Humans (FiD)

Human ethnicities implemented for Fox in the Dark set in Greyhawk. Not all of these are suited to be player characters in every campaign, consult with the group. Half-Folk are in this document. Non-human races are on their own page. The picture shows human ethnicities except Common, which is a mix of several groups.

Rules

If these rules are in play, each character selects a race at character creation and gains the corresponding special ability.

Action: One of the four "free" actions a starting character gets is supposed to reflect origin and another upbringing. The races here have a favored action listed, which members of that race admire and seek to master, making it suitable as an origin choice. This does not allow starting rating beyond the usual maximum of two.

Language: This is the native language of most people of this race, often indicating the language is a dialect of some more older language.

Human

Humans are the basis of comparison for other races. They are the most common people and the most widely adaptable.

Language: Depends on subrace.
Action: Depends on subrace.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Common

Fantasy Americans—English, Dutch, and German. The Common culture is emerging in the central Flanaess. Named after the Common language, these people may refer to themselves as Cosmopolitans.

Appearance Common humans are a mix of races, displaying very diverse traits. They show a wide range of eye, skin, and hair colors, from black to dark olive to fair skin and from black, sandy, or ruddy to blond hair. Physical stature also varies greatly. While ancestry can sometimes be guessed from appearance, cultural stereotyping can be misleading. For example, a Black man from Greyhawk City may have no cultural connection to the Tuov.

Role Accepting, pragmatic, ambitious, honest, and outgoing, Common humans strive to better their condition. While politics, ideals, and religion matter, these often take a back seat to personal success and self-realization. It is said the Common people are a society of shopkeepers.

History A mixture of Flan, Oeridian, and Suel, with smalls trains of Baklunish, Olman, and Tuov. Common humans combine useful elements of older cultures. They are less gifted in magic but excel in martial and mercantile roles. The first Cosmopolitan culture emerged in Keoland, a feudal nation where diverse peoples merged. The Ulek states developed their own separate but compatible Cosmopolitan culture. The modern Common culture thrives in commercial city-states like Dyvers, Greyhawk, the Wild Coast cities, the Sea Princes, and Sasserine. It also influences the Iron League and Solonor Compact, while more chaotic areas like the Shield Lands and Bandit Kingdoms are often seen as ragtag lands of immigrants rather than fully Cosmopolitan.

Politics Common people often claim to ignore politics, they are content with any government that allows them personal freedom and happiness. A strong defense of these values often leads to political turmoil and the threat of revolution. Even when governments change, the basic structure of society and its institutions often remain intact. Neglecting political issues has caused major problems, such as the invasions by Iuz and Pomarj.

Integration Common people define integration. They quickly adapt to and absorb other cultures, spreading Cosmopolitan values. Similarly, they integrate into other societies but gradually reshape them to align with Cosmopolitan ideals.

Family Monogamous relationships are the norm, with liaisons tolerated. Lineage is determined by social standing, and children inherit the identity of the most prosperous parent. Nuclear families are strong, while extended families are weaker. Though viewed as morally lax by other cultures, Common people have strong taboos against polygamy and incest. They widely accept gender equality, prostitution, birth control, and intercultural marriage.

Vices The dynamic nature of Common culture can shock others, making Common people seem cruel or rash. For example, a Common man who buys land may evict long-standing tenants without regard for their customary rights, viewing this as rational and efficient.

Language: Common humans choose a human language other than Common to represent their ancestry or master Common to a high degree, matching the dialect of the land wherever they go.
Action: Any.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Baklunish

Fantasy Persians. The Baklunish were once a nomadic people who built a great empire in the northwest of the Flanaess, later destroyed in a war with the ancient Suel. They have since rebuilt into an urban civilization and remain a largely homogeneous group, supported by their shared religion. The Baklunish are often militant, frequently engaging in conflicts with other cultures and within their own over religious divisions.

Appearance Baklunish people have a sandy complexion and stand between 160 and 170 cm tall. Most have dark eyes and hair, though some have green eyes and brick-red hair.

