races & cultures (rolemaster)

Races andcultures

™

Douglas Sun

Iron Crown Enterprises

2004

2 CONSTRUCT COMPANION

RACES

Credits

Author: Douglas Sun;

Editors: Heike A. Kubasch, Tim Dugger;

Cover Art: James Ryman;

Interior Art: Toren “MacBin” Atkinson,Peter Bergting, David Bezzina, John Dollar,Mike Jackson, Jeff Laubenstein, LarryMacDougall, Keirston Vande Kraats,Colin Throm;

Art Direction: Jeff Laubenstein;

Pagemaking: Sherry Robinson;

Proofreading: THE Howard Huggins, LoriDugger, Bruce Neidlinger;

President: Heike A. Kubasch;

CEO: Bruce Neidlinger;

Editing, Development, & Production Staff:Heike A. Kubasch, Bruce Neidlinger, TimDugger, Lori Dugger;

Web Mistress: Monica L. Wilson;

Corporate Mascots: Gandalf T. Cat, Rajah T.Cat, Phoebe T. Cat, Ember T. Cat;

ICE Cheering Section & Moral Support: Karl& Helga Kubasch, John Seal, Claudia &Alexandra Aulum, Elke Lübbert, IngeBendfeldt, Peggy, Christoph & HelenBendfeldt, Judy & Hasmukh Shah, John Ross,Gavin Bennet, Brad Williams, Brent Knorr,Jonathan Dale, Mario Butter, the GuildCompanion (www.guildcompanion.com),and all ICE fans everywhere: Thanks forkeeping the faith!

Special Dedication: For Alexandra Aulum,our favorite monster hunter!

Copyright © 2004 by Mjolnir LLC. All rights reserved. No reproductions without permission.Produced and distributed by Mjolnir LLC, dba Iron Crown Enterprises 112 Goodman St,Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902.Stock #5816 ISBN 1-55806-606-3

3CONSTRUCT COMPANION

RACES

ContentsIntroduction ................................................................... 4Part I: Races .................................................................... 6

Languages in Shadow World .......................................... 6Men in Shadow World ................................................... 7Centaurs .......................................................................... 7

Horse Centaur ...................................................................... 8Lion Centaur ........................................................................ 9Lizard Centaur ................................................................... 10

Droloi ............................................................................ 11Dwarves ......................................................................... 12Elves ............................................................................ 15

Wood Elves ......................................................................... 15Grey Elves ........................................................................... 17High Elves ........................................................................... 18Dyari ................................................................................... 19Erlini ................................................................................... 20Linaeri ................................................................................. 22Loari .................................................................................... 23Shuluri ................................................................................ 24

Fey ............................................................................ 25Dwelfs ................................................................................. 26Satyrs (Fauns) ..................................................................... 27Tylweth Teg (Peries) .......................................................... 28Lennai ................................................................................. 29

Garks ............................................................................ 31Gnomes ......................................................................... 32Goblinoids ..................................................................... 34

Goblins ............................................................................... 34Hobgoblins ......................................................................... 36Kobolds ............................................................................... 37Murlogi ............................................................................... 38

Gratar ............................................................................ 39Black Gratar ........................................................................ 39Green Gratar ...................................................................... 40Grey Gratar ......................................................................... 41Yellow Gratar ..................................................................... 42

Half-Elves ...................................................................... 43Eritari .................................................................................. 44Ky’taari ............................................................................... 45Punkari ............................................................................... 46Sulini ................................................................................... 47Vorloi .................................................................................. 48

Halflings ........................................................................ 49Half-Orcs ....................................................................... 51Hira’razhir/Hirazi ......................................................... 53

Hira’razhir .......................................................................... 53Hirazi .................................................................................. 54

Idivya ............................................................................ 55Jhordi ............................................................................ 57Men ............................................................................ 58

Common Men .................................................................... 58High Men ........................................................................... 60Mixed Men ......................................................................... 61Laan .................................................................................... 62Umli .................................................................................... 64

Mermen ......................................................................... 65Orcs ............................................................................ 67

Common Orcs ................................................................... 67Greater Orcs ....................................................................... 69Lesser Lugrôki .................................................................... 70Greater Lugrôki .................................................................. 71

Quishadi ........................................................................ 72Shuikmar (Sharkmen) .................................................. 73

Sohleugir (Lizardmen)/Saurkur ................................... 75Sohleugir ............................................................................. 75Saurkur ............................................................................... 77

Troglodytes/Trogli ........................................................ 78Urlocs ............................................................................ 80Vulfen (Wolfmen) ........................................................ 81

Part II: Cultures ............................................................ 83A Note on Cities ............................................................ 83Aerial ............................................................................ 84Aquatic .......................................................................... 86Arctic ............................................................................ 89Desert ............................................................................ 91Highland ........................................................................ 95Littoral ........................................................................... 98Mining ......................................................................... 101Plains .......................................................................... 104Rural .......................................................................... 106Subterranean ............................................................... 109Sylvan .......................................................................... 112

Part III: Creating Characters ..................................... 118Example 1: A Priest of the

Sun on the Rise ................................................ 118Example2: S’sta the

Lizardman Pirate .............................................. 121Filling in the Context .................................................. 124

Index ........................................................................... 125


INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

cultural template you choose for your character. Theformer includes aspects of physical appearance such asaverage height and weight, as well as biological traitssuch as average life span. Unusual qualities, such asspecial resistance bonuses or special abilities, also fallunder this description.

Culture modifiers for each race include racial pre-dispositions such as religious practice, instinctive biasesfor or against other races, preferred professions (if any)and special skills (if any). While these aspects of charactermight seem to fall under discussions of culture, it isworth acknowledging that (as far as Rolemaster goes)some apparently cultural factors are heavily influenced byinherent racial characteristics. Language falls under thisheading also in that many races have their own uniquelanguage (in Shadow World, practically every race has itsown language). Similarly, the racial templates includebackground options to acknowledge the influence ofracial differences on aspects of character that might seemcultural. If this seems to fudge the distinction betweenrace and culture, keep in mind that race templates andculture templates are supposed to be blended togetheranyway. Finally, the racial templates acknowledge the factthat races almost never spread themselves around willy-nilly no matter what setting you use, and that certainraces gravitate toward certain culture templates, forwhatever reason.

The culture templates concentrate on characteris-tics that follow from environment or way of lifeinstead of biology or physiology. Almost all of the 11templates define themselves strictly by a type ofphysical environment: Arctic, Desert, Sylvan, and so

WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THIS BOOK

Races & Cultures dramatically expands the range ofraces considered appropriate for player characters.Would you like to play a character who isn’t a Man, anElf, a Dwarf or a Halfling? Have you ever wonderedwhat it would be like to play a Quishadi or a Merman?This book will help you find out by giving you guide-lines for creating characters using those races that haveseldom—if ever before—considered likely PC races.

Just as importantly, Races & Cultures marks asubstantial departure from the way that Rolemaster hashandled in the past the matter of a character’s racial andcultural influences. In both Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplayingand Character Law, race and culture, though theoreticallyseparate concepts, are in fact tightly integrated. For themost part, each race has its own distinct culture, regardlessof where a given community lives and what it does tosustain itself. Under this conception of race and culture, aDwarf who lives in a mining community hidden in thehills all of his life is subject to the same exact set of culturalinfluences as a Dwarf who was raised in a bustling,ethnically diverse metropolis.

Races & Cultures explicitly separates race and cultureinto two separate templates, allowing you to mix andmatch one template from each category when you arecreating a character. This creates a much broader rangeof possibilities for the character creation process.

WHAT IS RACE AND WHAT IS CULTURE?

The race templates present information that isinherent in a race’s biology or physiology, as well asracial characteristics that act as modifiers on whatever


INTRODUCTION

on. Two templates, Mining and Rural, describe a wayof life closely tied to a certain type of terrain.

These characteristics include manner of dress,collective hopes, fears and prejudices, as well as predomi-nant religious beliefs, social patterns, preferred profes-sions and hobbies, and background options. Culturetemplates also have some languages attached to them,allowing for the fact that environment can influence boththe number and nature of non-native languages that acharacter knows. Sub-cultural templates nested withinthe major culture templates allow for some variations inlifestyle on each cultural theme. They allow you to fine-tune your PC, and to trade off some advantages forothers that are unique to that sub-culture. All in all,culture templates acknowledge that communities thatlive in similar physical environments share characteristicsthat cut across racial boundaries. For instance, the Deserttemplate accounts for the fact that a Common Manraised by a tribe of desert nomads shares just as muchwith a Half-Orc who also hails from a desert tribe as hedoes with another Common Man who has lived all of hislife on a farm in a lush mountain valley.

MESHING RACES AND CULTURES WITH

SHADOW WORLD

Races & Cultures expands on many of the impor-tant races described in the Shadow World Master Atlas,giving you the same amount of information on themthat is available for the RMFRP and ChL core races. Notall of the Shadow World races are described here, but allof the races that overlap with standard Rolemaster racesor monsters are represented, as well as a scattering ofmortal, immortal and even alien races.

A NOTE ON THE CONTENTS

Part I provides 24 racial templates for use withRolemaster. Rolemaster veterans should note that all ofthe basic races described in RMFRP and ChL are present,but some racial classifications have been combined andreclassified. High Men and Common Men are foldedinto a single entry for Men. Wood Elves, High Elves andGrey Elves are all folded into a single entry for Elves.Greater Orcs and Common Orcs are combined into asingle entry for Orcs. This reclassification does not erasethe distinctions between these various sub-races, andyou’ll find that all of the new entries preserve a sense ofhow Wood Elves differ from Grey Elves, and so on. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs remain separate races.

Condensing the standard races creates room todiscuss how you might use some of the unusual racesfrom Creatures & Monsters to create PCs. Part I ofRaces & Cultures includes entries for 15 monster racesfrom C&M, including Centaurs, Sohleugir, Shuikmarand Urlocs, and treats them with the same depth asthe standard character races.

Many of these races overlap with races described inthe Shadow World Master Atlas, and those cases are sonoted. Troglodytes in C&M bear great similarities to theTrogli in the Shadow World, and so one entry suffices forboth. The same is true of Mermen in C&M and

Mermen/Merfolk in the Shadow World, and so on. Part Iof Races and Cultures also covers five exotic races that areunique to the Shadow World: the Droloi, Jhordi, Laan,Lennai, and Umli. Of these, the Laan and the Umli arefolded into the entry for Men, since they are two of theShadow World’s mortal ‘mannish’ races.

Part II provides 11 culture templates and a varietyof sub-cultural variations on those templates withwhich you can mix and match racial templates, asappropriate. They cover a broad range of archetypesthat are based either on the environment in which thegroup lives, the group’s predominant way of making aliving, or both. Part II also provides a chart showingadolescent development ranks for each template.

Part III walks you through the character creationprocess, incorporating the changes described in thisbook to how Rolemaster conceives of race and culture.It doesn’t dwell on the parts of the process alreadyfamiliar to experienced Rolemaster players, butprovides concrete examples of how to use the infor-mation in Races and Cultures.

A NOTE ON ABBREVIATIONS

This work uses abbreviations as a shorthand wayof referencing certain Rolemaster core books andsourcebooks, as well as certain game terms. Here is akey to them:

Game Systems and SupplementsC&M Creatures and MonstersChL Character LawR&C Races and CulturesRMFRP Rolemaster Fantasy RoleplayingSWMA Shadow World Master Atlas

Character AttributesAg AgilityAp AppearanceCo ConstitutionEm EmpathyIn IntuitionMe MemoryPr PresenceRe ReasoningSD Self DisciplineSt Strength

Game TermsAT Armor TypeDP Development Pointgp gold piece(s)PC Player CharacterPP Power PointsRR Resistance Rollsp silver piece(s)Stat Statistic or CharacteristicGM Game Master


RACES

PART I: RACES

races also share a common tongue called Undersea.In addition, each of Kulthea’s major continents has

its own regional language. These tongues represent theneed for different communities who share the sameliving space to find a way to communicate with eachother, even when they are of different races. They alsoreflect the tendency of neighboring communities toborrow words and concepts for each other when theyspeak different languages. These regional languagesfunction as a lingua franca for the various corners ofKulthea. The principal languages are: Agyra, Emer,Falias, Folenn, Gaalt, Govon, Iyxia, Jaiman, Kelestia,Mulira, Murlis, Mythenia, Palia and Thuul.

Kulthea’s major extinct races, the Aldari, Jinteniand Worim, have their own distinct languages as well.They are all dead languages, as they are no longer widelyspoken. But these tongues persist into the present daynonetheless, and those who have a scholarly interest inor ancestral connection to these races continue to studythem. They are particularly useful for studying artifacts

of Kulthea’s long-lost history.Each of the five elite groups

in Kulthea—the Loremasters,the Navigators, the Jerak

Ahrenrath, theDragonlords and the

Heralds of Night—hastheir own guild

This section profiles 24 different races (and manydifferent sub-races) from RMFRP and SWMA,although it should be noted that races that occur inboth are consolidated into a single entry, even whenthey go by different names in each setting. Sub-racesof the same race are also consolidated into one entry.So, for instance, Common Orcs and Greater Orcs areboth discussed in a single entry, called “Orcs.” Sincethe Lugrôki of the Shadow World are almost identicalto the Orcs of RMFRP, they are also folded into thatentry, with the differences between them noted.

The topics covered within each entry explainthemselves, for the most part. However, three topicsdeserve some preliminary discussion as to their whysand wherefores.

LANGUAGES IN SHADOW WORLD

The SWMA does not comment extensively on thelanguages of Kulthea, so it is a good idea to discuss them atgreater length here. Every race in the Shadow World has itsown native racial tongue, whichevery character receives atcreation at S8/W4. For acomplete catalogue ofthese languages, consultthe catalogue of racesin SWMA. Mermenand other aquatic


RACES

languages. These languages may be understood asprivate systems of communication consisting ofobscure code words, hand signals, etc. that membersof the organization use to interact discreetly when theyare afraid of being overheard. These must be acquired,just like any Communication skill. They may never bechosen as a starting language, an adolescent develop-ment pick, or a background language

Three of Kulthea’s languages have divine status.They represent, quite literally, the speech of the gods.Orhan is the language common to the Lords of Orhanand the Spirits of Orhan. Those spell-users who reverethe Lords of Orhan and channel their power alsoknow this language, although they are not alwaysfluent in it. Nymphs have their own language, calledDryadic. Lennai, whose communities are headed byDryads, speak Dryadic, and most Sylvan races havesome members who know at least a little of it. TheDark Gods and Dark Spirits also have their ownlanguage, Charon. As with the devotees of the Lords ofOrhan, spell-users who wish to channel the power ofthe Dark Gods know at least a little of that language.

Lastly, it is worth noting the tongues of Demons.There are various forms of Demonic language, andalthough they are utterly alien to the races of Kulthea,those who dare to summon and channel the fearfulpower of these beings must know how to speak themin order to accomplish this terrible purpose. AllDemons of the Essaence share more or less the samelanguage, so that knowing how to communicate withone type also allows you to communicate with theothers. The different types of the Demons of the Voideach have their own distinct language, however.Demons of the Pale, or Outsiders, speak Charonbecause of their close association with the Dark Gods.The various Demons of the Outer Planes and theOuter Void each speak their own separate language.No study of them has ever been made, because thevery sound of them can drive a typical Kulthean mad.

MEN IN SHADOW WORLD

The classification ‘Men’ means something ratherdifferent in SWMA than in RMFRP. ‘Men,’ as such, donot exist in the Shadow World. Instead, there are awide variety of mortal races, encompassing a truly vastrange of physical traits and cultural features. Nonethe-less, most of these races are deemed to share enough incommon so that they are considered ‘Mannish.’ Notall mortal races are Mannish, but most of them are.The Anzeti, Dúranaki, Fustir-Gost, Haid, Ilourians,Jaaderi, Jameri, Jineri, Kinsai, Kuluku, Laan, Lydians,Muradani, Ochu, Quaidu, Rasha-ai, Rhiani, Shay,Synshari, Syrkakar, Talath, Thesians, Umli, Y’kin,Y’nari and Zjedrahir are all Mannish, or human races.

Nevertheless, for the sake of easy reference, wehave decided to lump Men and the Mannish races ofSWMA together in one entry in R&C. The entry onMen discusses the two core races mentioned inRMFRP and their hybrid offspring mentioned in ChL(Common Men, High Men and Mixed Men), as wellas two of the Shadow World Mannish races, the Laanand the Umli.

TABLES

Each racial entry contains charts that should befamiliar to every experienced Rolemaster player.They contain information needed for creating andrunning characters: stat bonus modifications, RRmodifications, healing and injury, special progres-sion, and movement and combat. However, sincethis book is aimed primarily at helping you createplayer characters, it should be noted that the entriesfor AT and Attacks are largely meaningless for thatpurpose. They reflect typical members of that raceor sub-race, and should not restrict the individualchoices that you make when you create a character.This information is useful for GMs when creatingnon-player characters, however.

CENTAURS

Centaurs are intelligent beings whose upperbodies resemble that of a Man, but whose lower bodiesresemble that of an animal. In RMFRP there are sevendifferent sub-races of Centaur, with each named afterthe animal whom it most resembles in the lower body:Bull Centaurs, Deer Centaurs, Horse Centaurs, LionCentaurs, Lizard Centaurs, Scorpion Centaurs andSpider Centaurs. Horse Centaurs, Lion Centaurs andLizard Centaurs are described below in greater detail.

Centaurs in the Shadow World correspond closelyto Horse Centaurs. They are reclusive by nature,having had unpleasant dealings with other intelligentraces in the distant past. They live scattered through-out Kulthea, usually in small population groups. Theirlargest and most important concentration can befound in the Onel Hills region of Govon, where theylive as herders. Here, their numbers have beengrowing in recent years. The Centaurs of the OnelHills are unusually gregarious, and they also have theireye on expanding their domain.


RACES

HORSE CENTAUR

Horse Centaurs are noted for their lack of interestin material possessions. They consider themselves abreed of philosophers and scholars, more interested inknowledge and wisdom than in wealth.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Build: Horse Centaurs have the lower body of a horseand the upper body of a well-proportioned Man.

Coloring: Horse Centaurs have the full range of colora-tion available to horses in the lower body, whiletheir upper body has human flesh tones.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Horse Centaurs range in height from 6'6"-7'4".

Life Span: Horse Centaurs have an average life expect-ancy of 150 years.

Resistance: NormalSpecial Abilities: None.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Among Centaurs,Horse Centaurs make the best Healers andMystics because of their strong bonuses inIntuition and Presence.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Languages: Starting Languages: All Centaurs speak a com-mon language that varies only slightly between sub-races. They receive Centaur-speech (S8/W6) as a start-ing language. Allowed Adolescent Development: HorseCentaurs receive Centaur-speech (S10/W10), Com-mon-speech (S6/W6) and Plains-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Horse Centaurs do not get along terriblywell with Bull Centaurs. Otherwise, as is the casewith most Centaur sub-races, they have no un-usual prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Horse Centaurs show no un-usual religious tendencies.

Preferred Professions: None, and none prohibited.

Special Skills: Everyman: Foraging, Hiding,Hunting, Stalking, Tracking. Restricted: AllAthletics, Gymnastics.

TYPICAL CULTURES

As a general rule, Horse Centaurs should use thePlains template. In the Shadow World, Centaurs mayuse the Highland, Plains, Rural or Sylvan templates,depending on where and how they live. The Centaursof the Onel Hills, for instance, should use the High-lands template, since they live as herders in a hilly areathat is sufficiently fertile to support them, but not lushenough to generate excess food stocks.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Horse Centaur might be a Mystic or aHealer who answers a request for his particularprofessional skills.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Horse Centaurs receive five background options.Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed

above: Common-speech (S8/W8) and High-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Any coins, gems or jeweled objects.

Special Items: All are available.

Talents: Centaurs may not choose Extra Limbs (+3);they have six limbs as it is, so having that manyextras would only make them clumsier. Otherwise,all are available.


RACES

LION CENTAUR

Lion Centaurs are proud—some would sayhaughty—by nature. Their society is rigid andhierarchical in that they generally settle disputes bycontests, whether martial, athletic or otherwise. Inthese rituals, emerging victorious is all-important, asthe loser feels intense pressure to exile himself fromthe community, or even commit suicide to atone forhis disgrace.

Lion Centaurs are social beings in that they donot like to live alone. Within larger settlements, theytend to congregate in extended families that canresemble lion hunting packs in their structure.


Build: Lion Centaurs have the lower body of a lion and theupper body of a Man. Both males and females alikehave fair hair that they allow to grow long and flowing.

Coloring: Coloration for Lion Centaurs depends from thelatitude to which they are native, with those who liveclosest to the equator having hides that are tan orgolden brown. Lion Centaurs, who live in the far Northor South, on the other hand, may have white hides.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Lion Centaurs range in height from 5'6"-6'7".

Life Span: Lion Centaurs have an average life expectancyof 100 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities: Natural Attack: Lion Centaurs haveretractable claws that they may use instead of meleeweapons. They may make unarmed attacks as Me-dium Claw attacks.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Among Centaurs, LionCentaurs make the best Fighters because theyhave the best Strength and Constitution bonuses,as well as their fearsome claw attack.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Languages: Starting Languages: Centaur-speech (S8/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development: Lion Centaurs re-ceive Centaur-speech (S10/W10), Common-speech(S6/W6) and Plains-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Lion Centaurs are proud by nature, but haveno particular racial prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Lion Centaurs show no unusualreligious tendencies.



TYPICAL CULTURES

As a general rule, Lion Centaurs should use thePlains template. They normally live on semi-aridplains and savannahs.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Lion Centaurs make good Fighters. They arestrong and hardy, and proud and fierce by tempera-ment. A good Fighter of either sub-race would havethe respect of his tribe, no matter what his formalrank. Because of that, it would be hard to refuse achallenge of the sort that an invitation to adventurewould present. Regardless of whether or not he reallywanted to leave home, a Centaur Fighter could notturn down the opportunity to go on an interestingquest. The shame of refusal would be too much tobear. Alternately, a Centaur Fighter might leave homefor an adventurer’s life by compulsion, having lost asingle combat with another Centaur. His tribe wouldthen cast him into exile, and he would considerhimself lucky to escape with that.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Lion Centaurs receive five background options.Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed





HORSE CENTAUR RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

LIZARD CENTAUR

Lizard Centaurs are loners. They usually live bythemselves or in small groups, gathering into largercommunities only for rare ceremonial occasions.Some spend their lives wandering the world, searchingfor knowledge and adventure. They have been knownto live among the Sohleugir, for whom they have somefellow feeling.


Build: Lizard Centaurs have the lower body of a four-legged reptile with thick legs and muscular thighs.

Coloring: The scaly lower bodies of Lizard Centaurs areusually mottled green, gray, black and blue.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Lizard Centaurs range in height from5'3"-6'10".

Life Span: Horse Centaurs have an average life expect-ancy of 150 years.

Resistance: NormalSpecial Abilities: None.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Among Centaurs, LizardCentaurs make the best Monks.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Languages: Starting Languages: All Centaurs speak acommon language that varies only slightly betweensub-races. They receive Centaur-speech (S8/W6) asa starting language. Allowed Adolescent Develop-

ment: Centaur-speech (S10/W10), Common-speech(S6/W6) and Sea-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Lizard Centaurs feel comfortable living amongSohleugir. Otherwise, as is the case with most Cen-taur sub-races, they have no unusual prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Lizard Centaurs show no unusualreligious tendencies.



TYPICAL CULTURES

Lizard Centaurs usually congregate in coastalareas, so they should use the Littoral template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Lizard Centaurs are wanderers by nature, so theyadapt to an adventurer’s life more easily than otherCentaurs. A Lizard Centaur Monk might decide totravel the world just for the amusement of it. As aMonk, he has little attachment to worldly thingsanyway, and he would not hesitate to pick up andleave for a place or a quest that interested him.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Lizard Centaurs receive five background options.Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed


LION CENTAUR RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES




DROLOI

The Droloi are a strange and disquieting presencein the Shadow World. While they are not the mostalien race in terms of their appearance or behavior(the Krylites and the Saurkur are generally regarded asmore strange), one look at them can inspire the beliefthat some part of their ancestry comes from outsideKulthea. The fact that they have four dark, protrudingeyes (one pair positioned above the other) probablyexplains much of this prejudice, but on the whole,Droloi do not make an aesthetically pleasing package.

Droloi are unique to the Shadow World. Theyhave no large or terribly important population centers,not even in the Ash Lairs. Instead, they live in smallgroups scattered around Kulthea.


Build: Droloi are human in shape, but have long, clawedhands and disproportionately large feet. They weigh100 pounds on average.

Coloring: Droloi have pale, leathery skin and dark eyes.They have no body or head hair.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Droloi range in height from 4'6"-5'8".

Life Span: Droloi have an average life expectancy of 100years.

Resistance: Droloi have an unusual tolerance for naturalcold. They receive +20 DB and RR bonuses versuscold attacks, unless the temperature of the coldattack is below freezing.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Droloi have a truly extraordinaryability to see in the dark, the benefit of theirnatural acclimation to living out of the light, aswell as having four eyes. They can see on a star-lit or moonlit night as if it were broad daylight.Even in pitch dark (non-magical) they can see upto 50' perfectly and up to 100' reasonably well.

� They suffer no penalties in broad daylight.� Natural Armor: Their leathery skin gives an

unarmored Droloi an AT of 3.� Natural Attack: The sharp claws on their

hands allow Droloi to make unarmed attacksas Medium Claw attacks.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Their night visionallows Droloi to function exceptionally well incaves and underground environments, and theydo not have any corresponding weaknesseswhen operating in daylight.

Droloi work best as Fighters, as their strongestattributes (indeed, their only strong attributes),Strength and Constitution, correspond with thosemost important to that profession. They do notmake the best Thieves, as they are relatively weak inAgility and Quickness. Also, their penalties toPresence and Appearance ensure that they are notas effective in social situations as most races.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Droloi (S8/W4) and na-tive regional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Droloi (S10/W10) and native regionallanguage (S10/W10).

Prejudices: Droloi have no particular prejudices, anddespite their general reputation, they are not a par-ticularly evil race. They will fight back if attacked,just like anyone else, but they carry no unusualmalice in their hearts. They do, however, have aSubterranean race’s natural bias against aboveground races.

Religious Attitudes: Droloi are very cryptic with outsid-ers when it comes to their religious beliefs. They hint,but never say explicitly, that they worship the DarkGods. This leads many outsiders to assume that theyhave an evil nature, even though they do not.

Preferred Professions: Droloi favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Natural Attack. Restricted:None.

Typical Cultures: One may describe Droloi as beings ofdarkness in a very literal sense, as well as for the factthat they are widely believed to be the spawn ofDemons and mortals. They live underground and incaverns, so the Subterranean template makes themost sense for them. Only rarely will you find themliving above ground, and their freakish appearancemakes it difficult for them to live comfortably in cities.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Droloi are not terribly popular, even among otherSubterranean races (and Subterranean races in general arenot terribly popular with surface dwellers). In the volatilepolitical ecology of the Ash Lairs, therefore, Droloi mustdevote themselves to the protection of their race, no matterwhat their profession. It is rare that a Droloi wouldconsent to leave home, but it is possible that he would doso on an errand to help his community, or if offered asuitable reward to serve as a guide.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Droloi receive five background options.

Extra Languages: Charon (S4/W4) and Murlogi(S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.


Talents: All are available.


RACES

DWARVES

As a race, Dwarves have a universal reputation forruggedness, practicality, unwavering loyalty—andstubbornness. They are intensely clannish and standup for their fellow Dwarves regardless of circumstanceand come what may. Most Dwarves live among rockyhighlands and mountain caverns, where they mine theearth for its riches. They love precious metals andgems, but also recognize the value of commonindustrial metals. They are superior craftsmen, and thekeenness and strength of their weapons, as well as thebeauty and power of their artifacts, are the stuff oflegends.

Dwarves have an unusually high ratio (2 to 1) ofmales to females. As a consequence, their rate ofreproduction is unusually low. Dwarven women arerarely seen in public.

Dwarves in the Shadow World are also known asNomari. In outward appearance, there are no realdifferences between the Dwarves in RMFRP andDwarves in the Shadow World. There are physiologicaldifferences, and they are noted in Resistance and SpecialAbilities (see below). There are also some importantcultural distinctions, which are noted below.

The great underground city of Burdok-Rhu onFalias is the most important Dwarven populationcenter on Kulthea. The Dwarves who live in thesurrounding mountain vales help support the citythrough extensive farming. Dwarves also live in Govon

in significant numbers. The city of Baku-jagum liesunderneath the Wyrmian Mountains, and theDwarves also maintain five smaller cities underneaththe Jomeloto range.


Build: Both male and female Dwarves have stockybodies with exceptionally strong limbs. Malesaverage 150 pounds in weight. Females average135 pounds.

Coloring: Dwarves have fair or ruddy complexions;they spend a lot of time underground and don’tget out in the sunlight very much. They haveblack, red or brown hair.

Endurance: Dwarves have truly exceptional stamina.They receive a +21 bonus to exhaustion points.

Height: Male Dwarves average 4'9" in height. Femalesaverage 4'5".

Life Span: The average life expectancy of a Dwarfranges from 200-400 years.

Resistance: Dwarves are famous for their physicaltoughness and their ability to withstand extremeconditions. They receive +30 DB and RR bonusesversus heat and cold attacks.

Dwarves in the Shadow World lack the ability toendure extreme cold, however. In fact, it makes themsluggish and they suffer –20 DB and RR penaltiesversus cold attacks. They can compensate for thisweakness through hibernation (see Special Abilities,below), but this tactic is not without its drawbacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Dwarves possess an extraordinaryability to see in poor lighting conditions. Evenin very dim light, they can see up to 50'perfectly, and reasonably well up to 100'. Theycan see 10' in total darkness (non-magical).

� Hibernation (Nomari): The Dwarves ofKulthea may cope with their vulnerability toextreme cold by voluntarily shutting downtheir bodies and going into a state of hiberna-tion. In order to hibernate, they must find aquiet, sheltered place where they can restundisturbed. While in this state, they lose theirDB and RR penalties against cold attacks (seeResistance, above), but in all other respectsthey are inert and insensible, as if asleep.Unlike sleep, however, this state of hibernationmay last for months or even years—as long asthe hibernating Dwarf wishes. He awakens atwill, and afterward he may ignore the DB andRR penalties against cold attacks for a periodequal to the time that he just spent hibernat-ing. He may also be woken up against his will.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Dwarves functionexceptionally well in the darkness of caves andunderground environments, as befits a race of

DROLOI RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

miners. Unlike many underground races, they areperfectly comfortable in direct sunlight as well.

Dwarves work best as Fighters, as two of theirstrongest attributes, Strength and Constitution,correspond with those most important to thatprofession. They do not make the best Thieves, asthey are relatively weak in both Agility andQuickness. In fact, Fighter is the only professionfor which strength in one key attribute is not offsetby weakness in another. Also, their penalties toPresence and Appearance ensure that they are notterribly useful in social situations.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Among themselves,Dwarves speak Dwarvish (S8/W6). They guard

their native racial tongue as a secret that they keepamong themselves, and they never use it aroundnon-Dwarves. In mixed company, they useCommon-speech (S5/W5) and sometimes Elvish(S4/W4). Allowed Adolescent Development:Dwarvish (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10), Hill-speech (S2/W2), Plains-speech (RankS6/W6) and Wood-speech (Rank S6/W6).

Nomari: Starting Languages: Dwarvish (S8/W4). Theirnative racial language is not as closely held asecret among Dwarves as it is in the world ofRMFRP, but very few outsiders know it all thesame. Native regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Dwarvish (S10/W8),native regional language (S10/W8), Loari (S4/W4), Dyari (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Dwarves hate Orcs and Dragons,both implacable foes for uncounted

generations. In fact, they instinctivelydislike all of the underground racesthat worship dark gods and revel incruelty and destruction (Goblins,Trolls, and so on). They are alsosuspicious of Elves, a distrust thatprobably has to more to do withthe strangeness of Sylvan culturethan anything else.

Nomari hate all demons.They also regard Murlogi astheir mortal foes. Most otherraces they treat with meresuspicion. However, they sharesome degree of fellow feelingwith the most mechanicallyinclined Elven sub-races, theLoari and Dyari.

Religious Attitudes: Dwarvesrevere their ancestors aboveall else, except for theircreator deity. They alsobelieve that each Dwarvenbloodline has a commonspirit that permeates eachmember of it, binding all ofthem together in spiritualunion. These beliefs cometogether in the notion thateach Dwarven king inheritsa tangible spiritual essencefrom each of his predeces-sors, linking him to themand vice-versa.

In the Shadow World,Nomari each have theirown local patron deity.Most Dwarves also reverethe Lord of Orhan Iorak,and their devotion is so


RACES

intense that they are, in some ways, the mostreligious of Kulthea’s mortal races. A fewrenegade Dwarves turn against the race’sdominant beliefs, however, and worship darkgods and the Unlife.

Preferred Professions: Dwarves favor Fighter as aprofession, the result of their innate physicaltoughness and temperamental pugnacity.

On the other hand, Dwarves do not excelat Essence or Mentalism spell use, and neverpursue those Professions. They generally scoffat the ways of Elves or other conjurers.Instead, they prefer to use magical power tocraft physical items, trusting more in theirpermanence than in temporary effects.

Special Skills: Everyman: Caving, Leather-crafts,Metal-crafts, Mining, Stone-crafts [Crafts],Survival (Underground). Restricted: Swimming.

Typical Cultures: The Mining culture template bestfits a typical Dwarven background. Despite thefact that C&M describes them as an “Under-ground” race, their way of life fits the Miningtemplate much better than Subterranean. A fewDwarves live in cities and are sufficiently im-mersed in metropolitan ways to make the variousurban sub-cultural templates suitable for them.

Nomari may use the Mining, Rural or Subterra-nean (some communities do live entirely under-ground) templates

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A concept for a Dwarven character could takeinto account his inherent racial prejudices. Perhaps hecomes from a mining colony endangered by a power-ful Dragon. His home community lacks the means toslay it, but if he goes abroad and finds a useful magicweapon, or training at arms, he might be able to defeatit. The same motivation could drive him if hiscommunity was menaced by a tribe of Orcs, or amarauding Troll clan. Such a character ought ideallyto be a Fighter, given the Dwarves’ inherent strengths,but other professions are also suitable.

As for Dwarves who live in the big city, it is worthnoting for character creation purposes that they don’talways achieve great success. A Dwarf who makes asteady living as a smith or a trader is common enough,but also a little dull. Unless a dramatic or catastrophicor dramatic event pulls him out of the comfortableroutine of his existence, he has no reason to goadventuring. But a Dwarf who has met with failure—the collapse of his business, for whatever reason—hasplenty of motivation to try to make a living byunconventional or less than respectable means.Perhaps he has taken to giving wrestling exhibitionsfor money, or wastes his days getting into drunkenbrawls at a local public house. Perhaps Dwarves havebecome a hated minority in his city, and he takes tothe road for fear of his life.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Dwarves get five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: High-speech (S5/W5), South-speech (S4/W4) and North-speech (S5/W5).

Nomari: Loari (S8/W6), Dyari (S8/W6) and Murlogi(S6/W6).

Extra Money: Any coins, gems or jeweled objects. If aDwarf qualifies as sufficiently wealthy to havemithril coins, he will always carry at least one onhis person as a lucky talisman. In such a case, hewill never part with it for any reason.

Special Items: Spell items may only contain Channel-ing spells. Dwarven weapons are of superiorworkmanship and forged from high-quality steel.

Talents: Dwarves may not select mystical talents.However, for one background option, a Dwarfmay select one of the following talents (bothfor two options): 1) a 50% chance of sensingthe presence of mechanical traps (GM shouldroll); or 2) superior orienting abilities whileunderground, so that the character alwaysknows the direction of true north and theapproximate elevation of his present location.

A Dwarf may also select Unnatural Stamina(Minor Talent) without a flaw for only twobackground options instead of three.

DWARVES RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

ELVES

Elves are a powerful race whose natural immortality,grace, inherent special abilities and skill at craft lend themmore than a touch of enchantment, as far as mortals areconcerned. There are three Elven sub-races in RMFRP:Wood Elves, Grey Elves and High Elves.

Elves exist in the Shadow World, but they divideinto sub-groups rather differently than they do inRMFRP and ChL. There are five Elven sub-groups inthe Shadow World: Linaeri, Loari, Dyari, Erlini andShuluri. The first three are closely related and make uptheir own sub-race, the Iylar.

WOOD ELVES

Wood Elves are the most numerous of the threeElven sub-races in RMFRP. They live in the woods,forests and mountains, in settlements that affect arustic air, but are in fact just as rich and culturallyadvanced as the cities of Men. Many Wood Elvesaccept Grey Elf or High Elf overlords as their rulers.They are famed for their love of music, and they aresuperb musicians, even by Elven standards.


Build: Wood Elves are shorter than the otherElven sub-races, and slender of build. Malesaverage about 150 pounds in weight. Femalesaverage about 125 pounds.

Coloring: Wood Elves have light-colored hair andblue, gray or green eyes.

Endurance: All Elves have better than averagestamina. They can endure 16-20 hours of travelper day without unusual fatigue. Also, Elves donot need sleep. Instead, they rest by meditatingand recalling memories in a trance-like state.Typically, they require two hours of this medita-tion per day, and it restores Power Points as per anormal night’s sleep. In a pinch, however, theycan function for many days with little or no relief(however, they still need to meditate for twohours per night to recover Power Points).

Height: Wood Elves are the shortest of the RMFRP Elvensub-races. Males average 6'0" in height and femalesaverage 5'9", making them no taller than High Men.

Life Span: Wood Elves are immortal. They die onlythrough violence or mischance, or if they weary oflife and lose the will to live.

Resistance: Wood Elves are practically immune to allforms of natural illness. They receive a +100 RRbonus versus disease. They are also resistant toextremes of natural cold. Wood Elves have +10DB and RR bonuses versus cold attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Wood Elves can see on a star-litor moonlit night as if it were full daylight. Inconditions darker than that, they need a light


RACES

source to see, and their vision extends to 50'feet (perfect vision) and 100' (they can seereasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Superb Hearing: Wood Elves have especiallygood hearing, even by Elven standards. Inaddition to the standard +10 bonus toAwareness maneuvers that involve onlyhearing that all Elves receive, they get a +10bonus to Base Spell attacks from the Bard spelllists, as well as a +10 bonus to their Trickeryskill and their Stalking and Hiding skill.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Elves receive noteworthybonuses to over half of their attributes, making theman exceptionally strong race. Their attribute bonusesmake Wood Elves are well suited for Thief (not thatElves would pride themselves on thieving for aliving, however) and Dabbler as chosen professions.They are especially well suited to become Bards,since they receive bonuses to Memory and Presence,have performing skills as Everyman skills, and abonus to Base Spell attacks from the Bard spell lists.Oddly enough, however, none of the other spell-using professions jump out as natural fits, because oftheir severe penalty to Self-Discipline.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Elvish (S10/W10),Grey-Elvish (S8/W6), Common-speech (S8/W6)and High-Elvish (S4/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Grey-Elvish (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10), High-Elvish (S10/W10), High-speech (S4/W4), Plains-speech (S8/W8) andWood-speech (S8/W8).

Prejudices: All Elves hate Orcs and Dragons, whomthey regard as their enemies since time immemo-rial. Wood Elves also dislike Dwarves, and regardMen with suspicion. They enjoy their seclusionand they resent the intrusions of Woodfolk upontheir Sylvan habitat.

Religious Attitudes: For Elves in general, religion is aninformal matter, and revolves around communalrituals and personal meditation. Elven communi-ties may not have any gods in the same sense thatcommunities of mortals do. Elves are, after all,immortal, so they already have an aspect ofgodhood as part of their birthright, and they havesome right to look at deities as peers.

Preferred Professions: Wood Elves favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Music, Play Instrument,Trickery, Wood-crafts. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Wood Elves use the Sylvan or Aerialtemplate, depending on whether they hail fromthe woods and forests or the mountains.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Wood Elves are probably the least adventurous ofthe RMFRP Elven sub-races. They cherish the Sylvanlife and don’t like to go far from their beloved forest.They are, in this way, simpler and less ambitious thantheir cousins. Nonetheless, it is also true that manyWood Elves live in domains ruled by High Elvennobles, to whom they defer as a matter of instinct. It’squite conceivable that a Wood Elf might go abroad ona mission by order of his liege. He wouldn’t like it, buthe would obey.

A Wood Elf Bard, on the other hand, might goabroad in search of new material, or to seek hisfortune. His desire to leave home would raiseeyebrows among his peers, but that need not stopone so bold.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Wood Elves get four background options.

Extra Languages: High-speech (S8/W8), South-speech(S6/W6) and Black-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Gems.


Talents: All are available. In addition, for one back-ground option a Wood Elf may select the follow-ing talent: special affinity with trees and woodlandfoliage, so that all physical activities performed bythe character get a special +15 bonus when inforested terrain.

WOOD ELF RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

GREY ELVES

Grey Elves are also known as Sea Elves because oftheir gift for seafaring and shipbuilding and their loveof the sea. They settle in towns and havens by theocean. They lack their sylvan cousins’ talent for musicand they cannot match the High Elves’ craftsmanship,but the achievements of their civilization are still theenvy of mortal races.

They also have a reputation as the most sedate ofthe Elven sub-races. They are less playful than WoodElves, and less openly passionate than High Elves.Nonetheless, Grey Elves are capable of deep feeling,and it is said that once their emotions are aroused theyare not easily shifted.


Build: Grey Elves are almost as tall as High Elves, butmore slightly built. Males average 190 pounds inweight. Females average between 155 pounds.

Coloring: Grey Elves have fair skin and vary slightly in hairand eye color, depending on sub-species. Grey Elveshave light-colored hair and pale blue or gray eyes.

Endurance: Grey Elves have better than average stamina.They can endure 16-20 hours of travel per daywithout unusual fatigue. Also, Elves do not needsleep. Instead, they rest by meditating and recallingmemories in a trance-like state. Typically, they requiretwo hours of this meditation per day, and it restoresPower Points as per a normal night’s sleep. In a pinch,however, they can function for many days with littleor no relief (however, they still need to meditate fortwo hours per night to recover Power Points).

Height: Grey Elf males average 6'5" in height, whilefemales average 6'1".

Life Span: Grey Elves are immortal. They die onlythrough violence or mischance, or if they weary oflife and lose the will to live.

Resistance: Grey Elves are practically immune to all formsof natural illness. They receive a +100 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes of naturalcold. They receive a +15 bonus versus cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Grey Elves can see on astar-lit or moonlit night as if it were full daylight.In conditions darker than that, they need a lightsource to see, and their vision extends to 50' feet(perfect vision) and 100' (they can see reasonablywell). In absolute darkness, however, they can seeno better than Men.

� Superb Hearing: Grey Elves receive a +10bonus to Awareness maneuvers involvingonly hearing.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Elves receive noteworthybonuses to over half of their attributes, makingthem an exceptionally strong race. Grey Elves arewell suited for Thief (not that they would pridethemselves on thieving for a living, however) and

Dabbler as chosen professions, as well as Bard.Oddly enough, however, none of the other spell-using professions jump out as natural fits becauseof their weakness in Self-Discipline.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Grey-Elvish (S10/W10),Common-speech (S8/W6), Elvish (S8/W6) andHigh-Elvish (S6/W4). Allowed Adolescent Develop-ment: Common-speech (S10/W10), Elvish (S10/W10), High-Elvish (S8/W8), High-speech (S8/W8),Plains-speech (S8/W8) and Wood-speech (S8/W8).

Prejudices: Grey Elves are the most open and friendly ofElven sub-races. No doubt, this is a direct conse-quence of their love of the sea, which takes them ontravels to distant lands and brings them into contactwith a wide variety of races. They get along withMen better than other Elves, and they are uniqueamong their race in that they maintain friendlyrelations with Dwarves.

Religious Attitudes: Grey Elves are relatively cosmopoli-tan as Elves go, and they come into contact with awide variety of religious beliefs and practices.Although they retain Elves disinterest in formalreligion, they respect the beliefs of others. As sailors,they are especially willing to humor those whoworship sea gods, as the have compassion for thosewho cast their fortunes upon the waters. Theyparticipate in rituals meant to appease such godswhen in mixed company, and may even adoptdiluted versions of others’ beliefs for themselves.

Preferred Professions: Grey Elves favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Research, Public Speaking,Sailing. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Grey Elves cannot resist the call ofthe sea, and the Littoral template suits them best.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Grey Elves are the most adventurous of theRMFRP Elven sub-races. A Grey Elf of any professionfeels a strong connection to the sea and wouldembrace the chance to make an ocean voyage to aforeign land. As a general rule, Grey Elves are curiousfolk and relish the opportunity to learn about othercultures. A Grey Elf character who has an opportunityto go adventuring might well look at it in this light.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Grey Elves receive three background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed above:South-speech (S6/W6), Black-speech (S6/W6), Sea-speech (S8/W8) and Orcish (S6/W6). For each back-ground option allocated, a Grey Elf gets two languages.

Extra Money: Gems.




RACES

HIGH ELVES

As their name indicates, High Elves are thenoblest of all the Elven sub-races, the natural aristo-crats of the Elves. They are great builders and un-equalled craftsmen. They carry themselves with aproud demeanor that many take as arrogance. Legends(theirs and others) speak of High Elves having a closerelationship with the demi-gods, and that they stillmaintain ties to divine beings.

High Elves often rule over societies of mixedElven composition. Even if the only High Elves in thecommunity are its governing class, Wood Elves andGrey Elves accept that it is their right to rule.


Build: High Elves are strongest and most sturdily builtof the Elves. The burliest of their kind look morelike High Men than like other Elves. Male HighElves average between 215 pounds in weight.Females average 175 pounds.

Coloring: Most High Elves have dark hair and grayeyes, but a few have fair hair and blue eyes.

Endurance: High Elves have better than averagestamina. They can endure 16-20 hours of travelper day without unusual fatigue. Also, Elves donot need sleep. Instead, they rest by meditatingand recalling memories in a trance-like state.Typically, they require two hours of this medita-tion per day, and it restores Power Points as per a

normal night’s sleep. In a pinch, however, theycan function for many days with little or no relief(however, they still need to meditate for twohours per night to recover Power Points).

Height: High Elves are tallest of the Elven sub-races inRMFRP, with males averaging 6'7" and females 6'3".

Life Span: High Elves are immortal. They die onlythrough violence or mischance, or if they weary oflife and lose the will to live.

Resistance: High Elves receive a +100 RR bonusversus disease. They also receive a +20 bonusversus cold attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Craft Mastery: High Elves’ talent for craft isunmatched by any other race. They receive a+20 bonus to their Attunement skill.

� Dark Vision: Elves can see on a star-lit ormoonlit night as if it were full daylight. Inconditions darker than that, they need a lightsource to see, and their vision extends to 50'feet (perfect vision) and 100' (they can seereasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Superb Hearing: High Elves receive a +10bonus to Awareness maneuvers involvingonly hearing.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Elves receive noteworthybonuses to over half of their attributes, makingthem an exceptionally strong race. High Elves arewell suited for Thief (not that a High Elf wouldsink so low to rely on thieving for a living, how-ever) and Dabbler as chosen professions. They arealso well suited to become Bards since they receivebonuses to Memory and Presence. Oddly enough,however, none of the other spell-using professionsjump out as natural fits for High Elves because theyhave a major weakness in Self-Discipline, which is akey attribute for several spell-using professions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: High-Elvish (S10/W10), Grey-elvish (S8/W6) and Common-speech(S8/W6). Allowed Adolescent Development: Grey-Elvish (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10),North-speech (S6/W6) and Elvish (S8/W8).

Prejudices: Elves hate Orcs and Dragons, whom theyregard as their enemies since time immemorial.High Elves also bear a special enmity towardTrolls. High Elves also treat all Men with at least atouch of condescension, even High Men.

Religious Attitudes: High Elves, as highly skilledcraftsmen, also revere finely wrought physicalobjects and treat them with great respect. As far asorganized religion goes, High Elves are just ascasual as their Elven cousins.

Preferred Professions: As a general rule, Elvesfavor no single profession, nor are any prohib-

GREY ELF RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

ited to them. However, High Elves produce ahigher proportion of Bards than the otherElven sub-races, even the Wood Elves.

