A new evil has awakened on the world of Kyshar.

Descending from the

Eternal Glaciers in the North, streams of cold and darkness spread fear and
chaos, upsetting the already precarious balance of the Dark Woods. All over
Kyshar, sprite clans prepare for a new war; even the peaceful vegepygmies
can no longer ignore the growing corruption of their forests. At the heart of
the Dark Woods, the valiant aasimars and their automaton soldiers stand
watch from the top of their tall towers. Meanwhile in the temples of their
hidden kingdom, the scorpion-women of the girtablilu sisterhood observe the
signs of ancient prophecies. Will the Free People of the Dark Woods have the
strength to weather the storm and stand the tides of darkness? Will heroes
rise among them to oppose the emerging Shadow and change the fate of
their world? Enter the Dark Woods and come to see for yourself!
Welcome to the Dark Woods, a land of What You Need To Play
dangerous beasts, wild spirits, and awaken This booklet describes in brief the world of
trees. Covering the whole continent of Kyshar, Dark Woods from the perspective of the Free
forests of malicious trees constantly bend their People. The information provided in this
will against anything and anyone resisting their document is relatively well-known to those
dominion. Life under the trees is choked by living in it; information for the DM is included
dampness and lack of air as even the light of in the appendixes presented at the end of the
the sun struggles to reach the forest’s floor. booklet. In this document you will find a map
Dozens of intelligent races inhabit the Dark of the world with a brief description of its
Woods but humans, elves, dwarves and other history, geography and demography. You will
typical fantasy races are noticeably absent also find the information you need to create a
from this world. Instead, tribes of feral character for a Dark Woods campaign.In order
creatures and monsters roam the Dark Woods to play this game, you will need a copy of the
living a primitive lifestyle, barely exceeding Player’s Handbook of the 5th edition of
stone-age level of technology. Of all these Dungeons and Dragons. If you are not familiar
people, the diminutive sprites and the gentle with Dungeons and Dragons or with roleplaying
vegepygmies have established themselves as games in general, you may want to seek the
the most diverse and culturally rich assistance of a friend or ask your Dungeon
civilizations, living in defiance of the malicious Master to teach you about this roleplaying
influence of the Dark Woods. While other game.
denizens of the Dark Woods also achieved You should start by reading this document
variable degrees of progress, none shine as before proceeding to character creation. Ask
brightly as the aasimar, a nation of proud and your DM about the general theme(s) of the
noble beings born in the Upper Planes now campaign and the character options he or she
residing on Kyshar. Their history is both great intends to make available in your Dark Woods
and sad, continuously reminded by the game. Once you and your DM agreed on a
existence of the girtablilu, a race of centauroid basic concept, go back to the character section
scorpion-women owing their existence to an of this booklet and begin the step-by-step
old aasimari curse. The aasimar are assisted by creation of a character as explained in the
a race of sentient constructs known as chapter 1 of the Player’s Handbook. Once your
automatons that, despite their clockwork character is completed, it is a good idea to go
hearts, show more warmth and compassion back to the end section of this booklet and
than most living creatures of the Dark Woods. review the information concerning your
Together, these five races form the Free People character’s race and place of origin.
of the Dark Woods - five nations refusing to
yield to the malevolent will of the Dark Woods.

Dark Woods is a fictional campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game. Taking place on the forested
world of Kyshar, a campaign set in Dark Woods engages the players on the themes of exploration and survival with
characters of unusual origins.
Dark Woods characters must be created out of the five unusual races provided in this document instead of those
featured in the Player’s Handbook. Also, due to a magical isolation from other planes of existence, spells pertaining to
planar travel do not function in this campaign setting. Otherwise, the rules and materials provided in the 5th edition of
the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game apply normally and are used as a reference for playing a campaign in the
Dark Woods setting.
Part 1:
Introduction
The Dark Woods are a place of wonder and
magic. It is a wild land from which civilization
struggles to emerge, but where progress shines
brightly against the darkness of its primeval
the
tapestry. This chapter offers an overview of the
Marshes.
world of Kyshar and of the themes introduced
While all
in this setting.
agree that this
undead might
The Lay of the Land pose a serious threat
to the Free People, no one is
If it could be viewed from far above, Kyshar
willing to dispute her claim to her own
would look like a downward claw with three
territory.
“fingers” protruding into the sea. Forests and
jungles occupy every inch of land with the The middle peninsula is home to the nagas,
exception of a few bare mountain tops in the a race of intelligent serpents with human-like
Thunderous South and on the icy plains of the heads. The tip of this peninsula dissolves in a
Eternal Glaciers in the Far North. Climates myriad of tall islands where storms and
range from tropical to subarctic but wherever hurricanes are said to breed. These hurricanes
one goes, the land is covered by dense, dark, then travel west and crash against the Storm
and ominous forests. Mountains in the Thunderous South where the
winged-serpents known as couatls live. Their
Three great arms of land reach far into the
homes are considered sacred grounds where
sea in the south of the continent, forming two
none of the Free People are permitted to go.
long and narrow gulfs. Storms provoke
The Storm Mountains are among the tallest on
frequent floods, creating a wide network of
the whole continent but even there, only the
salty bogs and wetlands around the
highest peaks are devoid of trees.
westernmost and largest of these gulfs. Some
clans of sprites reside there, living in the Far to the North, incredibly tall evergreens
canopies of large, drowning trees. Bullywugs, suddenly give in to impenetrable glaciers.
goblins and lizardmen inhabit the less salty These forests are the home of the harpies, a
swamps, avoiding the marsh-dragons and bog- race of cruel bird-maidens whose enthralling
trolls as much as they can. But as inhospitable songs lead travelers to their doom. More than
as they are, these wetlands have recently been anywhere else in the Dark Woods, these
claimed by the self-proclaimed Lich-Queen of
northern forests are filled with an essence of With every root a barrier and every brook a
evil and a dark sense of purpose. chasm, walking the Dark Woods is practically
impossible. One can easily get disoriented and
The eastern coast and the heartlands
lost, or worse, led into a dragon's lair or a nest
remain the tamest parts of the Dark Woods.
of hungry axebeaks. Long ago, aasimar and
Most tribes of sprites and vegepygmies live
automatons built elevated roads and arching
there, as do the aasimar and their automaton
bridges over brooks and rivers, but most of
servants. The latter two live among the ruins of
these constructions lie now in ruin. All that
their ancient empire in the only city that
remains are used as landmarks to travel from
withstood the tides of time: the mechanical
one settlement to another.
city of Excelsior. Shining as a beacon of light in
a dark sea of trees, Excelsior is home to more The Dark Woods do not seem to be
than half the aasimar population of the Dark regulated by seasons as on other worlds. On
Woods. The mysterious Sphinx established his the contrary, the forests of Kyshar seem to be
temple along the cliffs of the Eastern Coast, not in a perpetual state of bloom, growth and
far from the Hidden Kingdom of the Girtablilu. death, as if spring, summer and fall were
Wishing to remain unseen, the exact location constantly competing against each other. Snow
of the girtablilu city is a jealously guarded and cold are only present in the North were
secret. winter is eternal. And just as the northern
forests suddenly give way to a land of ice and
Everywhere around the Dark Woods, angry
snow, the mountains of the Forbidden South
oceans await those who dare take to the sea.
seem to be washed by everlasting storms. The
No culture ever mastered sea travel, for the
Dark Woods, or so it seems, are just as hostile
oceans possess an awareness and an ill temper
to the four winds as they are to its inhabitants.
similar to that of the forests of Kyshar. Five
large islands emerge out of the Eastern Sea
where aasimars and sprites once lived, but A Brief History
they are deserted today.
Eons ago, an army of demons invaded Kyshar
and nearly pulled the world into the Abyss. The
The Forests of the Dark Woods Powers Above intervened, sending a host of
The Dark Woods are justifiably called “dark”. celestial warriors to cleanse the demonic
presence. The demons were vanquished and
Under the multi-layered canopy of its giant
the angels returned to their heavens, but many
trees, perpetual shade and gloom hide both
of the aasimari soldiers stayed behind, claiming
predators and deadly traps. More than the
the world as theirs and establishing a
mere absence of light, the darkness can be felt
civilization. For an age, the aasimar of Kyshar
like an ominous and oppressing presence that
grew prosperous. They created a race of
snuffs out hope and invokes fear. In the forests
and jungles of the Dark Woods, an air of sentient constructs called automatons to fight
by their side. Their kingdoms rose into a mighty
wakefulness and malice emanates from every
empire but in time, the aasimar grew
tree, every bush, and every blade of grass. For
complacent and their civilization degenerated
the inhabitants of Kyshar, there's no doubt that
into decadence, chaos and war.
the Dark Woods are alive.
This later era is better known as the
Almost as if Kyshar was made for titans,
Woodland Wars, during which many aasimar
trees here grow to gargantuan heights and
abandoned their former gods for the more
girths, dwarfing all but the forests of Arborea.
sinister powers of the Dark Woods. What Several reports tell of great rivers of fog
began as a civil war between two aasimari slithering from the north like gigantic snakes.
nations escalated into a continental-scale war Frost and snow are left in their wake, and it is
involving virtually every people of the Dark said that strange cries can be heard from
Woods. The so-called dark aasimar were within. Entire sprite populations have vanished
ultimately defeated, but peace came at a heavy where the fog flowed, leaving their villages
cost. As the dust of war settled down, the deserted and yet occupied by a strange,
aasimar discovered that the planar pathways unseen presence. Scouts sent to investigate
linking their world to the Upper Planes were attest of a feeling of dread and evil unlike
severed and that the gates to the heavens were anything known.
closed. All around the Dark Woods, vegepygmies
Today, the aasimar of the Dark Woods are a report tales of cruelty going beyond the typical
melancholic people living in exile from their woodland malevolence. Cabals of mad and
planar homes. The overgrown ruins of their frenzied sprites spread terror among their kind,
former empire and the rusting carcasses of and undead creatures arise before the Dark
their clockwork soldiers litter the Dark Woods, Woods can claim their corpses. These events
serving as home to clans of sprites and lonely are still sporadic and isolated, but their
beasts. Also harkening to this dark era, the frequency seems to increase, if one is to
malediction known as the girtablilu curse still believe the rumors. The Girtablilu foresee dark
affects many aasimar newborns to this day, times ahead, predicting the forthcoming of
causing infants to be born with the lower body ancient prophecies. Doom awaits, and the fate
of a scorpion. It seems that everywhere they of Kyshar will soon be at stake…
look, the aasimar are constantly reminded of
the errors of their past.
The other denizens of the Dark Woods live
now as they did before the arrival of the
aasimar, remembering the Woodland Wars as
vague mythological events passed down orally
from one generation to another. For them, the
conflict opposing the couatls against the nagas
is much fresher in their mind. This eon-long
conflict reached its apex during the Woodland
Wars but has erupted at least twice in recent
times. The last episode saw many casualties
among tribes of sprites, goblins, and bullywugs.

The Rising Shadow

For the most part, the Free People and the
denizens of the Dark Woods live in a fragile
harmony with their world, but this balance is
about to be put to the test. A new evil is rising
in the north; one that has still to be clearly
identified and understood.
Magic in the Dark Woods fails. No one knows exactly who or what
The very land of the Dark Woods is steeped in caused The Seal to come into effect; even the
magic. Trees can shift, brooks can change their gods seem silent on the matter. However,
course and spirits can take the shape of beasts teleportation-type spells function normally
to harass travelers. Denizens of the Dark within the confine of Kyshar and conjurors can
Woods have long learned how to harness this summon spirits that inhabit the Dark Woods,
magic through shamanistic rituals, and ancient forcing them to take the shape of a beast or
druidic sites still possess forgotten powers. that of an elemental creature.
Both nagas and couatls possess innate magical
powers and some of their lost temples contain
unclaimed magical artifacts. Magic in the Dark Woods
Aasimar brought another type of magic to In the Dark Woods campaign setting, all spells
the Dark Woods, one of careful and deliberate involving planar travel or access to extra
manipulation of arcane energy. The aasimar of dimensional spaces automatically fail. At best,
old wrought many powerful enchantments in some of these spells can be cast with reduced
their heyday, many of which are still active effects. The following list comprises spells from the
today. Obstructed cellars and sealed towers Player’s Handbook that are altered or ineffective in
stand amongst ruins, some still filled with the Dark Woods:
scrolls and magic items from the past.
Astral projection1, banishing smite2, banishment1,
With regard to magic, the Dark Woods blink1, conjure celestial1, conjure elemental3,
resemble most other Dungeons & Dragons conjure fey4, conjure minor elemental3, conjure
worlds with one major exception: the link that woodland beings4, creation1, demiplane1, dispel
connects Kyshar to the rest of the multiverse Good and Evil2, etherealness1, gate1, hunger of
has been severed. As a result, the Dark Woods hadar1, imprisonment2, Leomund’s secret chest1,
are completely impermeable to any type of maze1, Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion1,
planar travel. Commonly known as ‘The Seal’ planar ally1, plane shift1, wish2
among scholars, this planar anomaly prevents
spellcasters from using plane-shifting magic,
reaching into extra-dimensional spaces and 1 These spells automatically fail when cast.
summoning celestial or fiendish creatures. 2 These spells can be cast but some effects may not
Divine spellcasters still receive spells normally apply.
and their deities may still be contacted through
divination spells, but any attempt to travel to 3 Elementals summoned with these spells conjure
another plane (by means of magic portals or elemental spirits from the world of Kyshar instead
spells like plane shift and gate), to transit of the Elemental Planes.
through another plane (with spells like 4 These spells summon Plant creatures instead of
etherealness and astral projection), to open Fey. Other parameters of the spells are otherwise
extra-dimensional spaces (with magic items identical to those described in the Player’s
such as a bag of holding or spells like rope Handbook.
trick) and to summon extraplanar creatures
(with magic items such as bottle of the genies
or spells like conjure celestial) automatically
Part 2: Characters Your choice of race affects several aspects of
your character such as its general appearance
Creating a character for a Dark Woods
and some of its innate abilities. Each race
campaign uses the same guidelines as
enhances some of your character’s ability
indicated in Chapter 1 of the Player’s
scores and grants unique traits that will help
Handbook, but unlike most Dungeons &
you define your character as an adventurer. For
Dragons campaign settings, Dark Woods does
example, aasimars instinctively know how to
not allow the traditional races of fantasy
conjure light, a rare commodity in the darkness
humanoids for player characters. Dwarves,
of the woods, and sprites are so small that they
elves, halflings, and the other character races
can easily hide from dangerous creatures. Each
presented in the Player’s Handbook are simply
race also provides basic background
absent from this setting and therefore you
information to help you build your character’s
cannot use them to create your character.
personality, either in adherence or in
Instead, your characters must be created using
opposition to the social norms. For example,
one of the five races featured in this guide.
you could create an automaton character who
acts as a loyal companion and diligent
Races of the Dark Woods bodyguard as one would expect from a
member of that race, or play vegepygmy who
Many races of intelligent creatures reside in isn’t a primitive hunter but a civilized and
the Dark Woods but only five live practiced wizard.
independently and free of its malevolent
influence: the bright aasimars, the diligent The table below summarizes the five races
automatons, the amazon-like girtablilu, the available to player characters in the Dark
diminutive sprites and the wise vegepygmies. Woods campaign setting.
These are the Free People of Kyshar and your
character belongs to one of those races.
Race Description Ability Modifiers Racial Traits
Aasimar A proud nation of humans graced +2 Charisma Medium size; 30 ft. speed
with celestial blood. They are the +1 Wisdom Darkvision
guardians of history and civilisation. or Celestial Resistance
as human Celestial Legacy
or
as human
Automaton A race of sentient constructs +2 Constitution Medium size; 30 ft. speed
animated by a clockwork heart and +1 in two abilities Living clockwork
a fiery soul. They are the workers of choice Construct Resilience
and soldiers of the aasimari Skin of Bronze
civilization. Skillful
Girtablilu A race of deformed aasimars +2 Strength Medium size; 30 ft. speed
women born with the lower body of +1 Wisdom Darkvision
a giant scorpion. They live as Claw
amazons in their hidden kingdom Stinger
among the jungles of kyshar. Chitin Armor

Sprite A diminutive race of wild, winged +2 Dexterity Tiny size; 10 ft. speed, fly 40 ft.
humanoids. Their nation is divided Your Strength Invisibility
in four great tribes each worshiping score is 3. Diminutive
one of their four nature gods.
Sprout Singer Subrace +1 Charisma Heart Sight (Sprout Singer)
Painter of Life Subrace +1 Wisdom Camouflage (Painter of Life)
Eater of Flesh Subrace +1 Constitution Darkvision (Eater of Flesh)
River of Worms Subrace +1 Intelligence Worm’s Resistance (River of
Worms)
Vegepygmy A race of small mold-men born out +1 Dexterity Small size; 30 ft. speed
of the corpse of humanoids killed in +2 Wisdom Darkvision
the Dark Woods. They are the mute Plant Creature
interprets of the Dark Woods’ voice. Mold Resistance
Natural Armor
 A typical aasimar stands from 5 ½ feet to a
little over 6 feet tall, weighing between 125
and 200 pounds. Male and female aasimars
show little difference in height, but men tend
to be a bit heavier and more muscular.
Compared to their human ancestors, aasimars
are blessed with a remarkably long life and can
expect to live up to 150 years old without
succumbing to disease or senility.

