Ancestries Behind the Veil

Let’s talk about setting. Specifically, let’s talk about ancestries in our setting.

Obviously, how you run your game is up to you.  It may be that you don’t want to have non-human characters in your urban fantasy game.  That’s fine and if you don’t then maybe skip this one.  If you are interested in having Elves and Dwarves and Orcs and all manner of fantasy creatures, then welcome. I too love this idea and it will be an essential part of the setting that I imagine throughout this blog.  You’re certainly not required to follow what I do here. These are all just my ideas of how to run an urban fantasy game with the Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules. Of course, you may only want some fantastical Ancestries in your game, and limit others.  Dhampirs come to mind as one that would fit well into almost any modern campaign.

If you are intending to include the traditional fantasy Ancestries in your game, there are basically two different approaches.  The first would be to have them as an integrated part of society.  Think Shadowrun or the movie Bright.  Everyday humans are aware of other Ancestries and interact with them on a regular basis.  The upside to this is, once you’ve made this decision, you’re basically done.  You probably want to decide if there are any specific ways the Ancestries interact unless it’s not relevant to your game.  That choice is yours and depends on how gritty and topical you want your game to be.  But other than that, add some of the Ancestry feats I’ll be presenting and that’s it.

How Ancestries Work in Dusk Veil

The other approach is a world where fantasy elements exist but are hidden from the majority of the population.  This would be closer to Dresden Files, the excellent comic book series Fables, or those famous children’s books and movies about wizards (you know the ones).   This is the default setting for Dusk Veil and all setting information will reflect that. For me, this is the setting that creates the most intrigue.  Your players might be Half-Orcs trying to stay out of the public eye, or an Elf Bard who uses his charm to become a minor celebrity and other Elves are out to stop him from exposing them.  The scenarios begin to write themselves when you have whole societies that need to be secret.

Most of the rules will be usable in any of these scenarios, but there may be some that are setting specific.  In that case, feel free to ignore them in your game if you’re not using the default setting.

This is an overview of how the core Ancestries will be included in the Dusk Veil Setting. Each will also have one new feat.   In the future, each Ancestry will get its own entry with more details and more feats (it wouldn’t be a PF2 mod without more feats, would it?). More of the non-core Ancestries will get their own entries including the Versatile Heritages in the future.

First, we have a new Ancestry Feat open to all of the Ancestries

Pass for Human      Feat 1

Uncommon, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling

A combination of lucky genetics and years of practice blending in has made it much easier for you to pass yourself off as a human. Maybe you’re a little tall for a Halfling, an Elf whose ears are slightly less pointed (or your hair covers them well), people write off your Gnome colored hair as a good dye job, etc.  Even if people think there is something a little off about you, they tend to dismiss it as a weird quirk, or some minor cultural difference.

You gain a +1 to Deception.

Perception DC’s to notice that you are a different Ancestry are increased by +2

Now let’s dig into some of the Ancestries.

Dwarf.

Dwarves are one of the oldest native races on Earth.  No one knows who was here first, them or humans. Nevertheless, they have coexisted alongside humans for as long as they can remember.  And Dwarf memories go back very far. 

It is, in fact, these long memories that are the reason everyone hides from humans. Centuries ago, seeing how humans were quickly taking over the world, Dwarves realized it was better to hide from them than to risk being wiped out by them.  They created the Dusk Veil Accords, the treaty that hides all Ancestries. Because of this, Dwarves are the race most likely to have integrated themselves into mundane society.

Dwarves love creating things, especially buildings.  You’re as likely to encounter a stout person on a construction site as you are to meet a mildly gruff engineer.  They might even be in city planning.  Of course, like all sentient beings, individuals have their own lives, so Dwarves are as likely to be found in a thousand different lifestyles as they are any of the typical Dwarven careers.

New Dwarf Feat:

Dusk Veil Diplomat                 Feat 1

Because Dwarves were the ones to convince all the other Ancestries to join the Dusk Veil Accords, they have become the de facto diplomatic enforcers of the Accords. 

You gain the trained proficiency rank in the Diplomacy skill (or another skill of your choice if you were already trained in Diplomacy)  and you gain the Additional Lore skill feat for Lore: Dusk Veil Accords

You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy when trying to change the attitude of any creature who has signed the Dusk Veil Accords

Elf

Elves do not come from Earth, they came here.  They were transported here a long time ago from their homeworld, but the magic that brought them has been lost to the ages (or has it?).  Though there are few scholars who study these ancient beings, among them is a debate that Elves brought magic to earth when they came.    Druids of Earth, including Elven ones, will tell you this is ridiculous, Terra has always had her own magic. 

True or not, there are Elves who use this theory as a justification for their Ancestry’s superiority.  Many Elves believe that they should be the race in charge, not frivolous short-lived humans.  They were the first to sign the Dusk Veil Accords with the Dwarves and consider themselves bound by it, otherwise, they would gladly be out in the open.  Even still, Elves can often be found as leaders in the places that matter: politics, Fortune 500 companies, Unions, and military officers, all with an eye on trying to curtail what they see as the worst of human impulsiveness.   Whether they stifle this in a manner that is beneficial or not depends on who you ask.

