Character Creation: Races

Legends of Today characters are powerful, proactive forces in the world. They understand the world is more than the mundane. For some characters, this might just be a feeling that motivates them to explore the world, but for others, they themselves are magical, powerful beings that cannot be restrained by the mundane world.
Legends of Today is an Open Legend RPG setting.This means that while a character's may define them as a person, their experience, their capabilities; it does not affect the statistics that they can be assigned. For Legends of Today, play the character that you want to play.

Races

The Races of Legends of Today are limited only by your imagination. The magical people of the world represent all the races of lore, while the mundane are exclusively human. Remember that Race choices in Open Legend are cosmetic in terms of character attributes. Ss and flaws are particularly appropriate to each race, as listed below, but the race you play should be something you will enjoy, not a statistical decision.

Dragonborn

The Dragonborn are the mortal children of dragons. Dragons are powerful, ageless creatures, each an avatar or powerful magic. In their dalliances with mortals, each can give birth to innumerable children, which form the Dragonborn. Dragonborn are highly magical, gaining many of their dragon parents’ attributes. Dragonborn can be of any gender, including sexless and hermaphroditic. They can change shape, size, and possess incredible magics. This seems to be somewhat determined by their lineage, but also by the chaos that is raw magic.

Dragonborn Perks: Disease Immunity, Extraordinary Presence, Legendary Bloodline

Dragonborn Flaws: Cosmetic Deformity, Overt, Proud, Technically Impaired

Dwarves

Dwarves are long-lived artisans, patient crafters and stubborn warriors. Among the magical races, the Dwarves are the quickest to understand and improve technology. The skill of a general Dwarf tends to exceed that of an expert mundane artisan, due to their longer studies if nothing else. Dwarves have made improvements and advanced to many technologies from weapons to medicine. Dwarves enjoy the embrace of the earth, feeling most comfortable beneath the ground. They also prefer quiet and focused effort, so they can be ideal workers. Of the magical races that roamed the world during the time of the Veil, Dwarves were the most common.

Dwarven Perks: Artisan, Courageous, Inner Strength, Stone Sense

Dwarven Flaws: Greedy, Hot-Tempered, Stubborn

Elves

Elves are ageless. Their origin was long ago at the beginning of creation. Since that time, their numbers have varied, but in the present day Elves are most commonly found in the farthest, wildest places of the world. The Elves lobbied hardest for the creation of the Veil and were most against its dissipation. Elves prize the natural world. This means both that they find themselves in tune with nature as it is and that they hold the persecution of the natural world against the mundanes.

Those Elves that have come to the mundane world do so to fight against it, or to study and learn about the mundanes. Even among the Elves there is disagreement about how to handle the mortal world and what value it has.

Elves are also the least likely to understand technology and how the world has changed. To them, humans are still bearded savages wielding cold iron. They can barely recognize this modern world with its digital overlay. This is the thing that drives some Elves to study and understand the mundane world.

Elven Perks: Ageless, Attractive, Nature’s Ally, Whisper of the Wild

Elven Flaws: Absent-Minded, Antiquated, Mood Disorder, Pacifist

Gnomes

Gnomes are energetic and enthusiastic. While in nature, gnomes live, laugh and love with the creatures they encounter, they are equally capable of exploring the world, finding delight around every corner. Most gnomes are impatient and impulsive but believe in their heart that things are good and as meant to be. As such, many consider them naive or ignorant. To gnomes, they simply delight in life, always seeing things through new eyes.

Gnomes didn’t vote in favor of the Veil but it was clear from the beginning that gnomes needed to be concealed. Despite being small, they are highly magical and long-lived, which could have caused any number of questions from the mundane. Most of the stories of faeries being found in distant places were about gnomes. Many gnomes affected Seemings of human children during the time of the Veil, roaming and exploring the world.

Gnome Perks: Nature’s Ally, Observant

Gnome Flaws: Compulsion, Naive, Technically Impaired

Halflings

Halflings never disappeared behind the Veil. They have always been among the mundane. Most Halflings could pass for human without close inspection. Additionally, they have a racial talent for silence and remaining unseen. They make their homes in the margins and hidden places, getting by on the surface, but secretly living and eating well. Many Halflings live rural lives but others have hidden in mundane cities where they appear as homeless people or packed into unpopular neighborhoods.

Halflings have little trouble with the mundane; among the magical they are the least magical of races. They tend to be amiable and easy-going, making natural liasons between the magical and the mundane. They have been offered positions in mundane governments and companies as envoys and emissaries to the magical peoples.

Halfling perks: Pure-Hearted, Inner Strength, Street Rat, Vagabond

Halfling flaws: Honest, Overweight

Half-Elves

Children of ageless Elves and mortal humans, Half-Elves live astride two worlds. Similarly, with the time of the Veil, Half-Elves found themselves left in the mundane world. Their Seemings were minor at best; most Half-Elves easily pass for mundanes. Their long lifespans meant that many Half-Elves saw the Veil come and pass, but Half-Elves also breed true, passing on the sliver of fae magic that makes them different. Thus many Half-Elves have been born since the Veil was created.

Half-Elves understand the mundane world, but only the oldest understand magic. They are learning about the magical world just as the mundanes are, but they also have an innate affinity that pushes them to embrace magic and learn the arcane arts. The magical community does not accept them easily, which makes Half-Elves more eager to prove themselves, more likely to confront danger and more likely to adventure.

