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.

Characters raised in the airship pirate culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Sharp-Eyed Lookout. When in an elevated vantage capable of seeing over obstacles in your environment your vision extends out to two miles. You cannot make out fine details, such as writing or the exact appearance of a face, at that distance, but you can make out broad details, like the colors of a flag or the shape of a person.

Skysailor. You are proficient with air vehicles and tinker’s tools. You also gain an expertise die when using tinkers tools to make repairs to vehicles. In addition, you are acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet and gain an expertise die to saving throws caused by being at high altitude, such as cold or vertigo.

Swing into Action. When you use Athletics or Acrobatics to move toward an enemy, such as leaping over a railing or swinging from a rope, you gain expertise on the roll.

Weapons of the Trade. You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and either ballistas or canons, as determined appropriate to the setting by the Narrator.

Languages. You can speak, read, sign, and write Common and one other language.

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.

They are not only their inhabitants, they are the protectors, keeping traditions and stories alive and defending the lands from being corrupted or conquered. While their numbers seem to be few, these cultures are generally decentralized and more powerful than they appear at first sight, their true strength hidden until it is absolutely necessary. Their long histories give them the wisdom to know that survival is a waiting game, and their people have seen enough to understand that all creatures die, all empires fall, and even the worst situation is just a matter of resilience and patience.

Characters raised in the Keepers of the Land culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Characters raised as itinerants share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Ancestral Wisdom. The words of your elders accompany and guide you. You can cast guidance once per day

Lay of the Land.  Choose a region from the list in Chapter 4: Exploration of Trials & Treasures that represents the land where you grew up. You have advantage on rolls made to overcome Exploration Challenges in that type of region.

Storytellers. You gain proficiency in Performance and your choice of Culture or History. If you already have proficiency, you instead gain an expertise die .

Strong Conviction. You have a strong sense of self and purpose. You gain an expertise die on saving throws against spells of the compulsion spell school.

The Land Provides. You know where to find food. You gain an expertise die on checks to perform the Harvest and Hunt and Gather journey activities.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common, and one additional language.

Oxfolk are a tall, bovine-esque people with large, curving horns. Many have longer hair on their heads and about their shoulders and most have furry coats, the length and texture of which varies with the seasons, the climate they hail from, and their lineage. This fur is largely similar to that seen on oxen and domesticated cattle, with bands, splotches, and solid colors being equally common, though some might look more akin to bison, water buffalo, or yaks

While oxfolk are easily mistaken for minotaurs, scholars of both natural sciences and the divine have long ago concluded that this resemblance is strictly superficial, though there is still debate as to whether one god or another created them as a peaceable, straightforward counterbalance to the violent, maze-loving creatures of demonic origin. The oxfolk themselves have several origin stories, ranging from a nature goddess deeming the ox the wisest of all beasts and raising them to sapience as a reward to errant nature spirits choosing a bovinelooking form to explore the world through.

While there are always individual exceptions, most oxfolk tend to prefer calm and quiet environments with enough room that their large frames and wide horns pose no accidental risk to property or passersby. They are rarely seen 10 inside large cities, preferring the open terrain and a small town or even nomadic lifestyle and a communal atmosphere. Generally of quiet and gentle demeanor, they are slow to make friends but even slower to forget them. Their wrath, too, is slow to rouse, but usually quick to cool after a noisy confrontation.

Oxfolk Traits 

Characters with the oxfolk heritage share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Age. Oxfolk mature faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 15, and age at a similar rate to humans

Size. Oxfolk are taller than humans, typically standing between 7 and 8 feet.

Speed.Your base walking speed is 30 feet

Goring Horns. You possess a pair of curving horns. These horns are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes that deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.

Heavy Lifter.  When determining your carrying capacity and the weight that you can push, drag, or lift, your size is considered to be Large.

Tough Hooves. You have a pair of cloven hooves instead of bare feet, meaning you cannot wear regular footwear such as boots and other shoes. However, your hooves are naturally hard and tough. You are immune to damage from sharp terrain hazards (such as caltrops, broken glass, or the spike growth spell) and ignore difficult terrain caused by then. Additionally, other kinds of difficult terrain reduce your movement speed by 5 feet instead of halving it.

Oxfolk Gifts 

In addition to the traits found in your oxfolk heritage, chose one of the following gifts.In addition to the traits found in your oxfolk heritage, chose one of the following gifts.In addition to the traits found in your oxfolk heritage, chose one of the following gifts.

Connected to the Land

In addition to the traits found in your oxfolk heritage, chose one of the following gifts.

Blessing of the Land. Choose a type of terrain that represents the land you are in tune with: arctic, desert, mountain, plains, or swamp. You know one cantrip based on this choice: ray of frost (arctic), produce flame (desert), resistance (mountains), druidcraft (plains), pestilence (swamp).

Terrain Attunement. You gain an expertise die on Perception, Nature and Survival checks while in the terrain you chose for Blessing of the Land. You also ignore naturally-occuring difficult terrain in that environment.

