human

Humans are one of the most widespread and common sapient species of the Sora, often being the standard to which all other species are compared. They are known for their adaptability and ability to settle and thrive in virtually any environment. Humans can be found in virtually all empires filling any sort of roles.

Physical Description

by Denis Khusainov

Humans are fairly physically diverse, with a wide range of body types, skin tones, and hair colors. Men are fairly tall and broad, compared to many other species, standing between 5'4" and 6'4" on average, while weighing between 150 to 250 pounds. Women are somewhat smaller and more lithe than men, ranging from 5' to 6' in height and 125 to 200 pounds in weight. Women tend to have smaller waists and longer legs than men, while men have wider shoulders and larger muscles. They tend not to reach the extremes of other species, not being as short as dwarves, large as goblins, or thin as elves.
Humans can have a variety of coloration, with skin ranging from pale peach to dark brown, though most fall somewhere in the middle. Paler humans tend to have lighter colored hair, such as blonde and red, with darker humans having correspondingly darker hair, ranging all the way to jet black. Their hair can have very different textures, including pin straight, wavy, curly, frizzy, and even wiry. Women mostly have little or very fine body hair, usually with no ability to grow facial hair, while men are more hirsute and can have beards that can rival a dwarf's. Eye colors are similarly varied, with blues, greens, and browns being increasingly common.

Senses

Humans have very average senses across the board. They are unable to see in darkness, see poorly in dim or extremely bright light, and have no special capacity with their vision. They have decent hearing and senses of taste, but have relatively poor senses of smell compared to many other species.

Life Cycle

Women become fertile roughly once a month, though men are able to impregnate women at any time. Pregnancies last roughly nine months, though they mostly remain fully capable until toward the end of the final months of the pregnancy. Newborns are relatively helpless, being unable to do much but eat and sleep. At around 10 months old they are usually able to crawl and begin starting to speak at around a year old. By a year and a half most have begun to walk, with intelligible speech begining at around two years. From this point, human children develop fairly unsteadily, with longer periods of slow growth interspersed with spurts where they grow taller and heavier.
Around 10 to 12 years old, they begin to go through puberty, usually ceasing by 17. They can continue to grow slightly taller and heavier up until their mid-20s, though it is only gradual. They remain in their physical prime until their 40s, when they begin slowly declining in physical condition, their hair starting to turn gray or (especially among men) falling out. Their mental acuity remains sharp usually until their 60s, though some can remain mentally stable far longer. Most humans live until their mid-70s, though a few rare ones can make it to just over a century.

Diet

Humans are omnivorous, capable of consuming a wide variety of plants and animals. Human cultures have adopted a range of diets, from purely vegan to primarily carnivorous, depending on local availability and tradition. More primitive cultures engage in a hunter-gatherer lifestyle as their sole means of food collection. This involves combining stationary food sources (such as fruits, grains, tubers, and mushrooms, insect larvae and aquatic mollusks) with wild game, which must be hunted and killed. Most cultures, however, engage in extensive agriculture and animal husbandry, growing a wide variety of crops and domesticating numerous animals. Humans are known for developing food from a variety of sources, making cheeses, eating eggs, discovering the edible parts of poisonous animals, and even figuring out how to turn unpalatable items edible through controlled fermentation and rotting.

Distribution

Humans are among the most widely distributed species in the Sora, being found in virtually all climates and habitats. As long as there is water and food to be found, humans can settle and even thrive there. The only realms that humans tend to refuse are those which are entirely dark or require extensive underground living to survive, as humans need light to see and do not do well in cramped quarters. Humans are well known for adapting themselves to the places they live, rather than trying to adapt the place they live to themselves.

Lifespan

75 years

Average Height

5'4" to 6'

Average Weight

150 to 200 pounds

Human

Ability Score Increase One ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Size Medium

Speed 30ft

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Flexible. Humans may not possess the innate magic that other species have, but do possess a knack for picking up new skills. You gain one feat of your choice.
Heritage. Humans come from a number of traditions and backgrounds, each named after an abstract concept. These heritages set humans slightly apart from one another, giving them greatly different abilities from one another. Choose a heritage for your human.

