Those from the eladrin culture have a stronger connection to the fey than other societies, and this is reflected in their unique equipment, which tends to skirt the line between magical and mundane.

Eladrin Dueling Blade. These fearsome, thin, slightly-curved swords are always considered masterwork and always made of mithral, as its properties are necessary for the blade’s unique structure to function. An eladrin dueling blade has base damage of 1d8, and has the defensive (any), finesse, parrying, and versatile (1d10) properties. It counts as a longsword, rapier, bastard sword, and saber for any feats, class features, or similar mechanics that reference those weapons. An eladrin dueling blade is a martial weapon for anyone of the eladrin culture, but otherwise is considered a rare weapon.

Fey Tobacco. A common smoking herb of the eladrin, fey tobacco is not notably different from normal tobacco in terms of its effects on the person smoking it, but the smoke itself has the curious property of clinging to invisible creatures, making them easier to locate. When smoking fey tobacco (which takes 1 minute to pack into a pipe and an action to light), you gain an expertise die on attempts to locate invisible creatures within 10 feet of you. A single use lasts for 10 minutes of smoking.

Ladder Seeds. These small, unassuming seeds, when planted in soft earth and watered with just a few drops of water, will grow into a stout vine with regularly-spaced branches over the course of a minute. The vine functions as a 10-foot ladder and can support up to 500 pounds. The vine must be planted adjacent to the obstacle that will be scaled; if it is uprooted, it crumbles instantly. The ladder has an AC of 10 and 5 hit points. After an hour, the vine withers away and crumbles to dust.

Accustomed to large, diverse communities, cosmopolitans have developed an array of specialized tools to deal with the unique challenges and nuisances of living in a denselypopulated community.

Mending Kit. This small folding case contains needle and thread, various buttons, small scraps of different colored cloth and other small items useful for repairing garments. You can use it to quickly fix clothing that has suffered minor damage or wear and tear. Minor damage requires 5 minutes to fix, and a pant leg or sleeve that’s torn off at the seam can be reattached in an hour. You can also use it to make items or repairs that require a full sewing kit, but you must take twice the time and suffer disadvantage on crafting rolls if you do.

Money Belt. This pocketed wrap goes underneath your clothing and can hold up to 50 coins or up to 1 lb of miscellaneous small items such as spell scrolls, documents, thieves tools, or the like. Accessing or adding anything to the money belt requires 1 minute and possibly some partial disrobing, but unless you are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated , anything in there is safe from attempts to pickpocket you with Sleight of Hand. Perception checks to notice a money belt are made at disadvantage .

Phrasebook. A phrasebook is an extremely basic primer to a specific language, and allows slow, imprecise conversation in that language if you are not proficient with it. Each one has two languages listed: a native language and a translated language. You must be proficient in the native language to use the phrasebook. Because the language is so basic, even extremely simple conversations using the phrasebook take at least a minute and usually considerably longer. Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion checks relying on the use of the phrasebook suffer disadvantage or may not even be possible at the Narrator’s discretion.

Phrasebooks are useless in the translation of magical texts, engineering documents, and other texts with specialized jargon; their verbiage is centered around everyday communication, such as greetings, requests for directions, and commerce.

A small southern town, a delicious wine, and a holiday all share the same name; Erstwin. The small sunny town of Erstwin, situated far to the south, is famous for its various wines and surrounding vineyards. The town’s economy relies almost exclusively on winemaking, its supporting trades, and the celebration of the holiday, which draws many visitors.

The vintners that form the town’s ruling council spend a lot of time each summer assessing a special variety of grapes, known as erstleas. Small pale yellow fruit without seeds, this variety is prone to bursting if left on the vine too long. The vintners do this to determine the perfect moment to harvest the grapes, and therefore the date of the festival shifts every year depending on weather conditions. For a week before the forecasted day, the town’s streets are cleaned and swept, with fines for those that purposefully dirty them again.

At dawn on the day of the festival, most of the town and its many guests turn out to take part in the harvest while those left sweep the streets clean one last time. Plucking the vines bare, a great number of baskets are filled with yellow fruit and carried into the town before being emptied into long stone troughs. As only water is available between noon and dusk, a sense of urgency fills the morning as everyone hopes to finish in time to enjoy a glass or two of last year’s wine before the noontime bell at the center of town is rung. This bell signals the start of a food fight using the grapes, and it erupts on every street. With no alliances or victors, the fight is purely for the joy of it, lasting an hour before the bell sounds again.

