Ancestry and Heritage
Ancestry system granting HP, size, speed, ability boosts/flaws, senses, languages, and a heritage sub-choice, with ancestry feats at odd levels.
Your ancestry represents your character's people — their biology, culture, and innate abilities. Heritage is a sub-choice within your ancestry that further defines your lineage.
What Every Ancestry Grants:
- Hit Points: A flat HP value added at level 1 only (6-12 depending on ancestry).
- Size: Medium or Small.
- Speed: Base movement speed (typically 20-30 feet).
- Ability Boosts: Usually 2 specific boosts + 1 free boost. Humans get 2 free boosts.
- Ability Flaws: Most ancestries have 1 flaw (−2 to a score). Humans have none.
- Senses: Normal vision, low-light vision, or darkvision.
- Languages: Common plus ancestry language, with bonus languages from Intelligence.
- Special Abilities: Ancestry-specific traits (e.g., Dwarven weapon familiarity, Elven longevity).
Heritage: A sub-selection within your ancestry chosen at level 1. Heritages represent specific lineages, adaptations, or bloodlines. Examples:
Ancestry Feats: You select ancestry feats at levels 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17 (as indicated in your class advancement table). These draw from your ancestry's unique feat list and define cultural and biological abilities.
Versatile Heritages: Some heritages (Aasimar, Tiefling, Dhampir, Changeling) can be applied to any ancestry, representing planar or supernatural bloodlines.