Your character’s culture details the society and circumstances that helped shape who they are. This provides a number of traits including proficiencies, languages, and other benefits related to the culture that influenced their development. One of the key things to keep in mind during character creation is that culture options are universal and aren’t limited to specific heritages. This opens up a number of fun and interesting options and opportunities for your creativity to color outside of the lines!
Those who ply the skies above many worlds travel further and longer than most, some even bringing their families aboard. Passing over not only vast seas, but forests, vales, and deserts just as vast—and just as unforgiving for those who fall. You were born into a life as unforgiving as the plummet. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #16
The society of an ancestral guardian community has been built around keeping something guarded, and all other aspects of that society have been shaped by the need to do so. Whether that is guarding that thing from the outside world or the outside world from the thing can vary, but in either case, a certain sense of responsibility and vigilance has sunk down to the very bones of your society. See more.
Source - Sinuous Sentinels
Beach raiders are more than simple plunderers. For some, raiding is a means of gaining the necessary wealth and prestige to establish themselves in their homelands, where their loved ones depend on what they can send back home. Others seek a new home across the waves, and not only have several respectable kingdoms and empires begun as the conquests of one or more of these fleets, but several new islands and even continents have first been spotted by these expert navigators. See more.
Source - Secrets of the Selkies
In the darkest forests and in lands corrupted by the curse of undeath, spirits of nature and life twist into forces of malice and rot. In these "blightlands," innumerable dark creatures dwell, making it the perfect refuge for outcasts (orphans, outlaws, displaced elves) stalwart enough to survive there. They use their forestry and knowledge of the undead to hide from the dark within the dark's own shadow. Some delight in the dire gloom of their blighted woodland home—others grow to despise the tyranny of the undead. See more.
Source - Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Boggards are the bullywug ethno-linguistic group who prefer to make their homes in wetlands, and are more common in temperate regions. Boggard architecture is famous for its woodwork raft-towns, where they sometimes cohabitate with halflings who understand the boggard need for personal space (yet enjoy better trade relations with “civilized” people). Certain boggard enclaves establish outposts in ruins where other people cannot tread. See more.
Source - Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Sometimes societies are overturned by war and conflict, and there isn’t always a homeland to return to once the war is over. Refugees with nowhere to go often go nowhere together, forming great roaming caravans. They travel along the migratory routes of wild animal herds, or from city to city as travelling merchants, or to cities unafraid of a few hundred or a few thousand travelers suddenly arriving on their doorsteps. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 47)
The mind of a rockborn can’t help but wander to the question of what they are and where they came from. As patient appreciators of time, rockborn know well the value of coordinated effort, so it’s only natural for them to join together into a community. Carven societies dedicate themselves to carving the legends of their people into underground natural formations. See more.
Source - Dungeon Delver's Guide (Pg. 19)
Across the Astral Plane sail the ships of the Children of Zev. Pirates of the most joyous order, the Children of Zev fly their black flag with the symbol of Zev (resembling a sharp, barbed V with looping arms) emblazoned in gold at its heart. For while they are pirates, it is certainly true, they are among the more noble. Even as they battle their hated foe, the khalkoi, they do so with a heart bursting with hope against all odds. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #13
Fire has fascinated creatures since time immemorial, and fire elementaari in particular delight in the exciting and volatile nature of their inborn element. Raised near active volcanos or other such fiery hazards, where danger is a constant companion, individuals from this culture often seek out danger and thrills when venturing forth into the world. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #18
Circusfolk value wit, surprise, and daring which they display in both their lifestyle and their folktales. While some communities are found in villages and insular neighborhoods, they are most famous for their traveling carnivals. These troupes often began as just a handful of entrepreneuring entertainers but blossomed into big top circuses with caravans complete with support staff, spouses, and new family members. Orphans, runaways, and misfits of all heritages find a new family among circusfolk. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 48)
Sometimes a village, farm, or city becomes a hub of new ideas and innovations in knowledge and technology. Other times, great institutes of learning arise, universities and colleges where one can spend their entire life in study. Those from these learned communities are renowned for their ability to apply their intellect to their field of expertise. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 49)
Cosmopolitans grew up in one of the world’s largest, most diverse cities. People of every heritage and way of life brush shoulders, speaking any tongue that can be imagined. Any faith can find a place of worship—even if it is in a home and not a proper temple. The main roads are active all through the night, and there are shadowy alleys where any good might be procured no matter the hour. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 50)
