Long before the Breaking, when the world was new, the elemental power created everything. As the mists of creation cleared, the Lineages emerged, each one the cherished children of the elemental force that created them. When the world broke, so too did the Elemental Lineages. What once served as a source of power and unity became a debilitating curse, eventually turning them into warped parodies of their past glory.

During the Breaking and the long centuries since, many of the traditions of the Elemental Lineages were forgotten as communities fled the crumbling ruins of their once-segregated homelands and came together out of necessity, regardless of old alliances or prejudices. This worldwide, apocalyptic diaspora has had a profound effect on the cultural identities of the Lineages. Most Havens include a vibrant tapestry of varying Lineages. While some families still treasure and celebrate the inherited stories and traditions of their forebears, Survivors are more often defined by the shared culture of their Haven and community than by their long-dead ancestors.

MIXED LINEAGES

While rare, it’s possible for different Lineages to conceive children together.

If you want your Survivor to have a mixed Lineage, select one Trait from one of your biological parents and a second from the other. Choose your Age and Size and Speed from either parent. Lastly, choose a Curse from one of your parents. Note that a Survivor with a Forgotten biological parent must choose the Curse of Oblivion as their Curse.

Example: A person with an Dwarf mother and Elf father could choose Darkvision and Unshakeable as their Traits and The Curse of Earth as their Curse.

Dwarves are the children of fire, blessed by the flames with an exceptional creative spark that allowed them to forge technological marvels. They once engineered incredible wonders and acted as a powerful force of change in the world. Now they are cursed to burn in the fires of creation, stoking it until their bodies and minds become raging Monsters of molten slag.

Anvil-Stout and Hammer-Firm

Dwarves tend to stand between four and five feet tall. They typically have robust frames and accumulate dense layers of muscle and fat easier than other Lineages — they are twice as tough as they look, and they look impressively rugged to start with. Their hair and beards are coarse and often styled with braids or bands to indicate family, accomplishments, or positions of honour. Since the Breaking, these decorations often serve as a Dwarf ’s Memoria.

Before the Breaking

‘Hold your tongue. You walk in the halls of my ancestors. Don’t dishonour their genius with your nonsense prattling.’ — Liha Hilr of Steelwater, Dwarven Seeker

Legends claim the Dwarves once burned with the fire of creativity, and their culture was dedicated to the noble ambition of creation and innovation. They celebrated the smithy who forged the sky-cleaving blade, applauded the engineer who harnessed wild lightning, and marvelled at moonstone-powered airships as they soared into the endless sky. They built wonders that blurred the line between magic and engineering, improved the lives of all with their craft, and founded exclusive schools across the known world — where their brightest minds exchanged ideas and forged unbreakable bonds in the wondrous workshops of the future.

After the Breaking

‘I can almost see it, through the forge smoke… my greatest work. If I can just… concentrate. But the fire… it burns…’ — Garikel of Amber Eye, Dwarven Engineer

Something about the Breaking extinguished the creative flame that lived in the minds of Dwarves. Now, they suffer from an instinctive urge to create but are cursed with near-permanent creative block and dissatisfaction with their work. Many try desperately to make a wonder their ancestors could be proud of, fighting through the murky mire of their limits with every hammer blow or inked word. Some Dwarves even manage a measure of success, though they are rarely satisfied with the results. Yet many more projects are abandoned before completion.

Youngsters are told cautionary tales of Dwarves who became obsessed with a project. Those who fall into a self-destructive spiral that causes them to become solitary figures who spend their lives destroying their creations repeatedly — all in a vain attempt to reach an impossible perfection. As a result, some Dwarves fight their creative impulses every waking moment — avoiding tools and workshops for fear of what dark depths their obsessions might drag them into.

Many of the Artefacts found in the Broken World are the creations of pre-Breaking Dwarven civilisation — an equal source of pride and shame among their descendants. As a result, Dwarven Survivors are some of the most likely to put themselves in harm’s way to find and study Artefacts.

Some do this to learn their inner workings in an attempt to replicate them, while others seek to destroy the twisted mockery of the wonders they once were.

