Ancestries and Culture
Ancestry
- You do not get Languages from your Ancestry. Additionally, the <Ancestry> Weapon Familiarity line of feats are placed with Culture based equivalents.
- The ancestries available to player characters in the It's Good To Be Evil campaign include the following:
- Demihuman
- Dwarf: Long-lived and often looking to the past, the dwarves are the architects of Uskaran civilization, having left their mountain homes ages ago, while maintaining their own secret customs and traditions.
- Elf: Mysterious and effectively immortal, the elves traveled to distant realms and came back aliens in their homeland, once great crusaders and now the dwindling natural aristocracy of the world.
- Gnome: Capricious and driven by fey moods, the gnomes push the boundaries wherever they settle, fighting to preserve their wild hearts against the encroachment of banality.
- Harfoot: Meek yet cunning, harfoots have always kept out of the limelight of history, which suits these consummate survivors just fine.
- Ogre: Vanishly rare in these days, the fearsome reputation of ogres derive from their great hunger, as much for fame and fortune as anything else.
- Quickling: The brightest stars shine only half as long, and the quicklings embody this principle, strong in heart and ambition and the natural defenders of the smaller folk.
- Inhumans
- Kobold: Considered noblest of the Beastfolk, the kobolds are famously loyal and determined, descended from the favored servants of the Good dragons long ago.
- Goblin: Mischevious yet misunderstood, the goblins have long been in the employ of any strong enough to win their fickle loyalty, though after years of insinuating themselves in every corner have won grudging acceptance.
Culture
Culture is an additional character trait chosen in addition to your Ancestry. Your Culture determines your starting Languages and also makes you trained in a certain Lore. You also get access to Culture Feats, which you can pick in lieu of Ancestry Feats. At this time, the only Culture Feats are Cultural Weapon Familiarity, Cultural Weapon Expertise, and Cultural Weapon Specialization.
- Feat: Cultural Weapon Familiarity (1st Level)
You favor the traditional weapons of your culture, so you’ve learned how to use them more effectively. You have the trained proficiency with the five weapons associated with your culture.
- Feat: Cultural Weapon Specialization (5th Level)
You are particularly adept at fighting with your people’s favored weapons. Whenever you critically succeed at an attack roll using one of your cultural weapons, you apply the weapon’s critical specialization effect.
- Feat: Cultural Weapon Expertise (13th Level)
Your cultural affinity blends with your class training, granting you great skill with your cultural weapons. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in a given weapon or weapons, you also gain that proficiency in your cultural weapons.
Language
- In Talingarde, there are three categories of languages: Common, Uncommon, and Secret. When selecting the languages you know during character creation, you can select Common Languages without issue. If you want to select Uncommon Languages, you must take the Multilingual feat, meet some requirement listed, or get DM permission. Secret Languages you can only learn if you meet the prerequisites.
- Each language also is listed with the script they use. While each language might have differences, they usually are common enough to share similarities in writing. In order to Decipher Script, you must know a Language that shares its script with the Language you are translating, or else take a +4 penalty to the DC.
- Each language is also listed with its "family." While each language in a family is not perfectly mutually intelligible, they share enough that some communication is possible, with great effort (and skill checks, as appropriate).
Common Language Families
- Southron Talirean: Low Talirean, Gebroan, Keshkevarine, Lucidorean
- Northron Talirean: Myrcian, Old Cradish, Skarrian, Vendalic
- Elvish: Veylish, Shalish, Palladian, Herathi
- Ornassi: Ornassi
- Zafaran: Noddite, Kadinka, Radham
- Seotanese: Pashen, Yuan-ti
- Rusan: Sigelic, Cazzeri
- Algoboan: Ehyyd, Taklo
Uncommon Language Families
- Talirean: High Talirean, Old Talirean
- Draconic: Draconic, Kobold, Gnoll, Ysian
- Primordial: Auran, Aquan, Terran, Ignan, Sylvan
- Giant: Jotun, Gigas
- Abyssal: Abyssal
- Celestial: Celestial
- Infernal: Infernal
- Orcish: Orcish
Secret Language Families
- Draalish: Draalish
- Druidic: Druidic
- Dwarven: Telvar, Moresain
- Necril: Necril
Name Lists
You can find some name lists here for inspiration. For more information about names in Uskara, see Names of the Sixth World.Birth Names
- Myrcian: Caradoc, Eseult, Magedain, Kahedrin, Ryence, Trelevan, Valagant.
- Cradish: Daine, Enath, Luadha, Invar, Ongan, Niamh, Sairi.
- Keshkevarine: Ahmose, Baltasar, Danel, Hespera, Polisos, Qazabel, Velthur.
- Gebroan: Azag, Dwali, Frimin, Gorin, Kamah, Rinan, Telcha.
