CHARACTER RACES

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Any given adventurer has a bloodline. These function essentially as additional classes and experience points must be divided evenly between each when they are earned, while a leftover XP point may be allocated as the player desires; for example, a Changeling Fighter who earns 1001XP in an expedition may put 501XP into his Changeling ‘class’ total, and 500XP into his Fighter XP pool (or vice versa).

Available options are:

Human

Humans, at least the sort who are adaptable enough to become capable adventurers and warriors, are fast learners who are beloved of the gods, so they have no racial class and, therefore, may put their full XP into their primary class, leading to more rapid advancement.

While a more exotic race provides powerful new capabilities, they do slow down levelling overall.

Changeling

Gateways to the strange and beautiful realm of the Elves can sometimes be found in the secret spaces of the world. Ocassionally, for their own eerie purposes, an Elf will have congress with a human, or sometimes replace a human child with a hybrid born of an Elf and another, more bestial demihuman race (often an Orc); these children grow into Changelings.

Changelings are almost indistinguishable from humans but they have an uncanny presence and some small physical marks of their parentage; for example, pointed ears, additional canine teeth (especially in the case of Changelings with no human blood), long and slender fingers, gold-flecked eyes, etc. They will usually be considered unsettling by NPCs of other races even if they are not immediately ‘pegged’ as Changelings.

Changelings advance as both Magic-Users and Fighters, although not both at once. Prior to each adventure, a Changeling must decide to function as a Magic-User or a Fighter and will have the relevant abilities, and be subject to the relevant restrictions (weapons, armour, magic items, etc.), for that class for the duration of that adventure (except as modified by the Changeling’s racial features, as described below). Any XP earned is divided between the Changeling’s racial class and the class they are adventuring as. A Changeling therefore effectively has three classes, although their level and rate of advancement between their primary classes might well be very different!

Due to their ‘split class’ capabilities, Changelings use their racial HP total regardless of their primary class’ values; ie. their HP value does not change when their primary class does.

• Gift of Tongues: Changelings count as Magic-Users for purposes of starting languages and language acquisition (ie. they know one language for each point of Intelligence above 10).

• Psychic Powers: Changelings, in addition to their capabilities when functioning as a Magic-User, have an inherent magic to them; they may select and learn spells from a restricted list and cast them as normal regardless of their current primary class and equipment. As mentioned, this is in additon to their capabilities as Magic-Users, so a Changeling functioning as same can cast more spells than the equivalent human magician (eg. a first level Changeling Magic-User can memorise their Magic-User spell and their Changeling spell for a total of two spells).

• Changelings must memorise these spells as normal, but as they are the Changeling’s inherent magical power they do not need to copy them into their spellbook. These are effectively ‘free’ spells they always know! That said, the Changeling may not use their Magic-User spell slots (when acting as same) to memorise their additional spells. For example, a third level Changeling/Tregetour who wants to cast Hypnotic Pattern twice must have the spell in their spellbook and use their Changeling and Magic-User second level spell slots to memorise each instance of the spell.

• Fencing and Archery Bonuses: All Changelings have natural affinities for the preferred weapons of their Elven parent. They gain to-hit bonuses when using thrusting swords (sideswords and rapiers) and bows and crossbows. This is in addition to their class attack bonus, so a 10 Dexterity, second level Changeling functioning as a Paviser has a total attack bonus of +2 when using a bow or rapier.

• Stealth and Cunning: When in the wilderness, a Changeling can hide in shadows as a Thief, and additionally has a 4-in-6 chance of moving undetected through undergrowth, long grass, etc. when unencumbered. This chance is reduced by 1 for each level of encumbrance beyond that, ie. a Changeling with a medium encumbrance level has a 2-in-6 chance of moving silently. At 5th level the Changeling may use these abilities indoors/in urban environments/etc.

• Secret Pathways: A Changeling has several advantages when travelling outdoors.

• A Changeling travelling through a forest can never become lost.

• An unencumbered Changeling has a base movement rate of 15” for outdoors travelling purposes only, ie. they do not move 15” in combat (no matter where they find themselves). Other unencumbered characters being guided by a Changeling will move at this faster rate.

Changeling Experience Table

Changeling Additional Spells Table

Changeling Available Spells

(MORE TO BE SELECTED SOON)

Dwarfkin

Generally speaking, humans are watched over by their gods (typically in a sort of benign neglect) and their house spirits (more actively). Sometimes, however, the spirits of the earth take an interest in a child; sometimes when the child is conceived witin their spaces (usually furtively, in a cave or beneath a megalith) or sometimes when a youth is unusually drawn to such places and is ‘adopted’ by the spirits in question. In either case, the child will grow to be shorter, stockier, and more hirsute than their peers (that said, women Dwarfkin don’t have beards, although their hair will grow very thick and long).

Despite their affiliation with the earth spirits, Dwarfkin are full-blooded humans and are therefore not as naturally unsettling as Changelings; they can be detected as Dwarfkin only on close examination and if the examiner knows what they’re looking for.

• Class Restrictions: The spirits of the earth have no truck with power channelled from outside of this world. Dwarfkin may never become Magic-Users; of course, they may be Fighters or Thieves.

• Alignment Restrictions: Dwarfkin are a stolid and taciturn bunch as a rule, and must be Lawful or Neutral, never Chaotic.

• Toughness: Their skin is thick and their blood runs slowly. Dwarfkin gain an HP bonus. Note that these are non-cumuliative, so a first level Dwarfkin/Fighter has 1HD+3 total, while a fifth level Dwarf/Knight would have 4HD+3.

• Poison Proof: Similarly, Dwarfkin are naturally Mithridatic and larger doses of poison must be used to affect them. At first level they gain a +2 saving throw bonus against all poisonous/venomous attacks, traps, spells, etc. This increases as indicated in the table.

• Slow Metabolism: Dwarfkin may keep moving at super-heavy rates at up to 30 encumbrance points, and only starve to death at 40 virtual encumbrance points.

• Heavy Handed: Dwarfkin strike harder when using axes and maces. They gain a damage bonus when using these weapons. This is in addition to any Strength bonus they might be entitled to.

• Animosity: The earth spirits despise the corrupted humanoids that infest their caverns and mountains and so, therefore, do the Dwarfkin. The Dwarfkin’s natural combat instincts provide them with significant defensive bonuses against such creatures that are larger than human sized; these include Ogres, Voormis, Gnoles, Trolls, Chaotic Giants, and any similar creatures.

• Natural Architect: Dwarfkin have an uncanny sense for stonework and have a 3-in-6 chance of detecting unusual architectural features simply by walking within 10’ of them. This includes, but is not limited to, secret or one-way doors, ‘falling block’ or pit traps, or sloping passages. Note that this only applies to dungeon features crafted from stone or earth – for example, a door concealed behind a curtain is not detectable in this way – and will not provide any information on how to bypass such features!

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