DWARF NAMES

Below are some traditional Dwarven names, but like all traditions, not all Dwarves follow them. People of other Lineages who were raised by Dwarves might also have these names. Some traditionalist Dwarves take on ‘craft names’ which commemorate an individual’s chosen medium, e.g. Araol, meaning “Threadworker”.

First Names: Ademavin, Antek, Arra, Baivin, Bralsi, Ferev, Garikel, Hirkel, Jaren, Jeja, Jersek, Jesi, Kalada, Katag, Kaweryn, Kelanka, Lerkin, Liha, Mendrik, Myaja, Narazda, Narynn, Orron, Rishan, Rodal, Sena, Tesi, Thaulen, Vemaro, Veren, Zaryn.

Craft Names: Araol, Bronoch, Carridin, Durren, Galrin, Garvis, Hilro, Kanatan, Mernka, Orvorn, Rura, Sader, Sadin, Turras, Ulran, Weden.

Dwarf Traits

As a Dwarf, you gain the following Traits:

AGE

Dwarves are considered mature by age 40, and can live up to 200 years.

SIZE AND SPEED

Dwarves are usually between 4 and 5 feet tall and broad at the shoulders. Your Size is Medium and your Speed is 25 feet.

DARKVISION

Your people once lived in shadowed halls and vast mountain complexes. For all the changes that have undergone your people, your ability to see through the darkness has not diminished. You ignore the negative effects of Dim Light and treat Darkness as if it were Dimly Lit. Your Darkvision extends up to 60 feet.

FIRE RESISTANCE

Every Dwarf has a fire burning within them that grows hotter as they Decay. As a result, you are more than accustomed to the pain of flames. You gain Resistance to Fire Damage.

The Curse of Flame

As Dwarves are exposed to Decay, the smothered embers of creativity in their spirits are stoked. While this grants them blazing moments of genius, it slowly burns them from the inside out. As the flames grow, their skin hardens and cracks revealing the molten crucible inside. Left unchecked, a Decayed Dwarf will transform into a Monster of molten rock that incinerates all it touches.

• 1–3 Decay: Your skin gradually cracks in places, revealing molten fire beneath. A faint glow may be visible in your eyes or mouth.

• 4–7 Decay: The cracks in your skin widen and the surrounding skin blisters. You’re hot to the touch and your eyes and mouth blaze with an internal fire. The fire burning within you provides occasional flashes of genius, but your skin spurts magma when struck. When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet makes a Test, you can use your Reaction to add 1d6 to the result. You cannot do so again until you complete a Long Rest. If you suffer Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing Damage, you and all creatures within 5 feet take 1d4 Fire Damage.

• 8–9 Decay: Your skin is charred and rivulets of molten metal drip from your body, frequently causing small fires in your wake. You become painfully hot to the touch. Your eyes burn, and a glow from deep inside lights your face when you speak. However, your flashes of genius are more frequent. The bonus you add to a Test from your Curse of Flame increases to 1d10, and you can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution Bonus before completing a Long Rest. In addition, the Damage dealt when you take Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing Damage increases to 1d6 Fire Damage.

• 10 Decay: Your body burns up from the inside and you become a Monster of flame and magma. You are lost to Decay and transform into a Crucible under the control of the GM.

Elves are the children of the earth and guardians of nature — stalwart and unchanging even as the seasons spin around them. Half-remembered histories claim they once lived immortal lives in secluded groves of song-grown plants and hand-moulded earth. Here they made wondrous spells that resonated in harmony with the very spirit of the world. After the Breaking, Elves were severed from the land, cursed to age and die while slowly solidifying into immutable crystal and lifeless stone.

Stoic and Slender

Elves stand between six and seven feet tall and are often lithe and slender, with pointed ears and angular features. Elves carry very little visible body mass, both muscle and fat, but what little they have is far more densely packed and efficient than other Lineages.

Before the Breaking

‘There was a time when we communed with the earth. Every falling leaf was a story, every raindrop a blessing. Now when we open our ears, all we hear are the death throes of a dear friend.’ — Orana’nih, Elven Warden

Elves were the towering trees and the steadfast bedrock. They persevered eternally and were known for their patience, accepting and celebrating whatever changes the world brought to bear. All things, they knew, would pass and must be honoured or tolerated while they lasted and mourned in due course. Their immortal lifespan let them master magic and weave spells in complex patterns no other Lineage could match.