Virtue Honor, respect for clan, generosity, and piety are core Baklunish values. Wealth is revered as a blessing from the Lady of Fate, and the wealthy are expected to give to charity. However, the poor are often viewed with contempt. The Baklunish strive for harmony with nature, seeing the universe as a balance of opposing forces—Good versus Evil, or the elements against one another. Humans can align with these forces and be drawn into their conflicts or choose to remain neutral in pursuit of peace. To seek allegiance is to seek conflict. Virtuous Baklunish align themselves with law and goodness or remain neutral and detached.

Politics Baklunish politics are shaped by tension between city dwellers and the nomadic people of the hinterlands. Cities are wealthy but often seen as decadent, while nomads are poorer but maintain strong military power. Many city nobles trace their heritage to nomad families who took control of cities, though they now resemble the "soft" urban elite. Even so, cities remain centers of power capable of building nations and empires.

Integration Baklunish individuals are known as fair traders and maintain good relations with other groups, but they rarely integrate fully. Cross-cultural marriages are uncommon, and when they occur, the wife is generally expected to adopt her husband’s culture and abandon her own.

Family Baklunish families are polygamous, with marriages often arranged and inheritance traced through the male line. Women are not formally inferior but are expected to take a more reserved societal role and a more active role in the home. Men typically act as public spokespeople, though women often lead in practice. Incest is avoided by Baklunish standards, though their definition is narrow. Sibling marriages are forbidden, but marriage between cousins or nephews and uncles are common, particularly to preserve wealth within the clan. A noble custom is for a younger brother to marry his elder brother’s daughter. The Baklunish also practice circumcision, bride-price, and have strict taboos against nudity, pornography, and promiscuity.

Power Use The Baklunish have unique magical traditions, often practicing theurgy, wizardry, and chi powers (often labeled psionics). These traditions are distinct from and difficult to merge with eastern magical practices.

Language: Baklun.
Action: Consort.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Flan

Fantasy natives, be they Celts, Amerindians, or Slavs. Though nearly obsolete as a distinct people today, the Flan have profoundly influenced present-day Oerdians and, to a lesser extent, the Suel—more than those proud peoples admit. The Common culture inherited many Flan traits and assimilated much of their population, making Flan culture and religion among the more influential in the Flanaess. The Flan also left numerous landmarks and ruins, and understanding their culture can be essential for successful exploration.

Appearance Flan vary greatly in stature, but all have reddish-brown skin tones that pale towards the north. They have black hair and usually dark eyes, though some exhibit strikingly bright eye colors. Their faces tend to be angular, with distinctive noses and chins.

Role Generous, boisterous, carefree, superstitious, and brave, the Flan prioritize survival over alignment. They do what they must and seek allies wherever they can. Servitude under evil is considered preferable to death’s oblivion. The powers of light are seen as benevolent and worthy of service when possible, but the powers of darkness are sought in desperate times. A tribe member might sacrifice themselves by embracing evil to save their people, only to be condemned and killed but honored in death for their sacrifice.

Politics Flan are highly conservative, often adopting a siege mentality. Any change to their cultural norms is viewed as an invasion, and even speaking to outsiders may be taboo. This attitude is primarily seen in the few remaining unassimilated Flan, who are culturally distinct but isolated. Historically, the Flan were more open to outsiders.

Integration As a group, Flan integrate poorly, but many have been drawn into other societies over the centuries. While they seem to adapt well, they often bring subtle elements of their cultural heritage with them.

Family Unassimilated Flan practice group marriage, where a central female has multiple husbands, who may also take secondary wives, often the matriarch's daughters. Flan are matrilineal, tracing descent and inheritance through the female line. Promiscuity and extramarital liaisons are encouraged, particularly in religious ceremonies. Flan myths frequently explore the challenges of managing jealousy among multiple husbands.