Chivalric

The tradition of knights and brave mounted heroes originated in human lands. Those cultures which hold true to those gallant customs are known as chivalric humans. They place high value on concepts like honor, virtue, and fealty, though how they define these can vary wildly from place to place. Over generations, these traditions have become romanticized, with young children learning skills such as riding to help them match their heroic ideas. Few manage to reach these ideals, but those who do often charge headfirst into battle on the back of heavy mounts.
Ability Score Increase. The years of training to ride have greatly increased your endurance and balance. Your Dexterity and Constitution each increases by 1.
Skilled Riders. Years of grooming animals have given you insight into their behavior, allowing you to quickly understand the quirks of your mount. You have advantage on all Animal Handling checks to control or calm your mount.
Ride-by Attack. You understand just how far you can press an animal before they need to rest, allowing you to get the most out of them. If your mount takes the dash action in combat, you may use your bonus action to make an melee weapon attack against a single creature you pass during the dash.

Haunted

Humans settle all over, no matter the risk. Some find themselves in close proximity to places of death and decay, whether that be ancient graveyards, the site of long forgotten battles, or near portals to the underworld. Those haunted humans who are born into these communities sometimes find themselves with a much closer relationship to the world of spirits and death. Some have find themselves with one foot constantly in the grave, others can see or hear the whispers of the dead who cannot pass on, and some have a spirit which watches over them.
Ability Score Increase. Your understanding of death and the world beyond have given you much greater insight into the world. Your Intelligence and Wisdom each increases by 1.
Guardian Spirit. It could be a long dead ancestor watching over you, a deceased friend's spirit, or a kindly ghost that sees a bit of them in you. Whatever the case, something protects from an early grave. You have advantage on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
Cloak of the Grave. Your close association with the death has placed a shroud over your spirit. Undead creatures with a challenge rating of 1 or less do not perceive you as a living creature. They will not be aggressive to your or attack you unless you are aggressive first.

Inquisitor

While magic is near ubiquitous in the Sora, not everyone is comfortable with that fact. Even for those comfortable traveling on soracraft, flashier and more ostentatious displays of power continue to elicit fear and mistrust from many. Those communities in which magic is most hated are home to inquisitor humans, whose intolerance to magic allows them to shrug off the effects of even powerful magic, sheerly through the strength of their conviction.
Ability Score Increase. Defeating mages requires quick reflexes and the knowledge of their ways. Your Dexterity and Intelligence each increases by 1.
Magehunters. You grew up hearing stories of wizards, sorcerers, druids, and the terrifying magics they wielded. Prior to taking up the life of an adventurer, you trained how to fight against them. You gain the Mage Slayer feat.
Lesser Spell Resistance. Your very disgust with magic shields you from some of its affects. When you are the target of a spell which requires a saving throw, you may give yourself advantage on the roll. You may use this ability three times and regain all uses each time you finish a long rest.

Mercantile

Other races often see humans as worthwhile partners, more open minded than the stoic kamakari, but less gold obsessed than dwarves; less selfish than goblins, while more humble than elves. For those humans who live in close proximity to other races, this provides them with numerous opportunities for enterprise. These mercantile humans often congregate in large cities, where they produce quality goods at a fair price. They are used to dealing with other races, giving them a broad perspective on what others value.
Ability Score Increase. Crafting has strengthened your arms while negotiating for fair prices has silvered your tongue. Your Strength and Charisma each increases by 1.
Master Crafters. Artisanry is greatly admired in your homeland, so you learned some crafting skills. You gain proficiency with one set of artisan's tools of your choice.
Sociable. Bargaining and haggling is an important art to your people, so you know how to get on someone's good side. You have advantage on all Persuasion checks to alter a creature's mood.
Traders. You can tell when an object is treasure and when it is trash. You may add your proficiency bonus to Intelligence checks to estimate the value of an item.

Phalanx

Many human cultures have a long standing martial tradition, often with compulsory military service. In these nations, children are trained from a young age in basic military tactics, such as the ancient phalanx for which they are named to the more modern pike and wand formation. These cultures often sit between multiple enemies, requiring everyone to work together for mutual defense. This frequently makes them standoffish with outsides, but also prepares them to defend themselves when necessary.
Ability Score Increase. Your military training has drilled discipline into your mind and body. Your Strength and Wisdom each increases by 1.
Agile Shield Bearers. You've had mandatory training in the martial arts, focused on shield use. You are proficient with shields and can use the hand holding the shield to manipulate objects (though not to wield weapons).
Legionaries. Your military training focused on stranding side-by-side, linking shields with your fellows. When you are using a shield and within 5 feet of an ally also using a shield, you and that ally have half cover.
Javelineers. When you weren't holding a shield, you practiced throwing spears from behind the shield wall. You receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls made with thrown weapons and increase the range of such weapons by 5 feet.