Most flocks of Aarakocra live in their traditional nesting areas in high foothills or mountain crags, honing their bodies in continual pursuit of excellence. While all Aarakocra value the hunt, such communities apply it to other facets of their lives, focusing on physical competition from an early age to hone the next generation of hunters. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #5
Among the varied peoples that call the Underland home, there are those that live their lives alongside gelatinous cubes and other oozes, using them for food, trade, and industry. Typical friendly and mercantile, the Cuberos are nonetheless very keenly aware of the dangers lurking out in the dark and make it common practice to be both well-armed and well-spoken. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #12
Deep dwarves make their homes underground, far from most other creatures and from the sun. Their communities are the most isolated of all dwarven cultures. Some of them refuse trade even with other dwarves. Those that do trade, however, quickly realize that some goods they grow underground cannot live on the surface, and vice versa. Deep dwarf beer is unique, prized across all other dwarven cultures and many other peoples. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 50)
Thriving in the darkest, most remote depths, deep gnomes excel when working in darkened or stealth conditions. In general deep gnomes tend to be thin and muscular, and typically bald. They have adapted to underground environments and are at home in the darkness, easily blending in against rocks and stonework. This cultural predilection for stealth manifests itself in magical abilities, including the power to blind others, change appearance, and even conceal themselves from divination magic. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 51)
All selkies feel the call of the Ocean, but not all embrace that call as a defining feature of their life. Those who do, however, frequently become depths devotaries, renouncing their past lives and possessions to become more completely devoted to the contemplation of the sea: a choice held in high regard by many other selkie cultures. See more.
Source - Secrets of the Selkies
It is a curious phenomenon that the brutal desert can be such fertile ground for faith. These arid lands have produced many theocratic civilizations—so-called "desert hierarchies." The diversity of these cultures is hard to overstate, and in a campaign centered in arid lands, it would be worthwhile to examine each such culture in fine detail. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Communities of yuan-ti that establish themselves in desert climates quickly adapt to the harsh conditions and lack of resources, forming cooperative, resourceful, and close-knit societies. They tend to be welcoming of those of other heritages, provided they are willing to contribute to the thriving of the community. See more.
Source - Sinuous Sentinels
In the lands where the dinosaurs dwell, there are people who live in harmony with the thunder lizards and even ride them into battle. Elves, halflings, humans, and dragonborn have all formed dino riding cultures, each with their own approach to incorporating dinosaurs into their society. Among the dragonborn, some consider dinosaurs to be their very distant kin (much to the chagrin of druids who seem incapable of debunking this myth). Halfling dino-riders are particularly formidable, since their dinosaur war-beasts are smaller and easier to raise. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Dragonbound clans live under the direct rule of a dragon; in the case of dragonborn characters, that dragon will usually be their progenitor dragon. Whether that dragon is malevolent or benign, the clan exists to serve it. Living under a kind and wise dragon can be a safe and joyful upbringing, though one of strict control. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 51)
Dragon cults exist in most major cities, hidden deep within forgotten cellars or ancient crumbling ruins, plotting their draconic overlord’s return to power. The life of a dragon cultist is often filled with hushed conversations in darkened rooms, acquisitions of “sacrifices”, and the ever present tantalizing promise of a taste of their dragon god’s power. Dragon cultists often live entirely mundane lives by day, only to shuffle down some darkened stair to their “true lives” down below. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 52)
Elementaari with a connection to the earth are natural builders and craftsfolk, finding joy in the construction (and sometimes destruction and reconstruction) of individual dwellings and communal working spaces. Mud bricks, field or quarry stones, and mined metals are their preferred mediums. They gather in places where these materials are plentiful and easily accessed. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #18
These elvish people are the most accustomed to life in the Feywild. Some people say eladrin are the most ancient lineage of elves with the closest blood link to other faeries, while others claim that the elves expanded into the Feywild and were there transformed. Settlements of eladrin empires (and the ruins thereof) can be found scattered all across the Faerie Realm, and some appear in the Material Plane where the boundary between worlds is thin. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 53)
