We’re allowing all ancestries from 4e PHB1 and PHB2 (with a few tweaks to the Eladrin to implement the Harrow elves of the Ptolus setting), plus a few additional ones from the Ptolus setting.

Languages

For choosing languages, here’s a list of major languages of the setting:

The following languages are really niche, and you probably should come up with a good backstory reason to know them:

And the following languages from the 3e PHB might be useful sometimes for talking to e.g. angels or elementals or some “monsters”:

Major ancestries

These are some of the most common ancestries in Ptolus. They were the D&D 3e PHB ancestries.

Dwarves

Dwarves traditionally call themselves the Haurdir, meaning something like “Stalwart Kings of Order”. They are divided into two overclans, the Grailwarden and the Stonelost, although it’s said that there was once another. Dwarves can typically tell another dwarf’s overclan by looking at them, but most others cannot.

Stonelost dwarves are more common than Grailwarden dwarves in Ptolus, but both are quite common, and you can choose to play either.

Stats as PHB1 Dwarves, although Grailwarden dwarves gain +2 to Arcana rather than to Dungeoneering.

Stonelost dwarves

Stonelost dwarves were once called the Stonemight, and were the inhabitants of Dwarvenhearth, the greatest of all dwarven cities beneath what is now Ptolus. Around a millenium ago, the evil lord Ghul, known as the Half God or the Skull-King, drove them out and they became known as the Stonelost. When Ghul was defeated and Dwarvenhearth was regained, the leaders of the Stonelost ordered the city sealed for mysterious reasons.

Grailwarden dwarves

Grailwarden dwarves take their name from their ancestral stewardship of the powerful artifact known as the White Grail (which is said to be linked to two other artifacts known as the Black Grail and the Unseen Grail). They hail from the Prustan Peninsula where they’ve long been allied with the local humans; together they founded the Empire of Tarsis. Grailwarden dwarves are famous for their technological and scientific achievements.

Grailwarden dwarves receive a +2 to Arcana instead of to Dungeoneering.

Elves

Elves were anciently known as the aduel deaistorm, the “races of Chaos”. There were seven kinds of elves in those days, and fewer now (despite the later appearance of dark elves and Harrow elves). The two types of Elder Elves are extinct. The most common elves are the Shoal elves (and most non-elves will simply call them “elves” without a qualifier).

Shoal elves dwell in the Sea Kingdoms especially. Fewer of them live in the Moonsilver Forest along the coast of the Whitewind Sea near Ptolus, due to their dislike for colder climates. They love the sea and sailing and are generally dark-haired.

Stats as PHB1 Elves.

Gnomes

Gnomes are the rarest of the major ancestries in Ptolus. They’re commonly mistaken for halflings and vice versa, but typically have more social connection to elves (while halflings have closer ties to humans). Music and magic are often among their favorite things. They were once considered one of the seven types of elves, referred to as “loresong faen”. Most gnomes live in Cherubar, Rhoth, Palastan, or the Sea Kingdoms.

Stats as PHB2 Gnomes.

Half-elves and half-orcs

Half-elves and half-orcs are not common but are more common in Ptolus than almost anywhere in the world. Half-elves are almost always descended from Shoal elves. Most half-orcs are descended from the Ornu-Nom orcs of Palastan or Rhoth.

Half-elf stats

As PHB1 half-elves.

Half-orc stats

As PHB2 half-orc stats.

Halflings

Halflings were once considered among the seven types of elves and called “quickling faen”. Humans later named them “halflings” due to their size, and the name stuck. Nowadays they have much closer ties to humans than to other types of elves. There any many nomadic caravans of halflings in the lands of Rhoth and Palastan which surround Ptolus.

Stats as PHB1 Halflings.

Humans

Dwarves and elves report that humans are the youngest of the common ancestries, but they are the most numerous. Even in Ptolus, one of the least human-dominated cities around, 70% of residents are human.

Stats as PHB1 humans.

Minor ancestries

These are less numerous than the major ancestries. The major ancestries and the minor ancestries collectively include all of the 4e PHB1 and PHB2 ones, plus some others specific to the setting. Ideally there shouldn’t be a ton of the minor ancestries in the party.