Special Skills: Everyman: all skills within the Craftscategory. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: High Elves can live in a variety ofenvironments. High Elves feel entirely comfort-able in cities, and sometimes build cities just forthemselves. If they hail from the woods andforests, they may use the Sylvan template or theWoodfolk sub-culture template. They may alsouse the Aerial template, if the character’s back-ground is appropriate to it.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

High Elves are often nobles who occupy promi-nent positions in mixed Elven communities. As such,they feel a strong sense of responsibility for theirfellow Elves. If any threat to their community pre-sented itself, they would feel obliged to deal with itthemselves. If this meant going on a quest far fromhome, they would undertake it out of duty, if for noother reason.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

High Elves receive two background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: North-speech (S8/W8), Elvish (S10/W10),Black-speech (S6/W6), Woods-speech (S6/W6)and Plains-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Gems.



In addition, a High Elf may select the following talent:Sensitive to the Essence, the way it pools and flows; thissensitivity allows the character to be aware of the presenceof any enchantments or spells (cast by Essence or Mental-ism users only) within 50' (when he concentrates).

DYARI

The Iylar sub-races are highly intelligent, even byElven standards. Along with their cousins the Loari, theDyari are masters of technology, and they are among themost advanced races in Kulthea in this sense. The Dyari,however, tread dark paths, worshipping the Dark Godsand often associating with the Unlife. Whereas the Loarivalue knowledge for its own sake, the Dyari use technol-ogy to acquire wealth and power. Their unbridled andunscrupulous pursuit of knowledge that will bring thempower, whether it be political, magical, physical orspiritual, earns them the nickname of “Dark Elves.”

Dyar are scattered throughout the Shadow World,but their most important center of population is theislands of Khomal off the coast of Falias. They sharethis temperate realm with Lydians and Y’kin, but aDyari aristocracy rules it with an iron fist, keepingtheir own population obedient and outsiders at bay byprojecting menace and inspiring fear.

It is also worth noting that a Dyar sorceress whocalls herself the Raven Queen maintains a massivefortress on an island just north of Gaalt, the Citadel ofthe Raven Queen. She maintains a strong force ofQuaidu to guard her stronghold. For more about theRaven Queen, see Powers of Light & Dark.


Build: Like all Elves, Dyar are lithe and graceful in build.Their ears have more pronounced points than is thecase with other Elven sub-races. Male Dyar average180 pounds in weight. Females average 140 pounds.

Coloring: Dyar are very fair-skinned, but most haveraven-black hair. A few Dyar are born with whitehair. They also have darker colored eyes, whichrange in tint from gray to amber to black.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Dyar range from 5'10"-6'10" in height.

Life Span: Dyar are immortal. They die only throughviolence or mischance, or if they weary of life andlose the will to live.

Resistance: Dyar receive a +150 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes oftemperature. They receive +10 DB and RRbonuses versus both cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Dyar can see up to 30' perfectlyin very dim light. They also receive a +20

HIGH ELF RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2+ 5- 1•2•3•7•0


EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 5- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 6+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 03+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


1 5 1


5 2

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skcattA sllepS/elissiM001/eeleM08


RACES

bonus to all rolls involving visual perception,including detect ambush.

� Superb Hearing: Dyar receive a +20 bonus to allrolls that involve hearing, including detect ambush.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Dyar have more or lessthe same strengths and weaknesses common toother Elven sub-races. They are, however, theonly Elves to receive a bonus to Reasoning,which suits them unusually well to the profes-sions of Magent and Magician.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Dyari (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Dyari (S10/W8),Dwarven (S4/W4), Linaeri (S6/W4), Loari (S6/W4), Murlogi (S6/W6) and native regionallanguage (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Dyar are happy enough to mingle withother races if it will advance the state of theirknowledge, and they do not hesitate to formalliances with even the foulest races if it will helpthem gain power and dominion. As a general rule,though, Dyar are exceedingly vain and haughty,and they consider all other races—even otherIylar—to be inferior beings.

Religious Attitudes: The Dyari respect the Dark Gods,but they do not hold them in awe, as do mortalraces. Their religious practice revolves aroundpersonal communion with the things that theirrace and culture holds most dear. The Dyari,rather like the High Elves of RMFRP, are skilledwith craft and regard well-made objects withspecial reverence. They are also technologists andseekers of knowledge, so the more technologicallyadvanced a thing is, the greater their respect for it.

Preferred Professions: Dyar favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: all skills within the Lore •Technical category, all skills in the Scientific/Analytical group, Operating Equipment, Archi-tecture, Engineering, Machination, Gimmickryand Siege Engineering. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Dyar may use whatever culture or sub-culture template is appropriate to the environmentin which they are raised. Dyar of Khomal wouldprobably use the Littoral template, since they live onan island. But those who live in the jungles ofUbenmas in Agyra would use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Dyar are always curious to learn of anything thatcould help them advance their grasp of technology.This is a racial characteristic that transcends profes-sion. In their own way, they are every bit as open tooutside influences as are Grey Elves. They are particu-larly interested in new materials that can improve

existing technological applications—metals withwhich they are not familiar, new plant species thatyield stronger or more pliable wood, fiber or fabrics.New mechanical processes also spark their interest, asdo powerful magic items. A Dyar PC, no matter whathis profession, might well devote himself to travelingthroughout Kulthea, searching hungrily for newknowledge.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Dyar receive three background picks.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Aldari (S4/W4), Charon (S6/W4), Erlini(S4/W4), Jinteni (S4/W4), Linaeri (S8/W6), Loari(S8/W6) and Shuluri (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.



ERLINI

The Erlini are not an Iylar sub-race, but they doshare the Linaeri’s love of unadorned nature. They aresimilar to the Wood Elves of RMFRP in that they arenot as large or as powerful as their Elven cousins, butthey are characterized by cheerful temperament anddeep attachment to the woods and nature in general.They are also the most numerous Elven sub-race inthe Shadow World, and they live in forested regions

DYARI RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 4+ 02- 1•2•5•6•0

OC 2- ecnessE PPenacrA

EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0

ER 2+ msilatneM PPgnilennahC

DS 5- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2- 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 4+ 051+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 01+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


1 4 2


4 3

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RACES

throughout Kulthea. In some areas they have inter-bred with mortal races (see Half-Elves). In others, theylive as subjects of Loari overlords. On the other hand,Erlini groups that have lived in isolation for a longtime can turn shy and even fearful of outsiders.

Physical Description

Build: Erlini are lithe and slender. Males average170 pounds in weight. Females averagebetween 125 pounds.

Coloring: Erlini are fair-skinned, and usually havedark blond or sandy-colored hair and have blue,green or gray eyes.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Erlini range from 5'8"-6'6" in height.

Life Span: Erlini are immortal. They die only throughviolence or mischance, or if they weary of life andlose the will to live.

Resistance: Erlini receive a +100 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes oftemperature. They receive +10 DB and RRbonuses versus both cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Erlini can see up to 30' perfectlyin very dim light. They also gain a +20 bonusto all rolls involving visual perception,including detect ambush.

� Superb Hearing: Erlini receive a +20 bonus to allrolls that involve hearing, including detect ambush.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Elves receive noteworthybonuses to over half of their attributes, makingthem an exceptionally strong race. Erlini, likealmost every Elven sub-race, are well suited forThief (not that they would pride themselves onthieving for a living, however) and Dabbler aschosen professions. They are also especially wellsuited to become Bards, since they not only receivebonuses to Memory and Presence, but also havemusical Everyman skills. Oddly enough, however,none of the other spell-using professions jump outas natural fits for them because they have a majorweakness in Self-Discipline, which is a key attributefor several spell-using professions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Erlini (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Erlini (S10/W10), Linaeri(S6/W6) and native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Erlini have no strong inbred prejudices for oragainst other races. They generally try to makefriends with their neighbors, as witnessed by the factthat they sometimes interbreed with mortals. Asmentioned above, however, Erlini communities canalso become withdrawn and reclusive if they stayisolated from other races for a long period of time.

Religious Attitudes: Like most of their Elven cousins,the Erlini give the Lords of Orhan proper rever-ence, they do not hold them in awe, as do mortalraces. Their religious practice revolves aroundpersonal communion with their beloved forest.

Preferred Professions: Erlini favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Music, Play Instrument,Trickery and Wood-crafts. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Erlini always use the Sylvan template,except under very unusual circumstances.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Erlini like to keep to themselves and their Sylvanhomelands, so they would need some motivation to goabroad and pursue and adventuring life. On the otherhand, most Erlini are also used to mingling with otherraces, so perhaps an Erlini Bard might decide to goabroad to seek his fortune among neighboring peoples.Or he might find his native songs a little dull, and wantto find other influences to spice up his work.

Another possible hook for an Erlini PC is thepossibility that an adventuring party would need aguide to take through the depths of a particularlyforbidding forest to which the Erlini are native. EachErlini tribe needs warriors and scouts to keep theirlands secure. Why not hire a native?

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Erlini receive three background options.

ERLINI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 4+ 5- 1•2•4•6•0


EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 5- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 2+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 03+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


3 3 5.1


3 3

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RACES

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Centaur (S6/W4), Dyari (S4/W4), Loari(S4/W4), Linaeri (S8/W6), Orhan (S6/W4),Shuluri (S4/W4), and Worim (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.



LINAERI

The Linaeri, like the other Iylar sub-groups, arehighly intelligent, even by Elven standards. Unliketheir fellow Iylar, however, the Linaeri prefer to livesimply. They content themselves with the pleasures ofliving in the forest and making music (all learn to singat an early age), and show relatively little interest intechnology and uncovering new knowledge. Theymuch prefer natural spaces to artificial structures, andtheir homes are always airy and open in their design.They like their dwellings filled with light and warmth,and they try as much as possible to integrate themwith the natural features of their surroundings.

The Linaeri are not confined to any particularcorner of Kulthea; they are happy wherever they canfind a temperate forest. But they have an importantpopulation center on the peninsula of Lys, in southernEmer. Guarded by mountains to the north, a forbid-dingly rocky coastline to the south, and the magic ofthe Linaeri all around, Lys provides these Elves with asafe haven. The Linaeri here keep one of the BaakulPortals hidden and inactive in a sealed chamber thelocation of which they will not divulge to outsiders.


Build: Linaeri are slender and graceful, but a close lookat them also reveals sinewy strength in their limbs.Male Linaer average 180 pounds in weight,depending on height. Females average 140 pounds.

Coloring: Linaer have golden-blond hair, blue eyesand fair skin.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Linaer range from 5'10"-6'10" in height.

Life Span: All Elves are immortal. They die onlythrough violence or mischance, or if they weary oflife and lose the will to live.

Resistance: Linaer receive a +150 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes oftemperature. They receive +10 DB and RRbonuses versus both cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Linaer can see up to 30' perfectlyin very dim light. They also gain a +20 bonusto all rolls involving visual perception,including detect ambush.

� Superb Hearing: Linaer receive a +20 bonusto all rolls that involve hearing, includingdetect ambush.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Elves receive noteworthybonuses to over half of their attributes, making theman exceptionally strong race. Linaei are well suitedfor Thief (not that they would pride themselves onthieving for a living, however) and Dabbler aschosen professions. They are also especially wellsuited to become Bards, since they not only receivebonuses to Memory and Presence, but also have avariety of performing skills as Everyman skills.Oddly enough, none of the other spell-usingprofessions jump out as natural fits because theyhave a major weakness in Self-Discipline, which is akey attribute for several spell-using professions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Linaeri (S8/W4) and nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Linaeri (S10/W8), Dyari (S4/W4), Loari(S6/W4) and native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: The Linaeri have no outstanding racialprejudices. They are open and friendly, except tothose who threaten the sanctity of their sylvandomains. They do not share their fellow Iylar’sfascination with technology, but for the most part,they just roll their eyes at it.

Religious Attitudes: As with most Elves, religion for theLinaeri is an informal matter, and revolves aroundcommunal rituals and personal meditation. Theirreligious practice revolves around personalcommunion with the things that their race andculture holds most dear. The Linaeri, rather like theHigh Elves of RMFRP, are skilled with craft andregard well-made objects with special reverence.

Preferred Professions: Linaer favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Linaeri: Everyman: Dancing, PlayInstrument, Poetic Improvisation, Singing, TaleTelling, Music, Public Speaking. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Linaeri always use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Linaer lack the curiosity of their Iylar cousins, andso the idea of going abroad to search for technologicaldevices and knowledge doesn’t appeal to them.However, their talent as performers might draw themfrom their sylvan homes, either to search for newmaterial or to seek fame and fortune as entertainers.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Linaeri receive two background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Centaur (S6/W4), Dyari (S8/W6), Erlini(S6/W6), Loari (S8/W6), Nymph (S6/W4), Orhan(S6/W4), Shuluri (S4/W4) and Worim (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.




RACES

LOARI

The Iylar sub-groups are highly intelligent, even byElven standards. But while the Linaeri prefer the simplepleasures of sylvan life, the Loari avidly pursue knowl-edge and mastery of technology. They love nature asmuch as their Linaeri cousins, but they are moreinterested in unlocking its secrets, picking it apart to seewhat makes it work, rather than simply enjoying itsbeauty. Along with the Dyari, they are among the mostadvanced races in Kulthea in this sense. No contempo-rary people surpass them in their knowledge of science,architecture and technology. The Loari also share withtheir Dyar cousins a robust sense of their own worth,and they have great egos to match the greatness of theirtechnological achievements.

Loar may be found throughout Kulthea, but theirmost important concentration of population is theVashaan Domain in the north of Falias. An ancientoligarchy of Essaence-wielding Loar nobles has ruledthis realm for ages. They possess a formidable fleet ofseafaring vessels, which they use to project powerabroad. Their naval power has allowed them conquermany lands to the south and east. They also possesspowered airships, which give their neighbors evenmore reason to fear them.

City-states ruled by Loar nobles used to exertgreater control over the land of Rhôn, in the east ofFalias, but over the years their more remote Erlini andEritari subjects have refused to recognize theirauthority, and have drifted off into self-rule.


Build: Like all Elves, Loari are lithe and graceful inbuild. Male Dyar average 180 pounds in weight.Females average 140 pounds.

Coloring: Loar are very fair-skinned. Almost all haveraven-black hair. They also have darker colored eyes,which range in tint from gray to amber to black.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Loar range from 5'10"-6'10" in height.

Life Span: All Elves are immortal. They die onlythrough violence or mischance, or if they weary oflife and lose the will to live.

Resistance: Loari receive a +150 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes oftemperature. They receive +10 DB and RRbonuses versus both cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Loari can see up to 30' perfectlyin very dim light. They also gain a +20 bonusto all rolls involving visual perception,including detect ambush.

� Superb Hearing: Loari receive a +20 bonus to allrolls that involve hearing, including detect ambush.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Loar are well suited forThief (not that they would pride themselves onthieving for a living, however) and Dabbler aschosen professions. Oddly enough, none of theother spell-using professions jump out as naturalfits because they have a major weakness in Self-Discipline, which is a key attribute for several spell-using professions. They do not have the samebonus to Reasoning as their Dyar cousins, but theycan still make competent Magents and Magicians.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Loari (S8/W4) and nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Loari (S10/W8), Dwarven (S4/W4),Dyari (S6/W4), Linaeri (S6/W6) and native regionallanguage (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Loar are happy enough to mingle with otherraces if it will advance the state of their knowledge.However, their technological prowess and ages ofconquering and ruling over others encourages theirnatural arrogance. More often than not, Loar betraya superior attitude toward other races.

Religious Attitudes: The Loari respect the Lords ofOrhan, but they do not hold them in awe, as domortal races. Their religious practice revolvesaround personal communion with the things thattheir race and culture holds most dear. The Loari,rather like the High Elves of RMFRP, are skilledwith craft and regard well-made objects withspecial reverence. They are also technologists andseekers of knowledge, so the more technologicallyadvanced a thing is, the greater their respect for it.

LINAERIRACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2+ 5- 1•2•5•6•0


EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 5- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 4+ 051+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 03+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


1 5 3


5 2

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RACES

Preferred Professions: Loar favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: all skills within the Lore •Technical category, all skills in the Scientific/Analyti-cal group, Operating Equipment, Architecture,Engineering and Machination. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Their mastery of technology makes theLoari almost endlessly adaptable. They should usewhatever culture template suits their surroundings.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Loar are always curious to learn of anything thatcould help them advance their grasp of technology. This isa racial characteristic that transcends profession. In theirown way, they are every bit as open to outside influences asare Grey Elves. They are particularly interested in newmaterials that can improve existing technological applica-tions—metals with which they are not familiar, new plantspecies that yield stronger or more pliable wood, fiber orfabrics. New mechanical processes also spark their interest,as do powerful magic items. A Loar PC, no matter what hisprofession, might well devote himself to traveling through-out Kulthea, searching hungrily for new knowledge.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Loar receive three background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Aldari (S4/W4), Dwarven (S6/W6), Dyari(S8/W6), Erlini (S4/W4), Jinteni (S4/W4), Linaeri(S8/W6), Orhan (S6/W4) and Shuluri (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.



SHULURI

The Shuluri are without a doubt the most exotic ofall the Elven sub-races. Also known as the AquaticElves, they have powerful lungs that can extract oxygenfrom both the water and air equally well, making themtruly amphibious. While some Shulur live on land (neara large body of water, of course), the vast majorityresides in large underwater settlements near coral reefsor kelp forests. They do not relish the company of otherElves, and prefer to keep to themselves or to socializewith Mermen. Some Loremasters believe that they arenot full-blooded Elves, but the descendants of a unionof Erlini and ocean-spirits.

Shulur are elusive and not very numerous. Their mostimportant population center is Malqanar and the Bay ofSongs in Emer. Shulur dominate the area, living along thecoastline and in the warm shallows of the great bay. TheMalqanar enclave is unusual in that it contains more land-based Shulur than most of their population centers. Theytrade rare perfumes and dyes refined from local flora andfauna, and harvest blue pearls, which are coveted through-out Kulthea. The Malqanar Shulur therefore maintainstrong trading relationships with other regions of Kulthea,including Sel-Kai and Kataine.


Build: Shulur are the largest of the Elven sub-races inthe Shadow World. They resemble High Elves inbuild. Unlike High Elves, however, they also haveslightly webbed hands, elongated, webbed toes,and a transparent eyelid that helps to protect theireyes underwater without interfering with theirability to see clearly. Males average 215 pounds inweight. Females average 175 pounds.

Coloring: Shulur are very pale, even by Elven stan-dards. They have blonde or white hair.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Shulur range from 6'-6'10" in length.

Life Span: Shulur are immortal. They die only throughviolence or mischance, or if they weary of life andlose the will to live.

Resistance: Shulur receive a +100 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes oftemperature. They receive +10 DB and RRbonuses versus both cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Shulur can see up to 30' perfectlyin very dim light. They also gain a +20 bonusto all rolls involving visual perception,including detect ambush.

� Superb Hearing: Shulur receive a +20 bonusto all rolls that involve hearing, including

LOARI RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2+ 5- 1•2•5•6•0


EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 5- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 4+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 02+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


2 4 2


4 3

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RACES

detect ambush.

Strengths and Weaknesses: As with other Elven sub-races. Shulur are well suited for Thief and Dabbleras chosen professions because of their bonuses toAgility and Quickness, as well as Bard, because oftheir bonuses to Memory and Presence. However,they are also unique among the Elves of theShadow World as the only sub-race with bonusesto both Strength and Constitution as well asAgility, so Fighter and Rogue also suits them atleast modestly well.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Shuluri (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Mermen (S6/W6), Shuluri(S10/W8) and native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Shulur even prefer the company ofMermen to that of land-based Elves, and generallyfeel much more at home in the water than onland. Other than that, however, they have noparticular racial prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Like most of their Elven cousins,the Shuluri give the Lords of Orhan properreverence, but they do not hold them in awe, asdo mortal races. Their religious practice revolvesaround personal meditation. Some Shulurcommunities—particularly those that have closecontact with Mermen—show some interest inconventional Aquatic religious beliefs and allowthem to seep into their own religious practices.

Preferred Professions: Shulur favor no single profes-sion, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Swimming, Star-gazing andWeather Watching. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Shulur generally use the Aquatictemplate. However, those few who live on land (likethe traders of Malqanar) use the Littoral template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

The Shuluri of Malqanar and the Bay of Songs aresufficiently engaged with the rest of the Shadow Worldthat you should be able to find plenty of ways ofinserting them into the adventuring life. Their vastand deep trading networks provide plenty of opportu-nity for a Shulur to travel abroad as a merchant, sailor,guard or emissary. Their wealth and active commercecompels the Shulur of Malqanar to think of them-selves as a nation that must protect themselvesmilitarily and politically, as well. They understand theneed to send agents abroad, often disguised as tradersor simple travelers, to keep tabs on neighbors whomight pose a military threat to them, either now or inthe future. The Shuluri who live in the Bay of Songsmust attend to cultivating the raw materials that gointo the making of Malqanar’s export goods—animportant duty, considering the stakes involved. Any

threat to those raw materials and the ecosystem thatsupports them, whether natural, magical, divine, orartificial, must be dealt with swiftly and effectively, lestit wreck the region’s economy.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Shulur receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Dyari (S4/W4), Erlini (S4/W4), Loari (S4/W4), Mermen (S10/W8), Orhan (S6/W4) andSaurkur (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems.



FEY

The term ‘Fey’ covers a variety of diminutivebeings who live in hidden places such as under greenknolls, beneath the waters or among tree roots. Thisclassification covers beings described in C&M as Feyfolk and Rural Spirits, as well as the Lennai of theShadow World. They are immortal, and the passingconcerns of mortals hold little interest for them as ageneral rule. They devote most of their attention totheir own petty quarrels and intrigues.

Here, we discuss four Fey sub-races: Dwelfs, Satyrs(also known as Fauns), Tylweth Teg (known as Peries) andLennai, who are unique to the Shadow World.

SHULURI RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 4+ 5+ 1•2•5•6•0


EM 2+ 01- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 5- 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 03+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 2+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 5+ 01- 1•1•2•3•0


3 3 2


4 4

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RACES

DWELFS

Dwelfs resemble undersized Dwarves, if such athing is imaginable, except that they lack Dwarves’luxurious beards. They dwell in modest holes instream banks and hills and roam underground mines,where they generate strange knocking sounds thatconfuse miners. Dwelfs are shy and wear gray cloaks tomake them less visible in dim light to mortal eyes.


Build: Unlike most Fey sub-races, Dwelfs are stocky.More than anything else, they resemble miniatureDwarves in their physique.

Coloring: Dwelfs, like most Fey, have fair or pale skinand no dominant hair or eye color.

Endurance: Like most Fey, Dwelfs lack the stamina ofmost other races because of their size. Theyreceive a -7 penalty to exhaustion points.

Height: Dwelfs range from 3'-3'6" in height.

Life Span: Like all Fey, Dwelfs are immortal. Theyonly die through mischance or violence.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities: None.

Strengths and Weaknesses:As with most Fey,Dwelfs do not makegood Fighters orRogues because theyjust don’t have theStrength for it. Agilityand Quickness aretheir strong points,making Thief theirbest profession.

CULTURE

MODIFIERS

Language: StartingLanguages: Wood-speech (S8/W6).Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Wood-speech (S10/W10)and Common-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Like mostFey, Dwelfs arereclusive preferto stay out theway of larger,mortal races.This is not alwayseasy for them, astheir undergrounddigging often brings

them close to Dwarves and other mortal racesthat mine. Once in a great while, however,Dwelfs go out of their way to help mortals.When a clan of Dwelf left their domain tohelp the villagers of Soren dam the Erin’sMaath River and prevent the settlement frombeing flooded, the incident quickly passedinto legend.

Religious Attitudes: Dwelfs do not have much in theway of organized religion.

Preferred Professions: Theoretically, there are norestrictions on the profession that a Dwelf maypursue. However, in practice they make relativelypoor Fighters. They are better off as spell-users,Thieves or Bards.

Special Skills: Everyman: Dancing, Music, Trickery.Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Dwelfs should use the Mining template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Dwelfs might have to be dragooned intojoining an adventuring party. They are

shy of outsiders comparedto other Fey. They may

have to be black-mailed or otherwisecoerced.

BACKGROUND

OPTIONS

Dwelfs receive fourbackgroundoptions.

Extra Languages:In addition to thetongues listedabove: Common-speech (S8/W8),Elvish (S8/W6),High-speech (S8/W6) and Small-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money:Gems, for themost part. Coinsleft behind byabsent-mindedmortals mayalsobe available.

Special Items: Allare available.

Talents: All areavailable. Dwelfs may

select any Lesser Mentaltalent without a flaw for


RACES

one background option instead of two. Also, they mayselect any luck-related talent for one fewer backgroundoption than normal.

SATYRS (FAUNS)

Also known as Fauns, Satyrs are spirits of thewoods and fields who have goat horns sprouting fromtheir sides of their head. Their lower body resemblesthe hind-quarters of a horse, with hoofs instead of feetand thick, muscular thighs. They are skilled musicians,experts with the panpipes, and are known for theirwild communal dancing. So energetic are these dancesthat they have been known to throw into a panicmortals who witness them.


Build: Satyrs have sinewy bodies with well-definedmuscles, but they are still lean and trim comparedto the general run of Men.

Coloring: Satyrs have chestnut-colored hair andbeards. Their lower body is also covered with hair,and the skin underneath is also colored brown,like the hide of a brown horse. The skin coveringtheir upper body is fair, however.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Satyrs are almost man-sized in that they rangefrom 5'4"-6' in height.

Life Span: Like all Fey, Satyrs are immortal. Theyonly die through mischance or violence.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Satyrs don’t make goodFighters, which is just as well, since they don’tmuch like a stand-up fight anyway. But they arealso not terribly well equipped for just about anyprofession that has Self-Discipline as a keyattribute. On the other hand, they excel as Thieves,a profession that serves them well when they wantto play tricks on mortals. Their attribute bonusesalso allow them to succeed as Magents, Magicians,Illusionists and Dabblers.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Wood-speech (S8/W6),Common-speech (S6/W4) and Wood-elf (S6/W6). Allowed Adolescent Development: High-elf(S6/W6), Wood-elf (S8/W8) and Wood-speech(S10/W10),

Prejudices: Satyrs are friendly by temperament. Theybear no malice toward anyone, although experi-ence has taught them to fear evil races that relishthe use of force, like Orcs. They also resentanyone who tries to destroy their sylvan homes.

Satyrs most enjoy the companionship of Elves andFey, but they have also been known to welcomeMen into their company.

Religious Attitudes: Satyrs do not have much in theway of organized religion. They are unusualamong intelligent races in that they do not believethat they owe their existence to any deity, anddon’t much see the need for gods. They arehedonists by temperament, and they celebrate thepleasures of the moment more than anything else.

Preferred Professions: No profession is closed offto Satyrs, but in practice very few of thembecome Fighters.

Special Skills: Everyman: Dancing. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Satyrs always use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Satyrs rarely become Fighters, as they are notsuited to it by temperament or racial traits. But a Satyrwho devotes himself to defending his folk’s Sylvanrealm from unwelcome intruders would be a Magentor a Thief. He relies on stealth and his spell-using skillsto fight a foe rather than fighting toe-to-toe. Becauseof his occupation, he carries himself with moresobriety than most of his folk; unlike them, he actuallyhas cares and duties.

Magicians and Illusionists are found amongSatyrs, but their professional skills make them specialamong their folk. Satyrs who pursue those professionsare usually either leaders of their folk, or in training to

DWELF RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 5- 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0

RP 0 esaesiD PPmsilatneM

UQ 2+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


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3 5 2


3 4

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RACES

assume a leadership position. As such, they areconscious of the dignity of their role in society, andtake themselves more seriously than most Satyrs.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Satyr receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S8/W8), Grey-elf (S6/W6), High-elf (S8/W8) and High-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Gems, for the most part. Coins left behindby absent-minded mortals may also be available.


Talents: All are available. Satyrs may select any Lesser Mentaltalent without a flaw for one background option insteadof two. Also, they may select any luck-related talent forone fewer background option than normal.

TYLWETH TEG (PERIES)

Tylweth Teg (Peries) are rural Fey who delight inriding their miniature mounts, hunting and dancing.They live in sparkling caverns and grottos beneathmoss-covered hills. Though mortals sometimes glimpsethem riding to the hunt, Tyleweth Teg themselves rarelyever leave their domain to mix with mortals.


Build: Tylweth Teg are small, slightly built human-oids. They resemble nothing so much as minia-ture Elves.

Coloring: Tylweth Teg have fair or very pale skin andgolden hair. They have no dominant eye color.

Endurance: Because of their size, Tylweth Teg lack thestamina of most other races. They receive a -7penalty to exhaustion points.

Height: Tylweth Teg range from 2'6"-3' in height.

Life Span: Tylweth Teg are immortal. They only diethrough mischance or violence.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities: Fear of Iron: Tylweth Teg fear ironand refuse to use tools or weapons made of iron orsteel. Instead, they use wooden weapons like shortbows and javelins, although they can tolerateenchanted steel just well enough to use weaponsmade of it. A foe wearing a considerable amount ofiron (a suit of plate armor, or the rough equiva-lent) gains a +30 RR bonus if targeted by a spellcast by a Tylweth Teg. They will attempt to fleefrom foes equipped heavily with iron under all butthe most desperate circumstances.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Tylweth Teg do not makegood Fighters or Rogues because they just don’thave the Strength for it. Agility and Quickness aretheir strong points, making Thief their bestprofession. They also make good Dabblers, as aresult of their strong Presence bonus.

Their vulnerability to iron (see SpecialAbilities, above) constitutes a real weakness. Eventhe presence of iron forces a Tylweth Teg tooperate at a severe disadvantage. Fortunately,their Agility and Quickness bonuses give themsome hope of using stealth and evasion to copewith a foe equipped with iron.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Wood-speech (S8/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development: Wood-speech(S10/W10) and Common-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Tylweth Teg are reclusive in that theyprefer to stay out the way of larger, mortal races.As a general rule, one never quite knows how theywill treat mortals whom they come across. Theymay grant a faerie gift, or pull a cruel prank. It alldepends on their humor of the moment.

Religious Attitudes: Ttylweth Teg do not have muchin the way of organized religion. They are unusualamong intelligent races in that they do not believethat they owe their existence to any deity, anddon’t much see the need for gods. The sight ofother races’ religious symbols makes them uneasy.They are hedonists by temperament, relishing thepleasures of the moment more than anything else.

Preferred Professions: In practice, Tylweth Teg theymake relatively poor Fighters. They are better offas spell-users, Thieves or Bards.

SATYR RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 5- 1•2•3•5•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 01- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 4+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0

TS 4- cinoisP PPcinoisP

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1 5 3


3 4

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RACES

Special Skills: Everyman: Dancing, Music, Trickery.Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: All Tylweth Teg use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Like most Fey, Tylweth Teg enjoy their sylvanisolation, but bear no ill will toward mortal races.They are not as wary of outsiders as other Sylvan races.If the spirit moves them, they happily aid waywardmortals who mean them no harm, and they’ll do sofor no other reason than it amuses them. This isprobably the most common way to get a Tylweth Tegcharacter into an adventure—he finds mortals whoneed help, and he decides to help them because itseems like fun.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Tylweth Teg receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S8/W8), Elvish (S8/W6),High-speech (S8/W6) and Small-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Gems, for the most part. Coins left behindby absent-minded mortals may also be available.

Special Items: Tylweth Teg cannot have any itemsmade of iron or steel. Otherwise, all are available.

Talents: All are available. Tylweth Teg may select anyLesser Mental talent without a flaw for onebackground option instead of two. Also, they mayselect any luck-related talent for one fewerbackground option than normal.

LENNAI

Also known as the Forest People, the Lennai arean immortal race that bear some similarities toNymphs and Elves, yet are of a piece with neither.They are not very numerous, and the fact that theyonly rarely allow themselves to be seen by mortalsgives them an almost legendary status in Kulthea. Asmall Lennai community resides deep within theEmerald Forest in northwest Emer, and a few settle-ments are scattered across secluded locations else-where in Kulthea.

The Lennai are unique to Shadow World.


Build: By human standards, Lennai are slender andrather frail looking.

Coloring: Lennai have fair skin and green eyes. Theirhair color ranges from pale blonde to dark brown.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Lennai range in height from 4'-5'6".

Life Span: Lennai are one of Shadow World’s immor-tal races. They cannot die of natural causes.

Resistance: Lennai receive a +100 RR bonus versusdisease, making them practically immune to allforms of natural illness.

They are also resistant to extremes of naturalcold and heat. They receive +20 DB and RRbonuses versus cold and heat attacks.

Special Abilities:Vulnerable to Iron: Like the Tylweth Teg, theLennai’s great weakness is their helplessness in thepresence of iron. When in the presence of imple-ments made of iron (that is, when confronted byparties wearing iron or steel armor and brandish-ing weapons made of the same), they are reducedto half of their effective level for purposes of spell-casting. A foe wearing a considerable amount ofiron (a suit of plate armor, or the rough equiva-lent) gains a +30 RR bonus if targeted by a spellcast by a Lennai. An iron or steel weapon wieldedagainst a Lennai gains the ability Of Slaying.

The Lennai themselves are keenly aware ofthis vulnerability. They will attempt to flee fromfoes equipped heavily with iron under all but themost desperate circumstances.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Lennai receive modestbonuses across a wide range of attributes, buttheir relatively weak Self-Discipline discouragesthem from pursuing careers as Monks, WarriorMonks and several of the spell-using professions.Thief is their strongest profession, given that theyreceive their best attribute bonuses to Agility andQuickness (not that the Lennai would condonestealing for a living). But they also make goodDabblers and Rogues.

A Lennai’s true weak spot, however, is his

TYLWETH TEG RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


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NI 0 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 4+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


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vulnerability to iron (see Special Abilities, above).Even the presence of iron forces a Lennai tooperate at a severe disadvantage. This makes itextremely difficult for them to take on most butthe weakest foes in a head-on fight, since it is safeto assume that most of their potential enemieshave weapons with at least some iron in them.Fortunately, their Agility and Quickness bonusesgive them some hope of using stealth andevasion to cope with such foes.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Lennai (S8/W4), nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Dryad (S8/W6), Lennai (S10/W8),native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Lennai are not unkind, but they aresecretive and reclusive by temperament. Theydon’t mean to suggest that they dislike any givenrace, but they are very shy around outsiders. Theyare especially secretive around mortal races.

Religious Attitudes: All Lennai communities areheaded by a powerful Dryad who functions notonly as a temporal tribal leader, but also as aliving embodiment of their forest god. Heconducts religious ceremonies and functions assomething of a divine oracle, channeling theLennai deity as it speaks directly to the tribe.

Preferred Professions: All Lennai are either Animists orEssence spell-users. They pursue no other professions.

Special Skills: Everyman: Trickery, Wood-crafts.Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Since Lennai are also known throughoutKulthea as the Forest People, it is hard to imaginethem using any cultural template other than Sylvan.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

All Lennai learn stealth and concealment froman early age on the assumption that they will needthose skills to help their community guard theborders of their domain. Vulnerable as they are tointruders who bear iron weapons or armor, theyknow that they cannot confront such enemies head-on. Some Lennai hone these skills to the point wherethey become, for all intents and purposes, Thieves asa profession. But that description doesn’t mean thatthey take to stealing, as the Lennai frown on that,unless the victim appears to have hostile intentionstoward them. But even Lennai who become Fighters,Rangers, Rogues or even spell users all have somepractice in the art of observing without beingobserved themselves, having been pressed intoservice as sentinels of their community.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Lennai receive two background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the languages listedabove: Aldari (S4/W4), Dryad (S10/W8), Erlini(S8/W6), Jinteni (S4/W4), Orhan (S4/W4) andWorim (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Gems. Lennai may also possess rare ormedicinal herbs as a form of wealth.

Special Items: All are available, as long as they are not made


RACES

of iron or steel. In addition, Lennai may choose SpecialBread/Herb/Poison for only 1 background option.

Talents: All are available. A Lennai may select anyLesser Mystical talent without flaw for onebackground option instead of two, and any MinorMystical talent without flaw for two backgroundoptions instead of three.

GARKS

Garks are short, simian humanoids that live in largenests suspended in trees high above the ground. Theymake good use of their prehensile tails to move betweenthe trees, remaining out of the reach of ground-based foes.Their social organization is not terribly complex, and theyrarely live in groups larger than an extended clan.

Garks relish the taste of raw Man flesh, and theyoccasionally raid Mannish settlements for food andplunder. They lack the technology to manufacture anymilitary tools other than simple weapons, so theyusually arm themselves with clubs, hatchets, spearsand the like. Anything more advanced would have tobe captured from their foes.

There is no functional difference between Garksin RMFRP and in the Shadow World. SWMAspecifies that there are three sub-races of Garks, eachlabeled by the environment in which they live: SnowGarks, Jungle Garks and Cliff Garks. There is noreason why this classification shouldn’t apply toGarks in RMFRP as well.

Kutlhean Garks have been trained by darksorcerers and lords to function as an organizedmilitary force. They are employed as mercenaries andas such they are feared, although they do not deliver asmuch military value for the money as the moredisciplined Lugrôki.

The largest population of Garks can be found inthe rainforest basin of Ur Jujuy in Falias, and eventhen it is not a terribly dense concentration. Here,scattered tribes of Jungle Garks roam among theancient ruins of the Vyans Empire, evidently withoutany clue that the remains of past greatness lie rightunder their noses.


Build: Garks have thick, ape-like bodies with longarms that hang to the knees. Their tails are longand quite powerful.

Coloring: Garks are covered all over by thick gray fur.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Garks range in height from 4'-4'8".

Life Span: Garks live relatively short, violent lives.Their typical life expectancy is 30 years. In theShadow World, Garks fare a little better, with anaverage life span of 40 years.

Resistance: Normal


Strengths and Weaknesses: A quick look at theirattribute modifiers makes it clear that Garks excelat the professions that require physical talent, butthey are ill equipped for most of the spell-usingprofessions. They make uncommonly goodFighters, Thieves and Rogues. Their strongConstitution bonus and average Intuition makesRanger a good fit for them also. Their penalties toSelf-Discipline and Reasoning means that theywill have trouble excelling at most professionsthat involve spell use, however.

On the other hand, Garks receive strong RRbonuses against most forms of magic, so theyought to fare relatively well in situations wheremagic is used against them.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Common-speech (S4/W4), plus any one of the following: Hill-speech (S8/W4), North-speech (S8/W4) or Wood-speech (S8/W4). Allowed Adolescent Development: Common-speech (S8/W6), Hill-speech (S10/W8), North-speech (S10/W8) and Wood-speech (S10/W8).

Shadow World (all sub-races): StartingLanguages: Gark (S8/W4), native regional language(S8/W4). Allowed Adolescent Development: Gark(S10/W8), native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Garks do not hate any one race in particu-lar. As mentioned above, they enjoy the taste of

LENNAI RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 0 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


DS 2- 51+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2+ 51+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 4+ 001+ 3•4•5•6•0


PA 02+ 51+ 1•2•3•4•0


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Man flesh and would rather hunt them for foodthan any other intelligent race, but that isn’t quitethe same as a racial animus.

Religious Attitudes: Most Garks worship dark godsand the value of fighting prowess. This is univer-sally true of Garks in the Shadow World.

Preferred Professions: Garks favor no particularprofession, but their violent way of life makesFighters most useful to their society. Garks maynot become non-channeling spell users.

Special Skills: Everyman: None. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Garks should use a cultural or sub-cultural template appropriate to the environmentto which they are native: Arctic or Arctic Milita-ristic for Snow Garks, Sylvan Barbarian for JungleGarks and Aerial Barbarian for Cliff Garks.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

In the Shadow World, character concepts forGarks should center around their common role asmercenary fighters. Gark Thieves and Rogues makeuseful spies and scouts, and they may be hired asindividuals, or detached from their unit for specialduty by their employer. It’s not uncommon for ayoung Gark to pursue either of those professionsknowing that their skills will single them out asunusually valuable to their future employers. GarkFighters form the rank and file of their mercenarycompanies, and they are trained to obey orders and actin coordination with each other, not as adventurers.They don’t always keep that discipline, but that is howthey are trained. But a Gark Fighter might take a self-declared ‘temporary leave’ from his comrades topursue a rumor of great treasure.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

All Garks receive six background options, regardlessof sub-race.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed above:Common-speech (S10/W8) and Orcish (S6/W4).

Shadow World (all sub-races): Charon (S4/W4), andracial tongue of any mortal race neighboringnative area (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Coins, gems and jeweled items fromplunder.


Talents: All are available. Also, their physical tough-ness is a selling point for them when Garks shopthemselves as mercenaries, and it serves them wellin combat as a general rule. A Gark may selectPain Resistance (Lesser) as a talent without a flawfor one background option instead of two.

GNOMES

Gnomes are an odd-looking humanoid race thatvalues knowledge and lore above all things. They livein shallow caves that also serve them as messy,impromptu libraries. A typical gnome residence isusually littered with ancient tomes and scrolls sortedby a system of organization known only by theGnome himself.

Gnomes are solitary beings and do not breednearly as often as most other mortal races. If theywere not so long-lived, their race might die out alltogether. As it is, many Gnomes die without an heirto inherit their possessions (and they can acquirequite a lot in 600 years of living), and their homesmay lay undisturbed for decades, even centuries,with their treasures intact.

Because of their love of solitude and their lack ofphysical stature, it would seem that Gnomes live atconstant risk of attack. But anyone who preys on aGnome had best take care, for they know how tocompensate for their lack of strength and fightingability. Gnomes construct elaborate systems of traps toguard their domiciles (many of them magical innature), and equip themselves with powerful magicitems that allow them to repel intruders withoutengaging them in melee combat.

Gnomes have no real equivalent in the ShadowWorld.

GARK RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 2- 02+ 1•1•1•2•0


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NI 0 02+ 1•1•1•2•0


UQ 2+ 5+ 1•1•1•2•0


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Build: Gnomes resemble small, wizened copies ofelderly Men.

Coloring: Gnomes have pale, waxy skin and resemblesmall Men who have stayed out of the sun for fartoo long. They are bald and their facial hair isusually either gray or white.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Gnomes range in height from 4'-5' tall.

Life Span: Gnomes are exceptionally long-lived for amortal race. The average life expectancy for aGnome is 600 years.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Gnomes can see on a star-litor moonlit night as if it were full daylight. In condi-tions darker than that, they need a light source to see,and their vision extends to 50' feet (perfect vision) and100' (they can see reasonably well). In absolutedarkness, however, they can see no better than Men.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Gnomes make poorFighters because they are not strong enough towield melee weapons effectively relative to mostother races. But they receive modest bonuses tomany other attributes, predicting that they willachieve at least some success in many otherprofessions. Their attribute bonuses give them aleg up as Clerics, Animists, Paladins and Magents.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Gnomes speak theirown racial language, Gnomish (S8/W8). Theymay also start with Common-speech (S6/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development: Gnomish (S10/W10), Common-speech (S8/W8), High-Elvish(S6/W6) and High-speech (S8/W8).

Prejudices: Despite their love of solitude, Gnomes arenot anti-social. They welcome visitors and keep anopen mind about them, no matter who they are orhow they look. They judge by one’s actions, but donot pre-judge. As hosts, they can be surprisinglyfriendly and generous. They even enjoy hostingparties and presenting their guests with ingeniousand elaborate entertainments. However, anyonewho tries to strike up a friendship with a Gnomeshould not expect him to accept a reciprocalinvitation, as they are very reluctant to leave theirhomes and treasures unguarded for even a few days.

Religious Attitudes: In keeping with their nature,Gnomes prefer solitary meditation to organizedreligious rituals. Gnomes have a vague notion of aracial god who watches over them, but the truth isthat they are not a terribly pious race. Their deity isan abstraction of the mysteries of life and death andthe ways of the world that all mortal races considerto be beyond their understanding.

Preferred Professions: In theory, noprofession is closed off to Gnomes.Because of their size, however, they donot favor Fighter. They rarely becomeRangers, if only because they hate toleave their homes. And because of theirgreat love of knowledge, the spell-usingprofessions appeal to them and comenaturally, as well. However, they do notsing particularly well, so the proportionof Bards among them is no greater thanit is with most other races.

Special Skills: Everyman: None. Restricted:None.

Typical Cultures: Because Gnomes, for themost part, live isolated lives in caves, theSubterranean and Mining templates suitthem best. However, it is not out of thequestion to find them burrowed into ahillside in an agricultural area, in whichcase the Rural template works. Nor shouldit astound anyone to find them in cities, astheir reading habits give them the worldlyknowledge they need to understand urbanways and adapt to them. As for theirsolitary, reclusive nature, every cityGnome knows that it is possible to feelvery much alone in the middle of thecrowd—and furthermore, he knows howto cultivate that feeling.


RACES

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Gnomes lead hermitic lives, and usually requiresome persuading to go adventuring. They are contentto live alone among their tomes and scrolls, reading,studying and contemplating. A Gnome Cleric wouldbe a scholar of religions—if not his own, then thereligions of others. Gnome Animists would try tocommune with animals with plants by reading aboutthem as much as by spending time among them (andmight actually feel a little awkward among actualliving things as a result). Gnome Laymen would begeneralists, knowing a little bit about most everythingrather than one or two subjects deeply. And so on.

Nonetheless, Gnomes’ ability to successfullypursue a variety of useful professions makes them anattractive addition to an adventuring party who needsa specialized skill or type of knowledge. Outsiders cancourt them, woo them, and take advantage of theirpleasure in receiving visitors and talking about whatthey know. It may take a while to get a Gnome out ofhis lair, but it’s not impossible.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Gnomes receive four background options.

Extra Languages: Their love of knowledge and loreencourages Gnomes to become skilled linguists.In addition to the tongues listed above, they maychoose: Common-speech (S10/W10), Dwarvish(S6/W6), Grey-Elvish (S6/W6), High-Elvish (S8/W8) and High-speech (S10/W10).

Extra Money: Coins, gems and jeweled objects. Inaddition, Gnomes may take rare books as a formof wealth.



GOBLINOIDS

Goblins are a crude, yet clever underground race.They are shorter than Orcs, but just as cruel and, somewould say, even more cunning. There are three Goblinsub-races. The most common are also called Goblins,and they live in extensive underground lairs andwarrens, shrinking from the light of the sun. Hobgob-lins are unusually large and strong Goblins who oftenuse their advantage in size and strength to lord it overtheir cousins. Kobolds are small and more noted fortheir cunning than their strength.All Goblins aremechanically inclined, and they enjoy inventingdevices that could gain them an advantage on thebattlefield, as well as inflict torture upon their cap-tured foes. Their creations are practical and durable,but invariably inelegant in form, like the Goblinsthemselves. Goblins are also skilled miners and alwaysdo what they can to enhance their subterraneanhomes, building tunnels to connect nearby cavernsand giving them access to more living space. Goblinkingdoms have been known to span the length ofentire mountain ranges with these networks oftunnels. Goblins are nocturnal, as they do not func-tion at all well in the light of day. At night, theyemerge to raid surface settlements, drawn by a tastefor plunder and Mannish flesh.

Goblins have an equivalent in the ShadowWorld—the Murlogi, who are also known as Goblins.We treat them below in their own entry. There are noequivalents for Hobgoblins or Kobolds, however.

GOBLINS

When folk speak of Goblins, they usually meanthese mean, snarling but surprisingly shrewd andtechnically competent beings. They are far and awaythe most common of the three Goblinoid sub-races,and they form the vast majority of the population ofany substantial Goblin kingdom.


Build: Goblins have round heads, snout-like snubnoses and wide, grimacing mouths. Their feet,oddly enough, lack clearly defined toes and arequite sensitive.

Coloring: Goblins have sickly-looking, greenish-yellow skin.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Goblins range in height from 3'6"-4'6" tall.

Life Span: Goblins have an average life expectancy of80 years.

GNOME RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 03+ 2•3•4•5•0


EM 2+ 03+ 3•4•5•6•0


DS 0 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 4+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 2+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


PA 5- 01+ 2•3•4•5•0


61 2 5.0


4 4

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RACES

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Goblins can see on a star-lit ormoonlit night as if it were full daylight. Inconditions darker than that, they need a lightsource to see, and their vision extends to 50'feet (perfect vision) and 100' (they can seereasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Sunlight Vulnerability: Goblins only emergefrom their underground lairs at night becausethe light of day all but blinds them. Theysuffer a –75 penalty to all activities in anykind of daylight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Fighter is the best careerchoice for Goblins. They have penalties to mostattributes, including the key attributes to thespell-using professions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Goblins start with theircommon racial tongue, Goblin (S8/W6). They mayalso choose Common-speech (S6/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Common-speech (S8/W6), Goblin (S10/W8) and Orcish (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Goblins are mean and cruel by nature, butthey bear no single race particular ill will. Theyare wanton, not selective in their bloodthirstiness.If they have any racial hatreds, they are inspiredby turf conflicts with other Subterranean races.