A People in Exile
The first aasimars of Kyshar arrived as soldiers
in a host of celestial warriors who received the
world of Kyshar as spoils of war and wergild for
their fallen. For a whole age, they traded freely
with their brethren of the celestial realms and
established a great empire. In time however,
they grew too proud and their civilization fell
into civil war.
Today, the aasimars of the Dark Woods
remember the plains of Arcadia and the slopes
of Mount Celestia in songs only. In the wake of
their civil war some 900 years ago, the
Aasimars aasimars discovered that Kyshar was sealed
In a time before memory, humans settled in from any type of planar travel, isolating them
the Upper Planes where generations upon from the land of their ancestors. As a people in
generations of coexistence and intermarriage exile, aasimars cling ferociously to their
with celestial beings forever changed their traditions and ideals.
nature. They became the aasimars; a noble and
gracious race distinct from their human
Those Who Walked Among the Gods
cousins. Under the guidance of their celestial
hosts, the aasimars became invested with the Although they are stranded in the Dark Woods,
everlasting light of the heavens. aasimars remember the time when they
walked the lands of gods. They know much
about the afterlife and are well-versed on the
Celestial Heritage subject of the multiverse. As such, they are not
At first sight, aasimars could be mistaken for a superstitious or a zealously religious people.
slender and regal humans but upon closer They tend to venerate the powers of Good
inspection, their celestial heritage cannot be rather than specific deities, paying homage to
mistaken. Their hair has a metallic shine and their ancestors, heroes of legends, angels of
their eyes gleam with the iridescence of opal renown, minor gods, greater deities and entire
from which a sense of calm and benevolence pantheons in equal measures.
emanates.
Of Marble and Clockworks Darkvision. Your celestial heritage gives you
Aasimars appreciate well-sculpted stone, flying superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You
arches, lacquered wood furniture and can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it
elaborate fountains. They also enjoy fine were bright light, and in darkness as if it were
metalworking, especially decorative items of dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness,
silver and bronze. But more than anything, only shades of grey.
aasimars love to combine these elements in Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to
clever works of engineering and clockwork necrotic damage and radiant damage.
contraptions. This passion culminates in the
Celestial Legacy. You know the light cantrip.
creation of the automatons, a race of sentient
Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast lesser
constructs that aasimars fabricate and bring to
restoration once with this trait, and you regain
life through powerful divine rituals.
the ability to do so after a long rest. Once you
Aasimars consider their automaton reach 5th level, you can also cast the daylight
creations as children and friends, but also as spell once as a 3rd level spell and you regain
laborers and foot-soldiers. This duality the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
sometimes leads to mixed feelings about an Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these
automaton’s role and fate. spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write
Aasimar Traits Celestial and Draconic.
There are two types of aasimars. True aasimars
are bestowed powers of light and healing
thanks to their celestial blood, as described The Mayura; Steeds of the Aasimars
below. For other aasimars however, the human With its lack of open plains and grazing areas,
part of their lineage prevails. If you want to the Dark Woods cannot support a population
play this variant aasimar, use the human race of horses or other usual mounts. Instead, the
as described in the Player’s Handbook as a aasimars of Kyshar have domesticated and
template for your character’s racial traits trained a race of large flightless birds that they
instead of using those provided below. call mayuras.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score An adult mayura stands 9 feet tall, weighs as
increases by 1, and your Charisma score much as 500 pounds and is strong enough to
increases by 2. take on a fully armed and armored aasimar
Age. Aasimars reach adulthood in their rider with ease. Its plumage varies from gray to
early twenties and live up to 150 years old. brown to golden, with males taking on exotic
shades of orange, red and blue with tails of
Alignment. Due to their celestial heritage similar vibrant hues. Mayuras can live up to 50
and rigid society, aasimars of Dark Woods tend years. Wild mayuras are called poukai and are
to be lawful and good but individuals of all dangerous and aggressive creatures.
alignment exist.
Mayuras and poukais use the Axe Beak’s stat
Size. Aasimars range from 5 to over 6 feet bloc from the appendix A of the Monstrous
tall and have a slender built. Your size is Manual.
Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Automatons
Automatons are sentient clockwork constructs
created and animated by aasimars. They are
humanoid in appearance, often crafted to
resemble the industrious gnomes of far-away
Bytopia. Under their skin of beaten brass and
their flesh of carved wood, thousands of gears
and springs turn and churn as they move.

Made for Toil and War

Automatons form the working caste and the
main military force of the aasimari society, and
their appearance is made to reflect this reality.
Standing from 4 to 5 feet tall but weighting
well over 200 pounds, automatons are made of
wood with bronze armor plating and sturdy
cogs at the neck and joints. Aasimars craftsmen
pay particular attention the articulation of
hands and face, making the automaton as
dexterous and expressive as possible. The chest
and head contain the most delicate clockworks
and are therefore the most heavily protected.
Most automatons seem content with the life and serve many generations of the same
of toil and war they were made for. This gives family.
them a purpose that satisfies their sense of As living constructs, automatons do not
responsibility. Automatons are not considered need to eat, drink or sleep. They do however
property however and though they gladly serve need to wind-up and rest their gears for about
their family, they value their free will more four hours each day. During that time, an
than anything else. Sometimes this desire for automaton performs routine maintenance on
independence surpasses their sense of duty its own body (which automatons refer as
and an automaton seeks a life of its own. “grooming”) but otherwise remains conscious
and alert of its environment.

Clockwork Heart, Soul of Fire

An automaton’s chest contains a complex Gentle Warriors
system of cogs and clockworks powered by a Automatons make patient and dutiful soldiers,
mystical flame. The clockwork parts need to be fighting without hatred but with cold efficiency.
winded-up every day but the flame – the soul Automatons experience the full range of
of the automatons – is eternal. This means that emotion like everyone else, but they are less
automatons could technically live eternally, but likely to react on emotional impulse or let their
wear and tear on their mechanism typically judgment be clouded by anger, fear or anguish.
reduces their life span to 200 years or so. As Perhaps owing to the fire that animates them,
such, many automatons outlive their masters
automatons are a much warmer people than Construct Resilience. Your lack of blood
their stoic aasimari masters. vessels makes you resistant to poison. You are
immune to disease and have advantage on
Automatons do not reproduce and have no
saving throws against poison, and you have
gender identity. Most are built with male traits
resistance against poison damage.
and features, but some are portrayed as
female. Skin of Bronze. Wooden and bronze plates
protect your heart of gears and cogs. You gain a
+1 bonus to your Armor Class and your AC
Automaton Traits can’t be less than 16, regardless of what kind
Your automaton character has a variety of of armor you are wearing.
abilities based on its constructed nature. Skillful. Automatons are usually built for a
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution specific purpose. You gain proficiency with one
score increases by 2, and two other ability skill and one type of artisan’s tools of your
scores of your choice increase by 1. choice that represent your profession.
Age. Automatons do not age; they are fully Languages. You can speak, read, and write
functional from the day of their construction. Celestial. You can also understand and speak
Rust and wear typically limit an automaton’s Pygmish due to your frequent rapports with
life expectancy to 200 years or so. vegepymies.
Alignment. Automatons tend to be lawful,
finding comfort in an orderly and regulated
lifestyle. A few aspire to the high ideals of their The Automaton’s Inner Fire
aasimar masters but most take a more neutral Automatons are powered by a sacred fire
stance. Truly evil automatons are extremely confined inside their chest. This flame is
rare. very resilient and can survive for years even
Size. Automatons range from 4 to 5 feet tall. if the automaton has been disabled.
Your size is Medium. Automatons do not need food or drink but
the flame can be fed, allowing the
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
automaton to consume magic potions but
Living Clockwork. Even though you were also exposes it to the dangers of poison.
constructed, you are considered a living Should the flame be extinguished, the
humanoid creature. As an artificial being, you automaton dies. For this reason,
are immune to magical sleep and do not need automatons fear prolonged exposure to
to breathe, eat, drink or sleep, although you extreme cold and total immersion in water.
can drink magic potions to gain their effects. While automatons do not need to breathe,
Your clockwork mechanics need to be winded they can “drown” and are subject to the
with a special key at least once a day during a same suffocation rule as other characters
long rest. Once fully winded, you can function when going underwater.
for a maximum of 24 hours, after which you
become paralyzed until you get winded-up
again. Although you do not require sleep, you
must finish a long rest to regain spent hit dice,
spell slots and other abilities.
Girtablilu
irtablilu A Cursed Existence
Existence
The girtablilu is a sisterhood composed of From the waist up, a girtablilu appear exactly
deformed female aasimars born with the lower like a female aasimar but their lower body is
body of a large scorpion instead of normal hips that of a five-foot long scorpion with its chitin
and legs. They live in a secret kingdom of their plating, serrated pincers, arachnid legs and
own, honing their skills with spears and bows venomous stinger. Although they can rise much
like the fabled Amazons of Arborea. The name higher on their legs, they stand about 5 feet tall
girtablilu refers both to the sisterhood and to and weight some 200 pounds. A girtablilu
an individual of that group. It is also the name matures at the same rate as an aasimar and
of the curse to which they owe their monstrous can expect to live just as long.
appearance.
 The girtablilu owe their monstrous against their feeling of self-loathing and the
appearance to a curse dating back to the bitterness that they cultivate toward the
aasimari civil war. The curse seems to affect aasimars of old. It is against the darker side of
only female newborns, usually killing the their soul that the girtablilu wage their greatest
mother during birth. In olden days, these war.
monstrous babies were slain or abandoned at To ease their mind, the girtablilu continually
birth but a few were raised in secret. Over hone their skills as huntresses and warrior-
time, it became customary to hand-over these maiden, transcending their physical skills into
cursed offspring to other girtablilu until they mental fortitude. For the girtablilu, salvation is
formed a society of their own. achieved through perfection.

Between the Nagas and the Sphinx

A Hidden Kingdom
In their ostracism, the girtablilu have had two
The girtablilu are a secretive people. Perhaps
great allies: an old creature known at the
because they are so self-conscious of their
Sphinx, who raised the first girtablilu children, deformity, they do not share their customs and
and the nagas, who taught them how to
rarely talk about themselves to strangers. They
survive in the Dark Woods. tend to adopt a distant attitude toward non-
The girtablilu owe much to the Sphinx and girtablilu and thus make few friends outside
to show their gratitude, they defend his their sisterhood. Girtablilu adventurers do not
acropolis and patrol the lands around it. It is doubt the loyalty or the abilities of their
customary for a girtablilu reaching adulthood companions of other races, but they are slow
to make pilgrimage to the Oracle at the temple to accept the friendship of others. Friendship
of the Sphinx. There, it is said that the young between aasimars and girtablilu in particular is
girtablilu will learn the one truth that will considered taboo and discouraged by both
define her whole life. Usually stated as a societies.
cryptic or open-handed riddle, this “truth” is
The girtablilu keep secret the location of
nevertheless considered one’s most valuable their kingdom. Their queen has welcomed very
possession.
few outsiders and the wereabouts of her court
Much of the girtablilu’s social customs and has become a favorite subject of speculations
practices come from their naga neighbors. Like among young aasimars. Instead of inviting
them, the girtablilu possess a noble side and a strangers in their city, the girtablilu erect small
more sinister one. Whereas the Sphinx has enclaves near aasimari settlements where
taught them spirituality, the nagas have goods and news can be traded, and where
endowed the girtablilu with knowledge and girtablilu newborns are brought by their
eldritch powers. mourning fathers. When the aasimars hear
them singing and chanting from their enclave,
they know that they have lost a daughter and
A Perpetual Battle that the girtablilu have gained a new sister.
For the girtablilu, life is a continuous battle.
Surviving the spirits and the manifestations of
the Dark Woods is in itself a perilous endeavor
but for the girtablilu, the real conflict comes
from within. The girtablilu continually struggle
Girtablilu Traits After you use this trait, you can’t use it again
Your girtablilu character has a variety of natural until you finish a short or long rest.
ability representing its bestial nature Chitin Armor. The lower portion of your
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score body is covered with thick chitin plates. When
increases by 2, and your Wisdom score you aren’t wearing any armor, your Armor
increases by 1. Class equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Age. Girtablilu reach adulthood in their Languages. You can speak, read, and write
early twenties and live up to 150 years old. Celestial and Ophidian.
Girtablilu do not reproduce; they are born of
aasimar parents as a result of an ancient curse.
Alignment. Girtablilu can be of any Girtablilu and Nagas
alignment, but their unwelcome origin and The nagas of the Dark Woods come in two
resentful nature cultivate the darker side of distinct factions; the benevolent guardian
their soul. nagas and the more sinister spirit nagas.
Size. Girtablilu average around 5 feet tall Together, the race achieves equilibrium but
with an equally long scorpion body. Your size is individually, the two appear contradictive
Medium. from outsider eyes. For the girtablilu, the
nagas represent the dual nature of their
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. psyche; the brighter and benevolent
Darkvision. Thanks to your aasimar blood, aasimar part of their soul and the darker
you have superior vision in dark and dim and more bestial part that lies within.
conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 When the nagas met the girtablilu for the
feet of you as if it were bright light, and in first time, they perceived this duality and
darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t took them as their disciples.
discern color in darkness, only shades of grey. The girtablilu no longer consider the
Claw. You are proficient with your claws nagas as their masters, but the affinity
which are unarmed strikes that deal 1d6 between the two races remain strong to
bludgeoning damage on a hit. When you hit a this day.
small, medium or large-sized creature with a
claw, you can use a bonus action to attempt to
grapple the target. You have two claws, each of
which can grapple only one target.
Stinger. You are proficient with your stinger
which is an unarmed strike that deals 1d8
piercing damage on a hit, and the target must
make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 +
your proficiency bonus + you Strength
modifier), taking 1d10 points of poison damage
on a failed save, or half as much on a successful
one. The damage increases to 2d10 at 6th
level, 3d10 at 11th level and 4d10 at 16th level.
 representing the cycle of birth, growth, death,
and decay. While these tribes don’t always see
eye-to-eye, all see each other as a necessary
part of the balance of the Dark Woods.
Sprites live in clans ranging from a few
dozen to thousands of individuals of the same
tribe. Most still live the feral, primitive lifestyle
of their ancestors, but some clans have
become civilized under the influence of
aasimars and automatons. Clans of sprites
living close to aasimari settlements often
mimic the lifestyle of their celestial neighbors
with well-intentioned but at times clumsy
results.

Light and Darkness

Sprites
Sprites
As a race, sprites are both light and darkness,
Sprites are a race of tiny winged humanoids
but individual clans tend toward one or the
native to the Dark Woods. Despite their small
other, rarely assuming a neutral stance. Some
size and their weak stature, they are
are good-hearted and generous, others shy and
surprisingly apt predators and very combative
withdrawn. Some are scheming and
preys. What the sprites lack in size and brute
manipulative, while others are plainly
strength, they make it in tactics, agility and
dangerous. In this regard, the sprites are like
sheer numbers.
the Dark Woods themselves: wild,
unpredictable, and not to be underestimated.
Small and Agile If some regions are plagued with feral and
Sprites are small humanoid-shaped creatures cannibalistic sprites, the blessed influence of
rarely exceeding one foot in height. They have the brighter clans forms the only oases of
sharp, sparkly eyes and long pointy ears, but peace in the Dark Woods. Bright or dark,
the most distinctive part of their anatomy sprites live in remarkable harmony with their
however is their insect-like wings which they world.
use with uncanny speed and agility. The size,
shape, coloration, and veins of a sprite’s wings
Sprite Traits
are unique to each individual; sprites recognize
each other through their wings even more than Your Sprite Character has a number of innate
by their facial traits. abilities that you share with all members of
your race.

Four Gods, Four tribes Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score
increases by 2. As a Tiny creature, you have a
The sprite race is split into four major subraces Strength score of 3. Your Strength score cannot
that called “tribes”. Each tribe has its own be augmented with ability score increase or
distinct appearance, set of customs, and patron
deity. Spritish mythology features four gods
magical items made for small or medium represents. These four aspects are known as
creatures. The Eater of Flesh; The Great River of Worms;
The Painter of Life, and The Sprout Singer.
Age. Sprites reach adulthood after three
Choose one of these subraces.
years and can live up to a century.
Alignment. As a free and unpredictable
race, Sprites tend toward a chaotic alignment. The Sprout Signer
Depending on their clan, they can be very This tribe of sprites venerates the Sprout
benevolent or wickedly cruel. Singer, the spritish goddess of all beginnings.
Size. Sprites measure less than a foot in Spritish mythology depicts her as an ethereal
height and rarely weight more than 5 pounds. spirit whose songs provoke seedlings to sprout,
Your size is Tiny. cause flowers to bloom, urge beasts to mate,
and make people fall in love. But every
Speed. Your base walking speed is 10 feet.
beginning means the end of something else
You can also fly with a speed of 40 feet. As long
and so the Sprout Singer relies on the Great
as you have the ability to move, you can hover
River of Worms to fertilize the soil and produce
and fly backward effortlessly.
nutriments that make the spark of life possible.
Invisibility. You can fly with a fast, erratic
Sprites of the Sprout Singer tribe could be
movement that is tremendously hard to track.
defined as “merry tricksters”. They love to sing,
If your speed is not reduced and you are not
dance, and play pranks on trespassers. They
wearing medium or heavy armor, you can use
have a natural knack to perceive a person’s
an Action to become invisible until the end of
motives and intentions. Once a person’s heart
your next turn or until you attack, cast a spell
is deemed pure, these sprites become very
or your concentration ends. Once you have
friendly and eager to start new relationships.
used this trait, you must finish a short or long
rest until you can use it again. Upon reaching Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score
5th level, you can use this trait twice before increases by 1.
rest. Starting at 11th level, you can become Heart Sight. The Sprout Singer allows you to
invisible three times before you rest. When you read a creature’s soul. If you spend at least 1
reach 16th level, you can use this trait four minute observing and interacting with another
times before you rest. creature outside combat, you learn certain
Diminutive. You can’t manipulate weapons information about its nature. The DM tells you
or tools made for larger creatures. Your one of the creature’s following characteristics
carrying capacity is equal to your Strength of your choice:
score in pounds. Every melee or ranged - The present emotional state of the
weapon manufactured for your size uses the creature.
dagger’s damage die, range and special
properties. - Whether the creature is Good, Neutral,
Evil or Unaligned.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write
Sylvan, and one other language among the - Whether the creature is polymorphed,
following: Celestial, Pygmish, Goblin, Bullywug, wild shaped or somehow magically
and Harpy. disguised.

