u/No-Addendum6563

Dear Reader,

Recently, a couple weeks ago, there was a prematurely created thread on this topic, so I wanted to fix and make clear  various mistakes and add the missing races that have been pulled together as making the first cut toward the final 8 Playable Races of  SORC’s  Bare Bones Rule Set.  So far we have knocked out 22 Firstborn Races and their Kinborn and Bloodline lineages of the 48, leaving us with a needed cut of 18 more. So help us decide the final 8 - I know it's a lot, but it's much appreciated.

  

On with the business. Regarding Slayers of Rings and Crowns, SORC. For anyone here following: SORC has gotten flack for its massive amount of  72 Playable Race Choices - please hear me out - this includes; 48 Firstborn, 12 Kinborn and 12 Bloodlines. We're breaking the Bare Bones Rules Set total from the 26 below to just 8, but we'd like your thoughts on the 8 to keep.  They are in alphabetical order and the originals that didn't make the 26 man roster follow it - with a very brief description. For further details on either of these races, visit the link of a full race card document below - The Caelen - and/or the link that describes how SORF’s race system works in great detail, as well as Cameo NPC Races that are short driven NPCs that join the party, spilling out their stories as your campaign Character(s) establish Standing (faction rep) with them - in multiple choice form (these stories are rendered per module or there's a digital app version that reads them with ambiance. 

The bottom of this doc includes: Full Description of All Races - including the rules and Features of SORC. 

The Original Roster:

Total playable race options: 72

Firstborn: 48  

Kinborn: 12  

Bloodlines: 12  

Those that made the 26 Playable Races cut: 

Akudaya

• The Akudaya are a playable people of the eastern shores of Nivis, a tropical forest territory on Zailister. They are the dead who remain among the living, their bodies preserved in a lifelike state by an enduring purpose or attachment. Akudaya can come from many backgrounds and look as varied as the living people around them, though their skin often appears pale or cool-toned. They are neither mindless corpses nor a single, uniform culture: each has their own memories, personality, relationships, and reasons for continuing. An Akudaya’s body bears few obvious signs of death. Their skin is whole and unmarked by decay, but cold to the touch. They do not breathe, and no pulse beats beneath their skin. Their eyes may remain open for unnervingly long stretches, and their faces can seem still or intensely focused. Some have no reflection in mirrors or still water. Their voices may sound dry or muted, while nearby animals can grow wary or agitated. The force that sustains an Akudaya is not blood or breath, but will. It may be bound to a promise, a loved one, a duty, a question left unanswered, or...

Banniki  

• The Banniki are a legendary, elite spiritual humanoid race native to the steamy subterranean levels of Zailister, dwelling deep within the pressurized, primordial cavities that exist between the earth's core and crust. They possess a dense, slate-like skin that grows tougher as they age, and is covered in a complex array of defensive thermal ridges and razor-sharp mineral spines. The dermis of their thick skin retains immense geothermic heat allowing them to go long periods without freezing or losing energy. Structurally, they bear an imposing, rock-hewn silhouette, moving with a lumbering, mountainous majesty that belies their extreme elemental origins. Their arms terminate in steam-weave fingers, consisting of a dense braid of thick, flexible molten conduits that taper down into tactile digits tipped with sharp, glass-bearing rinds. For support, their legs end in massive, gnarled rock-anchor claws that can flex and dig directly into the bedrock, allowing them to firmly root into the ground where they cannot be pushed or knocked down. Because of their basaltic, stone-shielded skin, the Banniki do not require traditional armor; their primary line of defense is entirely natural, as their outer skin organically petrifies into a layer of hard igneous rock over time, through a process called “calcifying”. Banniki live for up to 500...

Bast

• Bast are tall and agile feline race that treat most encounters like a game they've already decided to win. Quick tongues and a knack for always landing on top, figuratively and otherwise, have earned them a reputation as quick-witted negotiators and skilled readers of a room. They're easy to underestimate and that's exactly how they prefer it; a Bast caught in a straight fight has usually already lost, but a Bast given an opening rarely needs a second one. Bast accounts open on a temple-city rather than a homeland, and on the office their forebears held in it, which was to be let in everywhere and accounted for nowhere. That standing was granted, never earned, and the Bast have carried the manner of it long past the city, which is why a Bast enters a room as though already invited and is so rarely questioned on it. Lore has it that Bast are blessed with nine lives, and there's something to the legend...

Caelen  

• Remade by the Omnè Astral’s experimentation, the Caelen were made into cyborg beings of precision and calculation. They run on machine logic where flesh once guided them, and do not tire or forget. The Omnè Astral invaded Corpus Caeleste, the Caelen home planet, and took many of its people prisoner. Before the invasion, the Caelen were a peaceful, technologically advanced people who kept largely to themselves; now they seek revenge on those affiliated with the Astral, not on every Omnè. The Caelen were large in comparison to other standard-sized races, but the Astral’s numbers were still too much for them to bear. Those taken were used as experiments; the Astral grafted their bodies with sockets and later added attachments to them. The Omnè did not want to practice this technique on their own people, but “criminals” of Omnè descent also underwent these experiments. The project, called “Bioforge Phase I Commencing,” never made it to Phase 2 because the Caelen became too strong, revolted, and...

Cherrufütra  

• The Cherrufütra are native to the scorching environments of Planet Ignis. They have familiar human-like proportions and move with the ease and agility of other humanoids. Their volcanic nature is visible in their warm, glowing skin, which grows tougher with age, and in the ridges and obsidian spines that develop across their bodies. Their features still somehow give an appearance that  allows them to fit in with other humanoid species. Beneath their skin, Cherrufütra retain immense geothermal heat, allowing them to go long periods without freezing or losing energy. Their hands are dexterous, with flexible, magma-hardened fingers and glass-hard tips. Their feet are strong and clawed, helping them grip and dig into bedrock. As a Cherrufütra ages, their exterior naturally calcifies. In youth, their skin is pliable and vibrantly glowing; by adulthood, it hardens into iron-hard basalt that can deflect blades and absorb powerful blows. This protection continues to increase with age and power, keeping pace with the armor progression of other characters. Their ridges and spines become...

