Overview: The Moonshaes are a chain of islands west of the Sword Coast. The Moonshaes are a rugged cluster of islands populated by sturdy, seafaring people. The two predominant races are the Northmen, fierce human warriors, and the Ffolk, a more peaceful, nature-oriented people.

Role-Playing: Players who opt to run characters from the Moonshaes should bear in mind the importance that physical development has in their culture. Even those who have mastered the art of magic tend to judge others by their strength and stamina. Of course, the Northmen place an emphasis on combat that the Ffolk do not, but both are impressed by someone who is strong of limb and courageous in the face of danger.

Both the seafaring Northmen and the farming Ffolk have a love of the world’s oceans that cannot be suppressed. These people savor the crashing surf and salty spray in the air. When forced to travel inland or underground, they quickly become uncomfortable and begin to long for the sea.

Jump to:
The Ffolk
The Northmen

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The Ffolk

Base Requirements

• Races: Human, Half-elf, Satyr, Firbolg
• Classes: Any Wizard, Any Rogue, Any Warrior, Druid
• Ability Requirements: Stamina 12, Health 13
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: By class
• Bonus Languages: Waelan, Daelic
• Recommended Languages: Cosh, Espruar, Illuskan, Jotun, Northern, Thorasta
• Local Religions: Chauntea (only)

Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Proficiencies: Agriculture, Herbalism, Seamanship, Tracking
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: Animal Lore, Hunting, Spellcraft, Weather Sense

Overview: The Ffolk emphasize peaceful pursuits such as farming, fishing, hunting, and trading. Despite these less violent ventures, physical might is highly prized among the Ffolk. In their case, however, it is respected when put to peaceful pursuits rather than military ventures. Disputes among the Ffolk are often resolved by logging competitions, running obstacle courses, and other tests of stamina or athletic ability.

Description: The Ffolk favor leather armor types and tunics of earthy colors, and all their clothing is decorated with embroidered patterns of repeating lines and symbols. The bearing of the Ffolk has the quiet, irresistible strength of nature, rather than the violent militancy of the Northmen.

Ffolk spellcasters tend to dress in animal furs. The type of hide worn is indicated by the alignment of the character.

Alignment	Type of Animal
Lawful Good	Diurnal Omnivore
Lawful Neutral	Any Subterranean
Lawful Evil	Nocturnal Omnivore
Neutral Good	Diurnal Scavenger
True Neutral	Any Domesticated
Neutral Evil	Nocturnal Scavenger
Chaotic Neutral	Any Aquatic
Chaotic Good	Diurnal Carnivore
Chaotic Evil	Nocturnal Carnivore

Role-Playing: The Ffolk are slow to provoke, but this is only because they seek to emulate the harmony and peace of nature. They feel strongly connected with nature around them, and respect it greatly, endeavoring to live in harmony with nature and use it, rather than abuse it. However, as friendly as the Ffolk are, the Ffolk can become as potent and enraged a force of destruction as a thunderstorm or a hurricane when such passionate action is called for.

Special Abilities:

• The Ffolk benefit from the physical nature of their cultures. As a result, they use the next larger Hit Dice (d4 becomes d6, d6 becomes d8, d8 becomes d10, d10 becomes d12).
• Ffolk wizards use the rogue attack progression. Ffolk rogues and priests use the warrior attack progression.
• Because of their closeness to nature, Ffolk gain the ability to Pass without Trace, three times a day, after they reach 9th level.

Special Disadvantages:

• The Ffolk worship only one deity: the Earth Mother, a manifestation of Chauntea. No other deity gets the Ffolk’s veneration. This can cause possible friction among some people of the more polytheistic cultures on the mainland.
• The Ffolk are a rugged and stout people. However, the importance their culture places on physical strength and stamina does not extend to the importance of agility and dexterity. After all, one need not be very nimble to clear heavy rocks from a field or haul in a net full of fish. Because of this, all Ffolk suffer a -2 penalty to their starting Balance scores (minimum 3).

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The Northmen

Base Requirements

• Races: Human
• Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Muscle 13, Fitness 13
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: By class
• Bonus Languages: Illuskan
• Recommended Languages: Cosh, Northern, Reghedjic, Thorasta, Uluik, Waelan

Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Proficiencies: Naval Combat, Navigation, Seamanship, Survival
• Required Proficiencies: Any Axe
• Recommended Proficiencies: none

Overview: The Northmen are ruled by warlords and value combat and adventure as a way of life. Raiding, fighting, looting, and pillaging are common practices among the Northmen.

Description: The Northmen favor metal armor, heavy fur cloaks, and helmets with large animals’ horns mounted on them. Most males grow their hair and beards long, and they braid both when preparing for battle. Northmen, even young ones, are muscular, powerful-looking men.

A Northman spellcaster always adorns himself with the bones of those animals he feels most akin to (see the table above).

Role-Playing: Northmen are a relatively impolite lot and they are very blunt and straightforward. They often weave battle imagery into their conversations. Northmen have a great martial spirit, making them almost fearless in battle. Simply put, retreat is cowards-talk to their ears. “Live hard, fight hard, die hard” is a steadfast credo of the Northmen.

Special Abilities:

• Northmen can go into a minor berserker rage once per day, lasting for five rounds. While in this rage, all attacks, damage, and saving throws gain a +1 bonus, and a -1 bonus on initiative rolls.
• Northmen characers are not as restricted in the use of weapons as other characters. From the time they are born, children of the Northmen play games that are nothing less than combat training. Because of this, they can freely select any small weapon and any weapon from the Axe group when allocating weapon proficiency slots, regardless of class or religious restrictions.
• All characters created with this kit are entitled to bonus hit points for exceptional Fitness scores as if they were warriors.
• The Northmen benefit from the physical nature of their cultures. As a result, they use the next larger Hit Dice (d4 becomes d6, d6 becomes d8, d8 becomes d10, d10 becomes d12).
• Like the Ffolk, Northmen wizards use the rogue attack progression. Northmen rogues and priests use the warrior attack progression.

Special Disadvantages:

• Northmen suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against spells. This penalty increases to -4 against spells from the Animal and Plant spheres of clerical magic.
• Northmen regardless of class, cannot use magical scrolls (neither spell scrolls nor protection scrolls).
• These characters are also forbidden to master the use of missile weapons. To fire arrows at an enemy or strike him down with the thunderous fire of an arquebus is hardly fitting to someone with a warrior’s blood in him, after all. Regardless of class, they may never become proficient with missile weapons of any kind. Melee weapons that can be thrown (such as spears or axes) are permitted.

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