Subrace. There are four kinds of sprites

based on which aspect of nature their tribe
The Painter of Life
This tribe venerates the Painter of Life, the spritish goddess
of life, growth, and color. The Painter of Life is portrayed as a
comely female sprite capable of taking every animal shape
and hue. She is said to be the midwife of the Dark Woods and
that she is responsible for the coloring of all things. Although
she embodies life itself, The Painter of Life cannot create
existence and therefore relies on the Sprout Singer that provides
the initial spark of life.
Sprites of the Painter of Life tribe are the most numerous of
all four tribes. They are also the least chaotic and the most likely
to mimic the aasimars’ courtly ways. They dress in elaborate and
colorful attires integrating many floral, insect-like and
animalistic motifs ranging from flamboyant colors to nature-
blending camouflage.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Camouflage. The Painter of Life inspires you to wear
patterns, colors, and scents that blend in a multitude of
environments, allowing you to hide in plain sight. You gain
proficiency in the Stealth skill. In addition, you can attempt to
hide in natural environment as long as you are not moving and
not hovering.

The Eater of Flesh

This tribe venerates an entity called The Eater of Flesh,
the spritish god of stalking and hunting. The Eater of
Flesh takes many forms but sprites often portray him
as a large, wolf-like predator. The Eater of Flesh is
not only a hunter; he also represents the instinct
to fight and the concepts of “conquest” and
“passion” in spritish culture. But every
predator needs a prey to survive and
therefore The Eater of Flesh relies on the
Painter of Life for the creatures that
she raises and for the camouflage
that she paints on the predator’s
fur.
 Sprites of the Eater of Flesh have brown or made them scholars among their kind and
gray skin and are often bald. They have wide although they haven’t mastered literacy, they
red eyes that can see in the dark and a paint their lore on the wall of their caves
prominent chin that makes them easily which, over time, grew into great libraries of
identifiable. Of all four tribes, these sprites are knowledge.
the most feral, travelling in small bands of Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence
hunters over vast territories. They wear simple score increases by 1.
garments and armors of bone and insect
carapace. At best, these clans are proud savage Worm’s Resilience. You have advantage on
warriors but many are callous and merciless saving throws against disease and poison, and
cannibals. you have resistance against poison damage.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution
score increases by 1,
The Sprite’s Invisibility
Darkvision. Your predatory instincts give
you superior vision in dark and dim conditions. A sprite’s ability to become invisible is non-
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as magical in nature and is mostly
if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it attributable to its small size and its
were dim light. You can’t discern color in capacity to fly fast and erratically. It is thus
darkness, only shades of grey. possible to locate and attack the sprite
with normal vision at all time, albeit with
disadvantage (as per invisible condition).
The Great River of Worms As such, the sprite’s invisibility cannot be
This tribe venerates the Great River of Worms, dispelled or countered with magic.
the spritish manifestation of entropy. Like a Flying in such way is very strenuous
mass of maggots advancing like a great however and the sprite can only use this
slithering snake and turning everything on its ability in short bursts. This ability is mostly
path into dirt and dust, the sprites see the used to confuse and disorient opponents
Great River of Worms as an inevitable force in combat and does not stand as an
rather than a true god. But the Great River of effective way to hide for a prolonged
Worm is not a bringer of death; the maggots amount of time.
only devour those who have already died. Thus
A sprite loses its ability to become
the Great River of Worms relies on the
invisible if its speed is reduced to 0, is the
ungrateful work of the Eater of Flesh to
target of a slow spell, is encumbered or if
complete the cycle of life and allow the Sprout
it is wearing medium or heavy armor.
Singer to start a new one.
Sprites of the Great River of Worms have a
morbid fascination with death, decomposition,
and everything that comes after. Many wear
animal skulls as hats and keep carrion insects
as pets. Of the four tribes of sprites, they are
the most willing to trade with harpies, nagas,
hags, and other denizens of the Dark Woods.
Sprites of the Great River of Worms are also on
friendly terms with vegepygmies. This has
Vegepygmies macabre reverence for their “birth corpse”,
carrying grisly mementos such as bones, teeth
Vegepygmies, also known as mold-men, are
and bits of garments or jewelry as their main
short humanoid-looking creatures living in
form of ornament and source of materials.
small communities all across the Dark Woods.
They possess no records of their own history Approximately 1 in 20 vegepygmies retain
but as long as anyone else can remember; the fragments of its birth corpse’s memories,
vegepymies have always been there, living as abilities and personality. These individuals
they are today. often become shamans, chieftains, or solitary
marauders. Some vegepygmy even have been
known to display affection for other
Sentient Plants humanoids, adopting fellow adventurers as
Vegepygmies are short and stout, ranging their “tribe”.
anywhere between 2 and 4 feet tall and
weighing between 25 and 50 pounds. They
have a humanoid shape with a dried and
shrunken head, and green fungus tendrils
dangle from their arms, waist and legs. But that
is the extent of their resemblance with
humanoids, for
vegepygmies are a type of
sentient plant creatures with
a distinctly different
metabolism. Among those
differences, vegepygmies have no
vocal cords and thus cannot speak;
their language consists entirely of
rhythmic clicks, taps and beats.
Vegepygmies live in small tribes of
15 to 50 individuals led by a shaman
and a chieftain. Every individual is
appointed a social position such as
worker, warrior or envoy, not unlike some
colonies of insects.

Children of the Russet Mold

Vegepygmies are born out of humanoids
that died while carrying russet mold spores
– which in the Dark Woods means virtually
everyone. As long as the corpse is left
undisturbed by predators and unexposed to
direct sunlight, up to six vegepygmies emerge
from the remains within three days of the
creature’s death. Vegepygmies demonstrate a
The Will of the Woods
Vegepygmies see the russet mold as a blessing
and a holy manifestation of the Will of the
Woods, a deity that they venerate as an
abstract, shapeless, and omniscient entity.
They claim to be acting on its behalf, following
an agenda that other races cannot
comprehend. This makes them often appear
unorganized and unpredictable, yet
vegepygmies of different tribes act with
uncanny synchronicity.
Unlike most animated plants however,
vegepygmies do not display the usual malice or
cruelty that is typical of the creatures of the
Dark Woods. Since they seem unaffected by its
malevolent influence, the vegepygmies are
counted as one of the Free People of Kyshar.

Vegepygmy Traits
Your vegepygmy character has a number of
traits that defines your unique metabolism.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score
increases by 1, and your Wisdom score
increases by 2.
Age. Vegepygmies reach adulthood in a few
days only, inheriting the knowledge of their
race as they are born. Vegepygmies can live up
to 50 years old.
Alignment. Vegepygmies tend to be neutral
in alignment. They can be concerned without
being callous or forgiving, and don’t quite
understand the concepts of law and chaos.
Size. Vegepygmies grow up to 2 feet tall in a
matter of days after their birth. From then on,
they grow steadily but slowly as they age until
they reach just above 4 feet tall. Your size is
Small.
Speed. Vegepygmies are fleet of foot
despite their size. Your base walking speed is
30 feet.
 Plant Creature. Vegepygmies are creatures
Pigmish Trade
of the plant type rather than humanoids. As
such, you are immune to spells and effects Vegepygmies form a collectivist society
specifically targeting humanoid creatures, but sharing all their resources and possessions.
you are vulnerable to spells and effects When resources grow scarce, the
affecting plant creatures. community also shares the burden of
finding, trading or producing new ones.
Mold Resilience. Your plant metabolism
Vegepymies also consider skills, knowledge
makes you less vulnerable to disease and
and information as commodities and do
poisons. You have advantage on saving throws
not keep secrets among themselves.
against disease and poison, and you have
resistance against poison damage. Thus, pygmish tribes are constantly
trading with one another, exchanging food,
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark
goods, services, news, and knowledge on a
and dim conditions. You can see in dim light
regular basis. Vegepygmies seem happy to
within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light,
trade with other races too, but non-
and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t
vegepygmies often find their barter system
discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
almost impossible to comprehend. Unlike
Natural Armor. Mossy tendrils give you other goods however, items worn by
some basic protection. When you are not someone are considered sacred and part
wearing any armor, your AC is 13 + your of that person’s identity and soul. A
Dexterity modifier. vegepygmy will never willingly accept
Languages. Vegepygmies do not speak. clothing, ornaments or weapons clearly
Their language called Pygmish consists of belonging to another creature as payment.
rhythmic clicks and taps. Pygmish has no
written form but vegepygmies paint and carve
basic hieroglyphic symbols that they use as
warnings and for navigation. You also
understand Celestial and Sylvan, although you
cannot speak those languages.
Character Classes and compensates for the sprite’s small size.
The twelve character classes, as they are While the girtablilu typically choose the path of
presented in the Player’s Handbook, is the berserker, sprites usually emulate animals
sufficient to cover the vast majority of the roles in their fighting techniques. Automatons rarely
and concepts for a Dark Woods campaign. This take levels in this class however as they lack
is especially true if multiclassing is allowed. The the recklessness and the inspiration that drives
following section describes the relationship the barbarian.
that different people of the Dark Woods have Aasimar barbarians do exist but are
with the various character classes and somewhat different. Far from the unwashed
archetypes offered in the Player’s Handbook. berserker type, aasimar barbarians are inspired
This section also offers new racial archetypes warriors feeding off their Asgardian heritage,
for every character class presented in the letting the spirits of their einherjar ancestors
Player’s Handbook. invest their body and soul.

Barbarian
In a feral world such as this one, barbarians are Primal Path
a natural fit. Surviving the Dark Woods Aasimar barbarians in Dark Woods have the
demands more than the ability to wield a following Primal Path option, in addition to
weapon; it requires an intuitive sense of those in the Player’s Handbook.
danger, a feral instinct and a bit of
recklessness; virtues that the barbarian class
provides better than any other. Path of the Einherjar
Among the Free People of the Dark Woods, Some aasimar can trace their celestial ancestry
sprites and girtablilu are the races most likely back to the Heroic Domains of Ysgard where
to take levels as barbarians. This class the einherjar – worthy warriors carried away by
complements the girtablilu’s monstrous nature the Valkyries – feast and fight until the end of
times. While they are not permitted to speak
to mortals, the gods sometimes allow the Ghost Sight
einherjars to guide and inspire the scions of
their lineage. When The Seal came into effect Upon reaching 10th level, your sight extends to
at the end of the Woodland Wars, many the realm of ghosts and spirits. While you are
einherjar spirits were trapped on Kyshar with raging, you can see invisible and ethereal
their aasimar hosts. Following their creatures as if you had cast the see invisibility
descendants from generation to generation, spell on yourself.
the einherjars continue to guide and protect
their lineage. As you enter the fray of combat,
Spectral Allies
you can feel the presence of your einherjar
ancestors burning in your veins. At 14th level, your can call on your einherjar
ancestors to manifest and fight along your side.
When you enter a rage, you can choose to
Restriction: Aasimars Only become the target of a spirit guardians spell, as
Only aasimars can choose the einherjar primal if cast by you as a 3rd level spell. In this case,
path. In the world of Dark Woods, only the spirits’ spectral form is that of Asgardian
aasimars have a strong enough tie to the warriors. The spirits fight along your side until
Heroic Domains of Ysgard to summon the your rage ends or you fall unconscious.
spirits of the einherjar.

Bard
Guiding Spirits Among the wild and illiterate denizens of the
Starting at 3rd level, your einherjar ancestors Dark Woods, bards are the true keepers of
guide you and strengthen your resolve in knowledge and traditions. For the denizens of
combat. You know the guidance cantrip. Also, the Dark Woods, culture is passed down orally
whenever you make a saving throw while you from one generation to another by bards who
rage, you can roll a d4 and add the number are often revered as much as shamans.
rolled to the saving throw. In addition, you Unlike the denizens of the Dark Woods,
cannot be charmed, frightened or possessed both aasimar and girtablilu form highly
while you rage. If you were charmed or educated and literate societies. Aasimari bards
frightened or possessed prior to your rage, the are typically scholars of the college of lore
effect is suspended for the duration of the while their girtablilu counterparts seem to
rage. favor the college of valor, preferring ancient
ruins to old libraries. While they are also well-
educated, automatons rarely become bards;
Signs and Omens
they prefer a more rational and focused
Beginning at 6th level, you can call upon your approach to magic and are more likely to
einherjar ancestors for advice and counsel. become wizards instead.
While they are not permitted to speak to you,
the einherjar can show you the likely outcome Despite their lack of a spoken language,
of your actions. You can cast the augury spell, vegepygmies have a very rich “oral” tradition.
but only as a ritual, as described in Chapter 10 Their bards are called “keepers of lore” and
in the Player’s Handbook. constitute the vast majority of arcane
spellcasters among pygmish tribes. Vegepygmy
bards are very much like shamans and most Starting at 3rd level, you can tap into the
outsiders would not differentiate them at first communal knowledge of your tribe. When you
sight. make an ability check, you can expend one use
of Bardic Inspiration. Roll the Bardic Inspiration
die and add the number rolled to the ability
Bardic Colleges check. You can choose to do so after you roll
Vegepygmy bards of the Dark Woods have the the die for the ability check, but before the DM
following Bardic College option, in addition to tells you whether you succeed or fail.
those in the Player’s Handbook.
Ancestral Secrets
College of the Keepers Upon reaching 6th level, you can tap deeper in
Whereas the role of the shaman is to interpret the communal knowledge of your tribe. While
the Will of the Woods, your task is to remind you still cannot voice spoken languages, you
the vegepygmies of their traditions and history. can make yourself magically understandable by
As the guardian of your culture, you enjoy a others. Add the tongue, speak with animals
mystical connection with the communal and speak with plants spells to your list of
memories of your tribe, allowing you to tap known spells, as well as one other spell or
into a font of knowledge that your kind have cantrip of your choice from the bard, druid or
accumulated for centuries. This makes you the ranger class. The spell you choose must be
most knowledgeable individual of your tribe from a level you can cast, and counts a bard
and your aptitude with languages often bring spell for you. These spells don’t count against
you to travel to other territories. the number of bard spells you know.

Restriction: Vegepygmies Only Conjure Shambling Mound

Only vegepygmies can choose the College of Upon reaching 14th level, you gain the ability
the Keepers. Keepers of Knowledge occupy a to animate a mass of plants or vegetable
niche that is unique to the pygmish society and matter with the collective consciousness of
culture. your tribe. You can take an action to call forth a
shambling mound which appears in an
unoccupied space that you see within 90 feet.
Bonus Proficiencies
Proficiencies Maintaining the shambling mound active
When you join the College of the Keepers, you requires concentration. The shambling mound
gain proficiency with Wisdom saving throws. returns to an inanimate heap of vegetable
matter if you lose your concentration, when it
In addition, you learn three languages drops to 0 hit points, or after a period of 1
among the following: bullywug, celestial, hour.
draconic, giant, goblin, harpy or ophidian.
Although you cannot pronounce spoken words, The shambling mound is friendly to you and
you can convey basic ideas by pointing, making your companion for the duration. Roll initiative
noises and pantomiming. for the shambling mound, which has its own
turn. It obeys your commands that you issue
(no action require by you). If you don’t issue
Ancestral Knowledge any commands to the shambling mound, it
defends itself from hostile creatures but Tempest, and Knowledge domains respectively.
otherwise takes no action. Vegepygmies see no difference between
Once you have used this ability, you must clerics and druids and wonder why other
finish a long rest before you can use it again. people make such a fuss about their
distinctions. As far as they are concerned, all
divine spellcasters are shamans of the Will of
Cleric the Woods. Vegepygmy clerics must choose
Clerics and druids occupy a central role in every between the Nature and Tempest domain.
nation of Kyshar. For the denizens of the Dark Aasimar take great pride in the diverse
Woods, clerics are typically known as witch- religious traditions that their ancestors brought
doctors. They have the duty and the authority back from the upper planes. This makes
to enforce the superstitions and taboos of their aasimari and automaton clerics more varied
tribe, and to appease the woodland spirits with and versatile than any other priests of the Dark
rituals and sacrifices. They are the conduit Woods and allows them to select any divine
through which the Dark Woods exert their feral domain with the exception of the Death
and vicious influence on its inhabitants. Only domain. Some aasimar clerics transcend their
the Free People have the strength and the gods’ divine domains in the one thing that they
mettle to reject their evil. all have in common; the power of Good.
The girtablilu sisterhood is ruled by a
priestess-queen and her circle of high-
Divine Domain
priestesses. According to their laws, a cleric is
only allowed to train one apprentice in her Aasimar clerics of Dark Woods have the
lifetime and thus the role of priestess is highly following Divine Domain option, in addition to
valued among the sisterhood. Girtablilu clerics those in the Player’s Handbook.
are expected to follow the ways of the Triad,
their triple-faced goddess of destiny, and must
Good Domain
select between the Nature, Tempest and War
domains. Aasimars worship many gods simultaneously,
often independently from the pantheons to
While all sprites share the same religion,
which they belong. In addition to those deities,
each of their four tribes venerates a different
many aasimar venerate famous angels and
god. A sprite’s tribe is its faith, its culture, its
illustrious ancestors. For the aasimars, religion
family, and its place in the ecosystem of the
is mainly the protection, the nurturing, and the
Dark Woods. Sprite clerics of the Sprout Singer,
celebration of goodness.
Painter of Life, Eater of Flesh, and Great River
of Worms must select the Trickery, Nature,
 This religious diversity is mirrored by the Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon
wide selection of domains available to aasimari Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel
clerics and culminates in the creation of the Divinity to imbue one weapon that you are
Good domain; a domain not offered by a single holding with positive energy. For 1 minute, you
god but resulting from the mutual essence of add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls
good deities, angels and ancestors venerated made with that weapon (with a minimum
by the aasimars. bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright
light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet
beyond that. If the weapon is not already
Restriction: Aasimars Only
magical, it becomes magical for the duration.
Only aasimars can choose the Good Divine
You can end this effect on your turn as part
Domain. In the world of Dark Woods, only
of any other action. If you are no longer
aasimars can transcend religions to their
holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall
universal concepts.
unconscious, this effect ends.

