Common (Greyhawk Action)

Attributes and Schticks

Body: 5-10
Mind: 5-10
Reflexes: 5-10
Move: 5

Hybrid Race

Inherent

Select one Race other than human. You are a hybrid of human and the selected race. The GM might not allow hybrids with all races, check before making your selection. Someone with this feat is often called a half-X, where the X stands for the selected race.

You look like a hybrid between a human and your selected race and might be mistaken for either.
You can purchase the racial schticks of the selected race.
Note which attribute has the highest racial maximum for the selected race; you get to pick one if there is a tie. Your racial maximum for this attribute becomes 11.

Description

Pseudo-English
This the emerging culture of the central Flaness. Many are citizens of the emerging city-states, from Dyvers and Greyhawk over the cities of the Wild Coast, Sea Princes, and Sasserine to the Iron League. A mixture of Flan and Oerdian, with traces of Suloise and Baklunish, the common people are hardy but otherwise varied, combining many of the best elements of earlier cultures. The are less magically talented, prospering in martial classes and as merchants.

Attribute bonuses: +2 Dex, +2 any one other attribute.

Appearance

Common humans are a mix, and thus display very diverse traits. They have a wide range of skin and hair colors, from dark olive to fair skin and from black over sandy and ruddy to blond hair. Likewise, length and girth also vary a lot. Their ancestry can sometimes be traced in their appearance, but such stereotyping can also be dangerously misleading.

Role

Accepting, Pragmatic, Ambitious, Honest, Outgoing. Common man is homo economicus, always striving to better his own condition. While politics, ideals, and religion matter, they take second stand to having a good life and realizing oneself. It has been said that the common people is a people of shopkeepers.

Politics

Common men would like to say that they ignore politics, only when they do things usually end up badly. Content to live under any political system as long as it does not interfere with their personal lives and pursuit of happiness, common men are so territorial about these things that their government is usually in turmoil and revolution is an everyday possibility.

Integration

Common men pretty much define integration. With enough tolerance to adapt quickly and absorb other even more quickly, the common culture and its values can be insidious in how they spread.

Family

Monogamous. Liaisons are tolerated. Lineage is by social standing; children inherit the name and identity of the most prosperous parent. Core family is very strong; extended family is weak. Though common morals are often seen as lax by other peoples, there are taboos against public nudity, masturbation, and incest, while gender equality, prostitution, birth control, and marriage outside the culture are all accepted practices.

Vices

The common culture is very dynamic; if it has a flaw, it might be failing to realize how shocking this can be to other people. This can make common people seem cruel and rash to tothers when they only consider themselves rational and efficient. For example, if a common man has bought a piece of land, he might want to evict generations of tenants and start over with some other land use without regard for the customary rights of these people in other cultures.

Pantheon

The common gods do not form a pantheon. It is a collection of gods popular today in the central Flaeness. This disassociation of gods from their pantheons was what started the syncretistic theology that led to a new understanding of gods, avatars, and exarches. Thus, the common mythos usually applies the "game names" to the gods.

Pelor

Pelor is the main common god, not because of his position in a pantheon but because he is a very popular. His cult appeals to common people and knights alike.

Mayaheine

Lawful Good

Mayaheine is something of a pelorite answer to the church of st. Cuthbert. Mayaheine is more of a saint in the church of Pelor than a separate cult. She is an exarch of Pelor, the goddess of sun paladins and the defender of civilized society.

St. Cuthbert

St. Cuthbert has a very popular church, second only to Pelor, St. Cuthbert appeals to people living on the frontier and to hard-working city folks. Some consider him too strict, but his worshippers are often very successful, which naturally attracts more people. He is an exarch of Moradin.

Bahamut

Bahamut has replaced Hieroneous as the common god of chivalry. He is seen as less upper-class and conservative, more hands on and impartial. Still, his cult is not very large.

Beory

The various fertility cults have been syncretistically reduced to one, under the Flan name Beory . She is sometimes called Oerth. The exact forms of her worship vary widely, and she has a thousand different names.

Bleredd

The Iron Mule is the god of smiths and crafts, and is popular in wide areas. He is the divine craftsman, and brought knowledge of smithcraft to humans. He is an exarch of Moradin.

Boccob

Called the uncaring, archmage of the gods. Corellon is known among humans mainly in this guise, having greater appeal without the association with the fey.

Zagyg

Zagyg the Mad, the ascended mayor of the City of Greyhawk is a god of crazy pranks and wild magic. He is not widely worshipped, but features widely in stories and jokes. He is an exarch of Boccob, that is of Corellon .

Ehlonna

Ehlonna the forest maiden is the goddess of the hunt and of youth. Many elves living among humans favor her, as do people who revere nature without actually depending on it.

Gruumsh

Gruumsh has become something of a generic god of brutes. Street gangs honor him, as do humanoids living among humans or who have lost their racial traditions.

Istus

Istus, the lady of fate, is often mentioned in prayers but attracts little true devotion. Her cult is monastic and rarely makes a spectacle of itself.

Kord

Kord is mainly a god of sport and gladiatorial games in the common culture, tough some swashbuckling youth have started to favor him as well.

Lolth

Lolth Lolth is known as a goddess of prostitution, intrigue and sex appeal, often depicted as a female drow of exaggerated proportions in slinky clothes few real drow would ever wear.

Daern

An ascended human and the goddess of fortification, and by extension of architecture and science, Daern represents a new tradition of intellectual gods and is an exarch of Moradin.

Nerull

As god of death and undead, Nerull is surprisingly respectable, his clerics tolerated as long as they play by the rules. Sometimes his cult exist under the auspices of the church of Pelor, an evil shadow kept to placate the forces of darkness.

Incabolous

The god of pestilence is rarely worshipped. Ceremonies are made to placate him, and his cult always gains adherents during times of famine and plague. He is an avatar of Nerull.

Olidarma

Olidarma is the he prince of parties and the king of luck, Olidarma is mainly a god of wine and gambling. Everyone knows thieves pray to him too, but that side is tolerated because people still just want to have fun.

Rao

Rao is the lord of light and perfection, worshipped mainly as a patron of science and learning. His cult is not large.

Luna

Sehanine is worshipped as the larger moon Luna, a moody goddess of secrets, shadows and magic. Her cult is small but she is a common figure in art.

Xan Yae

The lady of perfection is the patron of monks not of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Psychics also use her as a model in their meditations. Her cult is very small. She is an exarch of Sehanine.

Wastri the Hopping Prophet

This nonhuman god of self-deception is not generally taken seriously – his teachings are the butt of bad jokes. He is secretly an exarch of Tarizdun.

Tiamat

Tiamat is worshipped as the goddess of power and wealth. Cruel lords and unscrupulous merchants flock to her temples. Her cult is pretty good at staying out of trouble. Attendants are encouraged to wear masks, which allows them to avoid blame when one of the flock is discovered doing nefarious deeds.

Fharlanghn

The god of roads and travel has many wayside shrines. Caravaneers, sailors, and travelers pay him heed. He is an exarch of Yondalla.

Zilchus

The god of wealth and trade is highly popular but not respected or political. He has few temples but many shrines in offices and guild halls. This means it is often overshadowed by the churches of St. Cuthbert or Tiamat. He is an exarch of Yondalla.

Vecna

The god of secrets is an exarch of Rao. He has hidden covens of conspirators, often infiltrating churches of Rao or magical guilds. The cult is small, but many members are powerful mages or rogues.