Cambridge University Treasure Trap

Page Body

Humans and Non-Humans

Non-human PC

There are seven playable races in Cambridge Treasure Trap, full details of which can be found in the Player Guides menu under Races.

If you want to play any race other than human, you must buy a racial package, which has to be the first skill on your character sheet. The costs of the racial packages for each race are given below, along with whatever special rules apply to that race. Note: if the race uses a language other than Common (English) then you must buy Common for a further 2xp if you want to talk to anyone IC in English.









Racial Packages

Human: 0xp

The most common race, we hope you know how to do this already!

The majority of the inhabitants of Grantabrugge are human. Most of them originate in the city or surrounding countryside, although because of the Brotherhood and port there are a relatively large number of immigrants and transients. No racial physrep is required to play a human.

  • Begins with four hit points on the head and chest, and two on each limb.
  • Can speak Common. (or their appropriate native language, if a foreigner)
  • May learn Magical or Spiritual skills, or worship a god as a lay follower.
  • Take normal effect from all spells, miracles, damage and other abilities.

Skaven: 0xp - but please put it on your character sheet anyway!

Before most of the gods died, there was a god called the Great Horned Rat. He subsequently cursed his people with rat-like attributes, and died. The Skaven are the remmnants of this group.

  • The same as human in all respects, but wears facepaint/other rat-like prosthetics
  • Likely to speak Cymric, due to the original tribe coming from Cymru
  • Please see a ref for the Skaven backstory
  • Take normal effect from all spells, miracles, damage and other abilities.

Dwarf: 10xp

Actually rather rare in Grantabrugge. Dwarves are generally most comfortable in mountain cities or their deep caves, and thus there are relatively few in Grantabrugge. Little is known of the social structure of the close-mouthed dwarven clans, though they claim to be the oldest and most noble race. They disdain the magic of the elves and the human penchant for worshipping anything that comes along and calls itself a god. Tough and sturdy, they consider the other races to be somewhat fragile.

Racial physrep (costume) is horns or facepaint markings. Dwarves are also fairly likely to have a luxuriant beard, common to both males and females. Great importance is attached to this, and a beardless dwarf is either a child or a pariah. Using make-up to draw on a beard is fine.

  • Begins with four hit points on the head and chest, and two on each limb.
  • Can speak Romish, but not Common (without taking the relevant skill).
  • May never take Magical or Spiritual skills, but may worship a God as a lay follower.
  • Must buy Health at every level.
  • May purchase Fitness and Fortitude without an equivalent level of Warrior.
  • May not wield any two-handed weapons (except axes and hammers, which are cultural weapons).
  • Resistant to Magic and coloured damage (takes one less degree).

Elemental Elf: 10xp

An Elemental Elf is a being so suffused with the magic of one of the six elements (Dark, Light, Earth, Air, Fire, Water) that it makes up half of their body and soul. Physically fragile, they are usually mages since the magic of their own element comes easily to them. Human gods mean little to them, and they worship their own Elemental Lords. Although they often live within human settlements, this is usually a matter of convenience and most of them prefer the company of their own race.About one person in ten in Grantabrugge is an elemental elf, due to the proximity of the Brotherhood. Outside the city they are a lot more uncommon.

The physrep for an Elemental Elf is coloured make-up on face and (ideally) all visible skin. They often wear clothes of their elemental colour (Dark=Black, Light=White, Earth=Brown, Air=Blue, Fire=Red, Water=Green). Elemental Elves have pointed ears, but it is acceptable to cover lack of physrep with a headband or hat.

  • Begins with two hit points to the chest and head and one on each limb.
  • Can speak the Elven dialect of their colour, but not Common without the relevant skill.
  • May not take Spirit Skills or follow a god - 'worships' their Elemental Lord instead.
  • Starts with one point of racial DAC free - this stacks with Combat Awareness and Agility, and is not affected by wearing armour.
  • The Frailty skill costs -10 Experience for an Elemental Elf, rather than -24.
  • The Weakness skill costs -5 Experience for an Elemental Elf, rather than -14.
  • Resistant to Spirit damage (takes one less degree). Knowing miracles have different effect (see a ref, or your player guide). Takes one less point of healing from Healing miracles.
  • Affected by metal as if a mage, even if they are not a mage - i.e. the magic in their body will spontaneously discharge after about a minute if they hold more than three daggers/one shortsword/a full suit of studded leather or equivalent.
  • Takes +2 degrees of damage from Cold Iron.
  • It is possible to create spells which affect only elemental elves.
  • Takes one more degree of damage from opposite coloured spells, and one less from same coloured spells.
  • Elemental Elves are affected by HARM ELEMENTAL.