Religious Attitudes: Goblin religious beliefs andpractices do not differ greatly from the norm forSubterranean culture.

Preferred Professions: Goblins favor no particularprofession, nor are any closed off to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Mining, Metal-craft.Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: It is difficult to imagine a circum-stance in which Goblins would not use theSubterranean template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

All Goblins are bound first and foremost to theirtribe, which offers them security in numbers—andGoblin kingdoms can be quite large, offering quite lot ofsecurity. Goblins are mechanically inclined, and forsome, fascination with technology competes with loyaltyto the tribe. They might be hired away as mercenaries fortheir understanding of the devices of war, lured bymoney, the desire to learn more about technologythrough contact with other civilizations, or both.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Goblins receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Black-speech (S6/W4) and Orcish (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Gems or nuggets of precious metal.Coins plundered from surface-dwellers may alsobe available.

Special Items: Spell adders and spell multipliers arenot available. Items of Goblin make are durableand functional, but crudely crafted. Aestheticsense is not a Goblin strong suit. More stylishlooking items may be available as plunder fromsurface-dwellers, however.


GOBLIN RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 0 0 2•2•3•6•0


EM 2- 0 1•1•2•3•0


DS 2- 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2- 5+ 1•1•2•3•0


UQ 2- 0 1•1•2•3•0


PA 06- 0 1•1•2•3•0


6 2 1


1 4

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RACES

HOBGOBLINS

Hobgoblins are not so much a separate sub-race asthey are a random, relatively common genetic mutationamong Goblins. Hobgoblins grow up to be both larger andstronger than Goblins and, as a matter of course, come todominate the Goblin societies of which they are a part.Hobgoblins capitalize on the natural respect that Goblinsshow for size, strength and ruthlessness to proclaimthemselves leader of their tribe, King of the Goblins.Goblins may resent this, but they acquiesce to it. Ifpossible, they kill Hobgoblins at birth (as infants, they aremuch larger than typical Goblins) so that they will nothave to face them when they are too strong to defeat.Hobgoblins possess another natural advantage over theirlesser cousins in that they do not fear daylight; they suffer apenalty when acting in direct sunlight (see Special Abilities,below) but do not fear to take on foes in day or night. IfGoblins did not destroy so many so early in life, Hobgob-lins could easily form tribes of their own and terrorizeother races, including them.


Build: Hobgoblins are simply oversized Goblins, withthe characteristic round heads, snout-like snubnoses and wide, grimacing mouths.

Coloring: Hobgoblins have a muddy tint to them.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Hobgoblins are somewhat taller than Goblins,ranging from 4'-5' in height.

Life Span: Hobgoblins have an average life expectancyof 95 years.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Hobgoblins can see on a star-litor moonlit night as if it were full daylight. Inconditions darker than that, they need a lightsource to see, and their vision extends to 50'feet (perfect vision) and 100' (they can seereasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Sunlight Vulnerability: Hobgoblins areunnaturally bold as Goblins go, and theyhave less difficulty functioning in daylight.They still suffer a –25 penalty, but only indirect sunlight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Hobgoblins makeexceptionally good Fighters, but are no better at thespell-using professions than their Goblin cousins.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Hobgoblins start withtheir common racial tongue, Goblin (S8/W6).They may also choose Common-speech (S6/W4).Allowed Adolescent Development: Common-speech(S8/W6), Goblin (S10/W8) and Orcish (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Hobgoblins are mean and cruel by nature,but they bear no single race particular ill will. Theyare wanton, not selective in their bloodthirstiness.If they have any racial hatreds, they are inspired byturf conflicts with other Subterranean races.

Religious Attitudes: Hobgoblin religious beliefsand practices differ not at all from the norm forGoblins in general.

Preferred Professions: Hobgoblins favor no particularprofession, nor are any closed off to them.


Typical Cultures: A typical Hobgoblin should use theSubterranean or Mining template. Because theysuffer less from sunlight vulnerability than doGoblins, it is possible for Hobgoblins to live inany other environment except for Aquatic. Forinstance, a Hobgoblin who was exiled by hisGoblin community at a young age might use atemplate other than Subterranean.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Hobgoblins may find themselves outcast fromGoblin society for reasons described above. Aloneand without a social network to support them (butwith their racial advantages and disadvantagesintact), they must make their way in the world bywhatever means are available to them. As such, theymay become classic PC adventurers—figures whomay follow any occupation and are free to join with

HOBGOBLIN RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 0 01+ 2•5•6•7•0


EM 2- 0 2•3•4•5•0


DS 2- 0 4•5•6•7•0


NI 2- 01+ 2•3•4•5•0


UQ 2- 5+ 1•1•2•3•0


PA 05- 0 1•1•2•3•0


8 2 5.0


2 3

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RACES

other adventurers of diverse backgrounds, talentsand aspirations.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Hobgoblins receive three background options.





KOBOLDS

Kobolds are smaller than Goblins, less skillfulwith arms, and natural born cowards, to boot. Theyinevitably cave in to bullying by their larger cousins.Because of their weakness and lack of size, Kobolds donot come highly recommended as a PC race, but theyare included here because of their relationship toGoblins, and as a point of reference.


Build: Kobolds share the dominant physical featuresof other Goblinoid sub-races, except that they aresmaller and relatively slight, and have a distinctivepair of horns growing their head.

Coloring: Kobolds have reddish skin.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Kobolds are shorter than other Goblins,ranging from 3'-4' in height.

Life Span: Kobolds have an average life expectancy of75 years.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Kobolds can see on a star-lit ormoonlit night as if it were full daylight. Inconditions darker than that, they need a lightsource to see, and their vision extends to 50'feet (perfect vision) and 100' (they can seereasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Sunlight Vulnerability: Like other Goblins,Kobolds only emerge from their under-ground lairs at night because the light of dayall but blinds them. They suffer a –75 penaltyto all activities in any kind of daylight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Kobolds are smaller (andtherefore nimbler) and more cunning than their cousins,and they make better Thieves than any other profession.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Kobolds start with theircommon racial tongue, Goblin (S8/W6). They mayalso choose Common-speech (S6/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Common-speech (S8/W6), Goblin (S10/W8) and Orcish (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Kobolds are mean and cowardly, but theybear no single race particular ill will. They arewanton, not selective in their bloodthirstiness. Ifthey have any racial hatreds, they are inspired byturf conflicts with other Subterranean races.

Religious Attitudes: Kobold religious beliefs and practicesdo not differ greatly from the norm for Goblins.

Preferred Professions: Kobolds favor no particularprofession, nor are any closed off to them.


Typical Cultures: Typically, Kobolds should use theSubterranean template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Because of their various weaknesses, Kobolds arenot recommended as a PC race. However, becausethey are the runts of the Goblin racial family, one mayimagine them as outcasts from the larger Goblincommunity, forced to make their own way in theworld as adventurers.

KOBOLD RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2+ 5- 1•2•3•5•0


EM 2- 5- 1•1•2•3•0


DS 2- 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2- 0 1•1•2•3•0


UQ 2+ 5- 1•1•2•3•0


PA 08- 0 1•1•2•3•0


4 2 5.1


1 5

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RACES

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Kobolds receive five background options.





MURLOGI

Goblins have an equivalent in the ShadowWorld—the Murlogi, who are also known as Goblins.Most of them live in large subterranean settlements,but many get to see other parts of Kulthea as merce-naries. Their competence at operating siege enginesand other machines of war makes them useful toanyone who can stand the thought of hiring them.

Murlogi live in small groups scattered throughoutKulthea. A substantial portion of their total popula-tion, however, congregate in two large undergroundcities (Nemogûk, in Thuul, and Barbuluk, inMythens) that they have taken over from other, moreadvanced, civilizations. Both cities are lorded over by aMountain Giant and his clan, with the Murlogipopulation as sullen, but fearful subjects.


Build: Murlogi have rounded heads with large eyes,tiny noses and thin-lipped mouths. They havelarge ears and large feet with rudimentary toes.

Coloring: Murlogi have gray eyes and pale gray-yellow skin.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Murlogi range from 4'-4'8" tall.

Life Span: Goblins have an average life expectancy of 80years. Hobgoblins have an average life expectancyof 95 years. Kobolds have an average life expect-ancy of 75 years. In the Shadow World, Murlogihave a rather shorter average life span of 60 years.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Murlogi can see on a star-lit or moonlitnight as if it were full daylight. In conditions darkerthan that, they need a light source to see, and theirvision extends to 50' feet (perfect vision) and 100'(they can see reasonably well). In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

� Sunlight Vulnerability: Murlogi only emergefrom their underground lairs at night because

the light of day all but blinds them. Theysuffer a –40 penalty in any kind of daylight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Murlogi do best asFighters and Rangers—professions that valueConstitution, for which they have a substantialbonus. They also find success as Rogues. Sincethat they suffer penalties to all of the mental andspiritual attributes, they do not spell-usingprofessions congenial.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Murlogi (S8/W4), nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Murlogi (S10/W8), native regionallanguage (S10/W6) and Lugrôki (S2/W2).

Prejudices: Murlogi are mean and cruel by nature andenjoy torturing their enemies, but they bear nosingle race particular ill will. If they have anyracial hatreds, they are inspired by turf conflictswith other Subterranean races.

Religious Attitudes: Murlogi religious beliefs andpractices do not differ greatly from the norm forSubterranean culture.

Preferred Professions: Murlogi favor no particularprofession, nor are any closed off to them.


Typical Cultures: It is difficult to imagine a circum-stance in which Goblins would not use theSubterranean template.

MURLOGI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 0 0 1•2•3•6•0


EM 2- 0 1•1•2•3•0


DS 2- 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2- 5+ 1•1•2•3•0


UQ 2- 5+ 1•1•2•3•0


PA 06- 0 1•1•2•3•0


6 2 5.0


1 6

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RACES

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Murlogi are mechanically inclined, and for some,fascination with technology competes with loyalty to thetribe. They might be hired away as mercenaries for theirunderstanding of the devices of war, lured by money, thedesire to learn more about technology through contactwith other civilizations, or both.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Murlogi receive six background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: (S2/W2), Dwarven (S2/W2), Dyari (S/W4)and Lugrôki (S6/W4).




GRATAR

Gratar are frog-like humanoids, usually evil indisposition. Like frogs, they are amphibious, butGratar spend most of their time on dryland. Some even live in undergroundwarrens. There are five sub-races ofGratar, differentiated not by nativeenvironment or physical characteristics,but by status in their racial hierarchy:Black Gratar, Green Gratar, Grey Gratar,Red Gratar and Yellow Gratar. Of these,Red Gratar are quite rare and represent ahighly unusual genetic mutation morethan a genuine sub-race. We discuss theother four at greater length below.

Gratar have no equivalent in theShadow World.

BLACK GRATAR

Black Gratar are large and strong, andthey stand high enough in the Gratarhierarchy that they can bully Green andYellow Gratar with impunity. Theirpowerful claws and teeth give them afearsome appearance, and they defer onlyto Red Gratar. They treat Grey Gratar withgrudging respect.

As warriors, Black Gratar favorchain mail and large, mean-lookingweapons, like two-handed swords,battle-axes and falchions.


Build: Black Gratar are relatively well muscledcompared to most Gratar.

Coloring: True to their name, Black Gratar havedarker skin than other Gratar.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Black Gratar range from 5'-5'6" in height.

Life Span: Black Gratar have an average life span of120 years.

Resistance: Normal


Strengths and Weaknesses: Black Gratar are goodnatural warriors, and they work particularly well asFighters. They combine bonuses in Constitutionand Strength, but have few other strong points.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Sea-speech (S8/W6), orNorth-speech (S8/W6) or South-speech (S8/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development: Sea-speech (S10/W10) and Common-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Black Gratar have no unusual racialprejudices. They do look down their noses (figura-tively) at Green and Yellow Gratar, however.

Religious Attitudes: All Gratar revere the rare Red, orRoyal Gratar. Some communities treat the appear-


RACES

ance of a Red Gratar in their population pool as adivine event, convinced that that individual has amessianic destiny.

Preferred Professions: Black Gratar may pursue anyprofession.


Typical Cultures: Gratar are amphibious, but none of thesub-races spend much time in the water. So BlackGratar should not use the Aquatic template. TheLittoral and Subterranean templates works better forthem, and you should use whichever suits theenvironment that the Gratar character comes from.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Black Gratar, because of their unusual strengthand endurance, are marked out as champions of theirtribe from birth. They grow up conscious of theirstatus as (as it were) alpha Gratar, and it is no wonderthat they become arrogant bullies as well as excep-tional Fighters.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Black Gratar receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S8/W8) and Black-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: All are available.



GREEN GRATAR

Green Gratar are the most common of theirspecies and the lowest in the racial hierarchy. OtherGratar pick on them (especially Black Gratar, butYellow Gratar are also grateful that some else’s statusis even lowlier than theirs) mercilessly. They are notvery smart and they are easily cowed. Green Gratarlike to spend at least part of every day in water,although this is not a physical requirement.

Green Gratar almost never wear armor, and gointo battle wearing nothing but their clothes (whichare not all that impressive to begin with), but they docarry shields. They wield pole arms, scimitars, spearsand javelins.


Build: Like most Gratar, Green Gratar are portlyhumanoids with bulbous, frog-like heads. Theywalk hunched over so that their hands seem totouch the ground.

Coloring: Green Gratar have greenish skin, coloredvery much like that of frogs.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Green Gratar range from 5'-5'6" in height.

Life Span: Green Gratar have an average life span of85 years.

Resistance: Normal


Strengths and Weaknesses: Inasmuch as any profes-sion suits them, Green Gratar work best asFighters. They combine bonuses in Constitutionand Strength, and have few other strong points.

CULTURE MODIFIERS


Prejudices: Green Gratar have no unusual racialprejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Green Gratar regard RedGratar with special reverence. When a RedGratar is born into their community, all Gratartreat it as a divine event. But Green Gratarbelieve most fervently that this individual has amessianic destiny.

Preferred Professions: Green Gratar are just notsmart enough to become spell users, so theycannot pursue those professions. Otherwise, theymay pursue any profession.


Typical Cultures: The Littoral and Subterraneantemplates works best for Green Gratar.

BLACK GRATAR RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2- 0 1•2•4•7•0


EM 0 0 2•2•3•5•0


DS 0 0 2•2•3•5•0


NI 2+ 01+ 2•2•3•5•0


UQ 0 01+ 2•2•3•5•0


PA 02- 0 2•2•3•5•0


9 2 1


2 4

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RACES

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Green Gratar are the foot soldiers of theirsociety, and rarely distinguish themselves except by achance act of bravery or strength. They will mostprobably develop as Fighters who will sacrificethemselves for the sake of the tribe, if the occasiondemands it. A character of either sub-race wouldstart out on the assumption that he was not destinedfor anything special, although, of course, his fatecould dictate otherwise.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Green Gratar receive five background options.


Extra Money: Green Gratar may not have extramoney, as Gratar higher up the pecking orderwould only take it from them.

Special Items: Green Gratar may not choose spell addersor spell multipliers. Otherwise, all are available.


GREY GRATAR

Grey Gratar are loners living by themselves incaves and underground lairs. Lean in body, unliketheir cousins, they are also unusually agile for theirrace. Many of them combine these natural talents withan unscrupulous willingness to do someone else’sdirty work for the right price, and they find plenty ofwork as spies and assassins.

Gray Gratar favor cloaks and dark clothing to helpthem remain hidden in the shadows. They wear chain orplate mail and use poisoned weapons in their work.


Build: Unlike their bulbous cousins, Grey Gratar arelean and wiry, even thinner than some Men.

Coloring: True to their name, Grey Gratar havegrayish, almost colorless skin.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Gray Gratar range from 5'-5'6" in height.

Life Span: Gray Gratar have an average life expectancyof 150 years.

Resistance: Normal


Strengths and Weaknesses: Gray Gratar functionbest as Thieves, Rogues or Warrior Monks.

CULTURE MODIFIERS


Prejudices: Grey Gratar have no prejudices in thatthey are mercenaries who will do anyone’s dirtydeeds for the right price.

Religious Attitudes: Grey Gratar revere the rare Red,or Royal Gratar, even though they rarely take partin communal religious rites.

Preferred Professions: Grey Gratar may pursue anyprofession. But they have learned through manygenerations of experience that they can thrive ashired assassins, so they favor Rogue and Thief.


Typical Cultures: Among Gratar, Grey Gratar areparticularly likely to have a Subterranean background.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

As discussed elsewhere, Grey Gratar are skilledassassins and cold-blooded mercenaries. They livealone and they like it that way. Whether they areRogues, Thieves or Warrior Monks, their way of life isthe same. Note that Grey Gratar also have the attributebonuses to suggest that they would make good

GREEN GRATAR RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2- 01- 1•2•4•5•0


EM 2- 01- 1•1•1•2•0


DS 0 01- 1•1•1•2•0


NI 2- 0 1•1•1•2•0


UQ 0 0 1•1•1•2•0


PA 03- 01- 1•1•1•2•0


3 2 5.1


2 5

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)s51(1 -/M DM/LS



RACES

Paladins, but they can never bring themselves toderive satisfaction from protecting other beings.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Grey Gratar receive four background options.


Extra Money: All are available.

Special Items: All are available. Poison costs GreyGratar one less background option than normal.

Talents: All are available. In addition, Grey Gratarmay select Assassin Training without a flaw fortwo background options instead of three.

YELLOW GRATAR

Yellow Gratar rank above Green Gratar in theracial hierarchy, but still below Black Gratar.Accordingly, their behavior alternates betweensnobbery and obsequiousness, depending on whomthey are dealing with.

As warriors, Yellow Gratar use the same commonweapons as Green Gratar. Sometimes, they wearleather armor. But just as often, they forego any sort ofbody protection, lest it obscure their war paint.


Build: Yellow Gratar are portly humanoids withbulbous, frog-like heads.

Coloring: Yellow Gratar have sickly, yellowish skin.Yellow Gratar warriors, however, paint theirbodies to make them look more ferocious.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: All Gratar grow to roughly the same height,between 5'-5'6" tall.

Life Span: Yellow Gratar have an average life span of100 years.

Resistance: Normal


Strengths and Weaknesses: Yellow Gratar workbest as Fighters. They combine bonuses inConstitution and Strength, and have fewother strong points.

CULTURE MODIFIERS


Prejudices: Yellow Gratar have no unusual racialprejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Yellow Gratar revere the rareRed, or Royal Gratar.

Preferred Professions: Yellow Gratar are just notsmart enough to become spell users, so theycannot pursue those professions. Otherwise, theymay pursue any profession.


Typical Cultures: Gratar are amphibious, but none ofthe sub-races spend much time in the water. Sothey should not use the Aquatic template. TheLittoral and Subterranean templates works betterfor them, and you should use whichever suits theenvironment that the Gratar character comesfrom. Gray Gratar are particularly likely to have aSubterranean background.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Yellow Gratar are the foot soldiers of theirsociety, and rarely distinguish themselves except by achance act of bravery or strength. They will mostprobably develop as Fighters who will sacrificethemselves for the sake of the tribe, if the occasiondemands it. A character of either sub-race wouldstart out on the assumption that he was not destinedfor anything special, although, of course, his fatecould dictate otherwise.

GREY GRATAR RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 4+ 01- 1•2•4•7•0


EM 0 01- 2•2•3•5•0


DS 2+ 01- 2•2•3•5•0


NI 4+ 0 2•2•3•5•0


UQ 4+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


PA 03- 01- 3•4•5•6•0


9 2 1


3 4

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skcattA sllepS/iBM05/elissiM031/eeleM031


RACES

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Yellow Gratar receive five background options.


Extra Money: Yellow Gratar may only have coins orsemi-precious gems.

Special Items: Yellow Gratar may not choose spelladders or spell multipliers. Otherwise, all areavailable to all sub-races.


HALF-ELF

In RMFRP, Half-Elves are individuals of mixedancestry, in which one of their parents is Elven and theother of Mannish kind. In the Shadow World, Half-Elven identity can be a matter of collective identity aswell as individual heritage. There are five Half-Elvensub-races, known collectively as the Ta-Lairi, inKulthea: Eritari, Ky’taari, Punkari, Sulini and Vorloi.

HALF-ELVES

Half-Elves must choose early in life whether theywill be of mortal (i.e., Mannish) kind or immortal, ofElvish kind. If they choose immortality, they followthe lifestyle of the Elves. If they choose mortality, theyfeel more comfortable living among Men than amongElves, particularly among High Men.


Build: As one might expect, Half-Elves are thinner thanMen but stouter than Elves. Males average 190pounds in weight, while females average 135 pounds.

Coloring: Half-Elves have fair skin and gray eyes.Typically (but not exclusively), they have brownor black hair.

Endurance: Half-Elves have greater stamina thanmost Men, but not as much as Elves. They needonly 4 hours of rest per day. This takes the formof sleep for mortal Half-Elves, while immortalsmay meditate in the manner of Elves.

Height: Half-Elves are comparable in height to GreyElves. Half-Elven males average 6'3" tall, whilefemales average 5'11" tall.

Life Span: The natural life expectancy of a Half-Elfwho chooses mortality ranges from 250-500 years.

Resistance: Half-Elves are highly resistant to naturalillness. They receive a +50 RR bonus versusdisease. They are also resistant to extremes ofnatural cold, and receive +5 DB and RR bonusesversus cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Half-Elves see extremelywell in the dark. In moonlight or starlight, they cansee perfectly up to 500'. In low-light conditions theysee perfectly up to 50' and reasonably well up to 100'.

Strengths and Weaknesses: As you might expect,Half-Elves have strengths and weaknesses similarto those of Elves, but neither are as exaggerated.However, few of the spell-using professions jumpout as natural fits for Half-Elves because thoseprofessions have one key attribute that does notqualify as a racial strength for them.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Grey-elvish (S8/W6),Common-speech (S8/W6) and High-elvish (S6/W5). Allowed Adolescent Development: Grey-Elvish (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10),High-Elvish (S10/W10), High-speech (S10/W10)and Elvish (S10/W10).

Prejudices: All Half-Elves instinctively hate Orcs, whetheror not they themselves have had any bad experiencewith Orcish kind. Also, it should be noted that allHalf-Elves—but particularly those who choose to beof mortal kind—feel a strong affinity for High Men,since it is widely believed that High-Men as an entiresub-race have a touch of Elven blood in them. HighElves who choose mortality almost always live amongHigh Men rather than among Common Men.

Religious Attitudes: Half-Elves resemble Elves in theirreligious practice. For them, religion is quiet andpersonal, involving meditation and relatively littlecollective ritual. Even Half-Elves who choose tolive among Men remain relatively aloof fromorganized religious practices.

YELLOW GRATAR RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 0 0 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 0 1•1•1•2•0


DS 0 0 1•1•1•2•0


NI 0 0 1•1•1•2•0


UQ 0 01+ 1•1•1•2•0


PA 02- 5- 2•2•3•5•0


5 2 1


2 5

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RACES

Preferred Professions: As a general rule, no singleprofession is favored by or forbidden to Half-Elves.


Typical Cultures: In RMFRP, Half-Elves are individuals ofmixed ancestry who have certain proclivities based onthe fact that they are part Elf and part Man. The term‘Half-Elf’ doesn’t place them within a given culture inand of itself. Half-Elves may therefore belong to anycultural template that seems credible given their heritage.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

In RMFRP, character concepts for Half-Elves mightusefully center on their status as half-castes without a firmracial or tribal identity. No matter whether they identifymore closely with their Elven or Mannish blood, they willalways be unusual wherever they go, always slightly off-center in their community. Ultimately, it is up to you todecide whether your character feels that this is a blessing ora curse. As to the details of his identity and his motives fortaking up a life of adventuring, the culture to which hebelongs should also serve as a guide.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Half-Elves receive four background options.Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed

above: North-speech (S6/W6), Plains-speech (S6/W6) and Wood-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Coins, gems or jeweled items.Special Items: All special items are available. Very

likely, they will be made out of finely wroughtmetal (if metal is an appropriate material).


ERITARI

The Eritari are descended from an interminglingof Elves and Thesians (or perhaps even the ancientJinteni, the forebears of the Thesians). Their facialfeatures combine the pointed Elven ears with the fulllips and brown eyes of the Thesians.

Scattered, semi-independent groups of Eritari live inRhôn, the region of Falias now controlled only loosely byLoar overlords (see Loari). Their most significantconcentration of population, however, is on the conti-nent of Thuul. Here, they inhabit the rainforests of Chaa-chu, as well as the kingdom of Arlandia, which liesnestled between two rivers in a tropical forest. A fewEarthwarden ruins lie in the domain of Arlandia, but thelocal Eritari know little about their history.


Build: Eritari are tall and lithe, reflecting both sides oftheir heritage. Males average 190 pounds inweight, while females average 150 pounds.

Coloring: Eritari have brown eyes and brown skin.

Endurance: Eritari have greater stamina than mostMen, but not as much as Elves. They need only 4hours of rest per day. This takes the form of sleepfor mortal Half-Elves, while immortals maymeditate in the manner of Elves.

Height: Eritari range from 5'10"-6'10" in height.

Life Span: Eritari have an average life expectancy ofabout 200 years.

Resistance: Eritari receive +5 DR and RR bonusesversus heat attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Eritari see extremely wellin the dark. In moonlight or starlight, they can seeperfectly up to 500'. In low-light conditions they seeperfectly up to 50' and reasonably well up to 100'.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Like all Half-Elven sub-races, the Eritari are well suited for Thief, giventheir bonuses to Agility and Quickness. How-ever, few of the spell-using professions jump outas natural fits for them because they have onekey attribute that does not qualify as a racialstrength. They are relatively weak in Self-Discipline as well as Reasoning, both of whichare key attributes for many spell-using profes-sions. However, their Appearance bonus standsthem in good stead in social situations, and theirresistance to disease and poison makes themdurable under circumstances that would cripplemost other mortal races.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Eritari (S8/W4) and nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Eritari (S10/W8), Thesian (S6/W4)and native regional language (S10/W8).

HALF ELF RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 5- 1•3•5•7•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 3- 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 0 3•4•6•6•0


UQ 4+ 05+ 3•4•5•7•0


PA 01+ 0 1•3•4•6•0


6 3 1


3 4

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Prejudices: As one might expect, the Eritari are morefavorably disposed to the Thesians than they areto other Mannish races. Otherwise, they have nounusual racial prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: The Eritari follow Thesian religiousbeliefs and practices, although more casually.

Preferred Professions: The Eritari favor no particularprofession, nor are any closed off to them.


Typical Cultures: Eritari may use Littoral, Rural, orthe Woodfolk sub-culture, as appropriate.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

In an alarming development, some Eritari tribes inthe Chaal-chu region of Thuul have gone cannibal,hunting and feeding on the flesh of Thesians. Apparently,some tribal shamans are encouraging the belief thatconsuming Thesian flesh will extend one’s life.

An Eritari PC might well be one who finds himselfcaught up in this crisis. Does he belong to a cannibaltribe? If so, maybe they employ him as a hunter and taskhim with finding prey. Or maybe he finds this practicehorrid and goes into exile, or tries to steer his tribesmenback to the right path. Or does his tribe watch in shock asother Eritari hunt Thesian victims for food and debatewhat to do about it, if anything? Does he get caught up ina civil war, in which his tribe, aiding the local Thesianpopulation, decides that they must stop these renegadesby any means necessary?

Eritari in Arlandia might find themselves caught

up in exploring (and exploiting) the local Earthwardenruins, either on his own initiative or in response toprodding by outsiders.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Eritari receive five background options.Extra Languages: Erlini (S6/W6), Loari (S6/W6) and

Thesian (S6/W4).

Extra Money: Coins, gems or jeweled items.

Special Items: All special items are available. Verylikely, they will be made out of finely wroughtmetal (if metal is an appropriate material).


KY’TAARI

The Ky’taari bear some physical resemblance tothe Iylari Elves, from whom they are no doubtdescended. They bear up to extreme cold better thanany of the Half-Elven sub-races. However, they are notnumerous. Their only homelands are in the MurFostisyr of northwest Jaiman and the tundra ofKalitaal north of Mulira.


Build: Ky’taari are tall and slender, and rather resemblethe Iylari Elves in form. Males average 170 poundsin weight, while females average 115 pounds.

Coloring: Ky’taari have fair skin, blonde hair and blueor green eyes.

Endurance: Ky’taari need only 4 hours of rest per day.

Height: Ky’taari range from 5'8"-6'9" in height.

Life Span: Ky’taari have a life expectancy of 150-300 years.

Resistance: Ky’taari are immune to natural cold.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Ky’taari see extremely well in thedark. In moonlight or starlight, they can seeperfectly up to 500'. In low-light conditionsthey see perfectly up to 50' and reasonablywell up to 100'.

� Solar Renewal: Ky’taari possess the unusualability to draw energy from sunlight. Theymay recover 1 PP per level per full hour thatthey spend resting in direct sunlight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Like all Half-Elven sub-races,the Ky’taarii are well suited for Thief, given theirbonuses to Agility and Quickness. However, few ofthe spell-using professions jump out as natural fits forthem because they have one key attribute that doesnot qualify as a racial strength. They are relativelyweak in Self-Discipline, a key attribute for some spell-using professions. However, their Appearance bonusstands them in good stead in social situations. Theirresistance to disease and poison makes them durableunder circumstances that would cripple most othermortal races, and their resistance to natural cold

ERITARI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 0 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 1- 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 4+ 06+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 01+ 0 2•3•4•6•0


6 3 1


4 5

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allows them to succeed in arctic climates like no otherKulthean race, save perhaps the Umli.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Ky’taari (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Ky’taari (S10/W8),Syrkakar (S6/W4), Umli (S6/W4) and nativeregional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Ky’taari do not have any parti-cular prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: As a general rule, Ky’taari followthe religious beliefs and practices characteristic ofArctic culture, although more casually.

Preferred Professions: Ky’taari favor no singleprofession, nor is any forbidden to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: None. Restricted: None.Typical Cultures: Ky’taari should use the

Arctic template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

As noted above, the Ky’taari are not a numerousrace. Nonetheless, recent Syrkakar aggression againstthe other peoples of the Muir Fostisyr islands putsthem in a position rife with possibility. Havingoverrun many of their neighbors, what do theSyrkakar intend to do next? The Ky’taari cannot resistthem alone, if they want to complete their conquest ofthe islands. A Ky’taari PC could find himself caughtup in this present crisis. Does his tribe send him to spy

on the Syrkakar to divine their intentions? Do theysend him abroad to seek help? Or on a military raidagainst the Syrkakar, to disrupt whatever operationsthey may be planning?

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Ky’taari receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Dyari (S6/W4), Fustir (S6/W4), Linnaeri(S6/W4), Loari (S6/W4), Syrkakar (S8/W6),Udahir (S6/W4) and Umli (S8/W6).




PUNKARI

The Punkari, as best anyone can determine, arethe descendants of interbreeding between Erlini orLoari and Y’nari and/or Laan. They originally camefrom Mulira, but now live in many different parts ofKulthea. They are notoriously anarchic in theirtemperament, and they seem incapable of maintainingsocial order in groups larger than small clans. Theirmost significant concentration of population can befound on Jaiman, in the former Unicorn Kingdom ofUrulan. Here, they share the coastal strip withscattered tribes of Erlini and Sulini.


Build: Punkari are more powerfully built than the otherHalf-Elven races of Kulthea. Males average 210pounds in weight, while females average 160 pounds.

Coloring: Punkari have fair skin and, for the mostpart, brown or amber eyes.

Endurance: Punkarii need only 4 hours of rest per day.

Height: Punkari range from 5'6"-6'8" in height.

Life Span: Punkari have a life expectancy of 200-300 years.

Resistance: Punkari receive +5 DR and RR bonusesversus both heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Punkari see extremelywell in the dark. In moonlight or starlight, theycan see perfectly up to 500'. In low-light condi-tions they see perfectly up to 50' and reasonablywell up to 100'.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Like all Half-Elven sub-races, the Punkari are well suited for Thief, giventheir bonuses to Agility and Quickness. However,few of the spell-using professions jump out asnatural fits for them because they have one keyattribute that does not qualify as a racial strength.They are relatively weak in Self-Discipline, a keyattribute for some spell-using professions. However,

KY T' AARI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 5- 1•3•5•7•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 1- 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 4+ 08+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 01+ 0 2•3•4•6•0


6 3 1


4 4

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their Appearance bonus stands them in good steadin social situations. Their resistance to disease andpoison makes them durable under circumstancesthat would cripple most other mortal races.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Punkari (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Erlini (S4/W4), Laan (S4/W4), Punkari (S10/W8), Y’nari (S4/W4) andnative regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: The Punkari are very xenophobic. Theydislike all non-Punkari, sometimes violently.

Religious Attitudes: The Punakri follow the religiousbeliefs and practices appropriate to their culturetemplate, although more casually.

Preferred Professions: The Punkari favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.


Typical Cultures: Although the Punkari as a race tracetheir origins to Mulira, individuals and smallgroups of them now live throughout Kulthea.Therefore, there are no major restrictions on theculture template that a Punkari PC may use. Itdepends on where his tribe lives, if indeed he evengrew up with his tribe.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

In developing a character concept for a PunkariPC, it is probably wise to keep in mind that they aretoo combative to live with each other in anythinglarger than a simple clan-sized group, and tooxenophobic to mix easily with an assortment of otherraces. This tic of temperament suits Punkari to the lifeof a bounty hunter or a hired blade—someone whosells his services like a mercenary, but works alone orin a small group, thus minimizing his chances ofconflict with his co-workers. Such a line of work alsoallows him to reduce all of his relationships to mattersof money, with no messy concepts like personalloyalty or racial dislike to clutter them. The fact thatPunkari receive bonuses to Agility and Quickness alsomake them suited to the Thief-like tasks that thosewho work alone must master.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Punkari receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Dyari (S4/W4), Erlini (S6/W6), Laan (S8/W4), Loari (S6/W4) and Y’nari (S8/W4).




SULINI

The Sulini are tall and slender, the result of minglingbetween the Erlini and a fair mortal race, most likelyeither the Talath or Lydians. Most Sulini live in fishingsettlements along the coasts of Mythenis and Jaiman.


Build: Sulini are slender and graceful. Males average 230pounds in weight, while females average 160 pounds.

Coloring: Sulini have fair skin, blonde hair and blueor green eyes.

Endurance: Sulini need only 4 hours of rest per day.

Height: Sulini are the tallest Half-Elven sub-race in theShadow World. They can reach 7'2" in height,with an even 6' being the lower end of the range.

Life Span: Sulini have a life expectancy of 200-300 years.

Resistance: Sulini receive +5 DR and RR bonusesversus both heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities:

� Dark Vision: Sulini see extremely well in thedark. In moonlight or starlight, they can seeperfectly up to 500'. In low-light conditionsthey see perfectly up to 50' and reasonablywell up to 100'.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Like all Half-Elven sub-races, the Sulini are well suited for Thief, giventheir bonuses to Agility and Quickness. They are

PUNKARI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 4+ 0 1•3•5•7•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 1- 5+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 2+ 06+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 01+ 0 2•3•4•6•0


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relatively weak in Self-Discipline and Reasoning,key attributes for some spell-using professions.But they also receive modest bonuses to Empathyand Intuition, which gives them a leg up asRangers, Dabblers and Animists. Also, theirAppearance bonus stands them in good stead insocial situations. Their resistance to disease andpoison makes them durable under circumstancesthat would cripple most other mortal races.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Sulini (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Erlini (S6/W4), Lydian(S4/W4), Sulini (S10/W8), Talath (S4/W4) andnative regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: The Sulini have no particular prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: The Sulini follow the religiousbeliefs and practices appropriate to the Littoralculture template, although more casually.

Preferred Professions: The Sulini favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.


Typical Cultures: Sulini should use either Arctic orLittoral, unless their individual circumstancesmake them exceptional.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

The Sulini are fisher-folk rather than deep-ocean

sailors, so they are not accustomed to adventuring infaraway lands. However, given their nautical skills, it isentirely possible that they might venture to a majorport to find a market for their talents. Or that some-one in need of skilled sailors would come to a Sulinivillage to recruit. Either way offers a path to get aSulini PC into the adventuring life.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Sulini receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Erlini (S8/W6), Lennai (S4/W4), Lydian(S6/W6) and Talath (S6/W6).




VORLOI

Vorloi, also known as ‘Tree Spirits,’ are a strangesub-race unique to the Isle of Jade, which is locatedsouth of Khûm-kaan. It is presumed that they areHalf-Elven because they have long, pointed ears and alife span much longer than a typical mortal race. Butthe identity of their mortal ancestors has never beendetermined with any certainty. For the moment, theyare generally regarded as Half-Elves—although thesharp fangs and claw-like nails that they present alongwith their fine features and delicate hands brings thatclassification into question.


Build: Like other Half-Elves, Vorloi are lithe andslender. Males average 130 pounds in weight,while females average 90 pounds.

Coloring: Vorloi are quite pale and have eyes to match.

Endurance: Like other Half-Elves, Vorloi need only 4hours of rest per day.

Height: Vorloi are far and away the shortest Half-Elven race, ranging from only 4'8"-5'6" tall.

Life Span: Vorloi are exceptionally long-lived, with atypical life expectancy of 600 years or more.

Resistance: Vorloi all receive +5 DB and RR bonusesversus both heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Vorloi see extremelywell in the dark. In moonlight or starlight, theycan see perfectly up to 500'. In low-light condi-tions they see perfectly up to 50' and reasonablywell up to 100'.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Vorloi are exceptionallywell suited for Thief based on their strongbonuses to Agility and Quickness, even more sothan other Half-Elves. They receive modest

SULINI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 2+ 0 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 3- 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2+ 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 4+ 06+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 01+ 0 2•3•4•6•0


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bonuses to Empathy and Intuition, which givesthem a leg up as Rangers, Dabblers and Animists.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Vorloi (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Vorloi (S10/W8) andnative regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Vorloi have no particular prejudices.

Religious Attitudes: Vorloi follow animistic religiousbeliefs and practices along the lines described inthe Sylvan culture template. Tribal shamans playan important role in their society, often assumingwhat passes for political leadership of Vorloigroups, in addition to spiritual leadership. Thefact that Vorloi have such sophisticated religiousorganization in their society sets them apart fromother Half-Elves.

Preferred Professions: Animists are particularlycommon among the Vorloi, no doubt because oftheir unusually feral lifestyle.


Typical Cultures: Vorloi always use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

The Vorloi are an insular race, considered strangeby most other denizens of Kulthea and confined to theIsle of Jade. A Vorloi who dreams of an adventuringlife and seeing the world beyond the Isle of Jade wouldtherefore be unusual among his folk, and wouldprobably feel a degree of alienation among his folk.Because of the strangeness of his appearance, he wouldprobably be something of a loner when he reached theworld outside, and might well make his living throughsolitary occupations with transitory loyalties, such asspying, or mercenary work, treasure-hunting or eventhieving. A clever Vorloi might also make his livingthrough trading.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Vorloi receive three background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Centaur (S4/W4), Erlini (S4/W4) andNymph (S4/W4).




HALFLINGS

Not even Halflings themselves know for certainhow or where they first arose, but it is widely believedthat they are a race as old as Men. Indeed, they arephysically very similar to Men, except for their height.As their name suggests, Halflings are just over half astall as a typical Man. They are sometimes called‘Hairfoots’ because of thick mats of hair that grow onthe tops of their feet.

Halflings have no direct equivalent in ShadowWorld.


Build: Halflings tend to be rather stout, by humanstandards. Both males and females average a bitover 50 pounds in weight. Halflings have largefeet matted on top by thick hair.

Coloring: Halflings have light brown skin and hair.

Endurance: They may not look it, but Halflings arerugged folk, almost as tough and resilient intheir own way as Dwarves and Orcs. Whenpushed, they can travel long distances overdifficult terrain.

Height: Male Halflings average 3'5" in height,females 3'3".

Life Span: Halflings reach physical maturity at age 30and live, on average, 90-110 years.

VORLOI RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 6+ 0 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 3- 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2+ 02+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 6+ 5+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 5+ 0 2•3•4•6•0


6 3 1


3 3

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Resistance: Halflings’ hands and feet are practicallyimmune to extreme temperatures (that’s onereason why they always go about barefoot).Halflings receive +30 DB and RR bonuses versusheat and cold attacks. Also, the simplicity andinnocence of their temperament help them resistmagical attacks. This is factored into theirrelatively high racial RR modification.

Special Abilities: Halflings are famously nimble. Theyhave disproportionately long and slender fingersfor their size, which helps them when it comes tocrafting fine objects. Their high racial Agility statbonus reflects their innate dexterity.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Their Agility andQuickness bonuses make Halflings eminently wellsuited to careers as Thieves. A strong Constitutionbonus makes them good candidates for Ranger.But their attribute bonuses and penalties do notrecommend them for many other professions.Their noticeable penalties to Self-Discipline andPresence hurt them if they try to pursue most anyof the spell-using professions.

On the other hand, Halflings receive excep-tional RR bonuses against most forms of magic.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Small-speech (S8/W6), Common-speech (S8/W6). AllowedAdolescent Development: Small-speech (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10), High-speech (S8/W8), Grey-elvish (S8/W8).

Prejudices: Halflings get along well with most any raceexcept Orcs, whom they hate with a passion.Because of their size and good humor, most otherraces cannot bring themselves to find Halflingsthreatening. Immortal races in general and Elves inparticular fascinate Halflings, and they instinctivelyshow deference to anyone who fits that description.

Religious Attitudes: Halflings are rural folk deep atheart, and their religious beliefs and practicesreflect thankfulness for Nature’s bounty and theblessings of a good harvest. Their rituals, however,are low key and informal.

Preferred Professions: Halflings’ innate dexteritymakes them particularly well suited to followcareers as Thieves. However, they are not giftedspell-users. The spell-using professions are notclosed off to them, but most Halflings knowbetter than to even begin down that path.

Special Skills: Everyman: Caving (Halfling-holes),choice of any five skills within the Crafts category,Horticulture. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Halflings enjoy the peace andsimple pleasures of rural life, and so the Ruralculture template fits them best. Only the mostadventurous of their race will go and live in a city.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Halflings are Rural folk by and large, and theproblem with getting them into an adventurer’s life isthat it’s hard to persuade them that leaving home isworth the bother (see the Rural culture template inPart II). Halflings are even more parochial than mostRural folk, and even more inclined to stay put. Oneway to get them out and adventuring is to play ontheir prejudices, their likes as well as their dislikes.Perhaps the lure of Elven magic is too much to bear,and your character leaves home determined to seethem, or even to receive some sort of favor from them.Or perhaps he leaves home bent on vengeance againstOrcs who have attacked his community.

Halfling characters that maximize the race’sstrong suits are usually Thieves, but don’t let the nameof the profession fool you. Halflings frown uponstealing, and would give you a good thrashing if theycaught you in the act. Whatever else one may sayabout them, they are guileless and honest. But forpurposes of adventuring, their size and naturaldexterity allow them to excel at skills that characterizethe profession known as Thief. In a sticky situation,they are much better equipped to use stealth, clever-ness and nimbleness than brute force or magic to getout of it. In other words, a Halfling Thief doesn’t cutpurses for a living; he simply knows how to use hisnatural gifts to survive.

HALFLING RACIAL INFORMATION

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GA 6+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


EM 0 05+ 2•3•4•5•0


DS 4- 04+ 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 03+ 1•1•1•2•0


UQ 4+ 51+ 1•1•1•2•0


PA 5- 0 1•1•1•2•0


81 1 5.0


2 5

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RACES

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Halflings who leave their comfortable communi-ties in search of adventures are assumed to be extraor-dinary examples of the race. Therefore, they receivefive background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Hill-speech (S4/W4), Wood-speech (S6/W6), Orcish (S2/W2) and Elvish (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Coins or semi-precious gems. Halflingsrarely encounter anything more valuable thanthat in their daily lives.

Special Items: Spell adders and items that cast spellsare not available. Halflings only have items thathelp perform a natural, non-magical task, such asa weapon, a saddle, a rope, a lockpick, etc.

Talents: Halflings may not select mystical talents.

HALF-ORCS

Half-Orcs are monsters in the most literal sense,intelligent but hideous offspring of Man and Orc.They are often confused with Greater Orcs, but theyare a distinct race unto themselves. Usually, they arethe offspring of human women ravished by Orcraiders or taken captive for sport, but instances oflove-matches between Man and Orc have beenrecorded (though with little approval).

Half-Orcs are not numerous, but they are notedand feared wherever they appear. They are almostalways treated as outcasts by Mannish society, and alsousually by Orc tribes. However, some Orcs hold Half-Orcs in awe because of their human ancestry andelevate Half-Orcs into leadership positions.

Half-Orcs—Half-Lugrôki, more properly—doexist in the Shadow World, as the Lugrôki of Wrangôr

have interbred with slaves and captives to produce half-castes (see Orcs). Because of the wide genetic variationthat exists between the Mannish races in the ShadowWorld, (to say nothing of mortal races in general), it ishard to make truly accurate generalizations about theseHalf- Lugrôki. However, the guidelines for Half-Orcspresented here may be used as a median representationof what these unfortunate beings are like.


Build: Half-Orcs look like a cross between Greater Orcsand dark-skinned Common Men. In fact, theymight pass for human were it not for their fangs,tusks and large, pointed ears. Males weigh 150pounds on average. Females average 135 pounds.

Coloring: Half-Orcs have dark skin, black or reddish-brown eyes and black or gray hair.

Endurance: Their Orcish inheritance gives Half-Orcsexceptional stamina. They can travel for two dayswithout sleep, and they receive a +10 bonus toexhaustion points. If they wish to restore PowerPoints, however, they must sleep more often, justlike everyone else

Height: Male Half-Orcs average 5'8" in height.Females average 5'5".

Life Span: Half-Orcs have a natural life expectancy of250-500 years. Unlike Orcs, they sometimes reachthe limits of their natural life expectancy.

Resistance: Half-Orcs are unusually tough physicalspecimens, as one might expect. They receive +15DB and RR bonuses versus heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Half-Orcs also receivegood night vision as part of their Orcish inherit-ance. They can see 25' perfectly well in very dim


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light, and up to 50' reasonably well. They can see5' in absolute darkness (non-magical).

Strengths and Weaknesses: In a way, Half-Orcs drawdifferent strengths from the human and Orcishsides of their inheritance. They have a few minorstrengths and no glaring weaknesses. Their Orcishblood gives them the ability to function normallywith very little sleep, and night vision without anycorresponding penalties when in broad daylight.As far as professions go, their slight bonuses toConstitution and Strength make them better thanaverage Fighters. Their slight bonus to Self-Discipline helps them master a variety of spell-using professions, as well as Monk and WarriorMonk. The fact that their attribute bonuses reflectlittle deviation from statistical norms is a conse-quence of their inheritance from Common Men.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Common-speech (S8/W4), Orcish (S8/W4), Black-speech (S4/W3).Allowed Adolescent Development: Common-speech (S10/W8), Orcish (S10/W8), Black-speech(S8/W8), Hill-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Half-Orcs make no secret of their distastefor just about every race under the sun (includingOrcs). However, they reserve the deepest hatredfor Elves and High Men.

Religious Attitudes: Half-Orcs instinctively revere thepowers of darkness and evil.

Preferred Professions: Theoretically, Half-Orcs arenot disqualified from any profession except forPaladin, with which they are temperamentallyincompatible. However, in practice, Half-Orcsgravitate toward Fighter.


Typical Cultures: Highlanders normally supply thehuman quotient of a Half-Orc’s bloodline, soHighlander is the most appropriate culture templatefor them. However, it is by no means the onlyappropriate one. Half-Orcs may use any culturaltemplate. They also tend to gravitate towardBarbarian and Militaristic sub-cultural templates.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Half-Orcs who try to live among Men are outcastsby their very nature, and that simple (if harsh) factprovides a useful way of conceptualizing a Half-Orccharacter. Universally hated and feared, a Half-Orcmight never achieve a sense of belonging no matterwhere he goes. As a consequence, he might spend hislife constantly on the move, always looking for a wayto make money, or to just keep himself amused. Hefeels no particular loyalty to anyone or any place, andjudges all personal relationships based on theirimmediate, tactical benefits. He might be an assassin

or a bounty hunter who prefers to work alone. Or hemight be a mercenary Fighter living off of his bootyfrom the last war while waiting for the next one tobreak out.

On the other hand, a Half-Orc who chooses tolive according to the Orcish side of his nature mightaspire to a leadership position at the head of a tribe ofOrcs. Indeed, that kind of power and status is prob-ably the only compensation that someone withMannish blood could find living among Orcs. But hewould still be an outsider among pureblooded Orcs,and he would have to prove himself to them in someway before he was accepted as a leader. He mighttherefore take to the adventuring life to accomplish agreat deed (great in the eyes of Orcs, at any rate) thatwould prove himself truly worthy to reign over anOrcish society.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Half-Orcs get five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed above:North-speech (S8/W8) and Wood-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Coins, semi-precious gems and weapons.

