Bard

Most cultures and races have bards.

Dwarven bards

Dwarves have a strong bardic cultures, especially the mountain dwarves when it comes to preserving their history. Even among hill dwarves, it is expected of a dwarven bard to be able to recite a few stories of the great heroes of their homeworld Dreugh.

Mountain dwarf bards favor drums and other percussion instruments while hill dwarfs like to learn music from other cultures to bring back home and share with the friends and families.

Feytouched bards

Feytouched bards are known for their enchanting and intoxicating singing. They favor simple musical instruments made from natural sources.

Samhach feytouched bards tend to take the Path of Lore, as they see history in a cyclical fashion, and consider a strong understanding of the past is also a strong understanding of the future.

Genasi bards

The land of Yorr are in constant conflict and genasi are either great leaders or on the run from being murdered by one. Genasi bards usually choose the Path of Valor, to help inspire their forces in battle.

Genasi bards specialize in musical instruments that are harmonious with their elemental side. Earth genasi favor percussion, air genasis favor woodwind, water favor stringed, and fire favor brass.

Gnome bards

Tinker gnomes are fascinated with knowledge and bards of their ilk will often choose the Path of Lore. They will play overtly complicated musical instruments that often breakdown and need repair.

Their forest gnome cousins favor simple musical instruments like reed pipes or xylophones made from sticks.

Goliath bards

It is unheard of goliath pursuing a bardic profession. It is counter intuitive to their culture. A goliath bard would be an outsider that learned his or her skills from somewhere else.

Halfling bards

Halflings love music. Stout halflings have over a 100 holidays a year and music and dance are integral to their culture. Lightfoot halflings are constantly on the road it would be unheard of to start an expedition without a bard to help pass the time.

Human bards

Among human cultures, the type of musical instruments played are generally a reflection of the technology and magic of the region. Bards from the west will have training and access to apparati involving strange magic, while bards from the east have a tradition in electric powered devices.

A Bard that chooses the Path of Lore often hails from a regions that emphasises knowledge over combat. These regions are Immeria and Espora in the west, Canton to the South, Achea to the east, and Vindr in the center.

Along the Trader’s Strait is a small rocky kingdom in Vindr called Skaldinavia that is famous for its bardic traditions. The capital city, Kennivik, possesses the largest bardic school on Aedra. There is a tradition in the region of great leaders and military commanders travelling to Kennivik to receive a name after accomplishing a great deed.

Kindred bards

The kindred have different tastes in music than other races. This could be due to difference in auditory ranges they enjoy, or that their hearts beat at a different rhythm.

This isn’t to say they don’t enjoy music, but it will often take on different tone, more primal in nature.

• Capra enjoy music that sounds of the wind sporadically interrupted by a loud crack.
• Avi prefer loud high pitched calls.
• Zorri love to congregate and make harmonious yipping sounds broken by chaotic babel.
• Felis favor slinky dances with low bass growls
• Traszee love the sounds of the rain and their bards are skilled percussionists that simulate it.

Altered Class Feature

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6+2 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st.

Barbarian

Barbarians commonly hail from the regions of Achea, Aka’akar, Goeth, the Hun Archipelago, Numina, Ost, and Ostborea.

In Vindr is a region of uncivilized territory known as the Favon Wilds where four barbarian tribes still manage to keep back the encroachments of civilization. These tribes are the Primit, Falsic, Rotti, and Serpensi.

Races that favor the barbarian class are humans, kindred, and goliath. Kindred often take the Path of the Totem Warrior, choosing an animal similar to their own essence.

There are innumerable reasons why a barbarian would find themselves in civilized land. A player choosing to play a barbarian should choose an appropriate backstory that explains how and why their barbarian now travels distant lands far from their home.

Altered Class Feature

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10+2 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per barbarian level after 1st.

Dragonborn

The dragonborn player race does not exist in the world of Aedra. Players can not choose to be one.

Tieflings

The tiefling race is non-existent in the world of Aedra and players can not choose to be one.

Gnome

Gnomes were originally from a planet named Shea (shay),  a green and craggy place, covered in rock strewn hills above valleys of squat white trees. Unlike many other worlds, it was home to several intelligent humanoids besides gnomes, most notably the Ogre race. Gnomes spent most of their time hiding from ogres and were particularly good at it, camouflaging their villages to appear like grassy fields, large boulders, or empty cliff sides.

On Aedra they’ve refined this talent: they now hide whole gnomish villages within human ones, often completely invisible to the human inhabitants. On the rafters, within the walls, and under the streets hide entire miniature towns where gnomes go about their daily lives just mere feet from humans, yet entirely separated.  These tinkertowns, as they are called, are not a secret but a welcome addition.  Its is a symbiotic relationship: the gnomes provide skilled labour and keep the cities free of pests, while humans provide raw materials and security. It is a tradition that has existed for thousands of years. At agreed up locations exchanges are made, sometimes between representatives and other times through written orders. The gnomes diligently build and repair the various articles, tools, and goods requested while the humans supply the materials and leave the gnomes to their privacy.