Good Domain Spells

Channel Divinity: Aura of
Cleric Level Spells Brilliance
1st protect from evil and good, searing smite Upon reaching 6th level, you can use your
3rd aid, branding smite Channel Divinity to conjure a halo of
shimmering light that is painful to evil foes.
5th magic circle, blinding smite While surrounded by the aura of brilliance, you
7th death ward, staggering smite shed bright light in a 20-foot radius, and dim
light for an additional 20 feet. Creatures of the
9th flame strike, hallow
fey, fiend or undead types that enter the area
of bright light for the first time or starts their
Bonus Proficiencies turn there take 1d8 points of radiant damage
and must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial failure, creatures of those types have
weapons and heavy armor. disadvantage on attack rolls made against you.
The aura of brilliance lasts for 1 minute. It
Smite the Foes of Good ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if
you cast a spell that requires concentration.
At 1st level, you can increase your chances to
You can also end the aura of brilliance on your
hit a creature of the fey, fiend, or undead type.
turn as a bonus action.
When making a weapon attack against such
creatures, you gain advantage on the attack
roll. Divine Strike
You can use this feature a number of times At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your
equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on
once). You regain all expended uses when you each of your turns when you hit a creature
finish a long rest. with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack
to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the
target. When you reach 14th level, the extra cannot take the shape of a creatures made of
damage increases to 2d8. flesh, bone and blood. When a vegepygmy
druid uses its wild shape feature, it takes the
form of an animated plant.
Herald of Good
At 17th level, you are infused with divine
essence and gain magic resistance. Wildshape for Vegepygmy Druids
Due to their vegetal nature, vegepygmy druids may
Druid only assume the shape of other plants when using
their wild shape feature. The awaken shrub (CR 0),
Druids are just as frequent as clerics among the twig blight (CR 1/8) and needle blight (CR 1/4) readily
denizens of the Dark Woods. Usually called serve as plant creatures to transform into, while
shamans, these druids fill the same role and druids of the Circle of the Moon may also assume the
accomplish the same tasks as their cleric shape of a myconid adult (CR 1/2), vine blight (CR
counterparts, imposing taboos and performing 1/2), awaken tree (CR 2) myconid sovereign (CR 2),
sacrifices. They too channel the evil influence shambling mound (CR 5) as well as any type of
of the Dark Woods into their inhabitants. elementals at 10th level.
Usually, a tribe or a clan possesses either one
shaman or one witch-doctor, not both. Players and DMs are invited to use of their
imagination to fill the gaps in creatures of different
Among the Free People, girtablilu and challenge ratings, using existing creatures as a base
vegepygmies are the most likely candidate to for their statistics. Perhaps the vegepygmy learns to
take levels in the druid class. Since the assume the shape of a larger humanoid and use the
girtablilu laws are clear on the number of animated armor (CR 1) entry as a template for it new
clerics that one can train, acolytes who cannot form, or else turn into serpentine vines and constrict
find a priestess-mother usually become druids it victim like a vegetal version of the water weird (CR
instead. Most girtablilu druids choose the 3). A vegepygmy druid may turns into a cloud of
Circle of the Land over the Circle of the Moon; spores or a whirlwind of leaves and fly around like a
their body is already bestial enough as it is. dust mephit (CR 1/2).
Many sprites, especially among the Eater of
Flesh or the Great River of Worms tribes,
become moon druids in order to change their Wild Shape Variant: Plant Shape
shape into that of great predators. However,
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to
this class is generally frowned upon by
magically assume the shape of a plant you have seen
aasimars and automatons who value clerics
before. You can use this feature twice. You regain
much more than druids.
expanded uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Although they are both referred as
Your druid level determines the plant you can
shamans, vegepygmy druids are slightly more
transform into, as shown on the Plant Shape table. At
numerous than vegepygmy clerics. In either
2nd level, for example, you can transform into any
case, each tribe is led by its most powerful
plant that has a challenge rating of ¼ or lower that
shaman whose authority exceeds that of its
doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed.
chieftain. It is the shaman’s task to interpret
the signs and the messages that the Will of the
Wood emit; a task that requires great insight
and wisdom. As plant creatures, vegepygmies
Plant Shapes Restriction: Vegepygmies Only
Only Vegepygmies can choose the Circle of the
Will Druidic Circle. The Will of the Woods fills a
unique niche in vegepygmy society and only
they can learn to hear its voice.
Level Max. CR Limitations Example

2nd ¼ No flying or swimming speed Awaken shrub

Bonus Cantrip
4th ½ No flying speed Floating branch
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you
8th 1 – Cluster of leaves learn one additional cleric or druid cantrip of
your choice.
You can stay in plant shape for a number of hours
equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You
then revert to your normal form unless you expend Primeval Awareness
another use of this feature. You can revert to your
Starting at 2nd level you can use your action
normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your
and expend one spell slot to focus your
turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious,
awareness on the region around you. For 1
drop to 0 hit points, or die
minute per level of the spell slot you expended,
While you are transformed, the rules concerning you can sense whether the following types of
druids in Beast Shape as described in the Player’s creatures are present within 1 mile of you:
Handbook apply to you normally. aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals,
fey, fiends and undead. This feature doesn’t
reveal the creatures’ location and number.
Druid Circles
Vegepygmy druids in the Dark Woods have the
following Druidic Circle option, in addition to
those in the Player’s Handbook.

Circle of the Speakers

As a young shaman, your bond with the Will of
the Woods is only beginning to form and your
ability to interpret its motives is still limited.
You must now travel the Dark Woods and learn
to see patterns in the flight of birds, read the
blooming of flowers and hear the messages
carried by the wind in the leaves. One day you
will become the leader of your tribe but until
then, you must visit the other vegepygmy
tribes and meet the denizens of Kyshar.
Circle Spells Creatures must have a CR of 2 or higher to be
Your mystical connection with your deity detected with this ability.
infuses you with the ability to cast certain
spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th level you gain
The Voice of the Will
access to additional spells.
Upon reaching 14th level, you can clearly hear
Once you gain access to a circle spell, you the voice of the Will of the Woods through
always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count your observation of nature around you. While
against the number of spells you can prepare the meaning of it remains difficult to interpret,
each day. A circle spell is considered druid spell you can predict ambushes from the constant
for you, even if it doesn’t appear on the druid
flux of information that is coming to you.
spell list.
As long as you are not blinded or deafened,
you cannot be taken by surprise and you have
Circle of the Speakers Spell advantage on initiative checks. You also have
Druid Level Spell advantage on Dexterity saving throws against
outdoors traps and natural hazards.
3rd augury, see invisibility
5th speak with dead, spirit guardians
Fighter
7th death ward, divination
With their superior armament and fighting
9th dream, find the path techniques, aasimars and automatons make
the best fighters on Kyshar. The battle master
archetype is a favorite among both people, but
Land’s Stride
some aasimars scions of noble families also
Starting at 6th level, moving through aspire to become eldritch knights. Almost all
nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra automaton warriors of renown are fighters;
movement. You can also pass through this class corresponds to the automatons’
nonmagical plants without being slowed by ideals much better than the barbarian, the
them or taking damage from them if they have ranger or even the paladin. Sprites on the
thorns, spines, or similar hazards. contrary seem to prefer the latter classes over
In addition, you have advantage on saving the fighter. Likewise, vegepygmy fighters are
throws against plants that are magically rare among their kind.
created or manipulated to impede movement, For the girtablilu, the champion archetype
such as those created by the entangle spell. represents the ideals of the perfect warrior;
the epitome in fighting skills. Days after days,
girtablilu champions train in arms and athletics
Improved Primeval Awareness
to tame the monster that lies within them.
Starting at 10th level, when you expend one
Outside the walls of Excelsior, automaton
spell slot to use your Primeval Awareness
soldiers typically fight in close-knit phalanx
feature, you can determine, within 1 mile per
units using the protection fighting style. Called
level of the spell slot you expended, the exact
phalangites, these fighters elevated their
location and number of one type of creatures
tactics to an art and great leader have risen
among the following: aberrations, celestials,
among their ranks.
dragons, elementals, fey, fiends and undead.
Fighter Archetypes test. You gain a set of abilities that are fueled
Automaton fighters of Dark Woods have the by special dice called superiority dice.
following Fighter Archetype option, in addition Superiority Dice. You have four superiority
to those in the Player’s Handbook. dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is
expended when you use it. You regain all of
your expended superiority dice when you finish
Phalangite a short or long rest.
Phalangites make-up the bulk of the Using Superiority Dice. You can expend
automaton troops. Comradery is strong among superiority dice to gain a number of different
phalanx units but already, your automaton benefits:
brothers are starting to see you as an
inspirational figure. While you are not ready to Commander’s Strike. When you take the
assume commandment of your unit yet, you Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one
already show the potential to become a great of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct
captain. one of your companions to strike. When you
do so, choose a friendly creature that can see
or hear you and expend one superiority die.
Restriction: Automaton Only That creature can immediately use its reaction
Only automatons can choose the Phalangite to make a weapon attack, adding the
Martial Archetype. Phalanxes are a special type superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.
of military unit composed of automatons in the Maneuvering Attack. When you hit a
aasimari army. creature with a weapon attack, you can expend
on superiority die to maneuver one of your
comrades into a more advantageous position.
Phalanx Soldier You add the superiority die to the attack’s
Starting at 3rd level when you gain this damage roll, and you choose a friendly
archetype, other creatures provoke an creature that can see or hear you. That
opportunity attack from you when they enter creature can use its reaction to move up to half
your reach if you are wielding a spear. its speed without provoking opportunity
attacks from the target of your attack.
Rally. On your turn, you can use a bonus
Gears of War
action and expend a superiority die to bolster
Upon reaching 3rd level, you have mastered the resolve of one of your companions. When
the equipment of the hoplite: the spear, the you do so, choose a friendly creature that can
shield and the short sword. When making an see or hear you. Those creature gains
attack with a spear or a short sword, you can temporary hit points equal to the superiority
roll a d8 instead of the normal damage die. In die roll + you Charisma modifier.
addition, you may add your shield’s AC bonus
to your Dexterity saving throws.
Bolster the Shaken
At 10th level, your leadership skills improve
Phalanx Captain
further. You gain an additional superiority die.
At 7th level, you get promoted to the rank of In addition, you can expend a superiority die to
captain and your leadership skills are put to the gain the following benefit:
 Bolster. On your turn, you can use a bonus
action and expend one superiority die to help
an ally shake-off fear, doubts and dizziness.
When you do so, choose a frightened,
paralyzed or stunned ally who can see or hear
you. That creature can immediately make a
new saving throw to end the effect, adding the
superiority die to the saving throw.

Relentless Leadership
Starting at 15th level, when you roll initiative
and have no superiority dice remaining, you
regain 1 superiority die.

Rallying Cry
At 18th level, your superiority dice turn into
d10s and you can expend a superiority die to
gain the following benefit:
Inspire. When you hit a creature with a
weapon attack, you can expend one superiority
die to bolster and inspire your companions
with a rallying cry. You add the superiority die
to the attack’s damage roll, and you choose up
to three friendly creatures that can see or hear
you. Those creatures gain inspiration.

Monk
The Dark Woods aren’t known for their
monasteries and among the classes described
in the Player’s Handbook, the monk is perhaps
the rarest on Kyshar. The Temple of the Oracle
is one of the most contemplative places in the
Dark Woods and while the Sphinx can be a
patient teacher, his acropolis is not a school for
ascetics or martial artists. A few self-taught
aasimars practice the way of the open hand
but none has ever founded a proper and lasting
school or monastery.
Only the girtablilu possess an established
monk tradition. Rather than rejecting their
monstrous body, these girtablilu accept their
physiognomy and fully embrace their scorpion Closed Claw Technique
form. Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd
level, you can use your claws to destabilize
your enemy. Whenever you hit a creature with
Monastic Order
one of your claws as an unarmed strike, you
Girtablilu monks of Dark Woods have the can spend 1 ki point to impose one of the
following Monastic Order option, in addition to following effects on the target:
those in the Player’s Handbook.
- It must succeed on a Strength saving
throw. If it fails it is grappled in one of
Way of the Closed Claw your claws.
Some say that you are cursed and forsaken by - It must make a Strength saving throw. If
the gods, but you do not think so. Your body is it fails, it is pushed 15 feet away from
a gift, a weapon fit for the harshness of the you.
Dark Woods. There is balance in everything - It must make a Strength saving throw. If
and this balance starts with you. Your it fails, it loses one weapon or one
monstrous body is not incompatible with your shield (your choice). The weapon or the
celestial soul. Like the nagas of the Dark shield falls in the target’s space.
Woods, your brighter and darker sides
complete each other in one harmonious entity.
Do not ignore the beast that lies within. Immobilize Foe
Tame it. Ride it. Embrace it. Starting at 6th level, when your claw attack hits
a creature you are grappling with your other
claw, you can spend 2 ki to attempt to
Restriction; Girtablilu Only immobilize it. The creature must make a
Only Girtablilu can choose the Way of the Strength saving throw. If it fails, the creature
Closed Claw Monastic Order. The Way of the becomes restrained instead.
Closed Claw is a martial art based on the Restraining a creature in such a way requires
particular physique of the Girtablilu. both claws. As such, you cannot make an
unarmed strike using your claws while
restraining a creature.