Special Items: All special items are available. It is notout of the question for Half-Orcs to have first-rategear in their possession, especially if they aremercenaries serving an evil lord.


HALF O- RC RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

HIRA’RAZHIR/HIRAZI

Both RMFRP the Shadow World have races thatresemble nothing so much as a cross between Men andbirds, with distinctly humanoid bodies and long wings thatgive them the ability to fly. Both races (Hira’razhir inRMFRP and Hirazi in the Shadow World) live high up inthe mountains, in constant contact with the ceiling of thesky. Although they have physical differences that distin-guish them from the other, both share the same role ineach setting—to provide intelligent races that can fly, andtherefore give you the opportunity to play a PC with theinherent ability to take to the air. Therefore, we considerthe Hira’razhir and the Hirazi as equivalent races.

HIRA’RAZHIR

Hira’razhir are a winged race whose skeletons areformed of hollow bones. They live exclusively at highaltitudes. They consider the air to be their trueelement, and they prefer to spend most of their livesgliding with the winds. Deep in their heart of hearts,they scorn the use of their mountain eyries foranything other than minimal use.

Because they love flight above all other things,Hira’razhir are very protective of their wings. Theykeep them folded back in a flattened configuration toprotect them from harm whenthey are not airborne, and theyare constantly watchful lest harmcome to them. Needless to say,they do not appreciate anyonetouching their wings out ofcuriosity. In fact, a cripplinginjury to the wings is such aterrible psychological blow that aHira’razhir who is so maimedusually commits ritual suicide.The same is true of those wholose use of their wings to diseaseor the infirmities of age. New-borns with deformed wings areput to death to spare them themisery of life as a less than wholeHira’razhir.


Build: Hira’razhir are gaunt andrather short, and they do notlook terribly imposing untilthey spread their wings. Theirwings, in fact, measure longerthan their body when mea-sured tip to tip (see Height,below). To support theirwingspan, their shoulders andupper back are incorporatedinto the wing structure.

Coloring: Hira’razhir have fair

skin, which contrasts against the rich blue of theirwing feathers. They have blue or gray eyes andsilver or white hair.

Endurance: Living at high altitude gives Hira’razhirunusual stamina, as their lungs have adapted tothe thin air. They receive +12 endurance points.

Height: Hira’razhir average just over 5' in height, witha wingspan of 12'.

Life Span: Hira’razhir have an average life expectancyof 75-80 years.

Resistance: Hira’razhir are highly resistant to extremetemperatures. They have +20 DB and RR bonusesagainst heat and cold attacks.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Hira’razhir make goodThieves, although their society does not condonestealing. It is simply a reflection of their naturaldexterity and quickness. They also do reasonablywell at the spell-using professions that rely onEmpathy, since they have a slight bonus to thatattribute and no penalties to the other key attributes.

Their greatest strengths, of course, are theirability to fly and their resistance to temperatureextremes. The one gives them mobility of which


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earth-bound races can only dream, and both cancome in handy when adventuring in harshenvironments.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Common-speech (S8/W6) and Hill-speech (S6/W6). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Common-speech (S10/W10), North-speech (S4/W4) and South-speech (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Hira’razhir bear no unusual animositytoward any particular race. But they are inordi-nately proud of their ability to fly. They know fullwell that flying distinguishes them from mostother intelligent races, and it is hard for them torestrain themselves from looking down (bothfiguratively and literally) at earthbound races.

Religious Attitudes: Hira’razhir display no religioustendencies that would distinguish them from thenorm for Aerial cultures.

Preferred Professions: No single profession is favoredby or forbidden to Hira’razhir.

Special Skills: Everyman: Flying/Gliding. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Hira’razhir always use the Aerialtemplate. Most cannot even conceive of livingbelow the mountain peaks in which they buildtheir eyries.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Hira’razhir who goes adventuring might sell hisservices as an airborne scout to whoever needs it. Rareis the Hira’razhir who leaves his aerial homeland, andhe would feel distinctly uncomfortable in an under-ground environment such as a dungeon (where hisflying ability would be largely negated). But such is hispride in his ability to fly, and his desire to make hisfortune by it that he accepts its hardships. He couldalso sell his services to armies, many of which wouldpay good money to spy on the enemy from above.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Hira’razhir receive six background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: High-elvish (S4/W4), High-speech (S6/W4) and Hill-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Coins and gems.


Talents: All are available. In addition, Hira’razhir mayselect Strong Lungs as a talent without a flaw forone background option instead of two, andUnnatural Stamina as a talent without a flaw fortwo background options instead of three. Livingat high altitude challenges and strengthens theirrespiratory system in a way that those who spendtheir time at lower elevations never experience.

HIRAZI

The Hirazi are much taller and sturdily built thatthe Hira’razhir, but they also have hollow bones andlong wings that enable them to fly gracefully. Hirazibreed infrequently, and they tend to have small families.That, combined with the fact that they do not adaptwell to environments outside of their mountain homes,keeps their population small compared to the otherraces of Kulthea. Many Loremasters suspect that theHirazi are, in fact, the progeny of a bizarre experimentconducted by the Lords of Essaence in the distant past.

The Hirazi live in small colonies scatteredthroughout Kulthea, wherever they can site theireyries. The most significant of these are locatedoverlooking the Bay of Sindarah in Falias, andoverlooking Dagger-Ridge Bay in Mulira.


Build: Hirazi are tall and muscular. They have awingspan equal to exactly twice their height.Despite appearances, however, they are no moredurable than the Hira’razhir, as their hollowbones make them physically fragile.

Coloring: Hirazi all have golden brown skin and whiteor blond hair. Their wings make an impressivesight, covered as they are by plush white featheryhairs that vary in color from blue to white to gold,and often appear in a shimmering combination ofall of them.

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Endurance: Hirazi have unusual stamina. They receive+12 endurance points.

Height: Hirazi range from 6'4"-7'8" tall. Theirwingspan equals exactly twice their height.

Life Span: Hirazi have an average life expectancy of75-80 years.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Hirazi make good Thieves,although their society does not condone stealing. Itis simply a reflection of their natural dexterity andquickness. They also do reasonably well at thespell-using professions that rely on Empathy, sincethey have a slight bonus to that attribute and nopenalties to the other key attributes.

Their greatest strengths, of course, aretheir ability to fly and their resistance totemperature extremes. The one gives themmobility of which earth-bound races can onlydream, and both can come in handy whenadventuring in harsh environments.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Hirazi (S8/W4), nativeregional language (S6/W2). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Hirazi (S10/W8), native regionallanguage (S8/W4).

Prejudices: The Hirazi bear no unusual animositytoward any particular race. It should be noted,however, that the Hirazi of the Geldsfaal Moun-tains of Falias have an unusual alliance with theMermen of the Bay of Sindarah to guard theprovince of Tazarah-Bushuy by both sea and air.Their purpose is to keep their native area free ofintrusions by Mannish races and by Elves as well.

Religious Attitudes: Hirazi display no religioustendencies that would distinguish them from thenorm for Aerial cultures.

Preferred Professions: No single profession is favoredby or forbidden to Hirazi.

Special Skills: Everyman: Flying/Gliding. Re-stricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Hira’razhir always use the Aerialtemplate. Most cannot even conceive of livingbelow the mountain peaks in which they buildtheir eyries.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Like Hira’razhir, a Hirazi who goes adventuringmight sell his services as an airborne scout to whoeverneeds it. A Hirazi, regardless of their profession, mightalso see himself as a warrior whose sole aim is todefend his tribe and its domain. The Hirazi who patrolthe skies above the Bay of Sindarah are perfectexamples of this.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Hirazi receive six background options.

Extra Languages: Native regional language (S10/W8).

Extra Money: Coins and gems.


Talents: All are available. In addition, Hirazi mayselect Strong Lungs as a talent without a flaw forone background option instead of two, andUnnatural Stamina as a talent without a flaw fortwo background options instead of three. Livingat high altitude challenges and strengthens theirrespiratory system in a way that those who spendtheir time at lower elevations never experience.

IDIVYA

Idivya are powerful, leonine humanoids. A thickmane of light-colored fur surrounds their head like ahalo, and fanged teeth reveal their essential nature aspredatory carnivores. Their toes anchor short, sharptalons, but their primary natural weapons are the 3"retractable claws that extend from the back of theirhands (thus leaving the fingers free at all times). Idivyaprefer to use melee or missile weapons, but their clawsmean that disarming them makes them scarcely lessdeadly in combat.

Idivya society is competitive and places a pre-mium on personal honor. It is not unusual fordisagreements (particularly between males) to be

HIRAZI RACIAL INFORMATION

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settled by ritual combat, with the winner gaining notonly satisfaction, but also increased respect in the eyesof his peers. Conversely, the loser (if he survives)suffers disgrace and may be cast out of the tribe.

Particularly serious disputes are settled by duel tothe death.

Idivya have no exact equivalent in the Shadow World.


Build: Idivya have lean, sinewy bodies that make themlook both thinner and more muscular than Men.

Coloring: Idivya have brown, suede-like skin thatshows only at the face and the extremities. Therest of their body is covered by coffee-colored,gold-tipped fur, which forms a mane around thehead. They have green eyes.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Idivya range in height between 5'8"-6'4".

Life Span: Idivya have an average life expectancyof 70 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: On a star-lit or moonlitnight, Idivya can see perfectly up to 25' feet andreasonably well up to 100'. In absolute darkness,however, they can see no better than Men.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Idivya make capableFighters, Rogues and Thieves because of theirmodest bonuses to the key attributes for thoseprofessions. Their claws make them fearsome inclose combat even if they are disarmed.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Common-speech (S6/W6)and Plains-speech. (S8/W6). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Common-speech (S8/W8), North-speech (S6/W6) and Plains-speech (S10/W10).

Prejudices: Idivya are a proud race and do not sufferinsults from outsiders with good grace. They are alsoconcerned about Men encroaching on their lands,and this is especially true of Idivya tribes who live asnomadic hunters. But in general, they harbor nospecial ill feelings toward any particular race.

Religious Attitudes: Idivya worship gods of the hunt,but that is the only tendency that might separatethem from the religious practice described in theircultural template.

Preferred Professions: No professions are closed off toIdivya. Based on their racial strengths and their tastefor physical combat, they prefer Rogue and Fighter.


Typical Cultures: Idivya are most comfortable on theplains and savannahs, where some of them live innomadic tribes and others in settlements, accord-ing to the temperament of their tribe. As a generalrule, they should use the Plains template, or thePlains Nomadic sub-culture, as suitable.

It is also possible to find Idivya in the more cosmo-politan cities, where their ferocious appearance is lesslikely to cause a furor.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Idivya use single combat as a way of settlingdisputes. An Idivya Rogue or Fighter might crave areputation as a duelist and travel the world in searchof matches that would help him forge his legend. Thefact that his combat skills come in handy whileadventuring is a useful coincidence. Perhaps he wascast out of his community after he defeated someonemore popular (or politically prominent) than he andthereby made his position politically untenable. Orperhaps he went into exile after suffering the shame oflosing a duel, and looks for a way to redeem his honor.

An Idivya—especially if he is of aristocraticbirth—might also be groomed as a champion of hiscommunity, someone whose role it is to defend thehonor of his folk in single combat. This doesn’tnecessarily preclude him going on adventures, as itmay well be the case that his community may needhim to represent it by going abroad. Perhaps they andneighboring tribes need to complete a quest to defeat acommon enemy, or find a legendary magic item thatwill secure their well-being.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Idivya receive five background option.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S10/W10), High-speech

IDIVYA RACIAL INFORMATION

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(S6/W4) and North-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Silver coins or hides from variousanimals of the plains.



JHORDI

The Jhordi are an unsettling race as far as the othermortal races of Kulthea are concerned, and the Jhordithemselves understand this and even relish it. They areghostly pale, with exaggerated facial features and theygo about dressed in nothing but skirts or shorts made ofa shimmering cloth-like material so transparent thatthey might as well be naked. In cold climates they willconcede to the elements and wear coats or cloaks ofwhite ovir fur. Otherwise, they know their appearanceshocks many other races, and they seem to enjoy it.

Even more disquieting, however, is that the Jhordiare never heard to speak. They communicate exclu-sively through mind-speech, and they do so withoutthe usual effort that Mentalists must go through to usetelepathy (see Special Abilities, below). This uniqueability leads many Loremasters to believe that theJhordi are in fact an alien race and they arrived onKulthea from elsewhere, probably no earlier than theend of the First Era. It also inspires their commonnickname, ‘the blue men of no speech.’

Another strange hallmark of the Jhordi is thatoutsiders have never seen any of their females. Thosewho inquire after them are treated with great hostility;the lucky are spat upon and the less fortunate haveeven had their necks broken. The fact of the matter isthat Jhordi females, unlike the females of every otherhumanoid race on Kulthea, differ dramatically frommales in their genetics. They live only half as long asmales and are much less intelligent. It seems that theyexist only to reproduce the race, and perhaps performsimple, menial tasks within Jhordi society.

The Jhordi live almost exclusively in the corner ofThuul known as Jhoridia. Although presently at peace,the realm of Johridia eyes the onset of hostilities betweenthe Alliance and the Vashaan Domain with greatconcern, fearing that it will get caught in the middle.

The Jhordi are unique to the Shadow World.


Build: Jhordi are tall, big-boned and muscular. Theyhave no body hair. Their ears are very large andelongated, but rounded. They average 300 poundsin weight.

Coloring: Jhordi have very pale skin with a bluish tint.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Jhordi range in height from 6'4"-7' tall.

Life Span: Male Jhordi have a typical life expectancy of100 years. The average life span of a female Jhordiis only half that.

Resistance: Normal.

Special Abilities: Telepathy: Jhordi communicate witheach other using mind-speech. All Jhordi may usethe Mentalist Base list Mind Speech to the 10th

level as an inherent ability. They can use thesepowers at will, without any expenditure ofEssaence power.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Jhordi are uncommonlystrong and their perpetual silence also gives theman eerie sort of charisma. They make goodFighters, and they also have the natural gifts toexcel as Healers, Lay Healers and Mystics.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Since the Jhordicommunicate with each other through mind-speech, they have no native racial language assuch. They express themselves telepathicallythrough abstractions and images and have noneed for words. Intelligent as they are, they aretherefore not great students of language. AllowedAdolescent Development: On the other hand,Jhordi understand the need to come to grips withthe existence of spoken and written language, andmake an effort to learn them so that they canunderstand what others are saying to each other.They never speak that language, but they areliterate in it, and they can understand it if theyhear it spoken. Thuul (S6/W4).

Prejudices: Lending weight to the belief that they areof alien origin, the Jhordi see themselves as a raceapart from the other intelligent beings of Kulthea.They do not seek contact with outsiders, and seethem all as equally foreign. As mentioned above,however, they take a certain delight in scandaliz-ing modest folk with their skimpy native dress.

Religious Attitudes: It is hard to speak precisely ofJhordian religion, because it has only beencommunicated from authoritative sources—theJhordi themselves—in the form of abstractionsand images, and translated into the language ofwhoever has received the telepathic translation.These translations vary wildly and betray moreabout the assumptions and biases of the transla-tors than about the Jhordi themselves. About themost that can be deduced accurately is that theJhordi believe in a tribal deity that resides beyondKulthea, even beyond Charon, and looks out fortheir welfare. The Jhordi themselves cannot orwill not clarify the matter. It only amuses themthat others would want to understand their beliefsystem with any degree of accuracy.

Preferred Professions: Jhordi never become Channel-ing or Essence spell-users. All other professionsare open to them. However, a disproportionatelylarge number of Jhordi pursue Mentalism becauseof their natural gift for it.


RACES


Typical Cultures: The Jhordi have their own realmtucked in a corner of the continent of Thuul.Called Jhoridia, it lies just east of the rainforest ofNestakh. It is a self-sufficient domain, and a varietyof culture types thrive here. Jhordi who live in thecapital of Xarok-Taal should use the Plains Urbansub-cultural templates. Those who farm theoutlying areas should use the Rural template.Those who live on the coast of the Guardian Seashould use the Littoral template. And the adventur-ous Jhordi who try to carve out a section of therainforest of Nestakah for themselves use theWoodfolk sub-cultural template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

The Jhordi have long preferred to remain alooffrom the affairs of others, but fear that their realm willget caught in the crossfire between the Alliance andthe Vashaan Domain may well compel them to endtheir isolation. Somewhat paradoxically, Jhoridia mayneed help from the outside if it is to maintain itsindependence. To that end, the Jhoridian governmentmight well send emissaries to the larger, more power-ful nations of Kulthea, asking for guarantees of aid incase their sovereignty is threatened. Jhordi Mysticsand Healers would probably make the best ambassa-dors, as their professions stress the importance ofusing one’s Presence. Most likely, they would bedrawn from the population of Xarok-Taal.

Jhoridia might also send some of their native sonsinto lands controlled by the Alliance and the VashaanDomain as spies, to gather information on plans thateither combatant might have for the Jhordi. Theseagents would have to have cover stories, however, toconceal their true purpose, and they must be elaborateenough to explain the extraordinary presence of aJhordi outside of Jhoridia. He might try to disguisehimself as a member of another race—a mute, toexplain the fact that he cannot speak. This particularruse would probably strain credulity, but not muchmore than any other possible explanation.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Jhordi receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Thuul (S8/W6), any other regional orracial tongue (S4/W4). They never speak thatlanguage, but they are literate in it, and they canunderstand it if they hear it spoken.

Extra Money: Coins of their own native mintage.


Talents: Jhordi may not take Battle Cry under anycircumstances, since they do not speak. Other-wise, all talents are available. In addition, a Jhordimay select Intense Eyes as a talent without a flawfor one background option instead of two. TheJhordi excel at non-verbal communication, and

understand the importance of using one’s gaze toemphasize a point. In fact, they are often amusedby how often this little trick of inflecting one’sgaze seems to have a strong effect on non-Jhordi.

MEN

Men are the standard measure of all things inRMFRP. They are the most numerous race, thedominant population group most anywhere theychoose to settle. There are three sub-races of Men:Common Men, High Men and Mixed Men.

As noted in the introduction to this chapter,SWMA handles Men rather differently than doesRMFRP. Here, we provide two sub-entries as a sampleof the wide variety of Mannish races that populate theShadow World. The Laan are one of the most success-ful and populous of the Mannish races. The Umli are amore marginal people, not nearly as numerous as theLaan and in a state of decline from the height of theirpower. They are mostly confined to barely habitableland near the North Pole. However, they provide anexcellent example of how well Mannish races ingeneral can adapt to life in unforgiving environments.

COMMON MEN

The term Common Men describes the typical runof the Mannish race. Endlessly adaptable, CommonMen live in a wide variety of environments and onefinds them just about anywhere. They can learn howto live in the frozen wastes near the poles, in suffocat-

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ing tropical heat, high in the mountains or deep underground. Most Common Men, however, live in rural orurban areas in the temperate regions of the world.Common Men can become rulers of great nations, butthey also form the bulk of the citizenry of domainsruled by High Men nobles.


Build: In a sense, it is useless to describe the bodyshape of a Common Man, because it is thebaseline to which the shape of all other races andcreatures are compared. All other reference pointsrelate to the typical range of body types forCommon Men, so to use those other referencepoints to try to define Common Men wouldcreate a circular description. For instance:

How would you describe a Dwarf?Dwarves are shorter and stockier

than Common Men.How would you describe a

Common Man, then?A Common Man is

taller and thinnerthan a Dwarf.

RMFRP describes thebuild of a typicalCommon Man as“medium,” which isanother way ofsaying that itprovides the singlepoint of comparisonfor all other racialbody types. Typi-cally, male CommonMen weigh 160pounds, and femalesweigh 125 pounds.

Coloring: The skin tone ofCommon Men rangesfrom fair to tan orolive, depending on thewarmth of their nativeclimate and how muchsunlight they receivein a typical year.Their hair colorranges from paleblonde, to red, tobrown, to jet-black. Eyecolor varies from pale gray to black.

Endurance: By definition, Common Men haveaverage endurance. As with build, their typicalstamina forms the baseline by which all otherraces are judged.

Height: Common Men males average 5'10" in height.Females average 5'4".

Life Span: Common Men typically live 60-80 years.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Their unique position asthe baseline race in Rolemaster means that, by theirvery nature, Common Men have no unusualstrengths or glaring weaknesses relative to otherraces. Common Man is not a bad choice if youaren’t entirely sure at the time of character creationabout the direction that you want to follow interms of his development, because no path is pre-ordained. Their slight bonuses in Self-Disciplineand Strength, however, give them a bit of an edgeas Fighters, Monks, Paladins or Lay Healers.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages:Common-speech (S8/W6). Allowed Adolescent

Development: High-speech (S6/W6),

Common-speech(S10/W10) and

Small-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: As ageneral rule,Common Menhate no race inparticularexcept for Orcs,who have a longhistory ofwarring oneverybody andmake enemies ofeveryone.However, theprejudices of allMen, theiraffections anddisaffections,are alwayssubject tolocal circum-stance. EveryMannishcommunitymay

conceive ageneral dislike for its

unfriendly neighbors.

Religious Attitudes: Mannish religious practicegenerally conforms to the norms for theirparticular cultural template.

Preferred Professions: All professions are open toCommon Men.


RACES


Typical Cultures: A full range of culture options isavailable to Common Men. There are no restric-tions. The culture template that you use depends tothe greatest extent on the terrain in which yourcharacter grew up.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Men are everywhere; they exist in just about everycultural niche, every profession, every situation inwhich in an intelligent being can find himself. Takeany character concept that you can imagine, and it willfit some manner of Man in some way.

However, here is a suggestion to consider if youare pondering character concepts for Men. In everysociety where High Men and Common Men mixtogether, Common Men inevitably occupy the lowerrungs of the social order. It is an unspoken law ofnature than High Men are natural aristocrats who ruleover Common Men by right. Most Common Menaccept this, and treat High Men with due deference.But what of Common Men who do not? They may becutthroats and outlaws who refuse to concede any-thing to any form of lawful authority. But some honestfolk might also question why any should rule simplyby fact of their race or birth. They may be Laymenwho work at a trade or craft, religious idealists (Clericsor Monks), or soldiers (Fighters) who have seenCommon Men fight just as bravely as High Men.What they share is a willingness to challenge theaccepted hierarchy of sub-races.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Common Men receive six background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: High-speech (S8/W8), Small-speech (S8/W8) and Hill-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Coins, gems, jeweled objects or any typeof trade goods appropriate to the culture.



HIGH MEN

High Men are taller and more long-lived thanCommon Men. It is widely believed that they aredescended from a long-ago commingling of Elves andMen, and that this touch of Elvish blood explains theirphysical and cultural elevation above the common run ofMen. High Men are exceptional warriors and builders ofcivilizations, and many Common Men find them proudand haughty. Although they are most at home in thegreat cities that they build, High Men are just as adapt-able as Common Men, and they may be found in a widevariety of environments and circumstances.


Build: High Men are taller and more sturdily builtthan their Common cousins. They are broaderand more square in the shoulders and thicker inthe limbs. A male High Man typically weighs 225pounds, and a female weighs 150 pounds.

Coloring: High Men have fair skin, brown or blackhair and gray, hazel, blue or green eyes.

Endurance: High Men are hardier than CommonMen and possess greater stamina.

Height: Male High Men average 6'5" in height, whilefemales average 5'10".

Life Span: High Men have a natural life span of100-300 years.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: High Men make poorThieves, as their penalties to Agility and Quick-ness set them at an immediate disadvantage.However, their strong Constitution and Strengthbonuses make them good Fighters and give thema leg up as Rangers. Their Presence bonus alsogives them an advantage as Bards, but keep inmind that a High Man Bard keeps the tone of hisentertainments dignified and elevated.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: High-speech (S8/W6),Common-speech (S8/W6), Grey-elvish (S6/W6)and High-Elvish (S2/W2). Allowed Adolescent

COMMON MEN RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 0 0 1•2•4•6•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 2+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 0 0 4•5•6•7•0


PA 0 0 4•5•6•7•0


21 2 1


2 6

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05 01/hsaD


)s03(1 -/M DM/DM



RACES

Development: High-speech (S10/W10), Common-speech (S10/W10, Grey-Elvish (S8/W8), High-elvish (S6/W6), Hill-speech (S6/W6), Sea-speech(S8/W8), Small-speech (S6/W6) and Plains-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: High Men hate Orcs and regard with acertain distaste Highlanders, who traditionallyresist the efforts of High Men to expand theirdomains and churlishly refuse to swear fealty toHigh Men kings. However, the prejudices of allMen, their affections and disaffections, are alwayssubject to local circumstance. Every Mannishcommunity may conceive a general dislike for itsunfriendly neighbors.

Religious Attitudes: Mannish religious practicegenerally conforms to the norms for their particu-lar cultural template. High Men generally practicemore elaborate rituals than do Common Men,especially when it comes to burial of the dead.

Preferred Professions: All professions are open toMen. High Men are more likely to become spell-users than Common Men, however.


Typical Cultures: High Men and Mixed Men may not useSubterranean, Sylvan or any Barbarian sub-culture.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

High Men are the aristocrats, the noble families, whoare born with the assumption that they have both the right

and obligation to lead the community. Haughtinessstamps itself on one side of the coin, but a deep sense ofpersonal responsibility to the larger society presses itselfinto the other. Military leaders (Fighters) might tend to lettheir pride get the best of them, especially with a victory ortwo under the belt. Religious leaders (Clerics, Mystics andHealers) tend to let their sense of obligation guide them.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

High Men receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: High-elvish (S8/W8), Hill-speech (S8/W8), Plains-speech (S8/W8), North-speech (S8/W8), Wood-speech (S8/W8).




MIXED MEN

In addition, it is possible to speak of the offspringof unions between Common Men and High Men as athird sub-race—so-called Mixed Men. Mixed Menhave slightly different racial stats than Common Menor High Men, so in this sense it is logical to treat themas a separate sub-race. As a general rule, they representa splitting of the differences between the two, andwhen it comes to most cultural modifiers, you shouldfeel free to incline towards one or the other, as you feelis appropriate, when creating a character.


Build: In terms of weight and build, Mixed Men fallsomewhere in between Common Men and HighMen. Typically, it is difficult to identify a Mixed Manby sight. Usually, subtle clues in their bearing andbehavior give it away rather than obvious physicalcharacteristics. You are more likely to spot a MixedMan by the accent with which he speaks High-speechthan by analyzing his height and body shape.

Coloring: Mixed Men may have darker skin than HighMen, depending on the particulars of their ancestryand the environment in which they grew up.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: As with build, Mixed Men generally split thedifference between Common Men and High Men.

Life Span: The average life expectancy for Mixed Menis 100-150 years.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Mixed Men, true to theirlineage, benefit from a range of modest Attributebonuses, which makes them moderately well suitedfor a variety of professions, but not exceptionallygifted at any.

HIGH MEN RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2- 5- 1•3•5•7•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 2- 0 4•5•6•7•0


PA 5+ 5- 4•5•6•7•0


01 2 7.0


3 4

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RACES

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: High-speech (S6/W6)and Common-speech (S8/W6). Allowed Adoles-cent Development: High-speech (S8/W8), Com-mon-speech (S10/W10, Grey-Elvish (S4/W4),High-Elvish (S2/W2), Hill-speech (S6/W6), Sea-speech (S6/W6), Small-speech (S6/W6) andPlains-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Mixed Men share the general tendenciesof Common Men.

Religious Attitudes: Mannish religious practicegenerally conforms to the norms for their particu-lar cultural template. High Men generally practicemore elaborate rituals than do Common Men,especially when it comes to burial of the dead.

Preferred Professions: All professions are open toMixed Men.


Typical Cultures: Mixed Men may not use Subterra-nean or any Barbarian sub-culture.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

By nature, Mixed Men are products of integratedcommunities. Also, by their very nature, they are half-castes who must find their own place in the world. AMixed Man might find that High Men reject him astoo lowly for their company, while Common Menmight assume that he thinks himself too good forthem. Left to carve out his own destiny, he would find

that his best option is to leave home and win hisfortune through a life of adventure. Perhaps his long-term goal is to return to his native community andshow off his wealth and record of great deeds.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Mixed Men receive five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: High-Elvish (S4/W4), Hill-speech (S8/W8), Plains-speech (S8/W8), North-speech (S8/W8), Wood-speech (S8/W8).




LAAN

The Laan are one of the more prominent mortalraces in Kulthea. Great warriors, leaders and empire-builders, they are proud and ambitious. Many Laanlive on the continent of Emer, and they dominate thepowerful city-state of Kataine. However, they alsopopulate and control the most powerful politicalentity on Jaiman, the Kingdom of Rhakhaan. OnJaiman, they are known as the Zori.

It has been speculated that the Laan are descendedfrom the Worim, one of Kulthea’s extinct intelligent races.

Laan are more or less unique to the ShadowWorld, and have no real equivalent in RMFRP (seeremarks on Men and the Shadow World in theintroduction to Part II).


Build: Laan are tall and slender, so that in some waysthey resemble Elves. However, they have largerbones than Elves and strong, sinewy upper bodies.They average 220 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Laan have fair skin, although some are quitepale in complexion. They have dark brown orblack hair, but very little grows on their face orbody. Their eyes are blue, gray or hazel.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Laan range from 5'8"-6'10" in height.

Life Span: Laan have an average life expectancy of200 years.

Resistance: Laan have a better than average ability towithstand cold. They receive +5 DB and RRbonuses versus cold attacks.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Laan receive modestbonuses across a wide range of attributes, givingthem the natural gifts to successfully pursue manydifferent professions. Their lack of Quickness makesThief a relatively disadvantageous profession forthem, but professions that emphasize Strength and

MIXED MEN RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 0 5- 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 0 0 4•5•6•7•0


PA 0 5- 4•5•6•7•0


01 2 8.0


2 5

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05 01/hsaD


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RACES

Presence, such as Fighter and Bard, stand them inparticularly good stead. In short, they are one of themost versatile races in the Shadow World.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Laan (S8/W4)and native regional language (S8/W4).Allowed Adolescent Development: Laan(S10/W8), Emer or other appropriatenative regional language (S10/W8)and racial tongue of any mortalrace (S4/W4).

Prejudices: The Laan are used tobeing the dominant group inmost of the lands to whichthey are native, and so theytreat other races with an easy-going self-confidence. Accus-tomed to thinking of them-selves as natural leaders, theyfeel that they have nothing toresent. However, they treat anyforceful show of disrespect as adeadly insult, and in someinstances an offense committedby one member of a certain racebecomes a prejudice against allmembers of that race.

Religious Attitudes: Religious beliefand practice among the Laan

generally conforms to whichever cultural templatethey belong to, although it should be noted that theyseem to treat any mention of the Worim and theirlong-lost culture with instinctive reverence.

Preferred Professions: No professions are prohibitedto Laan, and none are favored.


Typical Cultures: Laan are an advanced and sophisti-cated race, ambitious and civilized. Those who livein Kaitaine or thereabouts should use either theUrban template or the Rural template, dependingon how close they live to the great city-state. Thosewho live in the hills of Haestra are most likely touse the Rural template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

As a general rule, the Laan are proud of their status asone of the most prominent mortal races on Kulthea. Theyregard themselves as a race of nation-builders, and they donot suffer lightly insults to the legacy of their civilization.Laan Fighters likely have some sort of military service intheir background, and may take to adventuring as achange of pace after having done their service to king andcountry. Spell-users, if they grew up outside major cities,probably had their eye on becoming the chief cleric of theirlocality, or perhaps a political leader, trusting that theirability to use magic to help people would makethem popular. If they were raisedin a metropolis, perhaps theydreamt of becoming head of alarge temple or magic user’sguild. Thieves and

LAAN RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 2+ 5- 1•2•4•7•0


EM 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


DS 2+ 5- 3•4•5•6•0


NI 0 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 2- 05+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 01+ 5- 4•5•6•7•0


8 3 5.1


4 5

noitamrofnIMG


05 51/hsaD


)s53(81 -/M DM/DM



RACES

Rogues would probably be truly marginal folk, trying tocobble together a living on the edges of society.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Laan receive five background options.

Extra Languages: Aldari (S4/W4), Jinteni (S4/W4),Punkari (S4/W4), Worim (S4/W4) and racialtongue of any mortal race (S8/W4).

Extra Money: Coins of local mintage, gems or jeweledobjects.



UMLI

The Umli are the masters of the frozen North ofKulthea. No mortal race in the Shadow World canendure bitter cold as well as they, and this hardinesshas helped them keep the extinction of their race atbay for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the Umlihave only a fraction of the ancient homelands left tothem. In the past, they used to range farther south, butvarious enemies drove them out, forcing them furtherand further north. Now, all that is left to them istundra and polar ice, which are so forbidding that noone would bother to take that land from them anyway.And yet, despite the constant and bitter hostility ofthat environment, the Umli endure, accepting thatwith which fate has provided them.

The Umli are unique to the Shadow World.


Build: Umli are characterized by their thick, stockybodies, but otherwise they do not deviate fromthe norm for mortal, humanoid races. Theyaverage 160 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Umli have fair skin, pale eyes and eithersilver-white or raven-black hair.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Umli range in height from 5'-5'9".

Life Span: Umli have an average life expectancy of70 years.

Resistance: Umli can endure bitter cold like no otherrace on Kulthea, not even powerful immortals. Theyreceive +30 DB and RR bonuses against cold attacks.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Umli receive bonuses inenough different attributes to stand them in goodstead in a number of different professions. Theyare best suited to Fighter and Ranger on accountof their strong Constitution bonus. But they alsobenefit from unusually strong Self-Discipline ifthey choose to pursue any of the spell-usingprofessions for which that is a key attribute.

Lack of Quickness is their only weakness. This

means that Thief is, at best, an indifferent career pathfor them. Their penalty to Quickness also tends to offsettheir bonus to Self-Discipline as Warrior Monks.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Umli (S8/W4) andnative regional language (S8/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Umlii (S10/W8) andnative regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Umli bear no particular racial hatreds, butthey carry about them a general sense that theworld is set against them. They have a strongcollective memory of being driven out of morefertile lands by invaders, so that all that is left tothem is the frozen north. In short, they hate norace in particular, but they feel at some level thateveryone else hates them.

Religious Attitudes: Umli religious beliefs andpractices do not differ substantially from thenorm described in the Arctic template.

Preferred Professions: No professions are prohibitedto Umli, and none are favored.

Special Skills: Everyman: Driving, Herding, Horticul-ture, Hunting. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Umli are the masters of the north ofKulthea. Those who live the closest to the pole shoulduse the Arctic template. Those who live closer to thesub-polar band make their living by herding animalsnative to the tundra, and they should use theNomadic template mixed with Arctic.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Although they have adapted well to life in thefrozen North of Kulthea, the Umli still resent thattheir ancient homelands have been taken from themby force. An Umli PC might be motivated by a desireto lead his race back to the glory that was once theirs,or at least to contribute in some way to that cause.Perhaps he has heard his elders tell tales of theirhistory, or perhaps he met with outsiders who shamedhim with taunts about what the Umli have lost. Itreally doesn’t matter what profession he follows; whatmatters is his ultimate goal. Perhaps he intends to dogreat deeds and win fame, thereby persuading otherUmli to flock to his banner. Or perhaps he intends togain a vast fortune, enough to hire an army andacquire a realm with which to support it. Either way,the difference lies in his means, not in his end goal. Itis a risky pursuit, to be sure, but one worthy of a hero.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Umli receive four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the languages listedabove: Ky’taari (S6/W4), Jameri (S6/W6) andLydian (S4/W4).


RACES

Extra Money: Coins obtained from traders. But forthe most part, Umli express extra wealth throughfurs, blubber and other trade goods.


Talents: All are available. In addition, an Umli may takeGeographic Awareness as a talent without flaw forone background option instead of two. Living in anenvironment that is often featureless, and whichsometimes inflicts snowblind conditions upon them,Umli must learn to navigate by instinct instead ofrelying in landmarks. They may also take UnnaturalStamina as a talent without flaw for two backgroundoptions instead of three.

MERMEN

Mermen are amphibious humanoids who usetheir large fish-like tail for locomotion instead of legs.So although they can survive on land (they haveuniquely designed lungs that can breathe in either airor water), in practice they are not very comfortableout of the water because it is much more difficult forthem to move about. Some Mermen have ashapechanging ability that allows them to transformtheir tail into legs for a limited period of time,allowing them to walk (see Special Abilities, below).

Nonetheless, Mermen are an advanced race. Theybuild great houses and palaces in shallows, out of thegloomy ocean depths, so that they can bask in thesunlight whenever the mood strikes them. They rideseahorses and nators as steeds, and often keep fish as

pets. They are capable of sophisticated social organiza-tion and few races can match their military skill asunderwater strategists and tacticians.

Mermen in the Shadow World are practicallyidentical to Mermen in RMFRP, so we make nodistinction between them here.

Mermen settlements can be found scattered acrossKulthea, in shallows and other coastal areas that arefavorable to their way of life. Ironically, the mostsignificant of these is also the most obscure. Thekingdom of Kah’hai’ree dominates the southwesternshallows of the Kelp Sea, off the south coast of Agyra.But no one on the surface knows of its existence, exceptfor rumors and legends, and that is how the Mermen ofKah’hai’ree like it. The shallows and the thick forests ofkelp not only provide them with food, but also withabsolute concealment, for prudent sailors avoid the Bayof Kelp lest the plants entangle their ships. Even shallowdraft vessels tend to avoid that corner of the bay.


Build: It may be objectively demonstrated thatMermen are more slender than Men. But the factthat their bodies taper off into fish-like tailsmakes them look even more so.

Coloring: Mermen have fair, hairless skin that blendsinto their tail at the waist. The coloration of theirtail is so light that it fairly shimmers.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Mermen range anywhere from 6'6"-7'6" longfrom head to tail. For Kulthean Mermen, theupper end of that range is 8'.

Life Span: They typical life span for a Merman rangesfrom 80-100 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities:

� Temporary Legs: Mermen avoid dry land for thesimple reason that basic locomotion becomespainfully difficult for them unless they are inthe water. However, some Mermen have theability to shapechange their tail into a pair oflegs for a limited period of time each day. Thesetemporary legs are scaly like a fish’s skin, butthey work well enough for a Merman tofunction on land without penalty.

These Mermen may transform themselvesinto land-walkers for a total of 4 hours + 1 hour/level per day. They must concentrate for 1minute without interruption in order totransform themselves into land-walking beings,but they may end the transformation withoutany effort (it’s a matter of working up one’sconcentration versus simply letting it go). Whiletransformed, Mermen have a natural AT 3because of the resiliency of their skin and scales.

� Dry Land Penalties: Even if they have theability to transform and grant themselves the

UMLI RACIAL INFORMATION

tatSsreifidoM



GA 0 0 1•2•5•6•0


EM 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


DS 4+ 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 2+ 01+ 3•4•5•6•0


UQ 2- 02+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 5+ 0 4•5•6•7•0


21 2 5.1


2 4

noitamrofnIMG


05 01/hsaD


)52(7 -/M DM/DM



RACES

freedom to move on land, Mermen must stillreturn to their watery element on a daily basisor face serious consequences. A Merman whodoes not totally immerse himself in watersuffers a –10 penalty to all activities for eachmissed day. He should use a substantial bodyof water—the ocean, a mighty river, or at leasta large lake. If he tries to do it on the cheap, byperching under a waterfall or submerginghimself in a bath, he suffers a –5 penalty permissed day. When this penalty reaches –80, heslips into a coma and becomes completelyincapacitated. When it reaches –100, he dies.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Mermen’s most obviousweakness is their inability to function on dryland. Even if a Merman has thetemporary legs ability, he muststill return to the water on adaily basis or face severeconsequences (see SpecialAbilities, above). Adventur-ing in a landlocked environ-ment would put him at aterrible disadvantage.

On the other hand,Mermen receive enoughattribute bonuses tomake them a modestlyversatile race. Theirstrongest professionalsuits are Fighter,Bard and Magent,since they possessslight bonuses toboth key attributesfor those profes-sions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages:Sea-speech (S8/W6) andCommon-speech (S6/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development:Sea-speech (S10/W10), Grey-Elven (S6/W6) and High-speech (S4/W4).

Shadow World: Starting Languages: Mermen (S8/W4),Undersea (S8/W4). Allowed Adolescent Development:Mermen (S10/W8), Shuluri (S4/W4), Undersea(S10/W8), native regional language (S6/W4).

Prejudices: Mermen regard all land-based races withsuspicion—which means that they don’t muchenjoy associating with other intelligent races, as ageneral rule.

In the Shadow World, Mermen enjoy arelatively friendly relationship with the Shuluri, theaquatic Elves. The two races sometimes cooperateand even live together in underwater cities.

Religious Attitudes: Merfolk religious attitudes andpractices generally follow those typical ofAquatic cultures.

Preferred Professions: Mermen favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.Whatever it is that any given profession does,Mermen can find a way to do it in the water.

Special Skills: Everyman: Swimming. Restricted: Allskills that are used exclusively on land and haveno application to aquatic life.

Typical Cultures: For self-evident reasons, theAquatic template is the only one that makes sensefor Mermen.

CHARACTER

CONCEPTS

It ispainfully difficultto imagineMermen pursuingadventure in alandlocked settingfor any reason shortof the worst kind ofdesperation. It’s justtoo risky and tooimpractical tocontemplate, even forthose Mermen whocan transform their tailinto legs.

In or on the fringesof large bodies of water,however, Mermenhave a broad range ofcharacter optionsavailable to them.Fighters (perhapsriding a seahorsesteed) may escortships piloted by

land-based folk whowant protection from

pirates or aquaticmarauders like

Shuikmar or Sea Trolls. Rangers, Thieves or Roguesmight make similar careers by hiring themselves out asguides or scouts for land-based mariners.

Just as likely, though, Mermen would findprofessional purpose in safeguarding their realm fromoutsiders. Mermen communities would train theirFighters and Rangers to patrol the waters around theirdomain, wary of land-based races and aquatic enemiesalike. Spell-users might engage in study to preparethemselves for leadership positions in their communi-ties, whether secular or religious. As seekers ofknowledge, Mermen spell-users might cast a covetous


RACES

eye on the great libraries of their aquatic foes, theShuikmar. Why should the terrible Sharkmen haveaccess to the wisdom of the ages, and not the Mermen?A Mermen spell-user might make it his life’s ambitionto steal into a Shuikmar city and peruse (or pilfer)books from their archives and universities.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Mermen receive six background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S8/W8), Grey-Elven(S8/W8) and High-speech (S6/W6).

Shadow World: Saurkur (S4/W4), Shuluri (S8/W6)and native regional language (S8/W4).

Extra Money: Gems, nuggets of precious metal, somecoins.

Special Items: All are available, except for those thatmight be damaged by immersion in water. Inaddition, a Merman may choose a seahorse ornator as Loyal Unusual Creature without flaw fortwo background options instead of three. If aMerman wishes to choose Loyal DomesticatedAnimal as a special item, it must be a fish.

Talents: All are available, as long as they do notdepend on the ability to walk or run.

ORCS

Orcs are a grotesque and thoroughly warlike racethat exists for no other apparent purpose than to fight,kill and die. Their origins are wrapped in mystery, butthe terrible hatred that they and Elves bear for eachother suggests that they share a common origin andthat their despite is, in fact, fratricidal.

If these speculations about common origins aretrue, though, then the Orcs must exist as a mockery ofthe Elves, because Orcs are anything but fair. They haveslanting eyes, a flattened snout and large, irregular teeththat jut from the mouth like fangs.

There are two basic sub-races of Orc: CommonOrcs and Greater Orcs.

Orcs also have an equivalent race in the ShadowWorld, the Lugrôki, who are also divided into Greaterand Lesser of their type. There are enough differencesbetween Orcs and Lugrôki, however, to justifybreaking them out into separate sub-entries.

Lugrôki are descended from unfortunate Men andElves whom the sorceress Kadaena and her lieutenantsinterbred with demons of the Pale ages ago. Kadaena’spurpose was to create a warrior race more fearsome andruthless than any that existed on Kulthea, and indeed,Lugrôki have always found plenty of work from avariety of employers as mercenary soldiers. They aregrotesque creatures, with slanting eyes, a flattenedsnout-like nose and large, irregular teeth.

Lugrôki were hunted down after the Wars ofDominion. But they found refuge from their persecu-tors in underground caves and warrens, and theirpopulation has seen a resurgence of late. At present,they are most easily found in the realm of Wrangôr,which dominates the southeast corner of Thuul. TheLugrôki here acknowledge the overlordship of a Dyarnoble known only as the Dark Master, but theydominate the general population, both in the country-side and the main city of Vashtak.

COMMON ORC

Common Orcs live in caverns or undergroundwarrens, organized into warbands. They are cruel andknow no other form of subsistence other than raiding thesettlements of other races for plunder. They fear the sun(although they are not particularly vulnerable to sunlight)and prefer to go abroad from their lairs at night.


Build: Common Orcs are short and heavily built, withshort legs and disproportionately long, thin arms.They average 65 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Common Orcs have dark gray or blackhides, black or reddish-brown eyes and black orgray hair. Some of that hair grows on their faces,but in odd-looking random clumps.

Endurance: Even Common Orcs have truly exceptionalstamina that allows them to pursue their foes

MERMEN RACIAL INFORMATION

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without letup. They can travel for two dayswithout sleep, and they receive a +20 bonus toexhaustion points.

Height: Common Orcs average 4' in height.

Life Span: The natural life span of a Common Orc hasnever been reliably measured. Because of his wayof life, an Orc is practically guaranteed a violentdeath. On average, this happens around the age of50, with significant variation possible on eitherside. It is generally assumed that an Orc, left to thecourse of nature, could live considerably longerthan that, perhaps for hundreds of years. Half-Orcs have been known to live as long as 500 years,so this is not an absurd idea by any means.

Resistance: Common Orcs receive +30 DB and RRbonuses versus heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Common Orcs possessan unusual ability to see in the dark, about as goodas that of Dwarves. They can see 10' in absolutedarkness (non-magical), and up to 50' perfectlyand up to 100' reasonably well in very dim light.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Orcs make good Fightersand because of their Dark Vision ability, they canoperate in dark, underground environmentsbetter than most other races (certainly betterthan any race that lives above ground), but that’sabout all they possess in terms of advantages.Furthermore, their severe penalties to Appear-ance make them quite unfit for social interaction.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Common Orcs: Starting Languages: Orcish(S8/W3), Common-speech (S5/W2). AllowedAdolescent Development: Orcish (S10/W10), Com-mon-speech (S6/W6) and Black-speech (S6/W6).

Prejudices: Orcs hate all other races, and Common Orcswill even pick feuds with other tribes of Orcs for noreason other than sheer malice. They reserve theirmost ferocious hatred for Elves, however.

Religious Attitudes: Orcs worship dark gods andvalue nothing so much as power and dominionover others.

Preferred Professions: Common Orcs stick to thenon-spell using professions: Fighter, Rogue,Thief. They are not intelligent enough to makegood spell users and they never bother to try.

Special Skills: Everyman: Athletic Games (Brawn),Power-striking, Power-throwing, all skills withinone of the following categories: Weapon • 2-Handed or Weapon • Polearm, Weight-lifting.Restricted: Public Speaking, Seduction, Trading.

Typical Cultures: The Subterranean culture templatebest suits Common Orcs, especially the Militaris-tic sub-culture.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Orcs are living, breathing, fighting machines. Theyexist for no other purpose than to do violence, and warand mayhem are all they ever really think about.Character concepts for Orcs should always keep that inmind. Even spell-users gear their professional develop-ment to support the activities of their tribe, whether it befighting or raiding. An Orc who abandons his tribe to goadventuring must have some good reason for leaving thesecurity of his group. Perhaps he has a special skill thatmakes it an attractive prospect to hire him individually asa mercenary. Or perhaps his tribe was exterminated,leaving him to make his way on his own (and perhapsseek revenge on those who killed his kin).

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Common Orcs get five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the languages listed above,Common Orcs speak: Wood-speech (S5/W5), Black-speech (S8/W8) and Common-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Common Orcs may have extra coinsthat they took as battle plunder, or stole fromtheir tribal hoard.

Special Items: Common Orcs may not have daily spellitems or spell adders. All Orcs may have weaponsand tools made from iron, steel, hide or sinew. Theyare not terribly pretty in form, as Orcs don’t caremuch about aesthetics, but they are serviceable.

Talents: An Orc may not select Elvish Training underany circumstances. Otherwise, all are available.