Such is this relationship ingrained in human society that even the lowliest of crooks would not violate it. And woe unto those that do. While humans make it their business to keep out of the gnomes’ affairs, gnomes are quite adept at collecting the secrets of their neighbors and are quite willing to use them to their advantage. It is not unknown for a married woman to hear a whisper in her ear late at night that her husband has been unfaithful especially if that husband has reneged on agreement with his house gnomes.

Not all gnomes ascribe to this secret lifestyle. Some find their brothers’ and sisters’ secretive ways silly and antiquated and live out in the open besides other races. Others never adapted to urban life and still live out in the wilderness, hiding their homes within trees and rocks – completely self-sufficient.

Gnome Traits

Gnomes have all the general traits gnomes receive in the player’s handbook except the darkvision. Instead they receive the trait below:

Gnomish Hearing: Gnomes have acute hearing and penalties caused by surrounding noise or distance are halved, i.e. trying to listen to a whispered conversation 40 feet away would normally have a -4 penalty to the listen check, but a gnome would only suffer a -2.

In addition, gnomes can hear sounds above and below the audible range of humans. They can hear dog whistles for example, and gnome communities often employ such whistles to alert fellow gnomes of trouble.

 

There are two kinds of gnomes: forest gnomes and tomte.

Forest Gnome

Forest Gnomes are keeper of the old ways, their lifestyle very similar to how they lived back on Shea. They are helpful people and often friends with many of the wild animals that leave near their villages. When they do assist humans and other races, they will generally do so secretly. Forest gnome adventurers are very rare and considered oddities among their own kind.  Forest gnomes have the same traits as found in the Player’s Handbook on pages 36 and 37.

Tomte (tinker gnomes)

The tomte use the traits for Rock Gnomes found in the Player’s Handbook on pages 36 and 37. They are often called tinker gnomes by other races. These gnomes integrate into human society, performing useful services for the owners of the homes the cohabitate. If located in larger towns and cities, tomte will form a larger cooperative known as a tinkertown, and offer their services to the entire human community.

The list of objects Tomte can create with their Tinker ability can be expanded by resources found online, the book’s three recipes are considered just examples.

Goliath

Goliath is a player race found in the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, pages 10 and 11. It has been copied here for ease of use and include several small minor alterations.

At the highest mountain peaks—far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl—dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great physical power. Their spirits take after the wandering wind, making them nomads who wander from peak to peak. Their hearts are infused with the cold regard of their frigid realm, leaving each goliath with the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying.

Driven Competitors

Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire
tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival.

Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.

This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.

Fair Play

For goliaths, competition exists only when it is supported by a level playing field. Competition measures talent, dedication, and effort. Those factors determine survival in their home territory, not reliance on magic items, money, or other elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A goliath who relies too much on them can grow complacent, a recipe for disaster in the mountains.

This trait manifests most strongly when goliaths interact with other folk. The relationship between peasants and nobles puzzles goliaths. If a king lacks the intelligence or leadership to lead, then clearly the most talented person in the kingdom should take his place. Goliaths rarely keep such opinions to themselves, and mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power.

Survival of the Fittest

Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has little chance of survival, especially an older or weaker one. Goliaths have little pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play.

A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.

In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk have ever meet an elderly goliath, and even those goliaths who have left their people grapple with the urge to give up their lives as their physical skills decay.

Because of their risk-taking, goliath tribes suffer from a chronic lack of the experience offered by long- term leaders. They hope for innate wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age.

Goliath Names

Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel.

Birth names are rarely linked to gender. Goliaths see females and males as equal in all things, and they find societies with roles divided by gender to be puzzling or worthy of mockery. To a goliath, the person who is best at a job should be the one tasked with doing it.

A goliath’s nickname is a description that can change on the whim of a chieftain or tribal elder. It refers to a notable deed, either a success or failure, committed by the goliath. Goliaths assign and use nicknames with their friends of other races, and change them to refer to an individual’s notable deeds.

Goliaths present all three names when identifying themselves, in the order of birth name, nickname, and clan name. In casual conversation, they use their nickname.

Birth Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gae-Al, Gauthak, Ilikan, Keothi, Kuori, Lo-Kag, Manneo, Maveith, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Thotham, Uthal, Vaunea, Vimak

Nicknames: Bearkiller, Dawncaller, Fearless, Flintfinder, Horncarver, Keeneye, Lonehunter, Longleaper, Rootsmasher, Skywatcher, Steadyhand, Threadtwister, Twice-Orphaned, Twistedlimb, Wordpainter

Clan Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino, Gathakanathi, Kalagiano, Katho-Olavi, Kolae-Gileana, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga, Thunukalathi, Vaimei-Laga

Goliath Traits

Goliaths share a number of traits in common with each other.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age. Goliaths have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live less than a century.

