Races: Human

Humans are believed to have emerged naturally upon Celesia during the early half of the 2nd Age, and as such are counted as a 1st-generation people. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have ties to prehistorical creatures, and went through several physical changes before reaching their current form. Appearance-wise, humans possess all of the common features of primanoids without any notably distinct physical characteristics compared to other primanoids. Their skin complexion range from ivory to dark brown based on a climate's sunlight.

Humans are notable in how diverse and flexible they are as a people. They are a very social people, but can go to extreme lengths to eliminate each other. As a people, they do not possess any physical attributes that direct them in any specific growth direction compared to other peoples, but individual humans can quickly become master paragons of a specific field. They can be the vilest of villains, or the noblest of heroes. While it is poor form to make any assumptions of an individual person, it is paramountly so for a human. One never knows what to expect from a human.

With a powerful combination of being very adaptable and equally driven, humans have spread across the world. It is believe that humans emerged in either somewhere in Norther Sengola or souther Khaliram. A growing population saw them migrate throughout Sengola, Khaliram, and Asteropa. Frozen oversea passages and primitve seafaring vessels allowed them to spread to the rest of the world.

Early humanity would see conflict with other peoples. Their main competition, aside from themselves, would be the orcs, while they saw more cooperation with the halflings. They viewed the elves and the dwarves with equal awe and jealousy. However, before these peoples grew large enough to engage in existential conflicts with each other, the sserassin and the neraxin came to power. Humanity, along with other primanoid peoples were conquered by the serpentfolk and spiderfolk, who saw them as both easy labour and fit for consumption.

However, humans were a people of clever and stubborn survivors. They endured thousands of years of slavery under cruel monsters, and the twisted state of the universe from the arrival and domination of the Cosmic Horrors. Without the tenacity and collaboration of notable human leaders, many other peoples would have certainly perished in their entirety in this Age of Horror, a fate their sserassin and neraxin overlords would suffer.

Human heroes were among the leaders of the resistance that helped end the threat of the Cosmic Horrors. When Celesia became free, pockets of human survivors around the world were able to form their own growing communities. While some of the human heroes of the 2nd Age chose to form their own enclaves, a large number of them joined together and formed the first true human empire of Xian.

During the early millenia of the the 3rd Age, Xianese Empire was one of the three great powers of Celesia, along with the elven Aerlonesti Empire, and the dwarven Morghedarr Empire. Xian made connections with human communities across the world, founding colonies among them. However, great Xian burned too brightly too fast. Its leaders engaged in great projects that grew beyond their control, and a great cataclysm destroyed Xian, and significantly devastated its colonies. This fall from grave set humanity's progress back for millenia, leaving the elves and dwarves to achieve full dominance throughout the rest of the 3rd Age. It would not be until the beginning of the 4th age when humanity would regain equal footing with the other major peoples of Celesia, a state that persists to varying degrees into the 6th Age.

Ethnicities

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Ashaki

inhabit the northern deserts and plains of Khaliram.

Atiyoté

inhabit the jungles of the southern region of Anowakowa.

Bwatani

inhabit the jungles of Sengola.

Cassimian

inhabit the coastal region of the Cassimi Sea within Asteropa.

Chitucampa

inhabit the desert regions of Anzica.

Dharwali

inhabit the mountain regions of Anzica.

Gharobi

inhabit the desert regions of Sengola.

Inuktaq

inhabit the arctic regions of Asteropa, Zhoulong, and Inuktavit.

Jangali

inhabit the jungle regions of Ramvata.

Khaliri

inhabit the southern deserts and plains of Khaliram.

Kuroqchek

inhabit the northern forests and plains of Anowakowa.

Kutai

inhabit the eastern coastal regions and islands of Zhoulong.

Laotai

inhabit the southern coastal region of Zhoulong and the norther coast of Ramvata.

Mengholi

inhabit the northern steppes and plains of Zhoulong.

Merassimi

West Asteropa.

Nassiri

inhabit the northern and western coasts of Khaliram.

Pravic

inhabit the northwestern lands of Asteropa.

Prydwyn

inhabit the eastern lands of Asteropa.

Ramvati

inhabit the plains of Ramvata.

Sengoli

inhabit the plains of Sengola.

Songjin

inhabit the western coast and islands of Zhoulong.

Svenic

inhabit the northern region of Asteropa.

Uthgoth

Central north Asteropa.

Wakani

inhabit the central plains of Anowakowa.