New Elf Feat

Natural Born Leader                     Feat 1

Though they were not the ones to come up with the Dusk Veil Accords, Elves quickly took over the political leadership of the Dusk Veil council.  Now many of them succeed in leadership roles.

You are trained in Diplomacy and Society. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.

You gain a +1 to the Request action.

Gnome

If you want to start a debate in the world of Veil Ancestry Scholars, ask two of them if Gnomes are native to Earth or if they came here via magic similar to Elves.  The chance that you will get two of the same answers is highly unlikely. 

Just as unlikely to match are any two Gnomes in our world. The combination of their connection to Primal magic, their desire for new experiences, and their innate ingenuity, has caused a lot of friction for Gnomes in our modern world.  On one hand, technology has given them more and more opportunities to satiate their wanderlust and find new interests to dive into.  On the other hand, increased urbanization has led to fewer chances to connect with the primal nature they love so much. No two gnomes have found the same balance for these two conflicting lives, but all of them attempt some form of it.

This means there are a thousand different places you might encounter a Gnome in our world.  One might be the computer repairman that takes the especially difficult jobs, or you might meet one hiking in the National Forests, and anywhere in between.  Gnomes often do very little to blend into human society but are generally overlooked.  Sure, they’re a bit chatty, a bit flighty, and they have weird hair, but nobody else is willing to fix the office printer, so who’s going to say anything? Of course, if they are worried about it, Gnome’s affinity for illusions allows them to easily use magic to hide their true nature.

New Gnome Feat

Illusory Identity                      Feat 1

Prerequisite: Trained in Society

Using a mix of your Gnome affinity for Illusion magic and your time among humans, you have crafted an illusory identity that lets you blend in easier with mundane society.  You gain the following cantrip

Illusory Identity                      Cantrip

[Two Actions] [Primal][Gnome]

Duration: 1 hour; sustained up to 16 hours

This spell functions like Illusory Disguise, but with the following restrictions.  You only have one disguise, every time you cast this spell it is the same disguise.  This spell does not drastically alter your appearance, instead, it softens some of your Gnome features to be more human.  You might appear a little bit taller, or less pronounced ears, or your hair and eyes might look more human.  You decide which elements the disguise changes the first time you cast this spell, but after that, they are always the same.

Goblin

Goblins have prospered well with the rise of metropolises all over the world.  It gives them a place to hide from the larger races and still indulge some of their more Goblin habits.  Building things from salvaged trash (which they might sell online as “upcycled” – even Goblins gotta make a living), hiding in shadowy alleys when they don’t want to be seen, plenty of different food to try (you can even find it in the trash!),  nobody cares if you sing obnoxious songs at all ours, and almost no horses.  What’s not for a Goblin to love?

Well, for one thing, Goblins also have the hardest time blending in with humans without the use of magic or at least a good disguise.  Of course, they have been practicing hiding from the bigger Ancestries as long as they have coexisted, so they aren’t bad at it either.  Goblins never signed the Dusk Veil Accords, there was never a central leadership that could do so.  Still, their general nature keeps them from wanting to be discovered as Goblins, and many abide by the accords as a matter of course.

New Goblin Feat

Internal Combustion Affinity                     Feat 1

Cars are nothing more than stinky, greasy, contained explosions and you love all those things. You gain a +1 to Craft checks to Repair vehicles.   You are trained in Pilot (or another skill of your choice if you were already trained in Pilot).

Halfling

Halflings are as likely to be found as hermits in the middle of nowhere as they are to be found in major cities.  Much like Gnomes, modern society has given them the chance to engage in their wanderlust.  But the rise of internet shopping has also given them the chance to stay at home and enjoy the finer things in life.

Because of their jovial nature and their natural ability to get along so well with Humans, Halflings can be found in almost every aspect of modern life.  You’re most likely to encounter them though where people gather in large crowds to celebrate and enjoy themselves.  Music festivals often attract a lot of Halflings, for instance.  Cosplay and comic book conventions are another place you will find many Halflings.

Halflings happily signed the Dusk Veil Accords and have very little trouble fitting in with humans.  They might be seen as just short adults but, like in other settings, are often mistaken for precocious children.

New Halfling Feat

Human Kinship                      Feat 1

Centuries of integrating themselves into Human culture have taught Halflings to cooperate well with them.  You gain the Human feat Cooperative Nature

Human

You already know what a human is.  Or at least, as well as this author can tell you what a human is.  They are the dominant Ancestry on this planet.  There’s a very high likelihood that you are a human or at least know many humans.

The vast majority of humans in the modern world are unaware of the magic and fantastical creatures that are all around them.  Some of this is because of how hidden things are, sure.  But also, Humans have an amazing tendency to simply ignore anything that doesn’t fit into their world view.  That couldn’t have been a Goblin in that store, it was just a funny-looking kid.  Yeah, it was strange how loud those jets were, they shouldn’t be allowed to fly that low in a big city like this, and of course, there is no way it was a Dragon because Dragons aren’t real.   

You get the picture.

New human Feat

Expert Researcher                      Feat 1

You have spent a lot of time learning how to optimize your searches on the internet.  You are better at finding results that are useful and utilizing that information.

Whenever you use the Internet Research action the circumstance bonuses from Internet Research are increased by +1, so +2 on a success and +3 on a critical success.