Character Creation

Variant Character Creation Rules

Origin Feats

When creating a character, you may select one feat from the Origin Feats list below, a curated collection of feats available for use with this variant rule. You gain the benefits of the selected feat, with the following modifications:

• If the chosen feat grants an ability score increase, you do not receive that increase. You gain only the other features listed in the feat description.
• You must meet any prerequisites associated with the feat to select it.
• Characters using the Variant Human or Custom Lineage options cannot choose an Origin Feat, as these options already grant a feat at 1st level.

Common Feats

• Artificer Initiate
• Defensive Dualist
• Dungeon Delver
• Grappler
• Healer
• Inspiring Leader
• Magic Initiate
• Martial Adept
• Savage Attacker
• Tavern Brawler
• Chef
• Linguist
• Durable
• Ritual Caster
• Shield Master
• Skulker
• Weapon Master
• Nocturnal

Racial Feats

• Bountiful Luck (Halfling)
• Dragon Fear (Dragonborn)
• Dragon Hide (Dragonborn)
• Drow High Magic (Drow Elf)
• Dwarf Fortitude (Dwarf)
• Elven Accuracy (Elf)
• Fey Teleportation (High Elf)
• Flames of Phlegethos (Teifling)
• Infernal Constitution (Tiefling)
• Orcish Fury (Orc, Half Orc)
• Prodigy (Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Human)
• Second Chance (Halfling)
• Squat Nimbleness (Dwarf or a Small Race)
• Wood Elf Magic (Wood Elf)

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Flexible Ability Score Increases

When creating a character using one of the common races— Human, Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Dragonborn, Tiefling, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, or Gnome—you may reassign the ability score increases normally provided by that race to another of your choice. For example, an Elf typically gains a +2 increase to Dexterity and a +1 increase to another ability score based on their subrace (such as +1 to Charisma for Drow, or +1 to Intelligence for High Elves). With this variant rule, you can choose to move the +2 increase from Dexterity to Strength and the +1 to another ability score, such as Intelligence.
You may also choose to split or combine these increases. However, no single ability score may be increased by more than 2 using this rule, and no more than one ability score can be increased by 2.

Jacob's Musing
I have always found Estara’s people to be a fascinating mosaic, each race adding its own brushstroke to the grand canvas of our world. The lands beyond Mournland, where I call home, may not share our level of diversity, but I’ve always seen it as one of Mournland’s great strengths. Growing up surrounded by the common races—Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings—has given me an appreciation for each one, a recognition that they all bring something unique, something valuable, to the whole. Humans, though their lives are brief, burn with an intense flame that drives them to great ambition and action. Their determination and adaptability have shaped nations and won wars, and despite what some longer-lived races may think, there is much to be admired in that restless drive. The Dwarves, stout and resilient, are as steady as the mountains from which they carve their homes. Their craftsmanship and unyielding spirit remind us all of the value of endurance, of building for generations to come.

The Elves, with lifespans that stretch well beyond the experience of other races, bring a perspective that is often more cautious, sometimes painfully slow, but no less wise. Their attunement to magic and nature is unmatched, and they remind us that not all knowledge can be hastily acquired. Gnomes, with their boundless curiosity, have a knack for invention and discovery that few can rival. Their outlook on life, so full of wonder, is contagious, and they always seem to see what others might miss. As for the Halflings, their carefree nature and love of community bring a warmth and joy that the world too often lacks. They live simply but fully, and there is a quiet strength in their contentment that I have always admired.

Yet, for all that we have in common, there are divides. I would be lying to say otherwise. There are prejudices, cultural misunderstandings, and distrust that often arise between us. Humans, in their brevity, sometimes struggle to understand the deeper, longer-held traditions of Elves. Dwarves and Gnomes, despite both having an appreciation for craft and innovation, often find themselves at odds in their methods—one bound by tradition, the other constantly seeking the next breakthrough. These divides can run deep, and I sometimes wonder if the peace in Mournland is as stable as it seems.

There is an unspoken understanding here, a belief that all who live in Mournland can share the same streets, the same taverns, without the weight of history pulling us apart. But I know well enough that this isn’t the case everywhere. There are places where Dwarven enclaves remain secluded, or where Elven communities still keep themselves apart from the Human cities that grow ever outward. Even in Mournland, I have felt the subtle tensions, the quiet words of distrust spoken when someone thinks no one is listening. I have seen the sideways glances, the slight distance kept by those who fear what they do not understand.

The reality is, races like the Elves and Gnomes, who can live for half a millennium, will always struggle to find common ground with those who count their lives in decades, not centuries. To the longer-lived races, the urgency that drives Humans can seem reckless, their politics and wars as short-lived as their lives. And yet, there is something we can learn from one another. There is a strength that comes from acknowledging our differences and finding ways to bridge them.

I can only hope that our coexistence here remains a beacon to the rest of Estara. A sign that it is possible for the races to live together, even when the peace is fragile. I have heard of the troubles beyond our borders, the tensions in the tribal lands of Darguun, and the threats that loom between nations. In my heart, I cannot help but wonder if our harmony is an illusion that could shatter with the right provocation, or if it is a triumph of mutual understanding that will only grow stronger.

For all our differences, I believe there is hope for Estara’s people. The cracks that divide us are real, yes, but so too are the bonds that hold us together. If we can continue to learn from one another, to find unity not by erasing our distinctions but by embracing them, then perhaps the beauty of this world—of our Mournland, and all of Estara—will endure. There will always be those who seek to divide us, to wield hatred as a weapon. But the will of the people is a powerful thing, and I have faith that all of us are capable of rising above our distrust. Peace may be a fragile thing, but it is no less worth fighting for.