Choosing Your Race and Culture

The first step in designing your character is to determine what race of being you wish to be, and what cultural heritage you would like to belong to. Race and Cultural Heritage form an important basis for your character's backstory; they explain who your people are and how they are accustomed to living. These selections start to describe some of the advantages and disadvantages your character will have in the context of adventuring. They will also suggest some personality traits and flaws that your character may either freely exhibit or fight to overcome. In short, race and cultural heritage provide the first building blocks toward building your unique player character.

There are twelve Player Character races from which to choose from in the world of Cartyrion: Awkwana (or Birdfolk), Feliseans (or Catfolk), Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Goblins, Halflings, Humans, Kobolds, Taxlatl (or Lizardfolk), Orcs, and Chittiki (or Ratfolk). These races are commonly used as player characters in a number of gaming systems and a number of campaign settings, but on Cartyrion, each has a unique history that may be different from that found in other settings. If you will be playing in Cartyrion, it is important that you familiarize yourself with their unique characteristics.

Taken together, these twelve races are referred to as "the Folk". All are humanoid in general appearance, meaning they have a torso supported by two legs, two arms with fingered hands attached at the shoulders, and a head on top. Some have tails. Some have claws instead of fingernails. Some have scales or feathers instead of hair. None of them have any inherent ability to fly, burrow, or breathe underwater indefinitely. All are equally playable as far as game mechanics are concerned. Each race has unique characteristics and tendencies which will lend either advantages or disadvantages in different situations that you will encounter in game play. Each has different factors that will shape the personality of an individual player character. Variety is what makes for excitement in roleplaying, and the choices of race are designed to encourage that variety.

Here is a very brief description of each, including a link to more detailed information about the Race and its associated cultures.

Awkwana (Birdfolk)

The Birdfolk, or Awkwana, are an avian race of humanoids reminiscent of crows or ravens. They are known for their agility; despite their apparent clumsy walking gait, they can move quickly and nimbly when they need to. Although related to birds, they are flightless, their wings being replaced by arms, hands, and fingers that are quite nimble and dexterous. The unblinking beady eyes and oversized bill resembling that of a raven often causes other Folk to be intimidated by their presence. Settlements of Birdfolk can be found in the high mountain ranges all across Cartyrion, but a number of them also live among the Folk in the great cities and other larger settlements, and one seafaring subculture has even developed which makes the Birdfolk one of the five races that call the seas of Cartyrion home.

Feliseans (Catfolk)

Forest Catfolk Artisan

The Catfolk, or Felisians, are a catlike race known for agility, curiosity, and outgoing personalities. They are also known for their ferocity when protecting loved ones or a territory they consider "under their care". Two distinct subcultures were established at their creation on Cartyrion - savannah dwellers and jungle dwellers. Today, though, they can be found throughout Cartyrion, and several additional subcultures have arisen. Most large cities of Cartyrion will have some Catfolk living among the rest of the Folk, and any forest is a potential site for a small settlement. The Catfolk are not known for large city construction. In fact, many prefer to wander around Cartyrion, experiencing new things and aquiring trinkets to remind them of their journeys.

Races and Alignment

If you have been around TTRPGs for a long time, you will recognize that some of the choices available in Cartyrion as player character races are often represented as being inherently evil. These are more typically encountered as "monsters" rather than as PCs or NPCs. In Cartyrion, though, there are no inherently evil player character races. Each race has developed a set of cultural norms through a combination of the nature instilled into them by their creators and the effects of their environments. These norms have allowed them to survive and prosper in the world.

Within every culture, there are folk that strive to improve the lot of those around them, and there are folk that will do whatever it takes to get ahead personally. There are folk that live according to the cultural norms that have been handed down for generations, and those who ignore the rules. In short, there are individuals of all alignments within every culture. The concept of alignment can be applied to individuals, but not to an entire race or culture.

There are, however, many instances where the cultural norms and expected behavior established by one race are considered by another race to be unacceptable. This may result in members of one race or culture looking upon members of another as being "evil". This potential conflict provides opportunities for interesting role-playing.

Dwarves

The Dwarves are short, stocky, and for the most part stoic and stern. They are sometimes dour and brooding, other times boisterous and exhuberant. They are also rather long-lived, though not as much so as Elves. Dwarves originated under the tallest mountain peak on Cartyrion, but have spread out not only to other mountains, but to hills, plains, cities, and even the sea. Each of hese environments gives rise to a distinct Heritage. They have built great cities beneath the tallest peaks on Cartyrion, and have played a part in the building of many of the great above-ground cities as well.

Elves

The Elves are tall, slender beings that were first Awakened under the trees of the great Forests. They have an affinity for the Fey Nymphs of Cartyrion, having been created by the same deities. They live longer by far than any other of the Folk. Like the Dwarves, they have also spread out across Cartyrion, with Heritages reflecting life in caves, on the plains, near or even in the sea, and mingled among the other Folk in the great cities. Whether in forest or other environs, Elves are known to build settlements, but they tend to be organic and sprawling - and not very cosmopolitan.

