Humans

Ancestries

Humans possess exceptional drive and a great capacity to endure and expand, and as such are currently the dominant people in the world. Their empires and nations are vast, sprawling things, and the citizens of these societies carve names for themselves with the strength of their sword arms and the power of their spells. Humanity is best characterized by its tumultuousness and diversity, and human cultures run the gamut from savage but honorable tribes to decadent, devil-worshiping noble families in the most cosmopolitan cities.

Human society is a strange amalgam of nostalgia and futurism, being enamored of past glories and wistfully remembered “golden ages,” yet at the same time quick to discard tradition and history and strike off into new ventures. Relics of the past are kept as prized antiques and museum pieces, as humans love to collect things—not only inanimate relics but also living creatures—to display for their amusement or to serve by their side.

Humans in many places are fascinated by older cultures, though at times they grow frustrated or even contemptuous of ancient and (to their mind) outmoded traditions. Their attitudes toward other ancestries are thus a curious mix of exoticism and even fetishism, though usually with a very superficial level of understanding and appreciation of those cultures, alongside a deeply rooted arrogance that means most humans have a hard time regarding themselves as anything other than the default standard of society. Humans are gregarious, often friendly, and willing to mix and interact with others, but their sheer obliviousness to their offhanded marginalization of others is what so chagrins others when dealing with them.

Of course, well-meaning, blundering ignorance and numerical superiority are not the only things that make other ancestries suspicious of humans. Entirely too many examples can be found throughout history wherein human xenophobia and intolerance has led to social isolationism, civil oppression, bloody purges, inquisitions, mob violence, and open war. Humans are not the only ones to hate what is different among them, but they seem to have a susceptibility to fear-mongering and suspicion, whether about ancestry, language, religion, class, gender, or another difference. More moderate human citizens often sit idly by while their more extreme compatriots dominate the political and cultural conversation, yet there are also many who stand in opposition to extremists and embody a spirit of unity across the bounds of difference, transcending barriers and forming alliances and relationships both large and small across every color, creed, country, or species.

Common Names

The diversity across the nations of Golarion has resulted in a nearly infinite set of names. Even humans who speak the same language may have names that are as varied as their beliefs and appearances, depending on their origins.

Physical Description

Their physical characteristics are as varied as the world’s climes. From the dark-skinned tribesmen of the southern continents to the pale and barbaric raiders of the northern lands, humans possess a wide variety of skin colors, body types, and facial features. Generally speaking, humans’ skin color assumes a darker hue the closer to the equator they live. At the same time, bone structure, hair color and texture, eye color, and a host of facial and bodily phenotypic characteristics vary immensely from one locale to another.

Cheekbones may be high or broad, noses aquiline or flat, and lips full or thin; eyes range wildly in hue, some deep set in their sockets, and others with full epicanthic folds. Appearance is hardly random, of course, and familial, tribal, or national commonalities allow the knowledgeable to identify a human’s place of origin on sight, or at least to hazard a guess. Humans’ origins are also indicated through their styles of bodily decoration, not only in the clothing or jewelry worn, but also in hairstyles, piercing, tattooing, and even scarification.

Age Range: Adult 17, old age 53, max age 70-110.

Human Males: Height 5'0"-6'6" and weight 130-220 lbs (average 5'9" , 175 lbs).

Human Females: Height 4'7"-6'1" and weight 95-185 lbs (average 5'4", 140 lbs).

Society

Human society comprises a multitude of governments, attitudes, and lifestyles. Though the oldest human cultures trace their histories thousands of years into the past, when compared to societies like those of elves and dwarves, human society seems to be in a state of constant flux as empires fragment and new kingdoms subsume the old. In general, humans are known for their flexibility, ingenuity, and ambition. Other peoples sometimes envy humans their seemingly limitless adaptability, not so much biologically speaking but in their willingness to step beyond the known and press on to whatever might await them. While many or even most humans as individuals are content to stay within their comfortable routine, there is a dauntless spirit of discovery endemic to humans as a species that drives them in striving toward possibilities beyond every horizon.

Relations

Humans are fecund, and their drive and numbers often spur them into contact with other ancestries during bouts of territorial expansion and colonization. In many cases, this tendency leads to violence and war, yet humans are also swift to forgive and forge alliances with those who do not try to match or exceed them in violence. Proud, sometimes to the point of arrogance, humans might look upon dwarves as miserly drunkards, elves as flighty fops, halflings as craven thieves, gnomes as twisted maniacs, and half-elves and half-orcs as embarrassments—but the diversity among its own members also makes many humans quite adept at accepting others for what they are.

Humans may become so absorbed in their own affairs that they remain ignorant of the language and culture of others, and some take this ignorance to a hateful extreme of intolerance, oppression, and rarely even extermination of others they perceive as dangerous, strange, or “impure.” Thankfully, while such incidents and movements may taint all of humanity in the eyes of some, they are more often the exception than the rule.

Religion

Humans have the widest range of gods and religions, lacking other ancestries’ ties to tradition and eager to turn to anyone offering them glory or protection.

Adventurers

Ambition alone drives countless humans, and for many, adventuring serves as a means to an end, whether it be wealth, acclaim, social status, or arcane knowledge. A few pursue adventuring careers simply for the thrill of danger. Humans hail from myriad regions and backgrounds, and as such can fill any role within an adventuring party.

Languages: Common.

Adaptability: Humans start with a free Edge (they must meet the requirements, as usual). They also gain a d6 in any one Attribute instead of a d4. This does not increase the attribute limit.

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