
ancestry in some capacity. Similarly, all
geletons have a viscous sheen to their
bodies, and though they may have the
appearance of hair or eyes, they are still
fully gelatinous in nature.

A SUM OF DANGEROUS PARTS

Depending on the nature of your

common folk have never seen a geleton

before. This is rarely an issue in
cosmopolitan cities where even the most
 Modular Design.
Ironwrought
You can select two of the following
Ironwrought Traits specialized traits representing the

Your Ironwrought character has the functionality built into your chassis.
following traits.  Integrated Armor. You gain a +1 bonus to
Armor Class.
Age.  Integrated Weapon. You have a simple or
Constructs do not age physically, though martial weapon of your choice built into
their mental abilities may change greatly your frame. You gain proficiency with this
through their life as they process new
information and experiences. for ammunition for weapons that have
the ammunition property. This weapon is
Speed.
typically integrated into your limbs, and
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. requires hands to use as normal.
 Language Module. You learn one
Living Construct.
additional language, and can cast
You are immune to disease. You do not comprehend languages without consuming
need to eat, drink, or breathe. You do not
a spell slot. Once you cast this spell, you

sleep.
rest. You can cast this spell using spell
slots.
Power Down.
 Natural Armor. You have built in armor,
You do not need to sleep. When you take a
giving you a base AC of 16 (your
long rest, you must spend at least 4 hours
during a long rest in a motionless lower
number). You can use a shield and apply
power state. While in this state, you have
disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception)
checks, but remain aware of your  Night Mode. You can see in dim light

surroundings. within 60 feet of you as if it were bright

light, and in darkness as if it were dim
Creature Type. rn color in darkness,

Your type is construct. only shades of gray.

 Rapid Movement. Your base walking
Arcane Life. speed increases by 5 feet.
You can absorb certain types of healing  Redundant Logic. You process all inputs
magic, allowing you to recover hit points twice to ensure they are logical. You
from magical effects that do not otherwise have advantage on saving throws against
affect constructs (such as the cure wounds becoming frightened or charmed.
spell).
 Specialized Skill. You gain proficiency in While most constructs are not truly self-
one skill of your choice. aware, an Ironwrought is a special case of
 Specialized Tool. You gain one tool built a construct that has attained a full
into your frame. You gain proficiency with degree of self-
this tool. a more rudimentary way, sometimes as
 Terrain Adaptation. You gain a climbing or self-aware as any human. How that
swimming speed equal to your walking occurred is often dependent on your
speed. origin. Here is a table of some origins of
The origins of Ironwrought are many your self-awareness. You can roll on the
and varied. They can be the artisanal following table, pick one that suits your
masterpiece of a Golemsmith, or perhaps character, or select a different reason
a relic of a mass production of an ancient
-so-lost a .
civilization. Their source and purpose will
vary greatly. Were they made with Personality
sapience in mind, or did they gain it later? The personality of Ironwrought can vary
Were they made for labor or war? greatly as their origins can vary greatly.
Some Ironwrought will dwell on these In some cases, they are humanoids that
questions and what it means for them to have been bound to an Ironwrought,
exist outside of the boundary of their melancholy about their new metalbound
original purpose, but many simply move existence. Other times they have a
on, acquiring new parameters to live their pragmatic nature unconcerned with the
life from those they interact with, finding unknowable trivialities, focused on the
their purpose in life as any of their more here and now. Ironwrought most
fleshy counterparts might. frequently have pragmatic personalities
How they are treated in society will vary that are inclined to logical outcomes.
based on how common they are. In While as a sapient creature they are
settings where Ironwrought created for capable of understanding emotion, they
labor are common, they will generally be may not fully experience it, or not let it
treated quite neutrally, while they may affect them to the degree of the more
be treated with greater fear or concern if easily influenced fleshy fellows.
Ironwrought were primarily created as
war machines, though in both cases they
might be mistaken for their less sapient
cousins.

Self-Aware
Origin of Sapience Quirks
d8 d6
Origin Quirks

1 You existed without self-awareness for 1 You provide one detail too many in any
years before a magical accident rendered conversation.
you self-aware.
2 You feel pity for fleshy creatures with
2 You were a new experiment, designed for their fleeting lifespans.
more complicated tasks, and ended up
3 You are inherently rational, and can be
more sapient than expected
persuaded of anything with appropriate
3 Left to a mindless task for hundreds of logic.
years in a long abandoned location, you
4 You have a programmed code of conduct
slowly developed a sense of self until
that you will never violate. You may or
you abandoned your programmed task.
may not be aware of it.
4 Your sapience is the result of the
5 A vestige of a previously set task
influence of a supernatural being
occasionally surfaces, compelling you to
(celestial, fey, or even fiend) granting
perform a strange action, such as
you self-awareness for their purposes (or
sweeping a floor clean.
entertainment).
6 You have some fragments of the
5 You awoke from a long hibernation
memories of another creature, perhaps a
changed, with greater self-awareness.
past version of yourself, in your mind.
ember the past.

6 The Inventor that created you

Ironwrought Names
intentionally granted you full sapience,
trying to build a child, friend, or Your name can be virtually anything.
adventuring companion. Many Ironwrought have no real name,
often having either acquired a nickname
7 You are the consciousness of a mortal
before or after gaining sapience. Some
imbued into a metal shell, transferred to
take on human names, though more often
a Construct to save your life.
they adopt simple names, placing little
8 You are the inventor that created importance on it:
yourself, transferring your consciousness Ironwrought Names: Aegis, Chomper,
to the Construct for reasons of your Champ, Chump, Bolts, Driver, Finder,
own.
Gears, Kaz, Mium, Rusty, Sparky,
Stomper, Tackler, Thing, Titan, Vel.
Chassis Configuration.
 Metal Chompers. You have metal fangs
suitable for chomping. On hit, they deal
Ironwrought come in many shapes and 1d10 piercing damage.
sizes. Select one of the following  Razor Claws. You have two sets of razor
configurations of your chassis. claws integrated into your front limbs. On
hit, they deal 1d6 slashing damage and
Humanoid have the light property.

Your shape is roughly that of a bipedal  Bladed Tail. You have a lashing bladed

humanoid. You gain the following traits. tail. On hit, it deals 1d4 slashing damage.
It has the reach property.
Adaptable Design. Barding.
You can make one additional selection You can only wear armor specially
from your modular design trait. adapted to your unique shape. This

Quadrupedal
custom armor has the same price as
normal armor, but may be harder to find
Your shape has four legs and no hands. or more expensive when custom ordered.
You gain the following traits.

Quadrupedal.
You do not have hands. You can hold one
object or grapple one thing using your

and any weapons held in this way are

wielded with disadvantage. You can
perform the somatic components of
spells with one of your legs, however
doing so requires 15 feet of your
movement.

Natural Weapons.
You gain a selection of natural weapons.
You are considered to be holding natural
weapons for the purposes of abilities that
require you to hold a weapon (this

Select two of the following:

 remember with crystal clarity. This memory
Farling can be anything that occurs within a 1-hour
span (it can be as short as a fleeting
Farling Traits sensation, or as long as 1 hour of events).

Age.
you finish a long rest. Absorbing these
A Farling ages by absorbing memories. Each
memories is how a Farling ages, and you age
time they permanently absorb a memory,
one day for each memory you absorb in this
they age roughly one day. A young Farling
way.
can absorb dozens of memories a day, aging
You can absorb a memory from a willing
rapidly. Once reaching adulthood (a process
creature via your telepathy in this way.
that often only takes a decade), the rate at
which they can absorb memories begins to
Broad Horizons.
slow, they become more selective, aging far
You have resistance to psychic damage.
slower.
Once per day, if you take psychic damage

Size. from a critical hit, you can choose to absorb

that damage as a memory, taking no
Most Farlings stand between 5 and 6 feet
damage.
tall, with a slighter build than humans. Your
size is Medium.
Alien Mind.
Creature Type. When you gain the Spellcasting or Psionics
ability from any class or feature, you can
Your creature type is Aberration, rather
change the associated ability score to your
than humanoid.
choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Any time that class references the previous
Speed.
spell casting ability, you can replace it with
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You
your selected score (for example, if you are
have a swimming speed of 20 feet.
playing a Psion and change its associated
ability score to Charisma, Empowered
Adaptive Intuition.
Psiosnics would add Charisma instead of
You gain proficiency in Insight, and have
Intelligence).
advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks to
Farlings are a race that comes from
determine social cues or cultural customs.
beyond the material plane, though few
are certain where. While humanoid in
Psionic Mind.
shape, they are immediately distinguished
You gain Telepathy 30 ft.
from mortal races.
They have a slender build, large eyes,
Crystalized Memory.
and tendrils in place of hair. Their strange
When you learn or experience something,
nature and inherent psionic abilities make
you can fix that memory, making it a
them easily feared, but they tend to be
permanent memory you can always
far more friendly to mortal races than better than a human, but they view these
most of that which comes from the memories as transient things that will be
beyond. eventually forgotten.
Farlings tend to be blue to purple, but can
be more exotic colors, or even have Nature and Biology
strange and exotic colorations and Farlings do not have a gender, though
patterns in some cases. The nature and those that travel among other races may
location of their creation results in little associate with one. They have a generally
consistency of exact appearance, though androgynous and alien appearance. They
they will often have some traits of their are capable of forming strong emotional
progenitor (such as sharing an eye or skin bonds, though some (particularly younger
coloration). ones) will find the idea of gender and the
Adaptable Mind associated customs hilarious (potentially
inappropriately so based on the culture).
Farlings are exceedingly adept at picking
Farlings that exist for hundreds of years
up social cues and cultural norms, and
and absorb thousands of memories can
despite their strange appearance can
create a new Farling by traveling to
easily fit into a tolerant society, but
realms of mind and thought where reality
often maintain exceedingly strange
is more flexible, and psionically willing a
senses of humor and behavior, fully
new one into existence.
aware of its oddity, sometimes even
A newly created Farling is often left to
playing up their alien nature. They enjoy
experience the world on their own
seeing the reactions of other creatures to
shortly after the creation, left with
strange circumstances, even if they have
associates or friends of its creator (that
to cause those situations.
they have hopefully made arrangements

