These are the species available to player characters in Rolara. They are organized by a single question, the one the world asks before anything else: what does a stranger conclude about you at a glance?
There are five answers. Nothing unusual. A legend made flesh. Not from this world. A monster. Not alive. That question matters more at a Rolaran table than creature type does, because nearly every playable species is Humanoid and almost none of them are treated alike.
For rules on building hybrid or unusual lineages, see the character creation options below.
Sub-Indexes
| Category | Sub-Index | Entries | What a stranger concludes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passes for Human | Passes for Human INDEX | 31 | Nothing unusual, at least at first |
| Legendary | Legendary Species INDEX | 17 | A people out of story, rarely seen in the flesh |
| Starchildren | Starchildren INDEX | 6 | Not from this world |
| Unusual | Unusual Species INDEX | 68 | Visibly not human, everywhere, always |
| Constructs | Constructs INDEX | 5 | Not alive |
Passing is a spectrum rather than a yes or no, and Passes for Human lays it out from indistinguishable down to barely. Being able to pass is not the same as choosing to, and player characters skew toward the standout examples of their kind.
Unusual Species is the largest bucket by a wide margin and divides further by body plan into beastfolk, avian, aquatic, saurian, and goblinoid sub-indexes.
A further twelve approved player options are not yet on this axis, because too little is known about them to say what a stranger would conclude. They are listed under “Awaiting a Bucket” in Species and move here as they are described.
Character Creation Options
Rules articles for players who want to build outside the standard species list.
| Name | Summary |
|---|---|
| Custom Lineage | Choose a lineage and customize the character’s appearance, size, speed, abilities, and innate magic. |
| Lineages | Pre-designed alternate lineages that layer onto an existing species rather than replacing it. |
Also indexed under: Elven Pantheon (Culture), Seelie Court (Organizations), Unseelie Court (Organizations), Species