The Sea of Cyranos

Rules

1. See General Rules and Guidelines

2. Cyranos Homebrew. Items with the J:Cyranos, J:General, J:Wheelchair or J:Portalist label in my 5eTools homebrew are allowed, other things may be allowed but consult me first.

3. Adamantine Equipment. Adamantine equipment is expensive and can only be forged or plated on Thalia. It works like adamantine in the DMG but is more expensive and adds a +1 to ATK/DMG/AC. It is not magic however. This is included in the homebrew.

4. Death and the Underworld. Dead PCs have a chance to escape or be rescued from the Underworld, even if resurrection spells aren't viable. Rules WIP

5. Cyranos Pantheon. Cyranos has its own pantheon based on Greek myth. Only these gods are allowed and it’s recommended but not required that everyone follows at least one god (or faction of gods). If you really want you could play a foreigner who follows the other Alvergia pantheons, but it is not recommended.

6. Demigod Character Creation. If you really want, you can play as a PC who believes they are a demi-god. They will not get any confirmation or additional benefits from this, at least not early in the campaign.

7. Ship Rules (WIP). These rules are extremely WIP and subject to major change.

Character Creation Guide

I recommend following these guidelines if you want your character to fit into the world in terms of race, deities, backgrounds, alliances and backstory. There are also a few things to note that will alter how useful certain features, items and proficiencies are.

Homebrew Content

Check the homebrew link above for PC options. This will include races, backgrounds, feats, items, spells and some subclass options. It will also include deities though more detailed information on deities and religion is included below.

When importing the 5eTools module, Ignore/Delete anything not J:General or J:Cyranos. Instructions for importing and deleting are included through the link.

Races

PCs are generally considered exceptional so you do not need to conform to these stereotypes but may wish to be aware of them. You are also not limited to the races below, plenty of others can and do exist.

Composed of mostly port towns that trade with all of Alvergia, Cyranos is a very diverse region filled with many races and ethnicities. Below are some of the more common races, their distributions and public perceptions.

Humans are abundant all across the region and usually make up the largest percentage, if not the majority, of the population.

The Nyrian and western cities frequently see large numbers of Elves (including Half-Elves), Gnomes and Halflings living alongside the humans. Occasionally, these races are seen as snobbish and physically weak by some easterners.

The Arkian and eastern cities frequently see large numbers of Orcs (including Half-Orcs), Dwarves and Dragonborn alongside the humans. Orcs are especially common on Agetos Major with many tribes meeting regularly in Gailum. Occasionally, these races are seen as barbaric and primitive by some westerners.

Dwarves and Gnomes are also very common in Illys, Vrakos and surrounding settlements. As always, female dwarves can have beards as magnificent and bushy as the males.

In the wilds, small communities of Bugbears, Centaurs, Elves, Fenri, Firbolgs, Goblins, Goliaths, Humans, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Minotaurs, Orcs, Satyrs and Tabaxi exist. They are often nomadic tribes and rarely get involved with the “civilised” folk in the cities.

Fenri are rarely seen within cities, except Nekri. Nearly a decade ago (614 AoC), a large exodus of Fenri escaping slavery and persecution in Xheros arrived in Nekri, they have since spread throughout Cyranos in small groups, though most have remained in Nekri or the surrounding mountains and forests. Small numbers of Fenri unrelated to the exodus also exist throughout Cyranos. Assuming they’ve never been to Nekri, it is entirely feasible for someone, even a traveller, to go their entire lives without seeing a single Fenri.

Tieflings, Aasimar, and Genasi are uncommon but not unheard of. In the larger port cities, they may be seen as travellers from distant lands and viewed with a little curiosity. In more remote regions, they can be seen as minor deities or monsters to be worshipped or feared. Tieflings come in all shades and hues. Aasimars can have the appeareance of almost any small/medium humanoid race (this has since become official with MPMM).

Warforged are usually built in The Forge on the island of Thalia. Though rare, they can be found in small squadrons of soldiers or as bodyguards to rich masters. Independent warforged are very rare and sometimes considered defective if they don’t have a master. Thalia is also home to Thalian Cyclopes and Dwarves (Thalian). Warforged horses, boars dogs and other creatures are also a thing (but probably not as PCs).

Tritons and Water Genasi are very rare within civilisation and widely hated and feared due to stories of “The Sea People” and their devastating campaign of shoreline raids a few generations ago (See Factions). The truth of these stories is uncertain, but the rumours and fears are still there. Sometimes other blue and green skinned peoples, such as Tieflings, are also accused of being “Sea People”.

Changelings are extremely rare and not a race in the typical sense. Changelings are unheard of by all but the most well versed scholars. It is not clear why some people are born as Changelings, some have suggested it is a curse or disease, others have suggested intervention by powerful beings or magic. Changelings are affected by silver, touching silver reveals their true form in a small area. For example, if a changeling holds a silver coin, their fingertips revert to their true white form until they let go of the silver.

Other races are rare but still present, especially in densely populated port cities like Rubin. Nekri also has a wide variety of races as a haven for misfits and immigrants from the north and east.

Names

While different races and subcultures may have slight differences in naming conventions, the majority follow Ancient Greek and Roman names.

Surnames or family names are also typically not a thing in most parts of Cyranos. When someone does have multiple names, it is usually one of the following:

• A nickname earned by deeds or physical traits. For example, Orgruk the Swift or Seth Palefur.

• A stage name or business name. For example Cyrus the Bastard or Magical Melanys the Fantastical Inkmeister of the West

• A reference to their hometown or tribe. For example, Andrea of Klescar or Iolanthe of Lycastia.

Tritons do, or rather did, have family names in the following format <family>'<given> (e.g. Ro'Seus, with Ro being the family name and Seus being the given name).

Religion

It's not just clerics that follow gods. Most people will follow at least one god from the Cyranos Pantheon. If you really want to, you can play a foreigner who follows a different god, but I would prefer you follow a Cyranos god, at least casually.

Hometown and Nationality

While there are some nomadic people and drifters, most people have somewhere they call home, or at least somewhere they did. Check the Settlements of Cyranos to decide where you are from or have been.

Factions and Guilds

You may be part of, have been part of, or wish to be part of a faction. You may also know people from these factions even if you aren't a member yourself. These factions include the nations, mercenary units, tribes, artisan guilds and holy orders. Check the Factions of Cyranos for info on the current factions. I am always happy to make more to suit your needs if required.

Terrains

The material plane of Cyranos is home to many terrain types, however you are very unlikely to find Arctic terrain. You can still choose it for ranger/druid, but it's not recommended.

Equipment

Alvergia and Cyranos is a mostly pre-medieval fantasy and thus some items will not be readily available, notably anything with the renaissance, modern or futuristic properties such as firearms. Other items may be less common for purchase or loot, such as crossbows, longswords, greatswords and rapiers. This will not affect prices and you can still take these as starting equipment, though I would encourage choosing other weapons or flavouring them to fit. The majority of trained warriors in Cyranos will use spears and shields, or bows, often with a shortsword or kopis as a sidearm.