Danavas  

• The Danavas are a legendary, elite spiritual humanoid race native to the stark, wind-swept highlands and deep mountain valleys of Zailister. They possess a smooth, iron-dense skin that grows increasingly unyielding as they age, and is covered in a complex array of defensive, interlocking muscle-folds and razor-sharp bone ridges that protrude naturally along their spine and forearms. The dermis of their thick skin retains immense internal spiritual pressure, allowing them to go long periods without exhausting their physical energy or losing muscle mass. Structurally, they bear an imposing, heavily muscled humanoid silhouette, moving with a disciplined, military majesty that belies their extreme titan origins. Their arms terminate in wire-weave fingers, consisting of a dense braid of thick, flexible tendons and...

Drow (of the Ancients)  

• Drow are solitary, feared humanoids who wield earth-based black magic associated with darkness, death, and disease. Though they are distantly descended from Fae ancestry, their lineage was fundamentally altered tens of thousands of years ago through a bloodline-reshaping pact made by their spider-blooded ancestors, the Ancient Drow. Although the spider blood of their Ancestors has nearly diminished since their lineage diversion, today's Drow perfectly adapted to total darkness and are still immune to most poisons, not to be confused with venoms, though they are a hardy robust race.  Drow treats the deepest caves and moonless nights as no obstacle, finding light to be their only true inconvenience. Because they have spent centuries avoiding the surface, a dark reputation precedes them everywhere, causing most surface-dwellers to treat them with immediate suspicion and open hostility...

Dryad  

• Dryads are a people whose bodies show a living kinship with plants. Bark-like skin, leaf-shaped hair, flowering crowns, and slender branchlike features are familiar, but no one form defines the entire race. Each Dryad has an individual face, voice, temperament, and way of moving; foliage and color can vary with season and personal growth. Their plantlike nature is part of their ordinary biology, not a costume or a sign that every Dryad belongs to the same community. They can travel, speak, learn, and make choices as freely as other peoples. Light and water sustain Dryads. Through photosynthesis, they convert light into chemical energy and produce glucose for growth and survival; ordinary meals are not necessary. Water remains essential, and a Dryad plans daily activity around access to...

Emberscale

• An ancient lineage of planet Ignis, the Emberscale histories are passed down through fables and lore, often shared fishing (see below) or working alongside a flow of lava or around an open flame on a hot night - there are only hot nights in if Ignis. Their forebears are remembered as having chosen the ash fields with full knowledge of what that choice meant. Cold is more than painful for an Emberscale: it weakens their bodies and disrupts the traditions carried from one generation to the next. No Emberscale lineage is known to have survived a winter beyond Ignis and returned intact. An Emberscale's body turns sluggish quickly when the temperature drops. Caught in snow or deep cold, an Emberscale moves and thinks like someone...

Falcora  

• The Falcora are a proud and imposing race of standard-sized, bipedal avian humanoids whose core physical structure is remarkably similar to humans, save for their distinct falcon features and specialized appendages. Their entire bodies are blanketed in a dense plumage of either glossy, jet-black or pristine, snowy-white feathers, presenting a stark, binary genetic reality where members of the same nest are born entirely as one color or the other. They possess avian heads featuring sharp, predatory beaks and piercing eyes built for spotting threats across vast distances. Their limbs terminate in heavily adapted hands and feet armed with powerful, curved talons capable of tearing through armor or gripping vertical cliff faces with terrifying strength. Though every Falcora is born with a magnificent set of feathered wings on their back, their human-like body weight makes active flight a grueling physical demand; consequently, their wings are not strong enough to lift them into the sky at the start of their journey, requiring them to gain higher levels and ranks before they can successfully take to the air...

Note: Falcora cannot mount their companions - whether ground or flight, once they achieve flight.

Hawkbear  

• Hawkbears are imposing hybrids and tropical-forest inhabitants, commonly found in dense jungles. They have a bear's dense frame and head, with a hawk's hooked beak, keen eyes, and feathers. Loose folds of skin stretch from wrist to ankle, allowing them to glide from tree to tree, across open air, and even through outer space. They are also great jumpers, able to launch themselves from the forest floor or a high branch with startling force. Hawkbears tell stories in the language of movement. Their histories are measured by the distances they have crossed, tree to tree, cliff to cliff, and ridge to ridge, and a journey is not considered complete until they have seen it from above. There's a reason hunters fear a Hawkbear perched above a trail, one leap turns into a long, near-silent glide, and by the time that beak comes into view...

Hobbling

• The Hobbling are a distinct smallfolk culture widely believed to have originated from a blend of halfling and hobgoblin heritage. Whether the fables are true or not, this unique lineage shapes their entire way of life, channeling a natural, regimented discipline through a compact frame. While they share the community-driven warmth of other smallfolk, they are best known for a deeply rooted tradition of order, structure, and collective unity. This collective mindset naturally extends to how they protect themselves; their communities are organized with a level of coordination rarely seen among their peers. If a nearby Hobbling is in danger - they sense the distress and march toward it. When they do take up arms, they prefer to rely on standardized Hobbling gear designed specifically for standing tight and protecting one another shoulder-to-shoulder. To maintain this seamless cooperation, Telluric Armaments (see Armament Variants) are identically matched across their defensive groups. See Cultural Armaments for more details.

Human

• communicators, traders, and survivors. Their adaptability has allowed them to establish cultures across every corner of Essentia. No two human settlements look quite alike, and that's the point, whatever the terrain, climate, or culture demands, humans bend to fit it faster than almost any other race, picking up new trades, gods, and customs within a generation or two. Humans carry no innate edge in any one craft or fighting style, leaning instead on raw adaptability, and a human who goes too long without picking up something new starts to lose standing fast, restlessness being as core to them as versatility. That versatility is why Humans are the one race Favored across every single Main Class in the book, no other race carries a bonus this wide, reflecting a Human's ability to pick up any calling and hold their own in it.

Note: Humans have no Kinborn nor Bloodlines; however they are the most diverse Race in terms of Culture and ersatility. Also in our rules - “The closer you are to the cultural root of an armament, recipe, or profession, the more abundant it is.” Any race can be of any Race's culture and have access to their Armaments, gear and equipment stores at creation.