Blindsight
Beginning at 11th level, you gain the ability to
hear and sense the movement of your
opponents by feeling the air and ground’s
vibrations with your legs. As a bonus action,
you can spend 2 ki points to gain blindsight in a
radius of 60 feet until the end of your next
turn.
Signature Move Valiant sprites sometimes follow the tenets of
At 17th level, you gain a signature move, the the ancients but very few others can commit to
culmination of your personal combat style. the cause of righteousness that drives the
When you reach this level, you gain one of the paladin.
following features of your choice. Despite their natural predispositions,
Tear Asunder. You can attempt to cut in half aasimars rarely become paladins nowadays.
a creature you have restrained with your With no demons to banish and no devil
Immobilize Foe ability. As an action, you can worshippers to stop, with few undead to
spend 3 ki to violently release the creature. As destroy and few truly evil foes to slay, the role
the creature is released, it must make a of paladin has, so to speak, fallen out of
Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it drops to fashion. While its ideals are still regarded as
0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 the quintessence of the righteous aasimari
slashing damage. A creature with resistance to hero, the paladin has almost entirely become a
slashing damage has advantage on its saving character of legends.
throw. A creature dropped to 0 hit points this Among the automatons however, a new
way is cut in half at the waist. kind of hero is rising. Dedicated to the
Tail Sweep. As an action, you can spend 3 ki protection of their ward, these paladins put
to spin your tail around you. Every creature in a their own life at risk to keep others safe and
10 feet radius must make a Dexterity saving unharmed.
throw. On a failed save, the creature takes
3d10 bludgeoning damage and is stunned until
Sacred Oath
the end of your next turn. On a successful save,
the creature takes half as much damage and is Automaton paladins of Dark Woods have the
not stunned. following Sacred Oath option, in addition to
those in the Player’s Handbook.
Sudden Stinger strike. As an action, you can
spend 3 ki to make a rapid succession of stinger
attacks on a single target. Make three stinger Oath of the Guardians
attacks. For each successful hit, the target takes
Traditionally, the Oath of the Guardians is a
unarmed strike damage and must make a
devoted commitment to the protection and
Constitution saving throw, taking 4d10 poison
safeguarding of a person; the ward. Since the
damage on a failed save and half as much on a
beginning of the Aasimari Empire, the
successful one.
Guardians were known as impartial and
Delivering your signature move is a dependable bodyguards escorting aasimars
strenuous task. Once you have used it, you dignitaries across the planes. In recent times
can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. however, the tenets of the Guardians have
been rediscovered by automatons guards and
sentinels. As with religion, automatons follow
Paladin these tenets more loosely, applying the
Even more so than on any other world, the concept of ward to loved ones and companions
paladin occupies a very specific niche in the alike.
Dark Woods. Paladins of devotion are almost
exclusively aasimari and the oath of vengeance
is the only vow that the girtablilu ever take.
Restriction: Automaton Only Oath Spells
Only automatons can choose the Oath of the You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Guardian Sacred Oath. In the past, this oath
was taken by aasimars and automatons alike
but nowadays, only automatons live by its Oath of Protection spells
tenets. Paladin Level Spell
3rd: purify food and drinks, protection from
Prerequisite: Protection Fighting evil and good
Style 5th: prayer of healing, warding bond
You must know the Protection Fighting Style to 9th: glyph of warding, protection from energy
select the Oath of the Guardians. If you did not
choose this Fighting Style at 2nd level, you may 13: death ward, otiluke’s resilient sphere
exchange your current Fighting Style for the 17th: dispel evil and good, hallow
Protection Fighting Style as you select this
Sacred Oath.
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain
Tenets of the Guardians
the following two Channel Divinity options.
The tenets of the Guardians date back to the
Divine Confrontation. As a bonus action,
birth of the Empire but the scrolls on which
you can compel a creature to attack you
they were inscribed were lost long ago. While
instead of your comrades. Choose a hostile
the exact wording of these tenets is not
creature within 60 feet. For one minute, the
remembered, their five central principles are
compelled creature has disadvantage on attack
valued and esteemed by many dutiful
rolls against any creature other than you.
automatons.
Protective Ward. As an action, you can
Commitment. Complete the task you were
shield a strained ally with a protective ward.
given, do not fail to your obligations.
Choose a creature other than yourself within
Devotion. Protect your ward’s life with your 60 feet that is below its hit points maximum.
own. For 1 minute, the warded creature gains a
Loyalty. Be faithful to your comrades and number of temporary hit points equal to your
obey those who have just authority over you. Charisma modifier + your paladin level. Also,
hostile creatures have disadvantage on attack
Sincerity. Speak and act truly about your rolls made against the warded creature as long
own thoughts, feelings and desires. as it has at least one of these temporary hit
Stalwartness. Never succumb to fear, doubt points remaining.
or despair but act with caution and care.
Bodyguard’s Step reflexes. For 1 minute, you gain the following
At 7th level, you can intercept attacks targeted benefits:
at your allies. You gain the following option: - You gain resistance to all damage
When you use your reaction to give except psychic.
disadvantage to an enemy creature with your - You gain the ability to see in nonmagical
Protection Fighting Style, you can choose to darkness and see invisible creatures in a
become the target of the attack if the attack range of 60 feet.
hits. You take all damage and related effect
- You gain an extra reaction on each of
dealt by this attack, regardless whether the
you turns.
attack hit your AC or not. The original target
takes no damage. - Once you use this feature, you can’t use
it again until you finish a long rest.
When a friendly creature within 5 feet of
you is subjected to a spell that allows a
Dexterity saving throw to take only half Ranger
damage, you can use you reaction to intercept
the spell. The friendly creature takes no Like the barbarian, the ranger perfectly fits the
damage if it succeeds its saving throw and only themes of the Dark Woods. Whereas the
half damage if it fails. By doing so, you are barbarian class brings out the feral instinct of a
automatically affected by the same spell, even character, the ranger provides affinity with the
if the spell normally affects a single target (but wilderness and a natural awareness that has no
you are still allowed a Dexterity saving throw to equal among the character classes presented in
take half damage). the Player’s Handbook.
Most vegepygmy warrior characters are
rangers; this class perfectly mirrors the
Battle Wise
intimate relation that vegepygmies have with
Upon reaching 15th level, you can react nature and their ability to draw on the powers
instantaneously to gain tactical advantage of of the Will of the Woods. Sprites and girtablilu
the battleground. are also likely candidates to take levels as
As you roll initiative, you can immediately ranger. Sprites favor the hunter archetype,
move up to your speed before the first round selecting abilities that help them take on
of combat. This does not affect your place in opponents that are much bigger than they are,
the initiative order or impede the distance you but a few among the Eater of Flesh and Painter
can move during your first turn of combat. If of Life tribes also train beasts for hunting and
you were unarmed when you rolled initiative, defense.
you immediately draw one weapon and equip Among the girtablilu, most prefer to
a shield before combat starts. emulate the amazon huntress. Like the warrior-
You cannot use this ability if you are surprised. maiden of Arborea, these girtablilu rangers
combine skills and nature magic to protect
their sisters against the malevolent spirits of
Eternal Sentinel the Dark woods.
At 20th level, as an action, you can overclock
your mechanical heart to gain exceptional
resistance, heightened senses and increased
Ranger Archetype and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be
Girtablilu rangers of Dark Woods have the blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
following Ranger Archetype option, in addition
to those in the Player’s Handbook.
Mental Fortitude
Starting at 7th level, you can’t be charmed or
Amazon frightened by your favored enemies.
For many people across the multiverse, the
Amazons represent the quintessential female
Bestial Attack
society. As an all-female warrior nation, the
girtablilu relate to them in a poetic way, and At 11th level, whenever you take the Attack
the Amazon huntress is a favored archetype action, you can make an unarmed strike with a
among their society. claw or stinger as a bonus action.
As you emulate the Amazon archetype, you
are a warrior first and foremost. Skilled with Improved Mental Fortitude
the bow and the broad-bladed spear (treat as a
Starting at 15th level, when you are reduced to
glaive), you are a dangerous opponent both at
0 hit points by one of your favored enemies
range and in melee.
and are not killed outright, you can choose to
drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this
Restriction: Girtablilu Only feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a
long rest.
Only girtablilu can choose the Amazon Ranger
Archetype. The amazon has a particular Additionally, you gain advantage on
meaning in girtablilu society and culture. Intelligence saving throws made to discern the
illusions and phantasms of the Dark Woods and
its spirits.
Spirited Assault
When you take the Dash action, you can make
a melee weapon attack as a bonus action. If
Rogue
the attack hits, the creature takes an extra 1d8 As a virtuous people, few aasimars become
damage of the same type as the weapon used. true assassins of thieves, but many aasimari
This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 5th level, swordsmen take levels in the rogue class to
and to 3d8 at 11th level. broaden their fighting techniques and improve
their mobility. This trend is especially popular
You cannot use this feature to assault a
among the aasimari youth where agile fighters
creature currently within your reach.
multiclass as rogues.
With their patience and their craftsmanship,
Sixth Sense automatons also make good rogues. Such
When you reach 7th level, you gain a sixth rogues rely more on their tool proficiency and
sense that warns you of imminent danger. their intelligence, and usually make great
investigators. However, vegepygmies and
You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws
girtablilu, like the denizens of the Dark Woods,
against effects that you can see, such as traps
rarely take levels in this class.
 Sprites on the other hand embrace the Assassinate
rogue for what it is. Those living among Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest
aasimars or the most populous clans make when you get the drop on your enemies. You
excellent thieves and frightfully efficient have advantage on attack rolls against any
assassins, but the more feral hunter clans have creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat
their own version of the latter archetype. yet. In addition, any hit you score against a
Called marauders, these rogues trade their creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
ability to infiltrate and personify others for a
greater mastery of the wilderness.
Natural Explorer

Roguish Archetype Upon reaching 9th level, you have become

particularly familiar with one type of natural
Sprite rogues of Dark Woods have the environment and are adept at traveling and
following Roguish Archetype option, in addition surviving in such regions. Choose one type of
to those in the Player’s Handbook. favored terrain: boreal coniferous forest, coast,
jungle, swamp or temperate forest. When you
make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related
Marauder
to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus
You specialize in ambuscades and surprise is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re
attacks. Whether it is to catch games for your proficient in.
clans or to defend your village against invaders,
you are a master at killing swiftly and - While traveling for an hour or more in
your favored terrain, you gain the
efficiently.
following benefits:
- Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your
Restriction: Sprite Only group’s travel.
Only sprites can choose the Marauder Roguish - Your group can’t become lost except by
Archetype. This particular combination of magical means.
roguish and ranger abilities is unique to the
spritish society. - Even when you are engaged in another
activity while traveling (such as
foraging, navigating, or tracking), you
Bonus Proficiencies remain alert to danger.
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, - If you are traveling alone, you can move
you gain proficiency with the Survival skill and stealthily at a normal pace.
the Nature skill. - When you forage, you find twice as
much food as you normally would.
- While tracking other creatures, you also
learn their exact number, their sizes,
and how long ago they passed through
the area.
Hide in
in Plain Sight become sorcerers. Sorcerers emerging among
Starting at 13th level, you can spend 1 minute sprites, vegepygmies and other denizens of the
creating camouflage for yourself. You must Dark Woods must select the wild magic origin.
have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, Although the bestial nature of Kyshar’s
and other naturally occurring materials with dragons makes it impossible for them to mingle
which to create your camouflage. with the humanoid races, girtablilu characters
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can select the dragon bloodline origin. In this
can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a case, the archetype’s features represent
solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at eldritch powers that they learned from the
least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 nagas but the abilities remain unchanged.
bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as Aasimari sorcerers must select the Celestial
you remain there without moving or taking Bloodline origin which, despite its resemblance
actions. Once you move or take an action or a with the Draconinc Bloodline, takes its root in
reaction, you must camouflage yourself again the heavenly heritage of the aasimars.
to gain this benefit.

Sorcerous Origin
Death Strike
Aasimar sorcerers of Dark Woods have the
Starting at 17th level, you become a master of following Sorcerous Origin option, in addition
instant death. When you attack and hit a to those in the Player’s Handbook.
creature that is surprised, it must make a
Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your
Dexterity modifier + you proficiency bonus). On Celestial Bloodline
a failed save, double the damage of your attack As your human ancestors settled in the Upper
against the creature. Planes, their blood mingled with that of angels
and other celestial beings, giving birth to the
aasimar race. This celestial blood flows strong
Sorcerer in your veins, allowing you to manifest much
Divine magic occupies a much larger place than more than the light and restorative powers of
arcane magic in the Dark Woods; even bards your people. Regardless whether they are self-
rarely become more prominent than their taught or trained from the sorcerers of Arcane
tribe’s shaman. With the exception of sprites Lane in Excelsior, your powers transcend the
who demonstrate an innate aptitude with limits of arcane and divine magic.
magic, most sorcerers hail from the aasimars or
the girtablilu.
Restriction:
Restriction: Aasimars Only
Thanks to their celestial blood, it is not
uncommon for young aasimars to display Only aasimars can choose the Celestial
innate magical powers. Many use this gift to Bloodline Sorcerous Origin. Only they can trace
learn wizardly magic but some become apt their lineage to the angels of the Upper Planes
sorcerers instead. Girtablilu also have a rich
sorcerous tradition that they inherited from
the nagas. Automatons however, perhaps due
to their artificial nature, appear to be unable to
Bonus Cantrip Starting at 6th level when you cast a spell that
When you choose this sorcerous origin at 1st deals radiant damage, add your Charisma
level, you gain the sacred flame cantrip if you modifier to that damage.
don’t already know it. In addition, when you cast a spell that
restores hit points to a creature, the creature
regains additional hit points equal to your
Expanded Spell List Charisma modifier.
Your celestial origins let you choose from an
expanded list of spells when you learn a
sorcerer spell. The following spells are added Wings of the Deva
to the sorcerer spell list for you. At 14th level, you gain the ability to sprout a
pair of feathery wings from your back, gaining
a flying speed of equal to your current speed.
Celestial Bloodline Expended You can create these wings as a bonus action
Spells
Spells
on your turn. They last until you dismiss them
Spell level Spell as a bonus action on your turn.
1st healing word, shield of faith
2nd branding smite, prayer of healing Poise of the Solar
3rd beacon of hope, crusader’s mantle Beginning at 18th level, you can channel the
power and authority of your celestial
4th death ward, guardian of faith
ancestors, causing your allies to regain hope
5th destructing wave, flame strike and your enemies to become awestruck. As an
action, you can spend 5 sorcery points to draw
on this power and exude an aura of awe to a
Essence of Purity distance of 60 feet. For 1 minute or until you
You are invested with the purity of the angels. lose concentration (as if you were casting a
At 1st level, your hit point maximum increases concentration spell), each hostile creature that
by 1, and increases by one again every time starts its turn in this aura must succeed on a
you gain a level in this class. Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the
Additionally, your skin shines with a thin aura ends. A creature that succeeds on this
aura of protective light. When you aren’t saving throw is immune to your aura for 24
wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your hours. Friendly creatures inside the aura
Dexterity modifier. cannot become frightened while you are
conscious. If a friendly creature was already
frightened when it entered the aura, it has
Radiance of the Heavens advantage on any new saving throw against the
effect.
At 6th level when you cast a spell dealing fire
damage, you can spend 2 sorcery points to deal
radiant damage instead.

Celestial Affinity
Warlock the target in a field of shimmering light. The
In the Dark Woods setting, warlocks are creature is frozen in time and is protected from any
individuals who learn magic under the tutelage sort of attacks while in the prison.
of either the harpies – these half-bird half- At the end of your next turn, the creature is
woman sirens singing their charming songs – freed. If the target is not a naga, it takes take 10d10
the nagas – these human-faced serpents psychic damage as the fire ravages its mind.
wielding fire magic – or the couatls – these
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again
feathered snakes holding great powers of
until you finish a long rest.
divination. These ancient races rarely make
such a pact with any of the people of the Dark
Woods and even when they do, warlocks are
seen with curiosity and great suspicion Otherworldly Patron
regardless of their culture or ethnicity. Sprite warlocks in the Dark Woods have the
In recent times however, a new kind of following Otherworldly Patron option, in
warlock has arisen. Coming from the North, an addition to those in the Player’s Handbook.
entity only known as The Shadow has begun its
invasion of the Dark Woods. The entity seems The Shadow
related to the sprites somehow, for they have
been targeted by its attacks more directly than You only have a faint understanding of your
any other denizen of Kyshar. Some entire clans patron, but you know that the only way you
have disappeared or gone mad. For some could avoid the darkness was to join it. And
sprites, the only escape from this madness was while you are not compelled to do The
to make a pact with The Shadow… Shadow’s bidding, you know that ultimately,
your actions will only further its mysterious
goals.
Otherworldly Patrons in the Dark Woods An unshakable sense of doom inhabits you
but for the moment, you are free to choose
Again due to the specific nature of the Dark Woods,
your fate; to withstand the tides with the Free
the warlock’s otherworldy patrons presented in the
People of Kyshar or the welcome The Shadow
Player’s Handbook are not available as a source of
with open arms.
the warlock’s powers. In this setting, warlocks are
individuals who learned magic under one of the
three most influential races of the Dark Woods. The Restriction: Sprites Only
Archfey is represented by the harpies, the Fiend is
represented by the nagas and the Great Old One is Only sprites can choose The Shadow as their
Otherworldly Patron. The Shadow seems to be
represented by the couatls.
related to the sprites somehow and they alone
Patrons’ abilities should easily be renamed while are affected by its madness.
leaving their effects intact, with one exception.
Replace the 14th level ability of the Fiend patron
Hurl Through Hell with the following ability: Expanded Spell List
Mind Fire Prison The Shadow lets you choose from an expanded
list of spells when you learn a warlock spell.
Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with
The following spells are added to the warlock
an attack, you can use this feature to instantly trap
spell list for you
 Life Drinker
Shadow Expanded Spells At 14th level when you score a critical hit or
reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain a
Spell level Spell
number of temporary hit points to the
1st chromatic orb (cold only), fog cloud creature’s hit dice (minimum 1) and the
2nd gust of wind, see invisibility creature must make a Constitution save against
your warlock spell DC. If it fails, the creature is
3rd sleet storm, slow slain instantaneously and cannot be brought
4th evard’s black tentacle, ice storm back to life short of a wish spell.
5th cone of cold, conjure elemental (air only) Once you use this feature, you can’t use it
again until you finish a long rest.

Touch of Shadow
Cold and darkness do not bother you anymore. Wizard
You gain the ability to see in nonmagical Wizardry is perhaps the rarest magical tradition
darkness up to 120 feet. In addition, you gain on Kyshar and one that is almost exclusive to
resistance to cold and necrotic damage, and aasimars and automatons. Thanks to the
never gain a level of exhaustion from arcane college of Excelsior, any aasimar or
exposition to frigid water or extreme cold automaton with enough intelligence and
weather. determination can learn magic and take levels
as a wizard. Among the aasimari nobility, most
family elders learn wizardly magic to various
Minion of the Shadow degrees, but some make it their lifetime
As an action, you can rebuke your patron’s dedication. As for automatons, wizards
agents. Each shadow or wraith that can see you constitute the quasi-totality of arcane
within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving spellcasters among their kind.
throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is Girtablilu and sprites also count a few
charmed for 1 minute or until it takes damage. wizards among their ranks; an art that they
Charmed shadows and wraiths will not attack have learned from the aasimars. While it is
you or companions, and will not pursue you if rumored that the Lich-Queen is teaching
you leave the vicinity. wizardry to some of her favorite subjects, this
class is virtually non-existent among the
Strengthened Mind denizen of the Dark Woods.