Memory and Aging with) who will then move on, seeking to
let the new Farling develop on its own,
Farlings age by gaining memories. They
often seeking to not influence their
do not biologically age, but have the
experiences more than necessary.
ability to make permanent crystalized
Taking care of a young Farling can be
memories, and age roughly one day each
exhausting due to the rampant curiosity
time they do. Young Farlings make these
and inquisitive nature rapidly consuming
memories a dozen times a day, aging
new experiences and memories, but their
rapidly while absorbing new information
inquisitive nature causes them to age
at an incredible rate, while aging Farlings
exceedingly quickly. A young Farling can
become more selective in what they
fully absorb many memories a day, aging
choose to remember. If they do not
exceedingly fast. It is usually not long
commit some memory in this way, their
memory tends to be still somewhat
before they seek to wander broader Names
environments, and set out into the world.
Farlings are not aquatic, but are unusually
identifying each other through psionic
suited to it, often finding water quite
projections of certain thought patterns.
comfortable and are natural swimmers.
Those that interact with members of
Dark Reflection other races will adopt an assumed name,
running the gambit from common and
Some Farlings become addicted to
boring to outlandish and absurd. Their
acquiring memories, and particularly
name often reflects the culture they
savor those from other creatures. While a
most interacted with when finding they
player character can only absorb
needed a name that could be made with
memories from a willing creature, some
sounds.
stories tell of Farlings that have fallen
They rarely place great importance in
into evil ways, ripping and devouring the
their name, occasionally changing it or
memories from mortal creatures
accepting a new nickname without much
compulsively devouring their memories
until nothing is left, savoring the exotic
associate the name with themselves; to
memories they discover.

them.
Quirks
d6 Quirks
Farling Names: Blue, Dustin, Jonny, Lulu,
1 You ask blunt personal questions of
Newbie, Pattern, Purple, Rey, Sala,
strangers.
Stripes, Squid, Thomas, Uanqor, Quentin,
2 You go to great lengths to try strange
Yara, Yldel, Wis.
food. Your definition of food is unusually
broad.
If it seems like these names are random,
it is because they are. There is no
place twice.
pattern to Farling names beyond the
nature of creatures naming them,
names as your own, calling them
sometimes being simply descriptive.
whatever springs into your mind at the
moment...
5 You like to occasionally sing.
Telepathically.
6 You love to absorb particularly
dangerous memories.
 DISPERSE AND DEPLOY
Cnidaran
Cnidarans have two distinct phases to
- Nematocyst their lifecycle: the medusozoa and the
polyp. An adventuring cnidaran one that
- Shimmerskin
can speak, has a vaguely humanoid shape,

CNIDARAN TRAITS and can manipulate tools is a

medusozoa. These individuals are
Age responsible for interacting with the
A cnidaran medusozoa reaches maturity at outside world (in other words, anything
around 20 years of age and can live up to beyond their home reef).
200 years. When medusozoa mate, an event that
can involve dozens of individuals, the
Languages
thousands of larvae that are conceived
You can speak, read, and write Common and
settle on the nearest substrate, often the
one other language of your choice.
cnidaran
the larvae develop into polyps with two
Size
tasks. The first is to grow a single new
A cnidaran stands between 5 and 7 feet tall.
meduso-
Your size is Medium.
and then birth this inch-long, instinct-

Speed driven youngster into the waters

surrounding its home. The second is to
Your base walking speed is 30 feet and you
secrete a calcareous exoskeleton, fusing
have a swimming speed equal to your
their body with the reef and growing the
walking speed.

Amphibious Life for a young medusozoa is tenuous;

it must fend for itself, drifting in open
You can breathe air and water.
waters and feeding on plankton and other
From nomadic, floating cities whose coral
medusozoa until it reaches at least a foot
exoskeletons stretch down into the dark
in length, usually by the end of its third
ocean depths to mile-long reefs and small
year. During this juvenile stage, a time
atolls, cnidaran (NI-da-ran) settlements
can be found wherever salt meets water.
medusozoa is largely ignored by other
Their unique, bipartite lifecycle sets them
apart from most other humanoids and
ocean makes the hardest pearls.
fosters a zealous loyalty between
cnidaran completes this juvenile stage, it
cnidaran and home.
is brought into the reef, a utilitarian and
communal space where the customs,
culture, and values of that reef are
 reasons. Some seek to bring back
waiting). treasures from the world beyond and
enhance their own community. Others
NO PLACE LIKE HOME feel a need to disperse, finding other

Cnidaran settlements are alive. Made of reefs to join or even forming new reefs

the bodies of millions of calcified polyps with like-minded medusozoa met on their

cnidaran ancestors a reef is more than travels.

just a home; it is the collective memory A very few become enraptured by

of a thousand generations, a traceable wanderlust and spend the rest of their

web of genealogical history, and an days among winding ocean currents,

esteemed and holy sanctuary. delving into damp dungeons, and

Intentionally damaging a reef carries cavorting in ports with other seadogs.

grave consequences: death, exile, or

CNIDARAN NAMES
declarations of war are all sanctions a

unusual for trade unions to pay handsome

Nematocyst
reparations if a ship damages a cnidaran Named after their whip-like appendage
reef when blown off course by wild which can secrete a potent neurotoxin,
winds. To do otherwise might result in such individuals form the warriors of a
ships foundering even in fair and pleasant cnidaran reef.
conditions, such is the whim of an
enraged cnidaran reef.
NEMATOCYST TRAITS
Nematocyst.
COMMUNE AND COMMUNITY
You have a long, barbed appendage, a
Cnidarans live communally. With the
natural weapon which you can use to
practices of mass mating and random
make unarmed strikes. If you hit with this
dispersal, no single medusozoa knows
finesse weapon, you can deal piercing
which individuals are their par-ents. In
damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or
fact, the entire concept of parent-
Dexterity modifier (your choice), instead
of the bludgeoning damage normal for an
foreign to most cnidarans.
unarmed strike.
When a cnidaran medusozoa reaches
maturity, it is given the choice to leave
Neurotoxin.
the reef with the blessing of the whole
community, a once-in-a-lifetime event As a bonus action, you can secrete a
toxin and apply it to one weapon or piece
explora- of ammunition, which lasts for 1 hour. The
the uko fa do so for a multitude of first time you hit a creature with this
weapon or ammunition, the creature must you finish a long rest. Starting at 5th
succeed on a Constitution saving throw level, you can cast the suggestion spell
DC equals 8 + your Constitution modifier once with this trait, and you regain the
+ your proficiency bonus) or be paralyzed ability to do so when you finish a long
until the start of its next turn. rest. You can also cast these spells using
Alternatively, you can use a bonus action any spell slots you have of the
to inject the toxin when you hit a appropriate level.
creature with your nematocyst. You can Charisma is your spellcasting ability for
use this feature a number of times equal these spells. When you cast them with
to your proficiency bonus, and you regain
all expended uses when you finish a long somatic components.
rest.

Toxic Adaptation.
You have advantage on saving throws
against being poisoned, and you have
resistance to poison damage.

Shimmerskin
Diplomats and traders of a cnidaran reef
are often shimmerskin morphs; their
propensity to mesmerize makes them
skilled negotiators.

SHIMMERSKIN TRAITS
Shimmerskin.
As a bonus action, you can cause your
skin to shimmer in a pleasing array of col-
ours for 10 minutes. For the duration, you
have advantage on all Charisma checks.

again until you finish a long rest.