Xian

The Xian are the direct descendants of Xian, the first human empire. Although a large majority perished during the island's destruction, enough had survived or previously emigrated to their continental colonies to sustain their people and culture to nodern day. Although the majority now inhabit the central plains and western coast of Zhoulong, the Xian had spread and formed colonies on all the continents of Celesia.

Yunkhim

inhabit the mountains of Zhoulong.

Venic

inhabit the southern regions of Asteropa.

Zhoulai

inhabit the deserts of Zhoulong.

Zupactec

inhabit the southern regions of Anzica.

Languages

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• Svenic:
• Venici:
• Xian: Modern Xian derives from the original language spken by the First Empire (referred to Ancient or High Xian). Over the millenia, the tongue has been streamlined to be easier spoken and understood by foreigners. It has incorporated words and conventions of other tongues, and thanks to the wide spread of the Xian people, the tongue has been adopted as the de facto international trade tongue.

Racial Traits

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Standard Traits (9 CP)

• Type: Humans are primanoids with the human subtype.
• Size: Humans are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Humans begin play speaking a regional Human language. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any regional languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Feats and Skills Racial Traits

• Bonus Feats: Humans select one extra feat at 1st Hit Die. At 4th HD, and every 3 HD after, they may select another extra feat. (6 CP)
• Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at 1st Hit Die and one additional rank whenever they gain a HD. They also get one free skill proficiency increase at 1st HD, and again at 5th HD and every five HD after. (3 CP)

Other Traits

• Adaptable: Humans are surprisingly capable of adapting to ever-changing situations. They may choose two bonus cultural traits as long as their combined cost total does not exceed 5 CP. These bonus cultural traits can also be swapped with a cultural trait from another race, but its cost cannot exceed 2 CP.

Alternate Physical Traits

• Aquatic Ancestry: Humans with deep one or skum ancestry may exhibit prominent round eyes or webbed fingers and toes. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Swim checks and Swim is always a class skill for them. In addition, they can hold their breath for twice as long as normal, three times as long at 7th HD, and so on every 7 HD after. This replaces skilled. (3 CP)
• Dimdweller: Dimdweller humans are a result of generations of humans being born and raise in lightless environments. Whenever characters with this trait benefit from concealment or full concealment due to darkness or dim light, they gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Perception and Stealth checks. Humans also gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet that extends by 30 feet at 7th HD and every 7 HD after. However, they also gain light sensitivity, and are dazzled in areas of bright light or within the radius of a daylight spell. This replaces skilled. (3 CP)
• Doppelganger-spawn: Due to the incredible skill of their imitations, the blood of doppelgangers can easily mingle with that of other races. This blood sometimes asserts itself strongly, creating the doppelganger spawn. They gain the Basic Magic Training feat for the Alteration sphere and the Lycanthropic drawback, gaining the Shifting Disguise feat in place of a bonus talent. At 3rd Hit Die, and every 2 HD after, they gain either an Alteration Sphere feat or the Extra Magic Talent feat for the Alteration sphere. This alters bonus feat progression. (4 CP)
• Draconic Ancestry: At times, a human’s family history can have a dragon’s power bound to the bloodline. Humans with this trait gain darkvision with a range of 60 feet that extends by 30 feet at 7th Hit Die and every 7 HD after. They also gain low-light vision and can see twice as far as other humans, and three times as far at 7th HD, and so on every 7 HD after. This replaces skilled. (3 CP)
• Fey Magic: The character has a mystic connection to one terrain type, selected from the ranger’s favored terrain list. The character selects three 0-level druid spells and one 1st-level druid spell. When in the selected terrain, she gains these spells as spell-like abilities that can be cast a number of times per day equal to her total Hit Dice. The caster level for these effects is equal to the user’s total HD. The DCs are Charisma-based. These spells are treated as being from a fey source for the purposes of the druid’s resist nature’s lure class feature and similar abilities. In addition, select two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, or Use Magic Device. The selected skills are always class skills for the character. Lastly, the human also gains low-light vision; at 7th HD, they see three times as far, and so on every 7 HD after. This replaces skilled. (2 CP)
• Fey Ancestry: You gain racial bonus equal to half of your total Hit Dice on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities of the charm subschool, and treat Knowledge (nature) and Perception as class skills. You also gain low-light vision, and can see twice as far as other humans, and three times as far at 7th HD, and so on every 7 HD after. This replaces skilled. (3 CP)
• Giant Ancestry: Humans with ogre or troll ancestry end up having hulking builds and asymmetrical features. Such humans are considered to be one size larger than they are if doing so is advantageous to them. However, their space and reach remain those of a creature of their actual size. The benefts of this trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category. This replaces skilled.
• Mixed Heritage: Humans often intermingle of other beings. A human with this trait may select a second “Ancestry” physical trait. This replaces the bonus feats. (3 CP)
• Reptilian Ancestry: Humans with reptoid or serpentfolk ancestry sometimes have nictitating membranes or patches of scaly skin. They gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on saving throws against mind-affecting and poison effects. This replaces skilled. (2 CP)