True Elf: 10xp

During the spring of 1287 (2004) all races briefly returned to their ancestral state - for Elemental Elves and Kender this was True Elves. Almost everyone reverted to their own race a few weeks later; however a few individuals chose to remain as True Elves.

Each True Elf had their own reasons for their choice - some Kender found they wished to retain the use of magic, other Elves did not want to be so closely joined with an element. The new True Elves have often left their families and homes in an attempt to find others of their kind, and to begin anew.

True Elves are physically identical to elemental elves, except they have a full soul rather than being suffused with magic. Practically, this means that they appear human in all respects, apart from their pointed ears (often hidden with a headband or hat).

  • Begins with two hit points to the chest and head, and one on each limb.
  • Speaks either Common (for ex-Kender), or an Elven Dialect of Quenyar.
  • May take Spirit and Magical skills, or worship a god as a lay follower.
  • Starts with one point of racial DAC free - this stacks with Combat Awareness and Agility, and is not affected by wearing armour.
  • The Frailty skill costs -10 Experience for a True Elf, rather than -24.
  • The Weakness skill costs -5 Experience for a True Elf, rather than -14.

Kender: 20xp

While there are a lot of kender, they have a high attrition rate, partly due to looking like a psychedelic headache. Almost all Kender are born and spend their childhood in hidden Kender towns and cities. When they reach adolescence at a few months old they leave home (or are kicked out - young kender are very annoying...) and go out to explore the world. Highly inquisitive, they often have a magpie-like nature, hoarding small trinkets. For this reason they are often viewed as thieves - although this is unfair, since young Kender have no real concept of ownership, and as far as the Kender is concerned they are merely 'borrowing' the item.

Aside from their sometimes pointed ears, Kender are almost always distinguishable by their c lothing. A liking for bright colours, an inability to understand the words 'clash' or 'taste', and myriad bags for their 'stuff' are the most striking features of the typical Kender.

  • Begins with two hit points to the chest and head, and one on each limb.
  • Speaks Common (English).
  • May not learn Magic or Spirit skills, but may worship a god (or anything else) as a lay follower.
  • Are Resistant to ingestive poisons. (take one degree less damage and Inflict effects from them last only 5 minutes)
  • The Frailty skill costs -10 Experience for a Kender, rather than -24.
  • The Weakness skill costs -5 Experience for a Kender, rather than -14.
  • May not use a weapon more than 36" in length (short sword size).
  • Starts with two points of racial DAC free - this stacks with Combat Awareness and Agility, and is not affected by wearing armour.

Orc: 15xp

Orcs, as they are called in the common tongue, are a race of Urka that dwells in the Underdark. Orcs of the Sword have recently arrived in great military strength to the city, improving its defences against the attacks of the Orcs of the Fist. Now, the dark-touched Orcs look like they're here to stay...

The minimum physrep for Orcs is scrunched black makeup across eyes (we will demonstrate) and appropriate tribal markings (probably black and green crosshatch on cheeks).

  • Begins with four hit points to the chest and head and two on each limb.
  • Speak a secret language, and cannot speak Common unless they buy the relevant skill. All PC Orcs are forbidden from teaching their secret language to non-orcs except by arrangement with the refs.
  • Vulnerable to White damage and Resistant to Black Damage.
  • Naturally tough, so they are counted as having two extra purchases of the Health skill when calculating how many hit points they have.
  • May not be priests, (and hence take priest skills,) as orcish priests are incredibly rare, but may be mages normally.
  • Most Orcs in the city are devout lay followers of Humact. Please talk to a ref if you wish your Orc to be of a different faith.
  • Please request a player guide from the refs before you finish your character concept.