When the second bell rings, combatants cease their conflict and work together to scoop up the shattered grapes, dumping the remnants back into the troughs. The vintners and their workers then spend the afternoon placing special lids on the troughs, using them to press the grapes, and preparing the results for fermentation. While this is done other revelers enjoy a generous feast of fruits, nuts, bread, and cheese. At dusk, the roasted meats are served and a great deal of wine flows.

Game Mechanics

The wine created on Erstwin takes at least 6 months to mature, but once bottled this delicate white wine has magical effects. A bottle of Erstwin contains sufficient liquid for four glasses, each of which grants the imbiber immunity to fear effects for the next two hours.

Though none now remember the name of the king he betrayed, Hals Lyle’s name lives on in infamy, and this tale—or something close to it—is taught to children across the land: Centuries ago a prince named Hals Lyle was discovered engaging in unholy practices and was cast out by his brother, the king. In his exile, he brooded and drew to himself the power-hungry, the disloyal, and those determined to overthrow the rightful king. Hals Lyle continued his studies in his banishment creating an army of clay guardians, with a plan to invade and make himself king.

His apprentice Lagen, fearful of the destruction such creatures would cause, sent warnings to six of his friends, providing them with secret words that would prevent the guardians from attacking. These citizens shared the details of the attack and the passwords with the king and have ever since been remembered as the “loyal six.” With these words, the king’s magicians were able to gain control of thousands of guardians. The Pottery War that could have destroyed the nation, ended in mere moments as half of Hals’ army turned against their master and destroyed the other half. Hals was captured by the king, and this time he was shown no mercy. After days of torture, during which he revealed the names of his co-conspirators, his tongue was torn out and two of his own guardians were used to hold him in a bonfire as he was burned alive.

Each year the loyal six and the death of Hals Lyle are celebrated across the land on the first full moon of the fall. As night falls, selected celebrants (often children or young adults) dress up as the six, wearing long-sleeved black gowns that hang loose at the shoulder and are tied with yellow cordage. Carrying an effigy of Hals wearing a long robe and with its chin painted red, they take it through the settlement. Stopping at each house along the way, they collect hard candied sweets from householders—tokens of respect for the loyalty of the six.

Finally, the dummy is added to a communal bonfire alongside several rough-made clay figures no bigger than a human’s head. A special dough is placed in these figures, and as the fires die they are removed and broken open. The cooked bread inside is consumed by those present and is believed to strengthen the eaters, fortifying their ability to remain loyal and true.

Game Mechanics

For a week following Halsyle Day, any Deception checks made against a creature that ate the bread are made with disadvantage . In addition, when such creatures share a meal lasting at least an hour they each gain 1d6 temporary hit points. A creature can only benefit from this effect once per short rest .

The game and celebration of Tarphen has been enjoyed for time immemorial, but is nowadays considered part of a god of war’s festival, which has adopted the name. Held at the end of the week after the first frost, the game consists of several teams with each protecting a champion held aloft on a shield. A team loses when their champion or shield touches the ground or if their champion loses contact with their shield, with the last team standing declared the victors.

In small towns and villages, the game is played for fun and in good spirits, and, while physical in nature, games are rarely more than shoving contests. In these communities, any adult is welcome to take part, meaning teams can contain dozens of individuals. Traditionally the only prize for the winners is a taste of the last of the prior year’s mead, though often the losers receive the same reward.

In more urban areas, leagues have emerged, with games played from midsummer until the finals on the festival itself. Extensive gambling, prizes for winning teams, and sponsorship have led to increasingly serious and brutal competitions. The church, concerned by the number of deaths that were happening, established some additional rules as follows:

• No more than five teams shall compete in a single match, with a maximum of twenty players on each team.
• A field of play is to be designated by four posts flying the war god’s pennants, forming a square no smaller than 50 feet by 50 feet, with the distances increased by 20 feet for each team after the first two.
• A champion leaving the field of play is eliminated as though they had touched the ground or been removed from their shield.
• Use of any form of magical enhancement through spells, charms, potions, or attuned items is strictly forbidden.
• No weapons, armor, non-competition shields, or items of clothing with solid plates, spikes, protrusions, or sharpened edges are allowed on the field.
• Biting, eye-gouging, and ear-ripping are not permitted. Three such infractions disqualify a team.
• A team’s shield must be flat, circular, and no larger than three feet in diameter. It must also have an edge at least two inches wide and no spikes or sharpened edges.
• A champion’s shield must at all times only be supported by players.

