Cultures
The first step in the origin creation process is choosing your character’s culture. This is the culture that they were raised in, or that of their parents, and does not need to be related to their species. A character’s culture can be used to represent their past as a refugee, adoption into a new family, or being raised outside of their own people for any other reason. The culture that you choose provides your character with a number of proficiencies and traits that they would have learned through living amongst that culture, or that members of that culture are often trained in.
For each species, there are a handful of suggested cultural options. When building your character, you can choose only one culture to gain traits from. Each culture listed here includes a description of what sort of life a character from that culture would experience. This description can range from the morals and traditions instilled in them to how they found themselves a part of that culture to begin with. The following sections appear in the description for most cultures.
See here for cultures from the world of Arden.
Alignment
A creature’s general moral and personal attitudes are represented by its alignment. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, nine distinct alignments define the possible combinations.
These brief summaries of the nine alignments describe the typical behaviour of a creature with that alignment. Individuals might vary significantly from that typical behaviour and few people are perfectly and consistently faithful to the precepts of their alignment.
Lawful good (LG) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society. Gold dragons, paladins and most dwarves are lawful good.
Neutral good (NG) folk do the best they can to help others according to their needs. Many celestials, some cloud giants and most gnomes are neutral good.
Chaotic good (CG) creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect. Copper dragons, many elves and unicorns are chaotic good.
Lawful neutral (LN) individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or personal codes. Many monks and some wizards are lawful neutral.
Neutral (N) is the alignment of those who prefer to steer clear of moral questions and don’t take sides, doing what seems best at the time. Lizardfolk, most druids and many humans are neutral.
Chaotic neutral (CN) creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedom above all else. Many barbarians and rogues and some bards, are chaotic neutral.
Lawful evil (LE) creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of tradition, loyalty, or order. Devils, blue dragons and hobgoblins are lawful evil.
Neutral evil (NE) is the alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms. Many dark elves, some cloud giants and goblins are neutral evil.
Chaotic evil (CE) creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by their greed, hatred, or bloodlust. Demons, red dragons and orcs are chaotic evil.
For many thinking creatures, alignment is a moral choice. Humans, dwarves, elves and other humanoid species can choose whether to follow the paths of good or evil, law or chaos.
Alignment is an essential part of the nature of celestials and fiends. A devil does not choose to be lawful evil, or tend towards lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in its essence. If it somehow ceases to be lawful evil, it changes into something new, a transformation worthy of legend.
Most creatures that lack the capacity for rational thought do not have alignments. They are unaligned. Such a creature is incapable of making a moral or ethical choice and acts according to its bestial nature. Sharks are savage predators, for example, but they are not evil; they have no alignment.
Alignment is a tool for developing your character’s identity. It is not a straitjacket for restricting your character. Each alignment represents a broad range of personality types or personal philosophies, so two characters of the same alignment can still be quite different from each other. Most cultures have tendencies toward certain alignments, as described here. These are not binding for player characters, but are nevertheless a useful guideline for informing roleplay. For example, considering why your dwarf raised in a mountain hall is chaotic in defiance of lawful mountain hall society can help you to better define your character.
Cultural Features
Each culture contains a range of features. You gain all of the traits associated with your chosen culture, unless the text says otherwise.
Languages
This section details the languages that a character can read, speak, write, and sign, provided there is no disability or condition that prevents them from doing so. When given a choice of language, consider choosing one that further brings your character to life. This decision could be impacted by family, previous occupations, or even a special interest.