Bludgeon Player Primer
This page is meant for players. This is not an in-depth character creation guide and assumes you are already familiar with the basic principles of the process or that your BM is helping you.
If you're looking for the 5e version of this primer, click here.
Setting up
Varris is the continent on which the Heart of Darkness campaign takes place. It takes its name from the Varran Empire, an evil human state that conquered and ruled it for centuries before being defeated by a joining of its former slaves a thousand years ago. Due to the empire's years of rule, many modern people of the continent, called the Varszi, still unknowingly perpetuate the Varra's harmful biases towards others based on their race or occupation. Since the Varra subjugated others using arcane magic, most inhabitants of the continent still fear the practice itself, regardless of its purpose.
Your game, your rules
Many aspects of your character may lead to their unfair treatment throughout the campaign. If you would like to avoid it or change how it affects your character, make sure to bring up any concerns you may have to your BM—your character should not be forced to suffer bias wherever they go simply because you chose to, for instance, play as a wizard. Ultimately, the extent to which your BM leans into this particular aspect of Varris' worldbuilding should depend on the comfort and preferences of all players, so make sure to discuss it as a group, or in private if you prefer. Certain storylines in the Heart of Darkness campaign assume a set of biases from particular NPC's. However, your character will never be forced to ally with or forgive anyone who treats them poorly because of their own bias.
Past and present
Characters from the continent of Varris have likely been exposed to its the common prejudices and stereotypes from an early age, both in how they were raised and how they are treated now. However, it is important to understand that these assumptions about, for example, the "typical" traits or preferences of your character's lineage are largely cultural. They are presented in the descriptions of races for the purposes of informing your character's personality and backstory. For example, most copper elves are likely aware of being thought to be better bards, which leads to them being likely to pursue a career one due to the, often not fully realized, bias of those who might hire them as one. These assumptions form a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that many Varszi are unaware of. It's completely up to you to conform to or subvert these tropes within your character.
There is another possibility for your character—you may choose that they are not native to Varris, hailing, for example, from the islands off its shore or remote mountains that the ancient Varran Empire never reached. You can read about the Islander and Highlander cultures to learn more about these parts of the world. For example, as a dragonborn born in high mountains, your character would have likely never faced prejudice of any kind. They might still be exposed to certain assumptions while in Getari, the Varszi kingdom that Heart of Darkness takes place in, but would be quick to realize that whoever is making them is blinded by an irrational fear or hatred of something they don't understand.
Ancestry
- Choose a race for adaptations and a heritage for background features.
- Mixed race: You can choose two races for your adaptations instead of one. For example, if you choose human and elf, your character will be considered a half-elf – their appearance might cause humans to mistake them for an elf, and vice versa. Any effects that target either of your races will target you.
- Your race gives you one default feature in character creation and multiple optional features. If you have two races, you choose one of them for your default feature.
- For elves, dragonborn, and tieflings, the default feature is a damage resistance that determines some of your other features (see: Elements). You can spend further upgrade points to increase that same resistance by 1.
- The human default feature is +1 to any overbear, which you can take only once.
- Choose one of the optional adaptations of your race.
- You can spend Upgrade Points to unlock more later.
Race options
Below are the race options unique to Varris. Your character's race determines their physical appearance and traits. Of course, you can still play the other base game races that are not altered for this setting. Any race your BM allows has its place in Varris.
Your character can also have a mixed origin. Refer to the Bludgeon rulebook for the rules on choosing multiple Races for your adaptations.
Elements
An element is used for spellcasting and includes a damage type and various effects, such as conditions. Not every damage type is an element, but every element comes with a damage type.
| Metallic Elf | Gold Fire | Silver Water/Ice | Bronze Electricity | Copper Illusion | Brass Earth | Platinum Radiant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chromatic Dragonborn | Red Fire | White Water/Ice | Blue Electricity | Black Kinetic | Green Earth | |
| Abyssal Tiefling | Flame Fire | Ice Water/Ice | Air Electricity | Force Kinetic | Death Hex | Shadow Eldritch |
Heritage
Your Heritage, not your Race, determines your default first language and grants you an additional skill competency. Select a Heritage from the table below, which lists the major cultures from in and around the continent of Varris, to read more about it.
Heritage describes the peoples, customs, and experiences that shaped your character’s early life and is likely reflected in ther present, for example in their style of dress, their demeanor, the relationships in their family, the religious practices they are familiar with, or even how they conceptualize and express their gender. Though it may inform many of their traits, remember that Heritage does not fully determine any aspect of your character. You can mix elements of multiple Heritages to match your character's backstory.