Game Mechanics

To simulate a game of Tarphen for PCs wishing to bet or participate, a Narrator should first determine the relative strength of each team. The weakest team is always considered a +1 with the other team at +1–4 depending on the level of discrepancy the Narrator desires. If a character with a Strength bonus higher than a team joins it, they provide a +1 character bonus.

For each round, an opposed d20 roll is made between the teams, adding team and character bonuses. This represents anywhere between five and twenty minutes of struggle between the teams. The winning team increases their team bonus by +1. This increases to +2 if the winning roll was a natural 20.

Once the results of the round have been applied, compare the teams’ bonuses. If one team’s bonus is 5 or more points higher than their opponent they have succeeded in dislodging the opposing champion and win the game. If not, the teams make another opposed roll.

If neither team has won after three rounds the teams move to a final sudden death opposed roll. Whichever team wins that roll also wins the match as both teams collapse in exhaustion. In this case, each competitor suffers 1 level of fatigue.

The comparison of team bonuses for a given round (excluding any character bonuses) also sets the odds for betting, which continues each round of the competition. The odds for a given team are equal to their opponent’s team bonus to their own bonus. The payout for a winning bet is equal to the stake (amount of coins wagered) × the first number of the odds + the stake originally wagered. If possible, odds are deduced to the lowest common denominator.

Example:

The team from the stevedore’s guild, the Red Eagles, is the weaker team (+1) and faces last year’s winners, the Golden Lancers (+4).

Jarek Bloodeye (a player character) joins the Eagles and his +4 strength bonus means he provides a +1 character bonus to the team. Jerak’s player rolls a 12 for the Eagles, to which they add the team bonus (+1) and character bonus (+1) totaling 14. The Narrator rolls a 9, to which they add the team bonus (+4) for the Lancers for a total of 13. Surprisingly the Eagles are giving the Lancers a really tough fight, and their team bonus increases to +2.

The following round the Jerak’s player rolls a 6 for the Eagles, adding their team (+2) and his character bonus (+1) for a total of 9. The Narrator rolls a natural 20 for the Lancers, adding their team bonus (+4), winning the round increasing their team bonus to +6. They are ahead by 4 and just need to win the next round to take the victory.

Because of their respective team bonuses of +1 and +4, betting on the Eagles at the start of the game would get odds of 4-1, while betting on the Lancers would give odds of 1–4. After the first round increases the Eagles’ team bonus to +2, the odds would shift to 2-1 (reduced down from 4-2) on the Eagles and 1-2 for the Lancers. Someone who bet 2 gold on the Eagles in the first round would get 4 gold for every 1 gold they wagered, plus their initial bet, meaning that they win 10 gold total: 8 gold + their stake of 2 gold.

Held after the final harvest, Bondsday is an allday festival celebrating the connections between friends and family. The celebration sees families and friends across the land spend daylight hours together eating, sharing stories, and renewing their connections. Households hosting a Bondsday feast garland their buildings with strings of brightly colored flowers and prepare a large array of cold and preserved foods in the days before.

It is considered very bad form to refuse a relative entry to a Bondsday feast, no matter how distant or strained the relationship. In fact, the day is often seen as an opportunity to offer apologies and mend broken ties. Weddings are almost never held on Bondsday, as it is seen as a time for reaffirming existing relationships, not establishing new ones. For similar reasons, it is considered unlucky to propose or enter into any new business dealings on the holiday.

Traditionally, the only food prepared on the day are soft pastries filled with summer fruits and shaped to resemble a buckle. These are consumed at dusk, after which the celebrants exchange simple handmade rings formed of 14 cloth, flowers, straw, and the like. Communities signify different relationships with specific designs or materials in a way unique to each settlement, and more recently political allies have begun trading these as well. Only worn till dusk the following day before they are burnt, these tokens are said to strengthen the bonds between givers.

