Player Primer

This page is meant for players — a short, GM-facing companion to it is provided within the Introduction to the Heart of Darkness campaign book to give guidance to GMs looking to expand on your character options and backstories. 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 GM is helping you.

If you are using the Bludgeon TTRPG system instead of 5e, 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.

The people of Varris practice many different faiths, which themselves consist of many divergent doctrines and local customs. The primary religion of modern Varris, often simply called the Varszi religion, is the worship of the mysterious Archfey and their angels. Fiend and dragon worship are outlawed in most of Varris and are generally not practiced openly. There are also many other local faiths and deities outside of the Varszi framework.

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 GM—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 GM 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.

Character creation

As a player, you likely already know which class and race you are interested in for your character. Maybe you even have some ideas about which spells or weapons you want to use. However, if your GM sent you this document or if you sought it out yourself, you are likely interested in using some of the player options specific to this setting.

Ancestry

Below are the race (or ancestry) options unique to Varris. Your character’s ancestry determines their physical appearance and traits. Of course, you can still play the other races that are not altered for this setting like the dwarf, halfling, half-orc, etc. Any race your GM allows has its place in Varris. The languages your character knows are determined by their heritage, not their race.

Heritage

Your heritage, not your ancestry, determines the languages you know and grants you additional skills and proficiencies. It comes with suggested background characteristics, but you can also select one of the base game backgrounds to customize your character as you please.

Heritage describes the peoples, customs, and experiences that shaped your character’s early life and is likely reflected in ther present, in ways such as their demeanor in public, 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. Below is a list of the major cultures from in and around Varris that your character may originate from. You can mix elements of multiple heritages to match your character's backstory.

Class

Just like with races, any class and subclass your GM allows has its place in Varris. Below are some new class options specific to this setting.

You can read the Class lore page for information on how your character class might inform your character's backstory and their treatment by the people of Varris. Once you move on to selecting your equipment and spells, you can check the Item and spell changes page for a list of items and spells that function differently in the Varris setting.

Backstory and lore

If you're interested in enriching your character with a more detailed backstory that fits into the world of Varris, you can check the full list of topics that concern the cultures, history, and lore of the world below.

Customization

Once you have selected your character's ancestry, heritage, and class, you can customize them further using some of the bonus rules for the Varris setting. The bonus rules that concern character creation are entirely optional, but can give your character some additional flavor.