In remote enclaves far away from “civilized” lands the elemental-bound worship nature spirits, elementals, and even the Primordials. They are staunch defenders of nature—and a strong source of druids. Some of these people are practitioners of ancient traditions, such as elves, frogfolk, genasi, half-giants, harpies, and merfolk worshiping their ancestors. Others are revivalists, returning to the worship of nature after discarding the rotten fruits of “civilization.” Almost all elemental-bound people wish for a better balance between mortals and nature… This wish sometimes turns into prayers for the chained gods (such as the Tharizdun) to break from their confinement and overthrow the planet. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Most spiderfolk live on the move, whether it’s to gather knowledge, connect destinies, or widen their web of influence. Others are driven by an even deeper ancestral urge: to patrol where the border between the Material and Ethereal Planes is thin and uncover what mysteries can be found there. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #3
The Faceless come from all walks of life, counting among their number thieves, adventurers, merchants, and even royalty. Each knows the true identities of those in their immediate circle, as well as the names of a few far-flung Faceless. Every Faceless swears to never knowingly hurt or expose their fellows. Beyond that, they share no common goals, and indeed their aims may even be opposed. A Faceless conclave that shelters changeling con artists may also include a skinchanger druid that disapproves of their deceptions, even as they protect the changelings lives and false identities. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 20)
Some Aarakocra flocks leave their native mountains, seeking wisdom in the new skills, environments, and peoples of other lands as the hunter gained wisdom from Ibis. They settle in short-lived camps, learning, praying, and training as they wait for word from the spirits that they have gained what wisdom the area has to offer. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #5
Civilizations in the Feywild can seem absurd, but they have their rulers just as in the Waking. Whether having their servants serve as living croquet hoops, leading musical numbers after kidnapping babes, or cursing peasants with donkey heads just for a laugh, the fey courts tend to seem capricious. Seldom, however, are they murderous as long as you play along with their games, and so those who live under their rule are often clever or obsequious to stay in favor. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #4
Far from cities, the wilds of the Feywild are lush with the weird and beautiful. Fey here easily live in harmony with nature, making their homes in flower bulbs or riding friendly tortoises across painted deserts. Some take offense to the folk of the Waking, perhaps simply sabotaging their tools and wagons, but occasionally luring children with sweets and then over time turning them into gremlins. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #4
The firbolg are a half-giant clan of cunning warriors with a strong respect for magic, a deep distrust of humans, and great love of the wilderness. In their journeys through untamed places, the firbolg sometimes wander to ranges so remote they traverse into the fey realm. It is no surprise then that the eladrin lords and the archfey often invite the firbolg to join them on their Wild Hunts—sometimes even to lead the hunt! No surprise either that these half-giants often merge their bloodlines with that of the fey. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
The fomorians (singular: fomor) are a subterranean kingdom of half-giants who consider themselves the one true culture of giantkind. They are known for surface raids, subterranean territory disputes, and astounding underground marble architecture—especially abandoned cities now infested with aberrations. In what little territory they still control, fomorians live in isolated city-states ruled by hereditary god-kings who promise the people the glory of ages past. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Forest gnomes live close to nature. They are not often seen, for they dwell in small, hidden villages in deep woodland. Most forest gnomes are shy and feel more comfortable around animals than they do humans, dwarves, and other peoples—indeed, many never leave their village. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 54)
The forgotten folx are even more secretive than the notoriously reclusive forest gnomes. These communities almost always share a strong, familial bond with each other, even those they aren’t related to. Entire villages raise children communally, provide for each other, and survive primarily by bartering craft goods. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 55)
In world-shaking catastrophes where magic, disasters, and monsters ran rampant, there were those that gritted their teeth and adapted to survive rather than flee their homes. Such cataclysms were once stories of a distant past, and descendants of the survivors continue to channel and embrace the unpredictability of the magical energies surrounding their ruined lands. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 56)
The goliath are mountaineering half-giants who worship nature, and to a certain extent their giant ancestors as the embodiment of nature. They are austere and militaristic, believing that strength is honor. This belief no doubt comes from the tribe’s history, where they had to wrest their freedom from the hands of ancient giant tyrants—which required every ounce of determination they could muster. Even though goliath communities do include true giants and other humanoids, such people must prove themselves “worthy” to be called equals. Seasonal rites of the goliath (which also serve as rites of passage) include pilgrimage to dangerous crags, mud-wrestling tournaments, and raids against true giant encampments. Some goliath enclaves are radically egalitarian, while others gravitate around their strongest warrior who they declare chieftain—which method is “stronger” and “more honorable” is an open question among the people. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
The godbound were raised among the faithful. Such communities vary from temples and monasteries to massive theocracies that span entire continents, their rulers either divine or the anointed representatives of greater entities.