Half-Elf perks: Attractive, Nature’s Ally

Half-Elf flaws: Ambitious, Bravado

Half-Orcs

Like Half-Elves, Half-Orcs were left on the mundane side of the Veil. Until the Veil fell, they were considered misshapen monsters, barely human with their small jutting tusks and greenish skin. Half-Orcs lived their lives feeling like monsters, unsure of what they were meant to be.

With the fall of the Veil, Half-Orcs have learned what their family is like. Orcs have proven to be fiercely protective of Half-Orcs. In the same way that Orcs form tribes and bands, Half-Orcs are learning to band together.

One advantage that Half-Orcs have over Orcs is their experience with the mundane world. They are very comfortable with mundane technology. Their natural abilities tend to encourage them to pursue athletics and soldiery, because they are both large and loyal. They tend to be good at following orders, provided they have gained respect for the issuer.

Half-Orc perks: Brute, Courageous

Half-Orc flaws: Ambitious, Brash

Humans

Humans have been the only race of people on the Earth for ages. Now they find themselves confronted by magical races out of legend. Most humans are totally unaffected, never finding themselves face-to-face with magic or the magical. Some are captivated and seek magic out, hoping to experience it. Others want to suppress and control it, or even banish it from the world again.

Humans have little innate ability to work magic. Those that do learn it through diligent study or find that they have some distant connection in their heritage; some half-remembered demigod or supernatural ancestor that gives them a connection to the magical world.

Human perks: Crowd Favorite, Ear of the Emperor, Local Hero, Magic Resistant

Human flaws: Mundane, Doubting

Orcs

Orcs are a proud tribal people. Their culture has always been based around strength and accomplishment. When the Veil was suggested, Orcs were unwilling to hide, but found that there was little to gain from the mundane world. Orcs have always had a magical connection; they find it easy to understand magic that affects the body and spirit in particular. Most orc magicians focus on magics that heal or alter the body, or on magics that allow them to commune with the spirits of their ancestors.

Orcs are fiercely loyal; to their tribe, to their race. They have extended that trust and loyalty to the Half-Orcs as well, embracing them like lost children or cousins. The mundane world holds little of interest for them. Orcs do admire precision and accuracy but not raw power by itself, so firearms are interesting to them but not raw stopping power.

Orc perks: Ascetic, Brute, Courageous

Orc flaws: Brash, Hot-Tempered, Technically Impaired

Tieflings

Only legends tell of where tieflings come from. Treated by most as children of devils, Tieflings are known for their magic and magnificence. Their supernatural visages tend to awe those that encounter them, making them feared and admired. Immediately upon the dissipation of the Veil, the Tieflings were persecuted by those mundane that encountered them. They find their pictures across the Internet, on tabloids, wherever mundane people seek to besmirch the magical community.

Tieflings are known for their affinities with magic. They effortlessly learn the arcane arts and find magical studies effortless. They are also known for their affinity with language, easily communicating with most beings. Those people that do not fear Tieflings recognize their power quickly; they have gained positions of power and influence in many companies and governments. Strangely enough, Tieflings have no problem grasping mundane technology. Their natural affinities affect mundane technology just as easily.

Tiefling perks: Attractive, Extraordinary Presence,  Legendary Bloodline

Tiefling flaws: Addiction, Bloodlust, Cosmetic Deformity

Trolls

Trolls are powerful, primitive beings that prefer isolation. In nature, Trolls claim territory and refuse all invaders. With the removal of the Veil, Trolls have wandered into the world where they look for new territories to claim. As a people, Trolls get together rarely and use their social gatherings to assert status and impress one another.

Trolls have a reputation as brutes but prefer to think of themselves as guardians. If a Troll takes another person as part of its family group, it will protect them until death. The modern Troll tends to live in a small family group of 2-4 individuals, either as a bachelor or as a mated pair with children. Their strong territorial instincts make extended families difficult, but they can easily join other social groups like neighborhoods and communities as long as they understand their role. Without some guidance or clear hierarchy, Trolls tend to seek to dominate a group.

Like Tieflings, Trolls have been used by the mundane to vilify the magical. Pictures of violent confrontational Trolls can be found in slanderous content everywhere. Mundane parents clutch their children tight when trolls pass by; even the magical fear the reputation of Trolls. In consequence, Trolls are in high demand as bodyguards and security. Mundanes almost always try to have them swear some oath or bond of loyalty- a concept which means nothing to the Troll. In other industries, even those requiring strength and physical exertion, Trolls are always turned away.

Troll perks: Brute, Courageous, Extraordinary Presence, Scent

Troll flaws: Bloodlust, Cosmetic Deformity, Technically Impaired

New Perks

Magic Resistant: You are exceptionally difficult to charm or affect with magic. Once per game session when someone targets you with an Extraordinary bane they have Disadvantage 1 on their roll.

New Flaws

Antiquated: You have trouble keeping up with the world of today. Things change so quickly, you  find yourself out of date.

Doubting: You actively disbelieve in magic. The presence of magical creatures hasn’t made the world better; you would rather they all just went away.

Mundane: You don’t feel the presence of magic in the world. Being without the spark that allows one to learn magic yourself, you find it difficult to comprehend. Magic passes you by without notice.

Technically Impaired: You have difficulty working with technological devices. The more complicated things are, the harder they are for you to use.