- Skarrian: Besh, Jekas, Majet, Queck, Trig, Warji.
- Lucidorean: Aris, Emilcar, Kaeso, Neculai, Sorana, Tamar.
- Veylish: Aerel, Dardlara, Faura, Jathal, Oparal, Sedlon, Zordlon.
- Goblin: Ak, Frum, Krobby, Loohi, Neeka, Omgot, Tup, Yonk.
- Vendalic: Augmath, Ethegne, Guvon, Ikgan, Kaneth, Theai, Uthva.
- Meleki: Balatonux, Cinges, Diorix, Lugetus, Gesetaia, Origena, Venixema.
- Shalish: Amrunelara, Caladrel, Darcassan, Keryth, Revalor, Soumrai, Yalandlara.
- Riaani: Akhsar, Dzerassae, Katanaya, Patras, Tlepsh, Sosruko, Uryzmaeg.
- Moresain: Asmel, Bomrek, Dîshmab, Logem, Mebzuth, Sarvesh, Urist.
- Ornassi: Aaliyah, Chibale, Despina, Kyriakos, Harima, Seif, Zarad.
- Rusan: Gastone, Josipe, Franck, Kutter, Mariette, Sandrine, Tierry.
- Palladian: Cithrel, Glanduil, Lysanthir, Mathlaeril, Shandalar, Virion, Uthorim.
- Cazzeri: Clywiddwe, Frivaadneeck, Gnakakoss, Kullmart, Memzost, Snablaval, Zimjist.
- Rodkhora: Anafa, Bellis, Etune, Jamir, Miro, Rillka, Sumak.
Clan Names
- Dwarven Clan Names: Agnadak, Bazkar, Gamalrak, Khazakver, Kulddun, Nuraal, Musddadun, Thranakul, Zuldrad.
- Elvish (Veylish) Houses: Mystralath, Floshem, Caphaxath, Xistrith, Ofandrus, Netyoive.
- Halfling Clan Names: Burrowes, Farroot, Fullridge, Hayward, Leafhelm, Noakes, Paleflow, Rainwhirl, Sandheaver.
- Gnome (Skarrian) Clan Names: Borwass, Fizzingbur, Dedellbop, Ipswoms, Jinzic, Muwlebra, Nocktonick, Rikkenedol, Snaanbag, Tegginuckey, Zook.
- Ogre (Vendalic) Clan Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino, Gathakanathi, Kalagiano, Katho-Olavi, Kolae-Gileana, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga, Thunukalathi, Vaimei-Laga.
- Kobold (Seotanese) Clan Names: Buro, Iemon, Kaga, Mitaka, Shige, Dazu
- Lucidorean Noble Houses: Cazzandu, Eviadusca, Ghilcante, Licallo, Marelori, Zel Tradat.
- Myrcian Noble Houses: Aldane, Dutalon, Taillefer, Immer, Gadiel, Clevenger, Morgade.
- Keshkevarine Noble Houses: Azanaster, Bardantha, Eherron, Malqanius, Raxagiar, Tazzordon.
Ethnicity
I’ve been somewhat vague about the ethnicity of various cultures, because I want to let people play what they want and I like the idea of a diverse and cosmopolitan fantasy world, but for the sake of letting one imagine what the baseline is, Talireans are largely separated into “northron” (fair) and “southron” (swarthy) ethnicities: Myrcians, Cradish, and Skarrians are northron, while the Keshkevarine, Lucidoreans, and Gebroans are southron. As you can see, geography isn’t the sole determinant despite the shorthand name.
To go a bit deeper, there’s two underlying ethnicities based on ancient origins. There were two great nations of giants, in the north and southern halves of the world. The Algoboan bloodline (associated with the Jotun) tend to have more almond eyes, rounder features, fine hair, and olive or ruddy skin that can trend more reddish or yellow, with freckles also a common trait. Red hair, especially through the Vendalic culture, also derives from the Algoboan bloodline. The Zafaran bloodline (associated with the Gigas) tend to have rounder eyes, sharper features, curly hair, and darker skin that goes from near black to lighter shades of brown, with vitiligo an uncommon but persistent trait. In Talingarde, only the Riaani, Rodkhora and Lucidoreans interesting enough demonstrate strong Algoboan characteristics, while the southron ethnicities trend towards Zafaran. However, the admixture of the elves created a Palladian bloodline that grants far fairer features in skin, hair and eyes, and the return of the gnomes also spread more wild colors beyond the usual hues as they intermingled with other demihumans, sometimes called the Feywild bloodline.
Culture Options
Player characters in the It's Good To Be Evil campaign may select from the following Common and Uncommon Cultures.Common Cultures
Uncommon Cultures
Rare Cultures
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