Primal

Primal humans live in elementally chaotic areas, often in close proximity to elemental vortices or wells. This close contact infuses them with elemental energy, bringing them closer to the fundamental nature of reality. The emotions most strongly associated with the element are heightened in primal humans; those attuned to fire are prone to incredible joy and intense anger, those with air deeply compassionate and skittish. This elemental infusion often manifests itself physically in some way as well, such as deep blue eyes for those attuned to water or exceptionally black hair for those attuned to fuliginous energy. These characteristics are never as extreme as those manifest by genasi, though many genasi are born among primal human cultures.
Ability Score Increase. Your connection with the elements has given you a deeper insight into the world and bolstered your health. Your Constitution and Wisdom each increases by 1.
Elemental Attunement. You were born touched by one of the elements composing creation. Choose one element to which you are attuned. You gain damage resistance to a damage type related to that element; acid (for acid, earth, and rust), cold (for ice, metal, and water), fire (for fire, magma, and steam), force (for earth and void), lightning (for lightning), necrotic (for fuliginous and shadow), poison (for gas, oil, and wood), psychic (for air and ichor), radiant (for aether and nivose), thunder (for thunder).
Elemental Empowerment. In times of great need, you can tap into an inner well of elemental power within you. When you roll damage of the type you are attuned to, you may choose to deal maximum damage instead of rolling. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Seaborn

Seaborn humans live in dangerous coastal areas which are subject to frequent raids... or serve as perfect spots to launch raids on their neighbors. They launch from the shores in longboats filled with warriors to pillage and plunder weakly defended ports and seaside towns. However, this harsh living has tempered them, making them tough and hearty. Additionally, their societies are often quite egalitarian, having all genders in positions of leadership and societal roles.
Ability Score Increase. Swimming in the surf since you were young has made you stronger and healthier. Your Strength and Constitution each increases by 1.
Seaworthy. You've worked around boats and ships since you were young. You have proficiency with water vehicles.
Ferocity. No matter how difficult the odds, you've been taught to never give up. When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a Long Rest.
Fearless. Whether it be streaming off a longboat into a village or standing up against those who do, you've learned the importance of standing tall. You have advantage on all saving throws against fear effects.

Urban

Few races build cities as large and spectacular as humans. Sometimes containing millions of individuals within a few hundred square kilometers, these urban centers often grew haphazardly over centuries from tiny towns to sprawling metropolises. While the elites of society live in comfortable, well-kept areas, the poor are often packed into cramped accommodations in neighborhoods rife with crime. To outsiders, a large human city can seem like a labyrinth, with tall buildings on every side and twisting streets which dead end in squalid alleyways. But the urban humans who make these cities home have learned how to navigate both the tricky political life and the serpentine streets.
Ability Score Increase. Growing up in a large city required you to become street smart and sociable. Your Intelligence and Charisma each increases by 1.
Streetwise. Where you grew up, it was important to know who your neighbors were and how to find out what was really happening with people. You gain advantage on Persuasion checks made to gather information on specific individuals and Insight checks made to get a hunch about a social situation.
Alley Scout. You've spent your life navigating the urban jungle and know how to quickly locate things quickly. You have advantage on ability checks to locate any type of business, government building, or religious location in a city.
City Camouflage. Sometimes it pays to go unnoticed by the city watch, so you've learned how to duck into an alley and move so no one pays attention to you. You have advantage on Stealth checks while within urban terrain.

Zealous

Many gods count humans among their most devout followers. Religion is often a core aspect of their communities and they worship their deities with a fervor rarely matched. Even those outside of the priesthood devote significant portions of their time to observing rituals, praying, attending services, and otherwise engaged with the church. Many attend services every day and strictly adhere to the rules and commandments of their religion. Their devotion is so powerful that it can manifest occasionally physically or throw them into a rapturous state.
Ability Score Increase. Your strength of conviction in your gods is unmatched. Your Wisdom and Charisma each increases by 1.
Divine Rebuke. Your very faith itself is your shield. Those who would seek to harm you risk the wrath of the divine, who may lash out at them. When a creature within 5 feet of you that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d8 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice) on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fervor. The daily rituals and prayers you participated in fill you with an intense feeling spiritual zeal. You can fall into a deeply religious fervor once per rest. During this fervor, you are immune to mind-altering affects and gain advantage on saving throws against poison and disease. This fervor lasts for one minute.