Yay, another Wild Blue update! This time I’m giving you a look at all of the races I currently have designed. There may be more on the way, there may not; I’m certainly open to suggestions.

Now, before you ask me silly questions like “why are dwarves so angry?” and “why can halflings fly?”, I’ll address that question. The short answer is that the writeups I’m giving you match up with the setting I have in my head rather than any particular notion of what a dwarf or halfling or elf is; you’re seeing these mechanics sans setting text, so bear that in mind.

The slightly longer answer is that “dwarf”, “elf”, and “halfling” are names that humans came up with to describe the beings they encountered when they came to the continent on which the game takes place. See, the humans who settled in this land were fleeing their home for some reason or another. They came here, set up camp, and made war upon the indigenous people. They expanded their territory and gained a foothold, and the people who were already here were pushed back and marginalized, if not outright destroyed.

The people who lived here before humans game were called the Folk. They came in myriad shapes and sizes and had all manner of strange abilities, but they were all just the Folk, and they had no names to describe the different variations that they came in. They needed none.

Humans, however, need to classify things, to name them, to control them. They brough names with them, names from their legends and folklore: elf, dwarf, halfling. The most common variations of the Folk that they ran into matched up reasonably well with these concepts, so they applied them. The tall, thin, graceful spirits of the land became the elves; the stout and sturdy spirits of stone became dwarves; the tiny and nimble spirits of wind became halflings.

And that’s pretty much why these writeups are the way they are. Again, feedback welcome.

HUMAN

Talent
Driven: Step up your Exhaustion die to add it to any action.

Drawback
Corruptible: Gain 1 PP when you take a Complication having to do with succumbing to your baser nature.

Drive
For the Demesne

• Earn 1 PP when you defeat an enemy of the Demesne.
• Earn 50 XP when complete a major goal that benefits the Demesne in a significant way.
• Earn 500 XP when you convince someone to join the Demesne or you turn your back on the Demesne forever.

ELF

Talent
Child of the Land: Add a d6 and step up the effect die when creating an Asset representing the aid of the Land.

Drawback
A People Diminished: Gain 1 PP when you step up your Exhaustion because of the fading of magic.

Drive
Free the Land

• Earn 1 PP when you declare someone an enemy of the Land.
• Earn 50 XP when you protect the Land from those who would despoil it.
• Earn 500 XP when you either give your cause up for lost or champion your cause at great personal sacrifice.

DWARF

Talent
Soul of Stone: Spend 1 PP to ignore a Wound or Exhaustion from a physical source.

Drawback
Furious Anger: Gain 1 PP when you take a d8 Complication representing your blinding fury.

Drive
Ancient Traditions

• Earn 1 PP when you establish a taboo or tradition that you must adhere to.
• Earn 50 XP when you observe on of your taboos or traditions at a cost to yourself.
• Earn 500 XP when you either observe a taboo or tradition at a great cost to yourself and your allies or you break with your traditions forever.

HALFLING

Talent
Ride the Wind: Step up or double one Skill die when your ability to fly would be a factor. At the end of the action, step up Exhaustion.

Drawback
Small of Frame: Gain 1 PP when you take a d8 Complication or step up Exhaustion or Wounds as a result of your small size and delicate frame.

Drive
The Old Gods

• Earn 1 PP when create an Asset representing either or faith or a boon from the Old Gods.
• Earn 50 XP when you observe the Old Ways even when doing so would be inconvenient or dangerous.
• Earn 500 XP when you either complete a major task assigned to you by the Old Gods or deny their power and forsake them forever.