Pillar of Strength

You are particularly physically powerful and sturdy, even among oxfolk.

Powerful Stance. You gain an expertise die on saving throws  against the Shove, Knockdown, or Overrun maneuvers, as well as against any effect that would impose the prone  condition on you. You can also use the Knockdown or Shove basic maneuvers on creatures up to two size categories larger than you.

Resilient Hide. While you aren’t wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Oxfolk Paragon

Starting at 10th level, you are an exemplar amongst your people. You gain the following traits:

Emissary of the Land

Choose one of the followings spells: find the path , move earth , wall of ice , or wall of thorns . You can cast the chosen spell once without any material components once per long rest . Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest).

Long Horn

Your horns have grown to truly impressive size, allowing you to deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. On a successful hit, the creature must roll a Strength saving throw against your maneuver DC. On a failure, you also deal basic melee damage and knock the target prone.

Tireless Endurance

Your body and mind have become highly resistant to physical toil and mental strain. Once per long rest , you can use an action to reduce your fatigue ] and strife levels by 1. Additionally, when you reduce your fatigue or strife with a long rest, you reduce each by 2 levels instead of 1, even if you are not at a safe haven.

Oxfolk Culture 

Oxfolk peoples tend to be divided between two main lifestyles: nomadic and sedentary. While each subgroup within them has its own characteristics, all share the main feature of a strong focus on family, a concept indistinguishable from tribe for the oxfolk; for them, a neighbor is as much family as a direct blood relative. Children are raised communally and are brought up as much by their vast network of honorary and literal aunts, uncles, cousins, and the like by as their immediate family

They rarely follow any large organized religions, instead being devoted to less powerful but more numerous pantheons of regional spirits and local fey creatures. A people with a heavy focus on tradition, leadership of the group almost always falls on the elders. Violence is widely avoided, and expulsion from the tribe is seen as a penalty worse than death; even the worst crimes are punished with exile. Whenever an oxfolk is seen living far from their own kind, a tragic event in the past is likely to have been the cause.

While their clothing, culture, and art are as diverse as any other heritage’s, oxfolk share a general inclination to horn decorating, ranging from delicate jewelry to jangling piercings to careful trimming and intricate carvings filled in with inks and dyes. Oxfolk youth, with their fastgrowing horns, are more given to experimentation, with the trend being that they eventually settle on an aesthetic as they age. Regardless of the individual expression, an oxfolk’s horns are an immense source of personal pride, and those exiled for the worst crimes are often also divested of their horns, which would otherwise connect them to the family they wronged.

Suggested Cultures

While you can choose any culture for your oxfolk character, the following cultures are linked closely to the heritage: keeper of the land , nomad , stoneworthy , villager .

At the Narrator’s discretion, you may be able to benefit from the following new mechanics.

I've Seen This Somewhere Before

History may not repeat itself, but it does tend to rhyme, and when you’ve already lived a life of past adventures, there’s a chance that you’ve seen something before. At the Narrator’s discretion, you can gain advantage or an expertise die on ability checks that relate to your previous adventures. You can use this ability a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency modifier.

Work with the Narrator to make an outline of your character’s past adventures or encounters to determine what you’ve had previous experience with. For example, Nadine the herald who spent her youth slaying demons of the deep seas in the name of a goddess of light would likely get bonuses to rolls to attack demons and determine their weaknesses, as well as those to swim, pilot sea-based water vehicles, and speak with followers of certain deities. She would, however, not necessarily know how to fight undead, steer a river barge, or anything about the religious practices of a desert-based mystery cult. Depending on the Narrator, your playstyle, and the game you are playing, you may benefit more from having several concrete examples, by proposing qualifying rolls on the fly, or a mixture of the two.

Weapons Once Wielded

Many great and glorious former adventurers had powerful magical weapons that are nearly as storied as those who wield them. They are then hung up or hidden away, left to gather dust as their edges dull and they forget what they once were.

You have such a weapon of legendary deeds. It, like you, is far from your glory days and needs time and effort to recover the power you two once had. Choose a weapon, such as a longsword, greataxe, or the like upon character creation, and work with the Narrator to determine the features and power it once had. In addition to its features as an item, your weapon may also have gained or reawoken a form of sapience. In this case, consider consulting Sentient Magic Items in Chapter 8: Enchanted Gear of Trials & Treasures, though such a weapon would not necessarily gain the usual durability and power of a standard sentient item. It would, however, have its own opinions about how the two of you should regain your lost glory—and they may not line up with yours.

The deep bond you share with your weapon makes using other armaments difficult. You cannot wield any other weapon for extended periods of time (as ruled by the Narrator, but generally about an hour) without suffering a 1d4 penalty to all attack rolls and saving throws . You are always considered attuned to this weapon, which counts against the usual maximum of three enchanted items. This weapon counts as magical for purposes of overcoming resistance and immunities and in regards to taking damage or breaking. In addition, you can use your reaction to gain an expertise die on an attack or damage roll made with this weapon a number of times per day equal to your proficiency modifier. You regain all spent uses of this feature once you finish a long rest .