Named Human cultures: Nordian, Eldrim, Tanu’la, Xo’kajal, and Humans raised among the Omnè. These are cultures rather than separate Human races; every Human shares the same base Traits and Stats. raised by the Omnè.

Hwarang

• The Hwarang are a legendary, elite spiritual humanoid race native to the Heavenly Peaks, a treacherous mountain range that towers majestically above both sides of the fractured Spire Crumbling Bridge. They possess a flawless, porcelain-like skin that grows increasingly radiant as they age, and is covered in a complex array of defensive, glowing shamanic glyphs and razor-sharp spiritual blossom-tattoos. The dermis of their refined skin retains immense celestial cosmic energy harvested directly from the atmosphere, allowing them to go long periods without exhausting their vitality or losing stamina. Structurally, they bear an imposing, fluidly graceful silhouette, moving with a hypnotic, river-like majesty that belies their extreme spiritual origins...

Leshy

• Tall, emerald-eyed beings from the frontiers of Tredeki, with bark-textured hide and vine-entwined hair-crests. They govern themselves under a strict tribal code of wilderness supremacy, the land is sacred, and those who cannot survive it have no authority over it. Leshy measure status by survival, not lineage or wealth, a Leshy who has weathered the harshest seasons of Tredeki commands more respect in their tribe than one born into any title. A Leshy steps off Tredeki without a currency anyone else recognizes, and the same directness that commands respect in the wild reads as outright hostility in a city, no Leshy holds rank or title once they've left their tribe's land behind.

Litbits

• Litbits are tiny, humanlike people, usually only two to three feet tall, with proportional - lean, sturdy bodies. Their frame is much smaller and lighter than a Halfling’s, yet a Litbit can be strong and capable in ordinary work. Litbits carry an ordinary 1h sword and weild it with two hands, granting all 2h bonuses, but cannot dual wield a weapon heavier than steel daggers. Litbits are not defined by delicacy or helplessness; they carry, climb, build, and travel according to their own skills and the equipment they choose, with size shaping access and reach rather than deciding what a person can accomplish. They take pride in meeting everyday challenges on their own terms. A narrow opening can be a route instead of a wall. Litbits can slip through selected gaps, crawlspaces, and low passages that stop larger travelers, and they know how to use cover that offers no concealment to someone taller. They may hide behind furnishings, pass through a partly opened panel, or reach a latch from an angle others overlook. Their size also changes how a group explores a room: a Litbit can check beneath an obstacle, cross a cramped space, or approach an overlooked detail without shifting the larger surroundings. These are practical uses of stature and positioning, not a promise that every barrier can be crossed. Litbit communities make careful use of the spaces available to them. Homes and work areas often place storage, tools, and shared supplies within easy reach, while walkways leave clear routes for people moving close

Micelings

• Micelings are small - standing 2 to 3 feet in height, which is half the height of their Ratkin cousins - natural contortionists, twisting and folding themselves through gaps and crawlspaces no bigger than a fist, spaces built to keep every other race out. Miceling accounts are kept in the gaps, scratched where nothing larger could reach to scratch them, which is why so much survives and so little of it is legible. Their forebears held that a people who cannot hold a door should keep their record somewhere no door is needed, and the practice outlasted every hall it was hidden in. Micelings have sharp senses both above and below ground, rarely losing their way, they have an uncanny knack for finding the way out of a maze, ruin, or collapsed tunnel, and even seem to puzzle out riddles and traps faster than expected (ask the GM for a hint). They have Dark Vision and speak both Common and Burrowing Animal, their native tongue. Built to fold through gaps no bigger than a fist, Micelings are fragile in the open, a solid hit lands harder on them...

Omnè

• The Omnè are among the oldest known civilizations in Essentia, settling on planet Omne Malum, Omnè in short, long before recorded history. Far enough from Adoria that magic never took root, they built their survival entirely through technology. As the dying star Tawdry Dwarf deteriorates, the conditions it once sustained across planets 8 through 13 have collapsed into hostile atmospheres and environmental decay. On Omnè, this forced the population into sealed pressure suits outside pressurized habitats, and accelerated a desperate technological arms race, including the construction of a synthetic planet and surrounding protection barrier, an emergency world that filters the encroaching gases and is built to break orbit and carry them clear of Tawdry once it begins to die. It is this slow extinction that drove the Omnè into the invasion of Zailister. See Tawdry Dwarf & Beyond for more. Omnè troubleshooting starts and ends with hard data, faced with a sealed door or a failing system, they'll run a careful, methodical diagnostic before they'd ever think to pray. Magic simply never took root in an Omnè, not...

Orcus

• The Orcus, large monster like creatures appearing in an array of gray colors ranging from pake to dark. They dwell deep beneath the heights of various mountain ranges - but most notably the Tantalizing Mountains in the Grimhold region of Nivis, Zailister's largest continent. Their ancestors settled in deep cavern kingdoms, where old funerary rites and broken oaths shaped stories of a curse carried by those who swore false vows over the dead. Generations underground have left their skin gray and sunken, and a longstanding cultural conflict with Bards shapes how many Orcus respond to Bards' tales and music. Humans, Elves, and Dwarves call them “Orcs” a name from outside their own history that many reject; no Orcus answers to it without taking offense. An Orcus moving through pitch-black tunnels reads the stone the way a sighted creature reads a room, and that same old curse leaves them with an unsettling knack for knowing...

Ossein

• The Ossein died and kept going, and they will tell you the second part is the only part that matters. Skin still covers them, drawn so tight to the frame that every joint reads through it, but it never rotted and it never sloughed, which is the line they draw between themselves and everything else walking Hexagonum. They are not wraiths. They will correct you on that. Ossein accounts open at a death, always, and the death is given as the first entry rather than the last. Everything an Ossein was before it is recorded in the past tense by the same Ossein still standing there, and they hold that a people who have already been through the worst of it owe the living no particular deference on the subject. An Ossein thinks fast, remembers everything, and has read more than you have. Necromancy on Hexagonum is not a forbidden art, it is a trade with a guild, and the Ossein hold the deepest end of it. They take what a world offers and give it nothing back. An Ossein will strip a seam to the rock, waste most of what comes out of it, and...