Hypnotic Phosphorescence.
You know the minor illusion cantrip.
Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the
charm person spell once with this trait,
and you regain the ability to do so when
 PILGRIMAGE OF HUGE
Cyclopian DISCOVERY
The pursuit of knowledge, the acquisition
Cyclopians of a certain age often embark
of secrets, and the hoarding of trinkets
on a Pilgrimage of Huge Discovery, or
with storied histories are common
PHD. During this time, they venture out
practices among any creature raised by
into the world, seeking to bring new and
cyclopians (sy-CLO-pee-ans). From dog
significant knowledge back to their
tags to tapestries, musical manuscripts to
library. For some individuals, the natural
carved tablets, and magical memory orbs
compulsion to explore is all the impetus
they need to leave the comfort of their
cyclopians refer to their homes) are filled
homes. On the other hand, more reticent
with knowledge. With their physical
cyclopians might have to be forced out
adaptation to climbing, cyclopian homes
by their family, fulfilling this rite of
are often found high up in cliffsides,
passage based on a sense of duty.
within abandoned wiz
Cyclopians who fixate on the acquisition
deep in The Low.
of artifacts, rather than the joy of
MONOCULAR AND MYOPIC
studying them, are regarded as rare and
valuable assets to any family; cyclopian
-myopic adventurers are always warmly
tendency to focus on one thing to the welcomed back to their library.
exclusion of all others. When a cyclopian
finds a topic that interests them, little SHARING IS CARING
can stop their manic and feverish efforts Cyclopians have an unusual lifecycle.
to acquire any relevant documents, Though they can reproduce sexually,
information, or answers. cyclopians are also capable of a form of
Indeed, the famed cyclopian researcher asexual budding. When a cyclopian is
rumored to beyond inundated by the volume of
have forgone sleep for more than two knowledge awaiting its analysis (such as
months while analyzing the [insert after it gains entry into an abandoned,
discovery here]. Of course, this feat was book-
spontaneously and unexpectedly undergo
ability to metabolize knowledge into entire body mitosis. This produces a
actual, physical, nutritional value. smaller, similar, genetically distinct,
individual- an assistant with whom the
research can be more manageably
catalogued.
ARCANISTS ANALOGUE At full stretch, a cyclopian stands
between 5 and 6 feet tall. Your size is
Cyclopians are often mistaken for
Medium.
shadowy aberrations of the Shadow Plane
known as nothics. Speed
While both cyclopian and nothics share
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
a hulking monocular physiology and a
hunger for knowledge, a brief observation
Darkvision
yields one significant difference: the
Accustomed to life in dimly-lit libraries,
skulking simulacra leave a trail of rot and
you have superior vision in dark and dim
necrosis wherever they travel, while no
conditions. You can see in dim light within
true cyclopian would ever risk damaging a
60 feet of you as if it were bright light,
book in this way.
and in darkness as if it were dim light.
CYCLOPIAN NAMES color in darkness, only
shades of grey.
CYCLOPIAN TRAITS
Knowledge Seeker
Age
Learning is an almost irresistible
Cyclopians reach maturity in their early
compulsion amongst cyclopians and often
teens and typically live as long as
leads them to dangerous locations. You
humans.
have proficiency in your choice of two of

Creature Type the following skills: Arcana, History,

Insight, Investigation, Medicine,
You are a humanoid. You are also
Perception, Religion, and Stealth.
considered an aberration for any
prerequisite or effect that requires you Savant of Secrets
to be an aberration.
You can tap into your ancestral ability to

Languages spot the telltale signs of hidden traps,

passages, and secrets. As an action, you
You can speak, read, and write Common,
can enter a cyclotrance for 1 minute. For
Undercommon, and one other language of
the duration, you have advantage on
your choice.
Perception, Investigation, and Insight
checks. Once you activate this trait, you
Size
With their crouched and hulking posture, rest.
Cyclopians typically appear smaller than
they are.
Thought for Food
Information is nourishing for cyclopians, in
the truest sense of the word. Each day
that you discover significant new

only half as much food and water as

normal and you have advantage on
Constitution saving throws. These
benefits last until you finish a long rest.

Top Shelf
Generations spent climbing to the top
shelves of tall libraries have led to a
selective pressure on the ability to climb
within cyclopians. You have a climbing
speed of 20 feet.
 Genasi result from exposure to a surge of
Genasi (Para- elemental power, through phenomena such
as an eruption from the Inner Planes or a

Elemental) planar convergence. Elemental energy

saturates any creatures in the area and

- Ice might alter their nature enough that their

offspring with other mortals are born as
- Magma genasi.

- Slime
Heirs to Elemental Power
- Smoke
Genasi inherit something from both sides of
GENASI TRAITS their dual nature. They resemble humans
but have unusual skin color (red, green,
Creature Type.
blue, or gray), and there is something odd
You are a Humanoid.
about them. The elemental blood flowing
through their veins manifests differently in
Age.
each genasi, often as magical power.
Genasi mature at about the same rate as
humans and reach adulthood in their late Seen in silhouette, a genasi can usually pass
teens. They live somewhat longer than for human. Those of earth or water descent
humans do, up to 120 years. tend to be heavier, while those of air or fire
tend to be lighter. A given genasi might
Size have some features reminiscent of the
Genasi are as varied as their mortal parents mortal parent (pointed ears from an elf, a
but are generally built like humans, standing stockier frame and thick hair from a dwarf,
anywhere from 5 feet to over 6 feet tall. small hands and feet from a halfling,
Your size is Medium. exceedingly large eyes from a gnome, and
so on).
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Wild and Confident

Genasi rarely lack confidence, seeing

Those who think of other planes at all
themselves as equal to almost any
consider them remote, distant realms, but
challenge in their path. This certainty might
planar influence can be felt throughout the
manifest as graceful self-assurance in one
world. It sometimes manifests in beings
genasi and as arrogance in another. Such
who, through an accident of birth, carry the
self- confidence can sometimes blind genasi
power of the planes in their blood. The
to risk, and their great plans often get
genasi are one such people.
them and others into trouble.
Too much failure can chip away at even a rest. Constitution is your spellcasting
ability for these spells.
push themselves to improve, honing their
talents and perfecting their craft. Inherent Affinity.
You gain proficiency in one of the
Genasi Names following skills of your choice: Acrobatics,
Deception, Insight or Survival.
Genasi use the naming conventions of the
people among whom they were raised. They MAGMA GENASI TRAITS
might later assume distinctive names to
capture their heritage, such as Flame,
Hot Feet.
Ember, Wave, or Onyx. You take no damage from non-magical
fire and lava if you move through or
ICE GENASI TRAITS
across them on your turn. You take
Amphibious Nature. damage as normal if you end your turn in
these hazards.
You can breathe air and water. And you
have darkvision to a range of 120 feet
Fire Resistance.
while you are fully submerged in water,
this darkvision cannot extend beyond the You gain resistance to fire damage.

surface of the water.

Ice Walk. You know the control flames cantrip.

When you reach 3rd level, you can cast
You can move across and climb icy
the searing smite spell once per long
surfaces without needing to make an
rest. When you reach 5th level, you can
ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain
also cast the heat metal spell once per
long rest. Constitution is your
extra movement.
spellcasting ability for these spells.

Cold Resistance.
Inherent Affinity.
You gain resistance to cold damage.
You gain proficiency in one of the

Path of Frost. following skills of your choice: Athletics,

Deception, Insight or Intimidation.
You know the shape water cantrip.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast
the ice knife spell once per long rest.
When you reach 5th level, you can also
cast the mirror image spell once per long
SLIME GENASI TRAITS cast the pyrotechnics once per long rest.
Constitution is your spellcasting ability
Slimy Skin. for these spells.
You have advantage on Strength
Inherent Affinity.
(Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics)
checks to escape from grapples. You gain proficiency in one of the
following skills of your choice: Acrobatics,
Acid Resistance. Perception, Intimidation or Persuasion.
You gain resistance to acid damage.

Ooze Form.
You know the mold earth cantrip. When
you reach 3rd level, you can cast the
grease spell once per long rest. When
you reach 5th level, you can also cast the
M
Constitution is your spellcasting ability
for these spells.

Inherent Affinity.
You gain proficiency in one of the
following skills of your choice: Acrobatics,
Athletics, Nature or Survival.

SMOKE GENASI TRAITS

Smokey Vision.
Your vision and breathing are not
impaired by non-magical smoke.

Fire Resistance.
You gain resistance to fire damage.

Path of Smoke.
You know the gust cantrip. When you
reach 3rd level, you can cast the
longstrider spell once per long rest.
When you reach 5th level, you can also
 Powerful Build.
Goliath You have Advantage on any Saving Throw

- Storm you make to end the Grappled condition on

yourself. You also count as one Size larger
- Cloud when determining your carrying capacity
and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
- Fire
Towering over most folk, Goliaths are

- Frost distant descendants of giants. Each

Goliath bears the blessings of the first
- Stone giants blessings that manifest in various
supernatural boons, including the ability
- Hill
to quickly grow and temporarily approach
GOLIATH TRAITS
Goliaths have physical characteristics
Creature Type:
that are reminiscent of the giants in their
Humanoid family lines. For example, some Goliaths
look like stone giants, while others
Size:
resemble fire giants. Whatever giants
Medium (about 7 8 feet tall)
they count as kin, Goliaths have forged
their own path in the multiverse
Speed:
unencumbered by the internecine
35 feet
conflicts that have ravaged giant-kind for
ages and seek heights above those
Life Span:
reached by their ancestors.
80 years on average

At the highest mountain peaks far

Large Form.
above the slopes where trees grow and
Starting at 5th level, you gain the ability to
where the air is thin and the frigid winds
supernaturally grow. As a Bonus Action, you
howl dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few
c
folk can claim to have seen a goliath, and
in a big enough space. This transformation
fewer still can claim friendship with them.
lasts for 10 minutes or until you end it as a
Bonus Action. During that duration, you have Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock,

Advantage on Strength Checks, and your wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if
Speed increases by 10 feet. Once you use they are carved from mountain stone and
give them great physical power. Their
finish a Long Rest. spirits take after the wandering wind,
making them nomads who wander from
peak to peak.
Driven Competitors they are careful to remember that such
an advantage can always be lost. A
Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath who relies too much on them can
goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare grow complacent, a recipe for disaster in
in the uppermost mountain reaches. A the mountains.
single mistake can bring doom to an
This trait manifests most strongly when

effort can ensu goliaths interact with other folk. The

survival. relationship between peasants and nobles

puzzles goliaths. If a king lacks the
Goliaths thus place a premium on self- intelligence or leadership to lead, then
sufficiency and individual skill. They have clearly the most talented person in the
a compulsion to keep score, counting kingdom should take his place. Goliaths
their deeds and tallying their rarely keep such opinions to themselves,
accomplishments to compare to others.
Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat structures or rules to maintain power.
as a prod to improve their skills.
Goliath Names
This dedication to competition has a dark
side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, Every goliath has three names: a birth
but above all else they are driven to name assigned
outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays and father, a nickname assigned by the
a dragon, he or she might seek out a tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A
larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. birth name is up to three syllables long.
Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as Clan names are five syllables or more
most die attempting to surpass their past and end in a vowel.
accomplishments.
Birth names are rarely linked to gender.