After the Breaking

‘Live, breathe, and feel while you can, young one. Time’s stony grasp will come for you before long.’ — Adari’opi, Elven Sage

When the Breaking came, the Elves were violently severed from the earth. As a Lineage closely linked to the land’s magic, they were almost wiped out by a terrible wave of Decay. Only those who could shut out the earth’s screams and their suffering kin survived those early days. From then on, much to the worry of Elven Sages, the Elves began to age. The average Elven lifespan now sits close to one hundred years, a blink in the eyes of the once immortal caretakers of the world. Combined with the high mortality rate among survivors and their vanishingly low reproduction rate, the Elves, like the land they were once tied to, teeter on the precipice of extinction.

When Decay sinks into Elven bodies, they slowly transform into nightmarish statues of razor-sharp crystal, their mutable bodies forever stuck in stasis. Many Elves take shards of the Decayed, crystallised bodies of their friends and loved ones and turn them into Memoria — hauntingly beautiful reminders of those they have lost and their inevitable fate.

ELF NAMES

Below are some traditional Elven names, but like all traditions, not all Elves follow them. People of other Lineages raised by Elves might also have these names. Many traditionalist Elves adopt suffixes that mirror the seasons and act as a complex mix of secondary gender markers and societal roles. Elves may change their seasonal suffix many times during life. For example, Vana may go by Vana’opi while serving as a Haven’s teacher but change to Vana’nih if she becomes a doctor later in life.

First Names: Adari, Adlhen, Alheva, Ashasa, Athren, Brithra, Carlen, Carren, Cavel, Feynar, Feyriel, Fiora, Gethrith, Lamaya, Nellasan, Nesiaril, Norana, Orana, Piwen, Rilwyn, Samris, Shilva, Shilya, Solan, Tamhon, Thellaros, Vana, Varine, Velawyn, Vlylle, Zevlhen.

Seasonal Suffix: -’opi (aka: ‘Of spring’ — caregivers, nurturers, teachers), -’hed (aka: ‘Of summer’ — hunters, courtiers, artists), -’pra (aka: ‘Of autumn’ — builders, tacticians, farmer), -‘nih (aka: ‘Of winter’ — guardians, doctors, morticians).

Elf Traits

As an Elf, you gain the following Traits:

AGE

Elves are considered mature around 20 and can live up to 100 years old.

SIZE AND SPEED

Elves are usually between 6 and 7 feet tall and slight in frame. Your Size is Medium, and your Speed is 35 feet.

UNNATURAL RESILIENCE

Despite your slender appearance, your bones and muscles have an unnatural durability that surprises others. Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1, and you gain +1 HP each time you gain a Level.

UNSHAKEABLE

In ancient days, your people could stand watch over a grove for days on end with no sustenance other than the earth’s warmth. Though your connection to the dying world is severed, you retain a deep well of endurance which can see you through countless hardships. You always count as having 1 fewer levels of Exhaustion than you currently have.

The Curse of Earth

As Elves grow increasingly Decayed, sharp crystals protrude from their skin. These crystals grant the Elves an unmatched resilience but their increasing mass begins to weigh heavily on their slender forms. If the Decay progresses too far, an Elf becomes a Monster of flensing claws and impenetrable crystal. They can exist in this state for decades before fully succumbing to Decay and transforming into immobile crystal pillars. These forlorn monuments are treated as gravestones by many Elves.

• 1–3 Decay: Patches of your skin take on the shine and texture of polished stone or crystal, and small geodes and gems begin to push through your flesh.

• 4–7 Decay: Large clusters of crystal burst through your flesh, offering additional protection but getting in the way of your fine motor skills. You gain +1 to your AC but have Disadvantage on all Dexterity (Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand) Tests.

• 8–9 Decay: Patches of your skin fall away, revealing a crystalline structure that can turn aside blades and scything claws. You gain +2 to your AC and your Unarmed Attacks deal 1d6 Slashing Damage, but your Speed is reduced to 15 feet.

• 10 Decay: Your transformation is complete. You become a monstrous creature of stone or crystal. You are lost to Decay and transform into a Scythe under the control of the GM.