The nature of your faith community can vary by theology, structure, and goodwill, and the environment might be egalitarian or hierarchical. Most religious peoples strive towards virtue, but even they pose the risk of abuse, and at the heart of certain communities lies a dark secret or conspiracy the likes of which might shatter the faith of any follower. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 56)
Grimlocks live an isolated existence heavy with responsibility. Tasked with the self-imposed duty of keeping the geology of the regions they inhabit stable (a response to the tragedy that created their society) they build communities that run on reliable schedules and provide routine training for all. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 21)
Grippli are the Bullywug ethno-linguistic group who prefer to make their homes in rainforests. They are more common in tropical regions but they enjoy temperate rainforests equally well. Although the grippli produce cunning warriors and skilled diplomats, what they love most in life are art and skillfulness. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Whether in the Feywild or the Material Plane, dryad groves are sheltered and secret places where potentially dozens of heart trees are carefully tended behind walls of bramble and wards of misdirection. Here the capricious dryads play out a microcosm of the fey courts, jostling for social position amidst the Court of Groves, which may or may not involve other dryad groves. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #26
Residents of hidden cities who know only rumors and propaganda of the outside world—and mostly about how dangerous, barbaric, and corruptive the outside world is. Few wish to uncover the truth and remain content in their hidden cities. On occasion, though, some individuals do leave. Some wish to explore the outside world. Some get lost, or were lured away and captured by outsiders, and can’t find their way back. Some are deliberately sent out on missions for the rulers of the cities. Still others were runaways or were exiled for a real or imagined crime. Whatever the case, they find this new outside world almost completely alien to them. While they never become completely adapted to their new circumstances, most learn to get by acceptably well. See more.
Source - Handbook of Heritages (Pg. 60)
From seamless marble towers and brightly lit castles carved into mountainsides to modest cottages made grand with intricate style, high elf culture takes credit (sometimes incorrectly) for the magnificent architecture for which elves are known. Elvish architectural masterworks are remnants of a once vast high elf empire. While many such structures are maintained by high elves and those under their charge, far more lie abandoned, ruined, or claimed by invading forces. High elves live in the twilight of their golden age. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 58)
Some dwarves never settle in underground kingdoms. They live in surface communities, trading, learning, and creating. Known as hill dwarves, they are gregarious, friendly, and worldly.
No dwarves are more social and artistic than hill dwarves; after all, it’s easier to sell your goods if people like you. While they don’t consider art to be creation in the same sense as crafting something from a forge, hill dwarves share a deep love for music, poetry, theater, and literature. Many a song or play about the rise and fall of mountain dwarf empires was actually written by troupes of hill dwarves. Their live-and-let-live attitude makes their caravans loud, flashy, and fun. See more.
