SpiralWorlds Player’s Manual · Character Creation
Choose Your People
5.5e species · Pathfinder 1e races · D&D 3.5e races
Your people describes inherited physical or supernatural traits and the histories of the communities from which your character comes. It does not decide personality, alignment, profession, loyalty, homeland or language. Choose the person first, then apply only the mechanics for your campaign edition.
Setting identity
Separate inheritance from upbringing
Do not derive personality from ancestry. Being a dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling, catfolk, half-elf, half-orc or human does not dictate courage, morality, intelligence, profession, faith, politics or loyalty.
Playable people gateway
Choose a published SpiralWorlds people page
The status label tells you whether that destination is already safe as a multi-edition rules page. Where a page is marked legacy, use it for setting identity only and use the edition procedure below for mechanics.
Dwarves
Dispersed through holds, mines, guilds, warden networks, enclaves and itinerant families. The current page includes separate 5.5e, PF1e and 3.5e mechanics.
Catfolk
Feline peoples with their own communities and histories, including the Catfolk realm of Kemet. The current page contains separate supported-edition material.
Elves
Use the page for SpiralWorlds elven identity and history. Until its Player’s Manual pass, use current 5.5e Elf mechanics or the correct PF1e/3.5e rules source rather than assuming the page is edition-safe.
Gnomes
Use the page for SpiralWorlds gnome identity and history. Apply mechanics from the selected edition until this people page is rebuilt.
Halflings
Settled and itinerant halfling communities exist across the setting. Use the legacy page for identity; use the selected edition’s mechanics.
Half-Elves
Half-elves remain a valid SpiralWorlds identity. They are not a core 2024 species entry, so a 5.5e character uses a Games Master-approved older/custom species implementation with 2024 conversion rules.
Half-Orcs
Half-orcs remain a valid SpiralWorlds identity. In 5.5e, use a Games Master-approved older/custom species implementation and ignore legacy ability-score increases.
Humans
Humans are defined mechanically by the chosen edition and culturally by homeland, family and community. There is no separate SpiralWorlds Human people page yet.
Rules procedure
Apply only your edition’s mechanics
D&D 5.5e / 2024
1. Choose a species implementation. For a current 2024 species, record Creature Type, Size, Speed and all special traits. Species does not provide the standard 2024 ability-score increases, languages or alignment. If the SpiralWorlds people page is still marked legacy, use the current 2024 Character Origins species rules for its mechanics where that species is available.
2. Keep ability increases with the background. Apply the +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 increases from the character’s 2024 background when you complete Ability Scores.
3. Choose languages separately. The 2024 rules normally give Common plus two chosen languages. SpiralWorlds has no universal Common. Replace Common with one real home/local language appropriate to the character’s upbringing, then choose the two additional languages allowed by the rules unless another feature changes the number.
4. Using an older species: if the Games Master approves a species from an older book, ignore that older species’ Ability Score Increase and use the 2024 background increases instead. Keep only the older species traits the Games Master has approved for the 2024 build.
Pathfinder 1e
Pathfinder 1e race mechanics include racial ability adjustments, size, speed, senses, racial traits and legacy language rules. Use the complete PF1e race entry for the chosen race. The familiar core ability adjustments are:
| People / race | PF1e ability adjustment |
|---|---|
| Dwarf | +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma |
| Elf | +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution |
| Gnome | +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength |
| Half-Elf | +2 to one ability score of your choice |
| Halfling | +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength |
| Half-Orc | +2 to one ability score of your choice |
| Human | +2 to one ability score of your choice |
Apply those adjustments after generating the base ability scores. For Catfolk, use the PF1e tab on the Catfolk page.
D&D 3.5e
D&D 3.5e uses its own race traits and adjustments. Do not substitute Pathfinder’s later revisions. The core adjustments are:
| People / race | 3.5e ability adjustment |
|---|---|
| Dwarf | +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma |
| Elf | +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution |
| Gnome | +2 Constitution, –2 Strength |
| Half-Elf | None |
| Halfling | +2 Dexterity, –2 Strength |
| Half-Orc | +2 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Charisma |
| Human | None |
Then record size, speed, senses, racial traits, favored class and any other rules elements in the chosen 3.5e entry. For Catfolk, use the 3.5e tab on the Catfolk page.
Character record
Write down the person, not just the rules package
Before moving on
People checklist
- The campaign edition is fixed.
- A SpiralWorlds people has been chosen.
- Only the selected edition’s species/race mechanics have been applied.
- 5.5e species ability-score increases have not been added.
- PF1e and 3.5e racial adjustments have not been mixed together.
- Languages come from actual upbringing and the edition’s allowed number, not a universal Common language.
- Homeland and people are recorded separately.
- Culture and personality have not been treated as biological traits.
- Size, Speed and relevant inherited traits are recorded.
- The next character-creation step is clear for the selected edition.
Legacy note
What this rebuild replaces
Open legacy explanation
The old page presented one Pathfinder-style ability-bonus table as though it applied to all characters, said race automatically granted languages, and used Intelligence-based bonus languages as a universal rule. Those assumptions are now confined to the editions that actually use them and converted to SpiralWorlds’ language rules.
The original URL remains unchanged so existing inbound links continue to work.
Sources and licensing
Rules sources
- D&D 2024 Basic Rules — Creating a Character
- D&D 2024 Basic Rules — Character Origins
- System Reference Document 5.2.1
- Pathfinder 1e — Races
- d20 SRD — D&D 3.5e Races
SRD 5.2.1 attribution: This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
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