Size. Goliaths are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Natural Athlete. You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.

Stone’s Endurance. You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Mountain Born. You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Ostic

Genasi

Genasi are a race found in the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, located at here, on pages 7 through 10. They have been copied here for ease of use and to slightly alter them to fit the Mirrorworld campaign.

In the zone of magic known as the Periphery, the forces of magic swirl, ebb, and flow erratically. These forces can play havoc on developing fetuses, often resulting in deformity and death. However, sometimes a developing fetus is altered in a positive way, giving them abilities not normal to their kind. Genasi are an example of of these instances.

Genasi are humans born with a magical affinity towards a particular element. Their birth is considered a omen amongst the itinerant tribes of Yorr, often becoming their leaders or shamans. Other times they will be seen as a threat to the current leaders and murdered or exiled. Genasi adventurers are often those that fled their home to avoid the latter.

Genasi Traits

Your genasi character has certain characteristics in common with all other genasi.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. Genasi mature at about the same rate as humans and reach adulthood in their late teens. They live somewhat longer than humans do, up to 120 years.

Size. Genasi are as varied as their human parents but are generally built like humans, standing anywhere from 5 feet to over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Yorric.

Wishstone Affinity: genasi acts as a living wishstone of their own elemental type. The power of this ability is equal to the highest level spell they can cast. Unscrupulous wizards have been known to capture genasi to use as conduits for powerful magic spells.

Subraces. Four major subraces of genasi are found on Aedra: air genasi, earth genasi, fire
genasi, and water genasi. Choose one of these subraces.

Air Genasi

As changeable as the weather, your moods shift from calm to wild and violent with little warning, but these storms rarely last long.

Air genasi typically have light blue skin, hair, and eyes. A faint but constant breeze accompanies them, tousling the hair and stirring the clothing. Some air genasi speak with breathy voices, marked by a faint echo. A few display odd patterns in their flesh or grow crystals from their scalps.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Unending Breath. You can hold your breath indefinitely while you’re not incapacitated.

Mingle with the Wind. You can cast the levitate spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Earth Genasi

You have inherited some measure of control over earth, reveling in superior strength and solid power. You tend to avoid rash decisions, pausing long enough to consider your options before taking action.

Elemental earth manifests differently from one individual to the next. Some earth genasi always have bits of dust falling from their bodies and mud clinging to their clothes, never getting clean no matter how often they bathe. Others are as shiny and polished as gemstones, with skin tones of deep brown or black, eyes sparkling like agates. Earth genasi can also have smooth metallic flesh, dull iron skin spotted with rust, a pebbled and rough hide, or even a coating of tiny embedded crystals. The most arresting have fissures in their flesh, from which faint light shines.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.

Earth Walk. You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.

Merge with Stone. You can cast the pass without trace spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Fire Genasi

You tend toward impatience and making snap judgments. Rather than hide your distinctive appearance, you exult in it.

Nearly all fire genasi are feverishly hot as if burning inside, an impression reinforced by flaming red, coal black, or ash-gray skin tones. The more human-looking have fiery red hair that writhes under extreme emotion, while more exotic specimens sport actual flames dancing on their heads. Fire genasi voices might sound like crackling flames, and their eyes flare when angered. Some are accompanied by the faint scent of brimstone.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Create Light. A fire genasi can generate a warm yellow light from their body. It can be an overall glow or emanate from from a specific appendage. They can have this light act as a torch light or a beacon lantern.

Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.

Reach to the Blaze. You know the produce flame cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the burning hands spell once with this trait as a 1st-level spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Water Genasi

The lapping of waves, the spray of sea foam on the wind, the ocean depths—all of these things call to your heart. You wander freely and take pride in your independence, though others might consider you selfish.

Most water genasi look as if they just finished bathing, with beads of moisture collecting on their skin and hair. They smell of fresh rain and clean water. Blue or green skin is common, and most have somewhat overlarge eyes, blue-black in color. A water genasi’s hair might float freely, swaying and waving as if underwater. Some have voices with undertones reminiscent of whale song or trickling streams.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Acid Resistance. You have resistance to acid damage.

Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.

Swim. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Call to the Wave. You know the shape water cantrip (page 21 of the Elemental Evil Players’s Companion). When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the create or destroy water spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Half-elf

Half-elves are not available as a player character race. Half-elf is a derogatory nickname for the Ascendent race which were humans that displayed the power psionic powers of the elves during the latter half of the 4th age. See the Feytouched race as an alternative.

Half-orc

Half-orcs are not available as a player character race. They are the product of a dream made real and self-aware and very rare. See the Kindred race as an alternative.

Elf

Elves are not available as a player character race. They are immortal demigods that have not been seen by mortal men for thousands of years. See the Feytouched race as an alternative.