Making their homes on vast planes and arid steppes, so-called “horse lords” are people whose lifestyles are intimately tied with their equine partners. For these warriors and free spirits, horses are not merely livestock and warbeasts—horses are icons of courage, liberty, and nobility of heart. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Great civilizations provide shelter and comfort. As empires and kingdoms grow and the corners of the map are filled in, the dangers and threats beyond the ever-expanding borders can seem more distant and irrelevant. Safety is assured, the next meal is never found wanting, and many living these sheltered existences do so confidently knowing that things will go on as normal, and that the days, weeks, and months will pass uneventfully to blur together into a humdrum life. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 59)
You come from an island—be it one from the cold north or from the tropics. Your lifestyle is largely informed by the caprice of the sea, which may bless you or withhold from you the rejuvenating rains and bounteous reefs on which your people rely. Suffice it to say, growing up there were times of want and times of plenty. Putting food on the table might mean attending to the crops, but everyone on the island must know their way around boats and fishing nets for the sake of survival. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Some wanderers may not have grown up with a single place to call home. Their culture is a mix of many, allowing them to see things from different angles and perspectives. Always outsiders yet able to blend in with ease, such folks benefit from the wisdom of a wide range of peoples, customs, and places. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 60)
The Ka-Teni are a seasonally migrating people that spend eight months of the year in their fortified mountain homes, and the rest making the most of a short growing season in the thawed valleys below with their herds of long-haired cattle. They value community and the passing on of knowledge above all else, as they would otherwise not survive their harsh lifestyle, but also laud the storytellers and artisans that make the dreary winters bearable. Many of the Ka-Teni are the specially adapted Snow-Spotted pantherans, but dwarves, birdfolk, and garoul are well-represented among them, along with a smattering of other heritages. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #28
Keepers of the land inhabit ancient territories where crowded settlements and large-scale agriculture have not yet taken a foothold. These can be very different locations, like large swathes of grassland, cave systems deep underground, or thick and unexplored jungles, but they all share the same characteristic: a sense of an ancient, almost forgotten history that permeates through every corner. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #16
In a forgotten corner of the Feywild lies a territory called the Twilight, a silent world perpetually under the dim light of the setting sun. This place is home to the kithbáin, or the twilight-touched, halflings who’ve lived for generations in half-light, filling up its silence with the voices of ken. There is no sound in the Twilight but one’s own thoughts, and after long enough, the thoughts of others. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 61)
A cold-adapted people used to winter nights, the Lemurians spend their summers in branches of the taiga’s trees and their winters in mid-level villages, only venturing into the darkness below out of necessity. They believe that their central religious figure, The Watcher In The Darkness, observes them from atop the great tree of the cosmos, expecting great deeds. However, while they abhor cowardice and lack of ambition, they also send tests to those who are the bravest and most capable to drive them to even greater heights, leading to the saying that “Those that climb the highest face the fiercest winds”, which serves as a warning against being to adventurous in both the literal and metaphorical trees. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #33
Whether they stumbled upon the demiplane by accident as a child or were born among the towering shelves, Lexicans are those who have been brought up within the interplanar Labyrinthe Library. Nearly as unmoored from reality as the library itself, the very being of such humanoids interacts strangely with the Material Plane. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #20
Even with the myriad of cultures present to choose from, there will always be those who prefer to march to the beat of their own drum. A lone wanderer shirks all connection to the cultures and communities around them in favor of making their own path. No two lone wanderers are alike, even those that might share a heritage—they all have their own personal goals, superstitions, and traditions. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 62)
Often painted as quiet observers, lunar chrysalians hold a particular affinity for nighttime and the moon. Because they are typically found in the darker reaches of the Feywild, they have mastered the ability to move silently to avoid detection by the realm’s more unsavory folk. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #15
Myconid communities tend to be simple, consisting of family groups known as melds that live deep underground. Meld-members are curious but cautious. They know Underdark is full of dangers, and thus approach unfamiliar creatures and people with considered care. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 22)
A group of ratlings is called a “mischief”—for good reason, as many hapless victims of ratling pranks will tell you. Mischiefs of ratlings travel from place to place, mocking the mighty, shocking the stuffy, thwarting the wicked, and helping themselves to food and luxuries along the way. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 22)