Pearlkin

• Pearlkin are a resilient but heavily endangered civilized race native to the tropical Pearl Coast of the continent Nivis, structurally compact humanoids who typically stand between 4 and 5 feet tall, with a 5-foot height marking an exceptionally tall individual within their population. Shrouded in deep myth, ancient shoreline writings connect their origins not to the human goddess Aseya, but to the deep ocean itself—whispering that the first of their kind were born from the calcified hearts of prehistoric giant oysters, quickened into life by the mystical saltwater alchemy of fallen mermaid tears. Distinct in their physical appearance, they possess a unique, pearl-like skin that naturally reflects their surroundings, granting them a striking visual connection to the environments they traverse. This shimmering, lustrous, shell-like hide is incredibly dense and calcified, functioning as a seamless layer...

Pinklings

• Pinklings are unmistakable for their pink-hued skin, quick minds, expressive moods, and fondness for playful surprises. Some experience shifts in mood and perspective, including a guarded inner voice shaped by their emotional intensity; people vary in how they understand or describe that experience. These differences can create misunderstandings with communities that value orderly conduct, but Pinklings also share a strong cultural commitment to new beginnings. To a Pinkling, nothing is more sacred than a first impression. They meticulously record their first introductions to others, but leave subsequent history unwritten—believing that once a bond is formed, the relationship should be lived in the present rather than archived. That first-encounter tradition gives Pinklings an unusual social advantage with new acquaintances: sharp observation, humor, and well-chosen words can quickly win interest. The benefit is strongest with fresh audiences; in places where...

Primals

• Primal people are an old, continuous culture of Ignis, skilled with stone, bone, ritual, and oral memory. They read changes in fire and terrain through close observation and pass knowledge through song and practice. Their traditions favor direct experience over written records, preserving skills that have served their communities across generations. Primal communities have chosen to maintain familiar ways of life while engaging with others on their own terms.

Ratkin

• Ratkin are small, sharp-sensed people comfortable navigating the overlooked spaces of settlements and underground networks. Their vision serves them in low light, and their practical knowledge helps them find passages, supplies, and safe routes. Ratkin communities keep close track of obligations and favors, placing value on caution and family loyalty. A Ratkin may be guarded with strangers, but that reserve reflects a learned approach to trust rather than a fixed character flaw.

Skrath

• Wiry, fast-moving reptilian humanoids native to the frontiers of Tredeki, sharing the planet with the Leshy but operating nothing like them. Where the Leshy govern through structure and reverence for the land, the Skrath travel in close groups without a fixed hierarchy; leadership is earned in the moment and can change quickly. Skrath are wiry reptilian pack-hunters with rapid healing and a strong instinct for coordinated action. They communicate through hisses, clicks, and pheromones, sharing information in ways outsiders may not readily understand. Their social structure is flexible, with leadership earned through contribution and changing circumstances. Skrath experiences emotion intensely and resolves many disputes directly, then moves forward once an outcome is settled. Their short lives are filled with close bonds, purposeful activity, and shared responsibility. Their defining trait is rapid cellular regeneration, and wounds that would sideline most races close on a Skrath within minutes. Skrath often face short lives and choose direct action when time matters. Leshy communities may see that pace as reckless, while Skrath regard the Leshy as deliberate to...

Troll

• The Common Troll is a highly adaptable and versatile race, known for their exceptional resilience and resourcefulness. They possess a sturdy and tall - albeit hunched - build with thick, leathery skin if an array of hues from bright pastels to flat black or white, both spotted and plain. Their skin is thick and provides natural protection, not only making them resilient in a variety of environments, from lush forests and swamps to mountainous regions. On top of that, Trolls feature regenerative limbs when severed, even entirely off. Troll accounts are not written and never have been, they are counted, recited by one Troll to another in a fixed order that admits no shortening. The oldest of them holds that Trolls were made before the sun was set in its course and were not remade after, which is offered among them as the reason a Troll endures what it endures and the reason open light has never sat easily on any of their kind. Unlike more specialized trolls, the Common Troll excels in many roles, whether as skilled hunters, cunning foragers, or...

Vanwa

• Vanwa people are a resilient and ethereal race born from tragedy, survival, and adaptation. Centuries ago, a population of high elves was captured by brutal Arctic orcs. A desperate few managed to escape into the frozen wastes, establishing hidden refuges nearby. Over generations, those with mixed orc blood also fled captivity and integrated into these high elven camps. After hundreds of years of isolation, intermingling, and surviving the brutal elements together, they evolved into the Vanwa. Holding roughly a quarter of Arctic orc heritage blended with their deep high-elven roots, the Vanwa possess...

Xylari

• The Xylari are an enduring cactus-like race native to harsh, unforgiving environments. Structurally, they bear an imposing, Treant-like silhouette, though small sized, possessing long, pillar-like legs and short, compact torsos that allow them to move with a lumbering, tree-like majesty that belies their desert origins. They possess a dense, bark-like skin that grows tougher as they age, and is covered in a complex array of defensive hairs and needles. The dermis of their thick skin retains water allowing them to go long periods without water. Their arms terminate in root-weaved fingers, consisting of a dense braid of thick, flexible roots that taper down into tactile digits tipped with sharp, needle-bearing rinds. For support, their long legs end in root-clawed toes—gnarled root-anchor claws that can flex and dig directly into the earth, allowing them to firmly root into the ground where they cannot be pushed or knocked down. Because of their bark-like skin, the Xylari do not require traditional armor; their primary line of defense is entirely natural, as their outer skin organically petrifies into a layer of hard wood over time, through a process called “corking.”. Xylari live for up to 500 years, and...

 Races that didn't make the cut (22):

- Brownling 

Smallfolk with Halfling and Brownie Fae heritage; they value hospitality, craft, and close-knit households. 

- Centyr 

Hoofed people with humanoid upper bodies, known for balance, endurance, and coordinated movement.

- Chuchunateh  Broad, white-furred people adapted to cold, with quickly regrowing fur and a powerful bite.

