Authoring Ancestries & Communities

Ancestries

Every ancestry grants two ancestry features. Ancestries describe lineage and physical appearance. Individuals of every lineage are people with their own cultures. An ancestry record holds a name, a description, an appearance paragraph, and its two features.

The core features mix several kinds of effect. Use them as models:

• Small permanent bonuses: Human High Stamina (an extra Stress slot), Giant Endurance (an extra Hit Point slot), Simiah Nimble (+1 Evasion), Clank Purposeful Design (+1 to one Experience).
• Stress-for-benefit trades: Elf Quick Reactions, Faerie Wings, Drakona Scales.
• Hope spends: Dwarf Increased Fortitude, Katari Feline Instincts, Orc Tusks.
• Narrative capabilities: Ribbet Amphibious, Fungril Fungril Network.

Features tied to anatomy can be replaced or customized with the GM. Under the mixed ancestry rule a player takes one feature from each of two ancestries, so make sure each feature works on its own.

Communities

A community is the culture or environment that most shaped the character, defined by location, ethos, or common goals. Every community has:

• a description of its people and way of life
• one community feature
• six suggested adjectives, chosen or rolled on a d6

Core features are mostly advantage on a defined set of rolls: Highborne Privilege, Loreborne Well-Read, Ridgeborne Steady, Slyborne Scoundrel, Wildborne Lightfoot. A few are resource engines instead, such as Orderborne Dedicated and Seaborne Know the Tide, or utilities, such as Wanderborne Nomadic Pack. Define the roll set narrowly enough that it doesn't cover every situation.