Cultural Traits

• Aspiring Bard: You gain a racial bonus equal to your total Hit Dice to one category of Perform checks and to any Knowledge (local) checks that deal with the local music scene. (3 CP)
• Awareness: Humans raised within monastic traditions or communities that encourage mindfulness seem to shrug off many dangers more easily than other humans. They gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and concentration checks. (2 CP)
• Carefully Hidden: Your life as a member of an unpopular ethnic group has given you an uncanny knack for avoiding detection. You gain a racial bonus equal to half of your total Hit Dice to saving throws versus divination spells and effects. (2 CP)
• Comprehensive Education: Humans raised with skilled teachers draw upon vast swathes of knowledge gained over centuries of civilization. They gain all Knowledge skills as class skills, and they gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on skill checks for each Knowledge skill that they gain as a class skill from their class levels. (3 CP)
• Destined Pioneer: Choose a terrain from the ranger’s list of favored terrains. Once selected, this choice cannot be changed. A number of times per day equal to your total Hit Dice while in the selected terrain, you may gain the benefits of the ranger's favored terrain ability for a number of rounds equal to your total HD. (4 CP)
• Divine the Mystery: Your time spent exploring ancient ruins and you have learned much about the strange ways of the metal creatures from the stars. You gain a racial bonus equal to your total Hit total Dice on Knowledge (engineering) checks to identify creatures with the robot subtype and relics of technology. When using Bluff to feint against an intelligent construct, you do not take a penalty for feinting against a non-humanoid. (2 CP)
• Dragon Scholar: Dragons have a long history of individual interactions with specific humans, and some humans seek to better understand this relationship. Humans with this trait receive a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on caster level checks to overcome a dragon’s spell resistance. In addition, they receive an equivalent racial bonus on Knowledge checks related to creatures of the dragon type. (2 CP)
• Eye for Talent: Humans have great intuition for hidden potential. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Sense Motive checks. In addition, when they acquire an animal companion, bonded mount, cohort, or familiar, that creature gains a +2 bonus to one ability score and -2 to another of the character’s choice. (4 CP)
• Eyes of the Sun: You are inured to the bright glare of the hot desert sun, and its dazzling rays pose little danger to you. You gain a racial bonus equal to half of your total Hit Dice on saving throws against effects that would cause you to become dazzled or blinded. You cannot use this ability if you are already dazzled or blinded or if you have the light sensitivity or light blindness special quality. (2 CP)
• Fanatic: Your years spent in libraries reading every musty tome you could find about ancient lost civilizations has given you insight into the subjects of history and the arcane. You gain a racial bonus equal to your total Hit Dice to Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (history) checks. Both of these skills are always a class skill for you. (2 CP)
• Focused Study: All humans are skillful, but some, rather than being generalists, tend to specialize in a handful of skills. At 1st Hit Die, and every 3 HD after, such humans gain Skill Focus in a skill of their choice as a bonus feat. (3 CP)
• Frontier Survivor: Humans with this trait gain the Technologist feat, which grants them understanding of technological subjects. Additionally, they gain a racial bonus equal to their Hit Dice on Survival checks in the ruins of cities. (3 CP)
• Heart of the Fields: Humans born in rural areas are used to hard labor. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice to any one Craft or Profession skill, and they gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on saving throws against becoming fatigued or exhausted. (4 CP)
• Heart of the Mountains: Humans born in the mountains are skilled at negotiating heights and precipices. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Climb checks and Acrobatics checks to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground. Furthermore, they gain the Altitude Affinity feat as a bonus feat even if they don't meet the feat's prerequisites. (4 CP)
• Heart of the Sea: Humans born near the sea are always drawn to it. Profession (sailor) and Swim are always class skills for them. They can hold their breath twice as long as normal, followed by three times as long at 7th HD, four times as long at 14th, and so on every 7 HD. (2 CP)
• Heart of the Slums: Humans who eke out a life in a city’s teeming slums must be quick and clever. Sleight of Hand and Stealth are always class skills for them. They also gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Survival checks in urban and underground settings. In addition, they gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total HD on saving throws against disease. (3 CP)
• Heart of the Snows: Humans born in chilly climes gain Rugged Northerner as a bonus feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites. They gain a racial bonus equal to half of their Hit Dice on saving throws against cold spells and effects. (3 CP)
• Heart of the Streets: Humans from bustling cities are skilled with crowds. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Perception and Stealth checks in urban terrain. They can treat difficult terrain in urban terrain as normal (magically altered terrain still affects them). (3 CP)
• Heart of the Sun: Humans born in tropical climates gain Torrid Tolerance as a bonus feat even if they do not meet the feat's prerequisites. They also gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on saving throws against the effects of a hot climate. (3 CP)
