Humans

Industrious, short-lived, and ambitious. Humans make up the majority of the Continent’s population, originally a slave race engineered by Elvish alchemists, their fickle, aggressive nature and adaptability allowed them to buck the shackles of the Lothe’lian empire 500 years ago through partisan action and extreme violence. Even in the modern era, they’re their own worst enemies in many cases, as without a unifying enemy, humans have unwittingly politicked the nations of the continent onto the precipice of war. Uniquely, humans are the only race to be recorded defying a prophecy handed down by the gods.

Engineered with many skin tones and hair colors, they generally stand somewhere between 4’8” and 6’6”, and live to be 70 to 90 years old, making them one of the shorter lived races.

## Racial Traits

### Standard Racial Traits

* **Ability Score Modifiers**: Human characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
* **Size**: Humans are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed**: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Languages**: Humans begin play speaking Low Elvish (Lumoran Common).

### Other Racial Traits

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Skilled**: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

### Alternate Racial Templates

#### Clenfolk

Some humans born in Strur Clen have a nearly instinctive grasp of the fey magic, and the ability to weave raw energy into rudimentary druidic magic.

* **Bonus Feat:** Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Instinctive Nature:** Clenfolk select three 0-level druid spells and one 1st-level druid spell. If the character has a Charisma score of 11 or higher, she gains these spells as spell-like abilities that can be cast once per day. The caster level for these effects is equal to the user’s character level. The DC for the spell-like abilities is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the user’s Charisma modifier. These spells are treated as being from a fey source for the purposes of the druid’s resist nature’s lure class feature and similar abilities. In addition, select two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, or Use Magic Device. The selected skills are always class skills for the character. Lastly, the human also gains low-light vision. This trait replaces skilled.

#### Gothic

Gothic Humans are born and raised in the blighted land of Kovarik. Paranoid to their core, and constantly on the look out for the things that go bump in the night, most people are of the opinion that they never truly relax from the moment they're born to the moment they die.

* **Imposter Wary**: Whenever you come within 10 feet of a creature with the Shapechanger subtype that is in human or animal form you receive a perception check, DC 20 or the creature may choose to contest it with a Disguise check. On a success you learn that the creature is a Shapechanger, but not what type. You gain 1 free rank in Sense Motive at 1st level, and 1 additional rank in Sense Motive whenever they gain a level. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait.
* **History of Terrors**: Humans with this trait gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells and effects, and a +2 racial bonus on perception checks made to identify creatures with the Shapechanger subtype. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws to resist mind-affecting effects. The bonus increases to +4 if the effect is also a fear effect. This racial trait replaces the skilled trait.

#### Huntmarked

Some humans born in Avarga Tom express a strange mutation that makes them incredibly adept at combat in the steppe.

* **Uncanny Dodge**: A Huntmarked Human cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does she lose her Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A human with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see Combat) against her. This trait replaces the Bonus Feat.
* **Tunnel Vision**: Huntmarked Humans can see perfectly in the dark up to 15 feet and tremorsense 10 ft. This trait replaces Skilled.

#### Imperial

##### House Aesor

By the time King Roland Aesor took the throne, he was the last living descendent of House Aesor. His seven daughters and only son have not yet had any children of their own, making House Aesor unavailable for player use.

##### House Daughtry

As part of the reparations for their part in the Hafdan rebellion, only one Heir is allowed to House Daughtry. All others are fostered out to other houses. Despite choosing the Daughtry name, you gain racial feats associated with another house of your choice.

##### House Hafdan

* **Hafdan Training**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. You may ignore ability score prerequisites for the Hafdan Style feat, and for feats that have Hafdan Style as a prerequisite.
* **Bloodline Nobility**: You gain your choice of the Eldritch Heritage feat, ignoring its usual prerequisites, or the Basic Magic Training feat. This racial trait replaces the skilled trait.

##### House Hale

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Obligated Nobility**: Twice per day, you can touch another creature on the shoulder as a standard action, acting as a reassuring presence. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to your level plus your charisma modifier, as well as a +2 morale bonus on their next attack roll, skill check, or saving throw.

##### House Harcourt

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. Harcourt has a custom Style feat that is currently in development.
* **Obligated Nobility**: Twice per day, you can touch another creature on the shoulder as a standard action, acting as a reassuring presence. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to your level plus your charisma modifier, as well as a +2 morale bonus on their next attack roll, skill check, or saving throw.

##### House Lancaster

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Bloodline Nobility**: You gain your choice of the Eldritch Heritage feat, ignoring its usual prerequisites, or the Basic Magic Training feat. This racial trait replaces the skilled trait.

##### House Lavender

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. Lavender has a custom Style feat that is currently in development.
* **Bloodline Nobility**: You gain your choice of the Eldritch Heritage feat, ignoring its usual prerequisites, or the Basic Magic Training feat. This racial trait replaces the skilled trait.

#### Ironborn Human

Humans from the Empire of Ironholme are not fundamentally physically different from normal humans, though they do tend to have dark hair and blue eyes. They mature at the same rate as other humans, but due to growing up in a militant culture, they gain access to two new racial features, but also often choose the Industrious trait.

* **Imperial Tactics**: Imperial Humans receive a bonus teamwork feat, and may retrain teamwork feats for 0gp and only 1 day of downtime. This replaces the human bonus feat.
* **Espirit de Corps**: Allied creatures that can see or hear this character treat this character as though they had all of that creature’s teamwork feats for the purposes of benefitting from their own teamwork feats. For example, if this creature charges, and an allied human has Coordinated Charge, they may treat this creature as if they also had Coordinated Charge. This replaces the skilled feature.

