Fantasy roleplaying worlds are filled with strange and wonderful beings. Dwarves, halflings, elves, humans, and a dizzying variety of half-Human, half-animal hybrids often populate these fanciful settings. In Open Adventure these physical variations are determined by the character’s Lineage. Using modern scientific terminology, a character’s Lineage is like their species.
A character’s Lineage informs us about the character’s physical traits. Do they have pointed ears? Three fingers? Maybe a tail? Even if they share the same Lineage, however, every character is a unique being. If members of a character’s Lineage typically have pointed ears, the ears of a character with that Lineage might be slightly tapered or sharply pointed. If they have a tail, it could be Long and luxurious or short and bristly. These are decisions the player makes when creating their character.
Included here are descriptions and rules for four classic fantasy lineages. The world where you and your friends play your adventures might have some, all, or none of these lineages, depending on the setting. The Adventure Guide will let you know what lineages are appropriate for your game’s setting.
Lineage Entries #
Each Lineage entry includes:
- Name: The name of the Lineage.
- Primary Attributes: The minimum and maximum scores allowed for each Primary Attribute when creating a new character of this Lineage. The first number is the minimum and the second number is the maximum. For more information, see Chapter 3: Character Creation.
- Secondary Attributes: Modifiers applied to the character’s Secondary Attributes.
- Special Abilities: Special powers, abilities, and Benefits characters of this Lineage receive.
Dwarf #
Dwarves are four to five feet tall and live up to 200 years. Their ears and noses tend to be large in proportion to their faces, at least compared to those of a Human. Facial hair grows in fast and full, with dwarven children growing their first beards at the age of 12. The gods created the dwarves to inhabit the labyrinthine maze of passages and caverns found beneath the surface of the world. AS a result, dwarves have an uncanny connection to earth and stone and the ability to see in complete darkness.
Primary Attributes
| Body | Mind | Spirit | |||
| Strength | 1/4 | Intellect | 1/3 | Presence | 1/3 |
| Coordination | 1/2 | Deduction | 1/3 | Intuition | 1/3 |
| Toughness | 2/4 | Willpower | 1/3 | Resilience | 1/4 |
Secondary Attributes
| Body Points: | +1 |
Special Abilities
Depth Sense: A Dwarf who succeeds at a Difficulty Score 3 Intuition Check knows exactly how deep they are under ground. This is a measurement of how far the Dwarf would need to travel straight up to Reach the surface.
Infravision: AS a Minor Action, dwarves can shift their vision from standard vision to Infravision. When using Infravision, dwarves see infrared Light. The warmer an object is, the more infrared Light it emits, and the brighter it appears to the Dwarf. Fine details and color are impossible to see with Infravision, but even invisible objects are visible to the Dwarf if the object is a different temperature than its surroundings.
Stone Sense: When making Mind or Spirit based Action Checks related to stone, dwarves gain a Benefit to their Action Scores.
Elf #
Elves are five to six feet tall and live up to 400 years. Their ears are sharply pointed, and they have exceptionally fine features. Elves are unable to grow facial hair and their head hair is like silken threads. They are ethereal beings who move with extraordinary grace and have an innate ability to Sense Magic. Elves Reach biological adulthood at the age of 25 and show no signs of physical aging after that time.
Primary Attributes
| Body | Mind | Spirit | |||
| Strength | 1/2 | Intellect | 1/3 | Presence | 1/3 |
| Coordination | 2/4 | Deduction | 1/3 | Intuition | 1/3 |
| Toughness | 1/3 | Willpower | 1/4 | Resilience | 1/4 |
Secondary Attributes
| Body Points: | -1 |
| Mind Points: | +1 |
| Mind Defense: | +1 |
Special Abilities
Low Light Vision: If any amount of Light is present, even starlight or candlelight, elves can see AS if it were bright AS day.
Sense Magic: When making Action Checks to sense the Presence of magical objects, effects, and creatures, elves gain a Benefit to their Action Scores.
Unearthly Grace: Elves receive a Benefit to their Action Scores for non-combat Action Checks involving balance and grace.
Halfling #
Halflings stand around three feet tall and live up to 125 years. Most are unable to grow facial hair, and their head hair is naturally curly. Halflings are preternaturally Elusive and unusually Lucky, helping them to survive in a large, Dangerous world. Their feet are oversized compared to their body and are often covered with hair on top. Their soles are AS tough AS leather.
Primary Attributes
| Body | Mind | Spirit | |||
| Strength | 1/2 | Intellect | 1/3 | Presence | 1/3 |
| Coordination | 1/4 | Deduction | 1/3 | Intuition | 2/4 |
| Toughness | 1/4 | Willpower | 1/3 | Resilience | 1/3 |
Secondary Attributes
| Spirit Points: | +1 |
Special Abilities
Elusive: Halflings gain a Benefit to their Action Scores when attempting to hide. They also gain a Benefit to their Action Score for Withdraw Actions.
Lucky: Once per Encounter, if a Halfling character misses an Action Check by one point, the player may choose to make the roll a success AS if they’d rolled a result equal to the Difficulty Score.
Resilient: If a Halfling fails their Death Check, they have double the normal number of Rounds to stabilize before they die.
Tough Feet: The soles of Halfling feet are AS tough AS those of a good pair of boots. They can go barefoot in any environment or climate without suffering negative effects.
Human #
Humans stand five to six feet tall and live up to 100 years. They are the youngest of the lineages, having only appeared around 10,000 years ago. Despite their recent arrival in the tapestry of time, they have flourished and are now the most common Lineage in the world. They are highly creative and amazingly Adaptable. They thrive in almost any environment and are notoriously difficult to kill.
Primary Attributes
| Body | Mind | Spirit | |||
| Strength | 1/4 | Intellect | 1/3 | Presence | 1/3 |
| Coordination | 1/3 | Deduction | 2/4 | Intuition | 1/3 |
| Toughness | 1/3 | Willpower | 1/3 | Resilience | 1/3 |
Secondary Attributes
| Reaction: | +1 |
Special Abilities
Adaptable: If a Human misses an Action Check but the player can come up with a way to retry the same Action using a different Primary Attribute, they may try again on the character’s next Turn with a Benefit to the Action Score.
Extremophile: Humans gain a Benefit to their Action Scores when making Action Checks to resist the negative effects of heat or cold.
Good Instincts: Humans have excellent instincts when it comes to identifying the best way to help others. Humans gain a Benefit to their Action Scores for Assist Action Checks.
Hard to Kill: Humans gain a Benefit to their Action Scores for Death Checks.