Halflings are the children of water, able to move and adapt to anything in their path. A traditional Halfling life is dedicated to community and harmony — giving more than you take, looking after one another, and leaving a lasting impact. Since the Breaking, many Halflings have become the glue that holds a Haven together. Yet as Decay touches them, they slowly begin to melt into fluid-hungry oozes that drain the very life from the communities they once helped to build.

Short and Malleable

Halflings rarely stand taller than three feet high, making them the smallest of the Lineages, though some Halflings argue that this is all relative — that they are normal sized and the other Lineages are just too big. One benefit to their size is that they generally require less sustenance to remain healthy, which is a great benefit when food is scarce, and means that Halflings often seem healthier than other Lineages in their Haven. Halflings also have a unique ability to change their appearance as they desire, something they often do as a form of self-expression.

Before the Breaking

‘Let’s step in time and sing our rhyme, together in the light. We’ll drink our fill and never will, we suffer in the night.’ — Traditional Halfling Party Song

The Sages say that before the Breaking a Halfling’s life was dedicated to building community and finding one outstanding contribution that would lead them to contentment. This could be anything from building a glorious dance hall, solving a water crisis, or negotiating friendship between two warring cities. All Halflings were empowered to find and pursue this passion. This was part of the Halfling lifecycle, as while they age much like Humans do, when they hit their twenties, they stop ageing until they achieve something that will have a lasting impact. Once this has been completed, they become perfectly content and rapidly age, giving their friends and family time to say goodbye before they pass peacefully away.

After the Breaking

‘I just need… something… anything that makes a difference. That’s all I need. Please. I just want it to stop.’ — Anda Vlarel, Halfling Maker

Halflings struggle to leave a lasting impact on the Broken World. Everything falls to Decay over time, and that subconscious traumatic knowledge ensures that many Halflings can never find true contentment and thus never age. Over the centuries they become shells of their former selves. Where they once embodied the philosophy of giving more than they took and looking after those around them, many slowly become pitiable creatures who desperately look to use others in their quest for fulfilment. When they become their worst selves, Halflings are leaking vessels, constantly looking for validation from others which will never truly satisfy them. Some become people-pleasers, desperately trying to make others happy, while others become tragically codependent or ferociously protective. As few Halflings die of natural causes, they are often the oldest members of a Haven, which many among their Lineage resent as it represents their inability to change the world meaningfully.

When the sinister touch of Decay infects a Halfling, their bodies begin sloughing and melting in unsettling ways, their inability to make a lasting change manifesting in their gradual dissolution. They become insatiable, drinking and eating in increasing amounts, yet never feeling full. Eventually, they transform into endlessly hungry oozes that consume everything they can.

HALFLING NAMES

Below are some traditional Halfling names, but like all traditions, not all Halflings follow them. People of other Lineages raised by Halflings might also have these names. Halflings are proud of their families, and their kin name commemorates a particularly worthy or memorable ancestor.

First Names: Anda, Anlan, Ardal, Arvias, Belsire, Conzor, Davric, Elliara, Errich, Findak, Flynlos, Haara, Haelle, Horrich, Isafira, Joder, Kelnys, Lekath, Nedola, Odiola, Paeelie, Qida, Qualyn, Rijen, Syllile, Sylwyn, Urifer, Vinvias, Xannan, Yenwrick, Zaleon, Zefzira.

Kin Names: Bamul, Calodne, Hefflond, Izza, Klulo, Kodlan, Kognol, Nozrelk, Pesban, Pirbu, Rarbas, Taldird, Vlarel, Vofflilrith, Vulin, Whitwith.

Halfling Traits

As a Halfling, you gain the following Traits:

AGE

Halflings mature by age 25 and live indefinitely until they are lost to Decay, killed, or make a lasting change in the Broken World.

SIZE AND SPEED

Halflings are usually between 3 and 4 feet tall, are usually slim in their youth, and grow more rotund as they age. Your Size is Small and your Speed is 25 feet.

MALLEABLE

You can call upon the shifting nature of your people to change your appearance to your liking. During a Long Rest, you can change any aspects of your appearance, including your hair colour and length, facial structure, voice, eye colour, and sex. You cannot use this ability to change your statistics or your Size.