• Heart of the Wilderness: Humans raised in the wild learn the hard way that only the strong survive. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Survival checks. They also gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total HD on saving throws to stabilize. (3 CP)
• History of Terrors: Humans with this trait gain a racial bonus equal to half of their Hit Dice on saving throws to resist mind-affecting effects and fear effects. (2 CP)
• Imposter-Wary: You gain a racial bonus equal to half of your Hit Dice on saving throws against illusion spells and effects, and gain a racial bonus equal to your total Hit Dice on Sense Motive checks. (4 CP)
• Institutional Memory: Humans rely on their institutions to remember the distant past and to preserve their own memories for the distant future. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Knowledge and Lore checks to answer questions about any organizations, guilds, or religions to which they belong, and they can attempt such skill checks untrained. (3 CP)
• Military Tradition: Several human cultures raise all children (or all children of a certain social class) to serve in the military or defend themselves with force of arms. They gain proficiency with up to two martial or exotic weapons appropriate to their culture. (4 CP)
• Piety: Humans place great trust in the gods to protect them. Humans with this trait receive a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Knowledge (religion) checks and Knowledge (religion) is always a class skill for them. In addition, once per day per HD before attempting an attack roll, saving throw, ability check, or skill check, such a human can call out to his deity in order to receive a racial bonus equal to half of their total HD on that roll; he can use this ability only if he is able to speak. (3 CP)
• Poison Minion: Drow sometimes augment their slaves and frontline warriors by making them toxic, causing their bodies to internally produce mawbane poison (see below). The resulting poisonous creature makes a potent weapon in the effort to discourage neighboring monsters. Any creature that hits such a character with a bite attack is immediately exposed to its poison. The save DC for this poison is equal to 10 + 1/2 the character’s Hit Dice + the character’s Constitution modifier. Mawbane Poison—ingested; save Fortitude as above; /frequency// 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d2 Constitution damage; cure 1 save. (1 CP)
• Practiced Hunter: Members of some human cultures train from youth to find and follow the trails of vital game and at the same time hide the evidence of their own passage. These humans gain a racial bonus equal to their Hit Dice on Stealth and Survival checks in one chosen ranger's favored terrain, and Stealth and Survival are always class skills for them. (3 CP)
• Psychic Defense: Humans from cultures steeped in the occult sometimes train their minds to resist outside influence. They gain a racial bonus equal to half of their Hit Dice on saving throws against psychic spells and spell-like abilities, including those that originate from the psychic magic ability, and from psionic powers and psi-like abilities. (4 CP)
• Rationalize: Humans have the ability to assuage their own fears by convincing themselves that what they saw or read is not real. Humans with this trait gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on saving throws against effects that cause sanity damage. (1 CP)
• Self-Made Fate: Some humans build nations that deny the importance of gods and divine magic, and those raised to avoid divine influence develop a knack for defying divine magic. They gain a racial bonus equal to half of their Hit Dice bonus on saving throws against divine spells and spell-like abilities. (4 CP)
• Shadowhunter: Characters with this trait gain a racial bonus equal to half of their Hit Dice on saving throws to remove negative levels, and recover physical ability damage from attacks by undead creatures at a rate of 2 points per ability score per day (rather than the normal 1 point per ability score per day). Humans also gain Iron Will as a bonus feat. (3 CP)
• Silver Tongued: Human are often adept at subtle manipulation and putting even sworn foes at ease. Humans with this trait gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Diplomacy checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature’s attitude, they can shift up to three steps up rather than just two. (3 CP)
• Social Ties: Some human societies run on complex webs of favors and loyalties that canny members can intuitively exploit with relative ease. These humans gain a racial bonus equal to their Hit Dice on Diplomacy checks. They also add a racial bonus equal to half of their total HD to their Leadership scores (if they gain the Leadership feat). (3 CP)
• Tribalistic: Many humans naturally form into cliques or tribes, and these humans work exceptionally well with those they view as fellow tribe members. Such humans gain a racial bonus equal to half of their total Hit Dice on attack rolls and skill checks to use the aid another action to aid humans of the same ethnicity. (1 CP)
• Unstoppable Magic: Humans from civilizations built upon advanced magic are educated in a variety of ways to accomplish their magical goals. They gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on caster level checks against spell resistance. (2 CP)
• Wayfarer: Humans maintain the largest trade networks and the farthest-reaching civilizations, putting them in contact with a huge number of cultures. Humans with this racial trait gain a racial bonus equal to their total Hit Dice on Survival checks, Knowledge (geography) checks, and Knowledge (local) checks. Whenever these humans gain a rank in Linguistics, they learn two languages rather than one. (4 CP)

