Human

• Go back to the Epic Path page.
• Go back to the Character Creation page.

Humans

The hands of Humanity know only ambition.

Origins

Humans are a bit of an odd duck, in that they don't seem to HAVE an origin. Oh, they have origin myths, they have those in crazy abundance. Every human God and religion seems to have a different and usually conflicting version of "How things began."

But when you look deeply enough into things, the facts support that there have been humans for as long as there have been anybody. Indeed, the oldest records of the Elves and the Dwarves, who each claim to be the First Race, all include passing mentions that when both of those races came to be on the universal stage, humans were already there, living in their little kingdoms and cities, endlessly seething with jealousy and boundless energy, tearing down and abandoning their works as often as they build and preserve.

The wisest of sages and cyphers, when they can admit it, realize that humans are probably the first and oldest race. It's just that humans don't care about it in the least, and have forgotten everything older than a few thousand years as worthless.

This is as Human a thing as it is possible to be.

So what is the true origin of Humans? No one knows. It is possible they've always been here.

Culture

Humans have a lot of different cultures, ranging from death-worshipping monuments to blood and horror all the way to enlghtened bastions of peace and hope. Indeed, it's almost like humans deliberately want to try every single possible way you can get along with each other, twice. But the strange thing is, Humans take every one of their multifarious ways with complete seriousness. For humans, their culture, their nation, their tribe, their clan, is Serious Business, and they will fight to the death without blinking their eyes for it, no matter what it might be.

Humans are like that a lot, they throw themselves into every venture, no matter how serious or ridiculous, with wild-eyed intensity that is vaguely frightening to other races. Their is lttle madcap about human cultures, either, they're all in it for blood, even the fine, upstanding bastions of good.

Human culture also moves at a pace that makes other races a little tired. Humans will build entire cities, vast places to the horizon, in only a year or two, and then when the mood strikes them they will abandon the whole place and leave it to rot without so much as a backwards glance.

Relations with Others

In the greater world, humans are the dull, boring race that serves as the backdrop against which more interesting races stand out. At least, that's what advocates of non-human races like to think. In reality, humans are the dominant race pretty much everywhere they have spread to. This fact is a baffling one. Other races seem more interesting, more powerful, more handsome, smarter, etc, etc. And individually, this is true.

But humans have a unique and nigh-undefinable trait that drives them to dominance everywhere they go. This trait expresses itself only in masses of humanity. Non-humans have often noted that humanity excels at one thing, and that thing is competition. Humans are forever in pursuit of happiness, but it forever seems to be just beyond their grasp.

Humans always want more, humans always feel just a bit slighted in their dealings, humans always have room for a niggling grudge. Indeed, humans are well known for their sullen, smoldering discontent, no matter how good they have it.

For example, try to imagine a community of elves going on a mob rampage. Ridiculous, isn't it? Elves are better than that sort of behavior, and that is the secret core of humanity's success. There is no behavior that is beneath mankind.

And that, small, mean, and disgraceful, is why humans dominate everywhere.

Nobody wants to compete with humanity, because the other non-human races are too noble, too savage, too proud, too mighty, too wise, etc, to descend to the sort of 'win no matter what it takes' sort of behavior that humanity excels at.

It's not pretty, but it's sure effective.

Now, humanity certainly has many admirable traits. They bring civilization wherever they go, they at least try to appear wise and beneficent. Humans are famously adaptable to just about any setting, although that's mainly because the idea that someone else might be getting ahead of them drives humans to distraction.

Humans individually are surprisingly formidable, given how dull and prosaic they are. Humans cannot breath fire, swim well, or see in the dark. Humans are not the best at anything, a fact which rankles every human ever born, whether they realize it or not. But humans make up for their lack of exceptionalism by being second best at almost everything.

Humans also have tremendous mental and spiritual stamina. Trials and travails that will leave a fetchling community or an elven community a shattered husk drifting toward extinction will spike a massive increase in birthrate among humans. In war, human units will suffer decimating casualties in battle after battle, and not only will they never collapse in despair, the survivors will treat their ill fate as a badge of pride. Plagues, famine, natural disaster, war, all things which will devastate populations of orcs or dwarves, will find humans more populous than ever.