COMMON ORC RACIAL INFORMATION

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GREATER ORCS

Greater Orcs are more intelligent, though no lessvicious than their Common cousins, and they are moresuited to the formation of large social groups. They alsopossess skill as smiths, but show little interest in forginganything other than implements of war.


Build: Greater Orcs resemble Men more closely thando Common Orcs, not only in their height, butalso in the proportions of their bodies. Theyaverage 145 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Greater Orcs have dark gray or black hides,black or reddish-brown eyes and black or gray hair.

Endurance: Greater Orcs have truly exceptionalstamina that allows them to pursue their foeswithout letup. They can travel for two dayswithout sleep, and they receive a +30 bonus toexhaustion points.

Height: Greater Orcs average 5'6" in height.

Life Span: As with Common Orcs, the natural lifespan of a Greater Orc has never been reliablymeasured. Like Common Orcs, Greater Orcsusually meet a violent death at an average age of50. But given an atypically peaceful life, theycould theoretically live much longer than that.

Resistance: Greater Orcs receive +30 DB and RRbonuses versus heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Dark Vision: Greater Orcs possess anunusual ability to see in the dark, about as good asthat of Dwarves. They can see 10' in absolutedarkness (non-magical). In dim light, GreaterOrcs can see 30' perfectly and 75' reasonably well.

Strengths and Weaknesses: As with Common Orcs,Greater Orcs make good Fighters and they arevery comfortable in underground environmentsbetter than most other races.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Black-speech (S8/W2),Orcish (S8/W2), Common-speech (S4/W0).Allowed Adolescent Development: Black-speech(S10/W10), Orcish (S10/W10), Common (S8/W8)Wood-speech (S6/W3) and Hill-speech (S6/W3).

Prejudices: Greater Orcs hate all other races, but theyreserve their most ferocious hatred for Elves.

Religious Attitudes: Orcs worship dark gods and valuenothing so much as power and dominion over others.

Preferred Professions: Common Orcs stick to the non-spell using professions: Fighter, Rogue, Thief. Theyare not intelligent enough to make good spell usersand they never bother to try. Greater Orcs aremarginally smarter than their low-bred cousinsand can master some spell-professions, but the

secrets of Essence and Mentalism are beyond them.Like Common Orcs, they prefer to stick to non-spell using professions.

Special Skills: Everyman: All skills within one of thefollowing categories: Weapon • 2-Handed orWeapon • Polearm. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Greater Orcs have a much broaderrange of culture templates available to them thanwhat is characteristic of Common Orcs, as theyare more intelligent and adaptable. However,Greater Orcs may never use the Sylvan template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

As with Common Orcs, Greater Orcs exist for noother purpose than to do violence, and war and mayhemare all they ever really think about. Character concepts forthem should therefore always keep that in mind. Evenspell-users gear their professional development to supportthe activities of their tribe, whether it be fighting or raiding.An Orc who abandons his tribe to go adventuring musthave some good reason for leaving the security of hisgroup. Perhaps he has a special skill that makes it anattractive prospect to hire him individually as a mercenary.Or perhaps his tribe was exterminated, leaving him tomake his way on his own (and perhaps seek revenge onthose who killed his kin). In addition, it is also possible thata young Greater Orc may go abroad in search of adventureas a rite of passage, a test meant to prepare him for aposition of leadership within the tribe. This test may also,in true Orcish fashion, determine that he was not fit forleadership in the first place if he fails to come back alive.

GREATER ORC RACIAL INFORMATION

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BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Greater Orcs get four background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the languages listedabove: Plains-speech (S8/W6), Wood-speech(S5/W5), Black-speech (S8/W8) and Common-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Extra coins that they took as battleplunder, or stole from their tribal hoard.

Special Items: Greater Orcs may have weapons andtools made from iron, steel, hide or sinew. Theyare not terribly pretty in form, as Orcs don’t caremuch about aesthetics, but they are serviceable.

Talents: Greater Orcs may not select Elvish Training underany circumstances. Otherwise, all are available.

LESSER LUGRÔKI

Lesser Lugrôki are born to live, fight and die inthe darkness. Like Common Orcs, they hate the sun.But unlike Common Orcs, it’s not so much that theyfunction unusually well in the dark, but that daylighthobbles them (see Special Abilities, below).


Build: Lugrôki have hulking, heavily muscled bodiesand thick limbs. Lesser Lugrôki average 180pounds in weight.

Coloring: Like Orcs, Lesser Lugrôki have dark gray orblack hides, black or reddish-brown eyes andblack or gray hair.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Lugrôki are taller than Orcs. Lesser Lugrôkirange from 5'4"-6' in height.

Life Span: Unlike Orcs, it is universally assumed thatLugrôki have a finite life span. There is no proof,despite their distant Elvish and demonic origins,that they are immortal by their essential nature.Factoring out the likelihood that any given Lugrôkiwill meet a violent, premature end, Lesser Lugrôkihave an average life expectancy of 60 years.

Resistance: Lugrôki receive +30 DB and RR bonusesversus heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Daylight Penalties: Lugrôki suffernoteworthy disadvantages when they exposethemselves to the light of day. Lesser Lugrôkisuffer –20 DB and RR penalties in daylight and –50 DB and RR penalties when in full sunlight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Lesser Lugrôki makegood Fighters because of their modest bonuses toStrength and Constitution. They are also unusu-ally resistant to extremes of temperature, makingthem durable in hot or cold climates. But that’sabout all they possess in terms of advantages.Their sensitivity to sunlight makes it hard forthem to function above ground during the day.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Lesser Lugrôki: Starting Languages: Lugrôki(S8/W3) and native regional language (S8/W3).Allowed Adolescent Development: Lugrôki (S10/W6) and native regional language (S10/W6).

Prejudices: Lugrôki are a race bred for war and noother purpose. They hate no race in particular,but will wage war with utter hatred and depravityagainst whomever they are commanded to fight.

Religious Attitudes: Lugrôki worship dark gods andthe demons of the Pale who are their distantancestors. They respect nothing so much as powerand dominion over others.

Preferred Professions: Lesser Lugrôki stick to the non-spell using professions: Fighter, Rogue, Thief. Theyare not intelligent enough to make good spell usersand they almost never bother to try.

Special Skills: Lesser Lugrôki: Everyman: AthleticGames (Brawn), Power-striking, Power-throwing,all skills within one of the following categories:Weapon • 2-Handed or Weapon • Polearm,Weight-lifting. Restricted: Public Speaking,Seduction, Trading.

Typical Cultures: As a general rule, Lesser Lugrôkishould use the Subterranean Militaristic sub-culture template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Because Lugrôki are so frequently employed asmercenaries, a Lugrôki PC who is characteristic of his race

LESSER LUGRÔKI RACIAL INFORMATION

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should have some form of soldiering in his background. Ifhe has joined up with a mixed adventuring group, perhapshis intent is to get in a little independent adventuring inbetween missions with his tribe or company.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Lesser Lugrôki receive six background options.

Extra Languages: Lesser Lugrôki may take the racialtongue of any race (S4/W4) that has employedtheir tribe as a mercenary as an extra language.


Special Items: Lesser Lugrôki may not have daily spellitems or spell adders, but they may have weaponsand tools made from iron, steel, hide or sinew.


GREATER LUGRÔKI

Greater Lugrôki are larger, smarter and tougherthan their Common cousins, and often rise to becomeleaders of Lugrôki tribes or mercenary bands. They aremore capable of operating in daylight, and they havegreater powers of reasoning and persuasion.


Build: Lugrôki have hulking, heavily muscledbodies and thick limbs. Greater Lugrôkiaverage 220 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Like Orcs, Lesser Lugrôki have dark gray orblack hides, black or reddish-brown eyes andblack or gray hair.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Lugrôki are taller than Orcs. Greater Lugrôkirange from 5'10"-6'6" in height.

Life Span: Unlike Orcs, it is universally assumed thatLugrôki have a finite life span. There is no proof,despite their distant Elvish and demonic origins,that they are immortal by their essential nature.Factoring out the likelihood that any given Lugrôkiwill meet a violent, premature end, Lesser Lugrôkihave an average life expectancy of 60 years.

Resistance: Lugrôki receive +30 DB and RR bonusesversus heat and cold attacks.

Special Abilities: Daylight Penalties: Lugrôki suffer amodest disadvantage when they expose them-selves to the light of day. Greater Lugrôki suffer –20 DB and RR penalties in full, direct sunlight.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Greater Lugrôki makegood Fighters and have stronger bonuses toStrength and Constitution than their Commoncousins. They are also suffer less from exposure todaylight, making them more versatile, and they canalso use magic more easily.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Lugrôki (S8/W3) andnative regional language (S8/W3). AllowedAdolescent Development: Lugrôki (S10/W6) andnative regional language (S10/W6).

Prejudices: Greater Lugrôki are more capable thantheir Common cousins of making subtle distinc-tions between individual members of a race, andin that sense they are less prejudiced. They are lesslikely to treat individuals based solely on blanketcategories like ‘Elf’ or ‘man,’ ‘friend’ or ‘foe.’ Butthey still wage war with utter hatred and depravityagainst whomever they are commanded to fight.

Religious Attitudes: Lugrôki worship dark gods andthe demons of the Pale who are their distantancestors. They respect nothing so much as powerand dominion over others.

Preferred Professions: Greater Lugrôki can mastersome spell-professions, but they generally stick tonon-spell using professions.

Special Skills: Greater Lugrôki: Everyman: All skillswithin one of the following categories: Weapon • 2-Handed or Weapon • Polearm. Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: As a general rule, Greater Lugrôkishould use some the Subterranean Militaristicsub-culture template.

GREATER LUGRÔKI RACIAL INFORMATION

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CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Because Lugrôki are so frequently employed asmercenaries, a Lugrôki PC who is characteristic of hisrace should have some form of soldiering in hisbackground. A Greater Lugrôki, if he is not already aleader or a subaltern, is probably being groomed for aposition of responsibility in which he will have tocommand other Lugrôki. If he has joined up with amixed adventuring group, perhaps his intent is to getin a little independent adventuring in betweenmissions with his tribe or company.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Lesser Lugrôki receive six background options.

Extra Languages: Greater Lugrôki may take the racialtongue of any race (S8/W6) that has employedtheir tribe as a mercenary as an extra language.


Special Items: Weapons and tools made from iron,steel, hide or sinew.


QUISHADI

Quishadi have a most unusual origin, if only inthe fact that its full story is well known and evenrecorded in history for the most part. The Urlocs, whohave a long history of engineering life forms for theirown dubious purposes, created them in mockery ofMen to be the most powerful of their enchantedservants. The Quishadi, however, wearied of theircircumscribed lives as mere tools of the chaotic anddifficult Urloc. Centuries ago, they rebelled againsttheir creators and fought great wars against them fortheir independence.

These struggles unleashed destructive powers ofmagic rarely seen before or since, laying waste toentire realms. Both sides summoned powerful demonsto aid them, which only added to the bitterness andviolence of the contest. In the end, the Urlocs gave uptrying to subdue their wayward creations. TheQuishadi were finally an independent race, althoughas a matter of practicality, many of them continued tolive on the ruins of the Urloc civilizations againstwhich they had fought.

The Quishadi are a formidable race. Spawned bythe Urlocs’ most powerful magic, they are bothmagical and immortal. Their stamina rivals that of theElves, and each individual has at least a little spell-using ability (see Special Abilities, below).

Quishadi are capable craftsmen and can forgesophisticated weapons and armor. In battle, they favorplate armor and the wavy-bladed scimitar known asthe kris.

Quishadi are unique to RMFRP. They have noequivalent in the Shadow World.


Build: The Urlochs created the Quishadi in mockery ofMen, and so they resemble Men in overall shape.Their skin is drawn back tightly across theirskeletons, however, so that they appear less substan-tial than Men. In fact, it’s easy to mistake them forUndead. They average 190 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Quishadi have black skin dotted with yellowsplotches and long black hair. This also makes iteasy to mistake them for Undead.

Endurance: Quishadi have better than average stamina.They can endure 16-20 hours of travel per daywithout unusual fatigue. Also, they do not needsleep. Instead, they rest by meditating in a trance-like state. Typically, they require two hours of thismeditation per day, and it restores Power Points asper a normal night’s sleep. In a pinch, however,they can function for many days with little or norelief (however, they still need to meditate for twohours per night to recover Power Points).

Height: Quishadi vary relatively little in height,ranging from 5'11"-6'3".

Life Span: Quishadi are an immortal race. Theycannot die of natural causes, only from violence.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities: Innate Spell Use: Quishadi have someinherent magical ability, so that they can cast atleast some spells even if they don’t belong to aspell-using profession. Regardless of profession,all Quishadi have 10 PP and may cast spells from1-3 open Mentalism or Essence lists.

Strengths and Weaknesses: The Quishadi’s innatespell-using ability is an obvious strength, makingthem useful for adventures in which magic willplay a substantial role. Other than that, theyreceive modest bonuses to a variety of attributes,making them reasonably well suited for all of theprofessions that they prefer to follow (see Pre-ferred Professions, below).

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: As much as they hatetheir former masters, the Quishadi have littlealternative but to speak the racial language thatthey inherited from them, Urloc (S8/W6). Theymay also choose Common-speech (S6/W6) as astarting language. Allowed Adolescent Develop-ment: Black-speech (S4/W4), Common-speech(S8/W8) and Sea-speech (S10/W10). Though theyare not water-going folk by nature, the Quishadilive in coastal areas, so they may add Sea-speech(S6/W6) by virtue of their proximity.

Prejudices: Except for the Urloc, for whom they willalways bear a special hatred, Quishadi do not holdan animus against any particular race. However,they exist only to destroy anyone whom they


RACES

regard as an enemy. As the Urlocs discoveredmuch to their chagrin, the Quishadi are impla-cable foes when roused. In this sense, then, theyhave the potential to hate anyone and everyone.

Religious Attitudes: Quishadi do not worship anydeities. They were created and then oppressed byanother race that demanded fealty as if they weregods, and the experience put the Quishadi off ofreligion all together. Relative to other races, theyare agnostic. They do not question the religiousbeliefs of others, but they consider that they didnot fight their terrible war against their Urlocmasters to enthrall themselves to someone else,not even a deity.

Preferred Professions: All professions are open toQuishadi. However, they are most frequentlyDabblers, Fighters, Magents, Mystics, Mentalists,Magicians or Animists.


Typical Cultures: Quishadi live in coastal areas, but haveno talent for boating or seagoing. Therefore, theyshould not use the Littoral template. Instead, itmakes the most sense to use the Highland template(perhaps the Highland Militaristic sub-culture) orthe Plains Nomadic sub-cultural template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Quishadi with a long memory might well smolderwith resentment against the Urloc for the long ages inwhich they held his race in thrall. Even now, he might

consider the Quishadi victory to emancipate themselvesincomplete, for the Urlocs still live, and (so he fears) mayyet try to reassert their mastery. He considers it his dutyto continue to fight against the Urlocs however he can,and wherever he may find them.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Quishadi receive three background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Black-speech (S8/W6), Common-speech(S10/W10) and High-speech (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Coins of Urloc mintage and semi-precious gems.

Special Items: All are available. In addition, they maychoose spell adders or spell multipliers at a 20%discount to the cost in background options.

Talents: All are available. In addition, a Quishadi mayselect Innate Magician as a talent without flaw forone background option instead of two. This facilitywith magic is a legacy of their Urloc creators, andone that they are glad to have in spite of theirproblematic relationship with the Urlocs.

SHUIKMAR (SHARKMEN)The Shuikmar are an aquatic humanoid race. The

fact that they are commonly known as Sharkmen tellsyou all that you need to know about their physicalappearance. They do, in fact, look very much like across between sharks and Men.

Regardless of their appearance, the Shuikmar arean ancient and advanced race, even more venerablethan Men. They build great, fortified cities forthemselves on the bottom of the sea, and maintainwithin them universities and libraries filled withknowledge both useful and obscure.

Shuikmar are more or less amphibious, but theygenerally choose not to come to the surface unlessabsolutely necessary. Unlike Mermen, they have no needto feel sunlight and breathe air once in a while. However,they will surface to raid coastal settlements and plundervessels. They will even attack Mermen cities for loot, foodand slaves. In fact, Shuikmar are merciless raiders andhave the cold, relentless hunting instincts of sharks.

Shuikmar favor tridents, spears and otherthrusting weapons, which they use in conjunctionwith nets, their favorite tactic being to immobilizetheir opponent from a distance and finish him offquickly. They also ride sharks as battle mounts, andkeep them as pets, as well.

Shuikmar have no real equivalent in theShadow World.


Build: Shuikmar have a thick upper body, a dorsal fin-like crest on the back of the head and a shark-liketail. They also have webbed hands and feet. Theyaverage 200 pounds in weight.

QUISHADI RACIAL INFORMATION

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Coloring: Shuikmar have thick gray, shark-like skinand small black eyes. They have no hair anywhereon their bodies.

Endurance: Normal.Height: Shuikmar range from 5'7"-6'8" in

height.Life Span: The average life expectancy for Shuikmar is

90 years.Resistance: NormalSpecial Abilities: Dry Land Penalties: Shuikmar have

feet and can move on land, but they must stillreturn to their watery element on a daily basis orface serious consequences. A Shuikmar who doesnot totally immerse himself in salt water suffers a–10 penalty to all activities for each missed day.He should use a substantial body of water—theocean, a mighty river, or at least a large lake. If hetries to do it on the cheap—say, by submerginghimself in a salt-water bath—he suffers a –5penalty per missed day. When this penalty reaches–80, he slips into a coma and becomes completelyincapacitated. When it reaches –100, he dies.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Although they are predatory race, the combat-oriented professions don’t necessarily play to theShuikmar’s strength. They make capable Fighters, buttheir bonuses to Memory, Reasoning and Intuitionenable them to do just as well at spell-using profes-sions, most notably Magician and Illusionist.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Sea-speech (S8/W8) and Common-speech (S6/W6).Allowed Adolescent Development:Common-speech (S8/W8), High-speech (S6/W6) and Sea-speech(S10/W10).

Prejudices: Among themselves,Shuikmar are cultured and civilizedto a degree that puts most othermortal races to shame. To all non-Shuikmar—even Mermen, withwhom they often dwell cheek-by-jowl—they are relentless andremorseless killers.

Religious Attitudes: All Shuikmarcommunities worship a deitythat takes the form of a shark.Whether they view it as atribal god whose role is toprotect their tribe, or as auniversal god whosemessage is applicable acrossrace and geography variesfrom place to place. Otherwise,the religious aspects of Aquaticculture apply to them.

Preferred Professions: Shuikmar favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Swimming. Restricted: Allskills that are used exclusively on land and haveno application to aquatic life.

Typical Cultures: Shuikmar always use theAquatic template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Shuikmar are a paradoxical race—mercilessbrigands on the one hand, and great scholars whovalue learning on the other. Character concepts forthem could emphasize one, the other, or try toencompass both. A Shuikmar Fighter might beferocious tribal warrior devoted to the defense of hiscommunity, eager to take on Mermen, Sea Trolls orany other aquatic enemy. Or he could be a brutalpirate intent on plundering hapless ships that wanderinto his territory.

On the other hand, a Shuikmar Magician mightbe a scholar who loves nothing so much as cloisteringhimself in one of his race’s underwater libraries orcenters of learning, poring over ancient knowledge. Hehas never raised aweapon in angerhimself to now,and remainsonly vaguelyaware (or


RACES

perhaps entirely unaware) of the fear with which otherraces regard the Sharkmen. He is educated, cultured,refined—not at all the face of the Shuikmar thatdefeated nations or plundered sailors see.

Or, a Shuikmar character of any profession mighthave two very different sides to his nature. He mightbe a brutal pirate or soldier who lives for killing andlooting. But perhaps he also has a genuinely apprecia-tive eye for beautiful objects and understands well thehistory behind famous artifacts. Perhaps he is adevoted scholar of magic, and reveres magic itemssimply for their own sake, rather than any power theycan bring him. Imagine him as one who robs othersfor their rare or valuable objects, but values them aswould the most enthusiastic collector or scholar.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Shuikmar receive five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listed above:Common-speech (S10/W10), Grey-elvish (S8/W8),High-elvish (S6/W6) and High-speech (S8/W8).

Extra Money: Coins, gems and jeweled objects takenas plunder.

Special Items: All available, as long as they do notdegrade with exposure to water. In addition, aShuikmar may choose a shark as Loyal UnusualCreature without flaw for two backgroundoptions instead of three.


SOHLEUGIR (LIZARDMEN)/

SAURKUR

Both RMFRP the Shadow World have races thatresemble a cross between Men and lizards. TheSohleugir (or Lizardmen) of RMFRP and the Saurkurof the Shadow World both have distinctly humanoidshapes and scaly reptilian skin. Both have identicalattribute modifiers, and both are intelligent andskillful. But while the Sohleugir can be adapted tomany different purposes within the world ofRolemaster, the Saurkur, as an alien race, play a uniqueand specific role within the cultural ecology ofKulthea. The story of their origins (as much as it hasbeen pieced together) makes them a distinctivepresence in the Shadow World.

SOHLEUGIR

Sohleugir are widely known as Lizardmen based ontheir decidedly reptilian appearance. They are, in spiteof appearances, an intelligent and skillful race. Theybuild elaborate cities of stone, coral and shells on rockyseashores. There, they cultivate the tide pools andshallows like farmers tilling the soil and harvestingcrops, growing seaweed and gathering shellfish for food.They are truly amphibious, equally comfortable in andout of water. Yet, they choose to live exclusively on theland, keeping briny immersion pools in their dwellingsfor those moments when they feel like taking a dip.

Sohleugir know how to handle themselves in afight and never back down from one. They favor thetrident as a primary weapon, but dispense with wearingarmor. Their scales offer such good protection that theyrarely see the need to wear any. A Sohleugir encased inanything other than his own natural armor is likely justwearing it as a demonstration of wealth and status—showing off, in other words.

In fact, Sohelugir scales have been made intoexcellent suits of armor. However, few armorers willadmit that this is so, because if word got out that onewas willing to craft such a suit, he might find himselfon the receiving end of some pre-emptive vengeancefrom angry Lizardmen.


Build: Sohleugir look like bipedal lizards, althoughtheir upper bodies resemble that of a solidly builtMan. They have textured, jade-colored scales andfin-like ridges that rise along the spine. Thesejagged spikes march from the tip of their 3 foot-long tail to the crown of their draconic, snoutedhead. Their fingers and toes end in claw-like nails.

Saurkur are thinner and their bodies do notlook as human. Because Saurkur tend to be tallerthan Sohleugir as well as thinner, typical weightfor both averages out to 300 pounds for the males250 pounds for the females.

SHUIKMAR RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 2+ 0 4•5•6•7•0


DS 0 0 3•4•5•6•0


NI 4+ 5+ 4•5•6•7•0


UQ 0 5+ 4•5•6•7•0


PA 02- 0 1•2•3•5•0


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RACES

Coloring: Sohleugir have yellow eyes, and any colorscheme appropriate to lizards tints their hideand scales.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Sohleugir range in height from 5'8"-6'6" tall.

Life Span: The average life expectancy of Sohleugir is95 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities:

� Amphibious: Sohleugir can breathe in wateror air equally well. They suffer no penaltieswhen functioning in either element.

� Natural Attack: Sohleugir may use their tailto make an unarmed attack as a MediumBash attack.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Sohleugir are an excep-tionally strong and durable race, which makesFighter their strongest profession by far. However,their more modest bonuses to Empathy andIntuition give them a bit of an advantage in manyspell-using professions, as well as Monk andWarrior Monk. Sohleugir have relatively fewweaknesses, but lack of Agility is definitely theirmost prominent one. Only the nimblest of therace can make an effective Thief, and mostSohleugir wouldn’t even think of trying. If a

Lizardman wants to steal something, he’s betteroff trying to take it by force.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Sea-speech (S8/W8)and Common-speech (S6/W6). Allowed Adoles-cent Development: Common-speech (S8/W8),High-speech (S4/W4) and Sea-speech (S10/W10).

Prejudices: Sohleugir don’t regard any particularrace with special animus. When they go to war,they worry more about proving their own courage

than they are about destroying any given foe.

Religious Attitudes: Sohleugir religiouspractices do not differ significantly

from those of most Littoral cultures.

Preferred Professions: Sohleugirfavor no single profession, nor are

any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: None.Restricted: None.

Typical Cultures: Sohleugir live nextto bodies of water and almost always

use the Littoral template. Though theyare amphibious in theory, in practice they

much prefer living on land, so the Aquatictemplate is not really appropriate for them.

The cities that the Sohleugir sometimes buildfrom stone, coral and shells should be considered

either Littoral or Aquatic cities, depending on whether

SOHLEUGIR RACIAL INFORMATION

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UQ 0 05+ 2•2•3•5•0


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RACES

they are above or below the water’s surface.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Sohleugir Fighter could make a good living byhiring himself out as a guard—a defensive mercenary,really, whose role it is to protect things and folk. He hasto know how to fight, but being a Sohleugir, his sheerphysical bulk and the reptilian glint in his eye could wellbe enough to scare off thugs. In a coastal area withrobust trading activity, merchant vessels would be eagerto hire him to protect them against pirates.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Sohleugir receive five background picks.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Common-speech (S10/W10), Gray-elven(S4/W4) and High-speech (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Coins, gems and jeweled objects.



SAURKUR

Saurkur are similar enough to Sohleugir so that itwarrants discussing them as an equivalent race. Both areamphibious reptilian humanoids that live in coastalareas. The Saurkur, however, are an alien race to Kulthea.The Loremasters agree almost universally that theSaurkur are descended from a space-faring race thatcrash-landed on the Abarquan Islands in the distant past.Their population is still confined to the Abarquans,which are located 700 miles south of Kelestia. They stillhave some collective memory of receiving and using“Gifts from the Sky—“ that is, technology that theyrecovered from their space transport vessel—but by nowit is faded and much altered with time.


Build: Saurkur are thinner than Sohleugir and theirbodies do not look as human. Because Saurkurtend to be taller than Sohleugir as well as thinner,typical weight for both averages out to 300pounds for the males 250 pounds for the females.

Coloring: Saurkur are usually dark green to brown incolor with light underbellies. The hide on theirbacks is mottled brown and yellow.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: The shortest Saurkur are 5'8", and they cangrow as high as 7'.

Life Span: Saurkur live rather longer than Sohleugir.Their average life expectancy is 150-200 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities:

� Amphibious: Sohleugir can breathe in wateror air equally well. They suffer no penaltieswhen functioning in either element.

� Natural Attack: Sohleugir may use theirtail to make an unarmed attack as aMedium Bash attack.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Saurkur have the sameattribute bonuses and penalties as Sohleugir, sotheir racial strengths and weaknesses are more orless the same. Saurkur can be counted upon tomake excellent Fighters, and their physicalprowess should give pause to anyone who wouldintrude upon their sanctuary in the Abarquans.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Saurkur (S8/W4),Abarquan Islands (S8/W4). Since Saurkur arenative to the Abarquan Islands and no otherplace, the language unique to that place is theirgeographical tongue by default. Allowed Adoles-cent Development: Saurkur (S10/W8), AbarquanIslands (S10/W8) and Undersea (S4/W4).

Prejudices: Saurkur have no outstanding racial preju-dices. Distinctly aware that they are alien to Kulthea,they regard all native races with mild suspicion.

Religious Attitudes: The Saurkur have a quirk related totheir history on Kulthea that ought to be noted.Because their myths tell them that they descendedfrom an extraterrestrial race, the Saurkur havealways had a collective memory of their alien origin.These myths tell of how their ancestors relied heavilyon wondrous ‘Gifts from the Sky’ to survive on thisnew world. If these myths do in fact reflect historicalreality, they tell of how the first Saurkur on Kultheascavenged technology from their crashed colonyship, making them one of the most highly advancedraces on the planet from the moment of their arrival.These memories have faded over the generations,however, and whatever advanced technology theyonce possessed no longer exists—worn out or lost,along with the knowledge of how to repair or replaceit. They exist now as fantastical tales of lost glory, butif functioning artifacts of their distant history wereto turn up somehow, the Saurkur would reverethem as divine.

Preferred Professions: Sohleugir favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.


Typical Cultures: Saurkur are more or less confinedto the Abarquan Islands, so the it makes the mostsense for them to use the Littoral template.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Saurkur who is fascinated by the “Gifts Fromthe Sky” that his folk once valued might make aninteresting character. It would distinguish him fromother Saurkur, who now regard such curiosity as odd,a rather eccentric antiquarian interest. But it wouldprovide an impetus for sending him on adventures,not just within the Abarquan Islands, but elsewhere inKulthea, looking for historical records that might


RACES

preserve what the Saurkur themselves have forgotten.Such a character might be a Monk or a Warrior Monk,a member of a minority religious order whoseinterests make them unusual within Saurkur society.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Sohleugir receive five background picks.

Extra Languages: Saurkur (Shadow World): Jinteni(S4/W4), Mermen (S6/W6), Shuluri (S4/W4) andUndersea (S8/W6).

Extra Money: Coins, gems and jeweled objects.



TROGLODYTES/TROGLI

Troglodytes are an Orc-like race that live under-ground or in dark caves and shun the light of day. Theyhave the habit of skinning those whom they slay incombat, creating crude garments from the hides andkeeping claws, tails and mummified heads as ornamentsand battle trophies. Because they keep to the subterra-nean world, Troglodytes’ fashion is dominated byGoblin hides, but Men or Elves who wander under-ground only to run afoul of them will do just as well.

In the Shadow World, Trogli bear a strong similarityto Troglodytes and should be considered an equivalentrace. Trogli vary widely from one community to theother in their technological and social sophistication.Some Trogli are little more than beasts who have figured

out how to scavenge weapons and armor from defeatedenemies, and use crude clubs and throw stones whennothing else is available. Others are intelligent andtechnologically advanced, albeit no less cruel. Thesepresent a greater danger to their neighbors, because theyhave figured out how to stage raids on surface dwellers,of whom they are hatefully jealous. They know how tosteel themselves against their hatred of sunlight, and mayeven possess the ambition to take political control oversurface realms. Whatever the case, all Trogli relish thetaste of the flesh of other intelligent races and may attacka village simply to stock up on a delicacy.

Some Loremasters believe that the Trogli aredescended from those Worim who chose to hideunderground at the end of the Interregnum. Troglilive in warrens scattered throughout the Ash Lairs andelsewhere beneath the surface of Kulthea. Two of theirmost significant concentrations of population may befound in the Caves of Ulgon, which stretch under theSpine of Emer, and a large complex of warrensbeneath the Clythul Mountains on Thuul. The lattergroup are primitive and barbaric even by Troglistandards, and they skirmish constantly with the largeMurlogi settlement to the south.

Where Troglodytes differ significantly fromTrogli, the following entries will so note. If nodifferences are noted, consider that information thatapplies to one also applies to the other.


Build: Troglodytes have thick, well-muscled bodies. Theyhave sloping foreheads and massive jaws that dominatethe contours of their oversized heads. Although short,they average a good 180 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Troglodytes have sickly-looking, bluish-white skin and long, stringy black hair that growsfrom the back of the scalp. Trogli have the samecolor skin, but white hair instead of black.

Endurance: Normal.

Height: Troglodytes range from 4'6"-5'6" in height.

In the Shadow World, Trogli are somewhat taller,ranging from 4'8'-6' tall.

Life Span: Troglodytes live for 50 years, on average.Trogli have an average life span of 80 years.

Resistance: Normal

Special Abilities:

� Contortionist: Troglodytes also have unusu-ally supple joints that give them a surprisingnimbleness in spite of their muscular build.They receive a +10 bonus to all thrownweapon attacks, as well as to static maneuversinvolving the hands (such locks, repair/construction, etc.) or feet (Balance). Theyalso gain a +20 bonus to Contortions.

� Dark Vision: Living underground hasaccustomed Troglodytes to seeing in thedark. They have night vision that allows them

SAURKUR RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 0 0 2•2•3•5•0


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RACES

to see on a starlit or moonlit night as well asin broad daylight. They can see up to 30'perfectly even in pitch dark.

� Sunlight Vulnerability: Troglodytes fear daylightand instinctively shrink from it. But unlikesome other underground races, they suffer nopenalties or disabilities when operating in it.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Troglodytes make goodFighters and they can operate in dark, undergroundenvironments better than most other races (certainlybetter than any race that lives aboveground), butthat’s about all they possess in terms of advantages.They suffer modest penalties to most attributes,meaning that whatever other profession they choose,they will suffer a slight disadvantage where at leastone of their key attributes is concerned. Further-more, their severe penalty to Appearance make themalmost as unfit as Orcs for social interaction.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Troglodyte: Starting Languages: Orcish (S8/W6) and Common-speech (S6/W4). AllowedAdolescent Development: Black-speech (S4/W4),Common-speech (S8/W6) and Orcish (S10/W8).

Trogli Starting Languages: Trogli (S8/W4), nativeregional language (S8/W4). Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Trogli (S10/W8), Worim (S4/W4),native regional language (S10/W8).

Prejudices: Troglodytes hate anyone from the aboveground world, and they reserve particular loathingfor Elves and Men. But even among the races thatcommonly live beneath the earth, they have theirenemies. Troglodytes have a long history ofwarring with both Orcs and Goblins and regardthem with, at best, severe distrust.

Religious Attitudes: Troglodytes have an odd obsessionwith the connection between the image of a thingand the thing itself, as if drawing something canmake it real or give them a spiritual connection to it.Their lairs are covered with crude (in spite of theirobsession, they are poor technical artists) images ofthings and beings that they both covet and hate.

Preferred Professions: Troglodytes favor no singleprofession, nor are any prohibited to them.

Special Skills: Everyman: Caving, Scaling, DirectionSense, Survival (Underground), any One-Handed• Concussion Weapon skill. Restricted: AllScientific/Analytic skills.

Typical Cultures: Troglodytes are very much anunderground race; they hate and fear the light ofday. Subterranean is the only culture templatethat makes sense for them.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

To Troglodytes, the world outside the immediateorbit of their tribe is hostile, and one must always beon guard against it. The surface world, frightening as it

is, is bad enough, but enemies abound beneath theearth as well. Troglodytes must devote themselves tothe protection of their race, no matter what theirprofession. It is rare that a Troglodyte would consentto leave home, but it is possible that he would do soon an errand to help his community, or if offered asuitable reward to serve as a guide.

In the Shadow World, there is much speculationthat the Trogli actually have a venerable history, thatthey are descended from the Worim, an ancient racenow extinct. An unusually intelligent Trogli might havepicked up this notion (from contact with outsiders,perhaps) and taken an interest in it. His drivingambition would be to find some evidence to supportthis contention, and establish for himself (if not histribe) a connection with a past more glorious than thelowly estate in which the Trogli now find themselves.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Troglodytes receive six background options.

Extra Languages: Troglodyte: In addition to thetongues mentioned above: Black-speech (S8/W6),Dwarvish (S4/W4) and Hill-speech (S4/W4).

Trogli (Shadow World): Dwarven (S4/W4), Dyari (S4/W4), Murlogi (S6/W4) and Worim (S6/W6).

Extra Money: Coins and gems looted from fallen foes.

Special Items: Trogli may not take spell adders or spellmultipliers. Otherwise, anything that might havebeen looted from a slain enemy is available to them.


TROGLODYTE RACIAL INFORMATION

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EM 2- 01+ 1•1•2•3•0


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NI 2- 01+ 1•1•2•3•0


UQ 0 01+ 1•1•2•3•0


PA 07- 01+ 4•5•6•7•0


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RACES

URLOCS

Urlocs are a magical humanoid race, and avenerable one, too—they have existed for eons longerthan Men. They are cruel and exceedingly arrogant.They believe that their immortality and their magicalgifts elevate them above all other races and justifiesany act of heartlessness on their part, any indifferenceto the well-being of others.

Nonetheless, it is indisputable that the Urlocs aretalented. They are known for building extravagantcities along the seacoasts, and beautiful ocean-goingships. They craft magical items of exceptional power,and use them as totems of status within their ownsociety. The more powerful the items in one’s posses-sion, the more respect one may cultivate among otherUrlocs. Many legendary magical artifacts are, in fact,Urloc creations.

The Urlocs’ magical skill extends even to creatingenchanted life forms. They do not hesitate to createartificial beings such as constructs, golems and viles toserve them. They have no ethical qualms aboutbringing new life forms into being simply to do theirbidding. But these heroic exertions of magical powerdo not always serve them well. The Quishadi race wasa creation of theirs, conjured into being for nopurpose other than to carry out the the Urlocs’ orders.But the Quishadi, as intelligent beings, revoltedagainst their masters for their ill treatment and foughta long and exceptionally destructive war against them.Urloc civilization as a whole has never quite recoveredfrom this blow—psychologically, if nothing else.However, the Urlocs still remain a force to be reck-oned with by anyone who gets in the way of theircollective ambitions.

Urlocs wear ornate robes and rarely use weaponsor armor. They rely so heavily on their mastery ofmagic that they have dispensed almost entirely withthe force of arms, relying instead on their servant racesand, occasionally, mercenaries to exercise brute force.They rely exclusively on the power of magic in anotherimportant area also—procreation. They reproducethemselves entirely by magical means, which makesthem both odd and awesomely powerful in the eyes ofother races.

Urlocs do not exist in the Shadow World andhave no equivalent there.


Build: Urlocs have large, thickly set bodies and widemouths. They are heavy for humanoids of theirheight; males weigh an average of 220 pounds andfemales weigh an average of 180 pounds.

Coloring: Urlocs have grayish-blue skin that strikesmost Men as sickly looking and yellow eyes thathave no pupils.

Endurance: Like Elves, Urlocs do not need to sleep.Unlike Elves, they do not need any overnight rest at

all to recover their spent PPs. Instead, they simplyreplenish their PPs at midnight every night.

Height: Urlocs range from 5'6"-6' in height.

Life Span: Urlocs are an immortal race. They only diethrough mischance or violence.

Resistance: Normal.


Strengths and Weaknesses: Urlocs are not especiallystrong or quick, and they do not excel at thephysical skill-based professions. As a result, theyrarely pursue them. Instead, they excel as spellusers, especially Magicians, Illusionists and Clerics.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Urlocs have their ownracial language, an ancient and elaborate tonguethat no other race has been able to master, exceptfor the servant races of their creation. Urloc (S8/W8). The may also take Common-speech (S8/W6) as a starting language. Allowed AdolescentDevelopment: Common-speech (S10/W10), Sea-speech (S8/W8) and Urloc (S10/W10).

Prejudices: Urlocs regard all other races as inferior, andthey harbor no special ill will against anyone in thatregard. Their progeny and former underlings theQuishadi are the only exception to this rule. Eventhough ages of the world have passed since theQuishadi have freed themselves, the very mentionof them is still enough to stir outrage in the breastof an Urloc. They will never forgive their formerservants for having the sheer gall to free themselvesfrom their creators, their rightful masters.

Religious Attitudes: Urlocs have gods who represent inmaterial form the abstract power of magic. However,religion for them is simply a way of expressing theirview of their own superiority. Magic is their specialtalent; therefore, it is worth their veneration. In truth,Urlocs view themselves as something like demi-gods.They themselves are immortal, and they haveassumed for themselves the power of creating life, apower that belongs only to divine beings. If they actlike they think of themselves as gods, it’s because theydo think of themselves like that, more or less. Urlocsalso worship the abstract concept of chaos.

Ambitious Men (whose hearts are usually lessthan pure) have been known to try to learn thesecrets of Urloc magic. The Urlocs view themskeptically, but if these Men can earn the amusedtolerance of their would-be masters they may learntheir philosophies and some of the secrets behindtheir crafting of artifacts. It is exceedingly rigoroustraining, and not all mortals who undergo it surviveit. Those who do and complete their education earna polite measure of respect from the Urlocs and adesignation that translates into Common-speech asWizard-Priest of the Omniscient Eye.


RACES

Preferred Professions: In theory, Urlocs may pursueany profession they want. In practice, though,their strong connection to the practice of magicmeans that they never seriously consider anyprofession that does not involve spell use. Theyalmost never become Fighters, leaving thatbusiness to their created proxies.


Typical Cultures: Urlocs live in coastal areas and arewidely reckoned as excellent seamen. The Littoraltemplate fits them quite well, therefore.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Urlocs tend to think that they know it all, but anexceptional Urloc spell user might understand the valueof traveling abroad to learn anything that could advancehis knowledge of constructed beings. The Quishadiexperiment did not turn out well, to be sure. Might theUrlocs benefit from the learning of other advancedcivilizations in determining how to prevent suchmistakes in the future? Most Urlocs would scoff at thenotion, but your character might think differently.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Urlocs receive three background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Black-speech (S6/W6), High-elven (S6/W6),High-speech (S6/W6) and Sea-speech (S10/W10).

Extra Money: Coins or gems. Urlocs also express extrawealth through magical special items. If an extramoney roll indicates that jeweled objects, roll onthe special items table to determine the degree ofbonus item that the Urloc receives instead of ajeweled object. Then roll to determine thecategory of bonus item. If a result other than abonus item turns up, then re-roll.

Special Items: All are available. In addition, they maychoose spell adders or spell multipliers at a 20%discount to the cost in background options.

Talents: All are available. In addition, an Urloc maytake any Lesser Mystical talent without flaw forone background option instead of two. He maytake Innate Magician without flaw for twobackground options instead of three. He may takeArchmage Abilities (Major) without flaw for threebackground options instead of four. And he maytake Archmage Abilities (Greater) without flawfor four background options instead of five.

VULFEN (WOLFMEN)Vulfen are an intelligent, but bloodthirsty race of

humanoid predators. They are also known as Wolfmenfor their fur-covered bodies and pointed ears. Vulfenhunt in packs, killing and devouring everyone andeverything in their path until exhausted or satiated. Atthat point, they rest (usually for a period of severaldays) to digest their prey and recover their strength.They generally hunt at night and sleep by day. This issimply a habit that gives them the benefit of stealth, asVulfen are not vulnerable to sunlight.

Their claws and fangs make for dangerous naturalweapons, but Vulfen also use weapons looted fromslain enemies.

Because of their similar appearance, and becausethey are both nocturnal beings, Vulfen andWerewolves are often mistaken for each other. Such isthe fear and loathing with which Vulfen are generallyregarded that this usually winds up being a worse dealfor the Werewolves.

Vulfen have no real equivalent in the Shadow World.


Build: Strip away their fur and their wolf-like facialfeatures, and Vulfen would look very much likeMen with muscular upper bodies. That is whyWerewolves are so frequently mistaken forVulfen. They average 220 pounds in weight.

Coloring: Vulfen are covered from head to foot inbrown or gray fur, and they have yellow or ambercolored eyes.

Endurance: Normal.

URLOC RACIAL INFORMATION

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UQ 2- 001+ 4•5•6•7•0


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RACES

Height: Vulfen range from 5'10"-6'8" in height.

Life Span: Vulfen lead violent, relatively short lives.Their average life expectancy is 40 years.

Resistance: None.

Special Abilities: Natural Attack: Vulfen may rakewith their claws, making unarmed attacks asMedium Claw attacks.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Vulfen make capableFighters and can also succeed as Thieves. But theirpenalties to Empathy and Presence set them at adisadvantage when it comes to many of the spell-using professions.

CULTURE MODIFIERS

Language: Starting Languages: Common-speech(S8/W6) and either Plains-speech (S6/W6) orWood-speech (S6/W6), depending on nativeenvironment. Allowed Adolescent Development:Common-speech (S10/W8), either North-speech (S6/W6) or South-speech (S6/W6), andeither Plains-speech (S8/W8) or Wood-speech(S8/W8), depending on native environment.

Prejudices: Vulfen are ferociously indiscriminatepredators. For this reason alone, one could saythat they have no racial prejudices. They will huntand kill just about anyone.

Religious Attitudes: As one might expect, Vulfenworship dark and bloodthirsty gods. Theirreligious rituals involve howling and dancing towhip themselves into a frenzied state that simu-lates the furious ecstasy of their hunts.

Preferred Professions: No professions are closed off toVulfen, nor do they favor any. However, VulfenPCs should strongly consider taking the Berserkertraining package, regardless of profession.


Typical Cultures: The Rural or Sylvan templatesmost accurately depict the sparsely populated,semi-wild areas in which Vulfen generally live.Because they generally move in hunting packs,consider using the Rural Nomadic or SylvanNomadic sub-cultural templates, to be spe-cific. Their wild-eyed predatory tendenciesmake Vulfen decidedly unfit for city life.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Other races fear Vulfen because once they beginkilling, they find it difficult to stop at will. However, aVulfen Fighter might be useful to adventuring partiesas a designated combat specialist, especially if a lot ofphysical combat against a more numerous foe is in theoffing. A Vulfen Fighter might well make a career outof hiring himself out as a mercenary, using the berserkfury that marks his race as a selling point.

BACKGROUND OPTIONS

Vulfen receive five background options.

Extra Languages: In addition to the tongues listedabove: Either North-speech (S8/W8) or South-speech (S8/W8), Black-speech (S4/W4) andOrcish (S4/W4).

Extra Money: Coins and gems looted from prey.

Special Items: Anything that might have been lootedfrom a slain enemy.


VULFEN RACIAL INFORMATION

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RACES

PART II: CULTURES

surrounding countryside. Does your character hailfrom a city on the Plains, a coastal port, or an under-ground metropolis? It makes a difference, and undersome of the culture templates described in Part I, youwill find sub-culture templates that lay out how havingan urban background makes you different from thosewho grew up outside the city. Nonetheless, it’s usefulto keep the following distinctive characteristics ofcities when creating and playing your character:

Cultural Aspirations: The accumulation of wealth andpower drives the collective consciousness of a greatcity at all social levels, whether the individuals whoare caught up in it realize it or not. Cities offer theirresidents so many options in terms of the occupa-tion they pursue and the lifestyle that they choose tolead, and so many ways to make a fortune that socialmobility is a very real possibility. Given this, mostcity residents, in some corner of their being, dreamof something more than what they have now: moremoney, more material possessions, higher profes-sional rank or social status.

Collective Fears: The only unusual anxiety that besetsurban culture is that of poverty and downwardsocial mobility. But many city dwellers have littleleft to fear on that score because they are alreadypoor, or scratch out marginal existences.

This section profiles 11 different base culturetemplates for use in both RMFRP and the ShadowWorld. Almost all of them are based on the type ofphysical environment in which a social group lives,whether it is farm country, the deep woods, a warrenof caves or the top of a mountain. They assume thatphysical environment plays an important role inshaping a player character up until the time he beginshis life as an adventurer. For instance, a Half-Elf whogrew up in a metropolis would have just as much incommon with a city-bred Dwarf than he would with aHalf-Elf who spent his formative years in the forestsamong the Wood Elves and the Fey.

Within each of these templates are at least oneand as many as a half-dozen variations on the culturalmainstream, called sub-cultures. Each sub-culturediffers from the mainstream in terms of their way oflife. These differences express themselves primarilythrough available Hobby skills and preferred profes-sions, but all such variations are noted.

A NOTE ON CITIES

While the urban terrain of cities and large townsmight at first seem to qualify as a type of physicalenvironment all its own, we have decided to addressdifferent types of cities by the characteristics of the

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Mating and Marriage Patterns: Social fluidity character-izes urban life. Cities also bring their residents incontact with a wide variety of other residents, as wellas visitors. Marriage patterns are therefore less stableand predictable than in other cultures. Social conven-tion treats life-long monogamy as an ideal, but in fact,marriages may dissolve and spouses may betray eachother as more enticing options present themselves.

Prejudices: City dwellers like to think of themselves asopen-minded. After all, they receive visitors from allover, and some of those visitors stay, become perma-nent residents and inject their foreign ways into thecity’s cultural life, thereby enriching it. Certainly,they are less isolated than their country cousins.

But awareness of their own cosmopolitanismcan breed snobbery in the dark heart of city dwellers.They cherish a sense of superiority to their countrycousins that bases itself solely on the depth andvariety of experience to which their daily lives ex-poses them. In their view, life is so much moreexciting in the city than in the country; entertain-ments are more sophisticated, the food is better, folkare more worldly and refined. They can even extendthis prejudice to other cities, as well.

Religious Beliefs: Cities are cultural magnets by their verynature, and they can accommodate a variety of reli-gious beliefs and practices. In large cities, it is by nomeans uncommon to find temples to more than onegod (or set of gods) standing cheek-by-jowl and co-existing as happily as their creeds allow. This is espe-cially true in racially diverse cities, as they have tomake room for the worship of various racial deities.

However, a city may also have a patron deity(or an entire pantheon) of its own. Such a god ischarged with looking out for the prosperity and wellbeing of the city’s residents. Economic boom timesand victory in war are taken as signs of the god’sfavor, while economic depression, plague, fire ordefeat in war are all interpreted as indications ofdivine wrath.