Power Use Flan magic is primarily druidic and sorcerous, drawing on natural currents of magic. Their spells often focus on protection and divination to avoid trouble rather than confront it. Popular spells manipulate adversity into advantage, such as weather control, charm, geases, divination, and wards. In dire circumstances, Flan magicians turn to necromancy.

Ur-Flan The Ur-Flan were a proto-urban culture among the Flan, forming temple cities and necropolises. They practiced wizardly necromancy and dark magic, which ultimately led to their downfall. Most were consumed by their own magic. The last Ur-Flan were conquered by the Oerdians. Though never significant in numbers, the Ur-Flan ruled harshly over other Flan and are now regarded as bogeymen to frighten children.

Language: Flan.
Action: Prowl.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Oerdians

Pseudo-French and Latinos. The epitome of human pride, the Oerdians are lords among men, strong and confident to a fault. They have built powerful nations and dominate much of the central Flanaess, from Nyrond to the Great Kingdom. Oerdians are divided into tribes that grew into nations, with the Aerdi of the Great Kingdom being the strongest and most well-known. The Oerdian people as a whole are sometimes referred to as Aerdi.

Appearance Oerdians are tall and muscular, often hulking in stature, with olive or ruddy complexions complemented by brown or reddish hair.

Alignment Accepting, loyal, warlike, worldly, and practical, Oerdians lack the extreme vices and virtues seen in other peoples. Their culture is worldly and grounded, focusing less on high ideals and more on pragmatic results. Whether good or evil, Oerdians prioritize outcomes over ideology.

Politics As the dominant race in much of the Flanaess, human politics was until recently synonymous with Oerdian politics. Conflicts within Oerdian culture often revolve around the struggle between good and evil, exemplified by the divine brothers Hieroneous and Hextor. Oerdians are generally tolerant of differences on the Law–Chaos axis, with communities often accommodating both lawful and chaotic members in harmony.

An important factor in Oerdian politics is the influence of the different tribes that participated in the great migrations. These tribes are identified by their distinctive dialects. Different tribes favor different deities, but this mainly applies to the nobility. All Oerdian commoners favor the wind gods and Zilchus the merchant.

Aerdi: The primary tribe that settled the Great Kingdom, especially its southern and central parts. Aerdi is sometimes referred to as "High Oerdian" and served as the court language of the Great Kingdom. Its speakers primarily worship Hextor.
Diembri: The Thallari tribe settled what is now Andoran and its Medegi branch in what is today Medegia, worshipping Pholtus. During the empire, this dialect was seen as rustic, but with the rise of the republic, Diembri has become Andoria's official language.
Ferral: The tribal language of the now extinct Greftamals tribe, now used only by officials of the Iron League. Ferral functions as a military command language rather than a living tongue. Concerns have arisen that the Scarlet Brotherhood has compromised this code-tongue. It is also of interest as the basis of signaling systems.
Keoish: A widespread dialect based on the ancient Kalgonite tribe's speech, Keoish incorporates expressions from Aerdi, Thallari, Suel, and Flan. It is spoken in and around Keoland and is the precursor to the Common tongue.
Nyrondese: This dialect is spoken in rural areas of Nyrond, where the upper classes now primarily use Common. Nyrondese remains the language of peasants and common folk who distrust outsiders. Nyrondians traditionally honor Hieroneous.
Velondi: Originally the language of the Vollar tribe, Velondi is still spoken in Veluna and western Furyondy. Veluna is now devoted to Rao, while Furyondy reveres Hieroneous.

Integration Oerdians are open to integrating other cultures and gods, especially when they maintain dominance. As the ruling race of the Flanaess, they have assimilated large populations of Flan and Suel, resulting in few "pure" Oerdians today. Their identity has become more cultural than racial. However, as Oerdians are absorbed into the expanding Common culture, regions that remain culturally Oerdian have begun to develop a defensive stance to resist this integration.

Powers Pragmatism defines the Oerdians’ approach to power. They view magical abilities as tools, often used to create items for everyday use and improve daily life. Oerdian magic users typically focus on combat magic, with each developing a personal specialty.