Racial Feats

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Feat Name	Category/Type	Prerequisites	Benefit
Able Learner	General	Human or doppelganger	Select two skills. These skills are now always class skills for you. You also get a +1 bonus to checks with these skills. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus increases to +2 for that skill.
Bestow Luck	General	Defiant Luck, Inexplicable Luck, human	Gain an extra daily use of Defiant Luck.
Critical Versatility	Combat	Fighter 11, human	Practice a technique to temporarily gain a critical feat.
Dauntless Destiny	General	Cha 13, Fearless Curiosity, Intimidate 10 ranks, human	Gain a bonus on emotion-based effects, and once per day you can reroll a save or attack roll, demoralizing your enemy at the same time.
Defiant Luck	General	Human	Reroll a saving throw or cause an enemy to reroll a critical hit confirmation against you.
Eclectic	General	Human	Gain an additional favored class.
Fast Learner	General	Int 13, human	Gain both +1 skill rank and +1 hit point when you gain a level in a favored class.
Fearless Curiosity	General	Cha 13, human	Gain a bonus against emotion-based effects.
Fearless Destiny	General	6 HD, Heroic Destiny, human or half-human	Once per day, any effect that would reduce you to hit points equal to negative twice your Constitution score or fewer instead reduces you to hit points equal to your negative Constitution score and leaves you in a stable condition. Effects that kill you without reducing your hit points (such as death effects or disintegrate) function normally.
Heroic Destiny	General	Human or half-human	Once per day, before you make an attack roll, ability check, skill check, saving throw, or caster level check, you may roll 1d6 and add it as a bonus on the roll, check, or save.
Heroic Will	General	Iron Will, base Will save +4, human	Reroll a Will saving throw once per day.
Huntmaster	General	Handle Animal 1 rank; either the animal companion, divine bond (mount), or mount class feature; human	Your bond with your animal companion or special mount is stronger than most.
Improved Industrious	Racial	Human, Industrious racial trait	Increase the number of times you can use the bonus from the Industrious racial trait by 1 per month.
Improvisation	General	Int 13, Fast Learner, human	Gain a +2 bonus on all skills which you do not have ranks in, and you can use all skills as if you were trained in them.
Improvisation, Improved	General	Int 13, Fast Learner, Improvisation, human	Reduce nonproficiency penalties and increase your bonus to skill checks for skills in which you are not trained.
Inexplicable Luck	General	Defiant Luck, human	Once per day, gain a +8 bonus to any one d20 roll before the roll is made, or a +4 bonus after the roll is made.
Intimidating Confidence	General	Cha 13, Fearless Curiosity, Intimidate 5 ranks, human	Gain an increased bonus on saving throws against emotion-based effects.
Martial Mastery	Combat	Martial Versatility, fighter 16, human	Apply combat feats to entire weapon groups.
Martial Versatility	Combat	Fighter 4, human	Apply a single combat feat to an entire weapon group.
Protected Destiny	General	3 HD, Heroic Destiny, human or half-human	Once per day, if you roll a natural 1 on a saving throw, you may reroll the save.
Racial Heritage	General	Human	You are treated as if you were a member of another race
Surge of Success	General	Human	When you confirm a crit or roll a 20 on a saving throw, gain a +2 bonus to another roll before your next turn.