Preferred Professions: None. It takes all types to makea city. Even Rangers, for whom the urban setting isan alien environment, cannot avoid them altogether.They have to visit from time to time, to buy suppliesor for social purposes, or just to pass through.

At the same time, it may be said that spell userstend to congregate in cities. There, they can find othersof their profession with whom to study their craft andshare tricks of the trade. Also, it is often the case that thelargest cities play host to the best hoards of spell scrollsand libraries of tomes containing arcane knowledge.Bards, too, find cities to be an environment useful totheir profession, for any place with a large and diversepopulation squeezed into a small area (so that it’s easyto meet and overhear many of them) generally yields agood crop of tales, songs and lore. A Bard who needs torefresh his repertoire could do worse than to visit a bigcity with a lot of public houses, in which he could pickup new material.

AERIAL

Despite what the name might seem to indicate,the ability to fly is not a prerequisite for belonging toan Aerial society. Races that resemble a cross betweenbirds and Men, like the Hira’razhir and the Hirazi,almost always use the Aerial template, but that isactually beside the point. Rather, the term ‘Aerial’refers to their lofty perch, close to the ceiling of theworld. Aerial folk live high up in the mountains,where the air is thin and cold but clear and bracing,and where they sometimes get the sense that they arecloser to the sky than to the surface of the earthbelow them.

Of course, high up on a tall mountain is not theeasiest place in which to live. You can’t grow crops incold rock, so agriculture of any significance is impos-sible. Aerial folk must live by hunting and gathering,and there isn’t all that much edible vegetation togather. In addition, most Aerial folk are reluctant forreligious reasons to hunt the great birds that live inmountain eyries, which further limits their foodchoices. And then there is the weather, which is crispeven at its warmest, and can change from merelyinhospitable to lethal in an instant when winterblizzards blow up. Aerial societies are also hiddenaway from the rest of the world for the most part, sothat years or even decades may pass before they havecontact with another civilization. Some Aerial groupsare so small and so isolated that everyone has quiteliterally forgotten about their existence.

And yet, outsiders that have encountered Aerialcultures report more often than not that the folk thatthey met seem content with their lot—quite unwilling,in fact, to consider any other way of life. They enjoytheir isolation from the rest of the world, sometimesto the point of being entirely uninterested in anyoneelse’s affairs. They embrace the physical challenge ofliving in such a forbidding environment and feel thatit makes them stronger, both physically and mentally.And they feel that living so high up in the mountainsactually gives them greater physically proximity totheir gods.

The Aerial template does not supplant any culturepreviously described in RMFRP or ChL. Nor does itreplace any of the cultures described in SMWA.

LOCATIONS

Aerial folk live high up in the mountains, amongthe rugged crags and crevasses. Usually, they findpermanent shelter in caves, but sometimes they liveout in the open. Somewhat incongruously, the moreisolated and forbidding the place, the more likely it isthat you will find an Aerial society living there.

There are places in the Shadow World whereAerial culture takes hold. One such is the StonetoothMountains of Mulira, which overlook Dagger-RidgeBay. Here, a large clan of Hirzai lives high up in anetwork of caves. The Hirazi also inhabit the Geldsfaal


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Mountains of Falias, and in the Tazarah-Bushuyregion, they have formed an interesting alliance withthe Mermen of the Bay of Sindarah to guard thatrealm by both sea and air.

CLOTHING AND DECORATION

Clothing in Aerial cultures is simple and unosten-tatious, as decoration and status don’t mean much toAerial folk. Shirts, tunic and pants of warm andrugged wool are common, and they are usually notdyed. Fur cloaks or robes keep them warm when theweather turns hostile.

Aerial folk wear simple decorations crafted fromprecious metal—charms, pendants, amulets and thelike. Otherwise, they don’t go much for display,preferring a simple appearance in keeping with theirrelatively simple lives.

ATTITUDES AND DISPOSITIONS

Cultural Aspirations: Aerial cultures relish theirfeeling of direct contact with the sublime,whether it takes the form of the open airabove them or the great mountains inwhose shadows they live. Some Aerial folkdream of flight, if they do not already belongto race that can fly. Others look down onthe earth spread out before them andmeditate on their remoteness, the sense thatthe rest of the world lives very far away. Thissense that they are closer to the austere,elemental presence of nature than they areto other intelligent races informs the waythat they look at the world and themselves.This may or may not make them morespiritual than others, but it does mean thatthey look inward or outward at theimpersonal force of nature rather than tomeddle in the affairs of others.

Collective Fears: Aerial folk fear nothing somuch as destruction of or displacementfrom their native environment. And while itis hard to imagine a mountain peak beingdestroyed, even so, stranger things havehappened. And it is still more conceivablethat an enemy would want to take theirhomes from them, or destroy them out ofsheer malice. Aerial cultures are bound soclosely to the particulars of their physicalenvironment that it is impossible for themto survive either environmental or geo-graphical displacement.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Aerial culturestend to be monogamous and their membersmate for life. Family units are small andclosely-knit, as it is difficult to sustain a largeclan in such rugged conditions.

Prejudices: Aerial culture has a deep, elemen-tal distrust of Subterranean races and

groups. It is not based on reason or longstandinghistorical grudges, but on a simple inability tocome to grips with anyone that prefers a deep, darkcave to the majesty of the open sky. For similarreasons, Aerial folk feel an affinity with Sylvan folk,whom they view as woodland cousins whether theyshare any racial similarity or not.

Aerial culture also harbors a mild suspicionof urban folk. It usually doesn’t manifest itselfas outright hostility. Instead, it lingers as afeeling in the back of the mind that little goodwill come of dealing with them.

Religious Beliefs: Religion in Aerial cultures finds itsgods in the elemental— in the towering solidity ofa great mountain, in the high ceiling of the vastsky, in the terrifying power of a blizzard. Aerialcivilizations entrust their priests with the task ofestablishing a harmonious relationship with thesegods. They attempt to do so through ritual


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chanting, prayer and meditative trances that, intheir view, allow them to communicate directlywith the deities. The priests may decide to makeritual sacrifices to the god of the blizzard, but thishappens only rarely, and not all groups do so.

Some Aerial cultures also worship great birdsof prey, like great eagles, that make their nestsamong mountain crags as gods.

Preferred Professions: Aerial culture does not favoror prohibit any particular profession.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, any Armor • Light skills, BodyDevelopment, Camouflage, Climbing, DistanceRunning, Fauna Lore, Foraging, Observation,Rappelling, Rope Mastery, Scaling, Singing,Survival (Mountainous), Tightrope-walking, anyWeapon except Missile Artillery, WeatherWatching.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),High-speech (S6/W6), Hill-speech (S6/W6).

Shadow World: Giant (S4/W4), Titan (S4/W4).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Aerial culture generally treasures its isolationfrom the rest of the world, so it would take very strongmotivation to tug someone from an Aerial communityinto an adventure. This is probably the key stumblingblock in creating a character concept from Aerialculture. Once you solve that, the rest of the characterconcept should flow more easily.

One possibility is that your character’s commu-nity is under threat—perhaps it is at war, or frequentlymenaced by marauders—and requires help fromoutside to defend itself. Perhaps a natural (or magi-cally created) catastrophe looms. In any event, thecommunity must send someone into the world belowthe mountain peaks to seek help. Perhaps yourcharacter is a Layman—someone without specializedskills, and whom the community could therefore sparein a time of crisis. Or perhaps your character waschosen precisely because he has certain skills—aThief’s elusiveness, spell using ability, or a Fighter’scombat savvy—that are deemed helpful to the task.

Another possibility is that an Aerial society,looking down from its lofty peak, has decided tointervene in the affairs of the rest of the world—a war,perhaps. In response, it sends your character out as anemissary or a spy, counting that your charisma as aBard or your guile as a Thief or Rogue will stand youin good stead away from home. Or perhaps, as astrapping young Fighter or Magent or Paladin, yourmission is to lend your sword arm to allies who needyour community’s help.

Yet another possibility is that your character issimply a renegade of some sort. Perhaps he is tired ofliving in these refined, but isolated circumstances andlongs for knowledge of the world below the moun-tains. He leaves of his own volition (and, no doubt,

against the will of his elders) to seek his fortuneoutside of his familiar confines.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Aerial folk favor light or no armor becausethey live in difficult terrain that rewards nimble-ness. Chain mail is flexible enough for them touse, but it is sufficiently rare and expensive thatonly tribal leaders wear it. Plate mail is entirelyimpractical. For the most part, they wear leatherarmor or none at all.

Money: 2 gp in uncut gemstones, or nuggets ofprecious metal.

Weapons: For the most part, Aerial culture doesn’tbother much with rare or sophisticated militaryweapons, preferring to stay with simple, butpractical and effective staples: Club, broadsword,cutlass, handaxe, short sword, battle axe, woods-man axe, sling, short bow, composite bow, javelin.

SUB-CULTURE: AERIAL BARBARIAN

Use this sub-culture template to account forAerial societies that exist at an unusually low level oftechnological development. These folk feel an evenstronger sense of connection to their physical environ-ment, which makes up for their lack of experiencewith technologies (such as sophisticated weapons).They differ from mainstream Aerial societies in thefollowing ways:

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Body Development, Camou-flage, Climbing, Distance Running, Fauna Lore,Foraging, Observation, Scaling, Singing, Survival(Mountainous), Tightrope-walking, any Weaponexcept crossbows, Missile Artillery and Pole Arms,Weather Watching.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W4),High-speech (S2/W0), Hill-speech (S6/W2).

Shadow World: Giant (S4/W0).

Training Packages: May purchase Animal Friend,Hunter and Scout training packages at 3/4 thenormal cost (rounded up) in development points.

AQUATIC

There is intelligent life beneath the surface of thewaters. Races such as Mermen and Shuikmar spend mostof their time beneath the waves, as do Aquatic sub-racesof Giants, Trolls and Elves (the Shuluri, of the ShadowWorld). They live in small communities and in greatcities, close to shore and at the bottom of the ocean.

In some ways, life is not so different for thesesubmarine races as it is for folk who live on dry land.Aquatic societies must harvest and gather food, breedand raise families to perpetuate themselves. In the citiesfolk gather to scheme over power, wealth and knowl-edge. Nations form and sometimes dissolve. Civiliza-tions go to war with other over territory, wealth and,sometimes, nothing more than pure hatred.


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But on the other hand, it simply will not do tojust transplant land-based culture templates andimpose them on Aquatic societies. Aquatic races aredifferent from land-based races in terms of theirphysiology, which in turn affects the skills that theypractice during adolescence. It affects the races withwhich they frequently come in contact and theneighbors with whom they must learn to get along(and therefore the languages that they know as amatter of course). And the fact that they live immersedin water affects the clothing that they wear, the gearthat they carry and the weapons that they use. TheAquatic template takes these differences into account.

The Aquatic template does not supplant anyculture previously described in RMFRP or ChL. Nordoes it replace any of the cultures described in SMWA.

LOCATIONS

Aquatic cultures arefound in the oceans andlarge lakes, whereverunderwater races canfind enough roomto spread out.Most Aquaticcommunitiestake hold onthe continen-tal shelf,relativelyclose to amajor landmass. Butsome civiliza-tions live onthe seabed inthe deep ocean.

The ShadowWorld has itsshare of Aquatichabitats. The southwestern shallows of the Kelp Sea,just east of Thuul, plays host to Kah’hai’ree, a largeMermen realm. Another Mermen realm, the kingdomof Sul-zuah, lies just south of Chaal-chu and The Jan.


Aquatic folk scarcely bother with clothes, as land-based beings know them. Most plant fibers, as well asall wool, furs and animal hides simply degrade tooeasily when constantly soaked in water (especiallyseawater). And besides, those garments become deadweight when saturated. Many Aquatic folk don’tbother with clothes at all. When they do, they dress insimple garments woven from seaweed fibers. Some-times they are nothing more than loincloths worn outof modesty.

The wealthier Aquatic civilizations have just asmuch jeweled finery as their land-based counterparts,however, and do not hesitate to wear it as a demon-stration of wealth and social status.


Cultural Aspirations: Aquatic cultures mirror theirland-based counterparts in some of the ways inwhich they view their place in the world. SomeAquatic folk are content to live small settlements,harvesting underwater plants, hunting fish andgathering shellfish to feed themselves. Others—Mermen and Shuikmar in particular—build greatcities and nations and fancy themselves conquer-ors as mighty as any land-based realm.

Collective Fears: All Aquatic cultures have lurkingin the back of the mind

a primal fear of beingstranded in the air.

For most Aquaticbeings—evenmany of thosethat are trulyamphibious—spending toomuch time outof the water isunnerving, ifnot fatal. Assailors feardeath bydrowning,Aquatic folkfear death onland.

Mating andMarriage

Patterns:Marriagepatterns in

Aquatic communities tend to mirror those oftheir land-based equivalents. Small communitiestend to be monogamous and pair bond for life. Ingreat underwater cities, matters tend to be morefluid (as it were), and relationships dissolve andreform with greater frequency.

Prejudices: Aquatic folk are, as a general rule, suspi-cious of all land-based creatures and races. Theyfeel more comfortable around other water-basedraces, and they feel this elemental bond even withtheir underwater enemies. This doesn’t mean thatAquatic races never associate with or accept helpfrom land-based beings, but it does reflect the factthat almost all Aquatic races have great difficultyfunctioning in land-based environments.

Religious Beliefs: Aquatic groups worship tribal godswho will protect them from harm, whether it is


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destruction of their Aquatic habitat or attack bytheir neighbors. This deity usually takes a physicalform that resembles the race that it is supposed toprotect. In some instances, however, it may takean elemental or non-corporeal form. The patrongod may appear in the form of a disturbance inthe water, such as a tidal wave or a whirlpool.

Preferred Professions: Aquatic culture does not favoror prohibit any particular profession.

Hobbies: Animal Handling (any Aquatic creature),Animal Mastery (any Aquatic creature), AnimalTraining (any Aquatic creature), Body Develop-ment, Diving, First Aid, Fauna Lore (Aquatic),Flora Lore (Aquatic), Foraging, History (ownregion), Region Lore (own region), Riding (Anyappropriate Aquatic creature), Surfing, Survival(Aquatic), Swimming, any Weapon • Polearm skill.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),North-speech (S6/W4) or South-speech (S6/W4)and Sea-speech (S10/W10).

Shadow World: Mermen (S10/W10), Shuluri (S8/W8)and any regional or racial tongue spoken in anadjacent land area (S8/W8).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

When it comes to character concepts, characterswith an Aquatic background mirror land-basedcultures to some extent. The complex dynamics of citylife are not so different beneath the waves from howthey are on land. Similarly, Rural and Nomadic groupslive similarly enough beneath the water’s surface tothose who live above it so that you may borrowcharacter concepts from those templates as well.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Aquatic folk do not wear armor, as a generalrule, for the same reason that they don’t botherwith clothes. The materials will decay or rusteasily if soaked in seawater for an extended periodof time. Magic armor that defies corruption is theonly exception.

Money: Gems and coins or nuggets of precious metalworth 20 sp.

Weapons: Aquatic warriors favor long pole-typeweapons: harpoon, polearm, spear, trident. Forclose-in fighting, they use short, choppingweapons like handaxe and tomahawk. They don’tuse missile weapons or thrown weapons verymuch, because those tend to lose their velocityunder water. But some Aquatic races do use lightand heavy crossbow.

SUB-CULTURE: AQUATIC NOMADIC

Some Aquatic societies live like schools of fish,migrating from feeding area to feeding area in a blocand staying only as long as they can find enough foodthere to sustain themselves.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Animal Handling (Any Aquaticcreature), Animal Mastery (Any Aquatic crea-ture), Animal Training (Any Aquatic creature),Body Development, Contortions, Diving, FaunaLore (Aquatic), Flora Lore (Aquatic), Foraging,Riding (Any appropriate Aquatic creature),Surfing, Survival (Aquatic), Swimming, Tum-bling, any Weapon • Polearm skill.

SUB-CULTURE: AQUATIC MILITARISTIC

Use this template to account for Aquatic societiesthat are more warlike than the norm. Shuikmar orShuikmar-dominated communities provide excellentcandidates for this template.

Preferred Professions: Aquatic Militaristic societiesfavor Fighter, but no professions are prohibited.

Hobbies: Animal Handling (Any Aquatic creature),Animal Mastery (any Aquatic creature), AnimalTraining (Any Aquatic creature), any Armor •Light skills, Body Development, Diving, Foraging,Leadership, Riding (any appropriate Aquaticcreature), Surfing, Swimming, Weapon • Missile(Light Crossbow), Weapon • Missile (HeavyCrossbow), any Weapon • Polearm skill.

Training Packages: May purchase Mercenary andSoldier training packages at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: AQUATIC URBAN

(UPPER CLASS)

The nobles, governors and plutocrats of an Aquaticcity express themselves through their physical appear-ance, just as do the elite of any other sort of city. Butstill, they do not favor what land-based folk wouldrecognize as clothes. They favor gems and jewelrymade from precious metals because they don’tdissolve or easily tarnish.

Hobbies: Animal Handling (any Aquatic creature), anyArmor • Light skills, Body Development, Diplo-macy, Diving, Gambling, Heraldry (own society),History (own region), Languages, Leadership,Public Speaking, Region Lore (own region), Riding(any appropriate Aquatic creature), Surfing,Swimming, any Weapon • Polearm skill.

Training Packages: May purchase Diplomat trainingpackage at 3/4 the normal cost (rounded up) indevelopment points.


(MIDDLE CLASS)

These are the traders, professionals and skilledcraftsmen of an underwater city.

Hobbies: Administration, Appraisal, Body Develop-ment, Bribery, Contacting, Diving, First Aid,History (own region), Languages, Mingling,Region Lore (own region), Riding (any Aquatic


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creature), Surfing, Swimming, Tactical Games,Trading, any Weapon • Polearm skill.


(UNDERCLASS)

The lower social orders in an underwater cityusually do not wear any sort of body covering orjewelry. They are, for the most part, unskilled ormarginally skilled laborers, servants, criminals and theotherwise down-and-out.

Hobbies: Animal Handling (Any Aquatic creature),Begging, Body Development, Diving, Driving,First Aid, Foraging, Gambling, Region Lore (ownregion), Scrounging, Streetwise, Surfing, Survival(Aquatic), Swimming, Trickery, any Weapon •Polearm skill.

Money: Coins worth 20 sp, no gems or jewelry.

ARCTIC

Arctic folk live quite literally at the ends of theearth, in the frozen wastes of the far North and farSouth of the world. They may be herders who criss-cross the tundra in search of grazing for their animals.Or they may be even sturdier folk who live amidstsnow and ice and sustain themselves by fishing andhunting. They may be tribesmen who supplement themarginal living that their environment affords themby raiding comfortable folk who live in more temper-ate areas. In any case, they share the need to adaptthemselves to the harshness of living in circumstancesthat, by all logic, shouldn’t support them.

Surviving in the Arctic means developing consid-erable skill at hunting and fishing or herding. Theterrain simply doesn’t support any kind of farming.Gathering what plants there are would usually meancompeting for food with your own livestock (if you’rea herder), so there is little advantage to it. Long-termsurvival in the Arctic also means making good use ofthe animals that you hunt. The larger native animalsprovide plenty of meat, which will not rot in theperpetual Arctic cold. But also, all Arctic folk knowhow to exploit animal hides and furs to make warmclothing, how to use oil from large marine mammalsfor fuel, and how to use bone and sinew to makedurable tools and even art objects.

The ingenuity of Arctic folk extends to buildingshelters, as well. Some Arctic areas are forested andcan be exploited for lumber. But Nomadic herderswho live in these lands know how to erect secureshelters from animal skins and furs and light woodenpoles. Others have learned that small structures builtfrom snow and ice are surprisingly effective at keepingout the cold.

For all their cleverness and physical toughness,Arctic folk benefit substantially from any tradingcontacts that they can make with folk from moretemperate climates. In exchange for preserved fish and

goods unique to their environment, such as ivory andfurs, they receive food items to balance out their diet,sophisticated tools and weapons, and luxury goods.Arctic folk don’t mine very much, but they occasion-ally find meteorites made of iron or other industrialmetals that they can dangle as trade bait.

The Arctic template does not supplant any culturepreviously described in RMFRP or ChL. Nor does itreplace any of the cultures described in SMWA.

LOCATIONS

Arctic cultures are found in the polar regions,both north and south. They make their home in thetundra, or they may even live cheek-by-jowl with theice and snow of the pole itself.

Both the far North and far South of Kulthea areinhabited, so one finds Arctic cultures in the ShadowWorld. The Arctic wastes are only sparsely populated,but a variety of races live there. The Umli of Ulak-shylive close to the North Pole, subsisting on fish andlocal fauna. In the North, the northern tundra ofKelestia supports Quaidu hunters and Anzeti herders.The southern Arctic zone is more temperate and offersfewer Arctic habitats, but a population of Frost Giantsresides close to the South Pole.


Arctic folk dress to survive the climate in whichthey live. They wear heavy undergarments made ofanimal skins or thick cloth and wrap furs aroundthemselves. They wear large fur hats or cloaks withhoods. To protect their feet, they wear heavy bootslined with fur and use skis or snowshoes to moveabout in the snow. Hard experience has taught themto cover as much of their bodies as much as theypossibly can when the temperature drops belowfreezing, or when they expect to be out of doors forany length of time.

Arctic folk possess little in the way of jewelry.Precious metals are scarce in their native environment,though not entirely unknown. What they have, theyacquire from traders who come from temperateregions in search of ivory and furs. Arctic folk createpersonal ornaments from ivory and bone, and arequite expert in carving aesthetically pleasing objectsfrom them.


Cultural Aspirations: There is no terrain moreforbidding than that in which Arctic folk live.They are tough and hardy, but their lives involveso much struggle with the elements that theyfocus their hopes and dreams on simple long-term (sometimes even short-term survival).

Some Arctic folk dream of warmer climesand the world outside the frozen North or Southafter they meet foreign traders and hear theirtales. In rare cases, this inspires them to leavetheir homelands as migrants—or as conquerors.


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Collective Fears: Arctic culture fears predation (wherepredators large enough to threaten them exist)and starvation above all else. Some Arctic groupsworship the animals they hunt for food as a goodthat periodically sacrifices itself to enable theirsurvival (see Religious Beliefs, below).

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Arctic culturestend to be monogamous. Family units, like thelarger communities of which they are a part,are small and closely-knit. It is simply toodifficult to maintain much population densityin such a difficult environment.

Prejudices: Arctic folk have relatively few collectiveprejudices. Living in such a forbidding environ-ment, they usually face little competition for landor resources because no one else wants to go to thebother of taking what they have. It is rare that Orcsor other marauding races will come so far north orsouth as to give them any trouble. The outsiderswhom Arctic folk encounter are usually traders,from whom they derive considerable benefit.

Religious Beliefs: Arctic societies worship tribalgods who protect them from misfortune andthe hazards of their environment. Sometimes,their deities take the form of animals that theyhunt for food, and they believe that the godmanifests itself through a particular creaturethat offers itself so that the tribe may survive.In other instances, the deity is a god of fire andwarmth, the elemental embodiment of thatwhich preserves life in a frozen climate. Arcticgroups have a tribal priest, through whom allinteractions with the god are channeled.

The vernal equinox is an especially importantoccasion in Arctic cultures because it marks thebeginning of the brief period of the year in whichthey can experience the warmth of the sun with anyregularity. Most Arctic groups mark it with a majorreligious ceremony.

Preferred Professions: Arctic culture does not favoror prohibit any particular professions.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, any Armor skills, BodyDevelopment, Camouflage, Caving, DirectionSense, Fauna Lore (Arctic), First Aid, Hunting,Leather-crafting, Metal-craft, Observation,Region Lore (own region), Rowing, any SenseAwareness, Skating, Skiing, Star-gazing, Survival(Arctic), Tale Telling, Tracking, Trading, TrapBuilding, any Weapons skills except MissileArtillery, Wood-crafts.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),North-speech (S10/W10) or South-speech (S10/W10) and Sea-speech (S6/W6).

Shadow World: Giant (S4/W4), Troll (S4/W4), Umli (S6/W4) and racial language of any other mortal race, as longas they live in or neighboring native region (S6/W6).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

When creating an adventuring character from anArctic culture, you might focus on two activities thatcan take Arctic folk away from home and bring theminto contact with the outside world: hunting andtrading. A hunter in this setting would most likely havethe professional skills of a Fighter (of course), a Rangeror even a Rogue or a Magent. His occupation would


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inure him to the rigors of adventuring. As to hismotivation, perhaps he needs to find a new food sourcefor his community, or wishes to crown himself with theglory of hunting a legendary beast.

A trader would leave his community in search of abuyer or a seller. In either case, he would carry withhim goods for sale or barter, such as bone carvings,ivory or furs. The benefits of trade are strong motiva-tion in and of themselves, but you could also addsome emphasis by factoring in the needs of thecommunity—perhaps they have fallen on hard timesand desperately need to trade what little they have forfood, or some other form of aid. A trader, who bynature is used to dealing with outsiders, is also anexcellent candidate to quest after a magic item that hiscommunity might need. He may be of any professionthat stresses Communication Skills and relatedattributes, such as Bard, Magician, Illusionist orMagent. The ability to master Urban Skills (rare asthey are in Arctic culture) is also helpful.

If your party has two characters with Arcticbackgrounds, one could be a trader traveling in searchof a market for his goods, and the other could be ahunter who serves as his bodyguard.

Alternately, trade could provide your character’sinitial impulse to go adventuring by bringing theoutside world into the community. Contact withoutsiders could bring news of either crisis or opportu-nity that would motivate Arctic folk to leave thefamiliar confines of their lives and do somethingextraordinary.

Or, the outsiders themselves may be on a quest ofsome kind, and may need someone from the Arcticcommunity to serve as a guide.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Leather armor is quite common among Arcticcultures, as they have plenty of experience inworking with thick animal skins. One also findschain mail used, though it is not as common.Plate mail is extremely rare. Arctic folk onlyacquire them through trade, and rarely at that.

Money: Skins and furs worth 20 sp.

Weapons: With time and patience (and a good stockof skins and furs for trade), Arctic folk canacquire most any weapon they need from traders.However, the most commonly used are: Club,mace, dagger, handaxe, cudgel, composite bow,short bow, sling, javelin, spear.

SUB-CULTURE: ARCTIC MILITARISTIC

Societies that emerge in hostile environments mayturn to raiding or conquest in order to improve theirlot. Use this sub-cultural template to account forArctic societies that eye their more prosperousneighbors in more temperate lands and try to forcethem into sharing their wealth. Alternately, Arcticsocieties may turn militaristic as a response to having

been forced out of more comfortable lands them-selves. The Umli of Kulthea, although they are notnecessarily militaristic by outlook, are an example ofan Arctic people who have been driven out of moretemperate areas by their enemies.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, any Armor skills, BodyDevelopment, Camouflage, Direction Sense, FirstAid, Hunting, Leather-crafting, Metal-craft,Observation, Region Lore (Arctic regions), anySense Awareness, Skating, Skiing, Star-gazing,Survival (Arctic), Tracking, Trap Building, anyWeapons skill, Wood-crafts.

Training Packages: May purchase Mercenary andSoldier training packages at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: ARCTIC NOMADIC

This sub-culture covers the herders who rely onmasses of livestock for their living. They roam thetundra, driving their herds in constant search of freshgrazing lands.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, any Armor skills, BodyDevelopment, Camouflage, Direction Sense,Fauna Lore, First Aid, Hunting, Leather-crafting,Metal-craft, Observation, Region Lore (Arcticregions), any Sense Awareness, Skiing, Star-gazing, Survival (Arctic), Tale Telling, Tracking,Trading, Trap Building, any Weapons skillsexcept Missile Artillery, Wood-crafts.

Training Packages: May purchase Scout and ShamanPriest training packages at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

DESERT

“when a man love the Deserthe loves itas he loves a womanat first in spite ofher imperfectionsand later because of them”—Richard Shelton,“Dry Season”Caught between the endless planes of sky over-

head and parched earth underfoot, Desert folksomehow find a way to live in some of the mostinhospitable lands anywhere in the world. The luckyones find large oases—watering holes of a size that cansustain an entire community—around which they cansettle. The really lucky ones find a major river thatcreates a slender, precious greenbelt cutting throughotherwise barren land. For them, heat and dust areever-present sources of discomfort and drought aperpetual threat, but the Desert itself is an entity thatexists beyond the immediate circle of their dailyactivities. Less fortunate Desert dwellers must try theirfortitude and luck out in the Desert itself. Lack ofground water and arable land keeps them moving


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from place to place, as the supply of water and grazingfor their animals dries up. But no matter whether theycan find a place in which to put down roots, orwhether they must keep on the move, the harshness ofthe environment bonds all Desert folk together.

To live in or on the edge of the Desert means thatyou must learn to cope with the basic physical facts ofyour existence or perish, for the facts are invariablyunpleasant. Hot, arid days alternate with nightsmarked by dry cold that feels like it could suck themarrow from your bones. Such remarkable absence ofwater in the ground or from the sky means thatgrowing crops from year to year requires luck andskill, and even traveling a few days without takingenough to see you to your destination is to risk yourlife. Trading is also an important adaptation to copewith the physical environment. All Desert folkunderstand the importance of trade, as they are keenlyaware that their environment doesn’t provide themwith everything that they need. Desert folk becomeshrewd traders and skillful negotiators by benefit ofmuch practice; they watch their own backs andconstantly look for a way around someone else’s.

In war as in trade, Desert folk accustom them-selves to the benefits of mobility. The terrain in whichthey live offers little against which to secure an army’sflanks, so it’s important to be able to maneuverquickly. Desert civilizations make good military use ofchariots and emphasize the development of goodcavalry. This is true of both settled and Nomadicgroups. Desert nomads make excellent raiders; sincethey are used to living on the move in unpleasantconditions, they make excellent time on the marchand can strike quickly at will.

The Desert template borrows a few elements from theNomads template in ChL, but it is much more terrain-specific and it otherwise has no equivalent in RMFRP.

LOCATIONS

Desert culture takes hold in barren, forbiddingplaces where few living things grow due to the dryclimate. They can be great stretches of sandy Desertdominated by huge dunes and riddled by sandstorms.Or they may be tracts of parched earth pitted with rocksand relatively untroubled by plant life.

The Shadow World includes Desert areas that arelarge enough to shape the culture of an entire popula-tion group. The Joru Desert on Thuul is such a place,as is the Uj Desert on Emer. In the Shadow World, theSynshari are better adapted for life in these arid wastesthan any other race. The rocky Arul Desert on Emeralso qualifies as Desert terrain for these purposes, butit is largely uninhabited.


Desert folk favor lightweight clothes that keepthem comfortable in hot, dry weather. They wearrobes, togas or shirts and billowy pants made of thincotton or loosely woven wool. When traveling, they

also wear cloth wraps around the head and neck toshield them from the sun and keep out sand anddebris. These clothes are usually bleached white toreflect daytime heat, although Desert folk also enjoywearing bright colors. They keep wool cloaks toprotect themselves against the cold of the Desert night.

Desert folk who can afford it enjoy wearingjewelry. They are skilled smiths themselves, and if theycannot find precious metals and gems in their nativeenvironments they can trade for them.


Cultural Aspirations: Desert cultures tend to possess oneof two generic collective dreams. Some desire aboveall a more comfortable life, one that spares them thehardships of the Desert and brings them wealth andpleasure. Other cultures are more austere and desireabove all union with their god (see Religious Beliefs,below), which they may achieve through practicingreligious rituals, living a righteous life, and/orevangelism. In the latter case, union with one’s deityis usually understood in terms of life after death, inwhich death of the physical self actually leads toclose proximity to the god (or gods). It should alsobe noted that some Desert cultures embrace bothaspirations at the same time and do not see anyconflict between them. Or they embrace bothaspirations and will settle for whichever form offulfillment is closest at hand.

Collective Fears: The one fate that every Desert folkfears is death by exposure to the elements,meeting doom alone in the depths of the pitilesswastes. It is not an irrational fear, as it can happenso easily and explains all the measures that theyhave developed over the generations to shieldthemselves from the sun and to conserve water,both in the external environment and withinthemselves. Also, it is not so much fear for whatcould happen to their tribe so much as it is ananxiety that takes hold deep in the minds of everyindividual about what could happen to them ifthey are careless, if they displease their god, or ifthey are just unlucky. In those Desert cultures thatare particularly religious, the fear of dying byexposure is compounded by the possibility thatsuch a death signifies abandonment by one’s god.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Desert cultures arepatriarchal and polygamous. Line of descent istraced through the father, and number of wivesserves as an expression of social status.

Prejudices: Desert cultures are generally suspiciousof outsiders, although trading relationshipsreduce the level of suspicion over time. Theclosest relationships that Desert folk haveoutside of their own tribe are inevitably tradingrelationships—although, shrewd as they are,Desert folk always watch their own backs in theirmercantile dealings.


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If they have any particular cultural prejudice, Desertfolk take pride in their hardiness, forged by the difficultenvironment in which they live. They look down theirnoses at folk who live in opulence and comfort, and whohave plenty of fresh water at their disposal.

Religious Beliefs: Desert cultures worship their owntribal god. This deity takes on the roles of thetribe’s divine protector and law-giver. In manycases, it’s a double-edged role, as far as the tribeitself is concerned. Their deity presents itself as anangry and jealous father who expects his tribe toworship him exclusively and adhere without failto his ideas of virtue and justice. Only then willprotect them from foesand harm, and if his tribefails him or disobeyshim, he may exact aterrible punishmentfrom them.

Other Desert groupsworship the disk of the sunas a god, and attribute to itany quality that they wish.It may serve as a figure ofbenevolence, a bringer oflight and life, or as a harshgod that inflicts punish-ment, drought and deathto the unwary.

Some Desertgroups believe thattheir deity is auniversal god, andthey take uponthemselves themission of spread-ing their religion toother groups,whether by thesword or by peacefulevangelism.

Preferred Professions: Desertculture does not favor or prohibitany particular profession.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Animal Mastery, Armor• Light skills, Body Development, Direction Sense,Distance Running, Foraging, History (own region),Leather-crafting, Metal-craft, Mounted Combat,Reading Tracks, Region Lore (own region), Riding,Signaling, Star-gazing, Survival (Desert or waste-land), Time Sense, Tracking, Trading, any Weaponsskills except Missile Artillery.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),North-speech (S8/W8) or South-speech (S8/W8),Plains-speech (S8/W8).

Shadow World: Racial language of any mortal race inor neighboring native region (S6/W6).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Desert culture bears some similarity to Arcticculture, and not just in the fact that they both describeintelligent beings learning how to adapt to demandingphysical circumstances. When creating a characterfrom a Desert culture, you must reckon with hismotivation for leaving his community, which offerssecurity through mutual support from the hazards ofthe environment.

As with Arctic cultures, trade offers a contactpoint between the Desert and the outside world. Atrader would leave his community in search of a buyer

or a seller. In either case, he would carry with himgoods for sale or barter. The benefits of

trade are strong motivation in andof themselves, but you could

also add some emphasisby factoring in the

needs of thecommunity—

perhaps they havefallen on hard times

and desperately needto trade what little theyhave for food, or someother form of aid. ANomadic Desert tribemay be running soshort of water thateven a scrap ofknowledge aboutwhere to find a newsource is worth alarge quantity ofmoney or goods tothem. A trader, whoby nature is used todealing with outsid-ers, is also anexcellent candidate toquest after a magicitem that his commu-nity might need. Hemay be of any profes-sion that stresses

Communication Skills andrelated attributes, such as Bard,

Magician, Illusionist or Magent. The ability to masterUrban Skills is also helpful

Alternately, trade could provide your character’sinitial impulse to go adventuring by bringing theoutside world into the community. Contact withoutsiders could bring news of either crisis or opportu-nity that would motivate Desert folk to leave thefamiliar confines of their lives and do somethingextraordinary.

Also, Clerics from Desert communities may goabroad to proselytize for their god, if they belong to a


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tribe that worships a deity they believe to be universal(see Religious Beliefs, above). In such cases, they usetheir spells as demonstrations of their god’s power. Spelluse becomes for them a form of rhetoric, of persuasivetheater, as well as a way of achieving practical effects.These activities could, of course, inspire hostility fromthe local population, who may feel threatened by thisperceived challenge to their native religion. Yourcharacter will have to find a way to cope with it.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Wearing heavy armor is impractical in a Desertclimate; it’s just too uncomfortable. Chain mailoffers a measure of ventilation along with protec-tion, and it is favored by Desert folk who can affordit. Leather armor is even more affordable, ofcourse, but it, too, can prove uncomfortable towear in the Desert heat. Desert folk prefer to wearno armor at all. Large shields, both wooden andmetal, serve as popular forms of protection.

Money: 20 sp in coins.

Weapons: Desert folk prefer slashing and missileweapons that they can use to strike quickly, whileon the run: Cutlass, saber, scimitar, two-handedsword, battle axe, sling, short bow, long bow,composite bow. They also use: whip, flail, mace,lance, javelin and spear.

SUB-CULTURE: DESERT BRIGAND

Life in such an unforgiving environment hardenssome Desert folk to the point where they see nothingwrong with taking what they want from those who livemore prosperous, more comfortable existences. Theymake their living by raiding and robbery, using theirriding skills to sweep down on fertile lands that borderthe Desert, or on travelers who brave the wastelands.Simple plunder interests them more than the complexi-ties of conquest.

Preferred Professions: The Desert Brigand sub-culturetends to favor Rogue and Thief. It prohibits Paladin.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Armor • Light skills, BodyDevelopment, Direction Sense, Distance Run-ning, Foraging, History (own region), Leather-crafting, Metal-craft, Mounted Combat, ReadingTracks, Region Lore (own region), Riding,Signaling, Star-gazing, Survival (Desert orwasteland), Tracking, any Weapons skills exceptMissile Artillery.

Training Packages: May purchase Highwaymantraining package at 3/4 the normal cost (roundedup) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: DESERT MILITARISTIC

Some Desert societies cope with the harshness oftheir environment by setting out to conquer morecomfortable lands, or by going to war with theirneighbors over the Desert’s scarce resources. Such

peoples are formidable opponents in war. But ironi-cally, success and the prosperity that comes with ittend to soften their edges and dilute their ferocity andsense of purpose.

Other Desert Militaristic societies use conquest asa way of spreading their religious beliefs (see ReligiousBeliefs, above).

Preferred Professions: Desert Militaristic culturefavors Fighter, but does not prohibit anyparticular profession.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Animal Mastery, Armor •Light skills, Body Development, Distance Run-ning, Foraging, History (own region), Leather-crafting, Metal-craft, Mounted Combat, RegionLore (own region), Riding, Signaling, Star-gazing,Survival (Desert or wasteland), Trading, anyWeapons skills except Missile Artillery.

Training Packages: May purchase Mercenary, Soldier,Weapon Master and Zealot training package at 3/4the normal cost (rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: DESERT URBAN

(UPPER CLASS)

Large oases and river valleys that cut a narrow paththrough the parched countryside provide enough freshwater for a city to spring up in the middle of the Desert.The urban upper class in such cities consists largely oftraditional nobility, as well as merchants and politicalleaders who control access to the two most importantcommodities in such an environment—food and freshwater. They express their wealth through elaboratejewelry made of the most expensive materials, ratherthan through clothing. They may wear gaudy make-upor body paints that denote their rank in society.

Hobbies: Acting, Animal Handling, Appraisal, anyArmor skills, Body Development, Diplomacy,Direction Sense, Distance Running, First Aid,Gambling, Heraldry (own society), History (ownregion), Languages, Leadership, MountedCombat, Observation, Painting, Play Instrument,Public Speaking, Read Runes, Region Lore (ownregion), Riding, Sculpting, Singing, any Weaponsskills except Missile Artillery.

Training Packages: May purchase Diplomat trainingpackage at 3/4 the normal cost (rounded up) indevelopment points.


(MIDDLE CLASS)

Modestly well-to-do merchants and traders make upthe middle class of Desert cities, as well as professionalsand skilled tradesmen (mostly smiths and leather-crafters). They wear simple clothing and such jewelry asthey can afford. Middle class merchants run small tradingcaravans or shops. They often dream of having access tofood and fresh water so that they might become aswealthy and powerful as their better-off peers.


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Hobbies: Animal Handling, Armor • Light skills, BodyDevelopment, Bribery, Contacts, Direction Sense,History (own region), Languages, Leather-crafting, Metal-craft, Mounted Combat, RegionLore (own region), Riding, Star-gazing, Stone-crafting, Survival (Desert or wasteland), TacticalGames, Time Sense, Trading, any Weapons skillsexcept Missile Artillery.

Training Packages: May purchase Crafter andMerchant training package at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.


(UNDERCLASS)

Unskilled laborers, servants, caravan drivers,animal handlers and the criminal element make up theunderclass of a Desert city. They wear plain clothesand usually cannot afford any jewelry at all.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Animal Mastery, Armor •Light skills, Begging, Body Development, Bribery,Cooking, Direction Sense, Distance Running,Foraging, First Aid, Gambling, Hiding, Juggling,Leather-crafting, Metal-crafting, Mingling,Observation, Picking Locks, Play Instrument,Region Lore (Desert and wastelands), Scrounging,Seduction, Sewing, Singing, Stalking, Stone-crafting, Streetwise, Survival (Desert or waste-land), Tracking, Trickery, any Weapons skills,Wood-crafting.

HIGHLAND

Not every hillside is lush, and not every mountainvale offers richly fertile soil. And yet life takes hold insuch difficult places. The folk who live there work small,subsistence-level farms known as crofts, or keep herds ofsheep or goats, striving to sustain them on such modestgrazing as they can find, or hunt such wild game as theirenvironment provides. Great civilizations rarely arise outof circumstances like these, but they get by, and theHighland cultural template describes how they live.

In order to survive (much less thrive) in Highlandsocieties, you have to be tough and rugged. Highlandgroups live in varying degrees of isolation from the rest ofthe world, and from each other. If they run into collectivetrouble, there aren’t many neighbors around to helpthem. But Highlanders turn necessity into a cultural trait.They value their independence and self-sufficiency. Theyhave no patience with outsiders who try to push themaround. They value the honor of their clan and tribe, andwill defend it against all comers, even other Highlandgroups. Highlanders don’t shrink from a fight, and theyare used to settling disputes by force, whether by singlecombat, tit-for-tat raiding, or all-out war.

At the same time, many Highlanders have astrong theatrical streak. This trait can make you intoan effective political or military leader in Highlandsociety. But it also means that, even though they are

pugnacious and warlike, Highlanders also producemore than their share of bards, singers, musicians andpoets. Oral storytelling is a highly respected skill inHighland culture, even in those groups that have ahigh degree of literacy and can presumably writeeverything down.

The Highland template replaces the Hillmen entryin ChL. While the concept of Hillmen brings to life theculture of folk who scratch out a relatively marginalliving among rugged hillsides, it is also raciallyexclusive. It assumes that all Hillmen are Men. Andwhile most Highlanders are of the mannish race, it isworthwhile to give players the option of creating PCsof other races who pursue this way of life.

The Highland template more or less replaces thedescription of Highland culture in SWMA.

LOCATIONS

Highland culture prevails in rugged, hilly areas andisolated mountain vales in sub-Arctic and sub-tropicalregions. In the tropics, the hillsides on which Highland-ers live are usually heavily forested, and folk who wouldotherwise hew to that way of life share more with theSylvan template than with the Highland template.

The Shadow World has its share of Highlandsocieties. The Laan and Jameri who live in the foothillsoutside the Rhakhaan Empire capital of Haalkitainelive the Highland way of life. Also, the Y’nari whopopulate the windswept hills and gloomy moors of theOrbis region of Kelestia are very much Highlanders,and their land offers a picture-book example of thesort of terrain in which this culture takes hold.


Highlanders wear crude garments made from hideor rough wool. Their basic dress consists of tunics andleggings. They also wear over-coats, short cloaks and furhats to keep out the cold winds that so often blowthrough their native lands. Common Men Highlandtribes dye their wool garments in bright plaids, witheach clan having its own distinctive pattern. These plaidpatterns express clan pride and also allow clan membersto distinguish themselves in battle.

Highlanders have very little in the way of goldjewelry. Silver jewelry and ornaments made of brassand bronze are not uncommon, however. Uncut orroughly cut gemstones may serve as decoration forjewelry and weapons alike.

Many Highland tribes engage in ritual tattooing fora variety of purposes: to mark coming of age, celebratefamily or tribal identity, or as a badge of rank.


Cultural Aspirations: Highlanders have modest materialambitions. They know they cannot expect to receivemuch from the marginal lands in which they live.Defending the honor and status of their clan withintheir tribe, and the independence of their tribewithin the larger world (if indeed they have any


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contact with the larger world) is for them the mostimportant purpose of their existence.

Collective Fears: Highlanders live in isolated andforbidding places, where life maintains a tenuousfoothold. They tend to be superstitious, and if theyfear anything, it is darkness. They believe that atnight, spirits of the earth come forth with evilintentions at heart, and these spirits will gladly killanyone careless enough to fall into their clutches.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Highlanders are monoga-mous. They trace lineage through the female, so thatin marriages between clans, the husband joins thewife’s clan. Political marriages meant to cementalliances between clans are quite common.

Prejudices: All Highlanders are fiercely parochial anddeeply suspicious of outsiders. Highlanders ofdifferent races compete with each other for thescarce resources that their land provides, and sothe rivalries between them are particularly strong.

Religious Beliefs: Each Highland tribe has its ownmythology, which generally centers around apantheon of petty tribal gods, whose motives andbehavior makes them seem more like ignoblemortals than deities. These gods generallyrepresent forces of nature, or particular emotionsor fields of endeavor, like love or war. Thismythology is preserved and transmitted throughoral story telling, and the older the tribe, thelonger and more involved are the tales that telltheir myths. Highland religious practice usuallyinvolves ritual sacrifice of animals.

Preferred Professions: Highland culture neitherfavors nor prohibits any particular profession.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Acting, Ambush, AnimalHandling, any Armor • Light skills, Attunement,Body Development, Painting (body painting),Brawling, Caving, Climbing, Foraging, Hiding,History (own clan), Jumping, Leather-crafting,Metal-crafting, Observation, Play Instrument,Poetic Improvisation, Public Speaking, RegionLore (own region), Riding, Scaling, Singing, SpellLists, Sprinting, Stalking, Star-gazing, Swimming,Tale Telling, Tattooing [Craft], Tracking, anyWeapon skills, Weather-watching.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),Hill-speech (S10/W10), North-speech or South-speech (S8/W8).

Shadow World: Dwarven (S6/W4), Giant (S4/W4),Murlogi (S6/W4).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

A Fighter in Highland society is one who muststand ready to defend the honor of his clan or tribe ata moment’s notice. He owes his clan or tribal chiefabsolute loyalty, and will follow him through prover-bial hell or high water. Rogues, Thieves and Magentscan prove their worth to the tribe by stealthier means,raiding rival tribes and stealing their livestock orinflicting other sorts of damage. The general state ofconstant bickering between Highland tribes meansthat there is usually plenty of work for all who followthese professions. Spell-users usually attach them-selves to a particular god in the tribe’s pantheon(rarely more than two). They devote their careers toserving that deity and advancing the agenda ascribedto it by the tribe’s mythology.

As to what could give a Highlander impetus toleave home and sever the ties that bind him to hiscommunity, you might consider the possibility thathis tribe was badly defeated in war, and eitherscattered or largely eliminated. With those bondsdissolved, he would have to find his own way in theworld. No doubt, being a Highlander, he would alsoseek vengeance against his tribe’s oppressors atwhatever cost. Perhaps his clan has been enslaved byconquerors, and your character aims to free them bywhatever means he can muster.


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Also, lowland realms sometimes try to recruitHighlanders as mercenaries to make use of theirnotorious ferocity. They make such deals with clanchieftains, knowing full well that a chief’s followerswill do his bidding without question. Your charactermight go abroad when his clan is hired to fight insomeone else’s war. Or his chief might hire him outbecause of his particular professional skills (and keep asuitable cut of the fee for himself, of course).

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Although they have knowledge of metal-working,Highlanders favor light or no armor because they livein difficult terrain that favors nimbleness. As a generalrule, they wear leather armor or none at all. In sometribes, the most elite warriors fight naked, as it is partof their ethos of battle that they should express faith intheir own invincibility.

Money: Highland tribes have barter economies, andcash and coin are foreign curiosities to them. AHighlander’s wealth is bound up in goods, usuallyin the form of skins, pelts or fabrics, acquiredfrom herd animals or from hunting. A High-lander might start out in the world with 10worked deerskins worth 2 sp each; 5 skunk peltsworth 4 sp each; 4 fox pelts worth 5 sp each; or abale of carded wool worth 20 sp.