- Drevane 

Omné natives adapted to a toxic atmosphere, with strong environmental senses and an affinity for stone and earth.

- Drāco Blood  l

Dragon-blooded people whose chosen elemental lineage determines their affinity and opposing weakness.

- Dwarf 

Sturdy, enduring people with traditions of stonecraft, metalwork, masonry, and underground navigation.

- Elf  Graceful, long-lived people connected to woodland life and nature magic, with an ancient First Tongue.

- Firbolg 

Gentle giants with distant Fae heritage, able to communicate simple thoughts to animals and plants.

- Glimmerstone  Small people of Dwarven and Fae heritage, skilled at noticing and appraising gems and enchanted materials. 

- Gnoll 

Pack-oriented people who emphasize shared work, mutual protection, and earned leadership.

- Gnome  Small, mole-like people curious about mechanisms, repair, and learning from plants and animals.

- Goblorc 

People combining Goblin cunning and Orcus physicality, valuing both strategy and strength.

- Halfling  Small folk whose communities prize hospitality, craft, preparation, and cooperation.

- Helf 

A distinct Human–Elf mixed-heritage people, often comfortable navigating between cultures.

- Imperial  Psychic, charismatic people with six cultural Bloodlines and the ability to shift their natural coloring. 

- Ogre 

Large, powerful people who value practical deeds, dependable agreements, and strength used with purpose. 

- Snow Dwarf 

Lean, cold-adapted Dwarves skilled in tracking, survival, and practical crafts.

- Sylvan  Elves closely attuned to forests, sensing changes through plants, soil, pollen, and animal behavior.

- Wood Elf 

Quiet woodland people skilled at moving under cover and reading forest paths and signs. 

- Yawnie

Yawnies move at a measured pace and live for centuries through their slow lifestyle and metabolism. They can trot on all fours in short bursts to catch up; their speed matters most in special movement such as climbing, crawling, parkour, rope traversal, swinging, and navigating walls or tight spaces. Their innate movement aptitude lets them break free of controlled-movement restrictions. They favor stillness when nothing requires action and are natural enemies of Harpies and giant Avian, including Falcora.

Full Race Card Demo: Caelen

Full Description of All Races - including the rules and Features of SORC (Armament Proficiency pending):

Full Description of the 48 Firstborn Races

That's not to say D n D isn't great, it is, but SORC is nothing like it, despite the immediate responses of, "this is just d n d". It's not. We love D n D, Path finder, The Campaign for North Africa (and I'm guessing a lot of you do not), GURPS, Rolemaster, Warhammer, Call of Cthulhu, Phoenix Command, The Price of Freedom and others.

Many great RPG's and other videogames (kotor, mass effect, Halo - and Marathon - Half Life, System Shock, Baldur Gate, Diablo, StarCraft, Warcraft etc), or MMORPG you can think of (Archeage, Aion, Lineage, wow, guild wars - maybe all of them). There's without event mentioning inspirational books such as; Star Wars, LOTR, Halo, Raiders of the Lost Ark, many D n D books of lore, Alien, Predator, Dune, Star Wars,vDark Crystal and so on. The animated Cartoon Primal also comes to mind.

These are ALL GREAT inspirational stories. With that said, I want to explain where SORC's true inspiration comes from, and yes, some of it is obviously driven from what you see above, but at its core, this is where SORC gets its true inspiration.

Recently I made a thread discussing the sheer number of races I have in SORC here.

A lot of people made instant comparisons to the ckassiob pioneer of the great D nD and I just wanted to clarify some things because my post and website lacked PUBLISHED clarity, meaning it is in our books, but not yet published. I've since added a race, Neandereti, and added excerpts to Humans and Pinklings. Update the website rules and the appendixes for clarity.

Your responses drove me to explain some other elements of the game that ties, or separates, each race culturally, and to add clarity and excerpts from books, some available on the website in very mundane versions - but we do have the full versions.

Separation by Race lore, to address concerns about SORC's similarities to D&D and Tolkien.

D&D

Mechanically, SORC is not even close to D&D. SORC does not use D&D's rules, classes, races, ability structure, combat system, leveling system, or equipment system. SORC uses its own Traits, Stats, Actions, Cards, Variants, Tables, Classes, Cultures, Higher Powers, and Character progression.

The similarities are mainly that both are tabletop fantasy roleplaying games with Characters, Classes, Races, combat, exploration, equipment, and worldbuilding. Those are genre elements, not mechanics taken from D&D.

Tolkien

SORC also is not intended to be Middle earth or a direct continuation of Tolkien's work. Tolkien is one of many fantasy influences, but SORC has its own setting, worlds, Races, Cultures, histories, religions, technologies, magic systems, creatures, and conflicts.

The setting moves beyond the traditional Tolkien style by combining fantasy with science fiction, elemental worlds, technological societies, card based play, advanced equipment, cosmic forces, planetary cultures, and

Mechanically, SORC is not even close to D&D. One could argue that it is closer to Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, or The Hobbit trading game than D&D, but it is really a cross between both genres. SORC uses tabletop roleplaying, character progression, classes, races, combat, exploration, and worldbuilding, while also using physical and digital cards, modular equipment, collectible content, and structured tables.

Race variants are also not intended to function like simple D&D subraces. Race, Culture, Class or Class Path, Higher Power, alignment, and item specific restrictions all operate separately. A store tells you where equipment comes from and what is commonly available there, but store access does not override restrictions on who can equip or use that equipment.

The Human culture material explains that Nordian, Eldrim, Tanu'la, Xo'kajal, and Humans raised among the Omnè are Human cultures rather than separate Human races or Bloodlines. Humans keep the same base Traits and Stats, while their Culture affects upbringing, food, recipes, tools, armaments, equipment, workshops, professions, and local availability.

The Omnè Circuit Exchange is available to Omnè, Drevane, Humans raised into Omnè Culture, and Characters with an Omnè Background. It supplies TAA, TAW, TABA, TAG, synthetic equipment, technological Modifications, pressure equipment, and technical professions. Omnè Culture still cannot equip Magic type Telluric Armaments, and Omnè use technological Modifications instead of Enchanting.

