====== Humans ======
Humans possess exceptional drive and a great capacity to endure and expand, and as such are currently the dominant race in the world. Their empires and nations are vast, sprawling things, and the citizens of these societies carve names for themselves with the strength of their sword arms and the power of their spells. Humanity is best characterized by its tumultuousness and diversity, and human cultures run the gamut from savage but honorable tribes to decadent, devil-worshiping noble families in the most cosmopolitan cities. Humans’ curiosity and ambition often triumph over their predilection for a sedentary lifestyle, and many leave their homes to explore the innumerable forgotten corners of the world or lead mighty armies to conquer their neighbors, simply because they can.
===== Physical Description =====
{{:chargen:races:pasted:20240512-073304.jpeg|Humans are widely known for the emphasis they place upon courage, valor, and going beyond your limits.}}
The physical characteristics of humans are as varied as the world’s climates. From the dark-skinned tribesmen of the southern continents to the pale and barbaric raiders of the northern lands, humans possess a wide variety of skin colors, body types, and facial features. Generally speaking, humans’ skin color assumes a darker hue the closer to the equator they live. At the same time, bone structure, hair color and texture, eye color, and a host of facial and bodily phenotypic characteristics vary immensely from one locale to another. Cheekbones may be high or broad, noses aquiline or flat, and lips full or thin; eyes range wildly in hue, some deep set in their sockets, and others with full epicanthic folds. Appearance is hardly random, of course, and familial, tribal, or national commonalities often allow the knowledgeable to identify a human’s place of origin on sight, or at least to hazard a good guess. Humans’ origins are also indicated through their traditional styles of bodily decoration, not only in the clothing or jewelry worn, but also in elaborate hairstyles, piercing, tattooing, and even scarification.
===== Society =====
Human society is a strange amalgam of nostalgia and futurism, being enamored of past glories and wistfully remembered “golden ages,” yet at the same time quick to discard tradition and history and strike off into new ventures. Relics of the past are kept as prized antiques and museum pieces, as humans love to collect things—not only inanimate relics but also living creatures—to display for their amusement or to serve by their side. Other races suggest this behavior is due to a deep-rooted urge to dominate and assert power in the human psyche, an urge to take, till, or tame the wild things and places of the world. Those with a more charitable view believe humans are simply collectors of experiences, and the things they take and keep, whether living, dead, or never alive, are just tokens to remind themselves of the places they have gone, the things they have seen, and the deeds they have accomplished. Their present and future value is just a bonus; their real value is as an ongoing reminder of the inevitable progress of humanity.
===== Relations =====
{{:chargen:races:pasted:20240512-073822.jpeg|Humans often look after their own, even though this charitable spirit rarely extends beyond their own kind.}}
Humans are fecund, and their drive and numbers often spur them into contact with other races during bouts of territorial expansion and colonization. In many cases, this tendency leads to violence and war, yet humans are also swift to forgive and forge alliances with races who do not try to match or exceed them in violence. Proud, sometimes to the point of arrogance, humans might look upon dwarves as miserly drunkards, elves as flighty fops, halflings as craven thieves, gnomes as twisted maniacs, and half-elves and half-orcs as embarrassments — but the race’s diversity among its own members also makes many humans quite adept at accepting others for what they are. Humans may become so absorbed in their own affairs that they remain ignorant of the language and culture of others, and some take this ignorance to a hateful extreme of intolerance, oppression, and rarely even extermination of others they perceive as dangerous, strange, or “impure.” Thankfully, while such incidents and movements may taint all of humanity in the eyes of some, they are more often the exception than the rule.
===== Table: Human Ages =====
{{tablelayout?colwidth=",,,"}}
^ Adulthood ^ Intuitive ^ Self-Taught ^ Trained ^ Middle-Aged ^ Old ^ Venerable ^ Maximum Age ^
| 15 years | +1d4 years (16-19 years) | +1d6 years (16-21 years) | +2d6 years (17-27 years) | 40 years | 53 years | 70 years | 70 + 2d20 years |
===== Table: Random Height and Weight =====
{{tablelayout?rowsHeaderSource=Auto&colwidth=",,"}}
^ Gender ^ Base Height ^ Height Modifier ^ Base Weight ^ Weight Modifier ^
| Male | 4 ft. 10 in. | +2d10 in. (5 ft. - 6 ft. 6 in.) | 120 lbs. | +2d10 * 5 lbs. (130-220 lbs.) |
| Female | 4 ft. 5 in. | +2d10 in. (4 ft. 7 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.) | 85 lbs. | +2d10 * 5 lbs. (95-185 lbs.) |
===== Standard Racial Traits =====
* Ability Score Modifiers: Human characters gain a [[chargen:common_terms#racial_bonuses_and_penalties|Racial Bonus]] to one [[priority:abilities|Ability Score]] of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
* 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 Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic). See the [[priority:skills:linguistics:language|Languages]] page for more information.
* Vast Potential: Humans begin play with one extra [[:paths|Path]], along with one [[game_systems:hero_points|Hero Point]] as normal.
* Skilled: Humans are quick learners. They gain a +4 bonus from [[priority:skills|Keyed Skills]], instead of the normal +3.
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//They are not the cowering wretches we were promised...they stand. To challenge them...is to court...death.//