Though every motley is unique, they share much in common and find comfort in each other’s company. What develops from there is a loving community that is accepting of all types of people, embracing exiles, outcasts, and anyone else who seeks a peaceful life. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 22)
When most people think of dwarves they think of mountain dwarves. Living in tall mountains or vast hills allows them easier access to useful minerals and superior defenses. The abundance of ore leads many mountain dwarves to become smiths, especially weaponsmiths and armorsmiths. Exporting these goods is frequently the cornerstone of a thriving mountain dwarf economy. Indeed, there are many stout folk that trace their lineage to fallen dwarven kingdoms of old, dreaming of restoring lost glory even if the present is already affluent enough. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 63)
Halflings in mustbairn clans have rejected any notion of control and embraced their roles as children of the soil: wardens of the earth but not its masters. Oddly, most mustbairn clans were founded more recently than their “civilized” borough counterparts. Many are former boroughers themselves, with tattered scraps of their suits or overalls worked into their clan coverings. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 63)
You hail from Myth Nantar. A sunken city in the Sea of Fallen Stars. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Yu come from one of the legendary cities of the dead. Some necropoli are catacombs deep beneath a metropolis or ancient holy site. Other cities of the dead are the seats of power for certain wicked empires, holy cities reconsecrated to profane powers, and the great cultural centers of the Shadowfell (such as Unknown Kadath on the dread Plateau of Leng). Others still were once the un-beating hearts of magocracies ruled by necromancers and fed by the tyrannized masses. (Great if you want to be attached to Thayan Culture). See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
The new sealanders form a loose network of selkie communities that exist in and alongside the seaside communities of other cultures. Many of these enclaves are composed of blood relations who can trace their ancestry back to a single selkie who fell in love with a member of another heritage and decided to join them on land. Consequently, many new sealanders are only part-selkie or even adopted non-selkies. However, selkies who feel attracted to the life provided by other cultures or who do not fit well in their native culture have also been known to emigrate in small groups, creating settlements of full-blooded selkies. See more.
Source - Secrets of the Selkies
There is no one nomadic culture. Most nomadic groups migrate along plains and steppes, following good weather and pasturage for their herd animals. Some groups walk countless miles alongside their cattle or seek peaceful travel, while others train steeds which are the envy of the world, or expect every adult among them to raid the herds of rivals and defend their own. There are nomads that travel within other communities and those that live outside the borders of settled lands but in either case nomads often find themselves in conflict with farmer folk, who desire the same lands that they use. The words “barbarians,” “savages,” and “hordes” are common pejoratives used by townsfolk and cityfolk for their itinerant land rivals. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 64)
Small groups of air elementaari are often drawn to wide open spaces such as plains, buttes, and mountaintops, relishing the freedom from worldly concerns they offer. Such settlements value mental and physical discipline paired with simple living. They also claim a special connection to creatures of the air, such as birds, griffins, hippogriffs, and, most especially, rocs. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #18
There are some people who are never alone. They are born into a group, raised by the group, and move with the group. This is not just some community. This is the pack, a collection of beings so close in purpose as to be nearly a single unit. They are small, rarely comprising more than two dozen individuals (although it’s not unknown for several packs to join into a larger community). See more.
Source - Handbook of Heritages (Pg. 62)
Reef Singers will generally take things in good part and are always pleased to have someone perform for them. A feat of strength, a new song, or some well-turned trick of conjuring will win good-natured and enthusiastic applause. They prize being good-natured and the ability to laugh at one’s own mistakes. An easy way to upset them is to set oneself up as more important, or to be obviously wasteful either through excessive consumption leaving things uneaten or through destruction of property and beauty. These sorts of actions strike against the egalitarian and thrifty nature of these people. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #17
A free-spirited and inquisitive lot, rover bands are ever on the move,and usually accompanied by their famously well-trained canine companions. Often mistaken for being feckless and flighty, the truth is merely that rovers instead value their freedom and a zest for life over great works and grinding industry. They do, however, value more transitory works, such as unique, sensory-based art. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #14
Because they can always depend on the bounty of the sea, selkies are capable of thriving in lands where other heritages would struggle to get by. Consequently, selkie communities in such places can become culturally insulated, tending them toward a more conservative and traditional outlook. See more.