Fair Play Goliaths see females and males as equal

in all things, and they find societies with
For goliaths, competition exists only roles divided by gender to be puzzling or
when it is supported by a level playing worthy of mockery. To a goliath, the
field. Competition measures talent, person who is best at a job should be the
dedication, and effort. Those factors one tasked with doing it.
determine survival in their home
territory, not reliance on magic items, tion that

money, or other elements that can tip can change on the whim of a chieftain or

the balance one way or the other. tribal elder. It refers to a notable deed,

Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but either a success or failure, committed by
the goliath. Goliaths assign and use  Jaunt (Cloud Giant). As a Bonus
nicknames with their friends of other Action, you magically Teleport up to 30
races, and change them to refer to an feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
individ  Burn (Fire Giant). When you hit a
target with an Attack Roll and deal
Goliaths present all three names when damage to it, you can also deal 1d10 Fire
identifying themselves, in the order of Damage to that target.
birth name, nickname, and clan name. In  Chill (Frost Giant). When you hit a
casual conversation, they use their target with an Attack Roll and deal
nickname. damage to it, you can also deal 1d6 Cold
Damage to that target and reduce its
Birth Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gae-Al,
Speed by 10 feet until the start of your
Gauthak, Ilikan, Keothi, Kuori, Lo-Kag,
next turn.
Manneo, Maveith, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu,
 Tumble (Hill Giant). When you hit a
Pethani, Thalai, Thotham, Uthal, Vaunea,
Large or smaller creature with an Attack
Vimak
Roll and deal damage to it, you can knock
that target Prone.
Nicknames: Bearkiller, Dawncaller,
 Endurance (Stone Giant). When
Fearless, Flintfinder, Horncarver,
you take damage, you can use your
Keeneye, Lonehunter, Longleaper,
Reaction to roll a d12. Add your
Rootsmasher, Skywatcher, Steadyhand,
Constitution modifier to the number
Threadtwister, Twice-Orphaned,
rolled and reduce the damage by that
Twistedlimb, Wordpainter
total.
 Thunder (Storm Giant). When you
Clan Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino,
take damage from a creature within 60
Gathakanathi, Kalagiano, Katho-Olavi,
feet of you, you can use your Reaction to
Kolae-Gileana, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga,
deal 1d8 Thunder Damage to that
Thunukalathi, Vaimei-Laga
creature.

Giant Ancestry.
You are descended from Giants. Choose
one of the following benefits a
supernatural boon from your ancestry;
you can use the chosen benefit a number
of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus,
and you regain all expended uses when
you finish a Long Rest:
 point instead. Once you use this trait, you
Orc
In a long-lost language, the word oruk
ORC TRAITS described the glowing
Creature Type. appearance of the orc people when they
push themselves to their limits. While
You are a Humanoid.
orcs know one another as kanin in their
Size.
You are Medium. great pride, especially when dealing with
other folk.
Speed. Orc history spans the world and all its

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

cities, hot and cold climates, high in the
Adrenaline Rush mountains and deep underground. Most
You can take the Dash action as a bonus orcs live in diverse humanoid societies,
action. You can use this trait a number of though a few live secluded in the tropics.
times equal to your proficiency bonus, and
you regain all expended uses when you RELENTLESSLY TOUGH
finish a long rest. Whenever you use this Orcs grow to impressive heights. The
trait, you gain a number of temporary hit
veins that commonly stripe their tough-
points equal to your proficiency bonus.
skinned faces can appear more vibrant

Darkvision
Their hair, which can range from coarse
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
to fine, extends from their heads and
you as if it were bright light, and in
drapes across their shoulders like royal
mantles. Strong tusks extend past their
discern color in darkness, only shades of
lips and guard the rest of their teeth.
gray.
Few other humanoids can match the
Powerful Build endurance of an orc, and orcs who train
for hunting and combat can rally
You have Advantage on any Saving Throw
you make to end the Grappled condition on themselves to move faster and prevail

yourself. You also count as one Size larger longer. Should an orc find themself on the
when determining your carrying capacity brink of death, their veins instinctively
and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. ightly
and invigorating them to perform one last
Relentless Endurance attack. Blood fire often appears red,
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but though orcs from the mountains and
not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit
underground glow blue and white
respectively.

Innate Power

occasionally manifests as raw magic. Orc

conduits hone their magic into singular
affinities that are easy to manipulate. Orc
terranovas move their magic through
their feet, surging into the earth. Orc
godcallers use song to spark the magic
 pieces of salvage. These, combined with
Swarmhive spidersilk, serve as the foundation of the
body - a shell to protect
SWARMHIVE TRAITS the swarm within.

Creature Type.
From this point a swarmhive is considered
Despite being a gathered swarm, you have
mature, but self-improvement is a constant
become a single being. You are a Humanoid.
process. Some test the limits of their
control by adding additional limbs or unusual
Size.
materials, others by adopting additional
You are Medium. spiders into their colony to increase their
mass and weight. Many adopt the shapes
Speed.
and mannerisms of other Horizon peoples,
Your walking speed is 30 feet. particularly of the other common bloodlines
- a very lucky few of these win the Lottery
Spider-colonies wrapped in humanesque
of Skin, obtaining and inhabiting a cast-off
skins; thousands of tiny arachnid minds
body to puppeteer.
threaded like beads on a string to produce a
full, rich sentience.
Hive-Mind Perspective
Becoming a more common sight across
The level of individuality a colony settles at
Horizon by the year, the swarmhives are
varies from swarmhive to swarmhive. Some
spider colonies raised to sentience through
refer
an unknown and mysterious process.
organizing and compartmentalizing their
Though technically thousands of individual
minds to allow different areas to consider
minds and bodies working together, most
alternate viewpoints at the same time.
swarmhives think of themselves as a
Others revel in
singular being. Though no more or less
component spider working and thinking in
likely to be dangerous as any other
perfect harmony.
denizens of the city, fear and distrust of
them runs deep in many communities due to
their unsettling attempts at mimicry.
Questions to Consider

When you incorporate elements of the

Self-Made Swarms
swarmhives into your character, consider
the following questions...
In their earliest form the swarmhives are a
coherent swarm, arachnid masses with little
in the way of a defined shape. As their
layer? Bone and silk, canvas and brass,
minds develop with age they naturally
stolen skin or something else entirely?
incorporate parts of their surroundings into
the swarm, most often rags, canvas and
with yourself, a topic or opinion on which
your colony is split?

rs from other
swarmhives throughout your life, or
adopted foundlings? What memories have
such additions gifted you?

Alternate Presentations

Though swarmhives are arachnid by default,

on yours has to be. A hive-
mind colony of termites or bees would work
just as well, or perhaps even of something
even more bizarre - squirrels, maybe, or
miniature machines?

Amorphous
You can move through a space as narrow as
1 inch wide without squeezing.

Wakeful.
Because one of your bodies is always
awake, you retain consciousness when you
take a long rest.

Composite Body.
You have advantage on saving throws you
make to avoid or end the following
conditions on yourself: blinded, charmed,
deafened, frightened, poisoned.

Limited Telepathy.
You can telepathically speak to any
creature within 30 feet. You do not have to
share a language to speak, however, they
must be able to speak a language. You can
only communicate simple ideas.
 Truths of Horizon
winds through other planes and
dimensions, including other in-between
 At the end of the interplanar Path lies dimensions such as the Astral and the
the city of Horizon. The Path can be Ethereal planes. Though accidental access
traveled by anyone with a Path Token. can happen, those who wish to knowingly
 The city is surrounded by the boundless travel the Path are best served by
red Sea of Uncertainty. locating a Path token. Spells like plane
 The city of Horizon is thousands of years shift and gate, which require specific
frequencies for tuning fork spell
creator. components or knowledge of specific
 No one controls which planes attune to destinations, are not capable of reaching
Horizon. Occasionally, creatures, objects, the Path thanks to its ever-changing,
or structures from other lands or other fluidic nature.
worlds fall from the other side. They
The rumble of an approaching wave crashes
enter the city often disoriented and with
over you. Everything is scrubbed away in a
little memory of where they came from.
surge of luminescent, immaterial foam. A
 A group known as the Interpreters help
moment later, somewhere else.
new arrivals stepping through the arches
A ribbon-like path of wavering, luminous
to feel safe and welcome.
 A vast network of sewers, cisterns, and fluid stretches through the sky, arcing high

ruins lay beneath the city streets. Whole above a hazed landscape far below. The air
forgotten cities lie below, containing is cool, with a sweet, pungent aroma
dangers and treasures. reminiscent of the smell following a
lightning storm.

