Survivors

Appearance: Humans vary greatly in appearance, hair and eye color, and skin tone, and come in all shapes and sizes. The foul energies that were unleashed during the Grand Bang seeped into the Human soul, and every Human is born with a physical Mutation that adds to their diverse and unique appearances.

Personality: Most Humans are lonely, depressed creatures who are shunned wherever they travel. While the Grand Bang was a thousand years ago, everyone knows who was responsible for it, and that stigma is a hard one to shake. Humans are either shunned and mistrusted at best, or reviled and killed on sight at worst. Many Humans spend their existences on the run from a cult of Human-Hunters called the Brotherhood of Balance, who fanatically believe that once every single Human in the world is slain, the world will revert back to the fertile utopia it was so long ago. Every Human lives in mortal terror of these relentless and misguided souls.

Human Abilities

Diversity: Humans begin play with a free d6 in any one skill of their choice.

Self-Reliant: Humans begin play with one Edge of their choice.

Mutation: The Human kingdom of Arcanica was ground zero for the magical disaster that turned Xeriad into Planet X, and the surviving Humans were soaked in the twisted energies that were released during the Grand Bang. They passed these traits to their descendants, and every Human chooses one Mutation from the list provided below. Mutations are all physically obvious and…interesting, but they are also rather handy.

Pariah: While details about the Grand Bang are sketchy at best, stories passed down from generation to generation all point the finger at the Humans and their obsession with Arcane Magic as the catalyst for the sad state of the world. As such, all Humans are greatly mistrusted by society as a whole. Human players should expect their fair share of dirty looks, second class citizen treatment, or outright persecution and physical violence. You have been warned!

Human Mutations

The following is a list of just a few Mutations that have been seen in Humans. Feel free to make your own Mutation up with your GM if the ones below aren’t to your liking.

Third Eye: You have a third eye smack dab in the middle of your forehead. You gain the Alertness Edge for free. Once per adventure, you also get a prophetic vision of events to come. Sometimes these are literal visions, while other times, they are a series of cryptic omens and portents that might not make sense, but always come true in the end. You cannot control these visions of events to come.

Claws: You have a set of gnarled and razor sharp claws on your fingertips. You are never considered unarmed. These Claws deal Strength+d4+1 damage. You gain a +2 bonus to all climb rolls.

Aquatic: You have a set of gills and webbed fingers and toes. This allows you to breathe underwater indefinitely, and grants you a +2 bonus to all Swimming checks. Lastly, you gain immunity to radiation in water.

Feeler: You have an extra appendage growing out of you someplace. This dexterous, fleshy tendril can do anything that a hand could do, like hold or manipulate items, but it cannot be used in any kind of attack. Your appendage is also kind of sticky, and you can spend a Benny to stick it to any surface, allowing you to slither up and along sheer walls for up to one minute. Taking any kind of action besides concentrating, or getting hit in combat ends this effect.

Buddy: You have the face of another being growing out of you…someplace. Your Buddy has a mind and personality all their own, but they often times have great advice to give you!

Glow: Your skin radiates a warm neon green glow. This makes Stealth impossible unless all of your flesh is covered. The upside of this Mutation is that you never need a light, and the Glow increases your natural Healing rate. You may make a natural Healing roll once per hour.

Appearance: Elves all have skin tones in shades of green, and all Elves are born with colorful tattoos that decorate their flesh. These markings are often hereditary, with similar shapes and patterns being found throughout members of the same family. All elves have lithe and svelte builds, and Elf males and females both stand at around 6 feet in height. Elves have gracefully pointed ears and are fond of simplistic styles of dress. Elven hair and eyes can come in any color that is vibrant, but an Elf has two different eye colors to further add to their exotic appearance. Many Elves fashion their hair in dreadlocks.

Personality: With their enchanted glades and forests forever warped by the unstable and toxic energies unleashed by the Grand Bang, Elves have been exposed to mutated and powerful spores that have warped their perceptions. Simply put, all Elves are a bit touched mentally, seeing colors and shapes that others simply do not. Because of this, your average Elf is seen as whimsically flighty at best, or downright insane at worst. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Elven Abilities

Improved Grace: All Elves are dexterous and begin play with d6 Agility.

Kin to Nature: Elves can effortlessly communicate with non-threatening plants and wildlife and have an empathetic bond with such beings. Predator animals and man eating plants don’t count as non-threatening :].

Wild Born: All Elves begin play with d6 ratings in the Survival and Tracking skills.

Warped Perceptions: Due to their proximity to the spore-drenched wilds of their homeland, all Elves gain the Delusional (Minor) Hindrance at character creation.

Appearance: Dwarves are short and stocky, standing no taller than 5 feet in height with broad and compact builds. Like the stone they hold kinship with, Dwarven skin comes in any tone of slate or grey. Dwarves have black hair and black eyes, and many Male Dwarves sport facial hair.