Source - Secrets of the Selkies
Settlers live at the farthest reaches of their empire, upon shores their nation’s tendrils have not quite fully grasped. They live alone or in communities on the frontier, land that not long ago was merely empty space on the map—though those already living there rarely see it that way. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 65)
Sewer rats are ratlings who live by their wits in the most inhospitable parts of cities. They venture out at night in search of food and other necessities, stealing whatever they can’t scavenge. Able to wriggle through tiny spaces and laughing at locks, sewer rats operate much like a thieves’ guild—albeit one more interested in food than riches. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 23)
Whereas most elf cultures focus on light and the immanence of life, the shadow elves—also known as dark elves or drow—contemplate the nature of death and destruction, and they draw inspiration and comfort from the darkness. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 65
Instead of living with your head in the clouds, you have come down to earth to struggle with the rest of the mortals. Your homeland f loats far above the land. It might have been an island wedged in the sky by arcane forces, a forgotten kingdom sequestered in the air for its own protection, or even an ancient flying castle. See more.
Source: Manual of Adventurous Resources: Complete
Sky-seeker Aarakocra locks live on the loftiest mountain peaks, seeing the high places as a representation of the last part of the hunter’s journey before their enlightenment. Such Aarakocra are focused on spiritual perfection and the time they don’t spend hunting is used for meditation and communion with birds and spirits alike. Skyseekers tend to be reclusive, actively hiding from the outside world so they can find greater spiritual understanding. They especially revere Aarakocra that are capable of true flight. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #5
Raised in the warmth of the sun, solar chrysalians are often characterized by their boisterousness and joie de vivre. They often dress themselves in loud patterns and colors, and frequently favor sequins, feathers, bells, and other baubles that draw attention. Friendly and vivacious, they are attracted to bright colors and hubs of activity and are always on the lookout for the next new and exciting thing. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #15
Just as many have woven themselves and their families into the thread of large cities. Regardless, such acolytes were pressured to be constantly alert to any small omen or sign of prophecy and to take them very seriously, and this pressure most likely still sticks with them long afterwards. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #1
In a world where magic abounds and the need for mechanical wizardry is minimal, there are still some brave minds who believe in experimentation, knowledge, and reason. One such people are the so-called steamforged—talented engineers who value science and social progress. Steamforged lands are usually the most technologically advanced in a region, pioneering mechanical devices that range from gas lamps to flintlock pistols and steam trains. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 66)
There are some responsibilities even among orcs that require a cool head and tempered disposition. The most sacred places in orcish lore are called “stoic landings”, places where heroes rose or fell, or where gods wept or laughed. These stoic landings demand reverence, rite, tradition, and rituals to be observed and carried out faithfully. As many orcs lack the patience needed, the ancient orcish shamans found a solution: a rite called “the quelling.” See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 67)
Civilizations can thrive without developing metallurgy, either by choice or because they live in stone-age cultures. Those from such societies are known as the stoneworthy. They are often adaptable and tenacious, with skills well-suited for adventuring. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 68)
With their warm hearths, verdant greenery, and low ceilings it is little surprise that boroughs (consisting of many individual burrows) are the hearts of halfling communities across the world. Halflings prefer to carve their homes from low hills, shoring up the earth as natural protection against the elements. Yet boroughs are more than a single halfling’s home—they’re communities of dozens, sometimes hundreds of halflings whose homes dot entire hillsides or rolling hilly plains. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 68)
The oceans of Underdark are sailed by an eclectic mix of merchants, pirates, explorers, adventurers, and agents of the various underground factions. While less affected by extreme weather than their surface counterparts, these subterranean seas possess hazards of their own, and those who sail them (and survive) are made resourceful and resilient indeed. Sunless mariners spend most of their lives on (or under) the water, operating boats and submarines on the shipping lanes that link Underdark’s ports. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 24)
Communities of Yuan-ti that make their homes in swamps tend to enjoy the bountiful water and life around them and create gregarious, thriving, and colorful societies rich with arts and culture. They harvest not only food, but art supplies and crafting resources from the vibrant ecosystems around them and more often than not, have strong hospitality traditions, welcoming those passing through their communities with friendly enthusiasm. See more.