THE PATH Like water, the ribbon supporting you is

sometimes as reflective as a mirror and
Several methods allow or accidentally
other times as transparent as glass. Unlike
propel travelers from one plane of
water, you stand easily upon it, even
existence to another. These include rare
magical items, fixed portals and planar though each step spreads iridescent ripples.

gates, rifts created by dangerously A slight undertow tries to draw you along
intense bursts of magic, and certain the wavering surface, down a path that
powerful spells that some high-level meanders across the emptiness to a
spellcasters know or can learn. vanishing point lost in thunderheads flashing
In addition to these and other means, with far-off fury.
there is also the Path.
The Path is a tenuous road threading
through the various planes of existence.
A unique transitive dimension, the Path
PATH TOKENS JOINING THE PATH
When a token is successfully used, a
Usually appearing as an ancient coin of
segment of the Path is drawn to the
exotic mintage that is slightly cool to the
touch, a Path token accommodates a
transports them onto the plane of the
specific mode of interdimensional travel.
Path itself. (Creatures affected by
While holding a Path token, you can
something blocking them from traveling
concentrate on the coin as an action.
to other planes cannot join the Path.)
Doing so transports you and up to eight
Creatures and objects are also sometimes
willing creatures standing next to you
swept onto the Path as a result of
onto the Path.
magical accidents (such as when a staff
While on the Path and holding a token,
of the magi is broken), interplanar
you can apply your proficiency bonus to
storms, or other weakening of
your Arcana check you make to navigate
boundaries.
to a specific location that the Path
connects to. TRAVELING THE PATH
FINDING A PATH TOKEN The Path initially appears as a single road
Path tokens appearing as special coins that, if followed, presumably leads to a
of exotic mintage, slightly cool to the
touch are the most common way many additional destinations lie along the
travelers join the Path. The coins are way.
especially numerous in the city of
LEAVING THE PATH
Horizon, scattered randomly in street
gutters and in the mysterious vault-like The visible ribbon of material composing

cysts beneath the city. th -like

Most Path tokens lie lost and ignored, facade, is usually solid enough. Travelers

presumed to be accidentally dropped into exercising reasonable care can avoid

the mud or tossed into a fountain for falling off. However, should a creature

luck. Others are single coins among much cross over the edge whether they were

larger treasure hoards, or part of pushed by a cursed friend, were knocked

collections of other strange oddments, off during a fight or by turbulence, or

recognized as something special or at chose to jump off they fall into the

least anachronistic, but usually not landscape visible at that moment. Which

identified as a magical token granting means the creature enters what is

access to the Path. effectively a random plane of existence,

though one informed by what was visible
when they exited the Path
Accidental Departure: A fall from the insistent until, after a couple of minutes,
Path to the surface of the plane below is an unresisting creature is moving at about
generally about a mile, which means that 60 feet per round.
in most realms, fallers reach terminal About a minute after that, the rate of
velocity after just a round or two. This is movement for someone still caught
deadly to most, but especially hardy becomes so fast that the landscape
creatures can withstand an impact. below becomes a blur of constant change.
Assuming a random encounter on the
return to the area in the sky where they
fell from (assuming they survive and can remains caught in the undertow is finally
fly back); the Path is once again flung into the Sea of Uncertainty after a
separated by a planar boundary. If a hard-to-estimate period of rapid
creature that fell from the Path wants to
rejoin the Path, their best bet is to use the creature caught in the undertow
their Path token again. enters a hypnotized state, entranced by
the flickering vistas streaming past them.
Purposeful Departure: Someone who uses
a Path token to successfully navigate the
NAVIGATING THE PATH
Path to a specified known location can There are a couple of ways to travel the
safely disembark without facing a long Path and end up at a desired destination.
fall. They just step forward into the And of course, a traveler can always go
chosen location with the undertow and land in the Sea of
Uncertainty, from which they can
eventually find Horizon, on the seashore.

A creature on the Path feels a gentle but

constant tug along the surface under
FLUNG INTO THE SEA
their feet, pulling them along. This Creatures who splash down into the Sea
forward movement is easy to resist (at of Uncertainty experience it very much
least initially), requiring only that a like someone who falls overboard during
oing so. an ocean voyage.
Creatures with a condition that prevents Falling, you tumble toward the reddish face
them from moving, such as those that are of a wave-tossed sea stretching away in all
paralyzed or unconscious, are gradually directions. Then you plunge beneath its cold
pulled along the Path by this effect. surface, surrounded by a burst of
The undertow moves a creature about 1
effervescent bubbles.
foot per round for the first several
rounds the effect is felt. If not resisted,
the undertow gradually grows more
 SEA OF UNCERTAINTY check to move in the direction they wish to

CHARACTERISTICS go or be pushed farther out, or,

alternatively, dashed onto a causeway.
 Door to Other Worlds. Creatures who get
many physical qualities with water. For the
caught up in (or jump into) a worldpool
most part, treating the expanse like an
could find themselves flushed into another
actual sea is fine.
plane, assuming they survive the
Dramatic waves constantly roll across its
experience.
surface and break upon the many jagged
 Contains Multitudes. Detritus from other
causeways extending out from Horizon.
planes drifts in a sort of timeless stasis
Creatures can swim in it, despite the
towering waves constantly moving across
affected, but objects seem to be
the face, because of a strange buoyancy.
indefinitely preserved while submerged.
That said, when an uncertainty storm blows
However, detritus is occasionally stirred to
up, it can capsize boats and drown crews
the surface by the movement of the
the same as any regular sea.
swirling worldpools.
The following differences are also notable.
 Red-lit.
As seas go, the Sea of Uncertainty is
than blue-green from a distance, as if a
relatively small. Half of its surface has a
hidden setting sun was constantly shining
view of at least one segment of the
through it from somewhere deep below.
network of causeways extending out into
 Depthless. No matter how far someone
the water. Creatures who reach the
swims down, the seafloor continues to
surface of the sea after splashing down
extend farther downward, though the light
can make for the nearest one.
never fades to darkness as it would in a
regular ocean lit by sun above the waves. Massive but slow waves roll across the sea.

 Not Potable. Between their peaks, a long, low line of

otherworldly distillate of planar residue pale stone is visible in one direction,
accumulated from an uncountable number of probably less than a half mile away.

thirst. However, oxygen does diffuse

View From Above:
through it, which means creatures with gills
and similar means of extracting air from Creatures who emerge from the sea

water can function in it. either because they get up on a

 Buoyant. The red- causeway, or because they can fly have
buoyant. Mechanically, this means that a much better perspective on their
instead of swimming costing 1 extra foot of surroundings.
movement, creatures can use their normal Uneven causeways only a few feet higher
speed, for the most part. However, the
constant roll of towering waves means that
forcing the great waves to continually
a creature must make a DC 12 Athletics
break. Massive, worn, and ancient, the
causeways are arranged radially with a extraplanar landscape (corresponding
with an actual extraplanar location).

city skyline of irregular towers and pale Travel Along the Causeways:
walls overlooks the red waves. The stone causeways are irregular,
textured with cubic projections and
Newcomers observe the sea, the
cavities, though everything is somewhat
causeways, the city of Horizon in the
eroded. Moving along a causeway is as
distance, and, overhead, a vertigo-
easy as walking in many places, though
inducing view of the planar location that
Horizon is currently attuned with. The
terrain.
distant figures sometimes visible on the
causeways are beachcombers that usually
Rising prominently from the center of the
have little interest in speaking with
Sea of Uncertainty is the city of Horizon.
Refugees, planar explorers, dimensional
extraplanar salvage.
traders, opportunists, and those seeking
rest, escape, or protective anonymity
Can I Touch the Sky?
From the point of view of someone in
But clues are available to those who risk
Horizon the sky looks solid.
passing through the nameless gates at
Rivulets of dark cloud stream past
into
overhead, obscuring a weirdly textured,
passages beneath the city. Explorers who
have ventured downward report ancient,
petrified remains of enigmatic beings and
structures, but little of the interior is, as
home plane if they traveled up from it.
yet, accessible.
Otherwise, they arrived via the Path or
some arcane mishap, which means the
to know what they represent stud a
view above is a random planar location
seen from abo cyclopean wall 50 feet high. A single

ominously tall statue easily 150 feet

made of an upside-down landscape of tall stands astride the wall like a sentinel,
some strange plane. For example, the vaguely humanoid, but with four arms and a
reversed spires of a strange city might grotesque, terrifying visage.
be visible overhead, or the tips of an A ragged cavity about 40 feet across
unknown forest, the fiery fields of a
breaches the wall. Through the hole is a city
nameless desert, or some other random
of mismatched buildings, most different
from its neighbor in style, age, and state of planar explorer, a dimensional salvager,
or a seeker after all the mysteries of the

dimensions each contributed something to multiverse. Horizon is a city built on a

mystery that predates the
the city, then departed. And everything, in

turn, is built on far older ruins that poke

What can I find here?
through here and there: pale stone towers
ether come accidentally or on
with no windows, crumbling statues like purpose, Horizon welcomes you. Here,
those interspaced along the city walls, and you can find houses of rest, markets
free-floating stone spheres pockmarked where inexplicable extraplanar treasures
with strange glyphs. Many of the spheres and oddities are bought and sold, and the
are hung with lamps of far more recent accumulated knowledge of the
make. multiverse. But some prefer
beachcombing to the market, walking the
causeways reaching out onto the Sea of
Uncertainty, looking for salvage tossed
TO HORIZON
up by the infinite

usually loiters near the ragged city Who are you?