Personality: Even before the Grand Bang, Dwarves have had a great love of all things cerebral. Theirs is a society of thinkers, philosophers, and academics, and the Species as a whole remains one of the more educated in the gooey new world. Your average Dwarf takes a great interest in any sort of cerebral endeavor. The Species as a whole is endlessly fascinated by gizmos and any sort of technology. It is said that the Dwarves built impressive steam powered wagons and flying machines before the Grand Bang, but this technology has long since turned to ash.

Dwarven Abilities

Expansive Mind: All Dwarves have a great love of education and begin play with d6 Smarts.

Higher Learning: Due to their keen interest of all things intellectual, all Dwarves begin play with the Knowledge and Investigation skills at d6.

Secret of Black Powder: While many of the technological marvels of the Dwarven race have long been destroyed during the events of the Grand Bang, one legacy of the Dwarven people remains, the knowledge of Black Powder, which still is in use today. All Dwarves (and Dwarves only) gain proficiency in the use of Black Powder Pistols, Black Powder Rifles, and the powerful Blunderbuss. Black Powder Weapons simply do not function in the hands of a non-Dwarf.

Earthbound: As creatures descended from the stone of the mountain, Dwarves despise travel by sea or by air, and gain a -2 penalty to all rolls made while not treading on solid ground. A Dwarf can swim normally and without penalty (though they dislike this), but the water cannot be more than 10 feet deep.

Black Powder Weapons

These ancient and technological marvels were crafted and created by ancient Dwarven inventors, and they are considered to be some of the most devastating weaponry in the world. These weapons only function in Dwarven hands.

Flintlock Pistol (Cost-150/Damage-2d6/AP 1, Reload 1)

Elegant and refined, this potent ranged weapon packs the power of a crossbow, but can be fired using one hand.

Flintlock Rifle (Cost-300/Damage-2d8/2 Hands, AP 2, Reload 2)

These long and powerful rifles pack a devastating punch and can be used at shockingly long range.

Blunderbuss (Cost-400/Damage-Special/2 Hands, AP 3, Reload 2)

A Blunderbuss is pretty much a hand held junk-cannon that launches a shower of jagged metal bits that shreds anything in its path. One shot from a Blunderbuss can saw through even the heaviest armor as if it were paper. A Blunderbuss does 1d6 damage at long range, 2d6 damage at medium range, and 3d6 damage at close range. A Blunderbuss fires in a cone, targeting all targets within that cone. 

Appearance: Gnomes stand no taller than 4 feet in height, with gentle builds and large, expressive eyes. Gnomish skin color is dusky and comes in any shade of brown, and all Gnomes have snowy white hair and eyes that come in any shade of green. Gnomes have exaggerated, mildly cartoonish features that makes them very distinct of appearance.

Personality: Gnomes are friendly and very much concerned with matters of commerce and numbers. Their talent for mercantile endeavors is legendary, and they are drawn to shiny, glittery things. Gnomes are adept travelers and suffer from an insatiable Wanderlust. They want to see and do everything, and this can often get them into trouble. Your average Gnome is adept at social interactions and salesmanship.

Gnomish Abilities

Spirited: All Gnomes are adept at social interactions and begin play with d6 Spirit

Silver Tongue: Gnomes just love chatting up potential customers, and all Gnomes begin play with a d6 in the Persuasion skill for free at character creation, as well as the Charismatic Edge.

Treasure Sense: A Gnome’s nose tingles when they are around expensive things within ten feet of them. This sensation allows a Gnome to inspect an item of value and appraise its market value with amazing accuracy. This sense can help find buried or hidden treasure within range as well.

Adventurous: Gnomes love tales of Adventure, and it doesn’t take much to get them to investigate something. All Gnomes begin play with the Curious (Major) Hindrance.

Appearance: Ogres all have skin that comes in some shade of yellow, and they all have glowing red eyes and one or more tusks that jut out of the sides of their mouths. Ogres stand tall and lumbering, with males and females standing seven feet tall. Ogres aren’t the most attractive sorts, and often are decorated in warts and other blemishes.

Personality: Contrary to what one might think based on their fearsome appearance and blunt natures, Ogres are not inherently evil. Most Ogres just love a good time and get rowdy more often than most. Their favorite pastimes include drinking, fighting and eating. They speak simply and without much flowery verbiage. An Ogre is nothing if not honest, and deception is a foreign practice to them.

Ogre Abilities

Brute Force: All Ogres are physically impressive and begin play with d6 Strength at character creation.

Rough and Tumble: Due to their violent upbringing and raucous natures, Ogres begin play with the Fighting and Intimidation Skills at d6 for free at character creation.

Booze Affinity: Ogres love to drink. A lot. An Ogre’s body handles alcohol far better than most species, and they can drink as much as they like without ill effect. They can get drunk, certainly, but never suffer any adverse affects of the condition. In fact, alcohol aids in the healing process of an Ogre, and they get to roll a natural healing check once per day immediately after consuming at least 12 ounces of alcohol.  

Unpretty: Ogres are…interesting to look at, and all begin play with the Ugly (Minor) Hindrance.