New Mechanic: Heritage

Heritage reflects a character’s background and history, offering many more choices for greater customisation to each game. Please note that while Heritage is a part of each character’s background, it is a separate and distinct mechanic from each playbook’s Background move.

Your choice of race or heritage should ideally bring some creative influence into the conversation. An elven ranger isn’t the same as a human ranger with pointy ears. When you create a new character, decide on your species, ethnicity, and cultural heritage, choosing anything or any combination of things that sounds interesting to you and the other players. Then choose four Heritage moves based upon your background. Heritage moves are simple phrases or actions your character can do that reflect your character’s heritage: their ancestry, homeland, culture, or youth.

When you Spout Lore about your heritage, you automatically succeed, as if you had rolled a 10+.

Using a Heritage move may allow you to obviate or overcome a Danger that would otherwise need to be Defied, or grant Lore without having to Spout it first. However, they should not be allowed to deal damage without having to roll for it. Using a Heritage move to set up or augment another move may give advantage on that move. Exactly what happens is left to the GM’s discretion.

Heritage Boxes

Some Heritage moves can only be used sporadically. Their use is tracked with Heritage boxes.

As part of the End of Session move (and when the game begins), mark a Heritage box. When you draw upon your heritage to perform a task, erase a mark from one of your Heritage boxes and make one of your Heritage moves. No roll is necessary; you just make that move. When you reveal a downside to your Heritage that creates some meaningful tension or disadvantage for you, mark a Heritage box. The GM may ask you to Defy Danger or give disadvantage to a move you make that follows when this downside impacts you.

When you Level Up, if you are level 6 or higher, instead of choosing a new move, you may gain a third Heritage box. If you choose this option, you also immediately mark all of your Heritages boxes for free. You may only choose this option once.

Example Heritages

Below, a few common racial and cultural choices as presented as examples, but players are encouraged to think of their own heritages and accompanying moves.

Dwarves of Khazak Ankor

  • Analyze stonework
  • Resist poison
  • See through the darkness
  • Sniff out gold and silver

Elves of Eldren

  • See clearly in faint light
  • Balance with uncanny grace
  • Blend into the forest
  • Listen to the whispers of the trees

Norscan Clans

  • Endure hardship to keep a sworn vow
  • Find shelter in harsh places
  • See the honor in others
  • Ignore pain and cold

Citizens of Breanne

  • Read and write a foreign language (choose the language when you first use this move)
  • Hold fast to what you love
  • Rationalise in the face of madness
  • Blend in with a crowd

Vagrants of Littlewood

  • Find a place to hide
  • Survive on an empty stomach
  • Deflect aggression or suspicion by acting meek
  • Size up a mark

Military Caste of the Sarameian Empire

  • Remain focused or marching despite fatigue
  • Evaluate a military situation
  • Hold the line
  • Make hasty repairs to your gear

Nomads of Ardath

  • Scavenge for food or shelter in the plains
  • Watch a threat from afar
  • Read the weather
  • Coordinate an assault on a bigger target