Finally a reason to choose elf…
Due to popular demand, I’ve developed a set of Ancestry bonuses for Adventurous. In the core rule book, ancestries (or races as they are called in the book) have no mechanical impact on the game, they are purely flavor. This was done to not overload the GM and players with bonuses left and right. The 8 classes already have a distinct class feature, three unique abilities and each offer 6 talents for further customization. That’s 80 different things to keep track of right there, not counting the additional talents in the official Talent Expansion for Adventurous.
The ambition with Adventurous has always been to create the most intuitive and easy run system, and I’m confident that I have succeeded at that. So overloading GMs and players with mechanical stuff wasn’t in line with that. But, many players have emailed us and asked us to add mechanical impact of the races (or ancestries as they will hereby be known as). So of course I want to do that, and I think the best way at the moment, is to do it in the form of an optional rules supplement posted here. Just like the Stress system for Adventurous.
Without further ado, here are the expanded ancestry rules for the Adventurous Fantasy Role-playing game!
Changes to character creation
When playing with the ancestry rules listed here, all new characters have 3 attribute points to spend freely (down from 5), and an additional 2 from their chosen ancestry, so it’s still a total of 5 attribute points that will be allocated at character creation. Check of the free quickstart rules for details on character creation.
Ancestries in Adventurous
There are seven iconic ancestries available, each with their unique bonus and attribute point composition. Each ancestry have a brief description, deliberately vague and concise to make it easy for the GMs to use these in any fantasy world they want to run a campaign in. I prefer to keep things light and evocative, rather than overwhelming you with specific lore.
1: Human
Humans thrive across the world, known for their adaptability and ambition. They pursue diverse goals, from worshiping numerous deities to seeking power, grounded by a deep sense of justice.
- Attribute bonus: 2 points to spend freely
- Versatility: Momentum can be used to make a target you attack Vulnerable or Automatically make you succeed on your next KNO initiative test
2: Elf
Elves dwell in ancient forests, their societies seamlessly blended with nature. They eschew temples for natural beauty, maintaining a respectful distance from other races with their proud and graceful nature.
- Attribute bonus: +1 Dexterity, +1 Willpower
- Nature’s Ward: Advantage when defending with WILL against spells and magical abilities that paralyze, charm or lure
3: Dwarf
Dwarves, resilient as the mountains, mine and craft within their stony realms. Their societies are rich in tradition and worship of mountain gods, characterized by steadfastness and skill.
- Attribute bonus: +1 Strength, +1 Knowledge
- Sturdy: +1 Max Health Points (HP*)
4: Halfling
Though small, Halflings have big hearts, cherishing simple pleasures and the warmth of community.
- Attribute bonus: +1 Dexterity, +1 Knowledge
- Alchemist: Advantage when brewing potions and poisons
5: Half-orc
Half-orcs combine human courage with orcish strength, their imposing figures inspiring both respect and caution. They navigate the world with a bold confidence reflective of their dual heritage.
- Attribute bonus: +2 Strength
- Strong back: Large items only take up one inventory slot
6: Drow
Drow, with ashen skin and pristine white hair, reside in “The Depths,” an expansive underworld illuminated by bioluminescent mushrooms. Their society, emphasizing power and self-reliance, is often misconceived as cruel by surface dwellers.
- Attribute bonus: +1 Willpower, +1 Charisma
- Umbral Resilience: You neutralize Ongoing damage on a roll of 3-6**
7: Hellborn
Cast out from the burning hells for showing glimmers of morality, Hellborn are damned to walk the material plane and now seek atonement for past sins. Hellborn are human-like but adorn horns of many varieties, their skin vary from burning red to sulfuric yellow and their eyes burn as bright as the hellfires they where born in.
- Attribute bonus: +1 Strength, +1 Willpower
- Cannot wear helmets due to the horns
- Hellish Resistance: +1 AP against fire damage
- Scorching Rebuke: Once per day when taking damage from a physical attack, choose to retaliate back at the attacker with a fiery blast that deals equal to half the damage taken, rounded up
Asterisks explained
*Health Points
This overrides the rule saying that the maximum HP a character can ever have is 10.
**Ongoing damage
Ongoing damage is changed from: “One damage per turn for three turns” to: “At the start of your turn, roll 1D6, on a 5-6 the effect ends, but on a 1-4 you take one damage“. This means that Ongoing damage could theoretically deal infinite damage, and that’s by design.
Check out Adventurous
If you are interested in Adventurous, or our system neutral adventure modules, please check out our DriveThruRPG page, there you’ll find all our stuff.
Closing thoughts on ancestry bonuses for Adventurous
I’m ecstatic that people all over the world are enjoying Adventurous, and so passionate about the game that they email me with suggestions and wishes for future updates. It really warms my heart as a solo developer, as indie as you can get.
I hope these ancestry bonuses for Adventurous will bring value to your game by adding some extra decision-making to character creation, and of course, make choosing your favorite ancestry more satisfying by providing that added mechanical benefit.
These ancestry bonuses are just the first of many updates to come. I have various expansions planned and multiple adventure modules in the works as we speak.
