Blog (A5E) Level Up: Origins List

As we near our final manuscript for the first three chapters of Level Up, here's a quick look at our near-final list of heritages, cultures, backgrounds, and destinies. The first chunk of the book will be going into layout soon, and we thank you for all the vital playtest feedback you’ve given us. Note that the below is not the layout of appearance of the final book!

This list may change slightly, but it is near-final. As you can see, many cultures have become ‘general’ cultures, but also the handful of core legacy 5E cultures have been preserved as unique cultures in their own right (i.e. a wood elf is different to a forest gnome, despite them both living in woods, and they exist alongside the generic wildling culture).

Continue reading...

 

[Faolyn]

Beautiful! Although I'm with @Jeff Carpenter in wanting a Farmer--although I guess that might be covered under Artisan. (No Folk Hero?)

Will you be including guides for making balanced ancestries/cultures/backgrounds/destinies?

 

[Lefi2017]

The human cultures are more vague then the can be a elf circus folk
so why not a human eldarin too
or human deep dwarf
Are all biological features like dark vision are skill provinces based on biological feasters as well as resistances and sunlight weakness part of the first slot

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

Can "Settler" be renamed? In the past that word has been used to refer to the first white people in an area, ignoring the other people who were already there and were pushed aside or killed.

 

[jaynay27]

Why do Aasimars never get any love?

 

[Horwath]

Can "Settler" be renamed? In the past that word has been used to refer to the first white people in an area, ignoring the other people who were already there and were pushed aside or killed.

why?
problem is that if you dig deep enough almost anything from the lists of culture/background can be problematic in some time and place in Earth history.

settler/pioneer/colonist/frontiersman(woman) all mean more or less the same thing and any of those terms might seen problematic by some people.

 

[Horwath]

Why do Aasimars never get any love?

because they are mostly paladins, and no one likes paladins

 

[Morrus]

The human cultures are more vague then the can be a elf circus folk
so why not a human eldarin too
or human deep dwarf
Are all biological features like dark vision are skill provinces based on biological feasters as well as resistances and sunlight weakness part of the first slot

Could you rephrase the question?

 

[Horwath]

Could you rephrase the question?

I belive he is aksing if we could mix and match Heritage Features not just Gifts

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

why?
problem is that if you dig deep enough almost anything from the lists of culture/background can be problematic in some time and place in Earth history.

settler/pioneer/colonist/frontiersman(woman) all mean more or less the same thing and any of those terms might seen problematic by some people.

Can we find a word without so much racist imperialist subtext? The past was very bad and in a game that is supposed to be fun for all it would be nice to find a word without so much baggage.

 

[Waller]

Can we find a word without so much racist imperialist subtext? The past was very bad and in a game that is supposed to be fun for all it would be nice to find a word without so much baggage.

I think it was 'pioneer' in the playtest IIRC. There aren't any uncontaminated words that I can think of that say 'settling in unclaimed wilderness on the edge of explored lands'. Homesteader, frontiersman, colonist, all not good (and the first two are very US-associated and would jar in a fantasy game).

Maybe they should invent a new word like they have with Godbound and Steamforged.