Language: Pick a specific dialect of Oerdian.
Action: Skirmish.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Olman

Native South Americans. The Olman were the culturally dominant people of northern Hepmonaland thousands of years ago and later of the Amedio Jungle during an era when gods were more inhuman and less benevolent. Over time, the Olman abandoned their empire and forsook their gods for shamanism. Today, they live in semi-barbarism and are often exploited by other peoples. It seems the Olman cannot sustain a civilization without their evil gods, who bring doom to them in an eternal cycle.

Appearance Olman have highly saturated skin tones ranging from fair to dark brown, which appear reddish to outsiders. They have chiseled features with distinct noses, chins, and brows. Hair is universally black, while red hair is extremely rare and considered a sign of the divine.

Alignment Fatalism, piety, grandiosity, and tradition are central to Olman culture. Many Olman view themselves as actors in a divinely inspired drama, fulfilling roles assigned by their gods. Living life in a grandiose manner matters more to them than the consequences of their actions.

Politics Olman gods are almost universally evil and often chaotic, which makes even good Olman societies appear cruel and bloodthirsty to outsiders. Good Olman comply with their gods’ demands while striving to make life as bearable as possible. Evil Olman revel in their gods' thirst for blood and pain, often advancing to high religious ranks even in societies that are not otherwise evil. An Olman high temple may be deeply evil and cruel while still overseeing a prosperous land where the majority lead good lives.

Integration The Olman struggle to integrate with other groups, often isolating themselves in their villages or city sections. This is partly due to their distrust of foreign gods, whom they perceive as disguised aspects of their own deities. As a result, Olman are often treated poorly by others, facing subjugation or even enslavement.

Family Olman family structures include conventional marriages, group marriages, and theogamy (marriage to a deity), all strictly regulated by tradition. Inheritance is matrilineal, passing through the mother’s line, though the husband is the family’s head. Brother-sister marriage and other forms of incest are common. Nudity and religious practices involving sadism and sadomasochism are encouraged, while promiscuity is taboo. Barbarian tribes have simpler family structures, usually conventional or group marriages.

Powers Olman power use is dramatic and ceremonial, designed to impress and terrify. Their gods rarely grant protective or healing abilities. They lack wizards and bards, but their sorcerers possess destructive spells that affect large areas. Their magic focuses on instilling fear and showcasing divine might rather than providing support or protection.

Language: Olman.
Action: Attune.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Rhenne

The Rhenne are a migrant population, some living on the waterways of the Nyv Dyr and others traveling the roads of civilized lands. Nonmilitant yet not docile, they attach themselves to the civilizations of others while maintaining their distinct identity.

Appearance Rhenne are lithe yet strong, with dark hair, dark eyes, and olive-toned skin in a wide range of shades. They are often considered attractive by other humans.

History The Rhenne originate from another world called Ravenloft. Scholars debate whether this is an entirely separate cosmos or a region within the Shadowfell. Ravenloft is a land dominated by dark forces and abandoned by the gods, which explains the Rhenne’s cultural phobia of formal worship. Any Rhenne who devote themselves to a god or patron is cast out from their community.

The relatives of the Rhenne who remain in Ravenloft are called the Vistani and are said to possess the ability to cross between worlds at will. To the Rhenne of the Flanaess, the Vistani are bogeymen—mysterious figures who might appear without warning, pretending to be kin.

Role The Rhenne are clannish, laid back, chauvinistic, and manipulative. They value freedom above all else, embracing chaos to a fault. Despite this, they hold friendships and clan loyalties in high regard, though such loyalties can shift quickly if honor is at stake. The Rhenne reject stable societies with defined laws and servitude to higher powers, even chaotic ones. Whatever forces shaped their old homeworld left deep scars and an enduring distrust of any authority.

Politics The Rhenne rarely act with political cohesion. While individuals may defend their rights or pursue vendettas, the Rhenne as a whole are peaceful and avoid organized politics.