There were [Appendix N](https://sorcrpg.com/content/archived-rules/rules\_ref\_appendix#sources-influences) comparisons to D n D's Elf, Dwarf etc races. This is the revised version above. Most notably one detailed and important one, that was a fair as a description of the shared fantasy lineage. SORC uses familiar fantasy vocabulary in places: Dwarves, Elves, Trolls, Goblins, Drow, and Halflings are names that carry a great deal of prior history. I am not claiming that SORC invented those words or that no one will recognize their broad silhouettes.

The distinction is in the sources and in what those races mean inside SORC. We did not use Tolkien or D&D as our design sourcebook, and we are not trying to deny that those works shaped modern expectations. We went back to older folklore, mythology, and historical cultures, then built our own histories, cultures, mechanics, and relationships around those roots.

For example, Trolls in SORC existed before the sun and moon. Bridge Trolls are Scandinavian-inspired, particularly by bridge-crossing folklore and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They live beneath bridges, control crossings, use riddles and tolls, and turn urban choke points into their own kind of territory.

Bast draws from ancient Egyptian traditions. Leshy draw from Slavic forest folklore. Haugfolk draw from Scandinavian mound-dweller and hidden-folk traditions. Ratkin draw from medieval urban and survival folklore. Drāco Blood draws from Mesopotamian, Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, and Mesoamerican dragon traditions, then becomes part of the wars and history of Zailister.

The Imperials are one Firstborn race with culturally distinct Bloodlines. Their racial Traits and abilities remain shared, while their cultures draw from different historical sources: Crimson from the Maya, Onyx from ancient Mesopotamian omen and underworld traditions, Citrine from ancient Eurasian steppe and early Mongolic traditions, Violet from Greek and Hellenistic cultures, Azure from Egyptian scribal culture, and Verdant from ancient Persian garden and water traditions.

Pinklings are not intended to be “our Gollum.” The comparison is understandable because there is some overlap in the archetype: an isolated, deceptive, cave-dwelling small figure with hostility toward Halflings. But Pinklings are goblin-rooted, not Halfling-rooted. Their development drew from Germanic kobolds, English hobgoblins, older goblin traditions, and Jewish golem folklore studied directly. The Bloodfang Pinklings add their own SORC elements: mud and slate origins, mineralized hides, pink-salt mining, raw fish, camouflage, and the Pinkstone Holts. Gollum and the golem are also separate traditions, so I would not claim that Tolkien’s Gollum was directly taken from Jewish golem folklore.

Ash Dwarves are another example of where the source is only the beginning. They are not simply Dwarves with a different color. They are my own volcanic forge culture, influenced by Roman Vulcan, Greek Hephaestus, and older forge traditions. They live in volcanic regions that are scorching below but ice-capped above, and their lifestyle shapes their bodies, equipment, weaknesses, and stories.

The Elves follow a similar pattern. The base Elf is Firstborn and carries First Tongue. Arch Elves are closer to the oldest Elven traits of Piety and Wit. High Elves, if retained, are descendants of the Arch Elves with a more ceremonial and Mithril-centered culture. Drow return to Norse dark-elf traditions while adding SORC’s own Ancient Drow history and faded spider Bloodline.

So I agree that some of SORC currently sits near the well-known Norse-to-Tolkien-to-D&D fantasy lineage. The claim I would make is not that those names are unprecedented. The claim is that SORC is trying to take familiar names back to older sources, combine them with original world history, and make them produce different kinds of play.

Your Wildsea and Spire examples are useful because they identify the standard we need to meet. A race should not only tell a player what they look like; it should tell them what strange environments, obligations, conflicts, and adventures they are signing up for. Much of that deeper context is already written throughout our books, but we are holding it back until publication so readers are not overwhelmed by the sheer number of races and cultures. The race descriptions are short excerpts pulled from these books. We added one of those excerpts in the Pinkling section yesterday.

That's not to say D n D isn't great, it is, but SORC is nothing like it, despite the immediate responses of, "this is just d n d". It's not.

Also in our rules - “The closer you are to the cultural root of an armament, recipe, or profession, the more abundant it is.”

This applies to food recipes, ingredients, cooking tools, equipment, armaments, accessories, workshops, and NPC profession roles. Near a culture’s geographic roots, those things are common and easier to buy or commission. Farther away, they become rare, imported, more expensive, or dependent on finding someone who brought the knowledge or equipment with them.

A Human can also be of Omnè Culture, such as a Human raised by the Omnè. That Human can use Omnè stores and local supply as their beginning equipment. Other Characters can wear or use the same Omnè equipment, but they need to find it first through travel, trade, discovery, or another Character who brought it away from Omnè.

Armaments have five Variants: Telluric, TAA, Chthonic, Oxidize, and Malign.

Telluric is earthborn equipment and the only Variant that can become Magic through Enchanting. TAA means Technologically Advanced Armaments, including TAW and TABA. Chthonic is elemental force held around the equipment. Oxidize is an Attachment joined to the bearer and drawing on the body. Malign is Telluric craft with a curse worked into it at the forge.

Culture, alignment, Class Paths, and Higher Powers may favor, permit, modify, enhance, or forbid certain Variants. A Character may physically possess a forbidden item, but they cannot equip it for a tradition’s restricted Abilities. Basic attacks remain unrestricted.

The Omnè’s native armament Variant is TAA. The Omnè despise magic and are forbidden to equip Magic-type Telluric Armaments. They do not Enchant Telluric pieces. Instead, they use technological modifications on permitted TAA, TABA, TAW, and TAG equipment.

The Primal of Ignis are the contrary example. Their native armament Variant is Chthonic. Their culture despises manufactured technology and forbids TAA, including TAW and TABA. Their bone, stone, hide, and elemental work belongs to the Primal Chthonic tradition, not Ignis’s native Telluric Variant.

Beginning stores are also part of the rule:

Zailister’s Free Market is the default Telluric store for Humans and Zailister-origin Races, including Human cultures such as Nordian, Eldrim, Tanu’la, and Xo’kajal.