When you reach 10th level, your mind has In rare cases, a vegepygmy born out of the
been hardened by the constant nightmares and remains of an aasimar wizard inherits part of
harassment of your patron. You cannot be its spellcasting abilities. These vegepygmy
charmed or frightened. In addition, you gain hedge wizards soon abandon their spellbook
resistance to psychic damage. Each time you for a method of recording spells better adapted
take psychic damage, the attacker takes the to their culture.
same amount.
Arcane School new list of wizard spells require time spent
Vegepygmy wizards of Dark Woods have the gathering ingredients and organizing them in
following Arcane School option, in addition to your gri-gri; at least 1 minute per spell level for
those in the Player’s Handbook. each spell on your list.
You can copy wizard spells of level 1 or
higher in your gri-gri from a scroll or a
Hedge Wizard spellbook as indicated in the “Your Spellbook”
You were born out of the corpse of an aasimar sidebar on page 114 of the Player’s Handbook.
who used to be talented in wizardry magic. Like Since most ingredients can be gathered in
some of your folk, you have inherited part of nature, the gold you must spend to copy a new
your birth corpse’s memories and skills. In your spell in your gri-gri is halved but the time
case, it was the ability to prepare and cast required to do so is doubled as you forage for
wizard spells, a rare gift among your race. your spell’s material components.
While you could not thoroughly understand
the intricacies of recording magic in a
spellbook, you managed to make it thus far and Twigs and Bones
adopt a method with which you are much Starting a 2nd level, you gain the ability to cast
more comfortable. augury but only as a ritual, as described in
chapter 10.

Restriction: Vegepygmies Only In addition, you can divine the fortune of

your companions when you finish a long rest.
Only vegepygmies can choose the Hedge When one of your companions fails an ability
Wizard Arcane School. As a people with no check, an attack roll or a saving throw, you can
written traditions, vegepygmies have adapted activate this feature and have the companion
their spell preparation methods to suit their succeed instead. Once you have used this
unique culture. feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a
long rest.
Gri-
Gri-Gri Talisman
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd Nature Secrets
level, you replace your spellbook with a gri-gri; At 6th level, you learn two spells from the
a shamanistic pouch in which you store your druid spell list. The spells you choose must be
spell foci and material components. From this of a level you can cast, as shown on the Wizard
point on, every wizard spell you cast has an table, or a cantrip. These spells are
inexpensive material component attached to it automatically added to your gri-gri at no extra
(in addition to the expensive component, if cost. The chosen spells count as Wizard spells
applicable). In all other respects, your gri-gri for you and use your Intelligence as their
functions exactly like a wizard spellbook. related spellcasting ability.
You prepare the list of wizard spells that are You learn two additional druid spells when
available to you as you normally would with a you reach 12th level, and two more at 18th
spellbook; in your case, by gathering and level.
sorting your components. As with a spellbook,
you can change your selection of prepared
spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a
Ritual Dancer
Staring at 10th level, you gain the ability to cast
any spell you know up to 4th level with a
duration other than instantaneous as a ritual.
When you cast a spell as a ritual this way, the
spell’s duration is doubled.
Once you have cast a spell as a ritual this
way, you can’t do so again until you finish a
long rest, though you can cast ritual spells
normally, as described in chapter 10.

Naturalize
Upon reaching 14th level, you can use nature
to cure fatigue and flush detrimental
enchantments. You gain the ability to cast
greater restoration without expending a spell
slot.
You must spend one day to gather rare
ingredients to substitute the 100gp worth of
diamond dust that the spell requires. Make an
Intelligence (Arcana) check with a DC of 20. If
the check is successful, you can substitute the
spell’s material component with your
ingredients for one casting of the spell.
Regardless whether the check is successful or
failed, you cannot try again until you finishing a
long rest.
 the
intimate
relation that
disciples enjoy with
Backgrounds the priestess-mothers.
Before they gain fame and
glory from their adventures,
heroes are shaped by their Variant Acolyte: Girtablilu
Disciple
upbringing. Dark Woods uses the
backgrounds and personality traits presented You are a girtablilu and have been trained as a
in the Player’s Handbook to describe the cleric of the Triad. Instead of serving in a
character’s demeanor, origin, and past temple, your religious education was provided
experiences. by your priestess-mother: one of the senior
clerics who acted both as a religious mentor
As with the class description, some
and a parental figure in your upbringing.
backgrounds can take on different meanings in
According to the laws of the sisterhood, a cleric
the Dark Woods. For instance, sea travel does
may only train one disciple in her lifetime and
not exist in these days and thus the sailor
therefore you are her only heir.
background is redefined as a guide or caravan
driver navigating the Dark Woods. Who was your priestess-mother? What kind
of relationship did you have with her? Now
The following section describes how
that your training is complete, you are no
backgrounds are perceived by the Free People
longer required to serve by her side, but you
of the Dark Woods.
are not considered a senior cleric yet. Like a
mother to her child, she remains responsible
Acolyte for your actions in the eyes of the high
priestess -queen.
Religion occupies a central role in aasimari and
girtablilu cultures and, not surprisingly, the
acolyte background is a favorite among both Variant Feature: Priestess-
Priestess-Mother
races. Sprites and vegepigmies also enjoy rich
Whether she is proud of your accomplishments
religious traditions, but acolytes are rarer
or simply concerned about her own reputation,
among these people as their animist approach
your priestess-mother is always there to assist
to religion does not involve temples and
you. You can seek your priestess-mother for
segregated religious denominations.
tips and counsels, and can always expect to
Almost every girtablilu cleric hails from this receive free healing from her.
background. For them, the acolyte represents
Charlatan
This background is common amongst the fun- Variant Feature: Junk Dealer
loving and sometimes mischievous sprites, but You have a way to sell old things at a good
much rarer among other races. Since they live price. You can sell used equipment for 75% of
in an honest and honorable society, very few the market price instead of the usual 50%.
aasimar and automatons become charlatans.
Vegepygmies don’t become charlatans either,
their lack of dishonesty and their desire to Criminal
exchange openly makes them honest
Crime is relatively low in Excelsior and thus its
tradesmen.
underworld is small, but proximity with the
girtablilu’s enclave and the vegepygmy market
Variant Charlatan: Spritish Trader allows for small criminal organizations to exist.
The criminal background is more common
You are a sprite living in the vegepygmy market
amongst sprites however; some spritish clans
outside Excelsior where you purchase trinkets
are even ruled by criminals behind a facade
and curios from vegepygmies and sell them to lord or government.
aasimars, at a higher price, of course. Your
business is not completely dishonest, but
sometimes a good story can go a long way to Variant Criminal: Treasure Hunter
transform a worthless bauble into a valuable
You are a professional ruins explorer and
artifact.
purveyor of artifacts from the Aasimari Empire
era. As such, you are an expert in appraising masterpiece. These divine inspirations
the value of objects and have developed a sometimes give you access to a unique and
network of collectors and aficionados that may powerful discovery. The exact nature of this
be interested in acquiring your merchandise. revelation depends on the nature of your new
poem. It might be a great truth about the
cosmos, the deities, the powerful being of the
Variant
Variant Feature: Connoisseur Upper Planes, or the force of nature. It could
You know the monetary value of art objects be a site that no one else has ever seen. You
and other treasures that you recover from might have uncovered a fact that has long been
aasimari ruins. In addition, you can always find forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the past
a buyer for your merchandise in Excelsior or that could rewrite history.
any aasimari settlements. Work with your DM to determine the details
of your discovery and its impact on the
campaign.
Entertainer
Aasimar, girtablilu, sprites, vegepygmies; even
the dour automatons and the chaotic goblins Folk Hero
need some entertainment. In the harsh world Not everyone can become a hero, but a hero
of Dark Woods, the entertainer is perhaps the can come from anywhere. Characters of all
most universal background on Kyshar. races can have modest origins, but those
coming from clannish social structures, such as
sprites and vegepygmies, are more likely to be
Variant Entertainer: Poet
issued from this background.
Aasimar are fond of sad ballads and poetry
reciting their planar past and their exile on
Kyshar. Many see it as a duty to be reminded of Variant Folk Hero: Messenger
their past, least they forget their roots and Villages and settlements on Kyshar are few and
worship the dark spirts of the Dark Woods far between, and communication can only be
once more. ensured by bold couriers willing to brave the
Aasimari poets like you are more than Dark Woods of Kyshar. You may not be a
artists; they are scholars in planology and considered a hero, but folks admire your
master in the genealogy of angels and their courage nonetheless.
aasimar descendants.
Since the aasimars’ history is so related with Guild Artisan
their faith, you might be proficient with History
Only the aasimars and automatons have proper
or Religion rather than proficiency with the
merchant guilds, but artisans can be issued
Acrobatics skill. Instead of proficiency with the
from every society found in the Dark Woods.
disguise kit, you are proficient with
Whether they are rustic or sophisticated, this
calligrapher’s supplies.
background is available to every race of Kyshar.

Variant Feature: Discovery

Vision of an ancient ruin, an old statue or an
angelic face may inspire you to a great
Variant Guild Artisan: Vegepygmy pass unhindered and unthreatened. When
Trader rolling for random encounters, ignore any
You are a vegepygmy and come from a result of the Will of the Woods sub-table.
communalist people, sharing and trading most
of your tribe’s resources with other
Noble
neighboring tribes. You are constantly on the
move, not only travelling from one vegepygmy Only sprites and aasimar have an established
tribe to another but also visiting aasimari feudal hierarchy where noble titles are clearly
settlements, automaton communities, spritish attributed, but even the most barbarian tribes
villages, and girtablilu enclaves. have their chiefs, warlords, and captains. Clan
elders, shamans, master hunters, and all those
who are in position of privilege can claim to be
Variant Feature: Informant issued from the noble background.
Network
Over the years, you have developed a network
of reliable and trustworthy partners from Variant Noble: Chieftain
whom you can get news and information. You are native to the world of Kyshar and are
News doesn’t always travel fast in the Dark your clan’s chieftain, his or her spouse or one
Woods, but you can have messages delivered of his or her children. You are used to be
quickly, even over a great distance. obeyed and treated with importance, and to
use only the best equipment.

Hermit What relation do you enjoy with your

subjects, what leadership do you hold over
From the old automaton working in its dark your clan? How are your relations with your
workshop to the elder vegepygmy living alone clan’s shaman or religious figure?
in a cave, hermits can come from every race
and society.
Variant feature: Social Status

Variant Hermit: Shaman When you are in your village, you and your
companions enjoy a lifestyle considered as
You come from a relatively small community in “wealthy” for the standards of the Dark
the Dark Woods where you act as the clan’s Woods. Thanks to your social status, you are
shaman, witch-doctor, wisdom-man or wise- always well received (but not necessarily
woman, or one of its apprentices. You live your welcomed) when visiting other clans and
life as a diviner and a mediator between your tribes.
mortal brethren and the spirits of the Dark
Woods. While your life is not one of complete
seclusion, your special status forbids you from
casually interacting with the other members of
your clan.

Variant Feature: Safe Passage

When you undertake a voyage in the Dark
Woods, you can plea for the spirits to let you
Outlander Instead of paper and a bottle of ink, you
In the Dark Woods, any seasoned traveler can possess various artifacts and talismans that are
claim the outlander background. On the significant in your people’s mythology.
continent of Kyshar, all lands are wild lands and
everyone is a stranger…
Variant Feature: Rhymes of Lore
When you attempt to recall a piece of lore or
Variant Outlander: Guide are confronted with a riddle, you can recall
The Dark Woods are an ever-shifting maze of various poems, songs and short rhymes, and
tall roots and deep crevasses where few dare call to mind the wisdom of your ancestors to
to travel without an experimented guide. With find the answer to your problem. Doing so
your innate talent as a navigator, you make requires time and calm, which can usually be
sure your client always reaches its destination. found over the period of a long rest. Work with
your DM to determine the details of your
rhymes of lore and their impact on the current
Variant Feature: Natural situation.
Navigator
You have an intuitive sense of direction and a
knack for memorizing paths and retracing your Sailor
steps. When rolling for random encounters, None of the people of the Dark Woods ever
you can ignore any result that would get you mastered sea travel and the aasimars haven’t
and your group lost in the mazes of the Dark sailed the rivers and shores of Kyshar since the
Woods. fall of their empire. In this setting, the sailor
background portends to the professions of
guide and navigator steering caravans trough
Sage the ever-shifting paths of the Dark Woods. The
Only the aasimar and girtablilu have access to majority of them are aasimari or pygmish
real libraries but sprites of The Great River of merchants but some automatons, girtablilu,
Worms tribe painted centuries of observation and sprites can navigate the Dark Woods well
on the walls of great caves, and vegepygmies enough to be considered “sailors”.
can read nature like an open book. While they
are sometimes rare, sages exist in all societies.
Variant Sailor: Caravaneer
You guide the aasimari caravans that travel
Variant Sage: Loremaster between Excelsior and her settlements carrying
Your people do not know how to write, but trade goods, provisions and voyagers. With
your oral tradition is very rich. You are the your sharp eye and your sense of direction, you
historian, the genealogist and the storyteller of make sure that the caravan doesn't get lost or
your village, or perhaps his or her young ambushed on the way.
apprentice. Rather than laying your knowledge
down in writing, you use various mnemonic
Variant Feature: Vigilant
tricks to remember centuries’ worth of wisdom
that your people have accumulated. You know how to avoid unwanted encounters
in the Dark Woods, and how to plot a safe
course for your caravan to pass. When rolling
for random encounters, your group ignores any Variant Feature: Right of Way
result that would slow it down, augment the You know the passwords to every ward of your
travel time or force it to adopt a slower pace city and can generally ignore curfews. You have
(although your group can still decide to travel the authority to question citizens and search
at a slow pace if it wishes to). This feature does their home if need be. Even when you are not
not prevent your group from getting lost. in your own city or village, people knowing
your position tend to treat you with caution
and respect.
Soldier
Every society has its warriors, but professional
soldiers exist only among the Free People of Urchin
Kyshar. In particular, aasimar and automatons With their ability to become invisible and their
form highly hierarchized armies. Not unlike playful, sometimes impish nature, sprites make
some colonies of insects, vegepygmies tribes excellent pick-pockets and petty thieves even
are carefully divided between workers and at young age. The aasimars’ prosperous society
soldiers. ensures that very few of them grow-up as
street urchin. Similarly, very few vegepygmies
Variant Soldier: Guard arise from this background since they live in
tribes sharing all their belongings.
You serve on Excelsior’s city watch, or perhaps
as one your king’s close guard or as one of your
chieftain’s henchmen. Rather than fighting Variant Urchin: Burglar
invaders, you are responsible for enforcing the You live in Excelsior or in one of the bigger
law within your city or village. Things can get spritish villages where you divert small but
rough sometimes, but peace must be kept and valuable items from the houses of the citizens
sentences must be carried. that live there.
Do you enjoy your work and the status it What brought you to adventuring in the
brings you or do you loath the profession, Dark Woods? Did you get caught? Were you
knowing that someone has to do it? What eaten away by remorse?
brought you to adventure outside your city or
village? Did you have leave to abandon your Variant Feature: An Eye for
Fortune
post?
You have a flair for finding small treasure
quickly. You can reliably appraise the value of
precious stones, gems and jewelry, and easily
spot such valuable objects among debris, piles
of rubbish or less valuable items.
 sprites fare better than most but the Dark
Part 3:
3: Living in the Woods remain a hostile and dangerous place
Dark Woods even for them. Only vegepygmies seem spared
by the nastiest tricks of the Dark Woods, but
From the perspective of its inhabitants, Kyshar
even they must fend-off predators and angry
is just an interminable series gloomy forests,
spirits to survive.
each more wicked than the previous. Provoking
more than just an eerie sensation of While Kyshar offers many adventure
watchfulness, the Dark Woods seem to have opportunities, travelling in the Dark Woods is
only one goal in mind: kill or enslave anyone often an adventure in its own. The sheer size of
that has the audacity to walk under its trees. the trees and the unevenness of the forest’s
Angry woodland spirits present a constant floor make it difficult to navigate. Then there
challenge to survival and only cruel sacrifices are many natural dangers and hazards, traps
seem to appease them. laid by ambushed creature and hunting
goblins, and hateful woodland spirits ready to
Refusing to yield to the Dark Woods’ evil
assault travelers. Before they even reach their
call, aasimars and automatons live under
destination, adventurers must face the dangers
constant state of siege. With their chitin armor
of the Dark Woods.
and their venomous stinger, the girtablilu are
better equipped to face the dangers of the
Dark Woods, but the woodland spirits are not
any kinder to them. As a native race of Kyshar,
Fauna and Flora Most of these roads are now broken and
At first glance, Kyshar’s flora looks like a overgrown, but they nevertheless provide
twisted and tortuous version of what might be somewhat leveled terrain for miles on. Roads
found on other worlds, and although they within a 3-day ride of Excelsior are kept in
seem stunted and misshapen, trees here reach relatively good conditions, and traffic going to
considerable heights. Most are covered in and from Excelsior, and its many farms and
vines, mossy tendrils and other types of orchards, can travel quickly and without too
parasitic plants and fungi. In places, clusters of many pitfalls.
trees fuse together as they grow, forming
cavernous trunks of colossal girth. Roots are
Illumination
often exposed, creating an interlaced maze of
wooden barriers and soaring bridges and The Dark Woods are not dubbed “dark” for no
arches which, other than making travel reason; hardly any sunlight passes the canopy
difficult, are not without a certain beauty. of the giant trees and even less reaches the
forest’s floor. Some bright rays of sunlight do
Some of these trees truly grow to
manage to touch the ground here and there,
gargantuan dimensions with roots easily
creating small oases of radiance where plants
reaching ten feet of height and hundreds of
and flowers are blooming.
feet in length, not unlike those in the woods of
the Feywild or the forests of Arborea. Insects In most places, the Dark Woods are plunged
too can grow to impressive sizes, and the in dim light even on the brightest of days.
worgs and saber-toothed tigers encountered Some lighter parts of the Dark Woods, such as
there seem bigger than nature. In comparison, near rivers or at the top of rocky hills, receive
aasimars are small enough to ride some enough sunlight during the day to be
species of birds, or to be devoured by many considered bright light. The thickest parts of
varieties of spiders and scorpions. As if Kyshar the Dark Woods, on the other hand, are
was a world made for giants, humanoids plunged in perpetual darkness.
entering the Dark Woods feel very small. Travelers in the Dark Woods typically bring
with them a source of light, including those
with darkvision such as aasimars and girtablilu.
Terrain
And in the Dark Woods, a successful ambush is
The ground in the Dark Woods is rough and often a death sentence.
irregular, as if some underground force was
pushing the rock toward the surface unevenly.
Giant trees that fell hundreds of year ago leave Cities and Settlements
behind substantial mounds of dirt and vegetal Kyshar is a relatively small world mainly
matter, forcing water to make new gullies and populated by small, scattered communities of
digging new gorges. When journeying in the hunters and gatherers. Villages tend to be small
Dark Woods, it is virtually impossible to travel and insular with little traffic between them.
in a straight line. Sometimes, a charismatic chieftain or a
Established paths make extensive use of flat tyrannical warlord unites a few villages to form
roots and dried gullies, of gangways and a league or establish a small kingdom, but few
bridges, and stairs carved in wood or rock. survive the death of their leader. Most
Some also use the remains of old aasimari humanoids live a precarious and feral life, just
roads built more than a thousand years ago. as the spirits of the Dark Woods want it.
This is not the case for the Free People however; aasimars,
automatons, girtablilu, sprites and even the vegepygmies have built
structured and prosperous societies. The following section describes
in brief the home and villages of each the Free People. Some like the
vegepygmies live in small, tightly knit communities while others like
the aasimars live in the luxurious houses of small city-states.