entrance, bearing the guild badge. The am an Interpreter, of the
Interpreter keeps open sightlines so they Guild. We are based in Horizon. We seek
can observe anyone approaching the to ease relations between extraplanar
entrance along the causeways. Since they refugees and travelers who come to
make it their business to know everyone

newcomers at the gate, offering their

services as a guide and interpreter to one rules in Horizon. Though the
Mantis sees to it that things remain
Whichever Interpreter greets the peaceful, for the most part. Those who

newcomers, the following information is cause too much trouble gain the
conveyed during the conversation. attention. usually the last anyone
Hello. to hears of

What is Horizon? Can you show us around?

city is Horizon. We are a city of am happy to guide you, as a courtesy,

newcomers, though some of the old- of course, offered by the

timers have been here for centuries. You Guild. Where would you like to go? A

can escape all the cares of your home tavern, perhaps, to take your ease? I
plane in Horizon, and rest. Or become a recommend Crossplane Cantina.
The clientele there are especially Usually, the building is vacant, with signs
welcoming to newcomers. Or maybe that whoever might have been inside had
looking for a Path token? The just stepped away. Sometimes, a
Worldswept Market usually has some on confused stowaway or two wanders out
offer, though if you keep your eyes into the streets of the city.
peeled, you might just find one lying in
the repair or a visitor for years may one day
simply disappear, probably deposited in a

HORIZON LOCATIONS
recently attuned planar location.

Horizon has many interesting places and

Returning to Horizon with a
inhabitants. Path Token:
A Path token user who has previously
The Streets:
visited Horizon can use a token to be
The city of Horizon features several large
deposited back at the Landing, a specific
streets radiating out from a hub. Some of
location inside the city walls, if they
the streets are cobbled, but beneath that
choose, as opposed to being flung into
is much older pale stone of the same kind
the Sea of Uncertainty by the undertow
used in the causeways beyond the walls.
each time. However, anyone using a Path
The streets are arranged somewhat
radially, emanating from a central hub
is always first flung into the sea. Thus,
where the gates lead to passages
beneath the city.
separated, even if they were walking the
Path together and relying on a single Path
The Buildings:
token activation to get into the city.
The streets are lined with a cacophony of
Some who have previously been inside
structures that architecturally conflict
with each other. Brick towers, glass
the Landing. The others are in for a
domes, metallic-paneled huts, grand
dunking.
chapels, and hundreds of other buildings
stand cheek to jowl. There are always at
least a couple of crews of
CANTINA
Preservationists at work, restoring the
This four-story structure features an
structures most in need of aid.
Every so often, a completely new building expansive, multitiered deck where food and

appears in Horizon, apparently drinks are served. The deck looks out over

transferred from a recently attuned

planar location. It somehow fits into a shops, and up at an unobstructed view of
the planar location Horizon is currently 5 sp and a drink between 2 sp and 10 gp,
attuned with. depending on quality. The most
commonly requested (and suggested)
Though there are several places to eat meal includes a side of still-warm roasted
and drink in the nearby market, the and salted beetle nuts, a flagon of dream
Crossplane (as it is commonly shortened wine (tastes different to every imbiber),
to) is a destination for visitors and and a large plate of spicy brontosaur
residents with extra time, coin, and a stew.
desire to avoid roughing it. The cantina
offers not only a variety of festive LIBRARY OF WORLDS
drinks, but also good food and A red-brick structure with clay roof tiles
comfortable rooms for rent. sprawls over a couple of acres, crowding

nearby buildings. Five stories tall and

Barkeep:
featuring a central tower with a dome-like
The impeccably and fashionably dressed top, the main entrance of this building is
Savva Kresh (a farling) runs the flanked by two large iron sculptures of
Crossplane, employing a staff of twenty, stylized humanoids reading from massive
plus Kavan the bouncer (an ironwrought).
tomes.

enjoys bartending. That allows her to The two sculptures standing by the main
keep entrance are iron golems under the
Horizon, trade stories with new visitors command of Lead Archivist Lindel Rusha.
and refugees, and keep tabs on the nd long, but she is
health of her establishment. not frail. She typically carts around
dozens of books wherever she goes using
Rooms: a small wheelbarrow. Those who want to
A twelve-hour stay at the Crossplane use the Library of Worlds must obtain her
costs 5 sp, 1 gp, or 3 gp, depending on permission first. However, unless
ng a someone seems more likely to try to
mount overnight in the stables behind the burn or
cantina costs an additional 5 sp. strict about who she lets peruse the
stacks.
Drinks and Food:
Library Reference Focus:
staff shop the Worldswept Market and
The Archivists which number several
come back with an amazing variety of
dozen are a group of people who
strange and interesting options for food
chronicle previously attuned dimensions
and drink. A meal generally costs about
and extraplanar locations. Many of the
high-ceilinged rooms in the Library of languages peruse the market under ever-
Worlds are stuffed with volumes of this glowing lamps strung between buildings and
chronicle, appearing as bound collections free-floating stone spheres.
of hand-inked observations penned by
Archivists who have been using the The Worldswept Market is an always-
observatory here for time out of mind. open bazaar for shoppers and sellers
hailing from a variety of planes, though
Observatory: many are now based in Horizon. As is

The tower with the dome-like top is an probably assumed by anyone who catches

observatory complete with a large a glimpse of the market, the breadth of

telescope aimed up at whatever goods available among its stalls is

dimension that Horizon is currently enormous. The lively market trades in

attuned with. The telescope is magical, common needful things like food and

allowing a user to place a scrying effect equipment, goods brought in by

(up to one every three hours) at any extradimensional travelers (like

location they can see with line of sight especially exotic spices, trinkets, art, and
so on), and the weird stuff that lucky
function allows the Archivists to learn far beachcombers find salvaging along the
more about each attuned plane than
simple viewing alone would allow. At A short selection of specialty shops (and
least one Archivist is always using the other concerns) is noted hereafter.

telescope, recording detailed notes about However, there are hundreds of other
what they see, thus extending the sellers in the market offering one-off

chronicle of the Library of Worlds. items like a particular type of savory rice
dish, chalk sculptures of elf ears, just
Archivist Dormitory: daggers, broken pottery, glowing beads,
psychoactive mushrooms, simple tattoos,
The Archivists and a varying number of
dirt-cheap ale poured into whatever
long-term visitors seeking to learn more
container a buyer has available, Path
from the library stay in comfortable but
tokens, and so on.
cramped monastery-like accommodations
Market Supervisor:
Trying to find someone in the
WORLDSWEPT MARKET
A forest of multicolored tents, carts, stalls,

wagons, blankets spread upon the cobbles,

and well-lit arches leading to larger interior to correctly identify the

stores fill the streets. A press of creatures actual supervisor: Kaben Yar (who looks
with a dizzying array of features, dress, and human with a weird map engraved across
his skin). Kaben wandered the dimensions
for decades, searching for the destination
Pets for Sale:
hinted at by the mysterious map visible If a buyer is looking for something
on his flesh, with no success. These days,
ikely
he imports strange oddities from across Layl has anything. However, more exotic
the planes and resells them to others in
creatures like spider cats, winged
the market as an excuse to wander about miniature ponies, elephants the size of
and keep an eye on things. However, he
mice, and similar extraplanar oddities are
has been unhappy in his position for some for sale or can be obtained. Layl usually
time as a new bout of wanderlust
charges 50 gp for a creature and suitable
threatens to take over. To take the edge
food for a month, plus a collar and leash.
off, he spends an inordinate amount of
time in the Crossplane.