NATURAL SWIMMER

Your people are attuned to water and move through watery depths as easily as walking. You do not reduce your Speed when swimming and can hold your breath for 1 hour. Additionally, you have Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) Tests when swimming.

The Curse of Water

As Decay seeps into Halflings, their features grow soft, malleable, and unreal looking. In time, their skin becomes liquid and translucent, revealing their inner organs as they become increasingly fluid. Eventually, they become mindless oozes that merely mimic the shapes of their former selves in a vain attempt to get closer to the source of their sustenance: the fluids and flesh of other creatures.

• 1–3 Decay: Your skin begins to soften and become malleable. Parts of your skin and hair may take on a liquid or gel-like texture.

• 4–7 Decay: Your body continues to melt, with larger patches of skin becoming translucent and malleable, harming your ability to interact with solid objects. You have Disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) Tests, but you can use Dexterity (Acrobatics) to initiate a Grapple, and have Advantage on all Grapple Tests — both initiating and escaping them.

• 8–9 Decay: Your body continues to melt, rapidly losing cohesion. If you are not wearing or carrying anything, you can move through gaps as narrow as 1 inch wide. Additionally, once per turn as an Action when you have a creature Grappled, you can shift your form to fill their lungs, causing them to suffocate. The target gains a level of Exhaustion at the start of their next turn, and continues to gain levels of Exhaustion each turn you have them Grappled in this way. Finally, you have Disadvantage on all Strength Tests.

• 10 Decay: Your body loses form and melts away into liquid, and you become a monstrous, intelligent slime. You are lost to Decay and transform into a Drainer under the control of the GM.

Humans are the children of the wind, heirs of ancestral knowledge and curious to a fault. Legends say Humans once travelled wherever the sky took them, exchanging knowledge, stories, and lore with all who would share their hearth. Since the Breaking, Humans have become one of the most feared Lineages of the Broken World, for when Decay overcomes them, they are transformed into unfeeling, undead Monsters that suck the minds and souls from their victims.

Infinite Variety and Adaptability

Of all the Lineages, Humans vary the most in height, body type, eye, and hair colour. Some Sages claim it is in their blood, as their nomadic culture once spread out across the lands and mixed blood with all manner of Lineages.

Before the Breaking

‘From the wind you came, to the wind you go. One final breath, one final journey. May blessed winds carry you to Valontor.’ — Traditional Human Funeral Rites

Before the Breaking, Humans roamed the lands collecting stories, myths, and knowledge of the people and places they encountered, gladly sharing what they knew with all who crossed their paths. When they died, their souls, along with all they had learned, returned to the great city of Valontor — the city of the gods. Here, the knowledge accrued in life by every Human was collected and recorded in a vast repository of souls, allowing future generations to access the complete history of all civilisations.

After the Breaking

‘To be Human is to resist. Resist the hunger inside. Resist the calling of Valontor. And resist the coming of the end.’ — Ava Parilien, Human Speaker

When the Weave first broke, Humans attempted to continue as they always had — as nomadic travellers. Despite its horrors, the Broken World still offered them a wealth of new experiences and knowledge to acquire. However, the true horror of humanity emerged when Decay began to seep into their bodies. They soon discovered that the once precious gift that allowed their souls to collect and share knowledge had been corrupted by the Breaking. As Decay sinks in, a Human’s soul becomes trapped in their body, creating a gnawing necromantic void that aches to consume the mind and souls of others.

Now when a Human dies, rather than soaring free, their souls become bound to their flesh. They rise as a Husk — an undead mockery of their former self. The only goal remaining in their rotting minds is to consume knowledge and return to Valontor. The city of the gods is now the city of the dead, with a churning moat of millions of undead abominations circling its walls and mindlessly seeking a way inside to fulfil their purpose.

The far-ranging Humans of the past have given up their sacred duty. Instead of wandering the world, they huddle in safe places, coveting what knowledge they have. Instead of open arms and warm fireplaces, they are greeted with fear and suspicion. No one knows if a Human’s curiosity is genuine or a sign that they are succumbing to Decay and simply hunger to consume.

HUMAN NAMES

Below are some traditional Human names, but like all traditions, not all Humans follow them. People of other Lineages raised by Humans might also have these names. Human names refer to people or locations from myth that have particular meaning to them.