Game Mechanics

The giving of a Bondsday ring creates a connection between celebrants. For 1d6 + 1 days after Bondsday, if a creature uses the Help action to assist a creature they gave a ring to the target gains an expertise die as well as advantage . A creature can’t benefit from this effect more than once per long rest .

Learning to thrive amidst the scraps and pieces left behind or cast aside by indifferent or lost civilizations takes some particular feats of ingenuity and tenacity.

Improvisational Genius || Item Intuition || Vermin Supreme

Communities of water elementaari form wherever water can be found in abundance: near quiet lagoons on tropical islands, along coastal sand dunes where ocean waves continually crash, atop arctic ice flows, or about large, natural waterfalls. Though these disparate climes can sometimes bring about striking differences, waterflow peoples share a healthy respect for both the life-giving and life-taking power of water.

Characters raised in the waterflow culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Born Sailor. You have proficiency with navigator’s tools and water vehicles. If you are already proficient, you instead gain an expertise die .

Water Affinity. You have adapted to the watery challenges of your home. Choose one of the following:

Aquatic Athleticism: You gain a swim speed of 30 feet, are proficient in Athletics, gain the swimming skill specialty, and add double your proficiency bonus to the number of minutes you can hold your breath before suffocating. If you already have a swim speed, it increases by 15 feet.

Frost-Tempered: You have resistance to cold damage. In addition, you automatically succeed on saving throws caused by an environment of extreme cold and gain an expertise die to Survival checks in such environments.

Water’s Bounty. You gain an expertise die on checks to perform the Hunt and Gather journey activity if you undertake it on or near a body of water, such as a lake, river, or ocean.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and Aquan

Small groups of air elementaari are often drawn to wide open spaces such as plains, buttes, and mountaintops, relishing the freedom from worldly concerns they offer. Such settlements value mental and physical discipline paired with simple living. They also claim a special connection to creatures of the air, such as birds, griffins, hippogriffs, and, most especially, rocs. In the spirit of this kinship, most settlements of this culture practice sky burial—a tradition where the bodies of the deceased are placed on mountain crags or other open areas to be eaten by such creatures.

Characters raised in the open-air ascetic culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Mind Over Flesh. Your austere way of life enables you to push your body’s limits. Choose one of the following:

Trained Fortitude: Your training enables you to temporarily ignore your hunger. You can go a number of days equal to your Constitution modifier without suffering any fatigue from lack of Supply . Afterwards you require twice as much Supply for as many days as you went without.

Trance: You don’t need to sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply, remaining conscious. While meditating, you can dream after a fashion. When you take a long rest , you spend 4 hours in your trance state (instead of sleeping for 6 hours). During the trance you suffer no penalty to passive Perception. A long rest remains 8 hours for you as normal, and the remainder of the time must be filled only with light activity.

Mobility Training. You gain proficiency in Athletics. Additionally, you add 5 feet to the distance or height you can jump with a running start. Finally, on your turn you can double your speed without using the Dash action. You can’t use this feature again until you have spent at least one turn without expending movement.

Tranquil Artistry. You have cultivated skills to focus and calm your mind. You are proficient with one musical instrument and one set of artisan’s tools.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common, Auran, and two other languages of your choice.

Elementaari with a connection to the earth are natural builders and craftsfolk, finding joy in the construction (and sometimes destruction and reconstruction) of individual dwellings and communal working spaces. Mud bricks, field or quarry stones, and mined metals are their preferred mediums. They gather in places where these materials are plentiful and easily accessed.

Characters raised in the earthen artisan culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Constructive Instruction. You are proficient in Engineering, as well as with two from jeweler’s tools, mason’s tools, or potter’s tools. You can also use a bonus action to identify the weight-bearing wall or pillars of a structure, dealing double damage against it with your next weapon attack. Alternatively, you can double the hit points a structure regains from the next action you or an ally take to repair it.

Grounded. You gain an expertise die on saving throws against the knockdown and shove basic maneuvers.

Crafter’s Weapon Training. You are proficient with light hammers and warhammers.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and Terran, as well as your choice of Dwarven or Undercommon.