If you lose this weapon or it is somehow destroyed, you still retain attunement with it. While finding or repairing it may be the goal of a great quest, there is always the possibility of regaining it, short of divine intervention. However, the loss of such an item is soulcrushing and you take a 1d4 penalty to all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until you are reunited with it.

Upon reaching a point of prowess and glory, such as fulfilling your destiny, your weapon regains some or all of its previous features, but retains the benefits and drawbacks of this feature.

Who I Once Was

A common trope in stories of heroes having to get back into the saddle are the moments when they are able to catch the flame that they once held. Work with the Narrator to make up an alternate character sheet, a higher-level version of your character that represents who you once were before retirement. In times of strain or when all hope seems lost, you may be able to tap into these previous abilities..

As a reaction no more than once per day, you can spend an inspiration to use one of the features of your alternate character sheet one time. This could be using the higher level character’s statistics for an ability check or saving throw, casting a spell that is only available at a higher lever, and so on. However, such a feat is immensely taxing and after using this feature you suffer at least one level each of fatigue and strife , potentially more depending on the power of the ability and the Narrator’s discretion, which they should discuss with you before you expend a use of this feature. If the chosen feature used requires a reaction, you perform it as part of spending the inspiration.

As a note, the power of these abilities can mean that encounters may go very differently than expected. In such an instance, a deeper narrative cost could be associated with this sort of ability. For example, if you are being hunted by someone who wants revenge, they are more likely to hear about you if you are able to channel greater power than normal or using a signature ability, or you may make an entirely new enemy.

Toll of Years

Depending on the level of (comparative) realism of your game, you may want to add modifiers to your character’s ability scores based on their age. For example, a character with the Former Adventurer background may be middle aged after leaving a life of bloodshed at their prime, while a Retiree would almost certainly be old or even elderly. Obviously these are general categories that vary greatly in the specifics depending on a character’s heritage, and some may not apply in certain circumstances, like an older character pointedly keeping up a healthy diet and exercise routine. However, the table below provides some general guidelines. As always, consult the Narrator before applying these changes.

Some adventurers hang up their swords and put away their spellbooks, only to find that they have to take them up again. This may be a story of fulfilling one’s true potential, achieving a glory always longed for, or even one of redemption and penance for a past life of violence or treachery.

Special Feature: Former Self. Upon character creation, also create a version of your character that represents who they once were, up to 10 levels higher than whatever your adventure starts at.

Source of Inspiration: Memory.You are both haunted and driven by who you once were. You gain inspiration whenever you score a critical with an ability check your former self had proficiency in, or overcome something that you could not in your past adventures.

Defeat a foe who you had previously lost to, face a fear you developed from your previous life adventuring, restore (or destroy) an item, relationship, or group that was iconic of your old adventures, subvert or fulfill the expectations of someone who knew you before.

Inspiration Feature: Things Remembered. As a reaction, you may spend your inspiration to use the proficiency bonus and ability score of your former self to make a single attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

Fulfilling Your Destiny 

You fulfill your destiny when you either become who you once were again, or diverge markedly from that path but still find glory.

Defeat a major foe from your past or their modern day heir or analog, restore a settlement or large organization that suffered in your absence, take revenge on whatever entity drove you from adventuring before or destroyed your peaceful retirement, found an institution with numerous members that is in line with or antithetical to your old values.

Fulfillment Feature: Reborn. You have either found your stride again, or decided who you once were is not who you will be again. Either way, you are the stuff of legends. You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

In addition, you may use Things Remembered twice per long rest without using inspiration. If you reach a level equal to or surpassing your Former Self, you can use that feature to instead gain a +5 to the roll before you know the outcome as your excellence shines through

Table: Death Destiny

D6 Motivation

1 Unfinished Business: You learned of something you accidentally left undone

2 Debt: Someone has called in a debt from a long time ago.

3 Loss. Loss of a loved one or friend has called you to return to a life of adventure.

4 Disappointed. The quiet life does not live up to what you expected.

5 Guilt. The guilt of past failures has pushed you back into action.

6 Enemy Returns. An enemy you thought you had defeated has returned.

Plenty of stories have heroes and former mercenaries give up a life of adventure for quiet, honest work. But it’s never that simple: just because they’ve walked away from the happenings of the world, doesn’t mean that the world is done with them! There are stories also about mages that hung up their robes to don a gardener’s apron or famous berserkers that now content themselves with yelling advice from the sidelines while enjoying a nice cuppa instead of sparring personally. That doesn’t mean their tale has ended, however, as the call to adventure can come from unexpected places. Whatever reason a character hung up the tools of their past trade, the following mechanics can help them take it—or something completely different—up once more.