Sprite Villages
Villages
A sprite’s village is strongly influenced by its tribe. Sprites of the Sprout
Singer tribe typically make their homes in heights, among the branches
of mighty trees. Sprites of the Painter of Life tribe often make villages
on or near the forest’s floor, typically under the exposed roots of huge
trees, counting on traps and camouflage to detract predators. Sprites of
the Eater of Flesh tribe usually have their homes hidden inside hollow
trunks and other such places suitable for ambushing trespassers, while
sprites of the Great River of Worms favor dead trees to establish their
villages.
Spritish villages range from a few dozens to hundreds of individuals.
Some villages in the South even reach thousands. But regardless of their
size, spritish villages are independent of each other and their rulers do not
have any dominion on their neighbors. Type of government tends to vary
from village to village; some are ruled by a hereditary monarch, others by an
elected chieftain or by another type of meritocracy, gerontocracy or geniocracy.

Vegepygmy Colonies
Vegepygmy colonies are built under large trees, in shallow caves, inside the vaults of
ancient ruins, and other similar dark and humid places. As a very communal people,
vegepygmies share most of the tribe’s belongings and each room is built to
accommodate the whole tribe. Weapons, armor, and jewelry are among the only things
that are truly personal to vegeypgmies; such items are considered sacred and part of its
wearer’s identity.
Pygmish communities are relatively small, ranging from a handful individuals to tribes of fifty
vegepygmies. Smaller tribes don’t always take permanent residence, preferring a nomadic life and
trading among their kind. Of all the people of the Dark Woods, vegepygmies are among the most
hospitable. Few remain with them for long however. Who knows when one will wake-up to see more
vegepymies busting out of their own chest…
Vegepygmy colonies are governed by the strongest warrior who becomes chieftain, counseled by
the tribe’s shaman. While the chieftain leads the hunting parties and speaks for the tribe, the shaman
is the law maker and speaks for the Will of the Woods, the vegepygmies’ deity.
Aasimari Settlements town leaders and head of families. To ensure
Long ago, Kyshar was home to a mighty that aasimari culture remains cohesive and
aasimari empire ruling over dozens of great that their people never fall into civil war again,
cities and hundreds of smaller towns. Little every son and daughter of each noble house
remain of this empire today and only one of must spend seven years in tutelage at the royal
these cities survived its fall; the bright city of palace in Excelsior. There, aasimar youths learn
Excelsior. Most other cities and towns have about law, history and religion, and are
completely vanished, engulfed by the Dark expected to establish contacts with other
Woods or taken as monsters’ lair, but several nobles. While it undoubtedly brings a certain
aasimari settlements still subsist as small, harmony between the settlements, some
independent vassal states. perceive this as a form of propaganda and
intimidation where nobles’ children are
A typical aasimari settlement is built upon effectively kept as hostages by the crown of
the ruins of an ancient site and houses some Excelsior.
two thousand aasimars and automatons in
more or less equal proportion. These
settlements subsist to the majority of their
needs but each produces a number of specialty The Food of Gods
items that it trades with Excelsior and other Aasimars’ main source of nourishment
settlements. In exchange for a symbolic tribute takes the form of a wholesome and
to Excelsior, each settlement is left to rule its nutritious beverage called ambrosia.
own affairs in accordance to aasimari Law. Ambrosia is a golden cordial brewed with
Together with Excelsior, these settlements honey, mushrooms and several other
cover a vast territory, one that the aasimars ingredients. More than just food, ambrosia
would be hard pressed to defend should it ever can be brewed with restorative properties
be contested. curing disease, healing injuries and
Aasimari settlements are ruled by dispelling fatigue.
hereditary rulers leading a council of influential Ambrosia comes in many varieties. Some
are fermented as alcoholic beverage, some
distilled into clear and fragrant nectars.
Some resemble hydromel, some are made
to be mixed with fresh juice. In short,
there are as many types of ambrosia as
there are meals on other worlds.
Aasimars complement their alimentation
with fruits, vegetables, venison meat and
pastries but since they do not rely on
these foods, they tend to reserve those for
festivals and other special occasions.
Aasimars also enjoy wines of many kinds.
While it isn’t as nourishing as ambrosia,
wine is highly valued and appreciated in
aasimari culture.
 Girtablilu Enclaves
Automaton Communities The girtablilu do not welcome outsiders in their
Hidden Kingdom nor will they enter aasimari
Most automatons live within the confines of
towns. Instead, the girtablilu have established
Excelsior or amid aasimari settlements, but
dozens of small enclaves near aasimari
some live in communities almost exclusively
settlements and automaton communities.
composed of their own kind. These
communities mainly consist of loggers, miners There, the girtablilu act as merchants and
ambassadors for their high priestess-queen,
and soldiers, rarely housing more than a few
trading both goods and information with
hundred automatons.
whomever passes their door.
Automatons elect a representative that will
Girtablilu enclaves are small villages in their
speak and vouch for the community. This
own right, housing from a dozen to a hundred
automaton does not necessarily rule the
individuals in comfortable homes. Generally,
community, rather acting as a guide and
half of this population is composed of
spiritual leader to the workers. Military
permanent residents while the other half travel
encampments are often ruled by an automaton
commanding officer but even in these from enclave to enclave, never staying more
than a few weeks in one place.
communities, an elected representative speaks
and commits for the soldiers. All enclaves follow the same architectural
style featuring low houses with round doors
and windows. A tall wall surrounds the whole brought from the plains of Elysium have been
enclave but unlike most aasimari settlements, dead for centuries, left standing out of fear of
these walls are not crowned with battlements losing one’s roots.
or other forms of fortification. These enclaves Excelsior is fed by strong natural springs
are generally highly decorated, embellished emerging at multiples points within the city.
with tended gardens and includes a central Their waters are distributed to many courts via
pool where girtablilu can bathe. an intricate network of aqueducts and
Each girtablilu enclave is directed by a high- fountains. The inhabitants take great pride in
priestess and her circle of novices. Rarely will their “up-rivers”, a series of mechanical
outsiders deal directly with the high-priestess, cascades carrying water atop the seven hills of
but every traveler is welcomed and escorted by the Excelsior. Other famous clockwork
a novice priestess. mechanisms include the Great Gate which
opens according to the size and need of
travelers, the central clock and its thirteen bells
Excelsior, The Mechanical City of of bronze counting the hours of the Dark
the Aasimar Woods and those of various towns in the
Excelsior is a tall aasimari city built atop a Upper Planes, and the Royal Gardens that
series of hills in the heartlands of the Dark rotate and unfold in relation to the sun and
Woods. Home to fifty-thousand aasimars and weather. Aasimars are very fond of such
as many automatons, Excelsior is by far the mechanical contraptions and their houses are
most populous community of the Dark Woods. filled with smaller clockwork mechanisms for
There was a time where many cities such as opening doors, ringing bells, and entertaining
this one flourished on Kyshar, but Excelsior is children.
the last of her kind, all the others being ruined The Vegepygmy Market: Located outside
by war, abandoned by its population, and the walls of Excelsior, the so-called “vegepygmy
reclaimed by the wilderness. Like a lonely gem market” plays an important part in the city’s
belonging to another era, Excelsior stands both economics and political arena. Hundreds of
as a symbol of hope and a refuge against the vegepygmies can be found there at any given
encroaching shadows of the Dark Woods. For time, although none live there on a permanent
the aasimars, Excelsior is a beacon of light basis. There, aasimars can purchase all kinds of
against the perils of the wilderness, the last exotic goods in exchange for… well, it isn’t clear
that remains of their civilization. what the vegepygmies want. Some accept
The city is reminiscent of the towns of money, others prefer to trade goods. Some
Mount-Celestia with its tall and slender towers, content themselves with trinkets while others
its walls of white marble, its roofs of polished seem happy to give their wares away for free.
copper, and its windows of tinted glass and But more importantly, the vegepygmgies come
polished crystal. With its tended gardens and here to trade and exchange information among
flower boxes, its streets and avenues paved each other. An important sprite population
with multi-hued cobblestones, its statues and lives here as well, and many other powers of
fountains of the most exquisite marble, the the Dark Woods send their minions to this
aasimars could not hope for a better home. cosmopolitan meeting place.
Despite its idyllic appearance, Excelsior has few Excelsior’s Girtablilu Enclave: Forbidden
children, hears little laughter, and sees few from entering the city of Excelsior, the girtablilu
cheerful expressions. Even the great trees have established their embassy in the shadows
of the forecastle, just outside the Great Gate. lost naga city. After years of searching and
Unlike the informal vegepygmy market nearby, many adventures, Nagapura was found and
this enclave is an ancient and well established awarded to them as a refuge for their
town surrounded by a low stone wall. The sisterhood.
girtablilu living there are particularly courteous Today, Nagapura houses some five
and welcoming, but a dark sense of purpose thousands girtablilu, but the city could hold the
emanates from the whole enclave. Hundreds of whole sisterhood should they all need to
aasimars come there every day to trade with gather. A few nagas reside there as well,
the Hidden Kingdom but very few are willing to including the nagaraja Shesha, the guardian
stay overnight. Yet, their guesthouses always naga prince of Nagapura. It was he who
seem occupied, for the girtablilu trade with welcomed the girtablilu in his city and their
other guests as well. kingdom remains hidden under his blessing.
Only the nagaraja and the girtablilu priestesses
know the secret pathways leading to Nagapura;
The Lights of Excelsior not even other girtablilu or recurrent guests
At dusk when the sun shines low over the can find their way without being guided.
horizon, the crystal windows that adorn Outside their kingdom, the girtablilu erect
the many towers of Excelsior begin to temporary encampments from which
gleam like thousands of bright jewels. priestesses lead parties to and from the hidden
city.
The royal tower is specifically designed to
catch and reflect the sun’s light in such a It is said that Nagapura is a city shaped like a
way that it can be seen in all direction for a large and shallow bowl, as if it had been
hundred miles. Once the sun has set, the sculpted from the bedrock rather than build
aasimars cast their light in large globes of from the ground up. Doors, windows and
glass so that the tower keeps shining into passageways are typically round and highly
the night. Like a lighthouse guiding decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs, and
travelers on a sea of dark trees, Excelsior an intricate network of channels evacuates
shines as a beacon with which the pluvial waters to a small lake at the heart of the
aasimars navigate the night. city where the girtablilu wash and bathe.

The Remnants of an Empire

Nagapura, the Hidden City of the
Girtablilu During its golden age, the Aasimari Empire
claimed most of the lands between the Naga
As the aasimars have Excelsior, so the girtablilu Lands and the Eridanus River. Great cities
have Nagapura, the capital of their Hidden dotted the heartlands and the shores of the
Kingdom. Very few outsiders know much about Alpheus River, supported by hundreds of
this city, but every girtablilu calls Nagapura peaceful towns. Paved roads and tall aqueducts
home at one point in her life. The city was linked the different kingdoms and
originally built by nagas and cloaked by magic principalities, allowing for trade and cultural
ages ago. It is said that the city was abandoned exchanges. Great planar gates allowed passage
and lost during the Woodland Wars, and that to the celestial realms of the Upper Planes
when their sisterhood was young and looking where the aasimars served as mercenaries for
for a home, the girtablilu set-out to find the angelic generals. Today, hundreds of years after
the fall of the Aasimari Empire, the roads have be found, making the ruins of Larimar a
been reclaimed by wilderness, the aqueducts popular encampment site for travelers in the
have all crumbled and all the great cities, save area. A clan of sprites inhabits the remnants of
Excelsior, lie now in ruins. When travelling in the old clock-tower by the cliff where
the Dark Woods, it is not rare to find ancient vegepygmies often come to trade with the
remnants and artifacts of this once glorious sprites and travelers. Voyagers are warned to
era. take heed on the western bank of the river
however, for a marsh dragon is said to lair
Ruins of Larimar: The ruins of Larimar lie on
nearby.
the eastern bank of the Alpheus River, about a
week ride north of Excelsior. The site marks the Archon Bridge: By the end of the imperial
end of the navigable parts by sea-going vessels era, a long and tall bridge was built on the
and thus Larimar used to be an important port- northern part of the Alpheus River where the
of-call city. Arethusa river gorge is narrowest. Known as
the Archon Bridge for its four trumpet-archon
For a long time, the city held the only bridge
statues, this bridge stands some two-hundred
crossing the Alpheus River beyond the Celadon
feet above the Alpheus in a single high arch.
Falls. Today the bridge is broken but the river
The mossy 150-foot long bridge stands mostly
can easily be forded through the rubbles.
intact except for 15-foot section that collapsed
Further downstream, the river quickly becomes
at center. Vegepygmies regularly cover the gap
impossible to cross without a boat or
with tree trunks and branches but storms and
exceptional swimming skills.
travelers fleeing from predators regularly
Although there isn’t much left of the ruins, throw them down.
the old paved road of Larimar remains in good
condition for miles on both sides of the broken
bridge. Here, defensible foundations can easily
Faith and Religions Aasimars, automatons and girtablilu on the
other hand have a better understanding of
Among the primitive tribes of the Dark Woods,
divinity and cosmology. Their prayers are
religion is more a collection of superstitions
addressed to powers living beyond the world
and taboos than an organized institution.
of Kyshar and for them, faith is a shield that
Beliefs differ from tribe to tribe but all venerate
keeps the Dark Woods at bay.
the Dark Woods in one way or another.
Oftentimes, different aspects of the Dark The following section gives a brief summary
Woods are personified as mythological of the faiths and religions practiced by the Free
characters or ancient demons that folks learn People of Kyshar. The deity of the Dark Woods
to fear and worship. With the exception of the is also included as a reference to the
sprites and vegepygmies, none of the denizens subjugated people of humanoids.
of the Dark Woods escape its evil clutch.