This racial sense of durability, this collective feeling, often subconscious, that no matter what happens humans will prevail, is a very admirable and valuable trait.

Unless you're another race.

Humans, rightfully, have a reputation as uncomfortable neighbors. They have sharp elbows and no qualms about reaching for everything around them. Other races, such as halflings, find humans nearly unbearable as neighbors unless a formal arrangement can be worked out integrating the non-human enclave into the human society. Such arrangements are surprisingly common, surprisingly well-respected, and surprisingly successful for all involved.

In short, humans don't look like anything special. Except they're winning.

Which makes them happy. A little.

Starting Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	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.)

Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
15 years	+1d4 years (16 - 19 years)	+1d6 years (16 - 21 years)	+2d6 years (17 - 27 years)

PC's

Human characters have no alignment or class restrictions.

Standard Racial Traits

All Humans have the following Standard Racial Advantages:

• Attributes: Humans may choose to gain one of the following ability score bonus sets when creating their character. No ability score may ever be modified above a 20 or below a 7.
  • +2 to two different stats, -2 to one stat
  • +2 one stat, and +1 to three different stats, -2 to one stat
  • +4 to one stat, -2 to two different stats

• Size: Humans are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Type: Humans have the Humanoid type, with the Human subtype.

• Base Speed: Humans have a base land speed of 30 feet.

• Languages: Humans begin play speaking Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any bonus languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

• Normal Vision: Humans require bright light to see without penalty. Creatures in dim light gain concealment (20% miss chance) against humans trying to target them.

• The Need For More: Humans gain 1 extra skill point at each new character level. This may be spent to improve any skill that is available to them.

Major Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Major Racial Traits:

• Well-Suited: When assigning ability score bonuses from race, this human does not apply a -2 to one stat. (That is, the available bonus arrays become:
  • +2 to two stats, or
  • +2 to one stat and +1 to three different stats, or
  • +4 to one stat, -2 to one stat

• Life Lessons: Gain one bonus feat at character creation

• Specialist: Gain the skill focus feat for one skill at character creation. Gain the skill focus feat for an additional skill at 10th level.

• Adoptive Parentage: Choose another playable race. You may select feats normally only available to members of that race, in addition to human-only feats. You begin play with any languages known by that race, in addition to Common. Furthermore, you may select a second minor racial advantage.

• Fast Learner: You gain another bonus skill point each level, in addition to the one bonus skill point that all humans receive each level. In addition, you may select one skill normally unavailable to a member of your class, and spend ranks in it, though it is not a class skill for you.

Minor Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Minor Racial Traits:

• Laborer: Humans born in rural areas are used to hard labor. Gain a racial bonus equal to half their character level to any one Craft or Profession skill, and once per day they may reduce an effect that would cause them to become exhausted to fatigued.

• Voyager: Humans born near the sea are always drawn to it. Gain a +2 racial bonus on Profession (sailor) and Swim checks, and these are always class skills for them. They can hold their breath twice as long as normal, and spellcasters gain a +4 racial bonus on concentration checks when attempting to cast spells underwater.

• Hinterlander: Humans born in chilly climes treat cold climates as one category less severe. Gain a +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saving throws against the effects of cold climates, on any check or saving throw to avoid slipping and falling, and to CMD against trip combat maneuvers. This bonus applies on Acrobatics and Climb checks made in slippery conditions.

• Street Rat: Humans from bustling cities are skilled with crowds. Gain a +1 racial bonus on Reflex saves and a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class when adjacent to at least two other allies. Crowds do not count as difficult terrain for them.

• Pioneer: Humans raised in the wild learn the hard way that only the strong survive. Gain a racial bonus equal to half their character level on Survival checks. They also gain a +5 racial bonus on Constitution checks to stabilize when dying and add half their character level to their Constitution score when determining the negative hit point total necessary to kill them.