Level Up (A5E) (+) Project Chronicle: Heritage and Culture

[Steampunkette]

We'll see how far I get, @Shardstone!

Next thread is going to be regions. Definitely thinking of stepping away from strictly Desert style environments and going for more of a blend, but all of them equally cursed and hard to live in, just in different ways.

 

[Steampunkette]

The Changing folks, you ask? As inconstant as the sea, as strange as the stars, and as wild as the Beast himself, yes. I know well of the Shapeshifters and Changelings... They are a quiet people, mostly. They do their best to live lives among their neighbors, hidden. Many a changeling child has been left upon a doorstep, disguised as an infant. Or toddled into town, barely able to keep standing for their youth. Yes. I know well of these beings...

In their true form, beneath the facade of humanity, or whatever guise they choose, they hold some resemblance to depictions of the Dweller. Large black eyes dominate a pale grey face with only the impression of a nose. Thin-lipped mouths and tiny ears. With pale and wispy hair as delicate as a Sprite's but far longer. They largely lack gender, and mimic it in the forms they choose. But even in their native form some choose to shape themselves into approximations of men, women, and otherwise.

It is said that there are as many changelings hidden among the faces of Achelb as there are -true- faces. But if this is true? It would be damned hard to discern. For their new face is as true as your own. Flesh and bone reshaped to change appearance. I can only imagine how painful it must be, like holding a smile too wide for days upon end...
-The Chronicler-

Age: Changelings mature slightly faster than humans but share a similar lifespan — typically a century or less. While a changeling can transform to conceal their age, the effects of aging affect them similarly to humans.
Size: In their natural forms, changelings average between 5 to 6 feet in height, with a slender build. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Shapechanger: As an action, you can change your appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, and sex. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You can't duplicate the appearance of a creature you've never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs that you have. Your clothing and equipment aren't changed by this trait.
You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.

(Changelings aren't more likely to abandon their children than any other group of people. It's just the minor fearmongering that some groups put onto them out of distrust and confirmation bias.)

 

[GuyBoy]

Teerka glanced around at her new companions, her braids moving slightly as her head turned, her golden eyes appraising. In the coming battle she would live....or die....dependent on both her own skills, and theirs.
B’Shnurnipal of Mussura’s hulking presence was reassuring. The massive minotaur warrior hefted his great axe in one mighty fist, the fading sun glinting off both his ivory horns and his oiled beard, set with gems to mark his status as Ur-bull of his clan.
Tregaus stared grimly ahead. Focussed, as always, on warfare. His bronze panoply and figure-8 hide shield would deflect all but the strongest blows and his mighty spear would rain death upon his enemies. At least, that was what he’d told her in the tavern last night, over cups of sour Ellenic wine.
Smissila’s onyx eyes met Teerka’s on a level, though only because the diminutive sprite was hovering on gossamer wings, tiny obsidian dagger clutched in equally tiny hand, delicate green in hue. “You’re good, humaen,” the bard whispered, “I think we will win.....but I have been wrong before.”
Teerka smiled grimly. The fell creature’s lair was in sight; they were about to enter the Arachnaeum.

 

[Steampunkette]

Kyrani Cultures

Raider
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2, and two other abilities of your choice increase by 1.
Raider Training: You gain proficiency in Shortsword, Longsword, Battleaxe, Shortbow, or regional equivalents.
Raider Stealth: You may ignore disadvantage to Stealth Checks imposed by Armor.
Language: You know the Primary Language of the region in which you grew up at level 1.

Tribal Shaman
Ability Score Increase: Choose two ability scores to increase by 1, then increase any one ability score by 1.
Ritualism: You gain the Ritualist Feat at level 1, and know the Ceremony ritual and one other 1st level ritual spell of your choosing.
Self-Sufficient: You gain proficiency in either one Tool Proficiency of your choice and Perception, or Stealth and Sleight of Hand
Language: You know Kyrani and either Common or Musarran at level 1.

Steppesdweller
Ability Score Increase: Choose two ability scores to increase by 1, then increase any one ability score by 1.
Bravura: There are many frightening creatures in the Steppes, you gain advantage on any saving throw to avoid Fear Effects.
Animal Bonds: The herds you protect and the beasts that prey on them require a careful touch. You gain proficiency in Handle Animal. Further, on a Handle Animal check of 17 or higher you may act as if you had cast Speak with Animals for 3 rounds only in relation to the animal, or animals, you made the skill check upon.

Traveler
Ability Score Increase: Choose two ability scores to increase by 1, then increase any one ability score by 1.
Skilled: Choose any two skills, regional languages, or vehicle proficiencies that you've learned along your travels in any combination. You also learn to play one Musical Instrument.
Wayfinder Whenever your party would become lost you may ignore that result and treat any requisite roll to find the correct path as an automatic success once per long rest.
Language: You know any two languages of your choice.