Deity Alignment Suggested Domains Symbol

The Eater of Flesh, the spritish god of hunting CN Tempest Wolf head

The Grand Pantheon, the aasimari religion of (any)G Any except Death Varies
Good deities

The Great River of Worms, the spritish god of N Knowledge Winding

decay river

The Painter of Life, the spritish goddess of NG Nature Stylized

growth female
Sprite

The Sprout Signer, the spritish goddess of all CG Trickery Emerging

beginnings seedling

The Triad, the girtablilu triple-goddess of fate LN Knowledge, Nature, Stylized,

and destiny War woven
triangle

The Will of the Woods, the vegepygmy unaligned Nature, Tempest Stick or staff
omniscient god of the Dark Woods

The Dark Woods, the malignant presence CE Nature, Tempest, Varies

imposing its will on its denizens War
The Open Faith of the Aasimars
Aasimar Cleric Player Character
When the gods permitted their ancestors to
live in their demesnes in the Upper Planes, the As an aasimari cleric, you are free to
aasimars discovered much about the afterlife worship any god, goddess, group of deities
and found answers to many of the great or pantheons of Good alignment, and to
questions of humankind. They had, so to choose any divine domain with the
speak, looked beyond the veil at the inner exception of the Death domain. Neutral
workings of the multiverse. Among other deities are tolerated, but the veneration of
things, the aasimars understood that many an Evil god or goddesses is forbidden by
gods and pantheons share the same spheres of law. If your cleric follows more than one
influence and so they came to realize how god or goddess, you may use their
deities are but personifications of greater association emblem (if any), your temple’s
concepts. Thus their religion became one of sigil or your house’s heraldic as your
veneration and respectful reverence rather religious symbol.
than one of devotion and worship. For the You must also choose whether you
aasimars, lesser angels, illustrious ancestors follow your house’s ancestors and patron
and legendary heroes deserve as much respect deity(ies), or if you were trained by one of
as greater deities. the many temples of Excelsior in the
The aasimars of Kyshar venerate many gods, worship of a group of deities. This decision
some even pay homage to whole pantheons. does not influence the abilities of your
Except for public holydays – which are character, but it may affect some of its
relatively frequent in aasimari society – religion background features and characteristics
is mostly a personal affair performed in private (such as the acolyte’s shelter of the faithful
chapels. Aasimari culture is rich with prayers feature for example).
and customs dedicated to their ancestors and
other celestial beings.
The Simple Beliefs of the
Aasimari priests are scholars as much as Automatons
they are spiritual guides. They are well versed
in planar cosmology and in the major religions Unlike the aasimars, automatons do not
of the multiverse. The numerous public possess large collections of religious
temples of Excelsior offer services and divine knowledge. As free people, automatons could
assistance to individuals and families alike. consult the libraries of Excelsior but generally,
Even if they are not an overly religious people, they are not as concerned with the universal
mythology and cosmology form an important truth as their aasimari creators are.
part of aasimari lifestyle. Automatons have a more philosophical and
spiritual approach to their faith. If the aasimars
are indeed their creators, does that make them
gods? If so, are the gods who created the
aasimars also the creation of greater powers?
Knowing that there is no ending to such
questions, the automatons turned to simpler
beliefs. Each individual adopts a patron deity of
some sort, usually a god or goddess venerated
in aasimari culture. Oftentimes, this patron
deity is related to the automaton’s profession The Triad of the Girtablilu
or appointed task in some way. Thus, an Cursed with a grotesque body and unable to
automaton artisan might venerate Moradin, summon the celestial light like the aasimars,
the dwarven god of creation while a miner the girtablilu felt abandoned by the gods of
might adopt Osiris, the god of the Underworld Order and Light. Thus they turned to an
as his patron deity. The tenets of these deities ancient sacred concept; one that even predates
are usually followed loosely but they help the most religions. The Asgardians called them the
automaton define its existence and fulfil its Norns, the Olympians named them the Fates
sense of purpose. and for the elves of Faerun they are known as
Angharradh. But for the girtablilu they are
simply the Triad: the three weavers of destiny.
Automaton Cleric Player Character The Triad is composed of three women
As an automaton cleric, you are somewhat representing three facets of a same thing such
of a rarity among your kind. Society expects as youth, maturity and old age, or past, present
you to assume the role for which you were and future. Together they weave the primordial
created, but by becoming a cleric you threads that link the multiverse together, the
showed that you aspired to something original principle of natural order to which
more. While unexpected, emancipated both mortals and immortals are subjected. To
automatons are not unappreciated. You are the bitter heart of the girtablilu, the thought
welcome among worker communities and that even gods are not spared by fate is a
military troops by automatons and aasimars soothing belief.
alike.
Automatons are more comfortable with
Lawful Good and Lawful Neutral deities, but Girtablilu Cleric Player Character
as a cleric you may select any god (and its Priestesses are highly regarded in the
associated domain). You may even select an girtablilu society for they alone can find
Evil deity but such gods are frowned upon the hidden path to Nagapura. By tradition,
by automatons and the practice of its a cleric can only train one apprentice in
religion is outlawed by aasimari laws. her whole life, making you an honored
member of your order. The relationship
you have with your priestess-mother is a
strong one, although it wasn’t always a
gentle one. Training was harsh and
strenuous. As your priestess-mother’s only
heir, you are expected to perform
outstandingly and to train an equally
remarkable apprentice.
Depending on which aspect of the Triad
you decide to impersonate, you may select
the Knowledge, Nature or War domain.
The Endless Cycle of the Sprites Legends also tell of a fifth deity called the
Sprites have a unique relationship with their Frost Breather, god of cold and winter. Some
gods. Their race is separated in four distinct say he used to be the balancing factor of the
ethnicities that they call tribes, each Dark Woods, regulating fertility, pausing
worshipping one of their four gods of nature. growth, calming the urge to kill and stopping
Like a great endless circle, each god relies on decay. Some others say that he was responsible
the previous and provides for the next. for the malevolence of the Dark Woods and
that the other gods exiled him to the Eternal
The Sprout Singer is the goddess of all Glaciers. But whatever or whoever this god
beginnings. This goddess cannot be seen, but was, the Dark Woods haven’t seen any winter
her presence can be heard like a dreamlike, for a very, very long time, if it even ever
ethereal chorus. The Sprout Singer also happened. At any case there is no Frost
represents fertility, both in the sense of Breather tribe and if there ever was one, traces
fecundity and ingenuity. Joy, singing and of its existence have long disappeared.
inspiration are also under her influence.
Inadvertently, the Sprout Singer is also the
goddess of jokes, pranks and humor and her
followers are known as indubitable tricksters. Sprite Cleric Player Character

The Painter of Life is the goddess of birth, Just as there are four tribes of Sprites, so
growth and nurturing. Portrayed as a female too are four types of clerics. As a sprite
sprite, she is also responsible for bringing cleric, you must follow the god or goddess
colors into the world, from the vivid colors of of your tribe. If your tribe is the Sprout
birds and flowers to the mimicry of insects and Singer, your must select the Trickery
the camouflage animals. Her followers are the domain. If your tribe is the Painter of Life,
shiest but also the friendliest of all four tribes. your domain is Nature. If your tribe is the
Eater of Flesh, you must select the
The Eater of Flesh is the god of predators Tempest Domain. If your tribe is the Great
and bestial instincts. Represented as a large River of Worms, your domain is
wolf-like creature, he embodies the thrill of the Knowledge.
hunter and the blood-frenzy of the warrior. He
also represents the urge to survive and the will
to fight back when endangered. His followers
The Natural Reverence of the
are the most aggressive of the four tribes, Vegepygmies
some are even cannibal savages.
According to the vegepygmies, the Dark Woods
The Great River of Worms is the deity of are one vast sentient being that they worship
rotting and decay. Not perceived as a god so as an entity called The Will of the Woods. The
much as the manifestation of entropy, the Will does not manifest itself physically or even
Great River of Worm is an unforgiving but appear in one’s dreams; it only acts through
impartial force that will ultimately devour forest spirits, beasts, plants and other wild
everything. But the Worms leave behind the creatures. Vegepygmies see themselves as yet
promise of new beginnings and thus allow the another manifestation of The Will of the
cycle to be renewed. Its followers are the most Woods, a race appointed with the task of
contemplative and philosophical of the four observing the Dark Woods, interpret its
tribes. intentions and transmit this information to the
other intelligent races of Kyshar.
 Vegepygmies don’t think in terms of Good The Evil Clutch of the Dark Woods
and Evil and despite the Dark Woods’ unnatural With the exception of the Free People, every
cruelty, they do not see The Will of the Woods denizen of the Dark Woods reveres the wild
as an evil entity. They rather believe that their spirits of the forests. These spirits are not
deity is ill and that its nature has somehow friendly toward the living and must be obeyed
been poisoned into the brooding and ominous if one wishes to avoid their anger. The most
presence that the Darks Woods are today. Hags powerful of them are even worshipped as
appear like warts on a diseased skin and forest demons or bogeymen, imposing obedience out
blights emerged like pestilence for the trees. of terror rather than inspiration. Among the
Healing The Will of the Woods will be the denizens of the Dark Woods, shamans and
vegepygmies’ greatest task, possibly the witch-doctors learn to communicate with these
purpose for which they have been created. In spirits and to appease them through the
the meantime, the intents of The Will of the performance of sacrifices and rituals.
Woods are getting more and more difficult to
comprehend, and the Vegepygmies are more As the spiritual leaders of their tribes, these
alarmed and confused than they ever had. witch-doctors and shamans impose series of
half-guessed superstitions and taboos for the
worship of the spirits is not a set religion;
denizens of the Dark Woods are kept in fear
Vegepygmy Cleric or Druid Player and ignorance. It is through these shamans and
Character witch-doctors that the Dark Woods exerts its
As a vegepygmy character, you are among evil influence on its inhabitants.
the few of your race born with the innate
potential to progress and gain levels in a
character class. Vegepygmies see little Denizen of the Dark Woods Cleric or Druid
difference between clerics and druids
when it comes to their religion, and you As a cleric or druid of the Dark Woods, you
are free to choose the class of your choice. must perform the sacrifices and enforce
Should you choose to play a cleric, you the taboos to appease the spirits.
must select The Will of the Woods as your Among the tribes of the Dark Woods,
deity, allowing you to choose between the clerics are usually called witch-doctors
Nature and Tempest domain. There was a while druids are known as shamans.
time when vegepygmy clerics could select Although witch-doctors and shamans
the Life domain but connections to that possess different sets of abilities, both
sphere of influence seem to be lost in this practice the same religious doctrines and
age of the world. fill a similar niche amongst their tribes.
Witch-doctors are clerics that must
select the Dark Woods domain, as define
in appendix 2: villainous character options.
Shamans use the druid class.
The Denizens of the Dark Woods monsters and abominable creatures. The
While the Dark Woods campaign setting is northern pine forests are ruled by a nation of
primarily seen through the eyes of the Free harpies blending the traits of a vulture and that
People, many other races of humanoids and of a female humanoid. Harpies are always seen
intelligent creatures inhabit the world of in the company of griffons who, like their
Kyshar; most of them living a primitive lifestyle mistresses, mix the traits of vultures with those
under the yoke of the Dark Woods’ evil of great snow tigers.
influence. Like the Dark Woods that they Dark Woods dragons too have a distinctive
worship, these denizens are harsh, cruel and appearance, owing more to the bestial
truly rotten at the heart. linnorms of Ysgard than the intelligent, talking
Just as the typical Dungeons & Dragons’ wyrms found on other worlds. Unlike dragons
player character races are absent from the described in the Monstrous Manual, the
Dark Woods setting, not all staples of fantasy dragons of Kyshar are land creatures with four
creatures are present on Kyshar. Some like orcs limbs and no wings and while they are
and hobgoblins are simply absent while others particularly cunning creatures, Dark Woods
like dragons and griffons differ from their dragons do not exceed animal-level of
typical appearance. intelligence.
Dragons come in three varieties in the Dark
Woods. The over-excited blue dragons known
Giants and Humanoids as spark drakes never grow larger than a
Kyshar is home to many tribes of goblins, wyrmling, while black marsh dragons do not
bugbears, kobolds, ogres and trolls. Unlike mature past the adult stage. Green dragon, or
their typical D&D counterparts living in caves forest wyrms, are the most cunning and
and raiding the countryside at night, the treacherous type of dragons in the Dark
goblins, bugbears and kobolds of Kyshar are Woods. They are also the largest breed,
forest dwellers and are just as likely to be growing into legendary creatures that denizens
encountered in daytime. Thanks to the of the Dark Woods fear and venerate as gods.
perpetual gloom of the Dark Woods, races with
light sensibility can function perfectly well even
when the sun is at its zenith. All are ferocious The Ageless Ones
hunters making cunning use of traps, diversion, Two ancient races command the reverence of
poisons and overwhelming numbers. Ogres all the peoples of Kyshar; the noble couatls and
and trolls are not as smart but what they lack the mysterious nagas. Together they are known
in intelligence, they make it up in raw strength. as the Ageless Ones, two races of highly
The vast but shallow underworld of Kyshar intelligent beings fighting a war of influence
is made uninhabitable by clans of cannibalistic and domination over the Dark Woods since
troglodytes while the bogs and marches are times immemorial.
home to tribes of bullywugs and lizardmen. Both races have their own agenda but the
more benevolent couatls enjoy good relations
with the aasimars while girtablilu have
Monsters of Kyshar developed stronger ties with the nagas. Both
Other than the beasts that roam the Dark races are said to grant eldritch powers to those
Woods, Kyshar is home to many types of who risk making a pact with them.
 passed, the 14-year-old girl is about to be
Nature Spirits crowned as queen in a sumptuous ceremony.
Excelsior never had such young a monarch, and
Kyshar is teaming with hateful woodland dissention is rising among the aasimari nobility.
spirits. Most of these spirits cannot provoke Many believe that the nation should continue
more than an eerie feeling of watchfulness, but to be ruled by the council of ministers until the
some are strong enough to manifest into queen comes of age, and some influential
physical beings. Far from being gentle families who benefited greatly during this year
shepherds and tree-herders, treants of the of regency are reluctant to give their newly
Dark Woods are the incarnations of such acquired power.
powerful nature spirits hungry for blood.
Similarly, dryads are not the peaceful fey that Outside the walls of Excelsior, word of the
inhabit most worlds but ferocious guardian imminent ascension of the young aasimar
spirits who will not hesitate to charm and kill reached the four corners of Kyshar, and the
any intruder. Dark Woods themselves seem aware of the
soon-to-be queen. The vegepygmies affirm
The hags of Kyshar are somewhat of a that the Dark Woods perceive the young queen
curiosity. They seem to be old nature spirits, as a threat, suggesting that Tilea’s fate might
ancient dryads perhaps, who took physical be intimately linked to that of Kyshar.
form so long ago that they now look like old
crones. Of all the nature spirits, hags have the
most developed individual personalities and The Bebilith, the Demon-
Demon-Spider of
have been known to interact peacefully with the Dark woods
members of the Free People. The Dark Woods harbor many lone predators
such as ancient dragons, elder treants and
antiquated aasimari constructs gone rogue.
Character and Creature of
Legend Many such creatures acquire a reputation of
ferocious monster but none evoke as much
Kyshar is a wild world mostly inhabited by fear and terror as the Bebilith, the demon-
forest spirits and insular, primitive people. spider of the Dark Woods.
While some hunters and warriors gain fame
and renown within their tribe, rare are those The Bebilith is a very old creature whose
whose reputation reaches to other clans or history of rot and blood can be traced long
tribes of another race. But like other campaign before the arrival of the aasimars. In the myths
settings, the Dark Woods have their own of the denizen of the Dark Woods, she is
mythical monsters and living legends. Most are portrayed as a black goddess, an agent of
ancient beings known for their wisdom or darkness trapping the light of the sun in her
wickedness, but new players have recently webs. Some even worship her and pay her
entered the chessboard. tribute. The sprites call her the “nightcrawler”
while for the vegepygmies she is known as the
“the rotting webs” in their click-and-tap
Tilea,
Tilea, the Young Queen of the language. Only the aasimars recognize her for
Aasimars what she really is: a fiendish creature of the
Only a year ago, princess Tilea of the aasimars Abyss trapped in this world just as they are.
succeeded to her father and rose to the throne The girtablilu also know her real nature and it
of Excelsior. Now that the year of mourning has is rumored that they even know her true name.
According to their prophecies, the Bebilith they know that she too has become aware of
holds the key to the salvation – or the the rising Shadow in the North. Her spies have
destruction – of the Dark Woods. been sent to the four corners of Dark Woods
and she seems to crave any bit of information
The Bebilith has no permanent lair but she
about this northern menace.
has many regular haunts. All are domains of
dread where her evil can be felt even when she
isn’t there. Her webs can snuff out the light of The Sphinx, Guardian of the Oracle
the day, appearing blacker than black as if no
light could escape their strands. Wherever the Perched upon the eastern cliffs and gazing into
Bebilith spins her web, gloom and the endless sea, the temple of the Sphinx is
hopelessness spread like fog in one’s mind. one of the wonders of the Dark Woods. Its
architecture reminds that of the Olympian
realms but as far as anyone can remember, the
The Lich-
Lich-Queen of the Marches temple predates the arrival of the aasimars.
In the southern lands where the Nadistuti River The Sphinx himself is a riddle, devouring as
flows into the sea, a vast network of marshes is much as he is helping, asking as much as he is
formed as the river fights against the tidal answering, old beyond recognition but always
waves created by the constant storms of the showing interest in the “young” people of the
Dark Woods.
Thunderous South. There, the self-proclaimed
Lich-Queen of the Marshes rules over her For as long as anyone cares to remember,
flooded kingdom. the Sphinx has always been hosting a mortal
Legends claim that the lich-queen was once oracle as the centerpiece of his temple. The
current oracle is an albino girtablilu with bright,
a wicked aasimar noblewoman living at the end
fiery blues eyes named Nanda. Her visions and
of the imperial era. Her estate being both small
prophecies have been particularly gloomy
and distant, she was spared from the battles of
lately. She foresaw the rise of The Shadow but
the Woodland Wars until the very end. It is said
now, the future is less certain than it has ever
that she took her own life and was entombed
been.
by her servants before her enemies could take
her. Eventually, the marshes claimed her land, The small town servicing the temple is a
drowned her tomb and her name was popular pilgrimage site for the sick, the cursed
forgotten. and the doomed. People of every race and of
all status can be met there and so the acropolis
About a hundred years ago, the undead
grew into small but wealthy commercial hub.
rose-up and proclaimed herself the “Lich-
Peace is enforced by an order of girtablilu
Queen of the Nadistuti Marshes”. It is told that
temple guards who tolerate all creatures as
she travels to the far corners of Kyshar in her
long as they remain nonviolent. It is said that
unholy dreams and can manifest the horrors of
the Sphinx fostered the first girtablilu children
her nightmares in flesh. At any case, she now
before the rise of their own kingdom and that
rules over a court of many sprites and other
in turn, the girtablilu serve him as his personal
denizens of the Dark Woods. Her half-sunken
guard. For the girtablilu, pilgrimage to the
kingdom is slowly but steadily rising in power
Sphinx’s temple is considered a holy
but so far, she has not declared war or taken
requirement that all must complete as part of
action upon any neighboring nation. The
their rite of passage to adulthood.
girtablilu are keeping a close watch on her for