Gnomes

The Gnomes were created as a sort of collaboration project between an Elven deity and a Dwarven deity. Intended to embody the best of both Dwarf and Elf, their outward appearance doesn't really suggest either. But their curiosity and appreciation for intricacy and beauty, coupled with their persistence and attention to detail reveals their mixed beginnings. Gnomes can be found literally everywhere, but there are very few predominantly gnomish settlements. Most prefer to live among the rest of the Folk wherever those Folk are found.

Goblins

The Goblins are a small, short-lived race. They are known for their nimbleness and charismatic personalities, though their tendency to act before thinking sometimes gets them in trouble. They possess a strong urge to "belong"... a need to be seen as worthy of and equal to the other races on Cartyrion. To this end, many have made their homes among the other Folk. They can be found in Elven forest homes, in Dwarven Delves, cities, deserts, plains, tundras and mountains. Some have also banded together in tribal societies living in forests, mountains, caverns - anywhere they find a place to call their own. They have an exceptional ability to adapt physically to whatever harsh conditions they find themselves in.

Halflings

The Halflings were created by the same deities that created the Humans. Seeing the determination and sometimes overdriving work ethic in Humans, these gods decided to create a race that was better able to enjoy life on Cartyrion. And the halflings do enjoy life - in as many ways and as often as possible. Smaller than humans (half the size, in fact), but longer lived, they are known for their charismatic personalities, and what they lack in physical strengh, they make up for with dexterity. Halflings can be found wherever Humans are found, though they sometimes settle in halfling-predominant communities that tend to be agricultural in basis.

Humans

The Humans are... well... just like us. They come in many shapes and sizes, and with wide ranges of personalities. They can be nimble or clumsy, large or small, intelligent or dim-witted. Some focus their efforts to excel in narrow fields of endeavor, others are versatile and resourceful regardless of situation. Most humans seem to do best when working in groups, and thus tend to build settlements large and small wherever they establish themselves. Many of those who do not enjoy urban life nevertheless make their homse near these settlements, and their agricultural labors help keep the cities fed. Humans tend to predominate most of the great (above-ground) cities of Cartyrion.

Kobolds

The Kobolds are a small bipedal race of humanoids that consider themselves kin to the great dragons of Cartyrion. They are dexterous, extremely resourceful, and opportunistic, though their small size has ingrained extreme caution into their makeup as well. Despite this tendency to back down from superior strength, deep down, they are extremely self-confident and proud. This is especially true of those whose heritage manifests in more dragonlike appearance. Kobolds can be found almost everywhere in Cartyrion, including the great cities. They prefer to build their own settlements in caverns - either natural or self-made - under rocky hills and in the mountain ranges.

Taxlatl (Lizardfolk)

The Lizardfolk, or Taxlatl at first seem like larger cousins of the Kobolds, but they are of different stock and were created by different deities. These nearly human-sized bipeds are reptilian as the name suggests. They can be extremely social, but many of other races are intimidated by their cold stares and stern demeanors. Lizardfolk are known for their strength and wisdom. Since the Great Strife - the cataclysmic god-war over 2000 years ago, Lizardmen can be found in any large city or settlement, or in small tribal colonies of Lizardfolk can be found in marshlands and along rocky coastlines all across Cartyrion. Before the Strife, however, theirs was a great civilization with large vibrant cities. Today, these are all either in ruins or have been wiped from the map entirely.

Orcs

The Orcs are not the brutal savages that some other Folk believe them to be. Accustomed to living in harsh circumstanses, they are pragmatic and purposeful. They value family, clan, and friendship bonds very highly. They also value and respect physical strength. Orcs can be found in the great cities, and even in smaller mixed Folk settlements. Their tribal communities can be usually be found living as nomads in plains, deserts, and tundras - rarely in permanent settlements; more often in movable camps. Orcs of the forest tend to build small permanent settlements. Before the Great Strife there were a handful of Orc-dominated cities housing an Orc culture of increasing sophistication, but these were destroyed and never rebuilt.

Chittiki (Ratfolk)

The Ratfolk, or Chittiki are a ratlike race of humanoids known for their agility and intelligence. Most other Folk call them Ratfolk, and equate them with "gutter" or "sewer" living. The Ratfolk, though, are found everywhere from the sewers to the finer shops of the great cities. Even those that live in the shadows are quite fastidious and conscious of their appearance. Wherever they live, their communities tend to be packed with many individuals. They are quite common in the great cities, and could appear in any settlement in the world. There are a few settlments built by the Ratfolk themselves which, while small in area tend to be vastly populated due to their preference for crowded living. Contrary to superstitious belief, they will rarely be found in dirty, dank places - unless they are adventuring there.

For more detailed information about each of the races, select one of these links:

All images of player races were generated by RPGDinosaurBob using HeroForge

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