 

[Steampunkette]

So... as an update:

I want to scrap the Bug People of the Weaver. Or possibly make the Sprites into Buggier type creatures in appearance and give the Witch some kind of Hagspawn race or a fomorian type people. Distinct Possibility I won't actually give the Witch a -race- so much as a Lineage, like the Hexblood. I think it could create an interesting niche for storytelling and separate out the player races a bit more.

I'm also looking at changing the names around a bit to both create separation from standard D&D races and enrich the setting. Yeah, Faceless are Changelings by another name, but since their racial traits are also different because of the Heritage/Culture split it might be worthwhile.

So:
1) Humans. Buncha Cultures helps make them more distinct since those cultures have mods.
2) Minotaurs. I feel like changing this name would just be pedantry.
3) Naghese. Gets across an idea of what the character is, changes things slightly since naga in D&D just have human heads.
4) Faceless. Just a fun name.
5) Stormborn. Very magical in how they fade away with age.
6) Sprites... maybe something more buzzy if I go insecty with them. Like Nazzarr?
7) Hexblood Style Template Race.

Which gives us (In order)
1) A Baseline worldbuilding race that grounds weirdness via comparison and allows for an audience-perspective identity.
2) A large and strong race which may or may not be pigeonholed based on player choice.
3) Something inhuman enough in body type to likely qualify as a monster in most settings.
4) Characters who may feel the need to hide themselves.
5) Ethereal and Unusual Human-Adjacent characters (Elf-Like)
6) Teeny Tiny player character race for the people who like flight for tactical maneuvers or being smollest of beans.
7) A False-Heritage that erases who you were, for identity exploration.

Of these, I feel like the Sprites/Nazzarr might need more of a connection to existentialism and perhaps bleakness to make them feel like part of the world rather than an adjunct to it through more standard fantasy. Torn on how to do it.

Thought 1: Going with the Nazzarr we could erase the "Born fully grown" thing and do more of a hive-living situation where player Nazzarr represent a specific phenotype or caste of a larger and more diverse group of creatures that are meant to serve the hive... but may have left due to damage to the hive, specific goals, or more of a general discontent with hive-service-life?

Thought 2: Going with the more Sprite angle we could make them into the Weaver's agents in the world... Less bright and shiny, more "Hands of Fate" angle...?

Potential style of concept for Nazzarr or something similar: Mothfolk.

Spoiler: Moth People

 

[GuyBoy]

Mothfolk sound interesting.
Moths are pretty interesting of themselves, with a huge variety of species beyond the commonly perceived grey/dusty moth.

The whole life cycle raises opportunities either for PCs themselves (though I can see issues here) or in terms of NPCs who are in caterpillar or pupal stages, and may have different weaknesses or defences.

There is a sub species of moth called Calyptra which is vampiric (almost all moths are herbivores on nectar) and this could be played on in dark ways?

 

[Steampunkette]

Could also do something very human but slightly different?

Long limbs and spindly fingers and toes that seem overly long, plus wings, and you've got something terribly cute that -looks- like they should be exceptionally skilled at pulling threads and stuff.

Marfan Syndrome Individuals as Heroic and Well Loved Pixie characters.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

The thing I love about moth people (sorry if it looks like if insisiting or pushing my ideas) is exploring the idea of ''being born only to die''. Give them a super short lifespan, a culture centered around funeral rite/mummyfication and a can-do attitude that comes with the fact that you only have a short to make your mark on the world (or maybe the opposite, why even try to leave a mark, with some few seconds to spare?).

Maybe even, since they are the folk of the gods of destiny, they are born fully grown, but with a short lifespan and knowing exactly the time before their natural death, like a genetic countdown that they know innerently.

That's freaky, but inresting, I think.

 

[Faolyn]

Of these, I feel like the Sprites/Nazzarr might need more of a connection to existentialism and perhaps bleakness to make them feel like part of the world rather than an adjunct to it through more standard fantasy. Torn on how to do it.

Thought 1: Going with the Nazzarr we could erase the "Born fully grown" thing and do more of a hive-living situation where player Nazzarr represent a specific phenotype or caste of a larger and more diverse group of creatures that are meant to serve the hive... but may have left due to damage to the hive, specific goals, or more of a general discontent with hive-service-life?

On a personal note, I really dislike the hive thing when it's used willy-nilly, because most inspect species aren't eusocial like that.

If you want to make the nazzarr feel bleak, give them wings like dead leaves, like the mournful sphinx moth. Or make them glasswinged like hummingbird moths. Don't base them off cute moths, like luna moths or white ermine moths.

 

[Faolyn]

Shoot, now I want to make a mothfolk lineage for my Level Up project. Anyone mind if I steal some ideas from here?