| Heritage | Language | You were raised... |
|---|---|---|
| Aisone Islander | Aisone + any 1 | ...on the eastern archipelago, largely unknown in Varris. |
| Draconic | Draconic + any 1 | ...among half-dragons, kobolds, or even as the servant or soldier of a chromatic dragon tyrant. |
| Fey | Sylvan + any 1 | ...in the wilderness among Archfey-worshiping hermits, goblins, or fey creatures. |
| Getarian | Getarian + any 1 | ...in the prospering coastal kingdom of Getari. |
| Elven | Elvish + any 1 | ...in a traditional elf settlement, following pre-human customs. |
| Highlander | Orcish + any 1 | ...in the harsh environment of the remote mountains. |
| Madhdine Islander | Varran + any 1 | ...on the southern archipelago, frequented by Varszi merchants. |
| Scaerean | Scaerean + any 1 | ...in the kingdom of Scaenid, known for its long artistic tradition. |
| Tisenyi | Tisenyi + any 1 | ...in Tisenya, the remote kingdom ruled by its infamous knights. |
| Varran | Varran + any 1 | ...among the Varra, descendants of the wizards of the ancient Varran Empire. |
| Varszi | Common + any 1 | ...any modern settlement in a Varszi kingdom. |
Language checks
Languages are a special type of competency. The 3 competency levels – usually called Proficient, Skilled, and Expert – are instead called Beginner, Fluent, and Educated. By default, you are Fluent in speaking, listening to, reading, and writing the language listed under your Heritage. In character creation, you allocate a number of points equal to your Memory + Wit + Abstraction into more language competencies beyond being Fluent in your first language. A Beginner competency has a cost of 1 point, a Fluent one – 2 points, and an Educated one –3 points.
You can choose to be illiterate in a language and only have competency in speaking and listening, or vice versa. Your BM may allow you to customize your competency further – for example, you could exchange a regular Fluent competency for an Educated one in reading and writing and only a Beginner one in speaking and listening.
| Competency level | No roll needed | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | Listening | Reading and Writing | |
| Beginner +1d6 to rolls | Basic conversation Simple statements, questions and commands | Simple questions and statements Identify subjects, verbs, and proper nouns | If the language’s script is phonetic: read and write phonetically Otherwise: read and write basic signs |
| Fluent +2d6 to rolls | Hold a conversation on a variety of topics | Understand all speech that uses conventional vocabulary and grammar | Read and write fluently, excluding archaic spellings, unusual fonts, etc |
| Educated +3d6 to rolls | Converse on any topic, give lectures, recite or compose poetry | Understand all contemporary speech, including verse | Understand religious or historical texts, poetry, literature, and spells |
Language competency checks are made when attempting to understand, say, read or write something above your competency level as shown in the Language competency table.
Mirpuras has a Beginner level competency in the Elvish language. While traveling through a forest, he encounters an elf who speaks only Elvish. Mirpuras needs to reach a settlement where he can rest before dusk, so he attempts to ask for directions using his limited vocabulary. He makes an Elvish language competency check with a +1d6 bonus and adds his Empathy stat to the roll, hoping that the elf will understand his dire situation and help.
Another use for these checks is to use language in creative ways or understand hidden messages.
As the only dragonborn at a gathering of human nobles, Vethrveszui feels on edge. Though she is Fluent in the Common language and everyone around her seems cordial, she senses that there is some hidden meaning behind what is being said. She makes a Common language competency check with a +2d6 bonus and adds her Memory stat to attempt to recall if she has heard similar comments before. She succeeds and realizes that the nobles are making jokes at her expense, assuming that she will not understand. She decides to make another check, this time adding Guile to the roll, to respond with a joke of her own and prove them wrong.
Power Sources
All the Power Sources from the base Bludgeon rules have special significance in the Varris setting.
By choosing a Power Source, you are aligning your character with a certain force of nature or law of the world.
- Arcane – the study and manipulation of the principles of reality using language and symbols
- Chakra – the structure of the universe and the duality of light/dark and upper/lower plane
- Divine – the blessing of the Archfey bestowed upon faithful mortals
- Martial – the physical prowess of wild beasts, nature, and the Material Plane itself
- Primal – the elemental might of chromatic dragons: red, blue, green, black, and white
- Psionics – the reality-bending tricks of the cryptic Archfey
The Power Sources can additionally be grouped into three pairs, following the three stat columns.
| Body (Matter) | Mind (Thought) | Charisma (Soul) |
|---|---|---|
| Martial and Primal | Arcana and Chakra | Divine and Psionics |
| Physical power drawn from the Material Plane. Martial governs the strictly physical, while primal draws on the elemental. | Rational comprehension of the laws of the universe. Chakra understands the vertical axis of the elements, while arcana – the horizontal. | The generative potential of the Upper Plane. Psionics is inherent to the fey, while divine was created by them to be used by mortals. |
The power of the chakra connects to the very structure of reality and the planes of existance, but it was only discovered by the elves, who connected it to the flow of life energy through the moon and later learned to sense and attune themselves to its constant shifts. Unlike the people of modern Varris, the ancient elves did not consider the lower plane „evil” and understood that life travels across all three planes. Death was necessary to provide sustenance for new life, and the cycle of the moon ensured the continued flow of energy between the planes. In later centuries, the chakra was disregarded by the Archfey religion as heretical due to its neutral stance on the lower plane. Nowadays, it is practiced by wild elves and hermits seeking ancient knowledge.
Psionics is the true power of the Archfey – notably, it was used to open the planar portals used to bring humans into Varris and to enchant the chromatic dragon eggs to create the first elves. When wielded by the Archfey, it can alter time and space, see the future, or create new life forms. In rare cases, a mortal is touched by the Archfey before birth, leaving them with traces of reality-bending power. None can tell if they are marked for some great purpose or by sheer cosmic accident.