First Names: Aang, Alois, Amaryllis, Amel, Anita, Arnaud, Aubert, Aure, Ava, Basile, Clelia, Eliska, Elosida, Erich, Faustine, Firmin, Helyette, Juvenal, Kahi, Khin, Lea, Lucien, Marietta, Marin, Mathias, Nathalie, Ninon, Ombeline, Perrine, Roch, Romuald, Servan, Sorm, Suy, Thiebaud, Vera, Vital, Yim.

Myth Names: Bloum, Cyr, Darios, Desaulniers, Dumont, Giroir, Godin, Latoru, Laurier, Oubre, Parisien, Rimbaut, Rommel, Rothanak, Semer, Sorya, Surette, Thibodeau, Tregre, Vithara.

Human Traits

As a Human, you gain the following Traits:

AGE

Humans are considered mature by age 20 and rarely live longer than 100 years.

SIZE AND SPEED

Humans range from between 5 and 7 feet tall, with a wide variety of body shapes. Your Size is Medium and your Speed is 30 feet.

STOLEN KNOWLEDGE

As a Human, you have picked up specific skills quicker than most. It’s almost as if you plucked them out of thin air — or more likely syphoned them from the minds of those around you. You gain Proficiency in two Skills of your choice.

VALONTOR’S CALL

If you listen hard enough, you can still hear the faint whispers on the wind, an almost imperceptible pull calling you to return to the fallen city of Valontor. While disconcerting, this pull acts as a natural compass, helping you navigate the broken world. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) Tests to navigate the Broken World and orient yourself.

The Curse of Wind

As Humans are exposed to Decay, the corruption within their soul grows. Their flesh rots and thin wisps of ethereal air gather at their mouth. As this progresses, they find they can drain the minds and souls of others for sustenance.

• 1–3 Decay: Patches of your skin begin to blacken with necrosis as if you were a corpse. Faint, ethereal wisps gather at the corners of your mouth.

• 4–7 Decay: The putrefaction spreads across your body as chunks of skin rot and peel away, and you begin to crave the restorative power that comes from consuming the souls of others. As an Action, you can target a Medium or larger creature within 5 feet and force them to make a Wisdom Saving Throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Constitution Bonus. If they fail, you syphon off a part of their soul. They suffer Necrotic Damage equal to your Constitution Bonus + your Level (minimum 2), and you recover the same amount. Once you have successfully fed upon a soul, you cannot use this ability again until taking a Long Rest. If you go a whole week without feeding on a soul, you suffer 1 Level of Exhaustion. If this Exhaustion causes you to die, you immediately rise as a Husk under the control of the GM.

• 8–9 Decay: Your body rapidly slides closer to death with every moment and you must constantly resist the urge to drain those around you. You double the amount of Damage dealt when you syphon a creature’s soul. In addition, if you go a whole day without feeding on a soul, you gain 1 Level of Exhaustion.

• 10 Decay: The deathly energies suffusing your body finally snuff out the last light within you. You die immediately and rise the following night as a Husk under the GM’s control.

While the Elemental Lineages of Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, and Humans are the most common Lineages in the Broken World, it was not always this way. In the time before the Breaking, the world was overflowing with strange and unusual Lineages. Now their kind is but fading memories, their scant survivors little more than a collection of lone scions doomed to oblivion.

Strange and Alone

‘Forgotten’ is a term used to describe a wide array of different Lineages. As a result, their people have few unifying features other than their strangeness.

A UNIQUE LINEAGE

The Broken World was once like any other fantasy world, so countless Lineages and cultures may have existed in its past. The Forgotten Lineage is designed to allow you to create your own Lineage outside the main Elemental Lineages. This is perfect if you want to recreate a character option from another compatible setting, your own homebrew world, or create a unique character idea.

Before the Breaking

‘Once our wings could carry us to the tops of mountains. Now the sky is just as poisoned as the land.’ — Taleram of Onyxend

Once, the land was home to all manner of wondrous Lineages. Scaled dragon-kin that breathed fire, people changed by the touch of noble and dark gods, even autonomous beings of metal and cog that walked among the common folk. Their origins were tied to magic and gods, their traditions were the stuff of legends, and their histories were a vibrant tapestry woven through the world. Indeed, some of history’s greatest heroes and villains were from these Forgotten Lineages, larger-than-life figures who ensured their people were always remembered. Yet these Lineages shared one thing in common: magic flowed through their veins and was a core part of their very being.