Weapons: Highlanders favor simple weapons: Broad-sword, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, short bow,spear, cudgel, baw, cabis. As noted in the discus-sion of clothes and decoration, however, the morecarefully wrought weapons (like broadswords andbows) serve as expressions of prestige in Highlandculture and can rise to the level of decorative art. A

sword with a decorated hilt may therefore be afamily heirloom or a symbol of rank as well as aweapon, in which case its wielder would treat itwith great care and respect.

SUB-CULTURE: HIGHLAND BARBARIAN

Not all Highland communities exist at the samelevel of cultural or technological development. TheHighland Barbarian template covers those who areespecially backward compared to their neighbors.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Body Development, Camouflage,Climbing, Fauna Lore, Foraging, Jumping,Observation, Scaling, Singing, Survival (Highland),Tracking, any Weapon except crossbows, MissileArtillery and Pole Arms, Weather-watching.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W4),Hill-speech (S8/W4), North-speech or South-speech (S6/W2).

Shadow World: Dwarven (S4/W0), Murlogi (S4/W0).

Training Packages: May purchase Animal Friend,Hunter and Scout training packages at 3/4 thenormal cost (rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: HIGHLAND MILITARISTIC

Some Highland tribes embrace warfare as a way ofgaining the upper hand on their neighbors. Othersbecome unusually warlike after generations of feudingwith their neighbors or repelling raids by Orcs,Goblins and the like.

Hobbies: Ambush, Animal Handling, any Armor skills,Body Development, Painting (body painting),Brawling, Climbing, Directed Spells, Foraging,History (own clan), Jumping, Leather-crafting,


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Metal-crafting, Observation, Public Speaking,Region Lore (own region), Riding, Singing, SpellLists, Sprinting, Stalking, Star-gazing, Tactics, TaleTelling, Tattooing [Craft], Tracking, any Weaponskills, Weather-watching.

Training Packages: May purchase Mercenary, Soldierand Weapon Master training package at 3/4 thenormal cost (rounded up) in development points.

LITTORAL

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that dobusiness in great waters, these see the works of the Lordand his wonders in the deep.”

—Psalms 107: 23-24Those who live on and by the seas and great rivers

of the world lead truly unique lives. Whether they dwellin a bustling sea port, or a coastal fishing village, or atrading center on the banks of a major river, their access

to the oceans and major waterways gives them a senseof mobility of which landlocked folk can only dream.They can sail to faraway places, even to the farthestcorners of the globe, and come back with exotic goodsand exciting tales to tell of the wonders they have seen.

Littoral folk have a taste for adventure and an easyconfidence in the sailing skills they learn so early in lifethat they eventually become second nature. But at thesame time, they recognize the hazards of their way oflife. Sea monsters and the wrath of the ocean hauntthe backs of their minds. They know deep in the wellof their souls that not even consummate skill will savethem if the gods, the dreadful elements, bad luck—callit what you will—deems that their time has come. Andif these anxieties lurk in the minds of the sailorsthemselves, they redouble themselves among the lovedones whom the sailors leave behind when they go onan extended journey. Even coastal fishermen, whodon’t go out all that far in their boats, pray to the godsof the waters to keep them safe once they have castoff from shore.

Littoral folk, particularly ocean-going sailors,work hard and play hard. Their jobs are physicallydemanding and keeping their unique skills sharprequires constant practice—and the bigger the ship,the more practice the crew needs to keep themworking together efficiently. When ashore, they arenotoriously high-spirited and fond of drink, and it iscommon wisdom in port taverns that you shouldnever turn your back on a drunken sailor. They relishthe freedom that comes with casting away from dryland, but, free-spirited as they are, they know how towork with each other as part of an efficient, well-drilled team, for it is only through such close coop-eration that a ship can survive in the open water.

The Littoral template more or less replaces theMariners entry in ChL. That description of Marinerscaptures a limited sense of what it means to rely onthe waters for your livelihood, and indeed it is veryrestrictive in terms of race. The Mariners are them-selves a sub-culture of a sub-race, the descendants ofrenegade High Men. The Littoral template provides amore open-ended guide to envisioning coastal andriverside cultures, especially when it comes to race. Ifyou wish to entertain the possibility that races otherthan High Men and Grey-elves could ply the watersof your campaign setting, then separating Littoralculture from considerations of race is a useful thingto do. Indeed, since R&C describes coastal dwellingraces such as Sohleugir, it is a necessary thing to do.

The Littoral template also replaces thedescriptions of Sailor culture and the Fisherfolkeconomy in SWMA.

LOCATIONS

Littoral culture describes coastal villages, as wellas settlements on the banks of a major river that relyon that river for their livelihood. It also appears inmajor port cities, where there are enough sailors and


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folk who support them to influence the character ofthe place.

The Shadow World is dotted with inhabited islandsand most of Kulthea’s major continents have at least onemajor port city, so Littoral culture flourishes there. Thecity-state of Kataine and the Port of Izar, both on Emer,are important port cities and centers of intercontinentaltrade. Also, islands like the Mur Fostisyr chain just northof Jaiman, though less densely populated, host thrivingcommunities who live by fishing and coastal trade.


Littoral folk, whether they are sailors or fisher-men, favor loose, simple clothing (like shirts or tunicsmade from inexpensive cotton) that won’t get in theirway when they’re working. Hats and bandannas serveto keep the sun and sweat out of their eyes. Theseclothes function well enough when they’re on land,too. Littoral folk may wear jewelry, but these, too aremodest in size and value. Above all, their personaldecorations shouldn’t get in the way of operating aboat or a ship. An earring or a small pendant aroundthe neck won’t cause problems, but a ring on thefinger might slip off and fall overboard.

On the other hand, ocean-going sailors may returnfrom their voyages with all sorts of exotic garments andornaments from foreign lands. When they do, they areeager to show them off. In this case, imagining whatLittoral folk might wear is limited only by logicalconsiderations of how they might have gotten it. Didthey buy it? Trade for it? Plunder or steal it?


Cultural Aspirations: Littoral folk who live on riverbanks,or who rely on fishing or harvesting shellfish ratherthan trade for their livelihoods, resemble agriculturalcommunities in that they are content to make a livingfrom gathering what the land will provide them. Theirambitions are modest, their view of the worldcircumscribed by local geography.

Ocean-going sailors have a different point ofview. They relish the adventure of sailing todistant places and the sense of freedom thatsailing the seas gives them. This sense of freedomis something of an illusion, of course, since theycan only gain it by confining themselves inside avessel for weeks or months at a stretch. But it doesrelease them from the rules and obligations thatsociety places on them when they are on land.

Collective Fears: This may seem strange for folk whorely upon the waters for their livelihoods, butdeath by water is far and away the greatest fear inLittoral cultures. Fear of drowning and shipwreckhaunts the dark corners of their minds.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Littoral cultures aremonogamous. In fact, ocean-going Littoralcultures place unusual stress on the virtues ofmarital fidelity. They do so in response to the strain

that sea voyages place on marriages by separatingspouses for long periods of time. Some couples tryto cope with the stress by serving on the same crew,but child rearing at sea is all but impossible.

Prejudices: Littoral folk, especially ocean-going Littoralfolk, are adventurous and unusually open to foreigninfluences. However, they do have one universalprejudice—landlubbers. It may take the form ofgood-natured snobbery, or outright contempt. Butone way or another, they take pride in their nauticalskill and look down their noses at those who lack it.

Religious Beliefs: Religious practice in Littoralcultures focuses around one or another patrondeity, or sometimes around both at once. Theexact face of these gods may vary betweenindividual communities, but they reflect anxietiescommon to all. One of these archetypal deities is agod of the waters who finds physical expression inthe ocean or in a major river upon which thecommunity relies. He is a god of power andwrath, who can whip up deadly storms if he is notkept calm. Large and dangerous sea creatures, likewhales or sharks, are said to be his servants andagents of his anger. He demands sacrifice ofanimals or goods as his price for clear sailing.

The other patron deity is a goddess of mercywhose purpose is to intervene directly whenever oneof the community is in distress. Sailors pray to her tokeep them safe when storms or other misfortunesthreaten them, as do the families whom they haveleft behind. She demands no sacrifice from herworshippers. Instead, those who have been helpedby the goddess are expected to show their gratitudeby donating money or goods to her Clerics.

Littoral cultures may worship both deities,viewing them as complementary expressions of theforces that shape their collective life. In these cases,it is not uncommon that they should function asparental creator gods—the god of the waters playsthe stern, demanding father, while the goddess ofmercy plays the forgiving, nurturing mother.

Preferred Professions: Littoral cultures favor noparticular profession, although every Littoralcommunity has at least one Cleric to intercedewith the god of the waters or the goddess of mercyon its behalf. Crews that make a lot of long ocean-going voyages may insist on having a Cleric onboard ship, for reassurance if nothing else.

Hobbies: Key nautical skills such as Acrobatics, BoatPiloting, Climbing, Jumping, Navigation,Observation, Rappelling, Rope Mastery, Star-gazing, Swimming, Weather-watching andWood-crafting are very important in Littoralculture. Other popular skills are: Acting, Ambush,Appraisal, any Armor skills, Body Development,Cultural Lore, Dance, Embroidery [Craft], FirstAid, Hiding, History, Leadership, Metal-crafting,Painting, Public Speaking, Region Lore, Sculpt-


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ing, Signaling, Spell Lists, Sprinting, Stalking,Tracking, Trading, any Weapon skills.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),Grey-elvish (S4/W4), North-speech (S8/W8) orSouth-speech (S8/W8), Sea-speech (S10/W10).

Shadow World: Mermen (S6/W6), Shuluri (S6/W4),Undersea (S8/W6), racial language of any other mortalrace (S4/W4).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Unlike many other cultural backgrounds, anadventurous life is practically ingrained into Littoralculture. This is especially true of seaports, since thejourneys to and from them are relatively long andtheir destinations seem particularly exotic to those inthe originating port. Littoral folk don’t need much ofan excuse to go an adventure that requires traversingthe waters; it’s what they do for a living. Theirprofession doesn’t much matter; a sea voyage requiresthat a ship’s crew have a variety of skills, some ofwhich will only be needed in an emergency or on land.A Fighter may be brought on board to defend againstpirate attack. A Ranger might serve as a guide or ascout after the ship makes landfall. And so on.

The same holds largely true for Littoral communitiesthat rely on a river instead of an ocean. Life on the waterrepresents for them a kind of freedom from the restrictionsof life on land, and a way of living that is well worth the toiland risk involved. A city 100 miles up or down river maynot seem as exotic as a kingdom thousands of miles acrossthe sea, but the process of getting there is just as liberatingin its own way. Someone from a riverside communitywould not hesitate to pursue adventure up or down theriver, because everyone he knows is at least peripherallyinvolved in water-based travel, and because it has alwaysseemed to him an experience well worth the trouble.

Of course, if someone from a Littoral communitydecides to pursue his life of adventure in landlockedcountry, well, then you have a story that requires someexplaining. Such a one might have a dark secret in hispast related to a mistake made or a foul deed committedat sea. Perhaps he was exiled by his community, or fled inan attempt to put his disgrace behind him. Even so, hecannot forget the skills and influences that his upbringingbestowed upon him, so that he remains of Littoralculture even though he no longer belongs to a Littoralcommunity. His profession does not matter; it could beone that he pursued at the time of the cause of hisdisgrace, or it could be one that he chose while in exile.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Littoral folk spend a lot of time on ships orboats, where their duties preclude wearinganything heavier than leather armor (heavy armorwould make them too clumsy to operate a sailingvessel). However, vessels may also carry armedguards whose sole purpose is to keep ship andcrew safe from trouble (warships and merchant-

men worried about pirates fit this description).They may wear chain or plate armor.

Money: 20 sp in sailor’s wages.

Weapons: Littoral folk carry small weapons that can bekept without interfering with tasks like climbing,swimming, or hauling rope, and which can bewielded effectively at close quarters: Dagger,scimitar, short sword, mace, quarterstaff, armoredfist, cutlass, main gauche, or saber. Tools of thesailors trade also double as weapons: Whip, flail,cat o’ nine tails (used for disciplining crew), boarspear, harpoon, net. Guards and officers also carry:Broadsword, morning star, bola, composite bow,long bow, short bow, two-handed sword, spear,bastard sword, falchion, or pole arm.

SUB-CULTURE:

LITTORAL BRIGAND (PIRATE)

Pirates who menace the high seas or majorwaterways are such a blatantly disruptive force thatthey create a subculture all their own within Littoralculture. They share common skills and talents withlaw-abiding Littoral folk, but are very different in theiroutlook and way of life. Since they make their living byrobbing, kidnapping and extorting, they are outlawsby their very nature and cannot live out in the open,unless in corrupt cities or in secluded (or at leastdefensible) places, like an island of their own. Theylive in bands just large enough to crew one to severalships. The larger pirate communities may includewomen and children.

The Jaaderi pirates that inhabit the shores of theDoomstraits Isles off the coast of Thuul are goodexample of a Littoral Brigand subculture.

Cultural Aspirations: Pirates disdain honest work.Most dream of capturing that one big prize thatwill provide them with enough riches to retirefrom their life of brigandage. Some pirates,however, genuinely enjoy making others suffer.

Still others take up this life because theyreally don’t fit into the social mainstream. Theyfeel like outcasts and have given up any hope ofbeing accepted. They may be ostracized becauseof racial animosity, because they (or theirfamily) committed an offense that the commu-nity refuses to forgive, or because they havefailed at lawful occupations.

Collective Fears: As outlaws, pirates may fear confine-ment in gaol more than they fear death by water.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: A pirate’s lifestyledoesn’t lend itself to stable marriage and familylife. Relationships form on the fly and dissolveeasily. Children can provide cheap labor, butthey also inhibit a brigand’s mobility and hisability to conceal himself. So they are a mixedblessing at best.


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Where pirates have been successful enough toestablish a settled community—on an island of theirown, for example—marriage and mating patternsmore closely resemble those of lawful society.

Religious Beliefs: Not all pirates abide by conven-tional religious beliefs for Littoral culture. Themost vicious among them often swear fealty toevil deities, relishing their own malice and thesuffering they inflict. Yet others worship gods ofluck and hope that their patron deity will keepthem safe from capture, or lead them to that onebig bundle of loot that will make their fortune.Still others follow gods of armed might, notingthat it’s a lot easier to make things go your waywhen you brandish a strong fist.

Preferred Professions: Paladins cannot becomepirates. Otherwise, this sub-culture may embraceall other professions.

Hobbies: Nautical skills such as Acrobatics, BoatPiloting, Brawling, Climbing, Jumping, Naviga-tion, Observation, Rappelling, Rope Mastery,Star-gazing, Swimming, Weather-watching. Also:Ambush, Appraisal, any Armor skills, BodyDevelopment, Counterfeiting, Cultural Lore,Dance, Disguise, First Aid, Hiding, History,Leadership, Metal-crafting, Public Speaking,Region Lore, Signaling, Sprinting, Stalking,Swashbuckling, Tactics, Tracking, Trading, anyWeapon skills.

SUB-CULTURE: LITTORAL URBAN

(UPPER CLASS)

The upper class of a port city is dominated bynobility and local political leaders, but also by merchantswho have made themselves quite wealthy through trade.In fact, it is not at all unusual for the most successfulmerchants in major ports to, essentially, buy their wayinto government and the social elite. Members of theupper class often make ostentatious shows of theirwealth, wearing the finest clothes and jewelry, buildingelaborate residences for themselves, and displayingtreasures and curiosities from faraway lands.

Hobbies: Appraisal, any Armor skills, Boat Piloting,Cultural Lore, Dancing, Diplomacy, First Aid,Gambling, History, Languages, Leadership,Navigation, Painting, Public Speaking, Read Runes,Region Lore, Sculpting, Signaling, Singing, SpellLists, Star-gazing, Swimming, Tactical Games,Trading, any Weapon skills, Weather-Watching.


(MIDDLE CLASS)

The middle class of a port city comprehends awide variety of careers. Besides the usual assortment ofmerchants, artisans and professionals, you will alsofind the skilled seamen on whom so much of the city’seconomic life relies: ship’s captains, navigators and

other officers.

Hobbies: Appraisal, any Armor skills, Boat Piloting,Body Development, Bribery, Climbing, Contact-ing, Cultural Lore, Embroidery [Craft], FirstAid, Gambling, History, Jumping, Languages,Leadership, Leather-crafting, Metal-crafting,Navigation, Observation, Painting, Read Runes,Region Lore, Rope Mastery, Signaling, SpellLists, Star-gazing, Stone-crafting, Swimming,Tactical Games, Trading, any Weapon skills,Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.


(UNDERCLASS)

In addition to the usual assortment of unskilledlaborers, servants and cutpurses, you will also findcommon sailors, fishermen and dockhands among theunderclass in a port city. Sailors are particularlynotorious for their love of drink, and seedy tavernsnear the docks cater to their desires. Unfortunately forthem, so do criminals who know that a drunken markis an easy mark.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Ambush, Appraisal, Armor •Light skills, Body Development, Brawling,Bribery, Climbing, Cooking, Cultural Lore,Dance, Disarming Traps, First Aid, Gambling,History, Jumping, Mingling, Observation,Rappelling, Region Lore, Rope Mastery, Scroung-ing, Sewing, Signaling, Singing, Stalking, Star-gazing, Streetwise, Swimming, Trickery, anyWeapon skills, Weather-watching.

MINING

Someone must wrest from the earth’s embrace themundane metals from which tools, armor and weaponsare forged, the precious metals of which coins areminted, and the precious stones that decorate thewealthy and dazzle everyone else. It is the lot of thosewho live in Mining communities to do this grinding,hazardous but potentially lucrative work. They toil inthe shadow of mountains or burrow into hillsides—digging into the ground wherever veins of valuablemetal ore have been found, or might be found.

It’s not an easy life. For Dwarves, many of whomare miners, it is a way of life that connects them sointimately with their forbears that it has become anintegral part of their collective identity. For others, it isa way to get rich by finding gold or platinum ordiamonds right at the source. For yet others, it issimply another way to earn a living, physicallydemanding, but no different from farming the land orherding livestock. But whatever the case, Miningculture breeds folk who are tough and tenacious, foronly those traits will keep you hacking away at solidrock day after day, no matter what the reward. Youlearn something about the value and qualities ofmetals and gemstones, how to work with them andappraise them. You understand how to survive in a


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Subterranean environment, which is not nearly as easyas it may seem. All of these characteristics will come inhandy should you choose one day to leave the minesfor a live of adventure.

The Mining template replaces, to a certain extent,the Dwarf entry in RMFRP. Although that entry is adescription of race, it also establishes many of thehallmarks (such as suspicion of outsiders, self-seclusion and enjoyment of simple pleasures) of arugged industrial culture that makes its living from thetreasures of the earth. It’s a race template and a culturetemplate fused into one. Treating Mining culture as apure culture templateopens the possibilitythat other racesmay choose tolive in amannersimilar to theDwarves inthat theymake theirliving throughsimilarpursuits, andare therebyinfluencedby what theydo and theenviron-ment inwhich theydo it. It isalso worthnoting that inKulthea, not allDwarves pursuethe same way oflife. In Burdok-Rhu, on Falias, theDwarves have built agreat city for themselves,and they also farm exten-sively. The Mining templatedoes not replace any of the culturesdescribed in SWMA.

LOCATIONS

Mining communities spring up on hillsides andmountainsides where veins of ore have been foundand tapped. The Mining template also applies to thosewho quarry stone.

In the Shadow World, the kingdom of Thynar, atthe northern end of the Clythul Mountains on Thuul,is an example of a center of Mining activity.


Miners favor rugged clothes that can stand up to alot of wear— thick cloth shirts and pants and leather

jerkins and leggings. However, miners who work inshafts that run deep into the earth will strip down tothe essentials (or even work naked) because of theheat.

Mining folk wear surprisingly little jewelry, consid-ering how much precious metal and gems pass throughtheir hands. But they are sober, hardworking folk whowould rather have their wealth in a fungible asset likecoin of the realm rather than show it off as finery. This isnot to say that they would refuse to keep jewelry andgems as personal treasure, only that they don’t wear suchornaments as much as one might think.


Cultural Aspirations: Mining isdemanding and hazardous

work, but things of greatvalue are its reward:

gemstones andprecious metals.

And even ifthey don’tfind dia-monds orrubies, goldor plati-num,minersknow thatthey canstill make agood livingby Mining

industrialmetals (iron,

copper, tin),because

demand forthem runs

stronger than thesupply in many

parts of the world.The dream of wealth

(and in some cases, anappreciation of beauty) drives

them on to brave the dangers andhardships of the miner’s life.

Collective Fears: More than anything else, Miningfolk fear death in the bowels of the earth. Theyworry about mineshafts collapsing on them, orrock falls trapping them. They worry that digginginto the guts of the earth will disturb someterrible power or beast that lurks within, waitingto slay whoever disturbs them. Perhaps therelurks in the backs of their minds the understand-ing that they are slicing open the earth to take theriches that lie within, and these anxieties reflectfear of what the earth will do to them in return.


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Mating and Marriage Patterns: Mining cultures aremonogamous. Nuclear families are usually largerthan the racial average and family members workside-by-side. Inheritance may be traced througheither the male or the female.

Prejudices: Mining folk fear Dragons and hate evilSubterranean beings such as Goblins, Troglodytesand Orcs, as both are constant hazards to theircommunities. Miners who follow a vein and breakin on a Dragon’s lair count themselves lucky if theylive to tell of it. Goblins, Troglodytes and Orcs preyon Mining communities for plunder, territory, orsheer amusement. But miners don’t fear them asthey do Dragons, because they know that they atleast have a fighting chance against them.

Religious Beliefs: Mining cultures worship tribal orelemental gods, or deities that combine aspects ofboth. Their tribal gods offer them collectiveprotection from the hazards of their way of life,ensure their prosperity and/or shield them fromtheir enemies. Elemental gods also appeal to them,although the mysteries and perils of the Subterra-nean realm do not consume them as much as theydo to Subterranean cultures. Even so, they haveenough contact with the elemental powers thatlurk deep in the earth to fear them and understandthat they must be propitiated. Mining cultures mayhave pantheons that reflect both of these impulses,having a tribal deity who is “on their side” andintercedes for them against the dark gods whodwell beneath the surface of the earth.

To interact with their deities, Mining commu-nities have warrior-priests who perform rituals andwho channel their power when the need for heroicaction arises. These rituals do not include bloodsacrifice of intelligent beings, however. Food orvaluable objects are offered instead.

Preferred Professions: Daily life in Mining culturesfavors physical strength and wielding tools thatresemble weapons. To that extent, Fighter is afavored profession. Mining culture does notprohibit any profession.

Hobbies: Appraisal, any Armor skills, Attunement,Body Development, Caving, Climbing, Contor-tions, Disarming Traps, First Aid, History (ownregion), Leather-crafting, Metal-crafting, PickingLocks, Region Lore (own region), Riding (bearsand wolves), Tactics, Trap Building [Sub. •Stealth], any Weapons skills except MissileArtillery, Wood-crafting.

Background Languages: Black-speech (S6/W6),Common-speech (S8/W8), Hill-speech (S10/W10).

Shadow World: Dwarven (S4/W4), Murlogi (S6/W4).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Mining communities generally have plenty ofcontact points with the outside world, because theirway of life involves gathering and processing avaluable commodity. Consequently, contact withoutsiders should provide a rich source of impetus forsending your Mining folk character on an adventure.He may be charged with delivering a precious item,like a sword commissioned by a king, to its buyer faraway. This would be a good task for a Fighter or aPaladin, who would be expected to defend the itemwith his life, since the honor of the community isriding on its safe delivery. If your character is a Dwarf,perhaps the item is a consignment of mithril sold(after much sober deliberation, of course) to a famouscraftsman. Or perhaps your character is a trader whomust go to faraway cities and sell the product of yourcommunity’s labor for the best possible price. Orperhaps your community needs you to track downbandits that have targeted its shipments (this would bea good task to assign a Ranger or a Rogue).

In the Shadow World, a Mining communitymight have a long-standing trade relationship with theLoari or the Dyari, whose love of technology requiresdependable access to industrial metals, as well as rareand exotic metals for experimentation. Murlogicommunities that cannot find enough of a certainkind of metal to meet their needs might also have totrade to get it. Maintaining these relationships overdistance and making sure that shipments reach theirdestination on time are also serious matters that couldbe entrusted to a player character.

Mining communities also find themselves in turfbattles against marauding Subterranean races all toooften. A player character might take it upon himself tostrike a blow against a tribal foe—spying on hostileOrcs or sabotaging the war machines of a Goblin horde.If the situation becomes dire, he might have to flee andfind help from outside the community.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: All types of armor are available to Miningcommunities. The raw material of heavy armor isplentiful, and expertise in working metal is quitecommon. Chain mail is relatively easily had inMining communities.

Money: 2 gp or a gem of comparable value.

Weapons: Dagger, short sword, crossbow, spear,light crossbow, heavy crossbow, pole arm. Mineralso favor heavy chopping weapons or bludgeonweapons, such as: handaxe, club, war hammer,mace, battle axe, war mattock.


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SUB-CULTURE: MINING MILITARISTIC

This sub-culture describes those Mining societiesthat have made a habit out of warfare. Some becomeMilitaristic out of necessity, having to fight off thosewho would deprive them of their access to a preciouscommodity. Others develop warlike habits aftertranslating their access to metals into skill with forgingand using weapons.

Hobbies: Appraisal, any Armor skills, Body Develop-ment, Caving, First Aid, History (own region),Leather-crafting, Metal-crafting, Region Lore(own region), Riding (bears and wolves), Tactics,any Weapons skills, Wood-crafting.


PLAINS

The land from which Plains folk draw theirlivelihood is not as fertile as the lush fields of Ruralfolk, but neither is it as hostile as the Desert. Flat as faras the eye can see and only semi-arid, it at leastsupports small farms that provide enough food to feedthe families that tend them, and perhaps provide alittle extra to sell. Others prefer roaming to farming,and drive herds of animals from place to place. But asub-culture template (see below) describes thesenomads, who are often warlike in their nature.Mainstream Plains culture describes a life dominatedby agricultural work.

Plains folk are stoical by temperament, practical-minded and self-sufficient. Plains farmers generally

live on plots of land isolated from one another, andtheir closest neighbors may live too far away for themto step next door to borrow the proverbial cup ofsugar. They quickly get used to the idea that whateverhappens, their best bet is to make do with who andwhat they have at hand.

Cities in this environment usually originate aswaystations, places to stop on the road to somewhereelse. Sometimes they prosper from overland trade orgain fame as centers of learning or professionalactivity, but their prosperity rests on a fragile founda-tion. Drought literally dries up their supply of food,and shifts in travel routes can pull the foundation oftheir economy out from under them.

LOCATIONS

Plains culture takes hold on broad savannahs andsemi-arid Plains, as well as steppe regions north orsouth of the tundra. The common character that allsuch places share is that they are flat and receive justenough rainfall to support modest agriculture.

Places in the Shadow World where Plains cultureprevails include the great savannah of the Kalanda-norPlateau and the central Plains of Kadru on Thuul, aswell as Kyknan Plains on Mythens.


Plains folk wear simple, practical clothes madeof wool or cloth. Even the wealthy among themforego fancy dress in favor of simple garb, althoughthey may add an item of jewelry here and there.Anyone who tries to liven up his or her appearanceis generally regarded as a snob, someone who isputting on airs.


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Cultural Aspirations: Those who live on the Plainsare generally modest folk whose ambitions extendto caring for and preserving their modest plot ofland, and not much further. Those who live in thecities may dream of getting rich off of this or that,but such is the nature of life in cities everywhere.

Collective Fears: Plains folk fear the ravages ofweather more than anything else. The climate ofthe Plains is semi-arid, and drought is a majorconcern. Not every year brings enough rain tomake the crops grow as they should. On the otherhand, severe thunder and windstorms can alsosweep the land with very little notice, leavingterrible wreckage in its wake.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: The nature of life onthe Plains encourages monogamy and tightlyintegrated families, since contact with folk fromoutside the household may not occur very often.

Prejudices: Plains folk tend to be suspicious of strang-ers of any stripe. Living on farms separated fromtheir neighbors, they find it hard to gauge withcertainty the intentions of anyone they don’t know.They find it especially difficult to trust folk of adifferent race without getting to know them first.

Religious Beliefs: Most commonly, Plains folkworship gods that represent the sky or theweather, or some aspect of agriculture. Animalsacrifices meant to placate their gods are com-mon, although offerings can also take the form ofmaterial goods or a fraction of the harvest.

Preferred Professions: Plains culture neither favorsnor prohibits any particular profession.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Armor • Light skills,Cooking, Distance Running, Driving, History(own region), Hunting, Leather-crafting, Obser-vation, Reading Tracks, Region Lore (ownregion), Riding, Rope Mastery, Stalking, Star-gazing, Survival (Plains), Tracking, any Weaponsskills (other than Missile Artillery skills),Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),High-speech (S6/W6), Plains-speech (S8/W8),North-speech (S6/W6) or South-speech (S6/W6).

Shadow World: Racial language of any other mortalrace, as long as they live in or neighboring nativeregion (S6/W6).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

An adventuring character from mainstreamPlains culture faces the same conceptual dilemma asone who comes from Rural culture: How and whydoes he leave a place to which his way of life ties himso firmly? How do you get him off of the farm? Theanswers are not so different, except that Plains farmersare, if anything, more vulnerable to natural calamity

than their peers who till more fertile grasslands. Theyare all but helpless in the face of tornadoes and otherforms of severe weather that could destroy their cropsand wreck their homes. The semi-arid climate alsomakes them more prone to severe drought, which inturn could lead to dust storms that would literallydrive them from their land. Or perhaps maraudingnomads wrecked the family farm. All of these thingscould force a farmer of the Plains to turn to anadventurer’s life.

A nomad of the Plains might be an outrider for histribe, one who was sent to search for new grazing land.Perhaps he got distracted by searching for wealth (hisequivalent of the fabulous magic beans), and now hemust find some way to redeem himself before he returnsto his people. Or he might be a spy sent into neighboringlands by a tribe bent on plunder or conquest.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Except for the rich folk in the cities, few Plainsfolk can afford heavy armor. Inasmuch as theyfeel the need to wear armor, they use light armor,usually leather.

Money: Cash and coin are common enough on thePlains. But wealth also takes the form of livestock.A milk cow is worth 20 sp, sheep are worth 10 speach, goats are worth 5 sp each, and geese areworth 2 sp each. Plains characters may start withany combination of cash and livestock, as long as ittotals 20 sp in value.

Weapons: Plains folk use simple weapons, some ofwhich double as farming implements: Dagger,handaxe, club, throwing dagger, sling, quarterstaff,pitchfork (treat as –5 trident), scythe. The better offamong them can also afford military weapons:Broadsword, battle axe, bows, crossbows.

SUB-CULTURE: PLAINS NOMADIC

The Plains also provide a home to those whowould rather hunt and herd on the move rather thanlive a settled life. These nomads keep animals for draft,transportation and as livestock, but move from placeto place as the grazing in one spot dries up. They alsorelocate whenever they can no longer find game. Theylive simply in dwellings that they can assemble and re-assemble and carry with them.

Many of these societies are quite warlike by nature.Continual warfare against each other, or against settledfolk, forges their collective temperament. Disputes overaccess to particularly useful bits of land are usually thecause. However, such societies also develop strongsenses of personal and tribal honor, and perceivedoffenses against them can also set off conflict.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Ambush, Animal Handling,Attunement, Body Development, Painting (bodypainting), Bone-carving [Crafts], Contortions,Crewelwork [Crafts], Directed Spells, Fauna Lore,Fletching, Foraging, Hiding, Leather-crafting,


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Military Organization, Observation, Riding,Signaling, Stalking, Star-gazing, Tactics, TaleTelling, Tracking, any Weapons skills exceptMissile Artillery, Weather-watching.

SUB-CULTURE: PLAINS URBAN

(UPPER CLASS)

The upper ranks of Plains cities are dominated bytraditional aristocrats who owe their station to landownership or military service. But one also finds thosewho have made considerable fortunes through commer-cial activities such as livestock trading and moneylending.

Hobbies: Armor • Light skills, Armor • Medium skills,Diplomacy, Distance Running, Heraldry (ownsociety), History (own region), Hunting, Leather-crafting, Leadership, Mounted Combat, Observa-tion, Painting, Play Instrument, Public Speaking,Region Lore (own region), Riding, Rope Mastery,Singing, Star-gazing, Survival (Plains), anyWeapons skills except Missile Artillery, Weather-

watching.

Training Packages: May purchase Diplomat training package at 3/4 the normal cost (rounded up) in development points.


(MIDDLE CLASS)

Merchants who serve or are supplied bypassing trade caravans fill the middle class of Plainscities, as do professionals and artisans.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Animal Mastery,Armor • Light skills, Bribery, Contacting, Cooking,Distance Running, First Aid, Hunting, Leather-crafting, Metal-crafting, Observation, RegionalLore (own region), Riding, Rope Mastery, Star-gazing, Stone-crafting, Survival (Plains), Trading,any Weapons skills except Missile Artillery,Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.


(UNDERCLASS)

Unskilled laborers, teamsters, servants, and thecriminal element make up the underclass of aPlains city. They wear plain clothes and usuallycannot afford any jewelry at all.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Armor • Light skills,Cooking, Distance Running, Driving, Hunting,Leather-crafting, Mingling, Observation, PickingLocks, Regional Lore (own region), Riding, RopeMastery, Scrounging, Streetwise, Survival(Plains), Tracking, Trickery, any Weapons skills(other than Missile Artillery skills), Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.

RURAL

The Rural template covers pretty much all aspects ofagricultural life. Folk who pursue the Rural life keep farms,raise crops and raise livestock. Some of them they live onisolated homesteads far from their neighbors, others gatherin villages and hamlets where they can find tradesmen andmerchants to help them out as need arises. Their way oflife flourishes on fertile flatlands, among verdant hills anddales, and in lush mountain valleys.

Rural folk are simple folk who lead simple lives.They work hard and toil close to the land, and havelittle leisure time. Unless plagued by natural disasterslike drought or pestilence, they can sustain themselvesbecause two of the bare necessities of existence—foodand a place to live—come easily to them. But theyprobably won’t ever get rich, and they don’t expect itto happen. They learn to make do with modestpleasures and modest expectations.

Most Rural folk will never leave the place inwhich they are born unless they make a consciouseffort to do so. Their lives of physical labor keep themclosely tied to a particular plot of land, and wherever


CULTURES

they are, it generally takes a long time to get to anyplace worth going to, anyway. Some farmers andherders get to visit big cities on a regular basis whenthey bring their goods to market, but their isolationand consequent lack of sophistication marks them asculturally inferior, even ridiculous, to city folk.

Even so, it is important to note that a smallminority of Rural folk are harder to dismiss as merebumpkins. Many Rural areas have a caste systemheaded by large land owners who rent living space tofarmers. In exchange, the farmers work the lands andpay a percentage (sometimes quite substantial) of theircrops and/or livestock. These Rural landed gentry cansustain themselves in fine style based on the rent thatthey collect. They usually aren’t as wealthy as thenobles who live in great cities, but they do well enoughand thrive on the deference of their social inferiors. Inexchange for that deference, however, the gentry areexpected to exercise judicious political leadership,resolving disputes between their tenants and protect-ing them from external threats.

The Rural template replaces, to a certain extent,the entry for Common Men in RMFRP. AlthoughCommon Men is a racial template in RMFRP, it is alsoan excellent example of how Rolemaster previouslyintertwined race and culture, because it assumes thatpractically all Common Men are simple farmers orherders and portrays them accordingly. The Ruralculture template removes race as a consideration toallow for the possibility that other races might pursuethe rustic way of life. Halflings, for instance, pursue away of life that is most assuredly Rural.

The Rural template more or less replaces thedescription of Lowlander culture in SWMA.

LOCATIONS

Rural culture takes root in fertile agriculturallands outside towns and cities. These may include thelarge estates of wealthy nobles. Rural settlements takethe form of hamlets and farming villages.

In the Shadow World, many parts of Kultheacontain the sort of rich agricultural land in whichvarious mortal races pursue the Rural way of life.Northern Argyra and the dales of Bodlea on Emer aretwo such regions. Also, it is worth noting that theDwarves of Burdok-Rhu on Falias, although theymainly live underground, maintain farms on thesurface, utilizing the fertile land to grow crops.


In Rural cultures, common folk wear plain,practical clothes made of wool or linen. Their worktends to dirty up their clothes, so there’s no point inwearing anything too fancy. Rural folk in warmclimates wear tunics, while those in sub-Arctic regionsfavor shirts belted over pants or skirts. In all cases,they prefer tall, heavy boots to leggings because theydo a better job of keeping out muck.

Even Rural gentry prefer simple clothes ratherthan the finery that marks urban aristocrats; it’s justthey can buy nicer simple clothes and replace themmore frequently than the peasants. Most of theirwealth is bound up in ownership of land rather thanin cash and coin, and some country squires couldn’tafford fancy clothes and jewelry even if it interestedthem. But even so, their daily routines require them tohandle animals and tend to other tasks could easilyruin clothes made from expensive fabrics.


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Cultural Aspirations: Rural communities are inter-ested in sustaining themselves through farmingand raising livestock. Their wants are modest andrarely extend beyond the preservation of familyand community. Even the gentry who occupy thehighest possible rung on the social ladder confinetheir ambitions to preserving a pleasant andpeaceful status quo. They see themselves ascustodians of a way of life, charged with the dutyof seeing to it that the eternal cycle of plantingand harvesting goes on uninterrupted.

Collective Fears: Rural culture fears famine more thananything else. This anxiety reaches beyond theabsence of food to the root causes of famine:drought, plague, pestilence, fire, wars that spillover into their community, catastrophicweather—all of them disasters over which Ruralfolk have no direct control.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Rural culture stressesmonogamy and the importance of family integ-rity. Children inherit their parents’ land, soviolations of the social norm like illegitimatechildren and broken families can the stability ofthe larger community if they make matters ofproperty ownership less clear. This is true up anddown the social ladder, although the gentry can(and do) get away with indiscretion more easilythan common folk. Rural culture also celebrateslarge families. Every child who can help withchores around the farm means one less farm handwho has to be hired and paid for his work, sothere is a real advantage to having a large family.

Prejudices: The Rural lifestyle insures that Rural folk don’tget to see much of the wider world, except for farmersand herders who go to the city to sell their crops andanimals. And even they hardly get around. Rural folkare therefore very parochial in their outlook. Theytreat outsiders with suspicion or awe, depending onhow said foreigners look and carry themselves.

They are outright hostile to anyone whomight represent a threat to their lives andlivelihoods. They view Orcs as marauders andhate them with a vengeance. Anyone who seemsunusually comfortable with wild animals (such asan Animist or a Ranger) comes in for a fairamount of suspicion as well, especially amongherders who have lost livestock to predators.

Religious Beliefs: Rural communities worship godsthat represent the bounty of the harvest, or theabstract idea of plenty. They stage communalrituals that celebrate the spring and fall solstices(marking the time of sowing and harvesting,respectively), as well as religious ceremoniesthat ask their patron deity to bestow theblessing of a good harvest and keep them safefrom catastrophe.

Preferred Professions: Rural culture neither favorsnor prohibits any particular profession.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Armor • Lightskills, Caving, Climbing, Cooking, Dancing,Foraging, Hiding, History (own region), Leather-crafting, Observation, Regional Lore (own region),Rope Mastery, Scaling, Stalking, Star-gazing,Swimming, Tracking, any Weapons skills exceptMissile Artillery, Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),High-speech (S6/W6), North-speech (S8/W8) orSouth-speech (S8 or W8), Small-speech (S8/W8).

Shadow World: Racial language of any other mortalrace, as long as they live in or neighboring nativeregion (S6/W6).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Rural folk lead lives that attach them closely to aparticular geographical location, even a particularpatch of 40 acres that they and their family farm forgenerations. Such folk don’t go off on adventuresunless something dramatic calls them away, or severstheir ties their native place. If you want to create acharacter from a Rural background, consider why hewants to become an adventurer instead of pursuing arelatively safe and steady living. Is he simply boredwith farm life? Does he look at the horizon that hasdefined his world to this point and dream of what liesbeyond it? Does he feel deep in his soul that he has atalent (for mastering magic, or wielding a sword) thatwill go unfulfilled if he continues to lead such amundane existence?

Or perhaps some calamity has forced his hand.Disasters on the order of severe drought, pestilence orwar can deprive farmers of their ability to make a livingall together. Perhaps marauders like Orcs or Trollsdestroyed his farm or herd of livestock. Forced to relocateand consider an entirely new way of living, he must lookdeep into himself and find a natural gift that will enablehim to get by in the world. If he can sing or play or tellstories, then he could become a Bard. If he has a gift forscholarship, he can become a spell-user. And so on. Orperhaps desperation forces him to take up a practical,hard-handed profession, like Fighter or Rogue.

Farther up the social hierarchy, an adventurer froma Rural background might be a daughter or a youngerson of the local gentry who knows that she or he willnot inherit the family estate and will have to makeanother way in life. In many cases, the family will chartthat course, through arranging a marriage with anotherprominent family, or sending the child into militaryservice or a religious order. But a child of aristocracyjust might take to an adventurer’s life, choosing anappropriate profession and finding his or her own path.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Heavy armor is very rare indeed in Rural cultures,except among the gentry, who have the resources to


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get almost anything they want. The vast majority ofRural folk wear nothing heavier than leather armor.

Money: Cash and coin are common enough in Ruralcultures, as farmers who take their goods to marketin towns and cities return with money in hand. Butwealth also takes the form of livestock. A milk cowis worth 20 sp, sheep are worth 10 sp each, goatsare worth 5 sp each, and geese are worth 2 sp each.Rural characters may start with any combination ofcash and livestock, as long as it totals 20 sp in value.

Weapons: Rural folk use simple weapons, some ofwhich double as farming implements: Dagger,handaxe, club, throwing dagger, sling, quarterstaff,fishing spear (treat as –5 javelin), pitchfork (treat as–5 trident), scythe. Rural gentry use weapons morecommonly associated with nobility: Broadsword,bastard sword, battle axe, lance.

SUB-CULTURE: RURAL MILITARISTIC

Rural societies that feel threatened—whetherphysically, economically or politically—by neighbor-ing communities, they may embrace the art of warwith particular fervor and adopt it as part of theircollective character. These threats may be maraudingOrcs or nomads who want their land for grazing. Orthey may be other Rural societies who seem likepotential rivals.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, any Armor skills, Cooking,Foraging, History (own region), Leather-crafting,Observation, Region Lore (own region), Riding,Rope Mastery, Stalking, Star-gazing, Tracking, anyWeapons skills, Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.


SUB-CULTURE: RURAL NOMADIC

The fertile lands that give rise to Rural culturemay also sustain peoples who herd for a living andeschew settled agriculture completely. These societiesare Nomadic by their nature, moving their herdswhenever the animals graze out a pasture. Thesenomads come into conflict with mainstream Ruralsocieties whenever they meet.

Rural Nomadic societies tend to be patriarchal andpolygamous in nature, with the number of wives andchildren a male can maintain serving as a sign of status.

Hobbies: Animal Handling, Animal Mastery, Armor •Light skills, Cooking, Dancing, Foraging, Hiding,Leather-crafting, Observation, Reading Tracks,Region Lore (own), Riding, Rope Mastery,Scaling, Stalking, Star-gazing, Tracking, anyWeapons skills except Missile Artillery, Weather-watching, Wood-crafting.

SUBTERRANEAN

And then there are those who hide from the faceof the sun and make their homes (such as they are) incaves and underground lairs. The Subterraneantemplate describes such folk and how they live,whether they inhabit dank mountain caves or splendidunderground cities, whether their grasp of technologyis advanced or primitive, whether they are warlike andbaleful or peaceful and reclusive. The simple fact ofliving out of the light, enclosed by the solidity of theearth, gives all such groups common characteristics.

Although advanced Subterranean civilizations maybuild impressive cities beneath the earth or in the heart ofthe mountains, this way of life is not for the faint of heart.You must accept being confined by walls of earth on allsides, and that even if you live in a fine city below theground, you will not see the open sky when you look up.Of course, if you were born into a race for which theSubterranean life is the norm, such as Goblins orTroglodytes, this suits you just fine. Races that sufferpenalties for performing actions in full daylight even findit advantageous to remain underground.

The Subterranean template does not supplant anyculture previously described in RMFRP or ChL. Itborrows some elements from the descriptions ofCommon and Greater Orcs in ChL, but encompassesany race for which such an existence would not beentirely out of character. Although the Subterraneantemplate fits Orcs, Goblins, Troglodytes and the likebest, it’s also possible that perverse tribes of Menwould choose to live out of the light. Nor does theSubterranean template replace any of the culturesdescribed in SMWA, although several races in theShadow World rely heavily on using it.

LOCATIONS

Subterranean culture takes hold in caverncomplexes and underground warrens, wherever a largepopulation group can find sufficient living space outof the light of the sun. Subterranean folk have alsobeen known to take over artificial structures, likecatacombs and underground burial chambers thathave been abandoned by their builders.

The Shadow World features many places whereSubterranean culture takes hold. Most notable by faramong them are the Ash Lairs, the vast network oftunnels and cavern complexes that run both underseaas well as deep underground. The Ash Lairs, alsoknown as the Deeps and the Caverns of Fire, connectjust about all of Kulthea’s major continents. Theyencompass vast magma grottoes, grand caverns andendlessly twisting tunnels of glassy obsidian. Mostlikely, the Ash Lairs were shaped by the Lords ofEssaence from the product of natural volcanic forces,and no one knows their true extent. The Ash Lairscontain a complex ecosystem of their own, includingfearsome creatures as well as intelligent races. Thereare also portals to the Pales here, which allow Demons


CULTURES

access to Kulthea.A lesser, but still quite prominent site of Subterra-

nean culture in the Shadow World is the sprawlingMurlogi city of Nemoguk, located under the ClythulMountains, at the southern tip of Thuul. North ofNemoguk, farther up the Clythul range, a largepopulation of primitive (even by their standards)Trogli lives in a vast complex of warrens.


Subterranean folk wear garments fashioned fromanimal hide or fur. Clothes made of cloth or wool arerelatively rare within Subterranean cultures. They cannotgrow cotton plants or keep sheep in their undergroundhomes, so they lack the raw material for weaving. If theyacquire fabric through trade with or plunder from aboveground cultures, they regard it as a curiosity.

In fact, jewelry made from precious metals anddecorated with gems is just as common as cloth fabric.Metal ores and gemstones lie close at hand for culturesthat are advanced enough to recognize and processthem, as well as craft metal.


Cultural Aspirations: Subterranean cultures live in acircumscribed world, one closed off by cavernwalls and the very depths of the earth itself.Hence, their collective aspirations rarely gobeyond daily survival, preserving the integrity oftheir group, and appeasing their gods.

However, the more intelligent and capableSubterranean civilizations may possess ambitionsas grand as that of any above ground culture. Ifthey have enough space at their disposal, they maytry to build great underground cities. If theypossess strength of arms, they may try to conquertheir neighbors and expand the territory theycontrol. They may even make war on aboveground civilizations, raiding them to gain wealth,slaves or victims for religious sacrifice, or just outof sheer malice. In the Shadow World, the AshLairs offer a vast parallel world for conquest by anycivilization sufficiently powerful and daring to try.

Collective Fears: Subterranean folk who seldom ornever leave their secluded habitat to venture aboveground fear light above all else. It is in part a primalfear of that which is alien, but light also causesthem physical discomfort. They associate light withsudden pain and blindness, and that is causeenough to dread it (see also Religious Beliefs,below). Even Subterranean races that don’t sufferpenalties for daylight blindness hate the light.

On the other hand, some Subterranean culturesfear the dark and destructive powers of the earthmore than they fear light. This attitude is mostprevalent among groups with a catastrophe causedby earthquake or volcanic activity in their history.

They tremble at the wrath of their own gods and fearit more than they fear the enmity of alien deities.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Marital and familyarrangements are haphazard and relativelyinformal in most Subterranean communities. Pairbonding for life and solidly integrated families arenot unknown, but they are not the norm by anymeans, nor are they ideals to which members of thesociety aspire. Courtship, likewise, is a rough-and-ready affair. Matters of inheritance and successionare usually settled in favor of the strongest andmost aggressive party to the dispute.