Aram (centaurs)

Centaurs are often boisterous, arrogant, or boorish, but are often well-liked by others nonetheless. Most of them live in nomadic herds in Palastan or Rhoth, but quite a few have moved to human communities. Most aram in Ptolus live in the Narred neighborhood of Midtown.

Stats from somebody in the 4e discord, adapted slightly.

Quick Kick: Encounter Power

Devas

Devas are immortal spirits of celestial origin who have become bound to this world and have reincarnated into many bodies over the course of millenia as they seek to perfect themselves. In this Ptolus campaign, devas have at best a hazy recollection of how they became bound to this world, but they have found themselves drawn to the city of Ptolus by the feeling that it is destined to be the most important battlefield against evil in the future of the world.

Stats as PHB2 Devas.

Dragonborn

Dragonborn in Ptolus (well, this Ptolus campaign) are descendants of interbreeding with dragons and humanoids, especially humans and elves. They resemble humanoid dragons and lack their draconic ancestors skill with shape-shifting. Most of the dragonborn in the city have at least distant connects to the noble House Dallimothan.

Stats as PHB1 Dragonborn.

Other types of elves

Cherubim elves

Cherubim elves are frail winged elves from the mountainous western land of Cherubar. Few of them travel outside their homeland, and those that do usually spend their time among other elves. They are often timid and introspective, but also curious.

Harrow elves

Harrow elves are descended from elder elves who were tortured and altered by the dark lord Ghul around a thousand years ago. They are often strange in appearance and manifest dark magical powers. They are shorter-lived than other elves, living only as long as humans.

They suffer a good deal of discrimination from other ancestries, especially other elves, which leaves many of them bitter and angry.

Stats as PHB1 Eladrin, but without Trance and with Disguise Experience in place of Eladrin Weapon Proficiency, and with an option to take a different power in place of Fey Step, see below.

Goliaths

In this Ptolus campaign, Goliaths are towering nomadic hunters who originated from the Grey Mountains east of the Empire, although some of them now live among the human tribes east of the mountains. They tend to see life as a grand competition and only a few have ventured so far from their native mountains as Ptolus.

Stats as PHB2 Goliaths.

Litorians

Litorians are golden-maned humanoids with a resemblance to lions. Thousands of years ago the Wars of Fire scattered them from their homelands in the Plains of Panish north of the Prustan Peninsula. Now most of them live in small prides hunting throughout the world, but a few have attempted to settle down among other cultures. Litorians generally hold themselves firmly to a personal code of honor.

Lizardfolk (assarai)

Lizardfolk are more common in more southerly lands, but there are some in Ptolus. They typically try to keep out of other people’s affairs. They have myths which tell of an origin in a vast, swampy forest that once covered most of the areas north of Ptolus, even though much of that area is now ocean.

Assarai is their name for themselves. Assarai, especially in cities like Ptolus, are usually satisfied to live outside and get by on little, so they often do odd jobs on occasion to get food and sleep wherever they can find a spot to be unbothered. They are unfortunately often subject to prejudice from other ancestries to the very misguided belief that lizardfolk are usually evil.

Tail Sweep: Encounter Power

Shifters

Shifters are the descendants of lycanthropes and humans. In this Ptolus campaign, many of them practice a nomadic lifestyle on the plains of Palastan or Rhoth, typically in small family groups. Many of them travel alongside centaur, orc, or litorian groups. A few shifters have also ventured into cities like Ptolus. The main types of shifters are longtooth shifters, who trace their ancestry to werewolves, and razorclaw shifters, who trace their ancestry to weretigers.

Stats are as for PHB2 shifters. Both types of shifter share certain traits, but they differ in their ability scores, skill bonuses, and ancestry powers.

Shared traits:

Longtooth shifters:

Razorclaw shifters:

Tieflings

Tieflings have some amount of fiendish heritage and make up a very small but important group in Ptolus. Many of them are descendants of the Fallen, or were drawn to the city by the presence of the Fallen.

Stats as PHB1 Tieflings.

Other NPC ancestries

These ancestries are less common but still prominent in Ptolus. They’re not PC options at present.

They include aasimar, minotaurs, several groups of orcs, and a number of especially reviled and discriminated-against groups: dark elves, goblins, and ratfolk among them.