The Telluric House within Zailister’s Free Market is inspired by Village Trolls and other settled Zailister makers. It supplies practical civic equipment, bridge-and-road tools, ordinary Tactical armor, Telluric weapons, recipes, accessories, and local professions.

Ignis’s Ashfield Camp is the Chthonic store. It is available at creation to Emberscale and Primal Characters, and to Characters with an Ignis Background.

The Chthonic Ashfield Camp is inspired by Primal traditions and Ignis’s fire elementals. It supplies Chthonic armaments, bone, stone, hide, obsidian, ritual equipment, heat-worked goods, and ash-field professions. TAA is forbidden and is not stocked or traded there.

Omnè’s Circuit Exchange is the TAA store. It is available at creation to Omnè and Drevane by homeworld, to Humans raised into Omnè Culture, and to Characters with an Omnè Background.

The TAA Circuit Exchange is inspired by the Omnè Cabal militia. It supplies modular TAA, TAW, TABA, TAG, pressure equipment, synthetic goods, charge systems, technological modifications, and disciplined technical professions.

The Oxidize Graftworks are the Oxidize store. They are available through Caelen homeworld or Background access. Factional Omnè Astral access is separate from ordinary Omnè store access.

The Oxidize Graftworks are inspired by the Omnè Astral Cabal’s graft experiments on the Caelen. Oxidize Attachments join the bearer and draw on the body. The Caelen later reclaimed and redesigned the practice.

Ossein’s Malign Reliquary is the Malign store. It is available to Ossein Characters by homeworld or Background.

The Malign Reliquary is inspired by Ossein deathcraft. It supplies Telluric pieces with curses worked into them at the forge. Malign equipment is not ordinary Zailister stock and must be found, commissioned, or acquired through its cultural reach.

Tredeki’s Fracture Row is a regional TAA store available at creation to Tredeki, Imperials, Leshy, and Skrath, and to Characters with a Tredeki Background.

The Techmat Fracture Row is inspired by Tredeki battlefield engineering and Imperial Techmat. It supplies crystal-work, salvaged advanced equipment, mercenary armaments, and war-scarred technical professions. It is a regional TAA store, not a separate sixth Variant.

Other Characters can later find, buy, trade for, or be gifted goods from another store, but they do not begin with that world’s store unless their Race or Background grants access. Store access does not override a Variant, Culture, Class, Higher Power, or alignment prohibition.

Human Culture Excerpt from Into the Uncharted Worlds of Essentia

Omnè Circuit Exchange Store

SORC Cards

Ranged Tab

Movement Table

Equipment and Armaments Card Restrictions

Appendix Card Restriction Quick Reference

I have a plethora of races, sub races and bloodlines here. I personally like a lot of races, classes and lore but wanted your views on this. I'm still working on it and you can find yourself getting lost between classes and alignment and higher powers, if you choose to do, it's there.

Playable Races of Essentia

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Edit: There are 36 First Born Races, 10 bloodlines between 2 of them, and 14 Kinborn between 3 of the races, so a total of 60 variants. We may or may not add more bloodlines and Kinborn because there's plenty of lore to do so.

We are humbly asking for guests to test our ttrpg 's assessment and online lobby systems.

We've been building Slayers of Rings and Crowns, a tabletop RPG with a companion site, and I've got the lobby system far enough along that I would ask more real people help test from various machine types, instead of just a few of us clicking around.

No account needed for the Assessment.

No account needed for Lobbies, a Join as Guest button. You get a name like

Guest 4 and you're in.

They're both open for beta and both links are provided below.

What's in there to try

The Lobbies (ambiance supported)

Lobby "Module.001 | Valley of Darkness (LVLs 1 - 5) Host: Clod ⌄

·  2/20 members  ·  Code: 9URTNU"

Is open for testing, so pump up the volume for ambiance.

1. Text chat in the lobby, plus a world chat that runs across lobbies.

2. Trade chat, where you post what you want to buy, sell, or trade using

WTB, WTS, and WTT tags, fully functional with our Exchange (has "Black Market", "Trading Post", and "Hand Trading" tabs).

3. Dice. D4 through D100, and the Divine Roll, which has values between 2 and 200 for dvine discovery and loot rolls.

4. A character sheet you can open from any member in the room by clicking the sheet icon next to their name.

5. Invite codes, if someone hands you one for a private lobby.

The Assessment

Normally you have to pass a Role Assessment before you can join a lobby.

It sorts you into Player, GM or Civilian (the default user Role assessed into iclf assessment fails). For this test that gate is

skipped so you can get straight in::

Assessment is always open in the case you want to take it anyway, if for anything it makes learning the rules a bit more fun and interesting, or at least we felt so. You can repeat the assessment as many times as you like, but you keep the new score and reassess into the role if it changes.

I'd genuinely like the feedback. This all genuinely runs without an account too and it's graded for real.

What we're after

Tell me what broke, what was confusing, and what felt slow. Bad news is

more useful to me than good news right now. If something doesn't work the way you expected, that's the thing  our web designers want to hear about, even if you're not sure whether it's a bug or just me designing it badly.

Thanks to anyone who takes a look, we really appreciate this!

Assessment

Lobbies

Welcome to my thread. Fir the ttrpg, Slayers of Rings and Crowns (SORC), I've been given the task of restructuring the Character Sheet, so I put Abilities on pause for a bit.

Following the character creation steps, 1 - 12 (see link below), I was able to create my first full blown character, Brunn (again below). I did simulate the first level and quest, and he was grouped with three others, but this is my result. In the character sheet, I linked each area so people that want can read about them, but it is incomplete. It works, but there's more work to do.

Knowing it is a d100 system, we designed and formulated SORC so that it doesn't ask the target to roll to meet the attacker's roll. For instance, if a monster attacks you, you don't roll, he either hits or misses. It's all passive, see combat (protection score - PROTS) and Traits section for Difficulty Scores (DIFS), the latter uses the 7 Layers of Aura stacked with the Traits Score as the target number for attackers. It's not perfect, but it's faster (no table to look up) and it works. .

I want to ask.

