Variant Variant Humans
Humans are as widespread as they are well known. This sturdy race travels the world in search of adventure, trade, or conquest.
Diverse Heritage
As one of the most short lived races, human generations come and go in the cosmic blink of an eye. As such, humans can have vastly different cultures and appearances even if they are separated only by a mountain range or river. Though these countless sub-groups seem quite different, they remain one species.
When disparate groups of humanity bind together as nations, independent cultures persist. These ethnicities often define themselves by common origins and belief systems that give a united identity. Such traditions give people a sense of belonging in the chaotic and ever shifting world of human politics.
Where some kingdoms and empires embrace this dynamism, others will seek out dominance for single human groups and claim superiority or a righteous investiture to harm those seen as lesser. The most vicious tyrants of humanity can wield matters of heritage as a lethal weapon against other humans or any race of people in the land.
The Heart of Ambition
For good or for ill, humans are drawn towards greatness. They long to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves. It doesn't matter whether they're motivated to shape the future long after their deaths or are merely seeking to enjoy the brief time they have.
Humans can become fervent champions of righteous causes or delve into study to unravel the mysteries of the universe. They often earn the favor of several pantheons for their eager, devout service. In a dark reflection of this motive, fear of the grave and obsession with power may drive the humans to unspeakable abominations such as the pursuit of undeath or dominion over all.
Hierarchies and Harvest
Human society is defined by taming nature to serve the endless cycle of creation and collection. Where other races may use a handful of animals that align with their culture, humans have made an art form of domesticating beasts of burden to make up for weaknesses. Nature itself is shaped through canals, irrigation, and the rotation of crops. This level of manipulation can bring them in conflict with elves, druids, firbolg, and other wardens of the natural world.
Mingling Merchants
Human civilizations of a certain size often yield crops in great excess. Combine an abundance of goods with a desire to wander, and you have the foundations of a race that places great value on commerce and trade. Caravans set out along every road and ships sail the high seas to deliver product, delivering food to underground dwarvish thanes and bringing metal from those thanes to the woodland dwelling elves.
As a curious consequence, humans bare the largest number of half-blooded children as they settle in with elves, dwarves, and orcs. It's a commonly held belief that every human has an obscure ancestor or relative from a people that their ancestors have done business with, but after the second generation borrowed traits from certain ancestries disappear.
Human Names
Humanity has the most eclectic naming conventions owing to the wild disparity between their cultures. Depending on where you hail from, you could have any combination of first names, surnames, honorifics, suffixes denoting lineage, or nick-names. Your name can really be anything, it can even be borrowed from other races.
Some examples may include the following.
Male Names. Bor, Fodel, Glar, Aseir, Bardeid, Haseid, Aoth, Bareris, Ehput-Ki
Female Names. Alethra, Kara, Katernin, Atala, Ceidil, Hama, Arizima, Chathi, Nephis
Surnames. Brightwood, Helder, Hornraven, Ankhalab, Anskuld, Fezim, Chergoba, Dyernina, Iltazyara
Human Traits
The life of a human adventurer has given you the following innate characteristics.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other Ability Score of your choice increase by 1.
Age. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live more than a century.
Alignment. Humans are highly social creatures, so they usually favor lawful alignments, good or evil.
Size. Humans average between 5 and 6 feet in height, with weight typically ranging from 100 to 250 pounds depending on body type. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Unyielding Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against being stunned, frightened, or suffering levels of exhaustion.
Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Lesser Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Hastened Recovery. When you roll a one or a two on a hit dice for regaining hit points at the end of a short rest, you can roll again and must use the new roll.
Languages. You speak Common and one language of your choice.
Detect Balance Score: 27
These humans are a fair bit more powerful than the default humans from the Player's Handbook, but are much less easy to break than the variant humans from the same material. Their traits are mostly situational but can serve you incredibly well in the right circumstances.
Art Credits.
Page 1 Background: Merchant Quarters by SidharthChaturvedi
Human Fighter. Pathfinder Human by Paizo.
Human Racial Feats
Hunter's Mobility
Prerequisite: Human
You've trained your body to take advantage of humanity's inborn hunting instincts, and gain the following abilities.
- Your Strength or Constitution score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- As a bonus action, you gain climbing and swimming speed equal to your base movement speed until the end of your next turn. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, and regain the ability to do so after finishing a Long Rest.
- If you've hit a creature on your last turn and it moves away from you, you may use your reaction to move up to half your speed towards it. You must end this movement closer to your target.
Enhanced Range
Prerequisite: Human
Humans have a perfectly balanced body for throwing and shooting, with their strength matched by precision anatomical balance. You have refined this natural affinity and gain the following benefits.
- Your Dexterity score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- The range of thrown weapons, ranged weapons, and ranged spell attacks increases by 10 feet.
- When you score a critical hit with a ranged attack, you can roll one of the damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Pattern Recognition
Prerequisite: Human
Your mind is adapted to scan for and recognize patterns, which can highlight potential danger. You gain the following benefits.
- Your Intelligence score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- If forced to make a saving throw against an effect that you can see, such as traps and spells, you can use your reaction to add half of your Intelligence modifier (rounded down) to the roll. To gain this benefit, you can't be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
- You gain proficiency in the Investigation skill. If you're already proficient in it, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any check you make with it.