If a beachcomber finds something

especially odd at the Sea of Uncertainty,
Always laughing and quick with a pun,
Jari (a hulking cloud giant who dresses in
Marigold (a slime genasi with a quick grin well-tailored multicolored clothing) will
and a yellow tint) has a permanent indoor
take it off their hands, paying between 1
shop where magic items can be bought
and 10 gp per item, but possibly much
and sold. Other places in the Worldswept
more if it has obvious intrinsic value or
Market offer similar services, but
use.
Marigold usually has the largest selection
and, moreover, can typically come up GREEN TENT GAMES
with the funds to pay for items brought
This open-frame tent painted bright
to her by salvagers looking to sell.
green has four or five tables around
which people gather to play games of
WAG
chance, usually involving cards but
A wall of cages and the sound of weird
sometimes dice. Things are a bit rough
animal calls makes Wag hard to miss in
and ready, as most people bring their
own decks of cards and dice, and cheating
companion animal, Wag offers a variety
is a known danger. The Captain (a hulking
of living creatures collected from across humanoid who wears a uniform-like coat
the planes. Proprietor Layl Kaban (gnome
and an elaborate hat over her purple-
with bushy red hair and eyepatch) says dyed hair) takes a percentage of all
any of them would make a great animal

games. However, if a fight breaks out for

since normally he only accepts
any reason, she punishes everyone at the
particularly docile creatures.
tend to discourage cheaters and poor
losers. At least, it discourages cheaters
up the chain to a more skilled member,
getting caught by other players. The and so on until someone either succeeds
gamblers tend to be refugees who
stumped. Even magical languages are
Horizon, plus the aforementioned expert often cracked. The grandmaster is
cheaters. Everspeak, a cyclopean with a piercing

EXOTIC SEAFOOD EMPORIUM with regular day-to-day interpretation

A wagon with a hand-lettered sign in

usually set up in the same spot each day at the Crossplane Cantina and is credited

in the Worldswept Market. The wagon has for having eased tensions in dozens of

a bright red awning. Several large barrels

are rolled out beneath the awning, each quite understand each other.

containing freshly caught seafood

rom the Elemental Plane of but they accept donations. Often, the

-haired challenge of a difficult translation job is

proprietor Danni Mackenlow (a halfling payment enough.

who wears several necklaces made of

Reference Library:
usually not. A large part of the guild building is set
aside for a library devoted to learning
thousands of other languages and codes.
Most of the books and scrolls here are
Several groups of multifarious people and
entirely mundane and completely
creatures stand on a wide veranda
indecipherable even to polyglot
extending from a two-story stone building.
Interpreters. However, thanks to the
The building is covered in a busy scrawl of
potions of comprehend languages
strange symbols, simple pictures, and
prepared by Grandmaster Everspeak and
dramatic designs. An oft-repeated symbol some of the other Interpreters with the
among the visual jumble is of two humanoid ability to craft such things, no book in the
hands, each one with touching thumb and library is inaccessible. Some people might
index finger, but mirrored and reversed think that having access to language
from each other.
need to refer to books designed to teach
If someone needs something translated or other languages. Interpreters know that
interpreted, they come to the subtleties of speech and thought can be
truly comprehended only by study. too many questions. But it does offer
Shortcuts, even magical ones, often lead
to mistakes.
(about 1 gp per bottle). It also offers a
Interpreters of the Guild: passel of entertainments that include bad
Besides Everspeak, about two dozen
people are core members of the guild. of the Stuff, fighting with drunken
Most stop by once a day to check for clientele, and the chance to get your
jobs but live elsewhere in the city. possessions nicked when you get so
drunk you fall out of your chair.
THE PINK
PRESERVATIONIST
A faded, pink-painted single-story structure
boasts loud, though not particularly

harmonious, music emanating from within. A ENCLAVE

couple of unsavory-looking characters loiter
A low wall surrounds a wide yard filled with
near the entrance, suspiciously eyeing
tidy stacks of lumber, bricks and stones of
passers-by.
various size and color, roof tiles, sand,

brackets, and other building materials. At

A small hand-lettered sign in Common
any given time, one or two carts are pulled
posted just inside the door of the Pink
up in the yard, loading up supplies and

specialized tools. A supervisor clutching a

Heur (a goliath standing almost 9 feet tall ledger watches everything, jotting down
without an ounce of fat on him; wears notes and interacting with those who come
crystal lenses in a dark frame) is certain and go. The yard backs up to several
that the Interpreters work for the Mantis. attached warehouse-like structures.
Given that a quarter of what goes on
inside his establishment is likely to garner Some buildings in Horizon are more
fresh bounties, he employs a couple of
bouncers to stand around just to turn kept up, a building could disappear the
away trouble. next time the city catches hold of a new
plane, replaced by some new structure in
covered from floor to ceiling by graffiti in some other part of the city. If the lost
languages too diverse to number. Located structure was claimed as a place of
on the opposite end of the Worldswept business, a tenement, or a home, the
Market from the Crossplane, the Pink disappearance proves disastrous for all
offer a place affected. Which is why the Mantis pays a
daily bounty to the Preservationists to
 appearing at the Landing, not far from
the yard. These supplies are bought from
that opportunity over the last few a variety of planar locations, most of
hundred years and has cornered the which are more than happy to trade coins
market on all related bounties. Not that of exotic mintage forged of gold for
most inhabitants mind. Anyone who wants lumber, iron nails, ceramic tiles, and
their building to receive repairs puts their more.
name and address on a priority list, and
the next available Preservationist work THE LANDING
crew gets to it within a few weeks or This wide cobbled area is a flurry of travel
months. arrival. Lone travelers, small groups, and

occasional wagons drawn by horses or

Yard Supervisor:
stranger beasts appear every minute or so,
Supervisor Neng (red-haired elf with ink
seeming to race into view from a distant
stains covering his fingers) runs the yard,
location, unruffled as they fully resolve and
keeps track of the priority list, sees to
step into Horizon. Newly appearing
the supplies, and, at the end of every
twenty days, collects bounties posted by travelers disperse into the city.

the Mantis. Many of these proceeds are

The Landing can be a bottleneck for
plowed back into buying new building
here before.
materials, but every Preservationist Guild
However, the area is wide enough that
member in good standing also usually
even if two different travelers or groups
receives a small percentage for their
arrive simultaneously, each is displaced
work.
enough that no mishaps occur.
If someone wants supplies, a map of the
Thankfully, those leaving Horizon via Path
city of Horizon, news about buildings
token can do so wherever they happen to
most at risk of disappearing in an
be, and
upcoming planar transfer, a list of active
portals of its own, so the area truly is a
reconstruction projects, and so on,
landing only, and not also a place of
Supervisor Neng is the one to see. He
leave-taking.
insists that visitors make an appointment;
Not everyone who arrives in Horizon uses
a Path token. Some use magic, relying on
make time for random individuals who
the string of magical sigils etched in the
just drop by.
cobbles, which form a large circular

Planar Supplies and More: pattern at the center of the Landing.

Building supplies are routinely brought

and have access to plane shift and similar
into Horizon by Preservationist-crewed
magic can also make the trip.
caravans arriving via Path token and
SISTERHOOD OF SAGES
beyond the reach of even the most
powerful divinity.
This massive structure constructed of neat A visitor can spend a few hours doing
sandstone blocks features a five-story research in the monastery or speak with
façade set with dozens of square windows, one of the sages to ask their advice on a
each one covered in translucent glass. topic. Despi

Behind several, yellowish light flickers. A sages of the Sisterhood come in all

single set of sandstone steps leads up to an genders or, in a few cases, none. Most
sages wear grey habits. Those not under
arch that is normally open to the interior.
vows of silence will speak with visitors
Everyone in Horizon knows that if one is and try to help them with existential
looking for a debate on the nature of the questions that have an extraplanar angle.
planes, philosophy, morality, or even the
Joining the Sisterhood:
underlying nature of existence itself, the
monastery housing the Sisterhood of More than a few planar travelers have

Sages is an ideal destination. Whereas the chosen to let go of their cares and join

Library of Worlds is a travel log spanning the Sisterhood, taking up residence in

the multiverse, the monastery of the study and contemplation. For many, the

Sisterhood is filled with books and scrolls balm of tranquility, knowledge, food,

on philosophies culled from those planes, lodging, and companionship with other

creating a dizzying array of viewpoints on sages in a city that traverses all the

thought, being, and existence. planes of existence is exactly the retreat

required for a period of mental healing

represented is that of divinity and divine from trauma or, for some, as retirement

creation. For all their wide-ranging from their former lives.