1. Did following the 12 steps work? If anyone actually goes through the 13 steps, extra cookies for you :)

2. Are they in the right order?

3. Is it easy to read it understand?

4. Should data on the front and back be reversed?

5. Feel free to add your own comments and we appreciate all of the constructive feedback, even constructive criticism and those that have actually been constructive here have played a huge role. We thank you for that even if it's only as a Hobby.

Warning, In currently working on it. I recently forgot to close a div adding pagination and notable events to calendar.

- SORC Management

Anyway, here is the Character Sheet.

Brunn, LVL 1 Main Class Abilities: Fighter.

Note: There are no set classes. Players choose abilities that they can use if the proper READIED Armaments are drawn or Donned. See Readied Armament Drawn/Sheathed and Donned/Doffed, and various resting periods; Breather, Short Rest, Full Day.

Meet the Quartermaster

​

Rrrrrrr! Or is it... iiiiiiii? Maybe only one i (eye)?

"If your home is a ship, whether in flight or at Sea, and whether you built it or hijacked it and you prefer the lonely lifestyle of continuous logistics, the Quartermaster is your Class..."

Welcome, new readers, to the SORC (Slayers of Rings & Crowns) community!

While I was editing the new, the very new, playable class content, I began working on a new Main Class I had buried in my documents. Well I started getting a carried away and here we are:

Main Class QuarterMaster, ship logistics across both air and water vessels, in technologically advanced or traditional forms. The Main Class Quartermaster homes three Paths: Pirate, Freighter, and Privateer each with three Branches (see link below).

I'm looking for ideas to help tailor the Quartermaster Class before it's fully locked in.

What are your thoughts on the three Paths (Pirate, Freighter, Privateer) and their Branches so far?

What are your ideas for ship-logistics-themed Abilities that would fit a Quartermaster's kit?

What are your picks for Favored Races, gear, or flavor details that would make this class feel distinct?

Quartermaster Linked.

iii, rrrr, uh errr.

​

Rrrrrrr! Or is it... iiiiiiii? Maybe only one i (eye)?

"If your Home is a ship, whether in flight or at Sea, and whether you built it or hijacked it and you prefer the lonely lifestyle of continuous logistics - legal and illegal - the Quartermaster is your Class..."

Welcome, new readers, to the SORC (Slayers of Rings & Crowns) community!

While I was editing the new, the very new, playable class content, I began working on a new Main Class I had buried in my documents. Well I started getting a carried away and here we are:

Main Class QuarterMaster, ship logistics across both air and water vessels, in technologically advanced or traditional forms. The Main Class Quartermaster homes three Paths: Pirate, Freighter, and Privateer each with three Branches (see link below).

I'm looking for ideas to help tailor the Quartermaster Class before it's fully locked in.

What are your thoughts on the three Paths (Pirate, Freighter, Privateer) and their Branches so far?

What are your ideas for ship-logistics-themed Abilities that would fit a Quartermaster's kit?

What are your picks for Favored Races, gear, or flavor details that would make this class feel distinct?

Quartermaster Linked.

iii, rrrr, uh errr.

So for our TTRPG Slayers of Rings & Crowns, SORC, I've been given responsibility for Class Structure and development 🙄, and I thought I had came up with something good... about ten days ago. Well, it wasn't so good afterall. It was hard to read, it is crunchy in my defense, so I added tables, expand buttons, skip to starter set playable class links, color schemes and so on.

Then, I still wasn't happy. I kept fine tuning the layout and still wasn't happy with stat development. So instead of just hand tuning stat values (as some games do), I created formulas for every stat value, covered in the rules below, and explained fully in the GM codex (even though it doesn't really need to be). I'm plugging in the actual ability content, mostly just the titles and descriptions, and designing the Ability Cards now.

With that said, do you guys feel this is a pliable Class Abilities system? If not, please explain and thank you very much in advance for your time.

SORC Class Ability Structure

Keep in mind it opening from another app, such as Reddit or Discord, the theme may look different than a browsers default. You can't always go straight to the website from browser.

Edit: A lot of the ability content are place holders and I'm working on those now. This is a pre beta version and you may find errors. Thank you for understanding.

Hi Folks.

My name is Van

Heads up: these rules are fairly technical and quit crunchy. This is only the second pass if the rules, and although playable, they do need to be combed over and edited several times over.

Feedback wanted: Race and Class design in my TTRPG, Slayers of Rings & Crowns, SORC. 3-choice "Slots," hidden Prerequisites, and an armanent prerequisites bonus/penalty system.

Working on a fantasy TTRPG called SORC (Slayers of Rings & Crowns). Looking for design/lore feedback on two sections specifically: Playable Races and Playable Classes.

Classes - the short version

Every class tree runs Main Class - Native (levels 1-3) → Path (4-20) → Branch (21-30). Each level is a "Slot" offering 3 named choices, but you only learn 1 per Slot can be chosen per class level progression. Total Ability investment across a career is capped at 59 points, so a second class tree means real trade-offs against your first.

Some later Slots carry a Prerequisite tied to an earlier choice - it always skips a level, never the one directly before it, and which "lane" it draws from isn't fixed.

Gear matters mechanically: use a class's Abilities/Spells outside its own default Armaments and you eat a flat -5 penalty on every roll that Ability/Spell makes, reduced by 1 per +5 in whatever Trait fights that specific mismatch (Strength for armor weight, Agility for a finesse weapon, etc.).

Races - the short version

Races get permanent passive Aptitudes/Inaptitudes plus a Favored/Averse relationship with each class that shifts progression rate rather than handing out flat stat bonuses. Races also hold vitality and speed determined by size, and innate Trait Scores that mirror their default Attribute score aligned to the trait (traits cannot be higher than their aligned Attribute, see attribute and TST development PG. 2).

What I'd love feedback on:

1. Does capping Ability points at 59 while dangling "3 choices per Slot" feel like meaningful choice, or padding since 2 of 3 are always wasted?

2. Is a flat -5 penalty too punishing/forgiving, or does it hinge entirely on how big Trait bonuses get at higher levels?

3. Any red flags with Prerequisites skipping a level with a non-fixed lane - unpredictable in a bad way, or real build tension?

Happy to share more specifics if anyone wants to dig deeper, into a particular class or race.

Classes

Races

Edit: links may work now.