#### Stalwart

Children of the Noble Houses of Etraine. Commoners from this land typically would choose from Heart of the Fey, Heart of the Wild, and Heart of the Field,

##### House Ash

* **Runeweaver**: Members of House Ash gain the Basic Magic training feat, which must be spent on the Enhancement Sphere as well as an additional bonus magic talent that must be spent in the Enhancement Sphere. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait.
* **Elbow Grease**: You gain a bonus equal to half your level to any one Craft or Profession of your choice and Knowledge: Engineering checks. This racial trait replaces the bonus skilled trait.

##### House Berendell

* **Thoughtweaver**: Berendell Humans gain the Basic Magic Training feat in their choice of the Illusion or Mind Sphere, and increase your caster level in the chosen sphere by +1. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait.
* **Willworkers**: You gain a bonus equal to half your level to Sense Motive and Diplomacy checks. This racial trait replaces the bonus skilled trait.

##### House Bridger

* **Talented Craftsmen**: Members of House Bridger gain an the Artifice sphere as a bonus talent, as well as an additional bonus talent from the Artifice sphere. This trait replaces the bonus feat trait.
* **Skilled**: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

##### House Brightscale

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Draconic Heritage**: Humans with this trait gain darkvision with a range of 10 feet and low-light vision. They also gain Eldritch Heritage as a bonus feat, ignoring its usual prerequisites, and can ignore the Charisma prerequisites of any feat that has Eldritch Heritage as a prerequisite, but can select only the draconic bloodline with these feats. This racial trait replaces skilled.

##### House Garnier

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Platinum Spoon**: Members of House Garnier begin play with an additional 2,000 Gold to their starting wealth. This trait replaces skilled.

##### House Holfort

* **The Bind**: You gain the Duelist sphere as a bonus martial talent, and gain a +2 Bonus to Combat Maneuver checks made to disarm an opponent. This replaces skilled and the Bonus Feat.

##### House Leinvall

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. Leinvall has a custom Style feat that is currently in development.
* **Dragon Scholar**: Humans with this trait receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks to overcome a dragon’s spell resistance. In addition, they receive a +3 racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks related to creatures of the dragon type. This trait replaces humans’ skilled racial trait.

##### House Rockford

* **Giant Ancestry**: Increase your size to large. You gain an additional +1 racial bonus to combat maneuver checks and CMD. Due to your prodigious size you are extremely memorable, and any Lumoran who sees you can immediately identify you as a member or bastard of House Rockford. This trait replaces both the humans bonus feat and the skilled racial trait.

##### House Steelhearth

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Disciple of the Rock**: Members of House Steelhearth gain the Trap Sphere as a bonus martial talent. This trait replaces humans’ skilled racial trait.

##### House Tanith

* **Tanith Puppetry**: Choose one of the following. This trait replaces both the humans bonus feat and the skilled racial trait.
	+ You gain the Familiar Bond feat as a bonus feat, then at 7th level you gain Improved Familiar as a bonus feat, ignoring their usual prerequisites.
	+ You gain the Manaweft Puppet feat as a bonus feat, ignoring its usual prerequisites. You may choose Premier Puppeteer as a feat later, ignoring its usual prerequisites.

##### House Twinleaf

* **Bonus Feat**: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
* **Eternal Summer**: You gain low-light vision, gain a +1 racial bonus on Reflex and Will saves, and treat Diplomacy and Sense Motives as class skills. You are immune to the penalties of old age. This cannot raise your starting ability scores above the cap of 19. This racial trait replaces skilled.

## On Man

Perhaps the greatest mistake we ever made as an empire was the creation of Man. Only two lifetimes ago, *(Two thousand years, a drop in the bucket compared to the elvish empire’s storied history.)* the first man was made in the mystic workshops of the Great Tower. An attempt to fix the problems with trolls, man was denied the magic infused into the trolls, the rate of their regeneration cut back, *(Still faster than the knife-ears though, damned elves take weeks to heal a skinned knee, unless aided by magicks.)* and they were made smaller, closer to us in stature. We thought that by making them inferior, they’d be easier to control.

They were, for a time. For a thousand years or more, man was an obedient servant, bound to our beck and call, our prosperity was theirs, and many were even content in that role. We grew complacent, we took lovers among them, we shared language, and even occasionally seats at our table with them. We found them learning far faster than our own progeny, and we indulged their curiosity with rapturous abandon. Man first slew our empire with charisma and charm, before the violence. We kept more of them as pets than as slaves as our magical techniques improved, but never as equals. Such was our mistake. *(Impressive that one of the Queen’s hands could be so candid about the problems of the empire. I was under the impression Blades were fanatically loyal to the point of brainwashing.)*

Silently, they chafed beneath us even as we fawned over them. If we made any mistake in their creation, it was to make Man so alike to us. Regardless, it is too late now. When the Weeping Summit erupted, and blanketed the world in darkness, they struck. Violent rebellion, with ferocity that we were unused to laid our empire, already reeling from the cataclysm, lower than ever. The human urge for freedom, their ability to adopt an ideal so completely that they’d die rather than live with the drive unfulfilled frightened us, and they held unwinnable battle after unwinnable battle. When fought, men are weaker, slower, and less skilled than us, but like a boar, they’ll charge up a spear just to have a chance at bringing you down with them. No enemy is more dangerous on the continent than a determined human.

If you could have seen it, you’d understand. When we surrounded Feyblood Keep, and offered Hale surrender, he was outnumbered five to one, and running low on supplies, he didn’t even consider it. Two days later he opened the gates, and the slaughter began. Hale lost nearly four fifths of his men, three limbs and an eye that day. Thirty-five of us made it out alive.

-Illaria The’inn, Blade of Bright Leaves

*It’s interesting to note, your Highness, that the elves seem to fear Hale as much as our own nobility do. - S.H.*