Characters of the Dragon Empire

Characters of the Dragon Empire

There are no good adventures to be had in the Dragon Empire, so those who wish to seek trouble travel to the less fornutate parts of the world. They tend to travel in groups, and are motivated to adventure for the thrill of it or out of altruism. They tend to be well educated compared to the residents of most of the world (except, of course, for the Wizards and Citizens.)

Races

Dragon-Blooded: Dragons can take mortal forms to dabble with humans. When they do, they often produce children. These are Dragon Blooded. These look more or less human. They have some minor marks depending on their heritage, frequently including brightly colored eyes and hair. They breed true, and almost all dragon blooded now existent are the childen of dragon blooded, not directly of dragons. They tend to be particularly wealthy and confident and rarely have any meaningful employment.

Dragon Blooded use the same mechanics as Dragonborn. They don't look like Dragonborn, they look more or less human, but mechanically they are identical.

Human Humans are the most common race here by far. Many have a few drops of dragon blood but are not truly "Dragon Blooded". (They may try to pretend that they are, but the lack of dragon breath is a real give away.) Humans in the Empire now enjoy the same wealth as their dragon blooded copatriots, but they have to work for it.

Shifters: Are fairly common here, although still a small perent of the total population. While not considered quite human, they're not seen as monsterous as they are in much of the world. They enjoy most of the rights of citizens of the Empire, which still puts them ahead of most of the world. Both types of shifter are common.

Other Races: Are rare. A few were brought over in former times as zoo pieces, and some of their descendants still linger, but they aren't allowed to travel and don't make good PCs.

Classes:

The Dragon Isle operates government schools and univeristies which train many of the classes. (The Wizard's Guild is unknown here.) This is the source of Artificers, Bards, Fighters, Monks, Rogues, Rangers, Sorcerors, Swordmages, Warlords and Wizards. These are by far the most common classes.

Most divine classes are unknown. The one exception is the Paladins of Bahamut. All Paladins of Bahamut belong to the military unit of the same name, which doesn't allow for retirment.

Warlocks are rare. They are people who discovered their magic on their own, and they generally keep this fact to themselves. Known warlocks are in danger of being exiled if the authority's judge to be dangerous, a judgement which can be difficult to repeal. Infernal warlocks are put to death.

The gentle environment of the Dragon Isles does not lend itself well to the primal classes. There are a few around, they are self-taught and much admired, but not common.

Languages

The official language of the Dragon Empire is Draconic. Dragon Empire characters start with Draconic instead of Common. Most PCs choose Common as a second language, but its not universal.

Equipment

Basically anything short of ultratech equipment or level 20+ magic weapon is available. High tech weapons are not uncommon.

Backgrounds

Gap Year: Your family is one of those who has to work, possibly in the army, a factory, or a government ministry. Nonethless, they lead a rich and proud life. You've decided to get some adventure while you're young.

Government Official: Military officials don't venture off the Isle in official capacity, but its easy to get a transfer to a civilian ministry or claim to be taking a vacation if you have a mission which needs doing.

Anthropologist, Tourist, Merchant: You're out to learn, buy, see, or whatever.

Characters of Men

The Kingdoms of Men was a vast, medival civilization that ruled over a third of the area of earth. History has not been kind to it, but still it forms a sort of cultural zone. All through the kingdoms, the following sorts of characters can be found:

Races

Human: Most people of the world are humans, and the Kingdoms of Men are no exception.

Dwarves, Gnomes: Dwarves and gnomes are unique to the Kingdoms of Men. These proud people come originally only from the Great Mountain, but they spread out with the armies of Men, and are now found everywhere throughout their old lands.

Elves: The Kingdoms of Men conquered most of the old kingdoms ofthe elves, and elves are still most common here.

Tieflings: The Bastard Children of the Demon Empire have come north to bother the Kingdoms. They are not well liked, and did not exist in the days of the Kingdom's glory, but none the less, they are fairly common.

The Classes of Men

Many of the classical professions now known to men were invented or perfected by the Kingdoms of Men. The classes available to individuals from the Kingdom of Men are all of the PHB1 classes plus Bards.

Bard: The bawdy traditional culture of the kingdoms gave birth to the Bard, and they are still well loved here.

Clerics: The Kingdoms of Men were the first to truly exploit the battlefield power of clerics. With many religions, they have many clerics. Kingdom Clerics must worship a specific diety known to the Kingdom.

Fighters: Knights were the backbone of the old Royal armies. Although these armored warriors are considered somewhat odd elsewhere, they are still common in the Kingdoms.

Paladin:

Rangers: The vast stretch of territory once controlled by the Kingdoms could not have been patrolled without the proud orders of rangers. Bow using rangers are the most common type.

Rogue: Rogues are regretfully common almost everywhere.

Warlock: Warlocks were unknown during the Kingdom's Golden Ages. Those who are now present are almost all infernal Warlocks come from the Demon Empires to the South. Foreign warlocks visiting the Kingdoms are often mistaken for infernal locks for this reason. Openly practicing Pact magic in the Kingdoms can be a very dangerous endeavour.

Wizard: Although the Kingdoms are now seen as a magically barren place, it is the birthplace of the Spellbook. The Wizard Academy is a later invention, however, so most wizards in the kingdoms are Hedge Wizards.

Any other classes present will be foreigners, or those trained by foreigners, and as such will experience heavy discrimination. (Warlocks technically fall into this category, but the close proximity of the Demon Empire makes them regretfully common.)

Religion:

All of the gods of the PHB are found here, and each has its worshippers. A central tenet of life in the kingdoms is the worship of these Pagan dieties. All from the Kingdoms recognize the existence of all of the dieties, but they worship only one.