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~ Player Specific Rules ~
Some players find human characters a bit dull and unappealing. I'm not sure why; think of all the numerous heroes and villains in history, they were all human :P
BUT, for those looking for a little tweak to their (human!) characters...
This, then, is the optional Human kit & rules.
Humans are generally diplomatic and well-liked overall; they are versatile and readily make pacts and alliances with good or evil races as situations dictate. Humans, being more likely to discuss peaceful terms and not embark on crusades of extermination, are generally more tolerable neighbours to most races. As such, humans have a +1 bonus to encounters; a potentially hostile encounter is reduced to threatening, a threatening encounter reduced to merely indifferent, and an indifferent encounter to a friendly one. Naturally this lasts as long as the human (or party members) doesn't do anything to provoke violence.
In addition, the following options exist - the player may pick one of the following three variants:
Peasants and nobility that live out of the cities on estates. Humans of this type tend to favor outdoor activities and are often seen as uncultured by their urban peers. Typically they live in small villages and hamlets and are engaged in agricultural work, logging, or mining. Rural humans get:
Ability Score Adjustment: +1 to Constitution, -1 to Intelligence. Rural humans need to be tough to survive the day to day of back breaking farm labor. At the same time, they very rarely get formal schooling and children tend to be put to work quickly, which acts as a detriment to maximizing mental capacity.
Making the Best: Rural humans are used to selling the best of their wares and making do with what is left over. When at market, they can choose to buy less expensive food, basic goods, and raw resources for personal use. This results in a 50% savings of the list price in the PHB. This covers leather and padded armor types as well. A rural human can always find a material for a sling, a quarterstaff, or a club at no cost.
Rural Work: Rural humans are generally aware of human activity when they encounter it. On a roll of 1 through 3 on a 1d6, a human will know if other humans were responsible for logging, mining or farming. Further, on a roll of 1 through 2 on a 1d6, they will know, in general, if the area is good for one of those activities. On a roll of 1 on a 1d6, they can even isolate specific resources such as high quality farming soil, mineral wealth for mining, or high quality lumber for specific purposes.
If non-weapon proficiencies are used, they can choose to gain a bonus non-weapon proficiency from the following list: Agriculture, Animal Handling, or Mining. They gain a +1 to +3 bonus to this skill based on if they are using it for general human actions (+3) to isolating specific resources for high quality returns (+1).
Ability Score Adjustment: +1 to Charisma, -1 to Strength. Urban humans typically represent guild members, members of the Church, and nobles. They tend to learn how to navigate social encounters early on, giving them advantages to their Charisma score. However, most of their time is spent around tables or markets, and not the back breaking labor of rural or coastal humans. This reduces their overall strength.
Cityslickers: Urban humans tend to be wealthier than other humans and demihumans. When rolling starting gold, they add an additional die before multiplication.
Social Intuition: Urban humans can give a person a quick one over and know where they stand. On a roll of 1 - 3 on a 1d6, an urban human can assess a person's social standing. On a 1 - 2 on a 1d6, they can determine the amount of wealth that the person has, and on a 1 on a 1d6 they can assess how that person will respond to their own goals and political maneuvering. Alignment is not the question - only the actual actions of the other person. As an example, a merchant is planning on using his friendship with the Princess to secure a wool shipment contract. Concerned his plans might be known, he looks around before slipping in the back entrance of the palace. A chaotic evil bandit is hiding behind a barrel focused on getting drunk in an alley, and the merchant immediately dismisses him. A neutral good human guard has been paid by another merchant to keep an eye on him, and he senses that the guard is being shifty and following him. Concerned he keeps walking, and plans an alternative approach.
If non-weapon proficiencies are used they can choose to gain two bonus non-weapon proficiency: Etiquette and then they can choose one based on their background. If they are a guild member, they can choose a crafting skill from the General table (i.e. blacksmithing). If they are noble or a church member, they can choose heraldry, reading/writing, or an additional language. Merchants can choose from either one. Etiquette is used to asses fellow humans. They gain a +1 to +3 bonus to this skill based on if they are using it for general social standing (+3) to assessing how someone is reacting to them and their plans (+1).
Coastal humans are like the sea, a smooth surface with depths underneath. As with the sea, they can go from calm to raging and back to calm fast enough to make your head spin. Coastal humans are those involved in making their living from the sea or other bodies of water, be it in an urban or rural environment. If not sailors, they'll own taverns or work the docks.
Ability Score Adjustment: +1 to Dexterity, -1 to Charisma. Coastal humans typically represent sailors, fishermen, boat builders, dock workers, and those who make their living in or around the coast. Docks or decks tend to be crowded and subject to rapid changes, making coastal humans naturally quick on their feet. However, the blunt requirements of the job, and the totalitarian nature of ship organization, makes such humans blunt and crass, and quick to anger.
Quick to Anger: Coastal humans are used to brawls, fights, arguments, and more. Like the sea, storms brew up quickly, cause intense damage, and disappear almost as quickly as they arrived. They never shy from a fight, and are quick to join in. Over time, coastal humans learn many dirty tricks in fighting. When fighting unarmored using traditional sailor weapons (club, chain, bailing pin, dagger/knife, gaff/hook, hand/throwing axe, harpoon, scourge/whip), they gain a +2 to their AC, and a +1 to their attack rolls.
Weather Eye: Coastal humans grow up with a weather eye, and are generally aware of what the weather will be and when it will shift (i.e. the old saying "Red in the morning, sailors take warning; red at night, sailors delight."). Even if not aware they are doing it, coastal humans will be keeping an eye on the weather subconsciously. On a roll of 1 - 3 on a 1d6, they'll be aware that a weather shift is coming ("A storm is coming" or "The storm will clear") in the next six hours. On a roll of 1 - 2 on a 1d6, they will know the specific timing of changes within 30 minutes. On a roll of 1 on a 1d6, they will know specific conditions of an upcoming storm: lightning, hail, wind bursts, tornadoes etc. On a 1 on a 1d6, they can predict the outcome of weather magic based on the changes happening to the atmosphere around them. How they use that information is up to them.
If non-weapon proficiencies are used they can choose to gain access to a bonus non-weapon proficiency from the following list: Fishing, Rope Use, Seamanship, or Swimming. Coastal humans gain weathersense automatically, and have a +1 to +3 bonus to that skill based on use.
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