After the Breaking

When magic broke, so too did the Forgotten. To most Forgotten, magic was a crucial part of their existence, inseparably woven through their souls or bodies. As a result, the Forgotten Lineages fell overnight. The gnawing horror of Decay almost instantly overcame the magic in their bodies. Some say that the first waves of Decayed Monsters that swept across the lands were the twisted remnants of Forgotten Lineages, suddenly and irreparably Decayed by the world’s breaking.

Scant few Forgotten survived the Breaking, making those that inhabit the Broken World a practical miracle. Some may have been naturally weak in magic — a source of shame in the pre-Breaking world which proved their salvation. Others survived through the divine blessing of dying gods.

To be a Forgotten in the Broken World is to be among the last of your kind. There are simply too few Forgotten remaining spread too far to rebuild their culture. Worse still, the nature of Decay ensures that as the memory of the Forgotten Lineages fades, so do the Forgotten themselves. Like the shifting landscape that changes and fades when nobody walks upon it, the Forgotten crumble and vanish like faded dreams as Decay erases their existence from the world.

FORGOTTEN NAMES

With so much of their cultural identity lost to time, most Forgotten assume names of adopted families and communities. When choosing a name for your Forgotten, take inspiration from other Lineages you grew up with, or come up with something truly alien to represent your lost culture.

Forgotten Traits

As a Forgotten, you gain the following Traits:

AGE

Forgotten lifespans vary wildly. Many share similar life spans to Humans, while others can seemingly live centuries without showing their age.

SIZE AND SPEED

Forgotten come in various shapes and sizes. Your Size is Medium and your Speed is 30 feet.

LINEAGE GIFTS

Something about your body is strange and unusual. Choose two Lineage Gifts from the following list. Note that in the case of Mixed Lineages (see page 37), each Lineage Gift counts as a separate Trait.

• Elemental Attunement: Your body is naturally resistant to some form of Damage. You gain Resistance to one Damage Type chosen from Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, Psychic, or Radiant.

• Flight: You have wings or some other form of propulsion. You can Fly at your normal Speed, provided you are not wearing Medium or Heavy Armour.

• Natural Weapons: You have horns, teeth, or claws that can be used as deadly weapons. Your Unarmed Attacks deal 1d6 Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing Damage (choose when you gain this Trait) and gain the Finesse Property.

• Tough Hide: Your skin is covered in or made of a durable substance. If you are not wearing Armour, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity Bonus.

• Uncanny Fortitude: Your Lineage is naturally resilient in some way. You gain Proficiency in Saving Throws for a single Attribute of your choice.

The Curse of Oblivion

The Forgotten suffer from Decay in the same way the Broken World does — they slip from memory and slowly crumble into oblivion. This begins as a creeping rot at the extremities, mainly focused around the parts of their body which make their Lineage unique, such as horns or feathers. In time, a Forgotten fades into nothingness, leaving little in their wake but a vague sense of loss, even to their loved ones.

• 1–3 Decay: Parts of your body begin to fade and crumble before your eyes, especially around those parts connected to your Lineage Gifts.

• 4–7 Decay: The crumbling Decay spreads further, robbing your presence from the memory of others and causing people’s eyes and minds to slip over your form. Creatures suffer Disadvantage on Perception Tests to detect your presence. In addition, people who don’t see you for longer than a week struggle to remember you.

• 8–9 Decay: You fade further from existence, robbing you of the gifts that make you unique as you slowly become a half-remembered wraith of your former self. You randomly determine and lose the use of one of your Lineage Gifts as your body rapidly crumbles. In addition, you gain Resistance to non-magical Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing Damage as weapons seem to pass right through you. People who don’t see you for longer than a day forget who you are.

• 10 Decay: The last shreds of your existence fade into oblivion without fanfare, leaving nothing but a shadow of your presence in the minds of all who knew you.

‘Please! You know me, I swear! I was barely gone for a day! Please, let me in! I just want to come home!’ — Pleas of a stranger at the gates of Silvergorge