Those wishing to join the Sisterhood must

in reprising dogma that can be found give up all other obligations for a period

elsewhere in the multiverse in some of not less than two years, with the

temple or the mouth of some cleric. On option to sign up for longer. A sage who

the other hand, they do have shelves leaves before their minimum two-year

devoted to questions of existence in a

multiverse where competing gods claim than that they can never again try to

to be the sole creator of all things. Such seek membership.

circumstances, argue these treatises, are

generative sources adding to individual
ENCLAVE OF THE
planes of the multiverse, increasing the
MANTIS
sum o
Rounded, fused metallic walls rise to form a
pushing the mantle of supreme creator
complex of a few square acres in size,
completely windowless. A single central LOWER BALCONY
cavity, perfectly circular and about 40 feet
The lowest balcony, formed like the
in diameter, pierces the reflective façade. other two higher balconies, is usually
Broad stairs rise about 30 feet, granting empty but for a member of the
access to the cavity. The same stones form

three rough balconies: one directly below

and one to either side of the cavity. the balcony to answer any questions

Broadsheets are posted directly on the newcomers might have regarding the

metallic surface of the underlying structure. bounties posted on the other two
balconies, as well as any other general
The Enclave of the Mantis is something questions about Horizon.
most people of Horizon know about, but
only a handful ever enter. Those who do
STANDING BOUNTIES
usually make the trip into the cavity The balcony to the right of the cavity
because they hope to collect on a bounty. features a series of faded and frayed
broadsheets papered to the metallic wall
MANTIS BOUNTIES of the enclave itself. These bounties
The Mantis exerts indirect control of
pays someone who accomplishes one of
complete specific tasks on her behalf. these tasks 1 piece of mithril, but usually
Many of the bounties promote the never more than once per twenty-four
-being, leading many to hours for the same bounty to one
think of the Mantis as a beneficent entity. individual (though groups accomplishing
But now and then, the bounties are the same goal many times, like
arbitrary and even punishing, leading Preservationists repairing buildings, can
others to regard the Mantis as a despot receive more).
who keeps Horizon safe only because it Standing bounties include the
keeps the Mantis safe, too. following.
Whatever the truth, there are always  Clean a 300-foot length of street of litter,
people in Horizon willing to take the jobs garbage, waste, and other unsightly bits.
the Mantis offers in return for pay.  Turn in five Path tokens.
Payment is in mithril, which the Mantis  Bring in the head of a thief plaguing the
personally hands out. Which means if Worldswept Market.
someone wants to collect on a bounty,  Bring in the head of anyone caught stealing
they must enter the cavity at the front books from the Library of Worlds.

of the enclave and wend their way back  Bring in the head of anyone caught stealing
books from the Sisterhood of Sages.
  Bring the Mantis the head of Goodman Saw,
refurbishment. apparently a shoemaker living in a distant
 Bring in the head of anyone caught sneaking dimension (and who, people whisper, has no
into the tunnels beneath the unnamed connection to the Mantis that they know
gates. of).
 Eliminate a ghost or an infestation of psionic  Defend Horizon from an unexpected
mold or mind mold wraiths, or clear up invading force.
some other dangerous situation in one of
To prevent more than one group of
 Break up a conflict where one of the bounty hunters from pursuing the same
participants has already drawn first blood. bounty, an interested group usually tears
off the broadsheet with the bounty they
UNIQUE BOUNTIES want to collect. Should a group do so but
fail to complete the bounty within ten
The balcony to the left of the cavity is
days, a unique bounty is put up for them.
papered with newer broadsheets than the
This tends to limit unique bounties to
one containing the standing bounties.
only the most serious applicants.
These tend to come and go by the month,
depending on how easy bounty hunters
MEET THE MANTIS
find a particular challenge. The Mantis
pays someone who accomplishes a unique
façade connects to a main passage in the
bounty between 1 and 10 pieces of mithril
form of a metallic corridor about 30 feet
(at her discretion) when the bounty
across, lit by ever-glowing orbs hanging
hunter shows up to claim their pay.
from wires. Side corridors split off the
main passage, and the main passage
Unique bounties might include one
periodically bends, descends, and rises,
or more of the following.
until it finally opens onto a wider space

 Bring the Mantis a specific piece of salvage after some 500 feet of travel

from the Sea of Uncertainty (or from the A central brazier burning with red flames
original plane of origin), such as a case of lights the wide chamber, though erratically.
rare elven wine of a particular vintage, a Opposite the entrance, a wide dais holds a
transportable sculpture designated as a
flower-like extrusion upon which rests a

many-limbed entity that merges humanoid

a specific date, the goblet used by a
physiology with that of a huge praying
specific demon lord, or some other rare but
valuable keepsake that is one of a kind.
 Bring the Mantis the head of Kasanimar Tal, reclining on her petal-like seat along with
someone who once passed through Horizon representatives from both Fae Embassies.
The Mantis is usually found in this court Summoned:
chamber about seven hours in any given
If someone who is above average in
twenty-four-hour period. People generally
ambition and power comes to Horizon and
come before the Mantis for three
stays for more than a few days, an
reasons: to turn in a bounty, to ask a
Interpreter asks them to come before the
favor, or because they were summoned
Mantis so she can meet them. If they
before her, usually a request delivered
by an Interpreter. At any given time,
bounty is put out on their heads.
there are usually one or two Horizon
inhabitants waiting to turn in a bounty.

Bounty Redemption:
APARTMENTS
Unless turning in a bounty involves the
The sounds of laughter and calls of
delivery of a physical object (such as a
parents to their children echo over the
head, which the Mantis quickly consumes,
stone stepped apartments where many of
or Path tokens), those who come to

their neighbors. Along the inner walls of

Horizon stand the Second Rise villas
determine truth from falsehood is usually
dozens of apartments sticking out of the
sufficient to weed out those falsely
strange walls that surround the city.
Owned by the geleton Korvela
not done. She eats the heads of these
Winterwind, the apartments serve both
pretenders. Everyone else gets one or
temporary and long-term residents alike,
more pieces of mithril, which the Mantis
providing modest comfort to many of the
simply manifests into being in one
insectile hand, then passes over.
and feasthall
Ask a Favor: levels known as the Smiling Satyr that
serves food and drink to her tenants and
Every so often a situation arises in
others seeking a quick bite when the
Horizon that current standing bounties
Crossplane is too busy.
nts may

Four large iron-wrought cages bring

bounty or unique bounty to address the tenants up and down the sides of the
problem. People sometimes also come walls to their domiciles, made possible by
before the Mantis to ask for her direct heavy iron gears and waterwheels fed
aid. from water flowing beneath the city
Hook. One of the wrought-iron elevators
ceased operation and Korvela seeks
adventurers willing to travel into the These cisterns bring fresh water in and
tunnels below the apartments, find the sewage out from many of the buildings
wheels that operate it, and fix it. Tenants and residences in and around the city, yet
whisper that strange hostile creatures they mostly remain a mystery to the
lurk in the tunnels below. citizens of the City of Arches. Some say
these lost cisterns feed powerful
machines long forgotten in the shadows
Characters need a place to stay whether
below. Horrific shrines to dead gods,
they just got here or have lived in the city
torture chambers of the Nameless King,
for years. As starting adventurers,
deadly glyphed vaults, primeval effigies
to sunless horrors, strange half-sunken
but useful place of rest until the characters
monoliths, an underground lake, and
can afford, or acquire, something more forgotten subterranean citadels can all be
opulent. found in the depths of the Lost Cisterns.
Adventures in the lost cisterns are

THE LOST CISTERNS suitable for low or mid-level adventurers.

Hook. Days ago, a huge rumble shook the
Huge green-tinted pipes draw waters
eastern blocks of Horizon. Now fetid
from the public baths deep into a great
water flows where clean water once ran.
network of pipes drawing waters into
People are beginning to get sick. Ynerva
countless layers of ruins beneath the
Ovelatte, a dwarven engineer, believes
one of the huge machines below the city
waters of the waterfalls from
has ceased working. She seeks
overflowing the public baths of Horizon,
adventurers to escort her down into the
drawing water into canals, sewers, and
Lost Cisterns to see if they can find the
cisterns all across and below the city.
machine and restart it once again.
Iron grates block off many of these
cisterns to keep citizens from being
washed into the limitless depths below.
 PANTHEON OF THE CITY
Beltrame Villager who pretends Tunic and cape TRICKERY DOMAIN
to be rich PEACE DOMAIN
LIGHT DOMAIN
Brighella Smart and vindictive White smock and pants CITY DOMAIN
servant/middle class with green trim FORGE DOMAIN
character
Colombina Perky maid / servant Can be colorful on par LIGHT DOMAIN
with Harlequin or black CITY DOMAIN
and white
Gianduja Honest peasant who Brown suit and horn hat NATURE DOMAIN
loves wine and food CITY DOMAIN
Harlequin Servant (sometimes to Colorful tight-fitting TRICKERY DOMAIN
two masters) jacket and trousers TWILIGHT DOMAIN
CITY DOMAIN
Il Capitano Indigent loner Military uniform WAR DOMAIN
TEMPEST DOMAIN
FORGE DOMAIN
Il Dottore Head of the household Black scholarly robe KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN
LIFE DOMAIN
ARCANA DOMAIN
Innamorati High-class hopeless Nicely dressed on par PEACE DOMAIN
lovers with the time LIGHT DOMAIN
LIFE DOMAIN
Pantalone Older wealthy man Dark capes and red GRAVE DOMAIN
trousers TWILIGHT DOMAIN
ARCANA DOMAIN
Pierrot Servant (Sad clown) White, flowy costume CITY DOMAIN
with large buttons GRAVE DOMAIN
Pulcinella Servant or master Baggy, white outfit CITY DOMAIN
KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN
Sandrone Cunning peasant Corduroy jacket and FORGE DOMAIN
pants, red and white ARCANA DOMAIN
cross-striped socks
Scaramouche Braggart with villainous Black Spanish dress TRICKERY DOMAIN
traits ARCANA DOMAIN
Tartaglia Stuttering statesman Large felt hat and TWILIGHT DOMAIN
enormous cloak TEMPEST DOMAIN

ARCANA DOMAIN - FORGE DOMAIN - GRAVE DOMAIN - KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN - LIFE DOMAIN - LIGHT DOMAIN - NATURE
DOMAIN - PEACE DOMAIN - TEMPEST DOMAIN - TRICKERY DOMAIN - TWILIGHT DOMAIN - WAR DOMAIN CITY DOMAIN