Source - Sinuous Sentinels
There are many heritages who look more like animals than they look like people. The beastfolk are one example, but centaurs and even dragonborn are also more bestial than they are humanoid in appearance. Because of this, people of more humanoid-looking heritages often have a difficult time seeing beastfolk as people as well—and some humanoids outright refuse to do so. In these people’s minds, beastfolk and other animal-like beings are nothing more than talking animals and should be treated as such. See more.
Source - Handbook of Heritages (Pg. 65)
Gnomes are known for their unique brand of creativity which often leads to the advancement of both magic and technology. Non-gnomes that immerse themselves in this culture struggle to reach the level of craftsmanship achieved by their gnomish counterparts, but can learn to match it with enough dedication and hard work. There is rarely rivalry inside of tinker gnome communities and it’s not uncommon for tinkers to help even a direct competitor perfect a new product—though there are no promises that they won’t steal the plans for themselves afterwards. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 69)
Not all conquerors, dark lords, and empires tolerate halfling boroughs within their borders—when their armies come marching the wise halflings have already gone underground. Halflings rarely give up their land and will simply live under it instead. Dwarves may dig deep, but halflings are content to dig wide and stay up where the earth is still alive. Once forced underground however, a halfling warren can stretch for miles. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 70)
Many people live in fear of a tyrannical ruler and of the militant minions that punish dissent and disobedience. Performative loyalty becomes necessary for survival, until even those who oppose the ruler will sometimes betray their neighbors lest they be dragged away to torture and enslavement. Those who resist the tyrant learn to feign the role of faithful soldier, and the cruel irony is that they often profit from the violent conquests of the regime they loathe. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 71)
An underharvester is someone who’s mastered the practice of gathering food in the harshest of environments, learning by painful experience (or wise lessons) what food is safe to eat. Mushrooms in particular are a valuable resource for underharvesters, something they take with them whenever they travel to a new area. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 25)
Only the brave or foolhardy dare even the briefest foray into Underdark, and few survive such treks long enough to make a habit of it. Underdark Denizens are survivors through and through, having known the leanest of times in tunnels home to monsters and deadly traps alike. See more.
Source - Dungeons Delver's Guide (Pg. 25)
Far away from the protection of armies and uncomfortably close to the borders beyond which anything might roam, day-to-day life as a villager is routine—but a future is far from guaranteed. Village life can be simple and mundane, filled with the humdrum but insistent needs of farm animals and crops, though there can be far worse than wolves stalking the woods and at any moment, a villager’s life can be punctuated by upheaval. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 72)
Some war hordes obliterate the target of their wrath within the day and life simply returns to normal—but others can last a lifetime. When the offender is an entire nation or a powerful figure like a sovereign or tyrant, the march can seem to go on forever. Warhordling life is driven by one simple goal: the destruction of their foe. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 72)
Communities of water elementaari form wherever water can be found in abundance: near quiet lagoons on tropical islands, along coastal sand dunes where ocean waves continually crash, atop arctic ice flows, or about large, natural waterfalls. Though these disparate climes can sometimes bring about striking differences, waterflow peoples share a healthy respect for both the life-giving and life-taking power of water. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #18
Remote groups isolated by vast oceans, high mountains, or thick vegetation live at the mercy of nature. They learn to be part of the wilderness’ unending cycles, living in small communities which have little or no contact with the so-called “civilized” peoples of the world. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 73)
In vast, foreboding forests and jungles filled with monsters and magic, the villages of wood elves are a rare and wondrous sight. These unique settlements are known for their harmony with nature—typical dwellings are tree houses with the mightiest branches forming living walkways, walls, and alcoves. See more.
Source - Adventurer's Guide (Pg. 74)
While the Children of Zev laud the ancient king, the zevanchists have a different perspective: an ancient power abusing his position and the people he forced onto the Astral Plane. Far more contemplative than their cousins, zevanchists build monasteries and homes on asteroids of matter adrift in the Astral and remote islands on the Astral Seas. See more.
Source - Gate Pass Gazette #13