Integration As exiles from another world, the Rhenne are deeply paranoid, limiting their contact even with close neighbors. Although they are friendly and sociable, they rarely open up to outsiders. It is speculated that the Rhenne fled an oppressive force or outstayed their welcome in their previous world, fostering their defensive mindset and wariness of others.

Family Rhenne families revolve around the clan. Couples often live as though married, but their arrangements are casual, and responsibility for children is shared within the clan. It is uncommon for a child’s father to belong to the same clan as the mother. Stable relationships, even involving siblings, lack legal recognition. Birth control is widely practiced to prevent inbreeding within the clan. Clan elders track lineages and enforce a deeply ingrained incest taboo. Adoption, inter-clan transfers, and even out-of-culture breeding are encouraged as healthy practices. Procreative sex is viewed as a civic duty rather than tied to marriage or relationships, and these customs easily translate into prostitution when interacting with other cultures.

Powers The Rhenne refuse to use god-inspired powers and are cautious with magic. They prefer subtle abilities like sleight-of-hand and legerdemain. Women are more likely to possess genuine magical talents, serving as shamans, psychics, or sorcerers, focusing on divination, enhancement, and illusion. Male power-users are rare but tend to be powerful and destructive sorcerers. There are rumors of Rhenne rituals that allow them to "travel the mists," reaching distant places—or even returning to Ravenloft—but such claims are strongly denied.

Language: Rhopan.
Action: Sway.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Suel

50s Hollywood villains, Romans, and Nazis. The Suel, or formally Sueloise, are descendants of refugees from their ancestral homeland, now the Sea of Dust. They are a far-ranging people. Most Suel have merged with Oerdians and Flan to form the mixed Common people of the central Flanaess. The groups that remain culturally Suel have done so due to isolation or xenophobia.

Appearance Suel are tall with light frames and fair, pale pinkish skin. Their hair ranges from platinum blonde to golden blond, though some individuals have sand-colored or black hair. Red hair is seen as an undesirable Oerdian trait.

Alignment The Suel are traditionally tolerant of good-evil differences, but conflicts within their culture revolve around Law and Chaos. They tend to go to extremes, viewing neutrality as spineless. Even in the lawful evil Scarlet Brotherhood, Lawful Good members are tolerated if they contribute, but chaotic alignments are not accepted.

There is a constant tension between lawful loyalty and chaotic pride within each Suel. Few remain neutral on the Law–Chaos axis, but their allegiance can shift very suddenly. It is not uncommon for a Suel to experience a crisis of faith, leading them to abandon a previous allegiance in favor of freedom or order. Even seemingly lawful Suel often harbor hidden vices, while the most independent and proud may endure great trials to uphold an oath or loyalty.

The Suel are a race of contrasts, often expressing paired virtues and vices, such as Thrifty/Selfish, Competitive/Domineering, Honest/Blunt, Self-assured/Arrogant, and Ambitious/Vain.

Politics Suel are exceptional at building societies, but their propensity for long-standing clan feuds makes cooperation between Suel nations difficult. This lack of pragmatism contributed to their displacement by the Oerdians throughout much of the Flanaess.

Integration Suel do not integrate well into other societies but often live as distinct cultural groups within settlements of other peoples, particularly the Olman and Tuov. Suel frequently rise to leadership in these mixed communities. Their understanding of their own clannishness enables them to adapt to the quirks of other groups. When Suel do integrate into another culture, they quickly adopt the Common culture.

Family The Suel practice conventional monogamy. Divorce is allowed but seen as a sign of "turning to chaos" and abandoning one’s societal duties. Descent is traced separately through the male and female lines: boys belong to their father’s family, while girls belong to their mother’s family. A bastard boy is either cast out or killed unless adopted or recognized by his biological father.

The Suel incest taboo extends to second cousins, creating extraordinarily complex family trees. Nuclear families are strong, but extended families are often too intricate to function effectively.