Prejudices: Subterranean cultures instinctively dislikeElves, Fey and Sylvan cultures in general (Grem-lins are the lone exception to this rule, as they areSubterranean Fey). It’s a deeply held, elementalprejudice that has nothing to do with reason, oreven ancient grudges. Sylvan cultures live in thelight, among trees and other growing things,while Subterranean folk dwell in the dark inenvironments where little, if anything, grows.

Individual groups may also harbor grudgesagainst other Subterranean groups with whichthey compete for living space and resources.

Religious Beliefs: Subterranean cultures worshipelemental gods associated with the earth and,sometimes, fire. Their deities represent strengththat they draw from the depths of the earth, andthe power of these gods sometimes expresses itselfas volcanic explosions or earth tremors. EachSubterranean group has at least one spell casterwhose duty it is to communicate with these godsand channel their power. Their religious ritualssometimes involve sacrificing animals or evenintelligent beings to the deities. In the latter case,members of above ground races are consideredthe most valuable sacrificial victims, and groupswill stage raids just to take prisoners.

The religion of some Subterranean culturesalso describes light as a hostile deity who con-stantly threatens the existence of the group. Inthis formulation, above ground races are servantsof that hostile god, especially Sylvan folk. AnyCleric from above ground who serves the god ofthe sun is also hated and feared.

Preferred Professions: Subterranean culture does notprohibit or favor any particular profession.

Hobbies: Adrenal Toughness, Alertness, Ambush,Appraisal, Armor • Light skills, Caving, DirectionSense, Dowsing, Hiding Items, Locate Hidden,Metal-craft, Region Lore (own), Sense Awareness,Spatial Location Awareness, Stone-craft, Surveil-lance, Survival (Subterranean), Tightrope-walking, Time Sense, Tumbling, any Weaponsskills except Missile Artillery.


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Background Languages: Black-speech (S8/W8),Common-speech (S8/W8), Orcish (S8/W8).

Shadow World: Dyari (S4/W4), Lugroki (S6/W6),Murlogi (S6/W6).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

The realm in which Subterranean races live is acircumscribed one. Not only are they confined bywalls of earth, but by a ceiling as well. Psychologicallyconditioned by such circumstances, they hate anddread the surface world, a place of openness and light.Biology discourages them from leaving the under-ground realm, too, since many Subterranean beingshave averse reactions to sunlight. A concept for aSubterranean character must therefore weigh theextent to which he will have to function in the surfaceworld, and if so, what would motivate him to leave.

One possibility is that he is one of the few (if notthe last) survivors of a community that was wiped outby another Subterranean society. After all, Subterra-nean races war against each other almost as much asthey fight against above ground races, and such closequarter fights can go to the death if unchecked. Withno place left to call home and no one left to whom hecan attach himself, such a character might well bravethe surface world (or wander beneath the earth, forthat matter), looking for a way to rebuild his life.

Another possibility is that your character has beengiven a religious quest by the high priest or shaman ofhis tribe. It could involve appeasing the gods of thepowers of the earth, or confronting the hostile deitiesof light and their minions in the surface world. Ineither case, the quest would involve leaving what isfamiliar to him and confronting the unknown.

A Subterranean character could also attachhimself to a mixed party of adventurers by serving as aguide if the adventure is to take place in an under-ground setting. There, he is in his element, and even ifothers in the party have night vision, he has localknowledge that they lack. This is especially true if yourcharacter is a Ranger or an Animist.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Subterranean cultures generally have fairlyeasy access to metals, so scarcity of materials is noobstacle to them possessing medium or heavyarmor. In practice, however, wearing plate armordeep underground, where the air can be hot andstifling, can be quite uncomfortable. Even themost warlike underground races prefer chainmail. Light armor is also popular.

Money: Uncut gemstones worth 2 gp.

Weapons: There is little or no restriction on theweapons that are available to Subterranean folk.They can always scavenge enough wood to make aspear-shaft or a bow, and (as is the case with

armor) they have no problem finding enoughmetal from which to craft even large weapons, likepolearms or 2-handed swords.

SUB-CULTURE: SUBTERRANEAN DEEPS

Those who live deep under ground feel a particu-larly close connection to the sublime elemental powersof the earth. They have no willing contact at all withthe surface world, not even to plunder. The world oflight is not even an enemy to them; it is entirely alienand has no meaning at all. Instead, these folk liveclosed-off existences, relishing nothing but theircontact with their elemental gods.

Hobbies: Adrenal Toughness, Alertness, Armor •Light skills, Caving, Direction Sense, Dowsing,Hiding Items, Locate Hidden, Metal-craft,Region Lore (own), Ritual Magic, Sense Aware-ness, Spatial Location Awareness, Stone-craft,Survival (Subterranean), Tightrope-walking,Time Sense, Tumbling, any Weapons skillsexcept Missile Artillery.

Training Packages: May purchase Shaman Priest, andZealot training package at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE:

SUBTERRANEAN MILITARISTIC

Very few Subterranean societies are truly pacifis-tic, but some are more ready for a fight than others.Such groups may be aggressive by temperament, orthey may have such a long history of warring withtheir neighbors that experience has hardened them.

Hobbies: Adrenal Toughness, Alertness, Ambush, anyArmor skills, Caving, Direction Sense, Metal-craft, Region Lore (own), Sense Awareness,Spatial Location Awareness, Stone-craft, Surveil-lance, Survival (Subterranean), Tightrope-walking, Time Sense, any Weapons skills exceptMissile Artillery.


SUB-CULTURE: SUBTERRANEAN URBAN

(UPPER CLASS)

Military and religious authority dominates theupper ranks of society in a typical Subterranean city. Ifyou have a prominent position, chances are that yougained it by exercising force, or by skill at channelingthe power of the gods. Trade and commerce don’tgenerate as much wealth in these places as in aboveground cities, seeing as how they are generally cut offfrom the rest of the world.

The largest cities in huge Subterranean settingslike the Ash Lairs of Kulthea constitute an exception tothis rule, as do cities that maintain uncommonly


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friendly relations with the surface world. Here,external trade contacts may be extensive enough togenerate a truly wealthy merchant class.

Hobbies: Alertness, Ambush, Appraisal, any Armorskills, Caving, Direction Sense, History (ownregion), Leadership, Magic Ritual, Metal-craft,Public Speaking, Sense Awareness, SpatialLocation Awareness, Stone-craft, Surveillance,Survival (Subterranean), Time Sense, anyWeapons skills except Missile Artillery.

Background Languages: Black-speech (S8/W8),Common-speech (S8/W8), Orcish (S8/W8), anyone other language (S6/W6).

Shadow World: Dyari (S4/W4), Lugroki (S6/W6),Murlogi (S6/W6), any one other language (S6/W6).


(MIDDLE CLASS)

Artisans, professionals, merchants and mid-levelmilitary and religious officials make up the middleclass of a Subterranean city.

Hobbies: Alertness, Ambush, Appraisal, any Armorskills, Bribery, Caving, Contacting, DirectionSense, Hiding Items, Leather-craft, LocateHidden, Metal-craft, Region Lore (own region),Sense Awareness, Spatial Location Awareness,Stone-craft, Surveillance, Survival (Subterranean),Time Sense, Trading, any Weapons skills exceptMissile Artillery.


(UNDERCLASS)

Unskilled laborers, servants and slavesoccupy the lowest rung of society in a Subterra-

nean city. They wear ragged clothing (if anyat all) and their lives generally have little to

recommend them. Of the last group,many have been taken in slaving raids

on the surface world. They are mostcommonly used for menial labor,

bearing cargo, and as battle fodder.

Hobbies: Alertness, Ambush,Armor • Light skills, Caving,Direction Sense, Dowsing,Gambling, Hiding Items,Locate Hidden, Mingling,Picking Locks, Scrounging,Sense Awareness, SpatialLocation Awareness, Stone-craft, Streetwise, Surveillance,Survival (Subterranean),Tightrope-walking, TimeSense, Tumbling, any Weaponsskills except Missile Artillery.

SYLVAN

Deep in the woods andforests live folk who relishtranquility more than bustle,intimacy with nature to thebenefits of civilization. Theyfind their quiet corners of theworld in sub-Arctic and sub-tropical regions wherever thetrees are thick enough on theground to filter the sunlight,and also in the jungles andrainforests of the tropics, where


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civilized folk rarely tread for fear that the wildernesswill swallow them whole.

Living in a Sylvan community means leading acloistered, isolated life, but if you are truly of Sylvanculture, that’s how you like it. The ways of the city andthe affairs of its folk do not interest you; perhaps theyeven seem corrupt to you. You much prefer thesimplicity and—dare one say it—the spirituality of lifein the deep woods. You pass your time in quietcontemplation, or mastering the arts of music, danceand storytelling. Instead of cutting down the forest toclear room for houses or mansions, you are content tolive in simple shelters that you build among or even inthe branches of the trees. And if you never meetanyone except your own folk or someone fromanother Sylvan community, that’s fine by you, even ifyou’re of an immortal race and reasonably expect tolive forever. For you, time is not a linear progressionor a forward march of progress, but a series of eternalcycles marked by the passing of seasons, if not thepassage day into night and night back into day.

The Sylvan template replaces, to a certain extent,the Wood-Elf entry in RMFRP. Although that entry isa description of race, it also establishes many of thehallmarks (such as suspicion of outsiders, self-seclusion and enjoyment of simple pleasures) of aforest-based culture that does not rely on clearing andhunting in order to perpetuate itself. It’s a racetemplate and a culture template fused into one. Here,however, the Sylvan template must be made open toother races, if only to cope with the presence of Feyand Rural Spirits as PC races. Treating Sylvan as a purecultural template also opens the possibility that free-spirited Men may forsake more civilized lives to live inperpetual communion with the woods. It also creates away of accounting for cultures native to rainforests

and other tropical area with dense foliage.The Sylvan template more or less replaces the

Forest Dweller culture in SWMA. The Woodfolk sub-culture (see below) also replaces most aspects of theForest Dweller template.

LOCATIONS

Sylvan cultures are found in the deepest parts offorests and woods, the parts least disturbed by theoutside world. They are also found in jungles andrainforests. They need not be completely hidden awayfrom the eyes of outsiders, but Sylvan folk wouldinstinctively shy away from any spot that was welltraveled by non-Sylvan folk.

The Shadow World harbors many good places forSylvan culture to take hold. The Elven homelands ofLys on Emer and the forest of Remiraith on Jaiman aretwo such places. So are the lowlands of the Gorma’alBasin on Agyra and Quon on Emer (the vast rainforestdominated by the Kuluku), as well as other tropicalforested areas.


Sylvan folk care little about impressing otherswith their clothes, yet they tend to dress themselves ina manner that most other races find aestheticallypleasing. They wear simple, yet graceful garments offine cloth. If the fabric is dyed, the hues are muted;green (as one might expect), yellow and brown arepopular colors. Many fey wear fabric garments so finethat they look like they are made of gossamer.


Cultural Aspirations: Sylvan cultures desire aboveall that they should be left in peace to enjoy theirbeloved forest. They are not terribly ambitious,


CULTURES

and have little interest in leaving the forest forlands outside. They see themselves not asconquerors, but as conservators and defenders ofan unchanging way of life. Even aggressiveSylvan races like Forest Trolls give no thought toextending their influence beyond the confines ofthe forest.

Collective Fears: Sylvan folk fear destruction of theirforest habitat above all, with forced removal fromthe forest running close behind. Such is theiremotional attachment to their habitat that theycannot imagine living without it. This also meansthat they will fight ferociously to defend it. EvenForest Trolls and similarly aggressive races are soattached to their native woods that they wouldfeel completely disoriented without them.

Mating and Marriage Patterns: Few, if any, Sylvancultures stress the importance of formal marriagearrangements or proper courtship. That is not tosay, however, that these relations are chaotic.Sylvan cultures tend to be monogamous, withcouples pair bonding for life, even amongimmortal races. But these relationships don’tnecessarily express themselves through legalinstitutions recognized by the society as a whole.

Prejudices: Sylvan folk instinctively dislike races thatare Subterranean in origin or disposition. Theyare also suspicious of the motives of Dwarves,who take wealth from the earth. Sylvan folk feelmore comfortable among other Sylvan folk thanthey do around outsiders, even if they are mixingwith fellow forest-dwellers of a different race.Even aggressive and predatory Sylvan races offerthe comfort of familiarity—better the hazardsthat one knows rather than the hazards onedoesn’t know.

Religious Beliefs: Religion in Sylvan cultures findsexpression in Sylvan folk’s elemental connec-tion with the woods and forests in which theylive. All of them view their physical environ-ment as in some way sacred. Some Sylvancultures view the forest as a god, while othersregard wondrous creatures such as treebeardsas manifestations of a deity. These communitiesalways have at least one spell user on hand whoacts as a conduit between its members and theirgods. In the case of the Lennai, the so-called‘Forest People’ of Kulthea, all of their commu-nities of any size are headed by a divine being, aDryad. The worship of nature deities is analmost universal feature of Sylvan culturesnative to jungles and tropical forests.

Not all Sylvan cultures see religion as acollective experience, however. Elves are fa-mously low-key in their relationship to thedivine, favoring solitary meditation to grouprituals. Fey and Rural Spirits are also irreligiousin the sense that they don’t really see much point

in worshipping a deity; they prefer to live theirlives as a continuous celebration of the beauty oftheir existence. However, all of these Sylvanraces still feel a profound connection to theirenvironment that runs so much deeper thanwhat one typically finds in other cultures that itseems very much like a spiritual relationship.

Preferred Professions: The Sylvan lifestyle lends itselfto producing Rangers and Animists. There are noprohibited professions in Sylvan culture.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Alertness, Animal Handling,Animal Healing, Camouflage, Climbing, FaunaLore, Faerie Lore, Flora Lore, Foraging, HerbLore, Hiding, History (own region), Hunting,Preparing Herbs, Rappelling, Reality Awareness,Region Lore (own region), Singing, Star-gazing,Stilt-walking, Survival (forest), Tightrope-walking, Tracking, Trickery, Tumbling, TumblingEvasion, Using Prepared Herbs, any Weapon •Thrown skills, Weather-watching.

Background Languages: Elvish (S8/W8), High-elvish(S6/W6), Wood-speech (S10/W10).

Shadow World: Erlini (S6/W6), Faun (S6/W6),Linnaeri (S6/W6), Nymph (S4/W4).

CHARACTER CONCEPTS

Sylvan communities cast a wary eye on outsiderswho would intrude upon their domain. A Fighterfrom a Sylvan setting might well be employed by hiscommunity as a border guard, with standing orders totrack suspicious characters and confront them withforce, if necessary. Rangers, Rogues and Thieves wouldalso be qualified for such a task.

Sylvan spell-users (ones who are regarded asparticularly talented and promising, at any rate)might be preparing themselves for leadershippositions within their community, whether secular orspiritual. Even if they are Bards and their talents haveto do with entertainment, they would still grow intoesteemed figures within their communities if theyhave enough natural talent and were sufficientlydiligent about developing their abilities. Of course,some Bards might feel that remaining within theconfines of the Sylvan realm would actually stunttheir development as artists. In this case, they couldchoose to defy the norms of their society and goabroad in search of new influences that wouldinvigorate their art (or so they hope).

The strained relationship between mainstreamSylvan folk and the Woodfolk with whom theysometimes have to share the forest offers furtherpossibilities for conceptualizing characters. Theseneighbors are not always on the best of terms. If newscame to your character’s community that a nearbycommunity of Mannish Woodfolk was endangered,how would he react? Is he more favorably disposedtoward Woodfolk than are his kin, and would he rush


CULTURES

to their aid? If they’re under attack from a predatoryrace, a Fighter’s sword arm would prove helpful.

Conversely, if your Sylvan character’s communityis in trouble, could they bring themselves to askWoodfolk for aid, overlooking past differences? Isyour character the best representative from thecommunity to send as an ambassador? Or is it the casethat your character has no great love for Woodfolk,but your community has no choice but to send you?This would be a plausible situation if your characterwas a Layman, and everyone with more specializedprofessional was needed to contain the crisis at handuntil help arrived.

OUTFITTING OPTIONS

Armor: Sylvan folk rarely wear heavy armor. Few wearchain mail—only High-elven nobles, professionalsoldiers, or Elves who are intent on leaving theforest for a life of adventure. Heavy armor isnever found among natives of the rainforest,where it is far too hot and humid to wear suchthings comfortably. Light armor is most popular,and even that may prove uncomfortable intropical areas.

Money: 20 sp. Personal wealth may take the form ofmedicinal herbs and semi-precious gems.

Weapons: Sylvan folk favor missile weapons andweapons that favor speed more than brutestrength: Dagger, cutlass, short sword,quarterstaff, blow gun, long bow, short bow,javelin, spear. Some Sylvan folk use woodsmanaxes acquired from Woodfolk.

SUB-CULTURE: SYLVAN BARBARIAN

Use this sub-cultural template to account forSylvan societies that exist at an unusually low level oftechnological or cultural development. Such groupsusually live deep in the forest or jungle, profoundlyisolated from other societies. This isolation accountsfor their primitive state, for it is very rare that contactwith the outside world introduces them to new ideas.In some cases, however, they have been driven deepinto the forest because neighboring societies havemade war on them or otherwise persecuted them.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Alertness, Animal Handling,Animal Healing, Camouflage, Climbing, FaunaLore, Flora Lore, Foraging, Hiding, Hunting,Reality Awareness, Region Lore (own region),Star-gazing, Survival (forest), Tightrope-walking,Tracking, Tumbling, Tumbling Evasion, anyWeapon • Thrown, Weather-watching.

Background Languages: Wood-elvish (S4/W0), High-Elvish (S4/W0), Wood-speech (S10/W4).

Shadow World: Erlini (S6/W2), Faun (S6/W0),Linnaeri (S6/W2), Nymph (S4/W0).

Training Packages: May purchase Scout and ShamanPriest training package at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: SYLVAN NOMADIC

Some Sylvan communities live as pure hunters,roaming the forests in search of game and neversettling in one spot for very long. They live simple livesand have few material possessions. They generallykeep their level of technological and cultural develop-ment lower than that of more settled folk. UnlikeBarbarians, however, they do so by choice instead ofby ignorance. They do not hesitate to use advancedtechnology or create a sophisticated culture forthemselves when it suits their purposes.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Alertness, any Armor • Lightskills, Camouflage, Climbing, Fauna Lore, FloraLore, Foraging, Hiding, Hunting, Reality Aware-ness, Region Lore (own region), Star-gazing,Survival (forest), Tightrope-walking, Tracking,Tumbling, Tumbling Evasion, any Weaponexcept Missile Artillery, Weather-watching.

Training Packages: May purchase Highwayman andScout training package at 3/4 the normal cost(rounded up) in development points.

SUB-CULTURE: WOODFOLK

Woodfolk live in the wilds and forests, takingwhat they need to thrive through hunting andgathering. They love life in the woods, but usuallysettle closer to its edges than its deep heart. They findthat they closer they get to the deepest and darkestparts of the woods (or jungles and rain forests, forthat matter) the harder it is to clear enough space forthem to build their dwellings, both because of thedensity of plant growth and the hazard of attack bycreatures (or intelligent beings) who don’t appreciatetheir presence.

In other words, the Woodfolk template applies tothose who live in the woods but still retain somemodest trappings of civilized life. In terms of charactercreation, it applies to PCs who spent their formativeyears in Woodfolk society. It means that you mostlikely live in a modest cabin or shack in a clearing inthe forest or jungle. You hunt wild game or gathernative plants for food. You understand the ways of thewilderness and know how to track, and how torecognize plants that can be put to good use. You alsounderstand the hazards of life in the deep woods, andwatch out for the dark, predatory things that canemerge from the darkness without warning. You livein the forest and understand and respect its ways, butyou are not quite of the forest.

Depending on the climate, Woodfolk wearwoolen clothes and furs, or loose cotton garments.


CULTURES

In either case, their clothes resemble crude versionsof city dress overlaid with cloaks or capes.Woodfolk society consists of well-defined familyunits living together under the same roof or in asmall community.

Woodfolk don’t always get along with mainstreamSylvan cultures, mostly because Sylvan folk suspectWoodfolk of wanting to destroy the forest, not just livein it. Woodfolk for their part respect Sylvan cultures,and try to treat them with reverence. But that isn’talways enough to prevent tragic misunderstandings.

Hobbies: Acrobatics, Ambush, Armor • Light skills,Body Development, Climbing, Crewelworks

[Crafts], Dancing, Fauna Lore, First Aid,Fletching, Flora Lore, Foraging, Hiding, Leather-crafting, Observation, Rappelling, Read Runes,Region Lore (own region), Rope Mastery,Signaling, Stalking, Swim, Tale Telling, Tight-rope-walking, Tracking, any Weapons skillsexcept Missile Artillery, Wood-crafting.

Background Languages: Common-speech (S8/W8),Elvish (S6/W6) and Wood-speech (S8/W8).

Shadow World: Centaur (S4/W4), Erlini (S6/W6), Faun(S4/W4), Linnaeri (S6/W6), and Nymph (S4/W4).


CULTURES

ADOLESCENT SKILL RANKS BY CULTURE

laireA citauqA citcrA treseD dnalhgiH larottiL gniniM snialP laruR naenarretbuS navlySyrogetaclliksthgiL•romrA 1 0 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 0

lliksrehtaeLtfoS 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0

lliksrehtaeLdigiR 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 0

yrogetaclliksmuideM•romrA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0

lliksniahC 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0

yrogetaclliksnwarB•citelhtA 0 1 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

yrogetaclliksecnarudnE•citelhtA 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

lliksgnimmiwS 1 5 1 0 1 5 0 0 1 0 3

yrogetaclliksscitsanmyG•citelhtA 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

lliksgnibmilC 5 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 0 1 2

yrogetacllikssnoitpecreP•ssenerawA 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

lliksssentrelA 2 2 1 1 2 2 4 2 2 2 6

yrogetaclliksgnihcraeS•ssenerawA 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

llikstnempoleveDydoB 0 3 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 1 1

yrogetaclliksnoitacinummoC 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

slliksegaugnaL 8 8 4 4 4 2 8 6 8 4 01

yrogetacllikslareneG•eroL 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3

llikseroLnoigeR”nwO“ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

llikseroLerutluC”nwO“ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

yrogetacllikslaminA•roodtuO 1 1 2 5 0 0 0 3 1 0 1

)sesrohyllausu(lliksgnidiR 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 3 1 0 1

yrogetacllikstnemnorivnE•roodtuO 2 4 3 3 4 1 2 3 2 2 5

yrogetaclliksssenerawArewoP 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

yrogetacllikscisaB•lacitylanA/cifitneicS 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1

)tsileno(stsiLnepOmlaeRnwO•sllepS 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

yrogetacllikshtlaetS•egufretbuS 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 4

lliksgnidiH 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 4

lliksgniklatS 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 4

yrogetacllikslareneG•edarT/hceT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

yrogetaclliksnabrU 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

yrogetaclliks.cnoCH-1•nopaeW 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 2 0

erutluCnodesaBnopaeW1 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 2 0

yrogetaclliksdegdEH-1•nopaeW 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 1


yrogetaclliksdednaH-2•nopaeW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


yrogetacllikselissiM•nopaeW 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 3


yrogetacllikssmrAeloP•nopaeW 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 0


yrogetaclliksnworhT•nopaeW 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 0


sknaRybboH 21 21 01 21 21 21 21 21 21 01 01


CREATING CHARACTERS

Part III: Creating Characters

plains. You decide that he is the second son of anaristocratic family. As a second son, he will not inherithis father’s title, so his family sent him into thepriesthood of the Sun God. Jerom is young andambitious. After completing his novice training in theTemple of the Sun, he resolves that he will risethrough the church hierarchy by winning fame anddoing great deeds in the name of his god, not by thepatient bureaucratic maneuvering favored by most ofhis fellow priests. After generating his stats (assuming a pool of 650points) and factoring in racial and professionalbonuses, his character sheet looks like this:

Character Name Jerom of VathRace High ManProfession ClericRealm of Power Channeling

Now that you have all of this information onraces and cultures, how to make use of it? This sectionof R&C walks you through the character creationprocess with an emphasis on explaining how to blendin these new templates for race and culture.

Example 1

A Priest of the Sun on the Rise The initial stage of character construction inRolemaster involves making decisions about race,profession and general character concept. Thesedecisions need not be made in any particular order,although RMFRP suggests one. Let’s say you want tocreate a High Man Cleric and you give him the nameJerom of Vath. As part of his character concept, youdecide that he hails from Vath, a metropolis thatbestrides several trade routes that cross the central


CREATING CHARACTERS

Stat Temp Pot Basic Bonus Racial BonusAgility 60 82 0 -2Constitution 60 82 0 +4Memory 90 96 +5 0Reasoning 60 82 0 0Self Discipline 55 77 0 0Empathy 65 82 0 0Intuition 90 96 +5 0Presence 65 82 0 +4Quickness 50 78 0 -2Strength 55 77 0 +4

Next comes Jerom’s adolescent skill development,and here is where the separation of race and culturedescribed in this book becomes relevant. Since Jeromis a High Man who was raised in a large city on theplains, he uses the High Man racial template and thePlains Urban (Upper Class) sub-culture template incompleting his character. In picking his hobby ranks,refer to the Plains column of the Adolescent RankTable at the end of Part II for the number of ranksavailable in each listed skill category. Refer to the listof hobby skills in the Plains Urban (Upper Class) sub-culture template for more detailed information aboutavailable individual skills. Based on that information,you choose the following:

Skill/Category RanksArmor • Light skill category 1Rigid Leather skill 2Singing skill 1Diplomacy skill 2Public Speaking skill 2Riding skill 2Broadsword skill 1Light Crossbow skill 1

As a High Man, Jerom starts with High-speech (S8/W6), Common-speech (S8/W6), Grey-Elvish (S6/W6),and High-Elvish (S2/W2) as his starting languages. Headds adolescent language skill ranks to obtain the follow-ing: High-speech (S10/W10).

As a High Man, Jerom receives four backgroundoptions. Since he comes from a wealthy family, youdevote two options to extra money. He receives 200 gpfor this. Consulting the background options section ofthe High Men racial template, we see that he may takethis extra lucre in the form of coins, gems, jeweledobjects or any type of trade goods appropriate to hisculture. As he is the son of an aristocratic family, yougive him a gold ring with his family crest engraved in

it, worth 50 gp, and 150 gp in coin. One backgroundoption goes to extra languages. The Plains template (ofwhich the Plains Urban sub-cultures are a part) tells usthat you may select from among the following:Common-speech (S8/W8), High-speech (S6/W6),Plains-speech (S8/W8), North-speech (S6/W6) orSouth-speech (S6/W6). You choose to devote 6 ranksto Common-speech (S10/W10) to bring his skill in thelingua franca of Rolemaster up to scratch. The remain-ing 14 ranks go to Plains-speech (S7/W7). His lastbackground option goes to a randomly determinedspecial item.

At the conclusion of this part of the process, theseadditions have been made to Jerom’s list of skillcategories and skills, and it looks like this:

Skill Category RanksArmor • Light 2Athletic • Brawn 1Athletic • Endurance 1Athletic • Gymnastics 1Awareness • Searching 1Communications 1Lore • General 3Outdoor • Animal 3Outdoor • Environment 3Technical/Trade • General 1Weapon • 1-H Edged 1Weapon • Missile 2Weapon • Polearms 2Weapon • Thrown 2


CREATING CHARACTERS

Skill RanksRigid Leather 2Alertness 2Singing 1Body Development 2High-speech, spoken 10High-speech, written 10Common-speech, spoken 10Common-speech, written 10Grey-Elvish, spoken 6Grey-Elvish, written 6High-Elvish, spoken 2High-Elvish, written 2Plains-speech, spoken 7Plains-speech, written 7Diplomacy 2Public Speaking 2Lore • Region (City of Vath) 3Lore • Culture (High Men of Vath) 3Riding 5Broadsword 3Quarterstaff 2Light Crossbow 2Throwing Dagger 2

Jerom’s apprenticeship skill development comesnext. He receives 66 DPs based on his relevantattribute stats (60 + 60 +90 +60 +60 / 5). 29 DPs gotoward giving him the Crusading Academic trainingpackage. This makes sense in terms of his characterconcept—his novice training involved much booklearning acquired in quiet, cloistered rooms, and hisambition has an evangelical dimension since itinvolves proving his devotion to his church and hisgod. From this, he receives a token/sigil recognized byscholars (for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s atalisman identifying him as a priest of the Sun God)and the following additions to his lists of skill catego-ries and skills:

Skill Categories RanksInfluence 2Communications 5Lore • General 4Lore • Technical 2Weapon/Attack 1Outdoor • Environmental 1

Skills RanksPublic Speaking 2High-Elvish, spoken 3High-Elvish, written 3Lore • Culture (Rural areas surrounding Vath) 2Lore • Technical (Poison) 1Lore • Technical (Trading) 1Broadsword 1Weather Watching 1

16 DPs go to gaining two extra stat gain rolls, one forMemory and one for Intuition. Let’s say that each rollyields a gain of 3 points (a modest assumption). Thatleaves 21 DPs for additional skill ranks, which you dedi-cate thusly:

Skills Ranks DPs SpentDivination (occupational) 3 2Read Runes 1 2Meditation (everyman) 2 5Spells (Protections) 2 6Spells (Summons) 2 6

After completing apprenticeship skill develop-ment, Jerom’s list of skill categories and skills lookslike this:

Skill Category RanksArmor • Light 2Athletic • Brawn 1Athletic • Endurance 1Athletic • Gymnastics 1Awareness • Searching 1Communications 6Influence 2Lore • General 7Lore • Technical 2Outdoor • Animal 3Outdoor • Environment 4Technical/Trade • General 1Weapon • 1-H Edged 2Weapon • Missile 2Weapon • Polearms 2Weapon • Thrown 2


CREATING CHARACTERS

Skill RanksRigid Leather 2Alertness 2Singing 1Body Development 2High-speech, spoken 10High-speech, written 10Common-speech, spoken 10Common-speech, written 10Grey-Elvish, spoken 6Grey-Elvish, written 6High-Elvish, spoken 5High-Elvish, written 4Plains-speech, spoken 7Plains-speech, written 7Diplomacy 2Public Speaking 4Lore • Region (City of Vath) 3Lore • Culture (High Men of Vath) 3Lore • Culture (Rural areas surrounding Vath) 2Lore • Technical (Poison) 1Lore • Technical (Trading) 1Riding 5Weather-watching 1Divination (occupational) 3Read Runes 1Meditation (everyman) 2Spells (Protections) 2Spells (Summons) 2Broadsword 4Quarterstaff 2Light Crossbow 2Throwing Dagger 2

Of the remaining parts of the character creationprocess, only determining physical appearance,outfitting and calculating RRs are influenced by datafrom the race or culture templates. Assuming a 5d10roll of 25, Jerom has a Potential Appearance of 82,based on his Potential Presence of 82 (82 – 25 +25).Consulting the racial template for High Men, youdetermine that it is appropriate for him to have fairskin, brown hair and hazel eyes. He has an averageheight and weight for a High Man, 6'5" and 225 lbs.,respectively.

You consult the Plains template to completeJerom’s outfitting. Consulting the appropriate entries,you determine that he carries a broadsword and a lightcrossbow as his weapons, and wears a suit of rigidleather as his armor (any weapons and armor areavailable in the big city). He also carries on him 20 spin coin. From the description of clothing and decora-tion in the Plains template, you determine that, basedon his social standing, Jerom is entitled to wear newand well-cut, but modest clothes (in this case, simpletraveling clothes made of fine cotton).

Consulting the High Man template determinesJerom’s RR bonuses. He suffers –5 penalties vs.Channeling, Essence and Mentalism on account ofhis race.

Resistance Rolls

Type Race Bonus Stat Bonus Total BonusChanneling -5 +5 (3 x In) +10Essence -5 0 (3 x Em) -5Mentalism -5 0 (3 x Pr) -5Poison/Disease 0 0 (3 x Co) 0Fear 0 0 (3 x SD) 0

Example 2: S’sta the

Lizardman PirateTo take another example, let’s create a character

rather different from the adventurous evangelistJerom of Vath: a Sohleugir pirate by trade. His name isS’sta, and he lives in a coastal village where forgeneration the strongest and most capable warriorshave haunted the nearby waters, plundering unsus-pecting merchant ships. He never questions the legacyof piracy that his forbears have handed down to himand he intends to follow in their footsteps—perhapsbecoming leader of the band before his active careerends. As such, you use the Sohleugir racial template

and the Littoral Brigand (Pirate) sub-culture template.True to his racial strengths, you decide to create S’staas a Fighter.

After generating his stats (assuming a pool of 650points), factoring in racial and professional bonusesand choosing Mentalist as his realm, his charactersheet looks like this:

Character Name S’staRace SohleugirProfession FighterRealm of Power Mentalist


CREATING CHARACTERS

Stat Temp Pot Basic Bonus Racial BonusAgility 65 82 0 -4Constitution 90 96 +5 +4Memory 55 77 0 0Reasoning 55 77 0 0Self Discipline 60 82 0 0Empathy 50 78 0 +2Intuition 60 82 0 +2Presence 60 82 0 0Quickness 65 82 0 0Strength 90 96 +5 +8

Skill Category Ranks Special BonusArmor • Light 1 0Athletic • Brawn 1 0Athletic • Endurance 1 0Athletic • Gymnastics 1 +5Awareness • Searching 1 0Communications 1 0Lore • General 3 0Outdoor Environmental 4 0Subterfuge • Stealth 2 0Technical/Trade • General 1 0Weapon • 1-H Edged 3 0Weapon • Missile 1 0Weapon • Thrown 1 0

Skill Ranks Special BonusRigid Leather 1 0Swimming 5 +10Acrobatics 2 0Climbing 1 0Rappelling 2 0Alertness 1 0Observation 2 0Body Development 2 0Sea-speech, spoken 8 0Sea-speech, written 8 0Common-speech, spoken 8 0Common-speech, written 6 0Grey-elven, spoken 4 0Grey-elven, written 4 0High-speech, spoken 6 0High-speech, written 6 0Signaling 2 0Rope Mastery 2 0Lore (‘Own’ region) 3 0Lore (Sohleugir pirate culture) 3 0Weather-watching 2 0Cutlass 3 +10Short Bow 1 0Harpoon 1 0

S’sta’s adolescent skill development comes next.In picking his hobby ranks, refer to the Littoralcolumn of the Adolescent Rank Table. Select 12 hobbyranks based on the list in the Littoral Brigand (Pirate)sub-culture template. Based on that information, youchoose the following:

Rappelling skill 2Rope Mastery skill 2Acrobatics skill 2Observation skill 2Weather-watching skill 2Signaling skill 2

As a Sohleugir, S’sta starts with Sea-speech (S8/W8) and Common-speech (S6/W6) as his startinglanguages. He receives two adolescent language skillranks and you use them to increase his facility withCommon-speech to (S8/W6).

As a Sohleugir, S’sta receives five backgroundoptions. You consult the racial template for Sohleugirand decide to use one to give him extra languages thatactive mariners would pick up just in the course ofsailing the seas (Grey-Elven S4/W4) and in the courseof plundering enough ships carrying well-bornpassengers (High-speech S6/W6). You use one moreto give him a +10 special bonus to his Swimming skill.You use another to give him a +5 special bonus to hisAthletic Gymnastics category skill, and still another togive him a +10 special bonus to his Cutlass skill. Hislast background option goes to giving him a randomlydetermined special item.

At the conclusion of this part of the process, theseadditions have been made to S’sta’s character sheet,and it looks like this:


CREATING CHARACTERS

S’sta’s apprenticeship skill development comesnext. He receives 65 DPs based on his relevantattribute stats (65 + 90 + 55 + 55 + 60 / 5). 20 DPs gotoward giving him the Sailor training package. Thismakes sense in terms of his character concept. As apirate, he would learn sailing skills routinely, as partof his trade. From this, he receives 50 sp in (plun-dered) trade goods and the following skill categoriesand skills:

Skill Category RanksAthletic Endurance 2Athletic Gymnastics 1Lore • General 2Outdoor Environmental 1Technical/Trade General 1

Skill RanksSwimming 2Climbing 1Rope Mastery 1Lore (Major body of water) 1Lore (A different body of water) 1Star-gazing 1Orienteering 1

Another 19 DPs goes toward giving the Highway-man training package (permissible since Sailor is alifestyle and Highwayman is a vocation). A Piratedoesn’t strictly fit the description of a Highwayman,but when you come down to it, both use the threat offorce to separate folk from their worldly goods. Fromthis, he receives a +5 Cutlass (non-magical) and thefollowing skill categories and skills:

Skill Category RanksWeapon • Thrown 1Lore • General 3Outdoor Environment 4

Skill RanksHarpoon 1Alertness 1Body Development 1Lore (‘Own’ region) 3Star-gazing 2Weather-watching 2

16 DPs go to gaining two extra stat gain rolls toimprove his key attributes, Constitution and Strength.Let’s say that each roll yields a gain of 3 points (amodest assumption). That leaves 10 DPs for addi-tional skill ranks. You spend them on gaining 1 rankeach in Rappelling, Hiding and each of his threeweapon skills. As Lizardmen eschew wearing armor,you see no need to allocate DPs to S’sta’s armor skills.

Skills Ranks DPs SpentRappelling 1 2Hiding 1 2Cutlass 1 2Short Bow 1 2Harpoon 1 2

After completing apprenticeship skill develop-ment, Jerom’s list of skill categories and skills lookslike this:

Skill Category Ranks Special BonusArmor • Light 1 0Athletic • Brawn 1 0Athletic • Endurance 3 0Athletic • Gymnastics 2 +5Awareness • Searching 1 0Communications 1 0Lore • General 8 0Outdoor Environmental 9 0Subterfuge • Stealth 2 0Technical/Trade • General 2 0Weapon • 1-H Edged 2 0Weapon • Missile 1 0Weapon • Thrown 2 0

Skill Ranks Special BonusRigid Leather 1 0Swimming 7 +10Acrobatics 2 0Climbing 2 0Rappelling 3 0Alertness 2 0Observation 2 0Body Development 3 0Sea-speech, spoken 8 0Sea-speech, written 8 0Common-speech, spoken 8 0Common-speech, written 6 0Grey-Elven, spoken 4 0Grey-Elven, written 4 0High-speech, spoken 6 0High-speech, written 6 0Signaling 2 0Rope Mastery 3 0Lore (‘Own’ region) 6 0Lore (Major body of water) 1 0Lore (A different body of water) 1 0Lore (Sohleugir pirate culture) 3 0Star-gazing 3 0Weather-watching 4 0Hiding 2 0Orienteering 1 0Cutlass 3 +10Short Bow 1 0Harpoon 2 0


CREATING CHARACTERS

Then you come at last to determining physicalappearance, outfitting and calculating RRs. Assuminga 5d10 roll of 25, S’sta has a Potential Appearance of82, based on his Potential Presence of 82 (82 – 25+25). Consulting the racial template for Sohleugir,you determine that it is appropriate for him to have abrown hide and yellow eyes. He has an average heightand weight for a Sohleugir, 6'1" and 300 lbs., respec-tively.

You consult the Littoral template to completeS’sta’s outfitting. Looking up the appropriate entry,you determine that he carries a cutlass and a harpoonas his weapons. From his racial template, you knowthat Sohleugir don’t wear armor, so he has none. The

Littoral template tells you that he can carry 20 sp incoin (reflecting sailor’s wages, although in this case thecoin could just as easily reflect his share of plunderfrom past raids). You decide to take it all in coin.

As for clothing and decoration, the Littoraltemplate tells you that Littoral folk wear loose,functional clothing that allows them freedom ofmovement. Sohleugir don’t wear as much clothing asMen, having excellent natural armor, but you decide itseems appropriate for S’sta to wear at least pantaloonsand a loose shirt when it gets a bit windy.

Consulting the Sohleugir template determinesS’sta’s RR bonuses. He suffers –5 penalties vs. Chan-neling, Essence and Mentalism.

Resistance Rolls

Type Race Bonus Stat Bonus Total BonusChanneling 0 +5 (3 x In) +10Essence 0 0 (3 x Em) -5Mentalism 0 0 (3 x Pr) -5Poison/Disease +10/+50 0 (3 x Co) 0Fear 0 0 (3 x SD) 0

Filling in the ContextBoth the race and culture templates offer contex-

tual information that we have not mentioned in thisdiscussion: information about religious beliefs,attitudes towards other races and cultures, marriagepatterns, and so on. None of this factors into themechanics of character creation; it won’t affect theirskill ranks or their stats. Instead, they are meant togive you guidelines for roleplaying your character.

For instance, you already know the ambitionthat drives Jerom of Vath. He aims to become thehead priest of the Vath’s Temple of the God of theSun, the largest for many hundreds of miles around.This is in keeping with the description of the urbansetting at the beginning of Part II, which tells youthat folk from big cities, such as Jerom, are ambitiousand status conscious. But what about his prejudices,if any? The note on cities also tells you that urbanfolk are cosmopolitan, and they are used to beingaround different races and cultures, but that theytend to look down their noses at folk who lead rustic

lives. But the High Men template tells you that HighMen hate Orcs and don’t get along well with High-landers. Combining this information, you determinethat when Jerom leaves Vath for the surroundingcountryside, he needs to keep his big city snobbery incheck if he wants to evangelize among country folk,and that he may have some reservations about tryingto win converts in highland areas. On the other hand,he would jump at the chance to defend anyoneagainst depredations by Orcs.

To take another example, let’s say you want someclue as to S’sta’s religious beliefs. The Sohleugirtemplate tells you that the Lizardmen conform to themainstream for Littoral cultures. The Littoral Brigandtemplate tells you, however, that pirates worship darkgods of power, or gods of luck. You combine that withinformation from the Littoral template and determinethat his tribe worships a wrathful god of the sea whoalso brings luck and good hunting if propitiated. Youdecide that, as painful as it is, S’sta tithes from hisplunder as a sacrifice to his tribal god, throwing itoverboard to keep him happy.


CREATING CHARACTERS

IndexF

Fey ................................................................... 26Dwelfs ............................................................ 26Lennai ............................................................ 29Satyrs ............................................................. 27Tylweth Teg .................................................... 28

Filling in the Context ..................................... 124

G

Garks ............................................................... 31Gnomes ........................................................... 32Goblinoids ......................................................... 34

Goblins ......................................................... 34Hobgoblins .................................................... 36Kobolds .......................................................... 37Murlogi .......................................................... 38

Gratar ............................................................... 39Black Gratar ................................................ 39Green Gratar ................................................ 40Grey Gratar .................................................. 41Yellow Gratar ................................................ 42

Greater Lugrôki ................................................ 71Greater Orcs ..................................................... 69Green Gratar .................................................... 40Grey Elves ......................................................... 17Grey Gratar ...................................................... 41

H

Half-Elf ............................................................ 43Half-Elves ......................................................... 43

Eritari ............................................................. 44Ly’taori ........................................................... 45Punkari .......................................................... 46Sulini .............................................................. 47Vorloi ............................................................. 48

Half-Orcs .......................................................... 51Halflings ........................................................... 49High Elves ....................................................... 18High Men ......................................................... 60Highland .......................................................... 95

Sub-culture: Highland Barbarian ............... 97Sub-culture: Highland Militaristic .............. 97

Hira’razhir ....................................................... 53Hira’razhir/Hirazi ............................................ 53Hirazi ................................................................ 54Hobgoblins ...................................................... 36Horse Centaur ................................................... 8

I

Idivya ................................................................ 55Introduction........................................................ 4

A

A Note on Cities ............................................... 83Aerial ............................................................... 84

Sub-culture: Aerial Barbarian .................... 86Aquatic ............................................................. 86

Sub-culture: Aquatic Militaristic ................ 88Sub-culture: Aquatic Nomadic .................... 88Sub-culture: Aquatic Urban (Middle Class) 88Sub-culture: Aquatic Urban (Underclass) .. 89Sub-culture: Aquatic Urban (Upper Class) 88

Arctic ................................................................ 89Sub-culture: Arctic Militaristic ................... 91Sub-culture: Arctic Nomadic ...................... 91

B

Black Gratar .................................................... 39

C

Centaurs ............................................................. 7Horse Centaur ................................................ 8Lion Centaur .................................................. 9Lizard Centaur ............................................ 10

Common Men ................................................. 58Common Orc ................................................... 67

D

Desert ............................................................... 91Sub-culture: Desert Brigand ........................ 94Sub-culture: Desert Militaristic ................... 94Sub-culture: Desert Urban (Middle Class) 94Sub-culture: Desert Urban (Underclass) .... 95Sub-culture: Desert Urban (Upper Class) . 94

Droloi .............................................................. 11Dwarves ........................................................... 12

Nomari .......................................................... 13Dwelfs .............................................................. 26Dyari ................................................................. 19

E

Elves .................................................................. 15Dyari .............................................................. 19Erlini .............................................................. 20Grey Elves ..................................................... 17High Elves ..................................................... 18Linaeri ........................................................... 22Loari .............................................................. 23Shuluri ........................................................... 24Wood Elves .................................................. 15

Eritari .............................................................. 44Erlini ................................................................. 20Example 1: A Priest of the Sun on the Rise ... 118Example 2: S’sta the Lizardman Pirate ......... 121


J

Jhordi ................................................................ 57

K

Kobolds ............................................................ 37Ky’taari ............................................................. 45

L

Laan .................................................................. 62Languages in Shadow World ............................. 6Lennai .............................................................. 29Lesser Lugrôki ................................................. 70Linaeri ............................................................. 22Lion Centaur ..................................................... 9Littoral .............................................................. 98

Sub-culture: Littoral Brigand (Pirate) ...... 100Sub-culture: Littoral Urban (Middle Class) .. 101Sub-culture: Littoral Urban (Underclass) ..... 101Sub-culture: Littoral Urban (Upper Class) ... 101

Lizard Centaur ................................................ 10Loari ................................................................ 23

M

Men .................................................................. 58Common Men .............................................. 58High Men ..................................................... 60Laan ............................................................... 62Mixed Men ................................................... 61Umli ............................................................... 64

Men in Shadow World ....................................... 7Mermen ............................................................ 65Mining ............................................................ 104

Sub-culture: Mining Militaristic .............. 104Mixed Men ...................................................... 61Murlogi............................................................. 38

N

Nomari .............................................................. 13

O

Orcs .................................................................. 67Common Orc ............................................... 67Greater Orcs ................................................. 69Greater Lugrôki ............................................. 71Lesser Lugrôki ............................................... 70

P

Part I: Races ....................................................... 6Part II: Cultures ................................................ 83Part III: Creating Characters ......................... 118Plains ............................................................. 104

Sub-culture: Plains Nomadic ................... 105Sub-culture: Plains Urban (Middle Class) 106Sub-culture: Plains Urban (Underclass) ... 106

Sub-culture: Plains Urban (Upper Class) . 106Punkari ............................................................. 46

Q

Quishadi ........................................................... 72

R

Rural ............................................................... 106Sub-culture: Rural Militaristic .................. 109Sub-culture: Rural Nomadic .................... 109

S

Satyrs (Fauns) .................................................. 27Saurkur ............................................................. 77Shuikmar (Sharkmen) .................................... 73Shuluri ............................................................. 24Sohleugir ......................................................... 75Sohleugir (Lizardmen)/Saurkur ..................... 75

Saurkur ......................................................... 77Sohleugir ...................................................... 75

Subterranean .................................................. 109Sub-culture: Subterranean Deeps ............ 111Sub-culture: Subterranean Militaristic ...... 111Sub-culture: Subterranean Urban

(Middle Class) ....................................... 112Sub-culture: Subterranean Urban

(Underclass) .......................................... 112Sub-culture: Subterranean Urban

(Upper Class) ........................................ 111Sulini ................................................................ 47Sylvan ............................................................. 112

Sub-culture: Sylvan Barbarian .................. 115Sub-culture: Sylvan Nomadic ................... 115Sub-culture: Woodfolk ............................. 115

T

Troglodytes/Trogli ........................................... 78Tylweth Teg (Peries) ........................................ 28

U

Umli ................................................................. 64Urlocs ............................................................... 80

V

Vorloi ................................................................ 48Vulfen (Wolfmen) ........................................... 81

W

What is Race and What is Culture? ................... 4What’s New About This Book ........................... 4Wood Elves ....................................................... 15

Y

Yellow Gratar ................................................... 42


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College of Magics #3003

The College of Mages is now acceptingqualified students interested in learn-ing the art and craft of Magic. If youhave demonstrated an aptitude forMagic,then we urge you to enroll today.Novices are welcome.The College of Magics expands thedepth and breadth of HARP magic.Among the topics that the book coversare: What is magic and how does itwork? This product introduces newtypes of magic, including natural magic,alchemy, and enchantment. The Col-lege of Magics also includes rules for

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races & cultures (rolemaster)

Documents