Each family has local leadership, with separate heads for the male and female lines. It is the family head’s duty to ensure newborns are "pure" Suel and have recognized parentage. Unfit children are exposed to the elements, often resulting in death or the emergence of vengeful druids hostile to their ancestry.

Vices Suel are prone to egomania and chauvinism, prioritizing themselves, their clan, and their people in that order. They spend considerable time mapping family trees and arranging advantageous marriages. They look down on other human races, tolerating them only if they accommodate Suel needs and warring with them if they do not.

Powers Suel have a strong affinity for magic, particularly transmutation spells for altering the world and conjuration spells for summoning and binding supernatural beings. As great theorists, the Sueloise prefer wizardry. Their approach to theurgy focuses on methods rather than outcomes, classifying miracles by domain rather than ethos.

Language: Pick a specific dialect of Sueloise. These dialects have drifted significantly and are often barely comprehensible to one another.
- Amedi: Only Suel of the Amedio Jungle speak this corrupt form of Ancient Suloise with Olman influences. Its few written symbols are Suloise alphabet characters.
- Cold Tongue: A dialect of Suel spoken by the Suel barbarians of the north-east. It is usually written using Dwarven runes.
- Lendorian: This obscure dialect of Suloise (influenced by Common and full of nautical terms) was spoken in the Lendore Isles by humans before they were deported by elves in 583 CY. Only human refugees know it now. It has no relation to Elvish and is not written.
- Qudran: Spoken in the desert lands on the far side of the mountains of the Nippon Territories and in the Bright Desert.
- Zankri: Spoken by the divine caste of Zindia, descendants of Suel invaders.
Action: Command.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.

Tuov

Sub-Saharan African, notably Ethiopian. Tall and dark-skinned, the Tuov are exceptional hunters on the plains of their native Hepmonaland.

Appearance Tuov are tall and lean, with light frames. Their skin tones range from bluish-black to dark chestnut. Their black hair often has a brownish or reddish tint, is compact, and tends to be curly. They have long legs and pronounced buttocks, making them remarkable runners.

Role Tuov embody archetypes such as the noble savage, the tenacious yet oppressed, and the sinister native. Tribal Tuov are proud and independent, capable of dealing with outsiders as respected equals. Civilized Tuov, however, often form oppressive kingdoms or theocracies, enslaving and exploiting their neighbors. Enslaved Tuov are resolute, determined first to survive and then to win their freedom.

Politics Tuov societies are often temporary and chaotic. Hepmonaland is scattered with the ruins of Tuov cities. New kingdoms are typically founded by charismatic leaders who rally followers for ambitious missions, forming unique and complex societies that rarely endure more than a few generations.

Integration To those unfamiliar with them, Tuov may appear startlingly different. However, once the initial reaction subsides, they tend to get along well with most other peoples. Challenges in relationships often arise from historical contexts, such as the Tuov’s enslavement and the need for emancipation to establish equitable connections.

Family In tribal Tuov societies, monogamy is the norm. Among civilized Tuov, however, the legacy of slavery creates unstable and unequal relationships, where those in power can impose polygamy on the Tuov.

Vices Tuov are passionate about boasting and competition, which can sometimes escalate into conflict. Team sports may devolve into brawls, while personal rivalries, such as those in courtship, can become violent and destructive.

Powers Tribal Tuov often include many Animists and Chosen, who work closely with fey and spirits. Civilized Tuov practice organized religions, including darker faiths like demon worship as an undercurrent in otherwise functional societies. Noble families frequently possess Sorcerous bloodlines, using their powers to assert their right to rule. Both tribal and civilized Tuov practice Wizardry, though their wizards often live apart from society as hermits or monks.

Language: Tuov.
Action: Finesse.
Special Ability—Adroit: Humans start with an additional advance, either an action or a special ability available to their playbook. Humans also have increased effect on endurance tasks, allowing them to go longer without rest, and +1d on healing rolls.